Happy, healthy cats!

Top 3 cat diets

Nkechi — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:41:34 +0000

Just like humans, cats need to keep up a healthy weight to prevent weight-related illnesses such as feline diabetes and heart disease. Cats that are overfed by their owners and are not physically active are at a higher risk for developing these diseases. Indoor domestic cats tend to fall into this category more so than outdoor cats since they are typically confined to a single place (the owners’ house or apartment) and, out of love, they may be given more food than they really need. I admit that I have fallen into the overfeeding trap myself allowing my cats to graze on a large measure of dry food throughout the day. This practice led to my cats gaining too much weight too fast. As my veterinarian explained, indoor cats tend to eat what they are given and will keep eating until their bowl is empty. It’s like me with a big bag of potato chips…if I’m sitting in front of the TV eating this large bag of potato chips, chances are, I’ll continue eating until the bag is empty. The trick (for me at least!) is to eat a small bag of chips so that the entire bag can be eaten without as many calories being consumed. Applying this concept to my cats, my veterinarian recommended feeding my cats smaller quantities of food at a time which satisfies them until their next feeding time and prevents them from overeating. Thankfully, this recommendation has worked; my cats are at a healthy weight and are now used to eating small amounts of food!!

November issue of Healthy Pet Magazine

In this month’s issue of Healthy Pet magazine, there is an interesting article addressing the issue of excess weight in pets. According to the article, the first step to follow if your cat is overweight is to visit your veterinarian who will assess the problem and give a solution which includes exercise and dietary tips. Since indoor cats are limited as far as space is concerned, much of their weight loss regimen will focus on diet. The article mentions three types of diets that can help your cat achieve a normal weight. These diets include:

1) A weight-loss diet which strictly but safely regulates a cats food intake

2) A maintenance diet which helps cats keep up the weight they have lost as a result of the weight-loss diet

3) A therapeutic diet which incorporates balanced, nutritious foods into a cats’ diet. These foods are designed to help reduce specific issues such as joint problems.

There are many manufactures of cat food that can help your cats achieve a healthy weight. I particularly prefer Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. who are the manufacturers of Science Diet and Prescription Diet cat food. I have come to love these brands of indoor cat food because they are recommended by veterinarians and they have ingredients that are beneficial to indoor cats.

source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fofurasfelinas/43381522/

Although I think these brands of cat food are great, you should always consult your personal veterinarian when it comes to choosing food for your cat. They know your cat best and can make individualized recommendations which are suitable for your particular furry friend.

Can Feral cats develop feline diabetes?

Nkechi — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:14:10 +0000

A type of cat that is unlikely to develop feline diabetes is the feral cat. Feral cats are untammed domestic cats that live in suburban and urban neighborhoods. My experience with feral cats is actually quite funny. In the apartment complex that I used to live in, there was a colony of feral cats (also known as a Clowder) that lived under a large bush adjacent to my apartment entrance. For the most part, they kept to themselves, steering clear of humans at all costs. I never saw them in the morning when I left for work but I almost always heard them at night…loud, distrubing noises (like in the youtube video above!) would penetrate my thick window glass sounding as if they were right there with me. Mind you, I lived on the second floor of my apartment building! Anyway, the noises became so regular that I would actually look forward to rainy or snowy nights because these were the nights the feral cats were quiet; instead of their normal nightly activities, they would burrow together underneath their bush for shelter from the weather.

Feral Cat

Because feral cats are outdoor cats by nature, they normally get a lot of physical activity from hunting food, roaming the streets of the neighborhood they are in, and interacting with other feral cats. This level of activity helps these cats keep their weight down and keep their blood sugar levels normal. So thankfully, the the burden of caring for a diabetic feral cat is not a growing problem. What is a growing problem is overcrowding among feral cats.

Allowing feral cats to roam free can cause many neighborhood problems including: digging in gardens, spreading diseases by biting other animals, urine and feces in public places, and attracting other wildlife live wolves or coyotes (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feral_cat#Complaints for more details). Animal organizations are increasingly funding programs designed to help remedy the problem with ferals.

Rescued feral cat (Ramona, CA)

In particular, The Human Society of the United States is helping to rescue feral cats and place them in comfortable dwellings. One such habitat is in California which is funded, in part, by the Fund for Animals Wildlife Center in Ramona, CA.

Besides placing feral in designated habitats, another solution is to spay and neuter these untamed cats so that they cannot reproduce. This program, called Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), involves volunteers capturing, sterilizing, and releasing feral cats. If kittens are found among the feral cats, they are usually taken to an adoption agency where they can be trained to be house cats. This solution helps with controlling the feral population but it does not address the other issues feral cats pose.

The debate on what to do about feral cats continues. Thankfully, the debate does not include how to care for diabetic feral cats. Next time you’re out and about in your neighborhood, see how many feral cats you can spot…hopefully they are not as annoying as mine were (I’ve since moved to a new apartment complex with fewer feral cats roaming around!!).

Topic of the month: Feline Diabetes

Nkechi — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 02:33:06 +0000

November is known for many things here in the United States…Thanksgiving, Veterans Day, football, cold weather, and falling leaves (for those of us in the Northeast part of the country!). But did you know that November is also National Diabetes Awareness month? Health care and Diabetes advocates have successfully petitioned Washington to name November as the month where the nation unites to promote awareness of what diabetes is, what causes it, how it can be prevented, and what are the treatment options available if a person does develop it. Normally the focus is on diabetes in humans, however, I would like to bring attention to the fact that diabetes has becoming a growing problem among cats as well. Known as feline diabetes, this disease of the endocrine system is characterized by high blood sugar levels and insulin resistance. Interestingly, the signs and symptoms of feline diabetes are similar to those seen in humans and, believe it or not, treatment of the disease is similar as well.

32-lb obese cat

Just as in humans, obesity is a common cause of diabetes in cats which is why it is very important for your cat to maintain a healthy weight. According to Lori Huston, a writer for suite101.com, the typical symptoms to watch out for in your cat are:

*increased appetite
*increased thirst
*excessive urination
*weight loss

Should your cat exhibit these symptoms, you should consult your veterinarian immediately.

Stay tuned all this month for more interesting information on feline diabetes and what you can do to prevent your cat from developing this disease.

24-lb cat

40-lb cat

33-lb-cat

Healthy cats are happy cats!

Nkechi — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:15:48 +0000

Jasmine

Welcome fellow cat enthusiasts! Thank you for taking the time to check out my blog. If you’re anything like me, you care deeply about your little furry friend and you want to do everything you can to keep him or her healthy and happy. Well, by following my blog, you’re one step ahead of the game! There’s a lot of information out there about cats…some fact, some fiction. My goal is to help you make sense of it all! Periodically, I’ll be posing tidbits of interesting information related to cat care gathered from various sources: cat experts, my personal experience with my own cats, and from friends and colleagues who also share a love for cats.

As the old saying goes, “It takes a village to raise a child”; well, I think it also takes a village to raise a healthy cat too! This is why blogging about cats is so great…it gives us a chance to create our own virtual village filled with great people who love their cats! I think we can all learn something from each other based on each of our unique experiences with our beloved cats. This is why I encourage you to actively get involved in the discussion by posting unique stories about your experience as a cat owner, commenting on other blogger’s stories, or by simply tuning in everyday to read my latest blog posts. There’s something for everyone on my blog! So let’s have fun learning and sharing info about our fabulous felines!

Ok, let’s get this hairball rolling…..