PassTheCatMarketing.com

You’ve brought your kitten home. You’ve got her set up with all her needs. Now, you’re faced with some of the more puzzling aspects of cat care. You’re wondering about declawing. And that’s just for starters. Not to worry.

First and foremost, realize that the first step to successful cat ownership is to love your cat. Filling in the blanks on the information you don’t know yet will come. And here’s some information and knowledge to get you started. Of course homeopathic care for cat is something that is all over the news right now, but there’s actually a lot more to know then that.

Yes, cats shed. And the shedding of a long-haired cat is more noticeable than that of a short haired feline. Expect your cat only to shed at the change of the seasons. That’s not so. Because of his exposure to a constant temperature and continual artificial light, your indoor cat sheds year round. But it’s not nearly as bad as it sounds.

Here’s a good piece of important cat care information, cats take care of a lot of their shedding on their own. They are fastidiously clean animals. You’ll discover they are constantly cleaning themselves with their rough, sandpaper-like tongues. The very mechanism, though, that helps them to control shedding also contributes to one of their health problems, hairballs. Hairballs are a very real threat to your cat’s digestion. They can block the food that’s already been digested from traveling through his intestines.

So how can you tell when your cat is experiencing hairballs? You’ll be able to recognize them if he coughs them up – as cats are prone to do. If you find cigar-shaped masses of some indistinguishable matter on the floor or on your furniture, you’ve discovered a hairball.

Sometimes, though, a cat will expel them along with his ***** in the litter box. If you find that your cat’s bowel movements have hair on them, that means he’s got hairballs. Another symptom your feline may exhibit is dry coughing or a hacking. This will especially occur after he’s eaten. In fact, if your cat has a sudden, unexpected loss of appetite, you may suspect a hairball is at the root cause.

So how do you prevent hairballs? Take matters in your own hands, literally! Brush! Brush! Brush! Groom you kitty often. Most cats find it most enjoyable and it builds a marvelous bond between you and your feline.

If you discover that your kitten may need more aid than this, there are many effective hairball remedies on the market today. They come in a variety of forms, from granules you sprinkle inconspicuously on his food to gels.

Thinking about declawing?

If you haven’t heard, declawing your cat so he doesn’t ruin your furniture or accidentally seriously scratch an individual is controversial. A generation ago, this operation was routine, many times performed at the same time the kitten got spayed or neutered.

The public today, though, is more widely educated on exactly what surgery for declawing entails. It’s not just a matter of pulling the claws out of the kitty. To remove a cat’s claws, a veterinarian must actually amputate the cat’s paws at the first joint. This would be the equivalent you getting your knuckles amputated right below your finger nails. Ouch!

In order to perform the surgery, your veterinarian will anesthetized your cat as well as give him pain medication. He will literally cut the first section of your cat’s paw off, since the claws are intricately intertwined in the first “knuckle.”

Following the surgery, your cat’s paws are carefully bandaged. Your cat will undoubtedly spend the night at the animal hospital. The following day you’ll be able to bring her home.

Be prepared! Your cat – understandably – will be distinctly uncomfortable for several days following the surgery. (Actually, she’ll probably be in great pain. But felines are wonderful actors. Cats **** to show that they’re in any type of pain.)

Considering, though, the extent of the surgery, your cat heals quite quickly. You’ll notice that your pet walks around the house rather gingerly. That’ll last for about a week. After that she’ll back to her old self.

To help prevent infection, you should replace her litter with some shredded paper. This avoids getting granules of litter in his already very tender paws.

Declawing your cat does more than just eliminate the problem of scratching. Her claws -and that portion of the toes that are removed, are valuable to her in another vital way. Removing her claws may throw her entire system of natural balance off.

A cat, you see, is classified as a “digitigrade.” It’s a strange label, but essentially it means that she walks on her toes. But, a cats toes are used for so much more! Her entire balance and form are based on the length of her digits. Nature, it seems, designed the cat’s body – including her back, shoulders, paws, leg joints, ligaments, muscles, tendons and even her nerves! – based on walking on her toes. Because of this, her weight is distributed across its toes as it walks, runs and climbs.

