Category: Cat Grooming and Health

House and garden plants that are potentially poisonous are rarely eaten by cats, but cats may occasionally chew at certain house plants when bored.

Examples include sheep laurel and mountain laurel used for floral decorations in North America, azaleas, chrysanthemum, dieffenbachia (dumb cane), ivy, philodendron, and poinsettias. In case of having trouble removing these or other plants from your garden you might want to consider using Weed Burners.

In most cases signs include vomiting, diarrhea, or nervous symptoms.
Pine needles from Christmas trees and the water from the base both contain irritant tar products. If you suspect your cat has eaten something poisonous take immediate action.  Calling the poison control center and/or your vet is always the best action.

If your cat has swallowed poisons:
The cat may or may not vomit afterwards. DON’T GIVE AN EMETIC IF THE CAT HAS SWALLOWED ACIDS, CAUSTICS OR PETROLEUM PRODUCTS OR IT ISN’T CONSCIOUS OR ABLE TO SWALLOW.

Under any other circumstances, induce vomiting by giving an emetic. (refer to list)

Chemicals on your cat’s skin.
These must be washed off as soon as possible. For most chemicals use large amounts of water or dunk the animal in the bath. For petroleum products and turpentine use vegetable oil or margarine, then wash with a mild soap.

USEFUL EMETICS FROM THE KITCHEN CUPBOARD;

1. Give one teaspoon (5ml) of 10 volume (3%) hydrogen peroxide solution.

2. Dissolve a tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda in quarter cup of water, give 1-2 teaspoons (5-10ml);

3. Dissolve 1 tablespoon of salt in half cup of water give 2 teaspoons (10m).;

4. Place 1/2 teaspoonful of salt on the back of the tongue.

If a cat’s ears are in good condition, they will appear very clean to the human eye.  It is normal for cat’s ears to have a small amount of wax in them.  If you would like to remove the wax, you can buy a product that will do the job for you.  One product that works great is the Cat Ear Cleaner 3.57 oz..  It is safe for use in cats or kittens, and all you do is gently massage the formula into their ears.  You can use Cat Ear Cleaner 3.57 oz it weekly, and it will safely remove any excess wax debris.  Consistently cleaning your cat’s ears will stave off infections, including ear mites, and the Cat Ear Cleaner 3.57 oz is a product that will help.

If your cat’s ears seem dirty, there is a great chance that he or she has ear mites.  These pests live in your cat’s ears and survive by eating the lining of their ears.  If you suspect that your cat has ear mites, you must take your cat to the veterinarian.  He will make sure that the ear problem is ear mites and not something else.  Once you are sure your cat has ear mites, you can be sure you will treat them with the correct medicine.

One ear mite medication that has great success in ridding ear mites is Four Paws Ear Mite Remedy – Cats, pictured above.  It is a safe and easy product that contains the ear mite killing ingredient called pyrethin.  Ear mites can irritate your cat’s ears, and the Four Paws Ear Mite Remedy – Cats contains aloe vera to soothe your cat’s ears.

When medicating your cat, you need to be sure that you medicate him or her long enough so that you kill all of the mites.  You may want to stop giving medicine once you do not see anymore mites, but this is a bad idea!  Mites may have laid tiny eggs that are not visible to the human eye, and you have to be sure to treat your cat with the medication long enough to kill the mites and their eggs.  Talk to your vet to find out how long he would recommend you give your cat medication.

If you have more than one cat, you have to be very careful with ear mites.  Ear mites are very contagious, and can easily travel from cat to cat.  If one of your cats has ear mites, there is a great chance your other cats will become infected.

Your veterinarian plays a huge role is caring for your cat’s teeth, but you are very responsible for maintaining that cleanliness!  Between vet appointments, you have quite a bit of dental care to take care of.

The main part of dental care you are responsible for is plaque control.  Plaque can do some nasty things to a cat’s mouth.  It can cause gums to recede, which allows bacteria and parasites to enter the newly opened pockets in the gums.  Not only does this almost always lead to tooth loss, but it also can negatively affect your cat’s immune system and internal organs.  This can lead to a variety of illnesses, and ultimately an early death.  This has to be enough motivation to take care of your cat’s teeth!

The most important thing to do is brush your cat’s teeth at least 2 to 3 times a week.  It may not be an easy task, but it is definitely necessary.  After he gets used to getting his teeth  brushed, it will get easier!  I use the Pet Dental Kit for Cats, pictured to the right.  It comes with a toothbrush and a finger brush, so you can use whichever your cat prefers.  However, the long toothbrush is good for reaching the far back of the cat’s mouth.  The Pet Dental Kit for Cats also comes with toothpaste that is perfect for removing plaque and food debris!

