Archive for October, 2009

As autumn gives way to winter, many people will start bringing out the anti-freeze to deal with the colder weather. However, after two cats were found poisoned in Fife from consuming the useful household product, owners are being warned about the importance of keeping it out of reach from pets. Anti-freeze poisoning is one of the most common causes of poisoning in cats, especially in the winter months.

Due to the colourless, odourless nature of the substance, owners are being advised to keep alert to the symptoms of anti-freeze poisoning. There include lethargy and vomiting, as well as head shaking and even comas in the late stages.

It is not known whether the poisoning of the two cats in question was deliberate or accidental; what is known is that both dogs and cats will consume the substance if they find it. Since it’s common practise to change car coolant in winter months , which can result in spills that pets will investigate, extra care is required to protect both both our pets and ourpet insurance over this season.

As cats get older, they need extra care and love. In this post I’ll point out some of the things you should be aware of when looking after an older cat.

As cats get older, and their kidneys weaken, the potassium level in their blood starts to drop. This causes a condition known as hypokalemia, to which loss of appetite, lethargy and poor coat condition can be linked. As if this wasn’t enough problems already, their natural thirst will start to fade as well, meaning that older cats can easily become dehydrated – sometimes to a dangerous level. It is wise to keep fresh water available in multiple rooms for your cat, to encourage him to drink as often as possible. Be sure to also keep an eye on his drinking habits and go straight to a vet if you are worried.

Linked to the above dehydration and lack of water is the fact that older cats produce less saliva and can hence have difficulties swallowing. Special food can be purchased for older cats, through otherwise it is sensible to check food to remove or but up large chunk and lumps.

With a little care and attention, older cats can be just as comfortable and happy as young ones.

There are two main kinds of arthritis that affects cats; traumatic arthritis and osteoarthritis. The first is arthritis brought on by an injury that weakens the joints or bones, causing inflammation. Although it doesn’t always last very long, traumatic arthritis can be exceptionally painful and may even require surgery if it is brought on by a break, fracture or dislocation. Because it is impossible to predict when an accident it going to happen, or when your cat might get into a fight, it is highly advisable to invest in pet insurance, just in case.

Osteoarthritis normally occurs with old age or repeated injuries to the same area; as the joints get old and stop working as well as they used to, they become inflamed while new bone continues to grow around the joints. Osteoarthritis tends to get worse over time and can be severely painful, especially for overweight cats. Pain relief is absolutely necessary to allow cats with osteoarthritis to live a comfortable life, so please speak to your vet if you have concerns. Although the constant medication can be expensive, some comprehensive pet insurance policies will pay for it.

It may seem like deliberate destruction but, for a cat, scratching things is a natural act, designed not only to keep their claws in shape, but to mark their territory as well. However, as happy as you may be to have your lounge used as territorial grounds, I’d wager you’d rather not have your sofa shredded in the process, right? Claw damage is covered by cat insurance; cat damage isn’t necessarily covered by contents insurance!

For this reason, scratching posts were invented, to allow owners to redirect their pet’s scratching tendencies. They come in a range of shapes and sizes not only to appeal to our sense of aesthetic variation, but also because different cats scratch in different ways. Some cats stretch out their whole body when they scratch, making a tall and sturdy scratching post the ideal choice. Other cats only really scratch with their shoulder muscles and will be perfectly content with a smaller post.

Whatever kind of scratching post you provide for your cat, it is wise not to buy a carpet-covered post. The reason is simple; having bought a post to train your cat not to scratch the furniture, you don’t want to inadvertently train it to scratch your carpet instead! The best idea is to buy multiple scratching posts and put them around the house, in the rooms in which you spend the most time.

When it comes to our cat’s diets, all cat owners should be aware of the high levels of salt in human food.  Of course we all want to treat our little feline companions from time to time, but the deli counter at the supermarket simply isn’t the right place to buy your treats!  We humans already eat too much salt; it’s in almost all of our food!  If a cat consumes too much salt, by being fed human food for example, it can cause all kinds of nasty problems – urinary tract infections expecially!  If you want to treat your cat and insist on doing it with human food, consider organic meat shops instead.

