Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Cat - Cat Health Problems And Tips That Matter

Keeping your pet healthy requires a few cat health problems and tips that help with this matter. Annual check ups and vaccinations come to mind when people think about keeping their pet healthy. If you your cat has excessive licking, it may cause a problem or there may be an underlying problem. Controlling hairballs and preventing ear mites are a part of these cat health problems and tips that matter. Give your cat the best care and receive all the love and companionship they offer.

Getting the Annual Check Up The most important thing with cats is the annual check up that is needed to check the health of the cat and receive the needed vaccinations. The check up will consist of listening to the heart, checking the reproductive system and digestive system. Some vets may check for other things, as the cats get older. Stool samples usually receive testing for worms and other parasites or other medical concerns. Blood samples help to check for any health problems, which helps catch health issues early.

Always Vaccinate Your Cat The vaccination of your cat needs to be completed every year. The cat receives rabies shot every two years and distemper shot every year. Because of fetal cats roaming everywhere you need to have these shots for your cats. Health problems and tips find this issue a top priority because we need to cut down on the many deaths every year of cats dying of distemper. Only use vaccines that come from a vet or you may find that the vaccine can cause the disease to develop instead of preventing it from developing.

Your Cat Has Excessive Licking Many reasons exist for excessive licking in your cat. One might be a skin allergy that irritates the cat and they lick excessively to try to sooth the pain. Another reason might be stress. Cats that are stressed seem to lick excessively to clam themselves. Health problems and tips for this problem may be to provide a calmer environment, or give the cat a safe place in the house. If the licking persists, tests may tell you and your vet why.

Health Problems and Tips for Hairball Control Although cats of all lengths of hair have hairball problems, longhair cats seem to become affect more. Brushing and grooming the cat daily may prevent a build up of cat hair in the stomach thus preventing vomiting that comes from hairballs. If you have too many problems, a visit to the vet might help.

Health Problems and Tips with Ear Mites Ear mites are little parasites that live in the ear of a cat and cause a smelly dark discharge. If you catch the ear mite before it reaches into the inner and middle ear, you can treat this condition yourself for about twenty-one days. Preventing this parasite from invading the ear, you might use a mullein mixture to protect against ear mites. Keep your cat's ear clean and always check for ear mites weekly.

You can also find more info on cat grooming and cat health. Aboutcathealth.org is a comprehensive resource to find more information about cat health.

Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Judy_Wellsworth

Cat - How To Get of Rid Your Cat's Fleas

Is your cat a fleabag? If his scratching and biting are keeping you up at night, it is time to get the pests under control.

Even the cleanest cats end up occasionally with fleas. All it takes is one to start an infestation. When your cat goes outside he is exposed to flea eggs and any time he comes in contact with other animals, there's a chance a flea will chose your cat for a home.

Two of the most well known flea and tick preventatives for cats are Frontline and Advantix. Both of these products come as pre-measured liquid treatments which are applied directly to your cat's skin and works to kill fleas and ticks immediately.

However, most people wait until they actually see fleas or ticks before they begin the pest control war. By the time you see fleas though, you probably already have a major infestation on your hands.

The best way to catch flea problems right away is look for them on a regular basis. Carefully comb through your cat's hair with a flea comb, paying close attention to the hair around his head and on his belly. Fleas like to hide around a cat's ears, eyes, and nose. They also tend to hang out in the creases where a cat's legs and body meet.

If you catch a flea, you will know that your cat is starting to develop a flea infestation. However, while fleas may be able to evade your comb, the dirt he leaves behind will not. If you see specks of blackish dirt in the comb's teeth, this is evidence that fleas are hiding somewhere on your cat.

To find ticks, run your hands over your cat's body, looking for any raised spots. If you find a raised spot, check it closely to see if it is a tick. Don't try to remove the tick yourself. Instead, have your veterinarian do it, as they are quite difficult to remove. Often the tick's head breaks off in the animal, leading to infection.

There are other flea and tick treatments, collars, and shampoos available. If your house has become flea infested, you will need to fumigate your cat's bedding, scratching post and your upholstered furniture. If all else fails, use a flea and tick bomb in your house, but be sure to keep your pets out of the building for at least 24 hours.

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