Cat Healthcare

By: Hobart Cat Centre Inc.

Balanced Diet

What you feed your cat will have a direct influence on its overall health and happiness. Cats who receive a poor diet can suffer all kinds of health and immune disorders, and even behavioral problems. Therefore a balanced diet is essential.

 

Cats do best on a high protein diet, and that protein is best sourced from meat. Cats require about 35% protein in their diet, a lot more than humans and even dogs. Cats also need 8% to 10% fat and about 30% to 40% carbohydrates.

 

Most supermarket cat foods (canned and dry) contain an adequate balance of ingredients to meet your cat's nutritional needs, however it's important to read the labels to make sure.

 

Tips for providing a balanced diet for your cat include:

• Check cat food labels to make sure the primary ingredient (first listed) is meat. Avoid those foods with cereal or grain listed as the primary ingredient.
• Avoid cat foods with a lot of preservatives.
• Make sure your cat always has clean water - change it regularly.
• Your cat's food dishes should always be clean and hygienic. Wash bowls daily with soap and water and rinse thoroughly.

 

Cat Grooming

The choice between a long-haired or short-haired cat comes down to how much time you can devote to regular grooming. Long-haired cats require frequent grooming to be matt-free. Short-haired cats also require brushing, though less frequently. Most cats enjoy regular brushing and will look forward to this daily ritual with you.

 

With patience and gentle handling, regular grooming sessions can become a real treat for your kitten or cat. Grooming not only provides an opportunity to check for skin irritations, lumps or ticks but is also a way of strengthening the bond between you and your feline companion.

 

Kittens can be groomed once or twice a week and this is an excellent way to help them become comfortable with being handled. Long-haired cats will benefit from a short grooming session each day.

 

Benefits of grooming

By removing loose hair, you're helping to reduce hairballs, which can form in a cat's stomach. These hairballs have been known to cause blockages in the stomach. Brushing also helps to remove matted hair and gives your cat a shiny coat by distributing the skin's natural oils.

 

Another plus of regular grooming is that shedding of the coat will be reduced considerably and your furniture, carpet and clothes will not have that seriously "hairy" look.

 

Grooming tips:

• Patience will make this process more enjoyable for both the cat and groomer.
• Start with short, gentle sessions, being especially careful of ear and stomach areas, which can be extra sensitive. Comb gently to remove tangles and use your fingers to tease apart any stubborn knots.
• A comb can remove loose or matted hair. Use a wide-toothed comb for long-haired cats and a fine-toothed comb for shorter coats.

 

Cats and Cancer

Cancer is the third most common cause of death in cats. Like humans, there are many different types of cancers that occur in cats.

 

Older cats who have lived mostly outdoors and been exposed to the sun over many years are at greater risk, as are cats who have not been spayed before puberty.

 

Early detection means treatment is more likely to be successful so here are some symptoms to look out for:

• Sores that do not heal
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss
• Lethargy
• Abnormal swelling
• Bleeding or discharge
• Difficulties eating, swallowing or breathing
• Lameness or stiffness

 

If your cat or kitten displays any of these symptoms you should take them to a vet for a check-up.

 

Like humans, the main treatments for cats with cancer are surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Other therapies such as acupuncture and homeopathy are used to help reduce stress.

 

Preventative measures include keeping your cat out of the sun as much as possible and generally minimising stress.

 

Keeping cats indoors at night not only helps safeguard our native animals but also reduces the risk of diseases such as feline leukemia virus, which can be transmitted through fighting with other cats.

 

Lily Pollen - a danger for cats

Recent research from the UK has indicated that lily pollen can be lethal for cats.
 

One recorded case in the UK showed that a cat which brushed past pollen from oriental stargazer lilies and licked it form her fur immediately became violently ill and died within hours after going blind, suffering renal failure and becoming paralysed.

 

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals highlights the Easter Lily (Lilium longiflorum), Tiger Lily (Lilium Tigrinum), Rubrum Lily (Lilium Speciosum), Japanese Show Lily (Lilium lncifolium) and some species of the Day Lily (Hemerocallis) as liable to cause kidney failure in cats but to be safe, all lilies should be avoided.

 

If the damage has not been too severe, cats can be saved if taken to a vet within six hours of becoming ill from lily pollen, but the chances of survival decrease rapidly after that. If renal failure has occurred, kidneys will most likely have ceased functioning within 18 hours.

 

The best advice is to avoid lilies altogether, but if you do want to plant lilies in your garden, stake those plants which need support and plant tall lilies which are less likely to be accessible by cats.

 

Cat Enclosures

Cat enclosures give cats a very good chance of living a long and happy life, safely ensconced in purpose-built, often luxurious accommodation.

 

Protected from dogs, traffic, cat fights and the risk of contracting feline AIDS, we know that enclosed cats live twice as long on average than "outside" cats.

 

The wide variety of enclosure designs and levels of luxury include interconnected tunnels, modular cat-parks, roof-top stretches, garden enclosures, veranda sections, free-standing and portable units and aerial tunnels spanning garden features and paths.

 

The possibilities are endless only limited by imagination, the available space and finances.

 

TV Vet Dr James Ramsden believes that cat enclosures are the way of the future for cat owners. Cats should really be enclosed the whole time; we have got these animals which are totally unsuited to our native system and we have to take responsibility for them.

 

Cat enclosures don't come cheaply, however neither does vet care for cats that have been injured. There are several companies specialising in the design and construction of cat enclosures as well as some regular builders who will carry out this work. Modular kits are also available for the DIY cat owner.

 

Grieving Cats

Domesticated cats can be known to grieve when their owner dies or moves away. Losing its owner can cause a cat to feel very disorientated, restless and even depressed. These feelings may be reflected in the cat refusing to eat, play or groom, hiding away out of sight or simply sitting where the owner used to sit.

 

If you have become responsible for a cat whose owner has moved away or died, you can build the cat's confidence by grooming and stroking them, feeding them treats and protecting them from stressful situations.

 

Sticking to a regular routine can also help as can getting a companion animal. You should also take the cat to the vet to make sure there aren't any medical reasons to explain their behavior.

 

To ensure that your beloved cat is well-cared for should you pass away, you can leave your feline companion in the care of the Centre, where you can be assured that your cat will be loved and cared for.

 

Tooth Decay in Cats

A natural build-up of tartar and bacteria, which usually causes bad breath, can also lead to damaging tooth decay in cats.

 

Tooth decay can reveal itself by the cat favoring one side when eating, dropping food, dribbling or displaying obvious signs of pain when eating. Some cats may even start to avoid their food bowl, as they associate the bowl with pain.

 

To help your cat avoid tooth decay, make sure it eats raw bones about 2-3 times a week from a young age. It's important only to give a cat raw bones, as the splinters of cooked bones can be dangerous. Raw chicken wings or necks are ideal.

 

There are also some chews and other cat food products, which are designed to remove tartar build-up, which you may like to investigate.