What To Feed Your Cat

Well what can I say about feeding your cat. If your cat will eat it then generally let them eat it but there are some foods that you should keep away from your cat, chocolate being one of them but more of that later.

What does my cat like, well most things especially if I have spent my money on it for him. He’s like that. I mainly feed him on a famous brand cat food, which provides him with a balanced diet, and he tends to concentrate on his favorite flavors which are fish or chicken based. He has his favorites and as such I don’t tend to waste my time buying stuff he doesn’t like.

He also likes me to cook, as he knows there will be lots of spare food. He likes prawns and other shellfish which have been shelled, chicken and virtually any meat, raw or cooked although I refuse to give him raw meat. He doesn’t like vegetarian, which is not that surprising for an animal which is basically a hunter.

What you need to remember is that your cat will let you know what he likes so that’s what you should feed to your cat. There are exceptions though and one of those is chocolate. It may be OK for you, but is it OK for your cat. It is not any good for me as it just tends to move from my mouth to my waistline, but then again that is like most foods I eat.

So what about chocolate and cats? Well chocolate speeds up the heart beat of a cat; it acts as a diuretic and as you well know it is loaded with calories. Don’t make your cat a heavy weight, as that’s bad for them as well.

My cat, Tigger, loved chocolate but I found out early on it was bad for him so I used to buy him a special chocolate developed for cats. It was sold by a major cat food manufacturer so I assumed it was safe and I have since found out that these companies which sell cat chocolate either produce a vegetable based substitute which looks and tastes like chocolate or they take out a substance in the chocolate called theobromine, which is what causes the problems for cats. Just be careful when you are buying chocolate for your cat. Make sure it is safe as apparently the treatment for chocolate poisoning in cats is not nice for the cat and the owner.

Apart from that give then what they like but don’t give them too much. I always bought Tigger a special Christmas Stocking full of cat treats. The first time I ever got him one I wrapped it up and placed it under the Christmas tree. When he came into the room he sniffed a little, went under the tree and rummaged round all the presents till he found his present. There wasn’t any waiting for Christmas, he ripped it open and ate everything he found. As for the squeaky mouse and the flea collar, well if I hadn’t moved them they would still be there today. He was too much a real cat to play with a squeaky mouse. He liked the little plastic balls with the bells in though and played for hours chasing those. I suppose that burned a lot of the calories off that he had gained eating the treats.

Just be careful, but in general feed you cat the food it likes. It will soon let you know what it doesn’t like and what it does, just like a child will.

Elderly Cat Care

Our cats become a part of the family over time. But unlike humans, who are considered elderly at 60 or 65, cats are considered "senior citizens" at the ripe old age of 10. It is important to understand the proper care of cats at all stages of life. A kitten cannot be fed, groomed, medicated, and treated the same way as an elderly cat. Here is a guide to proper Elderly Cat Care.

Feeding Time

Most pet supply stores sell specially formulated cat foods that are designed to provide proper health and nutrition to elderly cats. Some formulas assist with proper digestion, since this can often be a problem with older cats. Senior cats cannot assimilate their food in their digestive tracts in the same way that they did when they were youngsters.

Older cats can also have problems with their teeth that cause them to eat less. This is why it is important to maintain good dental hygiene in cats at a young age by either brushing, taking them to the veterinarian for a cleaning, or feeding them snacks that clean their teeth. If your elderly cat eats less, it may be due to a toothache, thus it is sometimes ideal to feed them softer foods, mostly wet, canned foods, so that chewing their dinner won't be as much of an obstacle.

Many cat owners find that their cat's coat becomes dull with age. This is due to poor nutrition. Feed your older cat a diet rich in essential fatty acids to fix this problem. When organisms, including cats, get older, they have an increased production of free radicals in the body. Free radicals contribute to the degeneration of cells in the body. Help build up the immune system of your beloved cat by increasing his or her intake of vitamin C and E.

Finally, you want your cat to remain active in old age. The more energetic activities your cat participates in the better health it will remain in. If you allow your cat to become obese it will lay around the house and have reduced quality of life, as well as a decrease in general health. Watch your pet's eating habits and assure that it is not overeating, or eating as a recreation as some cats do.

Grooming Elderly Cats

Another element of proper Elderly Cat Care is grooming. When cats age, they sometimes stop grooming themselves with the same frequency as they did when they were younger. This can create a matted fur coat that is dirty and smells bad. Bad hygiene will eventually lead to bad health. Because of this, it is important that you groom your eldery cat yourself. Purchase a good cat brush that doesn't just brush the outer coat, but one with bristles that reach down to the skin to pull up old hair.

It sometimes helps to give your cat a bath, even though most cats hate them with a passion. The best way to wash a cat is to place them in the tub and gradually introduce water. You certainly don't want to throw them into the tub with hot water running inside! You may get a deep claw mark in the arm that will never heal and remind you to never do that again. If you apply water gradually to the cat's coat until they are completely wet and then work in some shampoo quickly, you should be able to accomplish that goal.

