Food & Nutrition, Medical & Health Care

Causes and Treatments of Food Allergies in Cats

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Allergies are caused by our immune system overreacting to an allergen and triggering a reaction—to a specific food or type of food, airborne or environmental substance. The reaction is an intolerance or hypersensitivity to the allergen, and it can be immediate or delayed depending on the allergen. Cats are not born with food allergies but develop them over time and at any age.

Causes of Food Allergies in Cats

Food allergies in cats have increased in recent years with commercial diets using processed meats, bone meal, meat by-products, grains and cereals as fillers, yeast and artificial preservatives. Cats do best on a diet that most closely mimics nature as they’re carnivores, but the pet food industry has built a $15 billion dollar industry around producing a commercial diet that many cats cannot eat or tolerate well.

Domestic cats have not evolved to consume a processed, cereal-based diet but it’s convenient and available—but it will make some cats highly allergic with an inflammatory response to the ingredients used.

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Cat Care Tips, Holidays

How to Create the Best Holidays for Your Cat

HOW TO CREATE THE BEST HOLIDAYS FOR YOUR CAT
Image by guvo59 on Pixabay.com

The holidays can be an extremely busy time with holiday parties, last-minute shopping, family members visiting, or maybe you are leaving home for the holidays—it can all add up to our cats feeling neglected, stressed, ignored, and depressed. And some cats even get sick as a result. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Instead, we can make the holidays a time when our cats feel included, comforted, relaxed, and part of the family. Here’s how to create the best holiday for your cat and keep her safe and happy during the holiday season.

To make the holidays a special time for your cat, there are some simple things you can do to help her through all the excitement, reverie, noise and stress. Simple changes in your home, like putting up the Christmas tree or rearranging the furniture to accommodate the tree, can mean something new, different, and stressful for your cat. Small changes to their environment can cause undue anxiety for them. Be aware of the impact the holidays may have on them and be extra attentive and vigilant to their needs. The following tips will reduce any emotional and physical stress your cat may experience and will help your cat have a much happier, merrier holiday!

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Holidays, Products

2021 Holiday Gift Guide for Cats

2021 Holiday Gift Guide For Cats
Photo by photosforyou on Pixabay

This Christmas, show your cats how much you love them with some great gifts that will improve and enrich their lives. Cats love to run, play, jump and fetch – so give gifts that will encourage and inspire them to get more exercise, have more fun, and will bring joy to their lives. 

Spoil your cat with these great gifts: 

EGETOTA Cat Tunnel for Indoor Cats Large, 5 Way Collapsible Interactive Peek Hole

Cats love to hide and play hide and seek. This cat tunnel is perfect for finding some quiet time and being invisible for awhile or playing hide and seek with other cats. It’s completely collapsible for easy storage and you can move it room-to-room. If this tunnel is too large, look for others that are only one or two directional and smaller in size. This is a perfect gift if you have multiple cats.

Available on Amazon.

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Library & Resources

How to Report Animal Cruelty

One of the most important things you can do to help cats and pets in your community is to report animal cruelty or neglect. Don’t remain silent or be afraid to reach out—there are many resources and professionals who can help. Remember, the cat or animal being abused or neglected is a helpless, innocent, voiceless victim who has no ability or way of protecting itself, so it’s up to you to speak up and take action.

Notify the Police and County Animal Shelter

Even though every state and county is different, you can immediately call your local police department and your local county animal control to report the neglect or abuse. Provide them with a written factual statement of what you witnessed, and include the time and date. Take photos of the neglect or abuse, take as many as possible, to visually substantiate what you witnessed. If there were other witnesses, talk with them, and get their written accounts and include  their name, contact information, and date and time of the incident. Make and keep copies of all the documents you submitted for your own file, don’t give away all of your original documentation. Continue reading How to Report Animal Cruelty →

Elderly Cat Care, Medical & Health Care

The Dreaded “H” Word – Treating Hyperthyroid Disease in Cats

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Hyperthyroid disease in cats is very treatable and manageable, and though I had always feared being told one of my cats has “hyperthyroid disease,” I have found that it isn’t the dreaded word or disease that I thought it would be.

Hyperthyroidism in Cats
Beautiful, blind Godiva

Godiva was our first cat diagnosed with hyperthyroidism.  She’s a beautiful blind chocolate Persian who as a kitten, was taken to our local animal shelter where she was adopted by a volunteer. But at five years old she was given up again, and found her way to our rescue group where we became her foster parents. When Godiva was never adopted, we adopted her ourselves and have found her to be a courageous, determined blind girl that navigates our house beautifully, despite her blindness and many cat “obstacles.”

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Cat Care Tips, Medical & Health Care

The Costs of Cat Ownership – Can You Afford a Cat?

Adopting a new cat or kitten is exciting, but it’s important to understand the initial and long-term costs of cat ownership before you actually bring your kitty home. There are the initial expenses of purchasing supplies to prepare for your new cat, and there are recurring expenses that you’ll incur throughout the year and over the cat’s lifetime. In addition, there are often unanticipated veterinary costs that can happen at any time during the year that need to be factored in to your annual expenses.

