All About Cats

We all know we need to keep our cat's teeth clean to prevent widespread illness and infections, right? But just how do we do this peacefully, without undue stress on ourselves and our pet?

My cats have been trained since kittens to allow me to gently wipe their teeth with a piece of clean gauze every 2 days.

A neighbor's cat had dental problems that were left untreated because she could not afford it. The pet succumbed to bacterial infection that affected its heart. She was devastated.

Dental disease affects the teeth as well as bloodstream, carrying bacteria throughout the animal's body, which negatively affects its liver, kidneys, heart and lungs.

As a result, I decided to do all I could to ensure that in between annual dental visits I would give the best at home teeth care
possible. I never realized dental care for cats is so important.

I knew they wouldn't allow me to use a toothbrush, however small it might be.

Therefore, I began using a dental spray, in its liquid form in an eye dropper, that was much easier to administer. It has no side effects, human grade ingredients and almost tasteless.

It actually dissolves the tartar and keeps their gums healthy. I was desperate to try anything because their tartar build up was phenomenal in such a short time.

They have an annual dental check up. However the build up was always at stage 2 or 3 and would cost me $350 to $500 each. I had to do something to keep the vet bill down.

I had no idea I could buy a product that helped decrease tartar and dental expense.

I don't want to take a chance that my being unable to afford dental care would adversely affect my pets.

There are some dry foods that purport its advantage in assisting to remove tarter. However some cats, like one of mine, cannot eat dry food because of urinary tract issues. So having an alternative available that doesn't require brushing is a definite plus.

In summation, proper teeth care at home can save your cat's heart, kidneys and lungs.

Cat dental care is keeping teeth and gums healthy to prevent damage to its vital organs.

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Cat lovers will tell you that a cat can have some very strange (at least to humans) behavior. Cat owners would love to be able to talk to their cats and ask them why they do what they do. Imagine that you have that ability to do that as you read this article.

Your cat is making a funny face that looks something like this:

Your cat is sniffing at something with an intensity that draws your attention and then the cat opens its mouth slightly and curls back the lips, you stare and wonder: What the heck are you doing? The face that you are witnessing your cat make is called, "Flehmen's response". This face can be seen in other animals such as horses. Your cat is making the face in response to a strong smell like a urine odor.

Flehmen's response increases the flow of odor to an organ in the cat's nasal passage called, "vomeronasal organ". This organ relays information about the smell to the cat's brain.

Your cat is purring and you wonder why your cat is purring?

Your cat is purring as a way to communicate and show comfort. A mom cat will do this with her kittens. Purring behavior continues from the time your cat is a kitten, throughout the cat's life. It is usually a sign of pleasure, but a cat can make this purring sound when it is anxious or when it is near death too. Studies have shown that this "purring sound", comes from the activation of muscles in the cat's larynx and by partially closing and opening the glottis which is an opening of the larynx.

My cat is scratching on everything, why does he do that?

The scratching that a cat does has a function. The function of scratching is to condition and sharpen the cat's claws. Scratching also removes loose bits of nail sheath (the part that covers the nail). Scratching also identifies the area being scratched as being part of his/her territory. Cats have scent glands located in their paws, that scratching leaves a scent on the object being scratched. This odor can still be left when a cat has been declawed.

My cat rubs her face on everything, why does she do that?

A cat receives pleasure from rubbing her chin, cheek, and the rest of their body against objects. They may do this for pleasure, but the main reason they do this is because of scent glands that they have around the mouth, forehead, chin and their lips. Rubbing against an object leaves the scent from the cat on the object. A cat rubbing against a person, could very well be a form of greeting to that person. Cats living together rub against each other in order to form a "cat colony scent". This combined scent tells each other that they belong to the group. The missing "colony scent", would then signal that another cat without the scent is indeed a stranger and not a member of the colony. This behavior of not recognizing a cat can also occur when a "colony cat", return from a visit to the groomers or vets and "smells different". Cats recognize each other as much from smell as we would recognize another person visually.

OK, you can now understand a little better what your cat is trying to communicate by his/her behavior. Now, tell me why your dog is always barking?

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You love your cat but she has some very disgusting behaviors that totally gross you out! Behaviors that are particularly bad are bringing you dead animals and expecting you to admire her "trophies" or to reward her for bringing them to you. She may also chew your best wool sweater or other woolen garments, or pull out her own hair and walk around with the bald look! She also has this disgusting habit of coughing up hairballs and leaves them for you to walk on in the middle of the night.... ewww!

Cats have a natural predatory instinct that shows in behavior from time to time. A cat living in the wild would have to bring food back to her kittens or they would starve. The predator instinct is a survival act and one that sometimes your domesticated cat can't seem to forget and it resurfaces and the results end up on your doorstep.

Chewing items that are "off-limits" to your cat such as your wool sweater can have one or two causes. The first one is a physical one. Your cat may be chewing out of a need for more roughage in her diet. To end this behavior try visiting your local pet store and look for small planters of roughage-rich herbs. These will help her to have the roughage she needs along with a high-fiber diet, planters such as these can help control your nasty wool chewing habit. Your vet is your best source of evaluation and information when it comes to dietary needs for your cat. Cats can be obsessive and eating wool just may be a psychological thing as cats can be obsessive about their prey. When cats catch furry small animals such as mice, they also eat the "fur" part of the animal. Some cats become obsessive about eating the fur and will only eat the fur and nothing else. Cats can exhibit this obsessive behavior due to stress. Your vet can examine your cat and help to determine if your cat is indeed doing this behavior out of obsession. After diagnosing the condition, your vet will recommend a course of treatment that will help your cat overcome the stress.

Cats can actually make themselves bald from excessive licking or from "eating their own fur". Over grooming or pulling out her own fur are signs that the cat may have a compulsive disorder or she may have physical causes such as fleas, allergies or just really stressed out and reacting by over grooming. Punishing your cat for pulling out her hair can add more stress and make the situation worse. Your vet can help determine if the cause is a medical/physical one. If it is treatment will be given to correct the condition if it is a psychological cause such as stress, than you will be instructed on how to use positive behavior enforcement such as ignoring the licking/excessive grooming and distracting the cat from this behavior by making noise and then engaging your cat in active play. Your can reward behavior that is not contributing to the baldness by giving treats and spending lots of quality time with her.

When cats over-lick, or excessively groom themselves the result can be hairballs. The hairball is not really a problem for the cat because she basically forgets it, once it is out. The pet owner on the other hand has to discover it and clean it up. The frequency and size of hairballs will depend on the grooming habits of the cat, the length of cat hair and if she is grooming other cats beside herself. Brushing her fur frequently can help to gather any loose hair off of her so it doesn't end up in her mouth. There are medications that your vet can prescribe if necessary.

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