Your Cat's Health

Cats need only be provided with decent shelter, food and water
and they will be quite healthy most of the time. Like any other
living thing, however, they can get sick and can come down with
anything from a minor cold to a major ailment.
As a responsible pet owner, you want to make sure you feed your
cat premium cat food so he can be his healthiest and also watch
your cat closely for signs of sickness so that you can get him
to a vet right away. Hopefully most ailments will be minor, but
in some cases getting your cat expedient veterinary help can be
the difference between life and death.

Some things to look for include:

Your cats coat - is it full and shiny or dull and patchy? Is he
shedding abnormally? If so get your cat scheduled for a vet
visit.

Behavior - is your cat acting sluggish and not eating? Any
change in behavior warrants a trip to the vet as it is better
to be safe then sorry!

Diarrhea or vomiting - If your cat is doing either of these for
more than a day, I would get him to the vet as soon as you can.

Coughing - Some cats routinely cough up hairballs, but if your
cat is coughing for no reason then you should have this checked
out.

Swelling or lumps - when you pet your cat, take the time to
feel around for any unusual lumps or swelling.

To insure that your cat doesn't fall victim to disease, you
should make sure he has all of his vaccinations as recommended
by your vetrenarian. The most devastating but easiest to
prevent disease that affects cats is infectious enteritis, or
feline distemper. This is a virus disease that strikes quickly
and leaves little time to enact treatment.

Feline Leukemia or FeLV is another deadly disease that can be
prevented through early vaccinations. This disease poses no
threat to humans but can be spread between cats. These days, it
is treatable and some cats can live a long life with Feline
Leukemia although you would want to be very careful to keep
them away from other cats so as not to spread the disease.

One health problem in cats, particulary those that go outdoors
is worms. A cat with worms usually has a lackluster coat and
can either have a large appetite or none at all. There are many
kinds of worms, and cats are susceptible to all of them. Cats
can get worms from lice or fleas or in the organs of the
rodents that the cats eat. Typically the cat ingests the eggs
which mature and attach to the intestinal walls. Feeding your
cat a bit of garlic every once in a while can protect him
against worms.

Keeping your cat happy and healthy is really a simple matter of
caring for him properly and making sure he gets the appropriate
veterinary care. Make sure your cat gets all the recommended
vaccinations and you give him the proper treatments to repel
fleas and other pesky pests. These simple steps will keep your
cat happy and healthy for a lifetime!