Cat Eye Care-Why It Is Important?

Cats eyes have often been used in horror films. But as a pet owner, you will know that the cats stare is really the complete opposite of what is portrayed in films. That is why cat eye care, is so very important for you to know.

How do cats say I love you? well this is through their eyes, of course. This is why you should never be frightened by there gaze. So how does this work? First of all, the cat stares at you for a long time. And after that, it blinks its eyes slowly. Some people call this the cats kiss. But you should also know that this is your cats way of showing you that it loves you.

But how do you return the favor? This is easy, all you need to do is follow your cats lead. Stare at it for a long time and then slowly blink your eyes. See? Cats eyes have also be used for romantic films as well.

Do not believe the horror films you see. Cats do not and never have had a third eye. Their eye sight is really far better than a humans. Instead of a third eye, what cats have is a third eyelid. This is called a nictitating membrane.

This inner eyelid protects the eyes of the cat from harm and also from dryness. You will always notice that when a cat is sick, this membrane will be some what closed. This should always alarm enough for you to call your vet or get your cat to them fast as possible.

But this third eyelid will also show once a cat is happy. So you will know what kind of mood your cat is in just by looking at the membrane.

You should always observe the pupil of your feline friend. A change in size of one of the pupils can often be an indication of an inflammation. It can also be a sign of a kind of a neurologic, disorder, this is called Horner's Syndrome. Or worse, it can also indicate tumors or injuries in the central nervous system.

Never believe what others say that cats are color blind. They do see some colors. They may not see them as clear as human do, but its not true that they cannot see any colors at all.

Cats can also see clearly over long distances. There vision is very different from peoples. There vision will blurry if they are looking at objects that are very close to them.

Yes it is true, cats do have the nocturnal vision. But they can not see in complete darkness. Do you see the muscles on their iris that surround the pupils of their eyes? They are constructed in a way that it narrows into a vertical split when they are exposed in the bright lights. And it opens fully when they are in a quite dim light.

This feature of the cat may be traced back to their roots. They can use this feature to hunt for food during the night, that is if they were left out in the jungle or left with no one to care for them.

So you must forget about the horror movies that you have seen. Now it is time to put some effort into your cats eye care. Never let a minor ailments worsen. Always call your vet immediately when you think there is something not right or amiss. You do not want your cat to lose their sight or even worse lose their lives. Just remember it is always better to be safe than blind.

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Cat Care Symptoms That You Need To Know

When we have pain in our bodies, we can easily tell somebody that there is something wrong and that person will be able to bring you to the hospital. Pets cannot do that but watching them can tell you a lot of things. which is why owners should employ cat care and be aware of the symptoms.

Here are a few diseases you should watch out for and their symptoms.

Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is the most feared disease by cat owners. It is a acknowledged fact, that it is the leading cause of death amongst cats. It is caused by a coronavirus infection and what is even worse, is that the symptoms are very much like other diseases so it is really difficult to diagnose.

There is also Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) that is similar to HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). Just like the version in humans, it is a life long infection that progresses slowly and kills the cat.

Cats can as well be infected by Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV). It is a retrovirus that causes fatal cancerous and non-cancerous diseases. Fortunately, it can be treated using some household detergents and bleach as well as warmth and drying. It is transferred through the saliva, tears, urine and feces of infected cats. Unlike the other two, it cannot survive that long in the environment so it is only contagious when the infected cat stays with some other cat for a long period of time. 

Worms are another threat to cats and this is caused by a fungal infection that is spread through spores.. Since this disease is self limiting, you will not have do anything to make it clear up. It will in eventually clear up on its own, but it may take a few months to do so.

If you have a obese cat, then the chances are it will already have feline diabetes. The symptoms of this disease are pretty simple to see and are excessive urination and thirst as well as weight loss or gain. Veterinarians are of yet unsure what is the cause of this, but recent research studies that have been done, have showed that there is a link between pancreatic disease, hormonal imbalance and certain medications.

