Cats and Kittens

If you are a pet lover and treat your cat like your child, you need to be wary of cat distemper symptoms and take immediate action, if you see any. Known as cat distemper or Feline Panleukopenia, this disease is a nightmare for millions of cat lovers around the globe. It affects all animals belonging to the cat family, including endangered species of big cats.

However, dog lovers need not worry because this disease does not spread to man’s best friend. It is quite a rampant infection, especially in cities and it spreads from cat to cat through contact with an infected animal. Nevertheless, it is not necessary that keeping a cat away from direct contact with an infected animal will do the trick.

The disease can also be contaminated through the infected animal’s secretions or any article that has been previously contaminated through contact with the infected cat. Human beings are safe from Feline Distemper, but they also act as carriers of the infection.

If your hands or clothes are contaminated with secretions of the infected animal, another cat coming near you will be exposed to the disease and get infected. Fleas are also carriers of this infection. If you notice cat distemper symptoms in your dear pet, you can be rest assured that the infection has found its way into your cat’s body through one of the sources mentioned above.

Since kittens do not have a highly developed immune system, they are at the receiving end of cat distemper symptoms. Thus, one needs to be extra careful when dealing with kittens because they tend to get this disease very often.

The usual cat distemper symptoms include high fever and loss of appetite. However, in some cats, vomiting, diarrhea and dehydration are also indicators of feline distemper. As soon as you notice these symptoms, you must rush to the vet because this disease is a killer. Till date, there is no specific treatment for the disease, but early detection and use of supportive fluids and antibiotics can go a long way in ensuring that the cat lives.

The best way to keep your cat safe from this deadly disease is vaccination. Kittens, sometimes, inherit a short-lived immunity from their mothers but it is nothing permanent. The first doses of the vaccine should be given when the kitten is six to eight weeks old. The vaccination needs to be repeated when the kitten is twelve weeks of age and sixteen weeks of age. This completes the dosage but an annual booster is required to ensure that the cat remains immune to the disease.

Keep your cat away from strays and other cats until its vaccination is administered properly. Even in instances where you rescue cats or bring new ones home, avoid bringing them in contact with others before vaccination. Take care of your cats and ensure that you take them to the vet immediately in case you see any cat distemper symptom.

Your cat’s health may be in trouble. Cat Distemper Symptoms may signal something that’s terribly wrong. Know what to do and how to respond.

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We’ve just added a pet health insurance page to the web site. Please note that we’re not endorsing any brand or selling policies. We’re just giving away some, hopefully, useful information.

It gives a quick overview of why every pet should get insurance taken out on them and what small print, in all policies, you need to be aware of.

If you’re in doubt as to why you need pet insurance just think about what you’d do if you found out that your pet needed an expensive operation with a limited chance of success for saving its life. What if the operation ran to many hundreds if not thousands of pounds/dollars.

Without pet health insurance you’d have to make that call. Would you decide that the limited chances of success meant that you’d condemn your pet by not having the operation. What a heartbreaker that would be!!

A pet, whether, cat, dog, rabbit etc. can become like one of the family. They stay with you for years and are totally dependant on you. They give just as much back in the way of love, friendship and companionship so it’s certainly not all one way traffic. You will want to do the best you can for them.

With insurance, no problem, get the operation done. However, be mindful of any exclusions that apply, see the link below for a load of gotchas when picking policies.

Pet Insurance Policies - A Brief Overview and Tips for Avoiding the Traps in Pet Health Insurance

http://www.essentialcatlinks.com/insurance/pet-health-insurance.html

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My cat Spike was previously owned, but in good condition. He
wasn’t shaking or throwing up on the floor or having some kind
of a fit. For a cat in an animal shelter he seemed to be in
pretty good shape! The animal services people said that he was
available for adoption which made me wonder if the other animals
in the cages were doomed already.

Adoption is just another word for a cat sale! They didn’t want
us to think this was a business arrangement, so they dulled the
verbiage by telling us we were giving him a new home and a
future; even hinting that if we didn’t take him, he would be
meeting the grim reaper the next day.

First Tip: Know what you’re going to be spending and decide if
the kitten is worth the money, as well as the cat hair on your
new sofa when you get home.

The cat cost me almost $100 before I could even get him into the
car, which to my way of thinking, I had just bought a cat.
Adoption fees, city license fees and county license fees,
worming and a few other medical necessities amounted to $115.00.
The coupon they gave me to have him neutered would save me
$20.00, but would still cost $30.00.

Any way I looked at this arrangement, we were talking about big
money and I hadn’t even bought any kitty litter or cat food! I
was beginning to wonder if I had been scammed. This kitten
certainly didn’t look like he was worth a hundred dollars. Also
someone obviously of limited intelligence had named this kitten
Donnie! I immediately changed his name to Spike, which he seemed
to appreciate.

