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What to Feed your Diabetic Cat


Why feeding a cat the correct diet can help with this health condition. Diabetes is a common disease found in cats. In the vast majority of cases, it is directly linked to a high carbohydrate diet of dry food (carbohydrates convert to sugar). Cats are by nature carnivores. A true carnivore is an animal that lives on a diet consisting only of meat. A cat may consume other products presented to it, but these products are not essential for good health and can actually cause damage to their health. True carnivores have difficulty digesting vegetable matter. The food you feed your cat should be appropriate to cats for the overall health of the animal and should come pretty close to what the animal would normally eat in the wild. In the wild, cats would be eating rabbits, squirrels and mice (meat). They would not go to a cornfield or a rice paddy to find a meal of grain.

Since a cats body is not made to consume a high carbohydrate diet of grains or vegetables, feeding a diabetic cat a high carbohydrate diet is the same as trying to put out a fire with gasoline. Carbohydrates are long chains of sugar molecules linked together. Your cat’s normal digestive process breaks up these chains into individual sugar molecules that pass through the intestinal wall and load up your cat’s blood stream with sugar. It is not recommend for any cat, much less a diabetic cat to eat any foods whose main ingredients is corn (meal), wheat, barley, rye, oats or rice. This also means no potatoes, carrots, beets, soy, peas, yams or beans. Feeding your cat this is little different than just pouring straight sugar into your cats bowl.

There is nothing magical about a diabetes-management diet for your cat. It is just a matter of finding foods that are low in carbohydrates.

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How to Stop Your Cat’s Urination Problems


Having your cat urinating all over your home can be extremely troublesome. Especially when it happens after you thought you had successfully litter trained your cat. Rather than getting angry, it may be more appropriate for you to be worried. You should strongly consider taking kitty for a check-up at the vet. There are a number of diseases which can cause your cat to suddenly start urinating uncontrollably. One of these diseases is a urinary tract infection which could be potentially fatal if left untreated. As a matter of fact, any sudden change in kitty’s behavior merits a visit to the vet, just in case.

While kitty peeing outside the litter box is an obvious clue, you should also be on alert about your cat’s urination habits. If you notice kitty making more trips to the litter box than normal, or releasing a greater than usual volume of urine, or its urine having a different smell, etc, all these are warning signs of illness. If you truly love your cat, then you need to be vigilant about its health.

Once ill health has been ruled out, you need to look into environmental factors. The most obvious one is moving house. There are one or two cat owners who somehow failed to realize that their cats became confused and could not find the litter box in their new homes. Or simply did not like the new location of the litter box. In any case, if you move house, be prepared to litter train your cat all over again.

Any number of factors could cause stress to your cat and cause it to urinate away from its litter box, even something as subtle as a change in your working schedule. On the one hand, this is rather inconvenient to you. On the other hand, a part of me would be happy, because this shows that kitty misses me and cares about me. It’s nice to know that you are more than just the person who fills kitty’s food dish, isn’t it? Anyway, if you cannot remove the cause of kitty’s stress, you will just have to toilet train your cat again. Besides this, you may want to learn cat massage. Just like for humans, massage can soothe away some of your cats’s stress. If all else fails, you may need to get a something from your vet to help soothe kitty. However, I strongly advise against aromatherapy or the use of massage oils unless your vet can recommend a safe brand. Cats are often sensitive to such oils and scents. There have been cases of poisoning reported.

Something that few people think about is the litter. Just because you still buy the same brand does not mean the manufacturer is still making the litter exactly the same. There could be major or even just minor changes to the final end product, and it could be noticeable to your cat. Remember that its sense of touch and smell is much better than yours.

The problem could even be the litter box. Are your cat still using the same litter box as when it was a kitten? Or has your cat grown old… You may need to try a different-sized litter box.