INITIAL COSTS

Initial Expenses
Type of Expense Food – Wet & Dry (for 2+ weeks), Cheaper vs. Premium/High Quality Brands/Food $40 – $65
Spay / Neuter (Male vs. Female) $45 – $100+
Any Needed Vaccines, Deworming, Basic Routine Exam with a Veterinarian (Establish Baseline/Check Overall Health) $100
Microchipping $40 – $50
Food & Water Bowls $15 – $25
Litterbox $25 – $50
Litter $20 – $40
Cat Carrier $25 – $65
Scratching Post and/or Board (Tall is best) $25 – $70
Toys, Misc. Cat Supplies (replacing or adding cat beds, scratching posts, etc.) $25 – $40
Initial Total $360 – $600
 Cat Carrier

Cat carriers are needed for trips to the vet, emergencies, disasters, and for travel. It’s important to purchase a sturdy carrier, one that doesn’t collapse or fold, but provides structure and durability so your cat won’t be injured inside the carrier. The cat should have ample room to move and turn around and stand up in case they’re in the carrier for a prolonged period of time. It’s a one-time purchase so buy a quality carrier that will last. Never buy a cardboard carrier, cats can get injured or lost when using them. Good cat carriers will cost between $40 – $65.

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Cat Care Tips, Medical & Health Care

Watch Out for Signs of Heat Stoke in Your Cat

WATCH OUT FOR SIGNS OF HEAT STOKE IN YOUR CAT

Heat stroke or heat exhaustion is a very serious, life-threatening condition for cats. It can cause permanent damage to multiple internal organs, and can cause kidneys and the heart to stop functioning or fail. It can be fatal if not treated with urgency by taking your cat to a veterinarian or emergency veterinary hospital. 

Heat stroke can happen anytime throughout the year, but it happens more often during the warm summer months. Cats are no different than people when it comes to tolerating heat. But it is even harder for cats to respond to heat and cool their bodies since they pant and sweat only through the pads of their paws to reduce excess heat. It’s much harder for cats to regulate their body temperature as a result. If they cannot cool themselves fast enough, they will quickly become overheated and suffer from heat exhaustion or heat stroke, which can be fatal. Don’t wait until the eleventh hour to seek treatment when it can be late. Watch out for signs of heat stroke and know what to do.

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Cat Care Tips, Medical & Health Care

How to Afford the Cost of Veterinary Care

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When you adopt a cat, you aren’t thinking about the day when your cat may become ill, or get injured, or need emergency care. But cats do get sick and sometimes do require expensive diagnostic tests and emergency care. You may be faced with veterinary expenses far beyond what you can afford, or need unexpected medical care that you didn’t anticipate and don’t know how you’re going to pay for it. Of course, you want to make the best decision for your cat, regardless of the cost, but how to pay for it? Here’s how to afford the cost of veterinary care.

I have been in this situation countless times with our many rescue cats. So often, I have needed to pony up and pay for complicated dental care, full-mouth extractions, multi-day emergency hospitalizations, or treating kidney failure to the tune of thousands of dollars—and I had no idea how we were going to pay for it.

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Cat Care Tips, Food & Nutrition

Cats Need Clean Water Daily to Maintain Their Health

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Cats are made up of about 70% water, so they need clean, fresh, cool water daily to maintain their health. If you feed your cats dry food, then water is even more critical as dry food has a very low water content (about only 10%), so they will need an additional supply of water.

It’s critical to always provide your cat plenty of fresh water in various places of your home. Make sure that the bowls are large enough and be sure to clean, wash, and refresh the water bowls at least every other day.

Just because you have larger bowls doesn’t mean you should wash them less. Be sure to wash bowls with soap and water. Bacteria and germs develop quickly when water sits still after a couple of days.

Cats Need Clean Water Daily to Maintain Their Health
Pyrex Glass Bowls for Cats Water

Consider using only glass, stainless steel, or ceramic bowls for water—avoid using plastic for water or food. Plastic can leach out chemicals and can hold bacteria.

The more cats you have the more water bowls you need. We have several in each area of our house and refresh them daily. I like and recommend using large Pyrex glass bowls, they’re very inexpensive, strong, ample, and safe for cats to drink from them.

Cat Care Tips, Medical & Health Care

Second-Hand Cigarette Smoke Causes Cancer in Cats

Was your New Year’s resolution this year to quit smoking? If it wasn’t and you’re a smoker, it may be time to quit smoking for your pets’ sake. An increasing number of research studies show that animals face significant health risks exposed to the toxins and carcinogens in second and third-hand smoke. And numerous research studies have revealed that cats exposed to second-hand cigarette smoke causes cancer in cats.

Toxic Chemicals in Cigarette Smoke

Cigarette smoke contains 4,000 chemicals including hydrogen cyanide, formaldehyde, arsenic, ammonia and urea among them. Second-hand smoke is considered the smoke that is exhaled or comes from the cigarette itself and can be inhaled by non-smokers including our pets. Third-hand smoke is the residue from smoke and smoke particles that can be found on clothing, furniture, bed linens, skin, and fur even after the air is clear of smoke. Cats get into problems with third-hand smoke when they lick smoke and particles from smoke off their fur.

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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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