The symptoms of most of the above diseases mentioned are very similar. These include diarrhea, vomiting, lameness lasting for more than five days in one leg, a reduction in vision, excessive panting, a seizure, blood in the stool or urine, hair loss, persistent coughing or gagging and breathing heavily or rapidly while at rest. In order to find the answer, your cat will have to undergo some tests, at your local veterinaries.

Your veterinarian will take some blood, urine and feces samples and ask for input from you, about any observation you have made. When the tests results come back, only then will the proper treatment be administered to your cat as each case is different, so what worked for another cat may not have the self same positive effect with yours.

Your cat should still be healthy if you gave it constant attention. This can be done by giving it superior quality food, giving it fresh water, allowing it to exercise, proper grooming, making for certain it remains indoors and taking it regularly to the veterinarian.

If you miss any of these simple steps, then something wrong is bound to happen to your cat and you will soon notice a change in the behaviour of your cat and if you do nothing about it, it is just going to make matters far worse. So you need to keep proper cat care and watch out for any symptoms.

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Cats And Ring Worm

Cats And Ring Worm

Ringworm is a very common form of skin disease that can be problematical in cat care. Although its name makes you think otherwise, this skin disease isn’t caused by any type of worm.  It’s actually caused by fungi known as Dermatophytes that feed on dead tissues found in the surface of the skin, spreading them around the skin of the animal.

With cats, there is a certain type of fungi known as M Canis that is found with nearly 95% of all ringworm cases.  Normally, cats will get the ringworm disease from contaminated objects like bedding, clippers, or another animal that already has the disease.  If there are animals in your home or around your house that have the ringworm disease, your cat could very easily contract it this way.

If you are caring for cats that are under a year old in your home, you should always use precaution, as they are more susceptible to ringworm.  Kittens can easily contract the disease, especially if you allow them to go outside.  They can easily come in contact with a contaminated object or another cat that has the disease.  Kittens take a long time to build their immune system up, and in the meantime they are more apt to get common disease such as ringworm.

The most common symptoms of ringworm in cats are rough or broken hairs, or hair loss around the head or the paws.  Ringworm can easily be identified by a patch of scaly skin on the body that appears itchy and inflamed.  There will also be broken hairs around the patch of scaly skin.  This area is very sensitive, and you should never try to touch it, as it will hurt your cat.

If you notice any of the above symptoms with your pet, you should immediately schedule an appointment with your vet.  If the vet diagnosis your cat with ringworm, he may prescribe ointment or tablets.  What he describes however, will determine on how serious the ringworm is.  If he prescribes tablets as part of your cat care routine, you should give them with meals.  Ointment on the other hand, is normally spread into the coat, topically.  You should always use what your vet prescribes on a daily basis, to ensure that your cat heals.  The healing process will take time, normally around six weeks or more.

Cats that have ringworm should be labeled as infectious.  If you have children in the house, you should keep them away from your pet. Whenever you handle your cat, you should always use gloves.  Ringworms are contagious, and you should always use caution.  Even though it’s a mild disease, ringworm can result in serious problems due to the slow recovery time and fact that it’s contagious.

Great Balls of Hair!

Every pet friend certainly you probably are cognizant of a common issue that afflicts kitties:  cat hairballs.  But what have you learned of a hairball's symptoms, root causes, and reliefs?

What Causes Hairballs?

A hairball is created by the course top of a feline's tongue extracting free hair in the course of grooming themselves.  This hair is then ingested and drawn into the digestive tract.  In the ordinary situation, this hair wouldn't get digested, but would get pooped out when the feline uses the litter box or goes outside.  After all, kitties are killers, and are capable to be able to deal with ingesting fur, like from any poor mouse it catches.   When it congeals into a plug, the cat will likely not enjoy the unwelcome experience of vomiting it back up.  In unfortunate situations however, this might not work and it may become stuck inside your feline, likely causing serious health problems.

