Pet Parents - Keeping Your Cat Healthy!

 

Good Pet Parents Paws-itively want to keep their cats healthy!
Here are some things to be aware of and to watch for.

 

A healthy cat is a happy cat and, as the best pet parents we can be, we'll do just about anything we can to keep our furry friends that way.  As a pet owner, you know your cats better than anyone.  While noticing changes in your cat's behavior is one way to monitor health, sometimes it takes a little more.

Your cat's teeth play a big role in maintaining his/her overall health.  A feline dental problem can lead to a host of other health issues, some of which can be fatal. Cats can develop a whole range of dental problems from cavities and cracked teeth to stomatitis.  Regular dental checkups - like Snicker and all the BCR cats get - is the best way to make sure your cat's teeth stay healthy.

Many BCR cats arrive here with dental problems due to bad diets, living on the streets, injury or illness, and we address them right away to keep them from evolving into something worse and to relieve any pain a cat might be experiencing.  The BCR cats who require it get daily medications that treat their particular condition and to keep them as comfortable as possible.  Jewel and Seven, who have both crossed the Rainbow Bridge, suffered from stomatitis, which is a painful condition that requires daily medication.   (CLICK HERE to read more about stomatitis.

      What kind of dental problems do cats get?  CLICK HERE for information about some common dental diseases.

      How can you help take the best care of your cat's teeth? CLICK HERE for some excellent tips!

Just like people, cats can catch what we all call "kitty colds" but are, in fact, a herpes virus called feline viral rhinopneumonitis, which is the number-one cause of upper respiratory infections.  As we've seen many times at BCR, if URIs are untreated a cat can lose his/her eyes, like Peanut, Jellybean and Valencia (pictured).

It's a sad truth that feline leukemia-positive cats are even more susceptible to this kind of virus.  Herpes Virus is highly contagious so what should you be looking in your own cat that might indicate a herpes virus?  If he/she is sneezing, has congestion, watery eyes and nose, or seems to have conjunctivitis, go to your vet immediately.

          For more facts about the feline herpes virus, CLICK HERE.

We lost BCR kitty William to another condition that is made worse by being feline-leukemia positive, pyothorax, which comes from a bacterial infection in the chest.  Signs of possible pyothorax in your cat are rapid, open-mouthed breathing, loss of appetite and lethargy. 

For more facts about pyothorax, CLICK HERE.

Some of the conditions mentioned here are more prevalent than others and some more serious than others.  The main thing to remember is to keep an eye on your cat - is he/she eating normally, playful as always, losing weight?   If anything about your cat's behavior raises a red flag in your mind, go immediately to your vet.  You could be saving your cat's life!


It's no surprise that cats - like many people!- do not enjoy visits to the vet for dental or any other procedures!  So, when you get home with your cat after a visit, be sure to show him/her lots of love and attention!  CLICK HERE for some tried and true ways to show your cat some love!