Did I mention that smell is important? Did you change the cleaner you used to wash the litter box? Are you cleaning the area around the litter box with a different cleaner? Perhaps kitty hates the smell of the new cleaning product and that is why it is urinating elsewhere. Or did you use a different cleaning product for your house. The new cleaner could be confusing kitty.

Your cat is a sensitive creature of habit. First, you need to eliminate health problems as the cause of your cat’s urination problem. After that, it takes time and patience and loving care to investigate the cause of the problem. A case study published by the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists (JAVMA, Vol 224, No. 10, May 15, 2004) reported that they took several years to resolve the problem. Partly it was because the cat in question had health problems. The vet needed to try different medications which would both clear up the medical conditions as well as not cause the cat to urinate uncontrollably. At the same time, there was no stability in the home environment. The owner got a divorce, and found a new boyfriend. And apparently some stray cats moved into the neighborhood.

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Cat Eye Care - Is It Important?


Cats eyes have often been used in horror films. But as a pet owner, you will know that the cats stare is really the complete opposite of what is portrayed in films. That is why cat eye care, is so very important for you to know.

How do cats say I love you? well this is through their eyes, of course. This is why you should never be frightened by there gaze. So how does this work? First of all, the cat stares at you for a long time. And after that, it blinks its eyes slowly. Some people call this the cats kiss. But you should also know that this is your cats way of showing you that it loves you.

But how do you return the favor? This is easy, all you need to do is follow your cats lead. Stare at it for a long time and then slowly blink your eyes. See? Cats eyes have also be used for romantic films as well.

Do not believe the horror films you see. Cats do not and never have had a third eye. Their eye sight is really far better than a humans. Instead of a third eye, what cats have is a third eyelid. This is called a nictitating membrane.

This inner eyelid protects the eyes of the cat from harm and also from dryness. You will always notice that when a cat is sick, this membrane will be some what closed. This should always alarm enough for you to call your vet or get your cat to them fast as possible.

But this third eyelid will also show once a cat is happy. So you will know what kind of mood your cat is in just by looking at the membrane.

You should always observe the pupil of your feline friend. A change in size of one of the pupils can often be an indication of an inflammation. It can also be a sign of a kind of a neurologic, disorder, this is called Horner’s Syndrome. Or worse, it can also indicate tumors or injuries in the central nervous system.

Never believe what others say that cats are color blind. They do see some colors. They may not see them as clear as human do, but its not true that they cannot see any colors at all.

Cats can also see clearly over long distances. There vision is very different from peoples. There vision will blurry if they are looking at objects that are very close to them.

Yes it is true, cats do have the nocturnal vision. But they can not see in complete darkness. Do you see the muscles on their iris that surround the pupils of their eyes? They are constructed in a way that it narrows into a vertical split when they are exposed in the bright lights. And it opens fully when they are in a quite dim light.

This feature of the cat may be traced back to their roots. They can use this feature to hunt for food during the night, that is if they were left out in the jungle or left with no one to care for them.

So you must forget about the horror movies that you have seen. Now it is time to put some effort into your cats eye care. Never let a minor ailments worsen. Always call your vet immediately when you think there is something not right or amiss. You do not want your cat to lose their sight or even worse lose their lives. Just remember it is always better to be safe than blind.

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Cat Diabetes - How You Should Treat It


If your cat has diabetes then cat care is important to your pets health. You will need to take the appropriate steps to make sure your pet can lead a normal life. It is unfortunate that pet cats have there own form of diabetes. It is important as a pet owner you learn how this will affect your pet and how you can help your cat lead a normal healthy life.

There are two types of cat diabetes, that could affect you pet. The first type is caused by the lack of production of insulin, while the second type is the inability of the cats body to process insulin as it should do. just like in humans, diabetes can affect a cat at any age. But it normally appears in a pet in its later years.

Your cat will start to display symptoms that will tell you there is something wrong. These symptoms are very similar to the one in humans, You would start to notice your cat would require more fluid and would also urinate more. Because of your pets inability to process any glucose, then you will start to notice some weight loss.

