PURRaffection

Archive for the ‘Diseases and Conditions’ Category

Are you worried that feline incontinence is a problem for your cat? You need to realize that incontinence in cats and inappropriate urination are two different things. An incontinent cat is not able to control her urine. She dribbles urine or leaves wet spots where she’s been sleeping. Often an incontinent pet is unaware that she has a problem.

Inappropriate urination, on the other hand, is when a cat is purposely urinating in places other than her litter box. This may be a behavior issue, but it can also be cause by feline lower urinary tract disease.

It’s important to know the difference between the two because incontinence in cats can be a sign of serious health issues for your feline friend.

Ten Reasons For Feline Incontinence

1. Usually the simplest reason is feline lower urinary tract disease. One of the symptoms of a feline bladder infection is needing to urinate often. It may be that your cat just isn’t able to make it to the litter box in time.
2. If your cat has had repeated feline urinary problems, her bladder may be scarred. This prevents her bladder from expanding to hold urine, which leads to very frequent urination.
3. Cat bladder stones can cause a partial blockage of your cat’s urethra, making it impossible for her to empty her bladder completely. As her bladder fills with urine, the pressure can force some urine around the blockage. If you suspect a blocked cat, get her to the vet as soon as possible, as this can be fatal within a day or two.
4. A weak urinary sphincter also causes an incontinent cat. This is more common in older spayed female dogs, but it does occasionally happen in spayed cats, too, especially if they’re heavy. This type of incontinence, called hormone-responsive incontinence, can develop years after she’s been spayed.
5. Feline diabetes can cause an incontinent cat. A diabetic cat is drinking lots more water than normal because the disease makes her very thirsty in an effort to flush the excess sugar out of her body. Of course, this makes her urinate more, also. She may have trouble making it to her litter box before she has an accident.
6. Cats with feline leukemia sometimes become incontinent, too. This can happen in both males and females.
7. As a cat ages, the urinary sphincter can weaken. Your cat may develop other problems as she gets older, such as diabetes, which cause her body to produce more urine than normal. Combine a very full bladder with a weak urinary sphincter, and it’s easy to see why urinary incontinence in cats is the result.
8. Your cat may have some kind of neurological problem with the nerves in her bladder that causes her to be unable to hold her urine.
9. Bladder tumors can be another factor.
10. An older cat may be getting forgetful, or in the early stages of senility, which can lead to litter box problems.

Natural Feline Urinary Support

If your furball is having cat urinary problems, it’s important to take her to the vet for a check-up to rule out anything serious. Most cases of inappropriate urination are due to feline lower urinary tract disease, which can be a frustrating condition to deal with.

The most important thing you can do is to feed your cat a high-quality canned food. Cats are meant to get most of their water from their food, so feeding a cat dry food all the time is an invitation to disaster in the form of cat urinary problems.

You may want to consider giving your cat one of the many natural remedies for pets that are available for feline urinary support. Herbs and homeopathic remedies have a long history of success in humans and they’re very effective for pets, too. Look for a remedy that’s produced by a long-standing company with a sterling reputation for producing high-quality herbal remedies for pets.

In conclusion, if your cat is showing signs of feline incontinence, you need to take steps now to help her.

The seven words “your pet has a feline bladder infection” are words that no cat or pet owner, for that matter, wants to hear, especially during the holidays season. Nevertheless, it is the season for giving and bacteria must really get into the holiday spirit when it comes to feline bladder infection because the holidays/winter months are when almost half of cats are diagnosed with this condition.

Why?

The holidays are a busy time for most of us with holiday trips being planned, kitchen baking being in full swing, holiday niceties being exchanged, and last minute gifts being purchased. There is little time for outdoor activities with our cats and even if there was many felines turn up their finicky noses at the idea of going out in the cold to chase down that bird, bug, or squirrel that always seems to be one step ahead. And for those cats who prefer getting their exercise frightening the lizard population, well hunting season doesn’t open until summer.

Additionally, in the hustle bustle of it all their litter boxes may not be cleaned as often giving bacteria a chance to celebrate, exchange pleasantries, and climb right up your felines urethra to set in motion the initial phase of a Grinch type holiday gift filled with pain, excessive water drinking, pungent urine odor and inappropriate urination possibly occurring right on top of those newly wrapped gifts for grandma.