Second Tip: Make sure the cat of your choice is in good mental
health. That’s right, I said mental health. According to animal
experts, cats can stress out and go bonkers just like us humans.
I wasn’t aware of such a thing when I picked Spike out of the
line-up at the shelter, but it could explain why sometimes when
he’s sleeping he will suddenly sit up and then bolt from his bed
like its on fire!

Cat anxiety is evidently a fairly common malady for felines.
Spike rarely appears anxious unless one of the raccoons that
have invaded the woods in our back yard snarls at him over a bit
of his cat food. He almost lost a leg to one of these food
bandits a couple of years ago and since then he stays out of
their way when they visit his garage at night. Othewise he seems
pretty laid back.

Occasionally he’ll scratch the side of our antique couch when we
least expect it. I think he’s just trying to get attention from
us, which he does when my wife grabs the broom and swats him out
the door.

 I asked a veterinarian about this behavior and he said that
Spike was probably suffering some kind of emotional stress. He
wrote me a prescription for valium. He said if he showed any
other emotional distress he would increase the dosage. That’s
all I need; a stoned cat!

Tip Three: Physical Health: Although it’s impossible to tell
just how healthy the cat you’re interested in buying is, you
have to hope that it’s good enough to qualify him for health
insurance. Spike appeared to be healthy when I bought him so I
thought I wouldn’t have to spend much money on his up-keep.

Then the raccoons and monstrous veterinarian bills arrived.
After one of them chewed on his leg in a dispute over Meow Mix,
I discovered that having a little insurance was probably a good
thing. I also discovered that pet insurance is a lot like human
health insurance in that there is a pre-existing clause. Even
though Spike had never had an injury to his leg, the insurance
company refused to pay for the medical attention he received,
using the old “pre-existing” excuse!

Whether you buy your cat at a pet store or an animal shelter,
it’s going to cost you money, worry and time. Sometimes I think
raising a kid is cheaper and they won’t leave hair on your
couch!

About the author:
Bob Alexander is well experienced in outdoor cooking, fishing
and leisure living. Bob is also the author and owner of this
article. Visit his sites at:http://www.homeandgardenbob.com

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This is a good question. If you want your cat to use her litter box instead of an out-of-the-way corner, you need to locate the box in a place that she likes.

How do you do this? You need to think like your kitty!

Cats, like people, need a safe, quiet place to go to the bathroom. If her box is in a busy, noisy area, she may find another place where she feels more secure. But this may not be a spot that you like!

If you have a basement in your home, this may be a good location. It’s quiet, and the odor probably won’t be an issue. Just be sure that you keep the door open so your feline friend can get down there.

The bad thing about an out-of-the-way place like your basement is that you may forget about it. I know this from experience! Most cats won’t use a litter box that needs to be scooped or cleaned. They’re apt to find another location, like my kitty did.

The bathroom may be a good option, if you have room in there. You’ll definitely remember to scoop the box on a regular basis. It’s quiet and private, and if you have a tile floor, it’s easy to keep clean. A bathroom closet may be ideal, if it’s big enough.

The downer is that if you’re taking a shower or putting on make-up or doing anything else in the bathroom, the smell from the litter box can be overwhelming, especially if your furry friend has just used it!

A bedroom may work, but keep in mind that your kitty will probably use the box in the middle of the night. A cat can make a huge amount of noise scratching around in there. I used to have a feline friend who sounded like she was excavating a hole to the center of the earth, usually at 3 AM. Plus the smell can be an annoyance when you’re trying to sleep.

It’s been my experience that a closet works well, especially if it’s in a spare bedroom, or a room that isn’t used a lot. You do need to be sure that nobody closes the closet door though (don’t ask me how I learned this). You’ll also need to scoop the box often to keep the odor down. And be sure that clothes or other items are hanging high enough so that they aren’t damaged by the box or what’s in it.

The laundry room is also a good place, especially if there’s a corner you can put the box in. The floor is usually tile or linoleum, so keeping it clean is easy. It’s not a room that’s in constant use, so the smell probably wouldn’t be an issue. And you’re in there often enough to remember to scoop the box regularly.

If you move, you’ll need to experiment to find the best place for your cat’s litter box in your new home. And remember that if you add another kitty to your household, you’ll need to find a good location for another box.

The best place to put the litter box depends on your kitty! Look around and think like a cat, and you’re bound to find the right spot that will work for both you and your fur-ball.

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Hey

We’re starting a new cat health section on the main site and the first article deals with those pesky visitors the Cat Flea.

Take a peek here - Cat Fleas

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