helping cats live happy, healthy lives
Want to keep your cat healthy and happy from kittenhood to their senior years? Our cat health articles include advice on feline nutrition, and how to spot the early signs of illness and disease. We also include everyday healthcare tips on grooming, flea prevention, hairballs, dental health, safety and more.
What do you think is the biggest cause of tooth loss in the cat? a) Gum disease b) Resorptive lesions c) Trauma (such as a fall or accident) d) Caries e) Something else. If you answered (b) then give your cat a stroke, because this is the correct answer. Indeed, resorptive lesions are startlingly common. Experts estimate that 20 – 60 % of all cats have …
Continue Reading about Holey Teeth, Catman! Resorptive Lesions and Your Cat
It is a rare cat that scavenges and eats something she shouldn’t, so poisoning isn’t necessarily a problem at the forefront of a cat guardian’s mind. However, cats are still at very real risk of toxicity, even in the safety of their own home. At the root of the issue is the cats’ inability to break down many common drugs, plus their fastidious grooming habits place them …
Continue Reading about Poisoning in Cats: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment
What do you do if your cat loses their sight? Firstly, it's important to know that cats usually adjust well to blindness, whether they suffer a partial or a complete loss of vision. That's because a blind cat quickly learns to rely on their other senses and compensate. Of course, you will need to make some adjustments to your home environment and it may take a few weeks …
Continue Reading about How to Help a Blind Cat Adjust to Life Without Sight
Don’t you love it when a problem is self-explanatory? ‘Cat scratch fever’ is one such condition as, ‘It does what it says on the label.’ This is people run a fever as a result of being scratched by a cat. Simple. However that simplicity belies a more complex condition so let’s take a look in more detail to see if this is something to worry about? (Spoiler alert: It isn’t… …
Continue Reading about Cat Scratch Disease: What You Need to Know
Water is essential to life, but is tap water harming your pet? To a certain extent the answer depends on where you live. Simply put, if the tap water isn’t fit for human consumption then it shouldn’t be given to pets. However, even for water that is certified for human use this question has a deeper implication because of water additives, such as fluoride. Chocolate, …
Cats are notoriously fussy eaters so what does it mean when they develop a taste for something really odd, like wool or rubber bands? This is so ‘not normal’ that it has a name: Pica PICA: A craving or abnormal appetite for non-food substances Indeed pica in cats is an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), but before labelling the problem as purely down to odd behaviour, …
Continue Reading about Unusual Things Cat Eat – Understanding Pica
Responsible cat guardianship means caring for your cat’s health and welfare, but also understanding the bigger picture of stray and unwanted cats. Indeed shelters are full to overflowing with cats desperately longing for their fur-ever home, so it’s essential to play your part by ensuring your cat doesn’t add to the problem and get them desexed. Put Your Cat First Is …
Continue Reading about Early Age Desexing: Benefits vs Risks
Which of the following are signs your cat could have a food allergy or intolerance? a) Upset stomach b) Dull coat c) Itchy skin [You’ll find the answer at the end of this article!] Under estimated, overlooked, and under diagnosed: Pretty much sums up food allergy and food intolerance in the cat. This is a pity, because the effects are far reaching and yet once …
Continue Reading about Understanding Food Allergies and Intolerance in Cats
Sometimes a cat is their own worst enemy, especially with regards to heart disease. The trouble is their naturally laid back attitude makes it difficult to spot the classic signs of heart disease. After all, in a condition where lack of energy and reluctance to run around are key markers, how is this different from a purfectly healthy cat? The means that heart disease …
Continue Reading about Signs of Heart Disease and Heart Failure in Cats
Stress can do strange things to a cat. Unfortunately cats are prone to stress, not least when we introduce another fur friend into the family. The symptoms of stress are many and varied; and range from the obvious, such as spraying, to the subtle, such as over-grooming. But one thing’s for sure, as a responsible cat guardian the last thing you want is a distressed fur-baby, …
