Helping Cat Parents

Having A Cat Improves Your Life, Health, and Well Being

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Having A Cat Improves Your Life, Health, and Well Being
Photo by Benita on Pixabay

Everyone is in love with cats today. Afterall, what’s not to love? For thousands of years, people have enjoyed the company and companionship of cats. But did you know that having a cat or two can benefit your life, health, and longevity? Cats not only improve our health, but also increase our happiness and well-being, prevent heart disease, lower cholesterol and blood pressure, and reduce feelings of loneliness. Multiple scientific studies show how cats boost our physical, emotional and mental health, enrich our lives, and help us live happier and longer lives.

Here are the many ways having a cat can help you:

1. Lower anxiety and stress

People who spend time with cats or kittens report feeling less stressed and calmer. Research conducted in the United Kingdom by the Mental Health Foundation and Cat Protection, found that 87 percent of people who owned a cat felt they had a positive impact on their well-being, and 76 percent said they could cope with everyday life much better thanks to the company of their cat. Over 50 percent of the cat owners felt that their cat’s presence and companionship was the most helpful, followed by 33 percent that described stroking and petting a cat was calming to them. Playing with or petting your cat can release all the good chemicals in your brain and relax your central nervous system. 

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Elderly Cat Care, Medical & Health Care

The Importance of Annual Physical Exams for Cats

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Maybe you adopted a new cat or have had your cat for years now—in either case annual physical exams are highly recommended for maintaining the optimal health of your cat. Your cat may be low-maintenance, but that’s no reason not to take them for a wellness exam every year. This article will highlight the reasons why annual physical exams for cats are so important, how annual checkups can prevent and detect disease as early as possible, reduce factors that may be health risks,  correct or delay the progression of disease, and help to give your cat the healthiest, highest quality of life possible for as long as possible.

Cats mask when they are sick or feel bad—they can hide suffering and pain very well, it’s an evolutionary trait—so you may not know they are suffering or are in pain. And just because your cat lives indoors doesn’t mean they can’t get sick or develop a congenital or chronic disease, or a bacterial or viral infection, or severe tooth decay and gum disease, or inflammation that causes health issues, or a possible stress-related illness. All of these are very possible health issues for indoor-only cats.

Benefits of Annual Physical Exams for Cats

Annual physical exams give you peace of mind knowing the state of your cat’s overall health. Annual exams give you a baseline for what is normal for your cat’s health so you can readily see any changes from the previous year or years. Annual checkups can lengthen your cat’s life expectancy by addressing health issues early-on before they become more serious or advanced and difficult to treat. Your veterinarian will be able to detect any new health problems or chronic conditions and treat them immediately—that would otherwise have been delayed and left untreated if you waited another year. By treating your cat’s health problem and not waiting longer to diagnose and medically treat it, your cat will be more comfortable.

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Elderly Cat Care, Medical & Health Care

Don’t Ignore the Signs of Dental Disease in Cats

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Cats Need Dental CareFebruary is Dental Awareness Month, so it’s a perfect time to start the year off right by providing good dental care for your cat. Dental or periodontal disease can lead to many serious health and medical issues if left untreated. And untreated dental disease can be very painful for your cat and can even cause them to stop eating. The key to good dental care and managing dental disease is prevention.

Dental disease and oral tumors can start in cats as young as 1-2 years old so it’s important to have your cat’s mouth, gums and teeth evaluated starting when they are young. Gum disease is an infection that results from a build-up of dental plaque or bacteria on the surfaces of the teeth around the gum line. If plaque is allowed to accumulate it can lead to infection in the bone surrounding the teeth. The gums will then become inflamed causing bleeding and oral pain. Inflammation can progress affecting both soft and bony tissues causing gum disease, bone loss, and periodontal damage. When severe periodontal disease is present bacteria from the mouth can enter the bloodstream and damage the kidneys, heart and liver.