Looking for signs of the feline bladder infection that caused your pet to lose their holiday spirit

Many of the signs of a feline bladder infection are listed above nevertheless lets go through them again and maybe throw in a few extra ones as my personal holiday gift for you and your favorite feline. They are urination outside the litter box area, fatigue, anti social behavior, soreness in the hind quarter area, blood in the urine, fowl smelling urine, pain while urinating and possibly vocalizing due to the pain while urinating.

What are the first signs to look for?

For my felines the four signs which signal that bacteria has made its way up the urethra and into the bladder have been a marked increase in water consumption, general fatigue, anti social behavior, and to a lesser degree inappropriate urination. It is my opinion that inappropriate urination occurs primarily when your feline is trying to tell you something is wrong or they have arthritic joints which make it difficult for them to get to the litter box on time.

What can be done?

Antibiotics are the first line of defense and normally knock the infection out in a matter of days. On the other hand once a feline bladder infection has occurred reoccurrence is a very real concern with it reappearing over 50 percent of the time.

In order to prevent feline bladder infection from occurring there are a number of steps you can take. These would include:

*Set aside 5 minutes of play time daily to keep your feline active

*Add an eye dropper of cranberry juice to their water daily

*Add wet food to their diet to add moisture. Additionally, age appropriate pet food can be helpful.

*Keep litter boxes exceptionally clean and maybe even consider adding an extra one to avoid overuse. Litter should be changed frequently.

*Make sure they have plenty of clean fresh water to drink.

*Consider investing in a homeopathic to encourage healthy urination and bolster the urinary tracts natural defenses.

*Keep your cats stress levels to a minimum especially when their private area is being invaded by your four year old niece who enjoys trying to make them look like a movie star or beauty pageant contestant.

How much to feed a cat can be a extremely crucial question these days as  cats can gain and lose fat just as humans do.

For cats this can happen in cycles that last for several months and it’s wise to keep an eye on the condition of your cat to guarantee that it truly is not getting overweight, which could result in diabetes or losing too much bodyweight due to some unforeseen illness.

It’s wise to weigh your cat on a regular basis and keep an account of its weight to make certain that there haven’t been any large changes.

If its belly begins to hang down when it walks, and in some cases sway from side to side, then it really is obviously becoming overweight. You ought to also be able to feel its rib cage by running your hands along the sides of its body.

If your cat appears to be gaining weight with no noticeable change in its diet then it is time to see the vet to figure out if there’s any illness that’s causing this excess weight gain.

You need to also look for other signs of ill wellness such as listlessness or the fact that it truly is putting on fat without eating additional foods.

If the weight gain is just from the consumption of more meals, then put a little less down each time to control its intake until the cats weight comes back to a normal level. Organic cat food is good in these circumstances.

While a cat may well continue to ask for additional food, you need to think of its ideal interests and that is to stop it from over eating and maintain very good health. You might even have to alter the food that you’re feeding your cat with one that has fewer calories.

Geriatric cats that don’t get as much exercise won’t need a great deal food otherwise they will tend to put on bodyweight. You can find particular foods which are offered for geriatric cats and these are specially formulated to assure they stay in fine well-being in their old age.

Routine check ups and finding out what the best food for cats are, these are the two important aspect on which the cat owner should focus .

There’s an old saying that you are what you eat. Obviously, this isn’t a literal truth but the importance of a good diet for cat health care as well as our own cannot be underestimated. Ensuring our cats get all the nutrients they need to keep themselves in good health might be a big responsibility but it doesn’t have to be complicated if we understand a few simple rules.

Hydration is really important for both us and cats. If a cat is denied fresh drinking water it can become seriously ill in a matter of hours. Dehydration can cause serious cat health care problems and even death.

The diet of a cat must be very specific. Felines cannot survive on a vegetarian diet because they are true carnivores. A cat which is denied a meat-based diet will develop cat health care problems including blindness and would eventually die.

Because of the very specific dietary requirements of our feline friends, owners must take care to try not to upset the delicate balance of their diets. However harmless they might seem, giving leftover human food can lead to cat health care problems. Human food is too fatty and calorific for cats and might even be toxic to them. For example, onions are highly poisonous to cats.

In the wild, cats would eat several small meals everyday and owners should try to accommodate this. Obviously, cat owners may have work commitments which mean they are unable to be at home feeding their cats frequently. One option to overcome this problem is to give the cat dried food which it will be able to return to at regular intervals through the day.