If you do not properly control plaque in your cat’s mouth, it can lead to bad breath.  If your cat has bad breath, there are ways you can temporarily fix this problem.  One easy way you can freshen your cat’s breath is adding Dental Fresh for Cats – 8 oz to his or her water bowl.  It also contains ingredients that helps to remove plaque and tarter, and also brighten your kitty’s teeth!

Your cat can also have fun while he is geting his mouth healthy!  There are a variety of cat toys specifically designed to strengthen and clean his teeth.  My cat likes the Dental Health Cat Chew Toy.  It keeps the gums clean by removing tartar.  It is infused with catnip so your cat will want to chew on it!  Another fun way to clean your cat’s teeth is giving them dental treats.  My cat loves the Feline Greenies Cat Dental Treats 3 oz.  It comes in 5 different flavors: chicken, beef, ocean fish, salmon, and tuna.  Try them all!

Depending on your cat’s breed, you may have to spend a lot of time grooming your cat’s fur!

If you do not brush, comb, and detangle long-haired cats daily, their fur will tangle quickly.  If you cannot commit to daily grooming, you should trim their hair short so it does not get matted and tangled.  Cats who have medium-length coats will require weekly grooming.  Cats with short hair only need to be brushed out frequently enough to ensure that their fur does not get matted.

As you probably realize, grooming a long-haired cat is a time consuming process.  First, you must comb through their hair with a medium or coarse pet comb.  After that comb handles any tangles, you need to go over their hair with a fine-toothed comb.  I would recommend a double sided comb like the GripSoft Double Sided Pet Comb, which has one coarse side, and another fine-toothed side.  Then, you will need to use a pin brush.  It is very important to go through all of these steps, as skipping one can cause discomfort to your pet, which will make brushing incredibly different.

Medium and wire-haired cats are much easier to groom than long-haired cats.  All you need to do is run a regular pet comb through their hair, and then use a cat slicker brush or grooming glove to follow up.  I would recommend the Love Glove Grooming Mitt – Four Paws, shown above.  These gloves not only massage your kitty while removing their hair, but they also can be used to collect hair from furniture and carpet!

When you groom your short-haired cat, you can use a flea comb.  When combing your short-haired cat, first use a regular comb, and then use a flea comb.  The narrow spacing of the flea comb can pull too much on your cat’s hair, causing major discomfort.  If your flea comb pulls out fleas, put them into a bowl of water to drown them, and then flush them down the toilet!  The Palm Pet Flea and Flea Egg Comb is great because its specifically designed to remove fleas as well as flea eggs.

Keep in mind that no matter what length hair your cat has, there are certain areas that are more prone to tangling and knots.  You need to pay special attention to these areas, particularly in long-haired cats.  These areas are: behind the ears, under the tail, and in their “armpits” (where the legs meet their belly).

Frequently grooming your cat gives you a chance to give their coat a good look.  This way you will become aware of any abnormalities.  If there are bald patches, this could mean your cat has a parasite or fungal infections.  When you notice any abnormalities, take your kitty to the vet!

How can I tell if my cat has an eye infection?

If there is redness or swelling in your cats eye, or if your cat squints or you see a discharge of mucus, these may be indications of an eye infection.            

• Keep your cat’s eyes clear of mucus at all times. Eye infections are often caused by bacteria that overgrow on mucus. Use a sterile eyewash and/or eye wipes to keep the eye area clean. This is especially important in young kittens that may have considerable eye discharge resulting from upper respiratory infections. 
• Vetericyn Pink Eye Spray is a  steroid-free, antibiotic-free, no-rinse solution is non-toxic and speeds healing.
• Keep all hair out of your cat’s eyes since scratches to the cornea (the clear membrane across the surface of the eye) can result from contact with hair.
• Tear staining is a common problem with particular breeds of cats, in particular Persians. 
• Normally, tears flow across the surface of the eye and quickly drain through the tear duct. Normal tears that spill out and lay on the surrounding hair cause this discoloration at the corners of the eyes.  Use a remedy such as Tear Clear pads for pets.
• For breeds that tend to have tear stains, you should clean hair in affected areas at least weekly with a tear stain remover product.   Eye Clear® Eye Drops and Eye Pads helps eliminate eye stains without harmful bleaching.  The formula washes eyes, cleans stains and breaks down debris.