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Boredom produces stress
and naughty behavior in both humans and felines. Yes, cats do get
bored.
In ancient Egypt murdering a cat resulted in a guaranteed death sentence for the
human offender.
CAT ANATOMY
Vision and Smell:
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Feline vision is about ten times
less acute than that of humans. But they make up for this in the smell
department.
-
Cats have roughly 200 million
odor-sensitive cells in their little noses compared to a measly 5 million in
our nostrils.
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For cats smell is a big issue.
This explains why what you perceive as a simple change of food or litter type
can result in outright rebellion from your cats.
Right or left handed?
-
Approximately 40% of all cats are
left-pawed
-
40% ambidextrous
-
20%
right-pawed
-
In humans only 10% of the
population are left-handed.
DENTAL CARE
-
The adult cat has 30 teeth: 12 incisors, 4 canines, 10 premolars and 4
molars.
-
Cats do not chew their food - they chop it up and swallow it.
- Roughly one third of all cats
over four years old experience some form of dental disease.
Problem is our sweeties only
start complaining when the issue becomes very serious and they're feeling
intense pain.
Cats
don't usually complain when not feeling well!
Cats do not get cavities, but
plaque build-up leads to nasty disorders such as:
- gum inflammation and infection
- tooth and bone loss
- a strange painful condition
called "dental reabsorption lesions"
All of this from plaque! We
must brush our cat's little teeth. So please keep reading below for
instructions.
Cat Dental Care
Brushing your cats teeth (without receiving serious injury) requires time and
patience. It must be built up to gradually if you don't want a regular
fight. Cats have the memory of elephants when it comes to unpleasant events.
-
First get them used to a gentle
massage of the mouth and lip area.
-
When you're feeling bold move onto
sticking your finger in their mouth for a gentle rubbing.
-
Then progress to cheese cloth
wrapped around your finger or my personal preference a lovely finger fitting
rubber toothbrush with a dab of chicken flavored toothpaste.
Don't expect this to be a successful
venture overnight. Like toenail clippings and serious coat brushings it could be
months before cat tooth brushing becomes a non-stressful situation.
Remember when your baby starts
totally flipping out STOP and reward them with a little play time. Cats only
respond well to positive reinforcement- give them time and love and they'll come
around (eventually).
Everything you need to know
about why we need to clean their teeth and more importantly many methods of
doing so are available at
http://www.petdental.com/ This is very helpful if your cats are like
mine and initially hate you sticking non-food items into their mouths.
At a dead run,
cats become airborne between strides and can reach speeds of up to 30 MPH.
DISEASES/ DISORDERS
Feline Diabetes
FeLV (Feline Leukemia Virus) and FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus/
AIDS)
Cat Hairballs
Why All Cats Should Be Indoor Cats
Walking Your Cats: You convince your cat (s)
that a leash is the key to the wonders of the outside world.
Now you must remember this task will not be easy and...
Adult cats
sleep an average of 18 hours per day.
Feline Diseases, Behavior, and Breeding: 50 fact sheets of the latest information aimed at both feline vets
and educated humans with a cat companion. Presented by the Feline Advisory
Bureau which was established in 1958.
Cornell Feline Veterinary Medicine: Check out articles from the experts on topics such as "Choosing and
Caring for Your New Cat", "Feline Behavior Problems", "Special Needs of the
Senior Cat", "Cat Diabetes", and "Feline Leukemia Virus".
American Cat Fanciers Association: Current information on behavior, nutrition, and health problems for
cats and their finicky owners. Feline articles contains choice tidbits such as:
"Genetics for the Novice", "Traveling with Kitty" and "How to Find a Reputable
Breeder". The Association promotes public feline knowledge on both purebred and
our beloved non-purebreds.
FELINE
DIABETES
Feline Diabetes is more
common than you might think, with roughly one in 500 cats affected.
Neutered males show a higher risk rate. Obesity and inactivity are also risk
factors, just as they are for humans. Early symptoms include:
- Increased appetite but
showing a rapid weight loss
- Excessive thirst
- Frequent urination
- Lethargy and weakness
- Depression
If your cat exhibits these
symptoms please see your vet. Urine and blood test are used to diagnose cat
diabetes. The similarities to human diabetes are striking. Some cases may be
corrected by diet and some will require daily home insulin shots. Left untreated
diabetes can result in cats developing chronic infections, liver and kidney
failure, and blindness. So see the link below about getting out for some
exercise with your cat and remember too many treats could harm your baby's
health in the long run.
CAT INSURANCE AND I.D.
Your cat's first line of protection
when lost are it's TAGS on a "safety" collar
Pet Health
Insurance: If precious gets sick and needs
a $2,000 operation you may have to exercise some creativity to pay the bill.
Purchase health insurance for these feline members of the family . The cost of
insurance is peanuts compared to human insurance (~ $100 per year) and will ease
your worries especially as your cats get older. A
twenty-five percent discount on all vet products and services obtained through
their network of participating veterinarians. Pets of any type, at any age,
whether healthy or ailing are welcome to join. Requests for more detailed
information resulted in a prompt response, but no stream of unwanted emails.
Check it out at
http://www.petassure.com
or the gold plan (which my Caesar and Sheba did have) at
http://www.petcarepals.com.
Beware Petcarepals.com auto renewed and
billed my charge card without permission. They claim this is standard practice-
that unless you write an official cancellation letter, even though your policy
term has expired, they will auto bill you and turn the account over to
collections if the card is no longer active or you don't send in a check.
Needless to say I actively disputed this policy.
Tattoo Your Pet:
We're talking here about tiny ID tattoos not decorative body art. A video of the
procedure is available for online viewing to show how fast and painless the
procedure is for the animal. Visit the Pet Protection and Recovery Network to
learn more.
Pampered Cats Home
Page
Please Note- I am not a
VET. These pages are provided for informational purposes only.
If you have a sick cat,
PLEASE contact your veterinarian!
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