Finally, when considering diet we must consider obesity, which is one of the biggest cat health care problems of the moment. Obesity can lead to heart problems, breathing problems, diabetes, arthritis and eventually death, so it must be avoided. A short haired cat is generally considered a healthy weight when its ribs can be felt but not seen. Pay close attention to the instructions for serving sizes on cat food and always see a vet if you believe that your cat’s weight is a problem.

The most crucial point you’ll be able to do as a cat owner would be to give your cat regular checkups. Although diabetes isn’t terribly common in felines, typically about 1 in 400 will probably be diagnosed with diabetes in their lifetime. Most may be treatable by serving a diabetic cat food, which has a lowered carbohydrate content (less than 9% of each day calorie intake).

Symptoms

It can be at times hard to tell when diabetes grips your cat, but most pet health care indicators are similar to humans. A cat who seems to spend lots of their time around their water dish along with other water sources around the house should be cause to investigate. Extreme weight gain or loss is an additional common symptom to watch out for. Bitter-smelling breath that smells like nail polish remover and wobbly legs (especially the rear legs) are all indicators that you simply must take your cat in for an exam and perhaps place them on insulin and/or a high quality diabetic cat food at once.

Treatments

Your veterinarian may well recommend insulin treatment via pill or insulin treatment. Diabetic cat food, with a “proper” feeding schedule will also be required. Lots of individuals let their animals feed as desired; having a full dish of food and water available at all times. It may seem inhumane to put them on a schedule and limit the availability of foods. However, it truly is the best for pet health and how animals feed in nature.

A wild animal gets foods from hunting and may possibly go days without food. So while you may want to spoil your cat — it isn’t great for their digestive system and often is the reason diabetes starts in the first place. Humans obtain diabetes primarily from over-eating. A small percentage of us get it from genetic predispositions and cats are no different. Normal trips to your veterinarian will help early diagnosis, to avoid increased risk to your cat’s health.

Cats Hairballs

When we lived in North Pole, Alaska, my wife and I had a log home with wood floors. With three cats, we would periodically find a hair ball. Having wood floors, it was relatively easy to clean up a hair ball. But when we moved to Reno, Nevada, our new home had carpets, which made cleaning up of hairballs more of a problem. For example, they would stain the rugs and my wife would have to clean it up.

Hairballs are relatively a modern day creation when man started breeding dissimilar kinds of cats. Cats can process the hair they take in. But as modern man starting breeding cat with longer hair, it became gruelling for cats to process the hair naturally. It then started collecting in their stomachs and they had to emit it as a hairball .

There are several things you can do to minimize your cat from getting hairballs. You can feed you cat a high fiber diet which can be found on the market. However, one of my cats needs a special diet, so feeding them a high fiber diet is out of the question.

Some people even resort to shaving their cats to prevent cats hairballs. That will help, but I did not want to trim my cats, in particular the Maine Coone. So what I did was to find a real good brush. I tired several different kinds, but most did not work very well.

I at long last found a metal brush with metal tines that removes the most hair than any other brush I had used. Another good thing, our Maine Coone comes running to be combed when she sees my wife going for the brush.

Feline acne is a common problem seen in cats. It is found on the cat’s chin & lips. It is generally accepted that this is caused by plastic bowls and for many cats the solution is simply substituting the plastic bowl for a stainless steel bowl or a glass bowl. The problem may be caused by the inability of the cat to clean his chin properly after drinking the milk resulting in a nutrient rich habitat for bacteria.

Causes of Feline Acne

The exact cause of feline acne is not known, but several factors appear to be associated with its development including stress, a suppressed immune system, poor grooming habits, the presence of other diseases, contact or atopic dermatitis, and skin conditions in which abnormal amounts of oils are produced and the hair follicles do not function properly.

Dirt – Cats generally have trouble grooming the chin area and because of this, dirt and oil tend to accumulate in this particular area of the face. The accumulation of bacteria causes hair follicles to be infected and eventually, acne breaks out.

Food Allergies – In spite of what you see in cartoons, cats do not possess the same diet that humans have. So don’t feed your cat human food. It’s important that you give your pet the food he truly needs.

Signs of Feline Acne:

Various signs of feline acne can be seen on the chin of the cat and they are:

· Hair loss, draining tracts and swelling develops on the chin in case of severe feline acne.

· Multiple comedones develop on the lips and chin of the cats which looks like dirt. These comedones appear as small abscesses which remain open and form the crusts.

· It can be itchy.

· Secondary bacterial infections can develop.

