Are ceramic bowls best for cats?

Cats...There are many products availabe to buy for them. One very important purchase is the correct feeding bowl. Who would have ever thought there would be an issue with the type of feeding bowl for them to use.
Well there are health issues regarding the proper object used to feed them. Plastic bowls are cheaper, non breakable and colorful. All great attributes one can say. However, they can cause allergic reactions in your pet. Such as, rashes, itchiness, scratching,swollen lip, and general lethargy.

They can harbor harmful bacteria from old food particles not removed properly. Additionally, the material used to produce them can cause serious illnesses when continually licked by the cat's tongue.

The surface can get easily scratched. These scratches can hold harmful bacteria and germs that may breed in those tiny crevices, which again can make your cat sick. Plastic bowls requires more maintenance and should be changed frequently when the surface becomes scratched.

What should be used instead? Stainless steel, porcelain or ceramic bowls. My personal preference is ceramic bowls. They are affordable, easy to clean and safe for your pet to lick as it eats. After all we don't want to cause our cats any harm or create unnecessary vet bills for ourselves.

The wrong cat bowls can be harmful. Protect your cat from getting sick.

Alternative Cat Dental Care

Cat Dental Care is so important. Any animal without opposable thumbs will use their jaws to grab, pick up or hold food. Therefore, cats make use of their teeth and jaws full time. They eat almost anything smaller than themselves like birds, mice and even insects. They also eat fish bones and other animal bones when possible so their teeth can wear out much like ours. Outside the house, we don’t know what they eat.

Normally, cat owners may brush their pets’ teeth daily and have scheduled visits to the vet. But many owners don’t have the time or the luxury to do so. When neglected, cats can suffer from tartar and plaque which results in oral problems like gingivitis and periodontal disease.

Periodontal disease is a serious condition which is often painful and can affect their feeding habits and disposition. Alternatively, their owners can feed them some crunchy meals which can lessen the accumulation of plaque. They may also use dental spray and plaque reducing additives to their drinking water.

Click this link for more non stressful means of cat dental care.

Do You Know if Your Cat Is In Pain?

No pet owner wants to think that his or her cat can possibly be in pain, but it does happen. There are many reasons why our beloved cats experience pain. Common reasons for pain in cats include pain from injury, surgery, and also illness or infection. Proper pain management has been proven through studies to help reduce stress and help speed the healing process. Pain management not only makes your cat more comfortable it can help her to live longer.

Your cat may experience different types of pain. There is acute pain, which comes from an injury, from surgery or from an infection.

Acute pain can make your cat really uncomfortable, may limit her ability to move around and can make her not want to be touched. Acute pain is usually temporary and should go away when the condition that is causing the pain is treated.

Chronic pain is the second type of pain that a cat can experience. Chronic pain is long lasting pain that is usually slow to develop but can be related to old age, or disease and certain conditions such as arthritis. Chronic pain can also happen as a result of illnesses such as bone disease or cancers. This type of pain is the most difficult for cat owners to come to terms with because they will watch their beloved cat have to deal with chronic pain for the rest of the cat's life.

Signs that your cat may be hurting:

Look for changes in the cat's behavior that may signal to you that something is not the same such as the cat becomes unusually quiet, or becomes listless, restless, or is unresponsive to you. A cat will not necessarily show signs of pain but we can look for clues that may be there to help us determine pain is present.

Your cat may constantly meow, bite or nip, act funny or out of character such as becoming aggressive or unusually submissive.

Your cat may flatten its ears, or constantly lick a particular body part.

Your cat may have difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep or eating.

A cat in pain, may seek more affection from you than it usually does.

Your vet is the best source of pain information and will know how to determine if your cat is indeed in pain and how to manage the pain. Your vet will need to know some information from you such as your cat's recent behavior, activity level, whether or not the cat allows you to handle her. You will also be asked about how the cat is able to move and whether or not your cat has been jumping up on perches or areas of the home as it normally has in the past. These are all clues that the vet will use to help make a diagnosis.

After the vet examines the cat, x-rays may be needed to help make the diagnosis. Your vet may also need to draw blood, or perform other lab tests. If your cat is in pain, the cause will help to steer the vet to a pain management plan that may include physical therapy, drugs, or in serious cases surgery may be necessary.

Check out more info on sick cat and cat behavior.

Cat Training: Squirt Bottle Good vs Bad

Most people believe that training a cat is important. Yes it is, but using a squirt bottle with water?

It is a known fact that most cats don't like water. There are always exceptions!!


The Good

Some people swear by using the squirt bottle or small water gun in training.

They state that the cat begins to understand the correlation between the unwanted behavior and the water squirting.

Eventually all the owner has to do is hold the squirting object and the cat stops the behavior before the squirting begins.

As with everything else in life, one must carefully try this method and see if it helps in training your cat. Or does it create distrust and resentment in your feline pet.


The Bad

Others have experienced a hostile resentful and angry cat when using this method. It may hiss, arch its back and even growl at you. If this happens stop using this method in your training.

If your cat is deterred without negative consequences or begins to fear you then by all means continue using it, though sparingly.

I would not suggest using it 10 times a day. Any living creature can not tolerate that, this constitutes abuse.

If you choose to use the squirt bottle or water gun as a teaching tool, you can not then use these items as toys for your cat.

So there you have it. I have given you the good vs bad factors to using the squirt bottle method of cat training.

Only you can decide what is best for you and your relationship with your cat.

Check out the website for unique cat lovers gifts for cat lovers, that don't involve squirt bottles.

Ya Gotta Tell About Your Pets!