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Cat Care Tips, Medical & Health Care

Tips for Buying a Pet Health Insurance Plan

Planning ahead for your cat’s health care is no different than planning for our own health care. We never know if or when we’ll get sick and need insurance, but having it gives us peace of mind. Knowing your cat will need medical help at some point is inevitable, so it’s good to plan ahead and be able to provide the care your cat will need. Here are some tips for buying a pet health insurance plan that will meet your needs.

Pet health insurance is just one of the many options available to help pay for emergency or unexpected veterinary bills. If you’re worried about being able to pay for your cat’s chronic illness or life-saving care, an accident, or an emergency—it may be good to know there’s a safety net under you. As with any insurance, you may never need it, but if you worry about affording those one-time emergencies or unexpected expenses that you feel could cripple your finances—having pet insurance may be a good option.

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Cat Care Tips, Medical & Health Care

Preventing and Treating Fleas in Cats – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Summer is a favorite season for picnics in the park, enjoying the seashore, and dining al fresco—but with warm summer temperatures also come the fleas! Fleas can wreak havoc on cats causing discomfort, severe skin conditions, allergic reactions, parasites (tape worms), anemia and even death in the worst cases, if left untreated. So it’s important to protect your cat from fleas, but it’s also important to know the dangers of some flea control products on the market today. In this article, you’ll become knowledgeable about the different flea treatment options, some of the health consequences associated with them, and you’ll learn ways to provide your cat with the safest possible flea treatments and precautions available. Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly on preventing and treating fleas in cats.

Does Your Cat Have Fleas?

To check whether your cat has fleas, you can run a flea comb through your cat’s fur pressing along the skin to check for adult fleas or flea feces and eggs. These will look like little specks of salt and pepper or tiny black and white grains in the fur. The white grains are flea eggs, and the black grains are flea feces. If you have found and removed some grains on your flea comb, rub the grains onto a piece of white paper and if the grains turn a reddish-brown color, you know you have a flea problem.

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Cat Care Tips, Elderly Cat Care, Medical & Health Care

Does Your Cat Have High Blood Pressure?

Feline high blood pressure or hypertension can be a dangerous problem for your cat’s health. If left untreated it can affect your cat’s organs including their eyes, kidneys, heart and even brain. A simple blood pressure test can be done during your cat’s annual veterinary exam to quickly determine if your cat’s blood pressure is in the normal range. Detecting it early is the key to success and will minimize damage to vital organs.

Cats that are particularly vulnerable to developing hypertension are often older cats as well as cats that have been diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, diabetes, heart or hyperthyroid disease. If your cat has been diagnosed with any of these diseases, you want to watch carefully for the signs and symptoms of hypertension, and get annual or bi-annual veterinary exams to avoid the possible damage caused to organs by hypertension. Since it’s more common in older cats, you’ll want to include regular blood pressure checks in your annual exams starting with cats that are 8 years of age and older. For cats that are 14 years and older, include a blood pressure test in their bi-annual exam.

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My Rescue Cats, Tributes

A Tribute to the Sweetest Cat in the World

A Tribute to the Sweetest Cat in the World

On March 8, 2023, I said my final goodbyes to the sweetest, most loving cat in the world, Maggie. Maggie spent her final hours laying contentedly swaddled in warm blankets outside listening to the trills, whistles, chirps and croaks of the birds waking up to the early morning sun, while she bathed in the warmth of the sun’s rays. Maggie was so relaxed and happy being in her favorite place on the patio. These were her last moments and they were good ones. When my veterinarian arrived, I brought Maggie inside. Still warm from the sun—the patio door wide open for her to still hear the birds, she seemed contented and peaceful. Lying on her favorite raised cat bed, I thanked her for all the unconditional love, companionship and friendship she shared so sweetly with me for the past 18 years. Through all the ups and downs of my life, Maggie was always there for me with her sweet love, the kindest eyes, and her loving paw that she would rest on my hand. While hearing my voice expressing my deepest gratitude for her, she quietly fell into a deep sleep and left us. Gone was the suffering, anxiety, pain and physical decline that she had been experiencing the weeks prior.

