Cat Health and Cat Care
A happy and healthy cat makes a happy pet. As a cat owner, it is your responsibility to ensure your cat is healthy and happy given he is practically part of the family.
This article gives you a few health tips to help ensure your cat is physically fit.
What a cat eats has a great influence on its’ health. As your cat gets older, it is more prone to heart disease which is mainly caused by obesity. According to your cats’ nutritional needs, choose a suitable cat food and feed your cat regularly. If in doubt, seek a veterinarians’ advice about your cats’ nutritional requirements.
Grooming your cat, at least once a week, is a great way to bond with your cat. It also reduces health risks especially for long haired cats, by reducing the number of hairballs that form in their stomach if they have to groom themselves all the time.
It is important to clean the litter box regularly and properly, to prevent health hazards both to the cat as well as humans. Cats love clean environments and can smell up to 10 times better than humans, thus changing the litter at least once every four days and clearing the faeces tray, will make your cat simply adore you. Dusty litter can irritate the cats’ asthma so it should be handled carefully.
Declawing a cat is a very painful process which will most likely earn you your cats’ resentment. It is important to keep your cat indoors if you decide to declaw it. Some people choose to declaw their cats so the cats do not destroy the furniture by scratching, but a cat scratcher or catnip can be a solution that keeps your cats claws and saves your furniture too. Alternately, you can carefully trim your cats’ claws as they grow.
Cats are sensitive creatures and can be affected by stressful situations like travelling, natural disasters changes in the family and moving. Sedatives can help to minimize the effects of such stressful situations, and while catnip is often a good option for sedating your cat, seek a vets advice or recommendation for a sedative for your kitty.
Just as most drugs advise you to keep away from children, there are some dangerous poisons you should keep far away from your cat, such as antifreeze. Lock away your toxins and raise your household plants as some of them are fatal to cats. Cat friendly plants like catnip, honeysuckle and cat grass are good plants if you have an indoor cat as they also provide nutrients and minerals for the cat which are scarce in manufactured food in addition to a healthy environment.
Mouth diseases like gingivitis are as likely to attack cats as humans and can impact the cat’s health. It is safer to switch to a cat food which prevents the buildup of tartar. Also, a trip to the vet at least once a year for a teeth check and possible cleaning will be of great help.
The best way to keep your cat safe is by keeping it indoors. This prevents most threats to your cats’ health like cars, other animals, toxins and children. This can be a real challenge especially if your cat loves being outdoors. You may have to stock up on toys to keep the cat indoors.