When asked about the costs behind keeping a cat, people think of the cat food and perhaps the cat litter. You might also think of the cost of flea and worm treatments. You probably wouldn’t stop to think about the costs of cat health care.

Veterinary costs can be very high if surgery or ongoing treatment is needed. If your feline friend is lucky enough to survive being hit by a car it could require surgery. A cat could also need regular, ongoing medication for illnesses such as diabetes. Would you be able to afford these cat health care costs.

You might think that you’ll be lucky and that there’ll be no problems for your pet, but it’s not worth the gamble. This is why pet insurance exists. You buy the pet insurance and if the worst does happen, the costs of treatment will be covered. You won’t have to worry about how cat health care is going to impact on your budget.

Be sure to invest in the pet insurance whilst your cat is young. Insurance companies are unlikely to take on an older cat with an existing cat health care problem. Remember however, that there could be conditions to your pet insurance, so check the small print. Paying for vaccinations will still be your responsibility and if your cat isn’t up to date the insurance company could refuse to pay for treatment for illnesses that vaccination would have prevented.

As well as cat health care, some companies offer additional cover. Some companies will offer money to cover the costs of advertising or offering a reward should your pet go missing.

Pet insurance is the best way to get peace of mind. It’s just important to get the best deal you can and to be certain you understand what is and isn’t included. Be sure you understand excesses and limits and if the policy is only annual rather than for life, don’t forget to renew.

Original Post: Pets Advice Online

Consider Pet Insurance to Pay for Cat Health Care

As far as diagnosis goes, this cat health care issue is easier to spot than others: all it needs is a good look at the animal. A cat which is a healthy weight will have an obvious waist just in front of its hind legs when viewed from above and, if it is a short hair cat with a thin coat, you should be able to feel but not see the cat’s ribs.

Obesity can be confirmed by a vet: the cat will be weighed and the vet will suggest a weight loss regime for the cat. If left to remain overweight, cats can go on to suffer various cat health care problems including, arthritis, difficulty breathing, heart problems and diabetes. Obesity really could kill a cat.

Lower calorie pet foods are available from vet surgeries and pet shops. We have to remember that any cat treats our pet eats still contribute to the daily calorie total, so if treats are given, meal sizes should be reduced accordingly. Similarly, it is important to remember that titbits and human food leftovers could seriously upset the delicate balance of your pet’s diet. Many pet owners are not aware that their cat is being fed by well meaning neighbours, as well as at home. Politely asking neighbours not to give food to your cat might be helpful.

It is an important part of an owner’s responsibility for cat health care to ensure that their cat exercises and is physically active, but this is more difficult with cats than it is with dogs. Try to send your cat outdoors for some time every day so that it can take a stroll. Also try to spend more time playing with your cat. Getting the cat to chase toys such as balls will keep the weight off.

Original Post: Pets Advice Online

Obesity and Cat Health Care

Cystitis and Feline Lower Urinary tract Disease are general terms which refer to the cat health care problems caused by an inflammation in the urinary bladder. As this problem causes irritation and inflammation related to urination, common symptoms include urinating frequently or urgently, appearing to experience difficulty urinating and possibly blood in urine. These illnesses are caused by various triggers, although very often food causes urinary crystals to form into bladder stones. Also, cats which are overweight are often affected because they are susceptible to cat health care problems generally. However, there is no need for undue concern: this can be treated easily by a vet.

Spraying, on the other hand, is more often thought of as a problematic behaviour than a cat health care issue. Between the age of eight and nine months male cats will hit puberty and develop new, territorial behaviours. This will include spraying very strong smelling urine around their territory- your house. Getting rid of the smell can be very difficult. This behaviour goes hand in hand with other typical male cat behaviour such as fighting, which can lead to cat health care problems, so it advisable to have a male cat neutered before this age to avoid these problems.

Renal disease is a cat health care problem which is particularly prevalent in middle aged and older cats. This is because cat urine is very concentrated and cats do not pass urine exceptionally often, meaning that their kidneys work very hard. That an older cat’s kidneys should begin to fail is therefore not surprising or uncommon. Symptoms of kidney disease include drinking and urinating more and if the disease progresses, sickness, disorientation and weight loss. As well as advancing age, other causes of this cat health care problem include ingestion poison, cancer or other infections.

Original Post: Pets Advice Online

Urinary Problems and Your Pet’s Cat Health Care

The virus is similar to HIV in humans, so it works by attacking and killing the white blood cells in the cat.This is dangerous to the cat because the white blood cells are responsible for fighting off infection. This means that cats which have been infected by the virus are significantly more susceptible to picking up infections which will be more likely to bring about complications than in healthier cats.

Because cat health care should be a priority for any cat owner, they should be watching out for FIV symptoms. Amongst the common symptoms of the virus are discharge from the nose and eyes, high temperatures, anaemia, skin infections, loss of appetite, swollen lymph glands and gingivitis, which is a type of gum disease. Because cats can look outwardly healthy for many years whilst infected with the virus, many owners fail to realise the extent of the cat health care problem they’re dealing with.

At present cat health care experts have been unable to find a treatment for the virus, but secondary infections can be managed with antibiotics giving the infected cat a better quality of life.Unfortunately there is not currently a vaccine for the virus, meaning that the only real way of avoiding it is to avoid cats mixing and fighting.Castrated or neutered cats are less inclined to fight, so it is always a good idea to have your pet castrated.

