Cat Health

Of all the animals in the world, dogs and cats are the most revered. Dating back longer than this old man can remember they have been beloved in every country with a large majority considering them family members. Living as long as 25 years, it is easy to understand the long term relationship we develop with our pets.

How much do we really love these little fur balls, we spend about $16 billion per year on pet food, toys, grooming, and we spend about 20 billion in Veterinary bills alone for everything from shots to pacemakers. Actually, if it happens to us, it happens to our pets. Based on these numbers, I am not sure who gets the best care.

There are approximately 78.2 million owned dogs in the United States; there are approximately 86.4 million owned cats. That is about the same number of America's uninsured by health care. I wonder if Obamacare is repealed, could there be a compromise to keep the President happy by converting Obamacare to pets. Oops, sorry, I take that back, our pets deserve better care than that offered by Obamacare.

The downside to caring for our pets is the enormous amount of animals that must be euthanized each year. We hear daily of cases of animal abuse that are shocking and incomprehensible. Our laws provide little justice for these abused animals and the perpetrator's usually walk with a small fine, and for shame, they lose the animal to the shelter where if they cannot be adopted, they add to the number euthanized. Laws requiring all dogs and cats, except registered breeds, should enforce spaying and neutering. Animal abusers should pay heavy fines of $5000.00, pay all veterinary fees, court costs to prosecute, and any other fees associated with taking care of the animal(s).

I have had both dogs and cats. The hardest and saddest time is when they get too sick and are suffering. I much prefer my animals die at home, but too often I have to have them put to sleep. I mourn my pets and miss them dearly.

I believe in God and I would like to believe I will see my treasured pets again when I die...that is if I end up in heaven. I want to believe they have souls and do not just lie in obscurity. The probability of them having souls is unsubstantiated; with most arguing the only ones who have a soul is man. I have never had a pet come back to let me know there is an afterlife for them, but then I never had anyone I know come back either. Therefore, I chose to conclude I will see my pets when I die and I actually look forward to saying here kitty, kitty or here boy and watch them come running. I want to believe because it makes death a little less fearful. If you abused animals, and they do go to heaven, eternity is a long time to be bit in the butt every day, all day. That would be justice.

No matter what you write, someone will love it.

Mac McGovern writes poetry, articles, and blogs at: http://allpoetry.com/mac_mcgovern

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Diet is definitely an important part of any detox program, be it for you or your favorite pet. This is because many of the foods that our pets and we eat contain chemicals and ingredients that are toxic to our bodies. With commercial pet food, toxins found in the food will cause more damage to your pets than you would believe. This is because pets are smaller than we are, and their organs have to work a lot harder to get rid of toxins. It is important to detox your pet if you want it to live a long life. Still, one of the things that people often forget about detoxing any animal is that diet is only half the equation.

Diet Detox - The First Steps

It is true; however, that diet will count for a major part of your pet's detox. If you do not stop most toxins from entering your pet's body, you are not able to actually get rid of the toxin build up. The first thing that you are going to need to do is to wean your pet off commercial pet food. Commercial pet food has a slew of ingredients that take a major toll on a pet's digestive system, including ingredients like diseased animals, road kill, and fillers that actually are not quality protein for a cat.

Food is a good start, but you are forgetting another thing that your pet regularly ingests - water. The tap water that comes out of your faucet might have toxins that you do not know about. You need to purify and filter your water; otherwise, your pet might be taking in fluoride, chlorine, and heavy metals. Because a cat is so much smaller than humans are they are more susceptible to these chemical toxins that over time will cause disease and death.

Just Like Humans, Animals Need To Get Rid Of Their Toxins

Animals and humans both get rid of toxins the same ways - through their body's naturally occurring functions. Skin, muscle tissue, and fat trap the toxins and will only be removed through exercise. The easiest way to get your pet detoxed is to help them sweat out the toxins. Engage your pet in an hour or so of play a day.

