Care

The typical cat will spend up to 18 hours a day sleeping and as much as 50 percent of its waking hours meticulously grooming itself. In addition to persistently licking its coat in order to keep it clean and free of dirt and parasites, the animal will pay special attention to its claws, which serve it well as invaluable tools and, when the need arises, as formidable weapons. "A cat in the wild uses its claws for a wide variety of purposes," says William Miller, VMD, medical director at Cornell Universitys College of Veterinary Medicine.

I have had whiskers all my life, but I really took them for granted until recently. Whiskers just seemed like big, fat hairs to me! So what are they, exactly? Well, all of a cats fur grows from hair follicles in the epidermal layer of the skin. Whiskers are specially modified (big, fat) hairs that grow from very large follicles in specific locations. Of course, the most prominent whiskers are those that grow on the upper lips of the muzzle.

Fleas are parasites that suck blood for their food, leaving small lesions that are similar to those of mosquito bites. "They are more than a skin problem," cautions Williams Miller, Jr., VMD, professor of clinical science at Cornells College of Veterinary Medicine. "They can become a serious health problem." Cats are fastidious groomers, so healthy adult cats will keep the number of fleas on their bodies low. "But if there is a significant number of fleas feeding on the animal, they can cause severe anemia," explains Dr. Miller.

When a cat begins soiling the house, it is usually assumed that it is a behavioral problem or the onset of senility. However, there are several medical conditions that can cause urinary incontinence and inappropriate urination, some of which require immediate treatment. First, it is important to distinguish between incontinence and inappropriate urination. True incontinence occurs when a cat does not have voluntary control over urination; trauma, a weak primary sphincter muscle and congenital abnormalities are the most common causes of incontinence.

The best strategy to minimize a pet hair problem in your home is to remove loose hair from your cats coat before it hits the floor. And ironically, shorthaired cats often shed more than longhaired cats. Of course, you cant possibly catch all pet hair before it falls out. So when it does make its inevitable landfall, the following are ways to pick up pet hair as easily and thoroughly as possible. Tackling Upholstery.Vacuuming is the first approach to removing cat hair from upholstery; however, if your vacuum isnt removing enough hair, you can try one of several other approaches.

Over the past decade, a number of products have entered the cat litter market as "alternative" litters. The chief claim of many of these litters is that they are made from plant-based or recycled materials, as opposed to clay, the basis of "traditional" kitty litters. As with most products or groups of products, there are both advantages and disadvantages to using alternative cat litters. One advantage that makers of these specialty litters feel appeals to cat owners with environmental concerns is that alternative litters - because they are made of biodegradable substances - present less strain on landfills. Some brands are even marketed as being "compostable" and/or burnable.

Toxoplasmosis is a fairly common zoonosis (a disease that can be shared between humans and animals); 30 to 40 percent of adult humans, and roughly the same percentage of cats, have antibodies that indicate prior exposure to the organism that causes the disease. Nevertheless, theres still a lot of misinformation regarding toxoplasmosis. The disease poses a threat primarily to fetuses and to immunosuppressed patients, but an understanding of the organisms life cycle, how transmission occurs and can be avoided, and the signs of infection can greatly reduce the risk of serious disease.

For all the companionship and love your cat brings into your home, theres also one dirty downside to living with him: the scooping and changing of his litter box (lugging home the heavy stuff isnt much of a treat, either). Luckily, there are ways of making this unpleasant job a little easier. If you use the right materials, create a litter-changing routine and keep the necessary supplies in a convenient place, this chore can definitely be made less labor-intensive. We share some tips to reduce litter drudgery.

Every so often, your otherwise fastidious cat will do an alarming and somewhat disgusting thing. Shell awake from a peaceful nap, rise up on her paws, retch convulsively for a moment or two, and spit up what may appear at first glance to be a damp clump. What the animal has disgorged - in the middle of your kitchen floor or, worse yet, in the middle of your prized Persian rug - is a trichobezoar, a wad of undigested hair that is commonly referred to as a hairball. Despite the term, disgorged hairballs are not usually round. They are often slender and cylindrical, shaped more like a cigar or sausage than a ball. According to Richard Goldstein, DVM, an associate professor of small animal medicine at Cornell Universitys College of Veterinary Medicine, a spit-up hairballs elongated shape is imparted by the narrow food tube (esophagus) in which it develops or through which it passes on its journey from the cats stomach to the outside world. However, he notes, a hairball that is not disgorged and remains in the stomach will indeed be round - "like a sponge or a rolled-up sock," he says.

According to Bayer Animal Health, Advantage and Advantix are now available over-the-counter. Formerly available only through veterinarians, these flea and tick products will now be sold at pet specialty retail and internet outlets.

Over the past decade, numerous products have entered the cat litter market as "alternative" litters. The chief claim of many of these litters is that they are made from plant-based or recycled materials, as opposed to clay, the basis of "traditional" kitty litters. Potential Benefits. As with most products or groups of products, there are both advantages and disadvantages to using alternative cat litters. One advantage that makers of these specialty litters feel appeals to cat owners with environmental concerns is that alternative litters - because they are made of biodegradable substances - present less strain on landfills. Some brands are even marketed as being "compostable" and/or burnable. Additionally, alternative litters are made of materials that often give off little to no dust - which can be a benefit to a cat with upper respiratory issues. "Our general advice to owners of asthmatic cats is to limit environmental exposure to potential irritants of all kinds," says Carolyn McDaniel, VMD, a consultant with the Cornell Feline Health Center. "This includes aerosol cleaning agents, perfumes, cigarette smoke … and dusty cat litter."

For several days, your cat has been acting uncharacteristically lethargic and off his food. Then one evening, while stroking his back, you feel a smallish lump just to the side of his tail. Although you touch the lump gently, he responds with a hiss, leaping from your lap and scurrying into a dark corner. The lump you discovered is quite possibly an abscess, and the sensitive swelling may indicate that the cat has an infection - and necessitating prompt veterinary care. Distinctive Characteristics. An abscess is a localized collection of pus, a yellowish fluid that forms at the site of an infection. Although pus typically contains a certain amount of cellular debris and dead tissue, it is composed mainly of white blood cells that have been summoned by the immune system to combat invading bacteria or other microorganisms. Cats can develop a variety of lumps and bumps on their skin - cysts, tumors, pimples and so forth - but abscesses have their own distinctive characteristics, notes William Miller, VMD, medical director at Cornell Universitys Companion Animal Hospital. "Because an abscess is filled with pus," he says, "it will be inflamed, warm and tender. Tumors are not usually like that, and pimples are merely superficial eruptions, affecting the outer layer of skin and minuscule by comparison to an abscess." External and Internal. An abscess may develop at the site of a penetrating wound - if a cat steps on a thorn, a wood sliver or a piece of glass, for example. But abscess-producing infections in cats usually result from bites from other cats, since the bacteria that cause infection are normal inhabitants of the feline mouth.