Basic Pet Care for Cats

The basic pet care for cats have the same requirements like dogs. They require health check up with the veterinarian, receive vaccinations, dental care and have a wellness program so they can live a long and happy life.

Just like dogs, cats have the same requirements for veterinarian visits. Adult cats should have a yearly veterinary physical examination, new born kittens should see veterinarian once a month for the first four months and older cats, eight years or older should see the the veterinarian twice a year to catch any illness early. Your veterinarian may recommend a wellness program for your cat, like routine blood tests to monitor for early signs of kidney or liver disease.

SIGNS OF ILLNESS

Some signs of illness are lack of appetite or decrease in activity, vomiting and diarrhea, coughing and sneezing or a discharge from the eyes, ears and nose. Another sign can be the lost of fur or itchy area around the ears.

MEDICATION

Cats can be a real challenge to give pills to. The best way is to till the head of the cat back with the nose pointing upward. Open the mouth and place the pill as far back in the mouth as possible, close the mouth and hold it close and rub the throat lightly until the cat swallow the pill. Liquid medication is the easiest to give to your cat by using a syringe or a eye dropper. Place the syringe or eye dropper into the side of the mouth toward the rear and squirt the medication in. If you have to use eye cream or ear drop I found the best way to control the cat it to sit on top of it. What I mean is to place the cat between your legs so the cat can not escape. With the cat under control you can place the drops into the ears or place the eye cream on your finger tip and lightly rub the cream across the bottom eye lid. The last type of medication it the topical ointment (like Advantage) or creams which you rub into the skin or effected area.

VACCINATIONS

Vaccinations are just as important for preventative disease care for your cat as routine veterinarian visits. Vaccination are used to stimulate the immune system to fight off diseases.

CORE VACCINATIONS:

Panleukopenia (feline distemper) – a viral infection that normally affect the blood cell in the bone marrow

Feline Herpesvirus type 1 (Rhinotracheitis) – a viral respiratory infection

Feline Calicivirus – a viral respiratory infection

Rabies – a viral disease of the nervous system is fatal and can be transmitted to humans

NON-CORE VACCINATIONS:

Feline Chlamydiosis – a respiratory infection caused by intracellular organisms similar to bacteria

Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (Feline Aids) – a viral infection of the immune system, I highly recommend you get this vaccination

Feline Leukemia Virus – a viral form of blood cancer that suppresses the immune system, I highly recommend you get this vaccination

PARASITE:

There are some command internal and external parasite that affect felines, roundworm, hookworm and tapeworm. Worms infection are often passed through eggs in feces or directly from the mother’s milk to offspring. Intestinal worms cause damage to the digestive tract which interfere with the absorption of nutrients. Cats can also come infective with heartworms which are transmitted from mosquitoes and can be diagnosed with a blood test. There is no effective treatment for heartworms for cats.

External parasites of cats are fleas, ticks and ear mites. Monthly preventive treatments are available to control fleas and ticks by the topical ointments (like Advantage) or creams which you rub into the skin or effected area. Ear mites are control by the usage of ear drops and ear wipes.

DENTAL CARE

Dental care is just as important for our pets as for our self. I recommend cleaning your pets teeth each month. I used a finger brush with some toothpaste to clean my cat’s teeth. To help keep your cat’s teeth clean it is recommended to feed them dry food and follow up with a professional cleaning by your veterinarian once a year.