Do try to get food without grain and always avoid milk.  Despite the fact that cats and milk seem to go hand in hand, dairy products aren’t good for them and they’ll put on a lot of weight pretty fast!  I this respect cats are like humans; they might foods that are bad for them!

Otherwise, don’t treat your cat’s diet like you would a human – be specific with your treats!  For the real cat-lover, I can highly recommend Paws, Applause or Thrive Cat Treats – especially the freeze-dried chicken and prawns!  My cats can’t get enough of them!

Of course, when humans and cats live side by side, sometimes things do go a bit wrong with their diet- they do have  a knack of getting into the rubbish don’t they?  For this reason, I always advise cat owners to get pet insurance; it means you can whisk them off to the vet at the first sign of trouble, without worrying about the charges!

I think most cat owners will agree with me when I say there is a pitiful range of interesting toys available for cats! Although a quick search on Ebay reveals a huge range of scratching posts, of a range of shapes and sizes, that’s about where the market stops. There is a huge gap in the market for more interactive toys; why won’t one of those Dragon’s Den type people invent some!

In an attempt to find something more interesting for my cats, I recently purchased a Panic Mouse for them at great expense. However, as excited as I was at this potentially intriguing toy, the same can’t be said for my cats, who took more interest in the noisy motor than in the mouse itself! After a few days of nothing interesting happening at all, apart from the wind-up mouse nearly taking my cat’s eye out (making me very glad I had pet insurance), I resorted back to laser pens and tin foil tied to string – they love it!

If you are after an interesting interactive toy, Zebedee mice are a classic, cheap and effective way to guarantee good results! Mice with catnip in them, cats go nuts for them, where they stare with blank disinterest at normal toy mice that smell of nothing!

So, this is an appeal to the market – will somebody please make some interesting cat toys!

If you’re going to get a long-haired cat, make sure you’re prepared to do some work!

If may only take 15 minutes a day, but I know from experience that even a quarter of an hour can be hard to find. However, regular and thorough grooming is essential to maintaining your cat’s well-being, so you should always try to find time to do it properly. Although there are many brushes on the market, most cats are quite sensitive to being grooming and you should take care to get a brush that won’t be uncomfortable. Invest in the right brush and your cat may, like mine, come to prefer being groomed to being stroked! My advice would be to look for bristles with rounded, plastic covers – they are the most comfortable in my experience. Although you’ll need a needled brush to get all the knots out, a thick bristly brush works wonders to bring out the shine in a coat!

When it comes to the grooming, make sure you spend enough time to do it properly. Lift up their legs to make sure you brush the areas where most knots occur, including the bottom and tail. However, do be aware that tails are exceptionally sensitive – so take care!

If your cat has any kind of stomach upset, pay particular attention to the fur around their bottom – it can become very tangled. Of course, if you detect any symptoms worse than loose stools, don’t hesitate to take your cat to the vet. I highly advice having pet insurance for this reason; you can take your cat in for a check up any time you want, without having to worry about the cost.

To have a long-haired cat is to have a beautiful cat; put in the effort and you’ll see the benefits!

Buying a cat isn’t an easy thing to do, but the decisions you make in these first stages are the most important you might ever make for your new cat. Here is some advice for anybody considering buying a cat; be it your first, fifth or fiftieth!

For starters, if you’re not looking for a specific breed, I would highly recommend going to a cat rescue centre; you’ll find a huge variety of cats and you know you’ll be giving one a new, good home. Having said that, there are also rescue centres for certain breeds as well, but they’re not always the easiest things to find.

As the internet continues to boom, many people find or buy their cats online and it’s a brilliant way to find exactly what you’re after! There are a lot of dodgy websites out there though, so be very careful when you’re looking online and it can be hard to find a good breeder’s website. It can also be tricky to find specific breeders in your area; you absolutely must visit the cat before you commit to anything! Be certain to check their papers and, if possible, see their parents as well. Having said all of that; there are hundreds of very good breeders online and it’s a great way of viewing thousands of cats without having to trawl all over the coutry!

When you make your final decision, make sure you take your new cat to the vet immediately for a full check up and also invest in some cat insurance. Having a pet is a huge responsibility but, take your time, find the right cat and you’ll have years of great experiences!