Health Problems Brought On By Hairballs

Hairballs of cats are enough of a pain on their own, but can in addition cause many related issues, rapidly becoming dangerous if not removed or resolved in a prompt manner.  Additionally the open and irritating vomiting, of course, the unexpelled hair can cause digestion problems and constipation.  Your cat well could stop eating and act lethargic as the hairball increases in size, while your pet are still unable to get rid of it.  Their intestines can bloat and this can clearly create several unpleasant problems that you'd rather not have to deal with.  This danger could even wind up requiring surgical intervention to remove the hairball, which is a dreadfully big financial impact and jeopardy to your cat, particularly considering the ease of preventing the problem in the first place.  Left alone, it could result in a mortal affliction.

Removing Hairballs

Felines instinctively attempt to self treat by throwing up.  They can do this by swallowing grass, which typically induces felines to puke due to the grass fibers irritating their stomaches.  Other ways to treat cat hairballs involve petroleum or mineral oil based products intended to coat the intestinal tract in order to ease the natural passage of the hairball.  Products such as Laxatone hairball remedy or Petromalt have been designed to prevent hairballs.  They are a semi-solid paste that you administer to your cats before meals.  This moves the impediment through the system and acts in a manner very helpful to lessen non-hairball related constipation also.  They tend to be available in a assortment of flavors like tuna or catnip flavoring.  One serving each day for 2-3 days, and your concern is fixed.

Preventing Hairball Recurrence

Prevention of hairballs is done by several varying ways, some of them complementary.  One is a half dose of Laxatone or Petromalt 2 or 3 times per week.  Petromalt hairball remedy tends to be highly recommended by veterinarians and pet owners alike. There exist also certain "hairball prevention" diet foods available.  A huge part of hairball prevention is certainly correct grooming.  Be sure to brush the short-haired cats but comb the long-haired kitties on a continual basis.  They love it and it's a super way to spend time making sure your pet stays happy and healthy.

Encountering Senior Cat Health Problems

 What do we do when we are not feeling well? Well when we are sick we go to the doctor who detects what's wrong with us and if required will give us some medicine to make us feel better. When we get home we take the prescribed medication and perhaps go to sleep. For our elderly cats when encountering a senior cat health problem, the steps are the same only that the elderly cat must depend on its human friend to understand they aren't feeling well, pack them into the cat carrier and whisk them off to their own doctor to find out what is making them fill ill and then get medicine so they can feel better. 

Observing Senior Cat Health Problems 

Even though a cat can be solitary and independent creature, it's important to be familiar with and be aware of your cat's behavior. A couple of issues that can signal distress in your cat include constant scratching, for example, which could stem from an active flea problem or your cat could have allergies. Something else to look for is drooling, shying away from anything that gets too near to the face and the inability to eat dry food. This can signal that the cat has a bad tooth that could need to be extracted. Check their paws for splinters that can become infected or broken nails. 

Recognizing A Severe Senior Cat Health Problems 

Observing your cat repeatedly going to the litter box with no results can signal a cat urinary health issue. This health problem can be found in both male and female cats and can be caused by sediment building up in the tract making it impossible for the cat to pass any urine. This can quickly become a dangerous illness for your cat and should you observe this behavior, call your veterinarian immediately and apprise them of the situation. In most cases an immediate visit to the doctor is required so the veterinarian can place a catheter in the cat to empty the bladder. If this is not done, the urine can back up into the kidneys.  

Treating A Severe Senior Cat Health Problems 

Deciding on a course of treatment for your pet once a cat urinary health issue has arisen will be determined by your veterinarian and can include a change in what type of food your cat will be able to eat along with medication to help keep the problem from reoccurring.  Keeping up to date on all information relating to senior cat health problems that your feline may be experiencing along with cat related health problems in general will help you in recognizing the signs of distress when your cat is not feeling well. Understanding their behavior enables us to better care for their overall health and well being.