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Cat Care
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Skin and Dermatology
The skin is the largest organ of any animal’s body; it comprises 12 to
24 percent of a cat’s body weight. It protects the cat and is
responsible for much of her external appearance. Changes in a cat’s skin
and haircoat can alert an owner to health and nutrition problems. There
are many dermatological conditions that can affect cats. Some feline skin
conditions are contagious to humans and other animals, and others are
not. Most skin diseases look the same regardless of the cause, so
testing and observing how the cat responds to therapy are important to
making a proper diagnosis. When you bring your itchy cat to a
veterinarian, the animal should first have a full physical exam. The
doctor should check the cat for fleas and note the distribution of the
lesions. (A lesion is a change or
injury to a body tissue that impairs the tissue or causes a loss of
function.) The vet should also review the cat’s history with you. Many
diagnoses can be made based on the animal’s age and history and the
location of the problem. If a diagnosis is not apparent based on this
information, the next steps would be to perform some diagnostic tests,
such as:
Allergies can cause Itchiness. An animal can be allergic to just about
any substance in the world, so
allergies are a difficult problem to diagnose. Most cats with allergies
have itchy skin rather than respiratory signs. Allergies are suspected
when infectious causes of itchy skin and miliary dermatitis are ruled
out.
(Miliary dermatitis is the term used by veterinarians to describe
scabby, crusty skin. The infectious causes of miliary dermatitis are
parasites, fungus and bacteria.) Eosinophilic granulomas are
inflammatory lesions frequently seen on cats that may be caused by
allergies. The three types of lesions are rodent ulcer of the lip,
linear granuloma of the back legs and eosinophilic plaque that can be
found anywhere. Treatment for these lesions is similar to that of other
allergies. |
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Kittens develop very quickly and are grown-up cats before you know it. The maturation that occurs during a kitten’s first six months of life correlates to the first 15 years of a human’s life....... |
Cats rely on their natural instincts for hunting, self preservation and elimination. Many of the behaviors cat owners deem undesirable are simply manifestations of natural behaviors......... |
Cats cannot tell us how they feel, so it is important to have some understanding of the signs that a cat is sick. Cats are generally stoic animals, and often they do not let us know ......... |
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There is no set schedule for bathing a cat, and some cats may never need a bath. Factors to consider when deciding about a bath are:......... |
Food has a high ranking on a cat’s top 10 list. It ranks higher than affection from you, cravings for catnip and clawing the furniture! Food is a treat some ........... |
Although cats are said to have nine lives, they only have one, and you can help that one along. In the wild cats do a good job of taking care of themselves ................. |
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As a cat owner, it is useful to have some basic knowledge about the diseases you protect your cat from with vaccines. You may be surprised to find out that vaccines are not as ....... |
Cats are very efficient at reproducing and are able to have several litters a year with multiple kittens in each. Most cats go through puberty at an early age somewhere ....... |
Cats do not live forever, although we’d like them to. When you have shared your home with a cat for many years, he becomes an integral member of the family, and you develop strong ........ |
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Skin and Dermatology The skin is the largest organ of any animal’s body; it comprises 12 to 24 percent of a cat’s body weight. It protects the cat and is responsible for much of her external appearance ...... |
The central nervous system is composed of the brain and spinal cord. The brain is the computer that commands the other parts of the body. Cerebral spinal fluid surrounds the brain ........ |
What Can You Catch From Your Cat? Humans have successfully lived with cats for thousands of years Overall, cats are extremely safe pets to own, and they rarely transmit diseases to humans ...... |
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