That means a cat’s claws are absolutely essential for her balance as well as for her ability to exercise effectively. Not only that, her toes – and especially her claws are vital aspects of her stretching. Notice when your cat scratches at a post (or, yes, your furniture!). We all assume she’s just sharpening her claws. Not so! She is really stretching her entire body. When you declaw your kitten, it throws her entire body alignment off.

Hairballs and declawing. Not usually subjects that come up in everyday conversations, now are they? But these are only two of the important bits of information that every cat owner needs to know in order to give Fluffy the best of care. That, and your love, will help your kitten live a long and healthy life.

Cat urinary problems can be frustrating to deal with.  If recurring FLUTD is a problem for your kitty, maybe stress has something to do with it, especially if your vet can’t find any reason for the repeated feline urinary problems.  If your kitty has been diagnosed with feline idiopathic cystitis, read on for answers.

What Is Feline Idiopathic Cystitis?

Your cat shows all the symptoms of feline cystitis.  He strains to urinate, but doesn’t pass much urine.  His urine may be bloody.  He’s obviously in pain when he’s using the litter box.  And he may be urinating in places other than his litter box. 

But when your vet examines him and runs a urinalysis and a urine culture, there’s no sign of a feline bladder infection.  There’s no bacteria in his urine, and bladder stones, tumors, and even an anatomical defect have all been ruled out. 

Feline idiopathic cystitis is the diagnosis when there doesn’t seem to be any reason for feline urinary problems.  It’s very difficult to watch your cat suffer with FLUTD symptoms when there doesn’t appear to be any reason for these cat urinary problems.  The worst thing is that this condition is becoming more common in cats as time goes on.

Is A Stressed Out Cat Related To Feline Idiopathic Cystitis?

Research is showing that this condition in cats is very similar to interstitial cystitis in people.  In both cats and people, some sort of stressful event often happens just before the cat or person suffers another bout of cystitis.

We don’t always realize what stresses our cats have in their lives.  It may be hard to believe, but being an indoor cat is stressful for felines.  We keep them inside for their own safety, but this is an unnatural environment for felines.  They do like to prowl around, especially at night.They get plenty of exercise while hunting for food every day. 

We also feed them the wrong type of diet, which is another stressor.  Most dry cat foods are made mostly from corn, which is very high in carbohydrates.  Too much of the wrong type of food leads to obesity, feline diabetes, and other health issues. 

Something that many cat owners don’t consider is that the moisture level in dry cat food is extremely low.  Cats are meant to get most of their water from their diet, which should be mostly meat-based.  A cat who is always fed dry food is more than likely chronically dehydrated.  Even if a cat who is fed dry food does drink water, it’s hard for him to drink enough.

The problem with a dehydrated cat is that water doesn’t pass through his body often enough to flush out toxins.  His urine is also concentrated.  Urine is caustic, and if it’s too concentrated, it can irritate the bladder, which often leads to FLUTD.Cat bladder stones, and urinary blockage in cats are often a consequence of concentrated urine, as the mineral levels get too high.

This type of stress is low-level, but it can lead to problems over time. 

Your kitty may be under other types of stress.  Cats are very set in their ways, and any kind of change can be upsetting for them.Your cat may be stressed because of a move to a new home, a new person or animal in the household, or even because of a change in the weather.  Your cat may be having problems with another cat in the home, too, especially if the other pet is more aggressive and seems to bother him a lot.

Helping Your Stressed Out Cat

It’s been shown that reducing stress in cats does reduce the frequency of FLUTD.It’s essential to reduce stress on your cat’s body by feeding him a diet more naturally suited to felines.

If your kitty is plagued with recurring feline urinary problems, natural remedies for cats may help.  Just click on any link in this article to learn more.