Feline Acne Treatment:

Sometimes, supplementation with fatty acids is beneficial in this type of treatment. Retin-A can be used but it can be applied very sparingly as it can leads to irritation. Oral retinoid therapy and teratogenic can be given to treat the feline acne in cats. Any underlying conditions such as ringworm, a Demodex infestation, or a yeast infection should be treated appropriately.

Investigating the cause of the acne is also recommended. Acne can arise because of an allergic reaction to plastic food bowls, developing because of bacteria and dirt that can build up within scratches on the surface of the dish. Switching to ceramic, glass or stainless steel dishes may clear up acne for some cats. Washing the cat’s dishes every day can keep them clean and safe to use. Persians and other cats with flat faces seem to be more prone to feline acne and cleaning their chins after they eat may help prevent skin problems.

There is an straightforward way to treat ear mites without taking your pet to the veterinary office. Mites can bring about a lot of injury to your pet’s ear if they are kept untreated. Employing mineral oil to eliminate these mites is a simple procedure that you can do at home.

Once your dog or cat’s ears are inflamed, swollen or reddened, they most likely possess ear mites. These parasites can cause the middle ear to develop an infection, which could make it tough for your pet to hold its balance. Generally, they should not be able to stroll or when they try to walk, it could be in continuous circles. One more indicator that your pet may possess mites is if they are consistently scratching at their ears or shaking their head.

You have to initially verify that your dog or cat has ear mites. If there are black areas in the ear or if they are appearing sluggish and feverish, there is a great possibility they have them. The black spots are blood and pus induced by the parasites. If you ascertain it is ear mites, then making use of mineral oil to the contaminated ears could kill them.

Two valuable factors on why to use mineral oil are that it can loosen the earwax, blood or pus that is plugging up their ear. Also it should smother the parasites. Utilize the mineral oil in your dog or cat’s ear with an ear irrigation pump or an eyedropper.

Gently massage the ear after making use of the oil. Lightly grab their ear, stick your thumb inside the ear and with your various fingers hold the outside of the pet’s ear. Rub within the cat or dog’s ear to distribute the oil. Do not go so far into the ear that you harm the inner ear. Let the thumb carefully go lower into their ear until you get close to the inner ear; to make sure the mineral oil has been distributed into their ear canal.

Right after you carry out the massaging, let your pet shake out the filth and oil from the ear. This is a good out-of-doors procedure to protect your carpet and furnishings from the oil. After your pet has shaken out all the loose stuff, you can wipe out any residue left with a 100% cotton ball. Do not use a Q-tip in case you drive it too far into the ear creating injury.

You can continue with this process until you think the ear mites are totally gone. If you discover after a week of treatments that they are not going away, then you must contact your vet to take your dog or cat in for further treatments. The vet may end up providing you a prescription ointment to put in their ear. More than likely, a trip to the vet will not be necessary, as mineral oil is an fantastic way to treat ear mites.

Feline asthma, also referred to as chronic bronchitis, bronchial asthma and allergic bronchitis is a common feline ailment.  It is usually caused by inhaled allergens that lead to the clinical symptoms of feline asthma.

How do you determine what your cat has inhaled to cause the symptoms?

According to most vets, it is virtually impossible to determine exactly which allergens caused your cat to come down with feline asthma symptoms.  Some common culprits include:

·  Grass
·  Tree pollens
·  Cigarette smoke
·  Fireplace smoke
·  Various sprays such as hair sprays, deodorants, flea sprays, deodorizers
·  Dust from cat litter

My cat is still a kitten, can kittens have feline asthma?

In fact, feline asthma can occur in cats of all ages and is found in all areas of the world.  There is no safe place to hide from the ailment with your kitten or cat.  It is estimated about 1% of the general cat population has at some time or another experienced feline asthma.

What are the symptoms?  Common symptoms include:

·  Wheezing
·  Coughing (a dry, hacking cough that might be confused with gagging or retching)

Many cats are diagnosed as having hairballs, when in fact, it is feline asthma.

In very severe cases, cat may:

·  Have daily coughing and wheezing
·  Many bouts of airway constriction, leading to open-mouth breathing and panting that can be life threatening

In mild cases, cat may:

· Cough and wheeze only occasionally

A few cats with feline asthma are asymptomatic in between acute and severe bouts of airway constriction.

How can a cat owner know whether or not their cat has feline asthma?

A vet can perform chest x-rays, a complete blood count, a feline heartworm test, and a technique to sample cells from the lower airways.

Feline asthma is a chronic progressive disease that cannot be fully cured.  Medications will help reduce the symptoms, but may not be able to eliminate coughing completely.

