Cat

July 11, 2009

What Causes Hair Loss In Cats?


Hair loss in cats is different from regular shedding. Cat hair loss is restricted to one area of the cat’s body, but it may be widespread hair loss. Many health conditions can cause hair loss in cats.

The most common cause of hair loss in cats and dogs is a flea allergy. If the pet is allergic to flea saliva, a flea infestation can cause patches of hair loss. The hair loss can be made worse if the cat scratches the flea bites.

Allergies from substances such as chemicals or fabrics in the home can cause cat hair loss. The allergic reaction can be from the substance coming in contact with the cats skin or inhaling an allergen like dust.

Hair loss in cats can be caused by folliculitis, an infection of the hair follicles. After a veterinarian diagnoses folliculitis, it is usually treated with antibiotics. Cat hair loss can be a symptom of other infections.

Ringworm is a fungal infection that can cause hair loss in cats. Treatment options for ringworm include oral medications and dips.

Hair loss can be a sign of hyperthyroidism. The hyperthyroidism can cause hair to be easily pulled out which can cause hair loss during grooming.

Excessive grooming can cause cat hair loss. Some cats react to stress and changes in their environments by excessive grooming.

Sunburn can cause hair loss in cats. Sunburn most commonly affects the ears of white-haired cats. The cat owner should limit the cats future exposure to the sun or protect the ears with suntan lotion.

Pregnancy and nursing can cause a female cat to have hair loss. Hair loss from pregnancy is sometimes called blowing her coat.

Some hair loss in cats is a genetic characteristic of the cat breed. Kittens of some hairless cat breeds are born with some hair that they lose as they mature.

Cats tend to have a thinner hair thickness on their foreheads due to the scent glands that are present there. A cat owner may mistake this thinner fur as a sign of cat hair loss.

About the Author:

Filed under Cat by Moses Wright

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To Flush Or Not To Flush (Your Cat’s Mess!)


If you’re fed up of picking up the cat’s litter and marching down the hall to the waste disposal then help is at hand! If the odor is making you sick, then help is at hand! Flushable cat litter provides the answer to these problems.

Flushable cat litter is the height of convenience for all you cat lovers. All you have to do is pick up the litter from the cat’s litter box, take it down to the nearest toilet bowl, and flush it away. Simple!

This kind of litter is finer than clumping clay. It is also about 3 times costlier than the ordinary clumping clay. On the positive side, you don’t have to use as much flushing litter as the ordinary variety. If it is not available in the local area, there are plenty of suppliers on the Internet who will take your order and deliver it to your very own doorstep,

Environmentally speaking, the new product is as good or bad as the ordinary litter. One goes to a landfill; the other uses water and generates more sewage. If you are really interested in protecting the environment then you should choose the variety that can be composted once the dried stool is removed.

But before dumping the clumping clay, you ought to make sure that your cat likes the flushable litter. Most cats find it strange, and don’t use the litter box with flushable litter. So keep watching your pet and the litter box to find out what your pet thinks of the new litter.

It will be best if you introduce your cat to the flushable litter gradually. Just mix a little of the new kind to the cat box, and increase the amount day by day, till finally the whole box is filled with the flushable variety. Don’t try to flush the mixture of the clay litter and the flushable litter! Wait till the cat is using 100% flushable, before actually flushing the stuff away.

If your cat does not like using the flushable litter, you will have to go on as usual. If Tabby accepts it, then you can say goodbye to that horrible stench, and the walks to the waste receptacle.

The use of either type of litter has a similar impact on the environment. The flushable litter is very convenient and odor-free. Whether you use flushable litter or not depends solely on the cat. If the cat likes it then you are in for an odor-less and convenient experience. Did I hear a “Meow”?

About the Author:

Filed under Cat by Ned Dagostino

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Can Free Cat Food Samples Be Bad?


Free cat food samples can help reduce the costs of cat supplies. At this time, many people are looking for ways to save money. Though free cat food samples are not likely to save a cat owner a substantial amount of money, every little bit helps.

Cat food samples are often given away by cat food manufacturers. Cat food samples from manufacturers may be available to those who register on the manufacturers website or at a pet store where their cat food is sold.

By giving away free samples of cat food, the manufacturers hope to gain customers.If the cat owner sees that the cat likes the cat food, the cat owner may be more likely to purchase the cat food.

Search engines may help a cat owner find free cat food samples. Searching for cat food samples on a search engine may show the cat owner websites that are giving away free samples of cat food.

Kitten programs and cat care programs are sponsored by cat food manufacturers. By registering for the program, the cat owner or kitten owner may receive information about cat care and cat food samples or coupons for cat food.

When a cat food manufacturer sells a new cat food product, the manufacturer often distributes free samples of the new cat food to those who request the sample on their website. If a cat owner notices a new cat food product advertised or in the store, the cat owner may want to check the manufacturers website for offers of free cat food samples.

Feeding the cat a sample of cat food that is not the same food as the cat usually eats can cause the cats stomach to become upset. Because cat food samples are small, they do not help the cat owner save much money.

A cat owner may not want to feed many different cat food samples to the cat since that could make the cat sick. If the free cat food samples are samples of dry cat food, the cat owner can add small amounts of cat food from the sample to the cat’s usual food instead of frequently switching the cat’s food.

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Filed under Cat by Moses Wright

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July 10, 2009

Do You Want a Healthier Pet?


When you own a pet you take on the responsibility for their lives. So many factors play into your pet being healthy. You have probably had a sick pet at some time your life, and you know how that can tug at your heart. I have had a sick dog so I know it feels, I could only thinks about getting her well. Does your pet need to be healthier?

The first thing to do to take good care of your pet is to feed them good nutritious food. Make sure this food is specially made for them. Pet food is specially designed to have all the nutritional needs included for your pet’s health. Whether you have a dog or a hamster, they need the food that is specially designed for them.

Only feed them people food if the vet says you can and only what the vet says. Caffeine is not good for dogs so they need to stay away from it. It can affect a dog’s heart to the extent of a heart attack. A dog doesn’t need to eat sugar either.

If animals are overfed they can put on too much weight. This is the reason you should not feed any pets table scraps. You can actually make fish die by feeding them too much. Pets like people can become unhealthy by consuming too much food. Allow your pet to drink enough water per day for them to get hydrated. Now if you own fish for pets make sure to keep their water clear and clean. You need to keep a close eye on the water so that you can spot problems early.

Don’t skip your pet’s checkup at the vet; this is important to its health. Dogs and cats regularly need exams and vaccines to keep certain diseases from happening. The most important one is probably the rabies vaccine. If your pets are in close contact with numerous other animals domesticated or wild this becomes twice as important.

All pets need exercise whether it be dogs or fish. Of course, fish get plenty of exercise because they are constantly swimming. Dogs and cats need to be walked, ran, and played with to make sure they get enough exercise. Exercise keeps their weight down and their muscles strong. Just like humans, it keeps their hearts strong too. Take your cat or dog out on a leash with a walk with you. That way you both are getting healthier together. Make sure if you have a hamster for a pet they have a cage equipped with a running wheel. This is the way that you can make sure that your pets are getting enough exercise.

Our pets need our undivided attention and love to be fully healthy. We should show our pets that they are love through petting them and/or talking to them. Grooming is just another show of affection as far as they are concerned. Cats and dogs either get matted coats or shed their hair too much if not brushed enough.

Following the above suggestions will help you have the healthiest pet you can have. Is this not what all of us pet owners want? So have a healthier pet today!

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Filed under Cat by Skibber Labskovs

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