Vet Visits and Medication

When your cat grows into old age, it may have health complications that require regular medication. You should schedule a regular vet appointment for your elderly cat to assure that you are keeping up with all details of its health regimen. In older age, cats may seem fine but still have complications. Ask your veterinarian to give your cat a blood and urine test to find out if there is anything to be concerned about to head off any future problems. Going back to dental care, most older cats develop gum disease which can lead to health problems down the line. Gum disease can be treated by your veterinarian.

Just as with a human who has to take daily medication, if your cat has been prescribed to take medications on a daily basis it is helpful to keep everything in one place as a reminder. You do not want to miss a day of any crucial medication as the system of your older cat is much more delicate than those of younger cats.

Pet Insurance

Insurance companies are coming to recognize the love that people have for their pets. Thus, there are many new pet insurance products popping up on the market. It is best to enroll your pet into an insurance program at a younger age to assure a more reasonable premium, but you may still be able to enroll your elderly cat into an insurance program where his or medical bills will be partly covered in the case of a medical emergency. Some pet insurance companies will charge anywhere from $20-$50 per month per cat, depending on their particular situation.

The costs of pet surgeries and treatments can be way out of the budget of most households, so having a pet insurance plan to back you up can be a great asset. It will also give you peace of mind about your cat as it ages.

Activities of the Elderly Cat

The activity level of elderly cats vary. Some cats become inactive and spend most of their day sleeping or sitting. But other cats can be just as active in old age as they were in their younger days. These cats may still like to play with you, run, and chase the other cats around the house, but you just need to be understanding that they may not be able to participate in these games for as long as they used to. For example, a game cats love to play is "chase their owner." Instead of letting them chase you up and down the stairs as you did when they were young, maybe you could keep the activity to one level of the house. That way you will not overexert your cat and help prolong his time spent active.

Most cat experts agree tht a cat is generally healthy and happy when they are "bright-eyed and bushy-tailed." Another indication of a healthy cat is a lustrous, shiny coat, and a tail that sticks straight up in the air when the cat is walking. Proper elderly cat care is dire if you love your senior cat and want to keep it in good physical health.

Can I Give My Dog The Flu?

Everyone seems on edge about the latest outbreak of avian flu. People in China are told to kill their poultry in order to keep the virus from spreading. Meanwhile people in the United States watch on in fear that the avian flu will come to their shores. So what exactly is all the hubbub about? After all, every winter millions of people come down with bird flu.

Origin of Influenza

Influenza, the term, came into use around 1504, though it had little to do with the virus. It came from the word: influence. At the time, influence meant: “the ethereal power of the stars acting on men.” It was basically a supernatural way of explaining the effects of disease on people at the time. During a particularly nasty outbreak of the flu in Europe during 1743, the term was officially attached to the name of the disease. 96 years later, the term was shortened to just: flu.

The flu, itself, is a whole family of viruses called Orthomyxovirids. They are a diverse family that are commonly found in the guts of birds. The specific type of viruses that infect birds, are called type A flu. It was one of these type A’s that was believed to have infected people a long time ago. Thus giving us, the flu for the first time. Though the virus that initially infected man, has long since evolved into a variety of human specific strains, the initially origin appears to lay squarely among birds. As such, all human flu bugs could, technically, be called: avian flu.

Pathogens and specificity

Pathogens are viewed as being any living organism that is capable of causing a disease. It is a term that is generally reserved for bacteria, fungi and viruses. Pathogens are usually very specific in who, or what, they infect. This has a lot to do with the way in which they are constructed.

Both bacterial and viral outer structure, consist of a receptor binding proteins. These proteins give the pathogen a certain geometry. This geometry allows the pathogen to attach to complementary receptor sites on the cells of the critter that they are trying to infect. Because of the wide variety of life forms on the planet, each cell type has a different arrangement of receptors. Most of the time, the pathogen’s geometry will not fit these receptors, and the critter remains immune. Only those unlucky few species, whose cell receptors do fit, are the ones that have to suffer the infection.

Occasionally, though, a new pathogen comes along that has a geometry that is general enough to allow it to latch onto many different species. These are the pathogens that are often the more deadly.

Influenza is one of these general viruses. It is capable of infecting most bird species. It’s also very good at doing what all life forms do. It evolves. This has allowed it to cross multiple species barriers, and jump from birds, to people, to pigs, cows, and horses. Thus making influenza a very cosmopolitan virus family. This still doesn’t explain all the worry about this recent outbreak of avian flu though. For that, one must go back in time to 1918, and the Spanish flu.

It was the close of World War I, and the world appeared to be returning back to a more peaceful state. Then, in various parts of the globe, people started coming down with a particularly virulent form of the flu. This was a unique case though. Instead of the very young, and elderly dying, it was affecting young men and women instead. Usually these are the most immune to the effects of the flu. By the end of 1918, this form of the flu had killed ~50 million people. It was the largest pandemic (worldwide epidemic) in recorded history. So what happened?

