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Our
Top 15 Adult Cat Care Tips
Cats are nororiously independent. Still, they depend on
us for food, shelter, medicacl care and companionship. Follow
the tips below for happy healthy kitty!
1. Regular Veterinary
Check-ups. All cats - even those that
seem perfectly normal - should be examined by a veterinarian
at least once a year
2.
Keep your cat indoors. This is the best bet for you,
your cat, and the community in general. This may
also help your
cat live longer: Cats that spend time outdoors – even only
a few munutes – are much more likely to fall victim to
the many perils of the outside world - Other cats,
dogs, BB guns,
poisons, snakes, etc.
3.
Keep Vaccinations current. Cats are susceptible to
a number of viral diseases.
4.
Administer Heartworm Preventive regularly. Surprised?
Turns out cats and domestic ferrets are also susceible
to Canine Heartworm Diasese (CHD). Unfortunately, there
is no
safe and effective treatment for either cats or ferrets
which develop CHD. Worse yet, given the small size
of a cat or
ferret heart, just one worm can kill.
5.
Spay or Neuter your cat. This will lessen your cat’s
suscibility to nasty problems like breast cancer
and uterine infections.
It may also help reduce pet over-population.
6.
Feed High Quality Pet Food. Feed the
best quality cat food that your budget will allow. Avoid
obesity.
Fat Cats
are not Healthy Cats.
7.
Cat Litter: Clean that box at least once a day. Don’t “top off.” This helps control odor and
mess, plus it
may reduce problems with house soiing.
8.
Keep Fleas Under Control. Some of the modern
feline heartworm preventives, such as Revolution™,
do double
duty by combating
fleas as well.
9.
Set aside time for daily play time with your cat. This help’s keep kitty’s reflexes
and mental
acuity
sharp. Plus
it is fun!
10.
Brush Cat's coat regularly. Brush out
you cat at least once a week. This helps
keep long
haired
cats
free of matts.
It also improves the appearance of the
coat and reduces hairball problems for cats of
all types.
11.
Use a Collar & ID tag and maybe an electronic microchip
too. Nearly all pets manage to escape at least once in their
lives. The vast majority of pets that are returned to their
owners have some sort of identification.
12.
Be patient with your cat. Don’t force
affection. Studies suggest that pet
owners who have the
most interactions with their cats are
those who present
themselves to
the cat as
an exploitable resource. So be fun
and avaialble!
13. Bathe your cat regularly. We suggest
every two weeks or so. Mycodex Hypoallergenic
Shampoo™
is one
of our
favorite shampoos. It smells wonderful,
it aids in flea control,
and it removes any household chemicals
or carpet dyes which may
have accumulated on the cat's fur.
Some experts feel that long term
ingestion of low levels
of these substance
off
of the fur as the cat grooms itself
may
contribute to the development of
kiver disease in older
cats.
14. Follow pet registration and Leash
laws. This helps protect both pets
and people.
15. Consider Pet Health Insurance. One of the most important benefits
of this
strategy
is
that it
helps budget pet
health care expenses. If your
pet is insured, then you know that,
month in and month out, no matter
what happens, you will only have
to pay
a certain fixed
amount (your
deductible)
toward veterinary care. No surprises!
One of the oldest and most prestigoius pet insurance companies
is Veterinary Pet Insurance (800 827-7387). They offer several
liberal policies which cover over 6,400 types of unforeseeable
accidents, illnesses and injuries. An optional rider is also
available that will cover annual vaccinations, flea control
products, etc.
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