Cat Care is your go-to resource for keeping your cat healthy, comfortable, and content. From grooming and nutrition to health, training, and travel, you’ll find practical tips to help with everyday care. Whether you’re raising a kitten or supporting a senior, this section covers the essentials to help your cat thrive.
This type of diabetes should not be confused with diabetes mellitus, which involves abnormal glucose metabolism. Diabetes insipidus involves abnormal water metabolism, and it occurs when there is a lack of the antidiuretic hormone (ADH). ADH is normally produced by the hypothalamus of the brain, yet it exerts its effects on the kidneys, causing water … Read more
The feline parvovirus is found worldwide, affecting cats in much the same way as parvovirus affects their canine counterparts. The feline parvovirus causes severe gastroenteritis in affected cats, and can be fatal unless treated with haste. This highly contagious disease primarily affects unvaccinated cats less than a year old. Spread by oral contact with infective … Read more
Scratching comes naturally to cats, which use this behavior to keep their retractable claws manicured and to mark their territories. As a result, scratching, though it might become destructive and annoying, should be viewed as a perfectly natural behavior. If your cat is engaged in destructive scratching, you haven’t satisfied a basic need. A scratching … Read more
Occasionally, foreign bodies can gain entrance into the nasal passageways of cats via the mouth, causing extreme irritation and rhinitis or sinusitis. The chief culprits in this category seem to be blades of grass, which is not unusual since many dogs and cats love to chew on vegetation. Pets with nasal foreign bodies will sneeze … Read more
Contrary to popular belief, some cats can be just as trainable as dogs. Keep in mind, though, that the independent nature of cats can make certain training procedures a bit tricky, but if you maintain an understanding attitude toward your task, your frustrations will be minimal and your rewards plentiful. As with dogs, all cats … Read more
Loss of hair, either locally or generalized over the coat of a cat, is another type of skin problem that owners may face. As with itching, the causes of hair loss can be quite numerous, and sometimes very complex. A proper diagnosis is essential for restoring a full-bodied haircoat. Shedding Although the normal shedding cycles … Read more
Chlamydophila refers to a type of bacteria affecting cats that can cause infections like conjunctivitis, rhinitis, and respiratory disease. This obligate, intracellular pathogen spreads through feline ocular and nasal secretions. Chlamydophila felis strains commonly trigger infection while Chlamydophila psittaci strains less frequently cause illness in cats. If not treated promptly, chlamydophila can lead to lasting … Read more
Cats afflicted with cardiomyopathy suffer from impaired circulation, which in turn can lead to a condition known as arterial thromboembolism. This disorder is characterized by large blood clots that form within the left side of the heart and pass into circulation, only to lodge within one or more blood vessels within the body, usually at … Read more
The causes of obesity in cats are numerous, but the first and foremost of them is plain, old dietary indiscretion also known as too many table scraps! Realize that when you feed a cat that tiny piece of hot dog, that is equivalent to you eating two to three hot dogs! In other words, it … Read more
Anesthesia is a word that tends to inspire uneasiness and fear in many people. In actuality, though, anesthesia is an indispensable tool in veterinary medicine (and human medicine, as well!). It is required for the painless performance of many important procedures, including surgery, dentistry, diagnostics, and restraint. There are basically two types of anesthetics that … Read more