Another major method of toxin elimination comes in the form of your digestive system. Unfortunately, even the most active animal cannot get rid of the toxins that get stored in their bodies through digestion. With small animals, the amount of toxins they get from food often gets stored in their livers, kidneys, and sometimes even in their intestinal tract. Without help, those toxins will never get out. Both humans and pets alike occasionally will need a boost from herbs and nutraceuticals that kick the digestive system into overdrive.

It is also a very good idea to get liver support supplies for your pet while they undergo detox. Detoxing will put the liver under a lot of strain due to the amount of elimination that occurs. This also applies to the pet's kidneys. There are some very effective herbal tonics available from quality online herbal stores.

You Need To Avoid Toxins Outside Of Food, Too

Food is not the only source of toxins. You will need to make sure that your pet avoids chemicals that you often use. This includes outdoor pollution, chemical cleaners, flea products, and even pet shampoos. As a basic rule, if you think that a chemical or product is not healthy for you, than it is not healthy for your pet. Learning more about detoxing your pet can help you prevent an early pet death, and it can make your pet's detox a lot more effective.

I have been a pet owner all of my life and for the last thirty years my wife and I have raised over a dozen cats. Please visit my website at: http://tipsaboutcats.com is your information source for their health, diet, disposition, and exercise. We even show the basics of making your own cat toys and condos. All tips and proceeds from this website is contributed to our local animal shelter who is short of funds from the county. I have a number of recommended natural food, supplements, products and books that are in my store which will save you time hunting on the web for at http://tipsaboutcats.com/store/. There are two expert interviews in the blog pages that are must reads because they will answer most of your questions and concerns about natural cat health and diet. Please feel free to leave comments on my website where you will also find links to me on Facebook and Twitter.

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BySilviu Hriscu

Unless your kitten is properly vaccinated, it is at risk of contracting one or many, possibly fatal, infectious diseases, as follows:

• Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis (FVR);
• Calicivirus;
• Panleukopenia;
• Chlamydia;
• Feline Leukemia (FeLV);
• Rabies;
• Feline Heartworm Disease

Most common of these diseases, which are highly infectious, can be prevented by routinely administering vaccination. We must vaccinate our kittens for the most important and common of these diseases in order to protect them. It is a fact that vaccines have an effective result in more than 95% of cases. In addition, routinely vaccinating your cat is cheaper than if you pay for treating your sick pet later. Also, vaccination reduces the possibility of virus transmission in the pet population.

Some facts that you have to know in order to be informed about this subject and to better estimate the cost of kitten vaccinations:

• Newborn kittens receive protection from the first mother's milk (colostrums) if mother was vaccinated; ask the person who sell you the kitten if the cat was vaccinated;

• Kittens' immune systems are immature so they are not capable of developing long-lasting immunity until at least 16 weeks from birth. Booster series for kittens must be given every 3-4 weeks, due to the developing nature of their immune system and due to the interference from mothers' milk antibodies;
• cats should be vaccinated annually for most vaccines, after the initial booster series is administered to kittens, but some vaccines can be administered every 3 years; ask the vet about this;

• If a kitten has never received a vaccine before, and it is over 16 weeks old, it will need one additional dose in 3 to 4 weeks before starting on the annual or three-years schedule;

• Neither a kitten nor a cat should be vaccinated unless it is in an excellent state of health. If you have any doubts about the state of your cat's health you'd better ask the veterinarian examine your pet and be assured of a good health status;

• Ask the vet is the vaccine contains what is called an "adjuvant". Those with adjuvants are easier and cheaper to make. But there is some evidence that the inflammation appearing due to the adjuvant in the skin as it works, can (in rare cases) produce a type of malignant cancer;

• When comparing the prices of one clinic's vaccines with others on the web you need to be sure that you are comparing like with like. When comparing, you need to know which diseases are being protected against and included in the vaccine course and if it contains and is dependent of an adjuvant;

• In some countries (e.g. the U.K.),which are currently free of Rabies, this vaccine is unnecessary.

Take a responsible approach in vaccinating your kitten because in this way you will protect it form further problems in life.

Silviu,
http://priceofkittenvaccinations.blogspot.com/

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