cat-E-corner.com

THE CARE AND FEEDING OF YOUR CAT (Installment Five)

Have a contrary kitty that is impossible to nab for vet appointments? (Our vet swears the cats listen in to our phone conversations and know when we've made the appointment.) Some vets make house calls or will recommend someone who does. (We recently had our two once-feral kittens given their annual boosters in our home. On the intended morning of their in-office vet appointment, they took off as soon as they saw the cat carrier. Removing them from their hiding spots resulted in a painful (for us) contest of wills that the cats won using their built-in weapons of teeth and claws.) On the morning when the visiting vet came, we were smart enough to keep the cats confined to one room. The examinations seemed as thorough as any performed in an office and the cats were far less traumatized. We are happy to report that we suffered no bruises either. 

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We are often asked about kitty littering habits. Here's a standard rule of thumb, er, paw: Each cat should have his or her own litter pan. Have two cats? You need two pans. We at cat-E-corner.com have six cats and we admit that six pans were a bit much for us to handle. We do have five though but if one of our cats was to start soiling outside of the litter box, our first fix would be to add another litter pan. That would be our first advice to a cat owner who has a cat that soils outside the box. That, and keeping the litter clean, can go a long way to preventing or eliminating this problem. In addition, it's imperative to have the cat checked by the vet to eliminate physical reasons such as urinary tract infections. 

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A friend is concerned about her senior cat's health, particularly the cat's fairly sudden weight loss and increased thirst. Some symptoms of disease in older cats are weight loss, increased thirst and excessive urination. Causes of these symptoms can be thyroid disease, diabetes and/or kidney failure. A veterinarian can run tests on the cat to determine if the above illnesses are the cause of the symptoms and recommend an appropriate treatment regimen. 

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The American Association of Feline Practitioners and the Academy of Feline Medicine announced new vaccine protocols that will influence the way in which vaccinations are manufactured and the way in which they are administered by your vet. According to the report, the annual routine of vaccinating cats may be exposing them to unnecessary health risks and "over-vaccinating" them as well. This does not mean foregoing kitty's annual checkup. However, it is best to work closely with your vet in determining an individual program for your cat.  

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