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Cat Care

If you share your life with a cat, you know how wonderfully playful, intelligent, independent, and affectionate felines can be. However, you may have some questions about how to care for your cat, keep her happy and safe indoors, or identify potential health problems. This section will address these and other issues that face those who enjoy the companionship of a cat.

Caring for Your Cat – The Top Ten Essentials

1. Outfit your cat with a collar and ID tag that includes your name, address, and telephone number. No matter how careful you are, there's a chance your companion may slip out the door—an ID tag greatly increases the chance that your cat will be returned home safely.

2. Follow local cat registration laws. Licensing, a registration and identification system administered by some local governments protects both cats and people in the community.

3. Keep your cat indoors. Keeping your cat safely confined at all times is best for you, your pet, and your community.

4. Take your cat to the veterinarian for regular check-ups. If you do not have a veterinarian, ask your local animal shelter or a pet-owning friend for a referral.

5. Spay or neuter your pet. This will keep her healthier and will reduce the problem of cat overpopulation.

6. Give your cat a nutritionally balanced diet, including constant access to fresh water. Ask your veterinarian for advice on what and how often to feed your pet.

7. Train your cat to refrain from undesirable behaviors such as scratching furniture and jumping on countertops. Contrary to popular belief, cats can be trained with a bit of patience, effort, and understanding on your part.

8. Groom your cat often to keep her coat healthy, soft, and shiny. Although it is especially important to brush long-haired cats to prevent their hair from matting, even short-haired felines need to be groomed to remove as much loose hair as possible. When cats groom themselves, they ingest a great deal of hair, which often leads to hairballs.

9. Set aside time to play with your cat. While cats do not need the same level of exercise that dogs do, enjoying regular play sessions with your pet will provide him with the physical exercise and mental stimulation he needs, as well as strengthen the bond you share.

10. Be loyal to and patient with your cat. Make sure the expectations you have of your companion are reasonable and remember that the vast majority of behavior problems can be solved. If you are struggling with your pet's behavior, contact your veterinarian or local animal shelter for advice.

Keys to a Healthy Cat

Your cat looks to you for everything: love, warmth, food, comfort, and protection. Your cat also relies on you to make sure that he or she stays healthy, fit, well nourished, and safe all the days of his or her life. This doesn't have to be an overwhelming responsibility—it's fairly easy if you follow a few simple guidelines.

Cats Common Health Problems:

Be on the lookout for these common health problems in your cat:

Fleas. Fleas can easily invade your home, particularly if you have a dog or if you let your cat outside. Fleas can cause such health problems in cats as anemia, allergies, skin infections, and tapeworms.

There is a vast array of flea-fighting products that are highly effective and safe; consult your veterinarian for advice on products to use and an ongoing flea control plan. Avoid using pesticides and over-the-counter flea remedies—they are unnecessary given today's arsenal of safer, veterinarian-prescribed products—and never use flea products on your cat that are intended for use on dogs because such products can be fatal to your cat. Flea collars are not effective against fleas and can even irritate your cat's skin.

Tapeworms. These internal parasites are picked up by ingesting rodents or raw meat or fish, or from adult fleas that are carriers. Tapeworms are passed through the cat's feces. Often you can spot tapeworm segments in your cat's stool or under her tail—they look like small grains of rice. If you see signs of tapeworms, bring a fecal sample to your veterinarian to get worming medication for your cat. You may need to start a flea control program at the same time. Never use over-the-counter worming products. These are usually ineffective and can cause unwanted side effects in your cat.

Coccidia. These internal parasites are picked up from the infected feces of other animals. Symptoms can be nonexistent or quite serious; they include mild to severe diarrhea, weakness, depression, loss of appetite, and weight loss. Your veterinarian will need a fresh fecal sample to diagnose the problem and prescribe medication for these parasites. 

Roundworms, hookworms, and whipworms. These internal parasites cause symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, a pot belly, and a dull coat. The symptoms become more serious and debilitating if your cat's condition is left untreated. Your veterinarian can diagnose these parasites by examining a fecal sample under a microscope. The various treatments may involve several doses before these parasites are eliminated.

Ear mites. If you spot a dark, waxy buildup in your cat's ears, he may have ear mites, which are microscopic parasites. These crab-like creatures itch like crazy, and in a futile attempt to scratch that itch, cats will shake their heads or paw at their ears, sometimes scratching them raw. Left untreated, ear mites can cause deafness. Prescription ear treatments are available to eliminate ear mites. Let your veterinarian know if you have more than one pet, because the ear mites will simply move to the next untreated animal.