Normally when one gets the flu, it is more of a hassle than anything else. This has a lot to do with the fact that the flu types we normally catch, are viruses that have infected us before. They have changed just enough so that they can infect us again, but they still remain recognizable to our immune system. As such, our bodies can keep the virus in check, and then eventually eliminate it. The 1918 flu, though, was different. It is now largely believed to have been a case where a new flu virus had hopped species. It went from birds to humans, possibly after circulating and hybridizing inside pigs (which can catch both bird and human versions of the flu). This new bug was completely alien to our immune systems and thus, took many completely by surprise.

This is what has many scared about this newest avian flu virus (dubbed: H5N1, for the specific proteins found on it). It has proven to be particularly virulent among birds, and the few cases of it infecting people have many worried that another pandemic is on the rise.

Zoonoses.

Influenza is a type of disease referred to a zoonosis. It means that it can be transmitted from one animal group, to another. Zoonotic diseases used to be further broken up into those that humans catch from other animals (anthropozoonoses) and ones that other animals catch from humans (zooanthroponoses). Unfortunately, both terms have been misused and confused so much, that neither is particularly favored anymore. Now they are all viewed as zoonotic diseases. In the end this makes the most sense, as human beings are animals anyway. To break things up any further, just seems excessive.

The flu is not the only zoonotic disease that humans get from other animals. Our primate cousins have given us quite a few different diseases including: malaria, hepatitis B, Dengue fever and lymphoma. Of course the most infamous of these zoonotic diseases would probably be HIV.

Though there are those that would like to believe that the Human Immunodeficiency Virus was a genetically engineered weapon that was released among the African populace (they give far too much credit to genetic engineers, who are proud enough to make yeast that can fluoresce), the simian origin of HIV is pretty well established. HIV has close ties to the simian version: SIV (Simian Immunodeficiency Virus). The big difference between the two, besides their first letters, is that SIV rarely kills the apes it infects. In fact, many apes are capable of carrying viral loads equivalent to those seen in humans with advanced AIDS, yet rarely show any signs of trouble. This suggests that the host and the pathogen have been doing this for a very long time, and the host’s body has found a way to handle the virus. Humans only recently acquired HIV. As such, our bodies have yet to “learn” how to deal with the threat that this virus poses. Which is one reason why HIV is so very virulent at the moment.

These are just some of the diseases that other animals have given to humans. But what of the reverse? What have we given our animal brethren?

Many of the “classic” diseases that most humans catch, are ones that we are capable of giving to our primate cousins. This includes the flu, measles, chicken pox and tuberculosis.

One particularly nasty disease that we are capable of transmitting is the infamous Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD). FMD rarely affects humans, but it does use us as a carrier for it. The disease can hang out in our nasal passages, throat, and on our clothing. It usually infects various forms of livestock (cattle, pigs, sheep, goats). Symptoms usually include fever and prominent sores on the feet and mouth (hence the name). Most infected animals do survive. Only ~5% die from the disease.

The second disease is far more pernicious, and the victims have us to blame. It is the coral disease referred to as: white pox. This disease can kill up to 10 square centimeters of coral a day (~120ft a year). Over the past decade over 90% of Caribbean reef coral (Acropora palmata), have died. The culprit behind it is the little human gut bacterium: Serratia marcescens. While humans can occasionally fall victim to this bacterium, it usually doesn’t infect us. Instead it lives in our guts and gets expelled in our feces. Improper sewage treatment has resulted in human excrement flowing out into the Caribbean, where the newly released bacterium has infected the local coral.

So remember; the next time you start to feel under the weather, don’t worry about coughing on your dog. Chances are, your canine pal probably won’t get it. Unless, of course, it is the flu.

Is A Dog Right For You?

Anyone who intends to have a dog as a pet should be aware that this is an important decision. A dog will not only make changes in your family’s everyday life, it will also, at times, cause problems. A dog is a living creature that needs your presence and care on a permanent basis. In return, your dog will provide much joy as a loyal, affectionate, and faithful companion.

You must determine whether you are in a position to cater to the animals various needs for as long as it lives, which is generally from 10 to 15 years. You must also consider the other expenses involved apart from the purchase price: food, grooming, and veterinary care. Besides the expense, your life – style, your activities, and your age should influence your choice of a dog.

You must also decide what you intend the dog to be: a pet, a watch dog, a guard dog, or a hunting dog. In the country, and suburbs, adequate space is no problem. City dwellers however, are well advised to choose a medium size animal since a big dog is likely to cause damage and be unhappy in a small home. Large breeds need up to 180 square yards of space, at least an hours walk every day, and should be allowed to play freely outside one day a week.

On the other hand, even small dogs can make poor urban pets. Any type of dog that has been bred to hunt needs to run regularly. Toy dogs that bark frequently, if not nervously, do not belong in thin walled apartments buildings where footsteps in the corridor or in the upstairs unit could confuse any animal that has territorial issues.

Finally, try to match the temperament of the dog with your disposition. For instance, a nervous person with limited living space might be happy to own a dog that barks readily. An athletic person will choose a muscular animal to jog with. A fastidious housekeeper would not be happy with a long haired breed. Before you take the plunge, weigh all your options carefully, theirs nothing more heartbreaking than to have to give up a pet after you have become attached to it.