One of the most effective therapies for feline asthma is to use inhalers such as human asthmatics use.  There is a mask and spacer system that enables cats to use inhalers or puffers.  The system is similar to the mask and spacer system used to treat babies and small children.

Treatments:

If your cat has been diagnosed with feline asthma, ask your vet about the AeroKat system for cats.  The most important type of drug is a corticosteroid to reduce the chronic inflammation.  Commonly prescribed is corticosteroid inhaler Flovent.  Another medication type is called a bronchodilator that helps open the airway at times of severe coughing or wheezing.  A common bronchodilator inhaler used for humans and cats is Apo-Salvent.  Some cats may even be given oral medication usually a corticosteroid like prednisone.  Oral therapy may be less expensive; however, inhaler therapy can probably do a better job.  Be sure to notify your vet if there is any change in your cat’s condition while on asthma medication.

Other things you can do to help your cat are:

• Avoid smoke from fireplaces and cigarettes
• Reduce the use of air fresheners and other household sprays
• Use human grooming products that are in spray form, such as hair sprays or deodorants, far away from the affected cat
• Change to a low-dust clay cat litter or one made of an alternate material
• Air purifiers might be helpful
• Avoid taking the cat outside in cold weather
• Obese cats will probably benefit from losing weight

Disclaimer: The information in this article is not meant to diagnose or treat any kind of health problem in your cat.  You should always consult with a trusted veterinarian for all health problems.

Source:  The Winn Feline Foundation Online

Did you know that up to 1.5 percent of all cats in the US are plagued with feline urinary problems? That’s a lot of cats.

These problems can range from an uncomfortable cat bladder infection to a life-threatening cat urinary blockage. As an informed cat owner, you should always be on the lookout for cat urinary problems.

What’s The Difference Between FUS And FLUTD?

Many cat owners are confused, and rightfully so, over the terms used to describe cat urinary problems. FLUTD is an acronym that stands for Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease. FLUTD used to be known as FUS, or Feline Urologic Syndrome. Feline Urologic Syndrome has been renamed as Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease to reflect that most of the urinary problems in cats happen in the lower urinary tract, which includes the bladder and urethra.

Overview Of Feline Urinary Disease

There are many different aspects to feline urinary problems. Here’s a quick overview of a few different conditions that can affect your cat’s urinary tract.

• Cystitis is an inflammation of your cat’s bladder.
• If your cat’s urethra is inflamed, he has urethritis.
• Idiopathic cystitis means that the cause of the bladder inflammation is not known.
• Bladder stones in cats often occur as a result of feline urinary crystals.
• A tumor in your cat’s bladder may cause problems, too.

You can see that it’s important to pinpoint what’s causing your cat’s urinary tract problems in order to treat his condition successfully.

Symptoms of Cat Urinary Problems

No matter what’s causing the feline urinary tract problems, your cat will show these symptoms:

• Bloody urine
• Urinating in places other than his litter box
• Urinating often, but passing only small amounts of urine
• Straining to urinate, or not being able to pass urine at all
• Crying out in pain in the litter box

Any of these symptoms should be enough for you to take your cat to the vet for a check-up.

What Your Vet Will Do

Your vet will examine your cat and feel his bladder to see how full it is. The vet will also want to do a urinalysis to check for infection or feline urinary crystals and may want to do a cat urine culture to see if bacteria are present. If your cat’s bladder is distended, that indicates a cat urinary blockage and your vet may want to take x-rays or do an ultrasound to look for cat bladder stones.

What Can You Do To Prevent Feline Urinary Disease?

Wholistic Pet Wholecran
Intense Organic Supplement 5oz

There are many steps cat owners can take to prevent their cats from developing feline urinary tract problems. The most important thing you can do is to feed a high-quality canned food. Cats are supposed to get most of their water from their food.

A cat who eats only dry food is usually chronically dehydrated, which leads to his urine becoming concentrated. And concentrated urine can lead to cat bladder stones and a whole host of problems that goes along with them.

Be sure your cat always has access to plenty of clean, fresh water too.

You may want to consider giving your cat a natural remedy for pets that supports bladder health in felines. This remedy should contain herbal extracts of barberry and uva ursi, along with the homeopathic remedies Cantharis and Staphysagria. These natural treatments have stood the test of time for bladder infections in humans and they have been proven to work very well in cats.

Your goal now? To make sure your cat doesn’t become a statistic suffering from feline urinary problems.