6 Common Cat Health Problems Faced By Pet Owners Today

If you are an existing cat owner or thinking of getting a kitten, you have to understand that similar to humans, felines too are prone to health conditions, some of which are common while others more severe. Immediate and effective treatment is essential for the well-being of your kitty and understanding the common cat health problems and symptoms will enable you to care for your cat in a more responsible manner. The following article lists 6 common problems faced by cats today.

Cat Hairballs

As cats often groom themselves, they are prone to hairballs. These are conditions that occur when the cat swallows balls of hair that are shed from their body while they are in the process of cleaning themselves. This becomes a serious problem when it goes to the intestines and creates a blockage, which could result in the death of the cat.

Fleas and Mites

If you allow your cats to venture outdoors often, you have to mentally prepare yourself for the day that it contracts fleas, especially those that cause anemia or carry the tapeworm egg. Another common problem in cats is mites, which occur in their ears. When you see your cat scratching or shaking her head excessively, it is likely that it has mites.

Worming

Roundworms and tapeworms infection are also two common cat health problems today. Roundworms often lead to vomiting and diarrhea in cats while tapeworms can cause skin irritation, especially around the anus. Regular de-worming is essential for cats to keep them away from such ailments.

Urinary Tract Infection

Cat urinary tract infection is more common in males though it can affect female cats as well. It is a condition where felines need to pass excessive urine, either in quantity or frequency. Cat urinary tract infection is also marked by an enlarged bladder and requires immediate attention.

Kidney Diseases

Cat renal failure or kidney failure is also a common occurrence in cats, which require immediate attention to avoid further problems, especially death. Increased thirst is one of the symptoms of renal failure in cats.

Bronchial or Respiratory Diseases

Bronchitis, especially of a chronic nature, and asthma are two common diseases in cats. Coughing is a common symptom of chronic respiratory diseases in cats and requires attention from your vet.

While these are just a sample of some common cat health problems today, pet owners are advised to keep a look out for the above symptoms and to consult a vet if necessary.

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Preventing Hairballs In Your Furry Friend

Hairballs are one of the many problems that a cat owner would be facing in its pet's lifetime. A hairball is lumps of hair ingested by a cat and passed out through coughing or through defecation; either way this is very messy to clean. Hairballs can cause intestinal problems in a cat if this does not pass out, and cause blockage in the intestines of your pet cat, which would need veterinary intervention and this is expensive. There are ways that you can prevent this from happening. This may not eliminate hairballs totally but this can lower the risk of complications.

The most obvious one is to groom your cat regularly. Combing the fur of the cat at regular intervals can help minimize their ingestion of the loose fur, which is a very simple thing to do. There are many kinds of brushes that would be appropriate for the type of fur your cat has. Brushing your cat's fur regularly would get the loose hair and even if they still groom themselves often the hair that they can ingest would be minimal and this would be easily passed out. For long haired cats, it is best to brush their fur every day to get all the loose hair off as these long hairs would be of greater risk of getting stuck inside their intestinal tract.

Giving your cat some hairball preventing fluid mixed in their food can help pass out their fur. These are usually made from vegetable fiber which would help the hairball pass through the intestinal tract easily. These vegetable fiber additives come in various forms and some offer other benefits to the cat. Asking advice from your cat's vet would be a very wise decision when giving your cat something that you are not sure of. This would prevent more complications that your cat would suffer from ingesting substances that may harm them more.

There are certain cat laxatives that can be given to a cat if the hairball is getting into a problem inside your cat's intestines. This should first be consulted with the veterinarian so that they would be able to give the needed dosage to help in passing out the hairball from your cat's intestinal tract. Some of these laxatives have a strong ingredient which can harm the intestines of your cat if not used properly. In whatever medication that you would give to your pet cat, it is very important that you consult the veterinarian first to be sure.

There are plenty of things that a pet would need and one of these is the best pet health insurance. Taking care of a pet can be very easy with the help of the best pet health insurance.

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