Cat Health Problems Blog

Does anyone else, like me, find cat behavior very difficult to comprehend at times?

My two cats, Flugel (14) and Tinkerbell (3) get on very well. They play together. Tinkerbell adores Flugel and will often spend ages washing his face and ears. Flugel is very laid back. He is, perhaps, the World’s most relaxed cat – a real Zen Master! He lets Tinkerbell get away with a lot – often she’ll tease him by hitting him on the head with her paw when he’s trying to rest, or some other prank, which I’m sure she enjoys.

Yesterday morning all was well when I left the house. They just seemed their normal selves. When I arrived back home a few hours later I could tell something was not right. I found Tinkerbell hiding under the bed in the spare bedroom, and Flugel was definitely not himself – he usually shouts at me to feed him as soon as I arrive home and he did this time.

As the afternoon went on I realized that the reason Tinkerbell was hiding was because Flugel has completely turned against her. He hisses and growls any time she goes near him and last night he launched a full out attack and chased her into the dining room, where she managed to keep away from him by sitting on one of the chairs. She then went back under the bed again.

This was so shocking to me – I have never seen Flugel be so aggressive, nor Tinkerbell so afraid, so for now I’ve separated them. I take it in turns shutting one in a bedroom and letting the other one have the run of the house. If Tinkerbell even puts her paw under the door, Flugel hisses at her.

So what happened exactly between the time I left and the time I arrived home? I have no idea. I’ve called my vet and have an appointment this afternoon. It could be that something is wrong with Tinkerbell, and Flugel, sensing this (perhaps she smells different because of it?) doesn’t want anything to do with her. Or, perhaps something is wrong with Flugel and it’s making him aggressive. Either way, I want to find out and fix it. I can’t stand them not getting along.

I know sometimes they can turn on each other if another cat comes into their territory and they see it, but I’ve never experienced anything like this and I really don’t like it.

I’ll keep you posted on the outcome – but in the meantime, here’s a picture of them when they got along nicely! Flugel is the (large) white cat.

It’s a fact that cats love to scratch and they should be encouraged to scratch because it helps not only to clean and sharpen their claws, but also to exercise the muscles from the claws through the legs, shoulders and back.

If you find your cat scratching furniture indoors, consider providing the right kind of scratching post. The fluffy posts that are covered with carpet are not ideal – first of all, how is the cat to know the difference between the carpet on the post and the carpet on your floor? Secondly, the post needs to be covered with something rough, not smooth, like carpet. If you do already have a post that is covered in carpet, you could try taking the carpet off and re-attaching it with the rough carpet backing on the outside, this will be much more appealing to your cat.

The ideal type of post is one that’s made of sisal and these are easily available in most pet stores. Just make sure that the post is large enough and stable enough for your cat to use. If it’s too small it may fall over or your cat may not be able to get a good grip.

In her book, The New Natural Cat, Anitra Frazier explains how to encourage your cat to use the post by turning it into a ritual (which cats love). For example, when you arrive home, rather than immediately petting your cat, you can go to the scratching post and scratch it a little bit yourself with your nails until the cat comes, at which point your cat will probably join in, then you can stroke your cat while he or she scratches the post. This way they associate the post with pleasure – you arriving home and stroking them at the same time.

You can also encourage your cat to use the post just before feeding time. Once again, your cat will associate the post with something pleasurable – food.

It’s unfortunate that many people have their cats declawed because they’ve been scratching the furniture or the carpet when simply buying the right scratching post and encouraging them to use it would stop the furniture scratching. Cats need to sharpen their claws. If you provide the right tools for them to do it then you needn’t worry about your furniture.

In the previous article we looked at some of the ingredients in a well-known brand of cat food and learned how unhealthy and even positively harmful these ingredients can be for our cats.

I know from my own experiences with my pets just how important diet is. In my first article, I mentioned how my dog, Benji, died of congestive heart failure. It wasn’t until it was too late that I learned the role that diet played in his illness. Like many people, I fed him what I thought was one of the healthiest foods. It was one of the most popular brands and it certainly wasn’t the cheapest. He ate it, so I thought it was good for him – it wasn’t.