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Cat Care Tips, Elderly Cat Care, Medical & Health Care

Medicating and Pilling Cats – How to Make it Easier, Safer and Healthier for Your Cat 

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If you have a cat at home chances are really good that sometime in your cat’s lifetime you will need to medicate them, especially as they transition into their senior years. Sometimes cats can be challenging to pill or medicate, but there are some techniques that will make medicating them easier, less stressful, more effective and healthier for them. Here are some important things to know and follow when medicating your cat.

Why Dry Pilling and Dry Swallowing is Bad For Cats

Have you ever taken a pill without water? Ouch, it’s not fun. Well the same goes for cats. Without chasing a pill down with water or liquid afterwards the pill can get lodged in the throat and irritate the lining of the esophagus. Dry swallowing can cause a pill to go down painfully and slowly, and can even damage the delicate tissues lining the esophagus. Dry pilling can cause choking, gagging, reflux, heartburn, esophagitis, esophageal injury and strictures, and even cause aspiration. There have been case studies where dry pilling certain medications (including Clindamycin and Doxycycline) have resulted in severe injury to cats and in some cases, even death when these cats were dry pilled. One study noted that “After five minutes 84 percent of capsules and 64 percent of tablets are still sitting in the esophagus,” when dry swallowed. (Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, Volume 8, Issue 6, Dec. 2006: 412-419) Another study that appeared in a veterinary journal found that following dry swallows, “No pills were in the stomach at 30 and 60 seconds, and only 6 percent of the pills were in the stomach at 90 seconds. At 5 minutes, only 36 percent of the pills were in the stomach. For wet swallows that were followed by 6 ccs of water, 90 percent of the pills were in the stomach.” (Journal of Western Internal Medicine, 2001, Sept-Oct: 15: 467-70)

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Cat Behavior, Elderly Cat Care, Medical & Health Care

Ways to Reduce Stress and Anxiety in Your Cat

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Sometimes change is unavoidable for our cats, like moving into a new home, bringing home a new baby, having house guests, or adopting a new dog or cat. All of these can truly rock a cat’s world and trigger behavior changes. Sometimes even the slightest change can cause some cats to become uncomfortable, fearful, stressed, and anxious. Fortunately, there are many effective ways to reduce anxiety in your cat, and provide a more stress-free environment at home. 

Cats are very vulnerable to changes at home, new people, houseguests, home remodeling, and they will often show they are feeling anxious and uncomfortable by hiding more often, vocalizing more, obsessively licking, uncontrollably drooling or chewing, sleeping all day or more than normal, urine marking or even potting outside the litter box. Sometimes external changes in the cat’s home environment can even negatively impact your cat’s overall health and quality of life.

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Cat Care Tips, Food & Nutrition, Medical & Health Care

Probiotics for Cats Helps Build a Healthy Digestive System

Probiotics are the “friendly” desirable bacteria that boost digestion, build a healthy digestive/intestinal and immune system, and reduce the harmful bacteria and organisms that can invade the body and cause infections and disease. Probiotics work to enhance the right balance of GI bacteria.

I have learned through my two cats with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), that probiotics given daily in their food really helps to strengthen and build their intestinal tract and reduce the symptoms and suffering caused by IBD. In cats, IBD is caused by intestinal disorders that increase inflammation in the lining of the digestive tract. Food sensitivities and allergies can contribute to IBD, and chronic diarrhea and/or vomiting are typical symptoms that result in the inflammation and scar tissue in the lining of the intestines.

Who Needs Probiotics?

Not all cats need probiotics, but if your cat has loose or smelly stools, chronic diarrhea, lots of gas, is taking steroids for prolonged periods of time for a chronic medical issue, or is on antibiotics for an infection—probiotics can help get their intestinal and digestive system health back on track and ease any suffering they might feel.

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Stories and tips about providing the best possible cat care—from 20 years experience rescuing, fostering, and caring for my many rescue cats.

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