Toxoplasma gondii. This small parasite may be of concern to humans as well as cats, especially people with compromised immune systems. Toxoplasmosis has traditionally been a reason for pregnant women to think they must give up their pet, but this is not necessary. Safe handling of food and water and precautions when cleaning the litter box can easily prevent the transmission of this parasite; that's why it's best to assign someone else the responsibility for cleaning the litter box.

The majority of toxoplasmosis infections in humans have been the result of ingesting raw or undercooked meat. Cats become infested with this parasite through eating raw prey, but only pass contagious feces for approximately two weeks (and the feces themselves are only infective after 24 hours have passed). To prevent infection, keep your cat safely confined and feed him commercial cat food.

Urinary problems. With all cats, and especially males, be alert for any signs of painful urination, straining to urinate, or blood in the urine. These symptoms can indicate a condition that is very serious. If a cat becomes "blocked" (unable to urinate), he could die within hours. If any of these signs appear, immediate veterinary attention is necessary. As a preventive measure, talk to your veterinarian about your cat's diet and other factors that relate to urinary problems.

Detecting Illness in Your Cat

Unfortunately, cats can't tell us where or when it hurts. Some symptoms and behaviors are obvious: diarrhea, vomiting, coughing, sneezing, runny nose or eyes, and trouble using the litter box. There are other, more subtle, physical and behavioral signs that might indicate a trip to the vet is in order. Take note if your cat does any of the following:

• Misses more than one meal

• Shows a sudden change in eating habits

• Stops using the litter box

• Develops puffiness or a lump under the skin

• Hides for more than a day

• Becomes suddenly short-tempered or intolerant of attention

• Shakes his head frequently

• Changes his routine or loses interest in his favorite games

• Stops grooming

Maintaining Your Cat’s Health

You can maintain your cat's overall health in two important ways: 1) schedule an annual preventive visit (including shots and an examination) with your veterinarian as well as other visits as needed; and 2) perform daily home examinations—petting and health care go hand in glove.

• Do a nose-to-tail checkup every time you cuddle with your cat on the couch. Call your veterinarian if you detect any abnormalities during these regular checks. Start with the head. Are your cat's ears clean and pink? Do they give off an unpleasant odor? Have mites appeared as a black, waxy mess inside the ears? Are the eyes bright, clear, focused, and free of discharge? Are the gums pink and the teeth clean? Has tartar appeared along the gum line? Is your cat's breath inoffensive? Don't check a cat's nose to see if it's cold and damp—contrary to myth, this is not a sign of health.

• Proceed to a neck-to-tail inspection. Feel your cat's body for lumps, bumps, puffiness, sores, and any irregularities. Also look for flea dirt (which resembles black pepper and turns red when wet), scratches, and parasites. Be sure to check behind the ears, between the toes, and down the entire length of the tail.

• Next, treat your feline companion to a good brushing. Rubber curry brushes are excellent at removing dead skin cells and loose hair. Fine-toothed metal combs are specifically designed to lift fleas out of the coat.

• It's important to brush your cat daily to remove as much loose hair as possible. When cats groom themselves, they ingest a great deal of hair, which is often vomited out as hairballs. If your cat brings up hair, talk to your veterinarian to evaluate the situation and find out about hairball remedies.

• Keeping your cat's claws clipped is an important part of grooming. If not kept at the proper length, a cat's claws can actually grow into the paw pads, so attend to the claws weekly. If you have never trimmed a cat's claws, have your veterinarian show you how. Briefly, you should snip off just the sharp tip (about an eighth of an inch) of each claw. Do not clip into the pink section of the nail, where a blood vessel and nerve endings reside.

• Often, people believe declawing is the only way to address inappropriate scratching. However, it can be a painful procedure for your cat, and it is almost always unnecessary. Cats can be easily trained to scratch only in appropriate areas, such as well-placed scratching posts.

• All cat owners should have at least one book on cat care (recommended by a veterinarian) that includes a section on emergency first aid. Home care alone is not appropriate in most cases of serious illness or injury; there are also some emergency procedures that could keep your pet relatively comfortable on the way to the veterinarian. Familiarize yourself with emergency procedures before an emergency happens.

• Never give your cat any medications, including aspirin, without the advice of your veterinarian. Many common human drugs (like acetaminophen [Tylenol]) are poisonous to cats.