My cat Tinkerbell was returned to the shelter (before I found her) with a severe urinary infection – the direct result of being fed a very poor, exclusively dry food diet. When I adopted her she was being fed  a special science diet for the urinary tract and I was advised to keep her on that diet for the rest of her life. Fortunately, I now know better and I consulted my own veterinarian, who has a holistic approach. She advised me to feed her food that was grain free to keep her urinary tract healthy. As we saw in the previous article, most of the cat foods that are available mainly consist of grains. I’ve been feeding her grain-free food for the 2 ½ years that she’s been with us and she is as happy and healthy as can be. She’s never had a litter box problem, her coat is healthy and she’s very energetic and happy (as you can see).

So what is the healthiest food to feed your cat? Most experts who understand the role of diet in pet health (unfortunately that doesn’t include the majority of veterinarians) agree that the best food is food that you prepare yourself. In particular, most dietary experts recommend a raw food diet for your cat or dog. Raw meat in particular – fish is probably better cooked because of the level of toxins in fish these days. They also recommend some raw vegetables, such as zucchini, asparagus (my cat Flugel loves asparagus), carrots and even lettuce. Fruit is also good – Flugel also loves bananas, grapes, cantaloupe and other fruits!

The meat or fish doesn’t have to be raw. It  can be cooked, but vegetables should be raw as many important nutrients can be lost through cooking.

There are some healthier foods available now in pet stores, and we’ll look at those in a bit more detail later on. The most important thing is to be aware of how diet affects your cat’s health problems. Feeding your cat a healthy diet will support a strong immune system and provide the nutrients needed for every body function.

Technorati Tags: Cat Care, Cat Health Problems, House Cat, pet health

Technorati Tags: Cat Care, cat health, Cat Health Problems, cat nutrition, House Cat, pet health

I’ve lived with companion animals for most of my life. When I was younger I had dogs. For the past 13 years or so, I’ve had cats. I lost my last dog to congestive heart failure and what I learned through that experience made me vow to treat my animals differently. I always thought I was giving him the best food (because it was the most expensive and it was widely advertised). I always thought I was doing the best for him by taking him to see the vet regularly, getting all his shots and so on.

By the time I learned that what I had been doing for him turned out to be affecting his health in a bad way, it was too late. But from that experience I was determined that I would apply what I learned to my animals going forward. That has been good news for my cats, because they have benefited from that knowledge and experience, and I have continued to learn and study as much about what affects their health as I can.

I’ve had three cats, let me introduce them to you:

Boots was 8 years old when we adopted her from the Humane Society. She had been in a shelter for 4 years and previously had some liver problems. She died 2 years ago at the age of 17.

We adopted Flugel at the same time as Boots. He was 2 when we adopted him and he’s now 14. Apart from having some issues with his teeth, Flugel had a severe hernia issue. He had a small hole in his diaphragm and ended up with most of his organs (gall bladder, spleen, etc.,) moving through the hole and ending up near his heart. We almost lost him, but he had surgery and everything is back where it should be – now he’s doing very well.

We adopted Tinkerbell about 6 months after Boots died, since Flugel was missing her so much and he clearly needed a companion. She was a year and a half when we adopted her and is now 4. Tnkerbell was originally adopted by a family when she was a kitten. She was returned because she wouldn’t use her litter box. It turned out that the reason she wouldn’t use her litter box was because she had a severe urinary infection and was in a lot of pain. Her infection was treated, and fortunately for us, we found her shortly afterwards – she happily uses her litter box and has never had a problem since.

I want to use this blog to bring attention to the main causes of cat health problems and how to treat them. I believe that most health issues can be avoided if people understand what causes them, so your cat can lead a long, healthy and happy life. Boots, Flugel and Tinkerbell will help me as I share information with you – and I hope you will contribute and share your own stories on this blog.

Technorati Tags: Cat Health Problems, House Cat