Other symptoms you may see your cat are vomiting, loss of appetite and general weakness. Diabetic cats also start to have poor skin and coat condition, as well as breathing problems

If your pet cat starts to display the above symptoms, it would be very wise of you to take your pet to your local vet. This way you can have your cat tested for sugar levels in there blood as well as in their urine. it is better to have both tests done, because any cat that feels under any form of stress, will show a spike in there blood sugar levels. By having both tests done, you will be able to confirm if your pet cat really has diabetes.

There is no cure for your cats diabetes as of yet. There diabetes can be controlled through a various means, and for cats it is done by diet and weight control. Giving your pet a diet high in fiber and carbohydrates would be ideal for diabetic cats, especially if they are over weight.

By using this type of diet, you will control your cats weight and blood sugar levels. There are also some oral medications available that your trusted vet may recommend. These should help to maintain a suitable blood sugar level.

Owners of diabetic cats, also will need to monitor their pets glucose and insulin levels. This is for those pet owners who will have to give there cats insulin injections for their diabetes. But be warned, you need to be carful to avoid giving an overdose of insulin as this will be fatal to your pet.

Cat care and diabetes should always go together, this will ensure that your pet can lead a normal healthy life. If you provide the right care for diabetic cats, then you will still have many happy years to come with your pet.

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Common health problems in cats


If you are new to owning a cat, you may be surprised to find that health problems are a common thing. No matter what breed of cat you own, health problems are to be expected. Some may be hereditary, while others can easily be prevented.

Worms No matter what breed of cat it may be, worms are a very common and recurring problem. Tapeworms, roundworms, and hookworms are among the most common that infect cats. Cats who have problems gaining weight, problems with fleas, or if you find white specks in his stool, you should have your vet test him for worms. Although they can be treated with medicine, worms can prove to be fatal if they are left untreated.

Hairball Hairballs are the most common health problem for cats. All cats groom themselves on a daily basis, normally swallowing the loose hair that comes from their coats. On occasion, this loose hair will gather into a ball and become lodged in the digestive tract instead of passing through in your cat’s stool. When your cat starts to cough and hack, he is normally coughing up a hairball. Although it can be rather disgusting in the end, most cats can dislodge hairballs without any problems.

In rare cases, a hairball can pass through to a cat’s intestine, creating a blockage. Blockages are very serious problems, and can be life threatening if they aren’t treated. If your cat becomes constipated, isn’t eating properly, or has a very dull coat, he could have a blockage. If you notice any of these symptoms, you should take him to the vet immediately. You can prevent hairballs and blockages by brushing your cat 2 …#34; 3 times a week to remove loose hair. You can also feed him food that is designed to control hairballs as well.

Urinary tract infection Urinary tract infection is also a common health problem with cats. Urinary tract infection is more common with male cats that haven’t been neutered, although females can suffer from this problem as well. When a cat suddenly stops going to his litter box, this problem is normally the cause. Another symptom is when the cat’s urine starts to smell really strong. If you suspect that your cat has a urinary tract infection, you should take him to the vet. Your vet can treat the problem with medicine, and make recommendations to help avoid this problem in the future.

Feline leukemia In the past, feline leukemia was the biggest cause of death in cats. These days however, there are vaccines available that can treat the disease. To treat the disease, your cat will need to be given the shot before he or she is exposed. Even though death doesn’t happen immediately, cats that are exposed to feline leukemia normally don’t have a long life span. If you know your cat has feline leukemia, you should never allow other cats around him, as the virus is highly contagious.

To protect your cat, you should always make sure that you take him to the vet for his regular check ups. If you keep him up to date on his vaccinations, he should lead a healthy and productive life. Although some health problems can’t be avoided, most of them can. You can also keep your cat indoors as well, which will protect him from a majority of health problems. If your cat is an outdoor cat, regular visits to the vet will keep him healthy. As long as you take your cat to the vet and keep him healthy …#34; he will be your companion for years to come.

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