Original Post: Pets Advice Online

Cat Health Care and FIV

Osteoarthritis is one of the most common afflictions to affect older cats. The illness affects felines in the same way it does humans, that is it causes painful join inflammation and makes moving around more difficult.Signs of osteoarthritis are normally quite obvious. Normally the animal will appear stiff, have trouble getting up or sitting or lying down, appear to find climbing stairs difficult, walk awkwardly or generally appear less mobile. Owners who suspect this cat health care problem might be affecting their pets should visit the vet. Although there is no exact treatment for the illness, a range of cat food aimed at senior, arthritic cats is available and this can ease pain.

Heart disease is another common cat health care problem in older cats. It is estimated by vets that around one cat in ten has a heart condition of some description.The symptoms are not too obvious but can include coughing which is more noticeable at night and a decrease in appetite.Owners who believe that their pet may be suffering from a heart condition should consult a vet who will be able to suggest ways of improving the cat’s condition. Changes to the diet of the cat and its exercise regime may help. There are also some treatments available which might prolong the cat’s life.

Finally, older cats are also often affected by chronic renal failure. Basically meaning a deterioration in kidney function, this is a progressive and irreversible cat health care problem. The factors that can cause this illness are many, but they include: toxic poisoning, cancer, polycystic kidney disease and other infections. Some of the symptoms include excessive thirst and urination, weight loss, excessive drooling, vomiting and mouth ulcers.However, not all cats will develop all of these symptoms.There is no cure for the illness but it can be effectively managed to improve the animal’s quality of life. Preventing the cat from becoming dehydrated should be an absolute priority.Feeding moist foods is important, as is providing plenty of water.Try to use a cat food that is lower in protein and phosphate, this will reduce toxins in the bloodstream, reducing pressure on the kidneys.

Original Post: Pets Advice Online

Cat Health Care Problems in Older Cats

The thinking behind these applications is very much the need to offer quick and concise information to pet keepers. A very useful application is the Pet First Aid app which contains a very helpful collection of simple snippets of pet health care advice for many different animals.It also describes in a good level of detail how to carry out physical checks on your dog, giving you a better idea of what might be the problem. A very useful ‘what’s normal’ section lets owners look up symptoms or behaviour to see whether they should be a cause for concern.

The mobile symptom checker works in a similar way to the first aid app. A little bit like a pet version of the NHS direct website, the app lets users search through symptoms by category.

The Vet Record app helps owners to keep abreast of their animal’s pet health care records. The app allows users to input medical records to keep track of treatment.Whilst this app may sound redundant, it is especially useful if a pet has to receive emergency treatment from a different vet to normal, for example on holiday.

Pet health care fans will really love the Pet Services finder app. From dog walkers, to vets, to catteries, this service which is a cross between a search engine and a phone book can find them.

Some of the other popular apps include the Off the Leash application which has details of pet friendly and interesting walks and the Vet Dictionary app which helps owners understand animal health jargon.

It is certainly true that these new apps are making a big contribution to pet health care by simplifying it and making it easily accessible.

Original Post: Pets Advice Online

Pet Health Care Advice in the Palm of Your Hand

Some of the most common signs and symptoms of feline flu to look out for are sneezing and coughing, a clear discharge from the nose and eyes, increased salivation, depression, lack of appetite, lameness and ulcers on the tongue, nasal area or roof of the mouth. If the feline acquires a secondary bacterial infection then the discharge from the nose and eyes could become thicker and yellowish in colouring. These types of signs are all indicators of a cat health care problem and the pet should be taken to see the vet. In these circumstances, intensive care by a vet will be the infected cat’s best chance for survival. The cat health care vet can treat bacterial feline flu with anti-biotics but there’s sadly no specific cure for viral feline flu.

Due to the fact that there’s no cure for life threatening feline flu virus, cat health care professionals are always keen to underline that vaccination as a kitten with ongoing booster jabs is of utmost importance. Vaccination is the only established way of protecting against feline flu.

Original Post: Pets Advice Online

Cat Health Care and Cat Flu

Misconception 1: Is neutering dogs and cats bad?

Neutering your cat or dog does not necessarily impact on its health, but many fear that it does. People worry that it will make the dog fat and de-motivated. Don’t misconstrue laziness for loyalty though, as dogs and cats tend to prefer to stay close to you when they have been neutered. There is some research being conducted to determine if neutering can shorten an animal’s lifespan, but there is no sufficient evidence at present to suggest this is correct.

Misconception 2: My dog knows when it has been bad, but it doesn’t learn.

Trust us that this isn’t true. It is fair to say that many dogs aren’t aware of being naughty and if they don’t get told about it, they will continue to do it. As you would a child, show the dog what it has done wrong so it learns. Pro-active training like this is good. If you get hysterical then the dog might just think you are happy and not associate it with actually being bad. Don’t hit your dog though, as this is very bad pet ownership. No pet owner should lay a hand to a dog and think that it is an acceptable part of dog health care; for it quite simply isn’t. The same applies to any mistreating of cats and kittens – this is not good cat health care.

Check with a vet if you are concerned about something not being accurate with your dog health care and cat health care practices. Trust in your vet to steer you in the right direction so you don’t end up believing any more misconceptions.

Original Post: Pets Advice Online

Misconceptions About Dogs, Cats And Their Health