While owning a cat can be a wonderful experience, there are some unavoidable health problems that you may have to deal with over your cat’s lifetime. If you are a long-time cat owner, or if you are considering adding a cat to your home, it’s very important to be familiar with some of the common health problems that can affect cats.
FLEAS
Fleas are a very common health problem that can affect cats of all life stages. Fleas can affect cats, dogs, mice and any other small mammals that you may have in your home. In addition to this, fleas are also able to feed off of humans. Fleas feast on the blood of mammals in order to survive, though their bites also cause a significant amount of irritation. A cat may get fleas from being outdoors, coming into contact with an infected animal, or by being exposed to hatching flea larvae. In order to effectively treat fleas on your cat, it is best to use multiple products in order to ensure that all of the fleas are eradicated. There are many different flea shampoo products, flea treatments, and flea sprays available in the pet care section of most pet supply stores.
WORMS
In regards to proper pet cat care, another common health problem seen in cats is worms. Having a cat that is infested with worms can be a huge problem, especially when dealing with an advanced worm infection. There are many different worms that can affect cats, including tapeworms, heartworms, hookworms, whipworms and lungworms. Worms can cause severe gastrointestinal problems in a cat, since they usually reside in a cat’s intestinal tract. If you believe that your cat has been infected with worms, it is important that you seek veterinary advice as soon as possible.
HAIRBALLS
Dealing with hairballs is an unavoidable part of owning a cat. While hairballs are more common in long-haired cats, they can be present in almost all adult cats. Hairballs form when a cat ingests shed fur while grooming. The shed fur coagulates inside the stomach, forming a matted clump of hair. This hairball is either vomited up, or passed through a cat’s intestines into their stool. The best way to help prevent hairballs is to purchase a specialized cat food formula that contains enough fiber to help your cat easily digest any ingested fur.
VIRAL INFECTIONS
Just like humans, cats are subject to a significant number of viral infections. Though some viral infections are relatively minor (such as the flu virus), there are some viruses that can cause serious health complications for cats. For example, there is a virus called FLV that can affect cats in all life stages. FLV stands for “Feline Leukemia Virus”, and can be transmitted through exposure with other infected animals. The treatment for infection with FLV is expensive and only moderately successful, with most cats eventually succumbing to the disease. However, there is a vaccine against FLV that is currently available, which should be recommended to you by your veterinarian.
Sun, Sep 13, 2009