Summer vacation time is coming and a lot of pet owners will be boarding their pets. This article is a perfect reminder on how to keep you and your pet happy during this process. Sheri


by Susan Thixton

I read an article recently about a family whose dog escaped from a Dog Day Care Facility. The family was a new customer to this Day Care and when they returned to pick up their dogno dog. The article didn't share if the dog was later found, but what it did share was that after the escape, the owners told the day care the dog was a fence climber.

I used to own a boarding kennel and dog training facility. Over the Christmas holiday one year, a new family brought me their two Cocker Spaniels to board for two weeks. The wife dropped the dogs off and instructed me to clean the dog'sears daily. Knowing that not all dogs enjoy an ear cleaning and since I was not familiar with my new guests, I questioned her how well the dogs would accept the cleaning. She assured me they would be fine. On the first attempt to clean the ears I received the worst bite of my professional career. I thought the dog crushed my finger - had it notbeen so painful, it was almost comical. One of those moments where the dog had my hand locked between his jaws and I had to use the other hand to pry open his mouth! He made a very strong point that he didn't want to have his ears cleaned.

Fast forward two weeks to when the owners were to pick upthe dogs this time it was the husband who picked them up(wife dropped them off). As soon as he came in the door I informed him that the dogs never got their ears cleaned and that the male bit me badly on my first attempt. His reply"oh yeah, I'm sorry, they bite us all the time when we do that too!"

The point to my sharing these stories whenever you take your pet to a Groomer or Vet or Kennel - please tell the pet care provider things that you know about your pet's behavior and personality. If the Day Care had known the dog was a fence climber, they could have taken precautions to make sure he did not escape. If I had known the cockers were biters, I could have put a quick muzzle on them and been able to keep their ears in good health and my hand in good health. I could share a million more stories just like the two above -my only guess as to why they happen so often is that some pet owners might be a little ashamed of their pet's behaviors sometimes. My advice to you is to get over the embarrassment and tell pet care professionals what they need to know to keep your pet safe.

On the other hand - there are many pet care providers out there that just don't care enough. I've seen many of them -and I cringe when I think about the heartbreak they could cause because of their reckless or careless behavior. I wish I could tell you exactly how to avoid those type of petprofessionals - but I can't. I can however give you some suggestions from the perspective of someone who took care of pets for a living.

1. The pet business should be clean, clean, clean! To me, if a business owner doesn't care enough about the cleanliness of the facility, what else don't they care about? The kennel or grooming shop or daycare doesn't have to be 'state of the art' - but it does need to be clean.

2. Meet the staff. Not just the person at the desk - try to meet, look in the eye, and talk with as many of the employees as you can. That's a little difficult -especially from the business owners perspective - but those are the folks that will be caring for your baby, try your best.

3. Get references - and call those references. There is nothing better to calm the nerves of a nervous pet owner than to talk with other pet owners who have experienced the care provided by this pet business.

4. Depending on your state - some pet care businesses are guided by local Animal Control licensing. If that is the case in your state, call the licensing agency and ask about any reports of abuse or misconduct with this business. At the very least, check with the BBB.

Visit www.allthingscat.com for more interesting details about cats, and their alternative health care.

Second Hand Smoke Is A Health Threat to Pets

ScienceDaily (Sep. 3, 2007) — It has been in the news for years about how secondhand smoke is a health threat to nonsmokers. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that secondhand smoke is attributed with killing thousands of adult nonsmokers annually.

If smoking is that harmful to human beings, it would make sense that secondhand smoke would have an adverse effect on pets that live in the homes of smokers, said Dr. Carolynn MacAllister, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension Service veterinarian.

“There have been a number of scientific papers recently that have reported the significant health threat secondhand smoke poses to pets,” MacAllister said. “Secondhand smoke has been associated with oral cancer and lymphoma in cats, lung and nasal cancer in dogs, as well as lung cancer in birds.”

She said a study conducted recently at Tuft College of Veterinary Medicine found a strong correlation between secondhand smoke and certain forms of cancer in cats. The number of cats with mouth cancer, also known as squamous cell carcinoma, was higher for those animals living in smoking environments versus those felines living in a smoke-free home. In addition, cats that lived with smokers for five or more years had an even higher incidence of this type of oral cancer.

“One reason cats are so susceptible to secondhand smoke is because of their grooming habits. Cats constantly lick themselves while grooming, therefore they lick up the cancer-causing carcinogens that accumulate on their fur,” MacAllister said. “This grooming behavior exposes the mucous membrane of their mouth to the cancer-causing carcinogens.”

Malignant lymphoma is another type of cancer that cats that live with smokers have a higher risk of getting. This cancer occurs in the lymph nodes and cats are twice as likely to have this type of cancer compared to cats living in a non-smoking home. This form of cancer is fatal to three out of four cats within 12 months of developing the cancer.
MacAllister also pointed out that secondhand smoke is greatly associated with the increased occurrence of cancer in the nose and sinus area among dogs. Research also indicates a slight association with lung cancer.

“A recent study conducted at Colorado State University shows that there is a higher incidence of nasal tumors in dogs living in a home with secondhand smoke compared to dogs living in a smoke free environment,” she said. “The increased incidence was specifically found among the long nosed breed of dogs. Shorter or medium nosed dogs showed higher rates for lung cancer.”

MacAllister said the longer nosed breeds of dogs have a great surface area in their noses that is exposed to the carcinogens. This also provides more area in which the carcinogens can accumulate. The carcinogens tend to build up on the mucous membranes of long nosed dogs so not as much reaches the lungs.

Unfortunately, dogs affected with nasal cancer normally do not survive more than one year.
“The reason short and medium nose dogs have a higher occurrence of lung cancer is because their shorter nasal passages aren’t as effective at accumulating the inhaled secondhand smoke carcinogens,” she said. “This results in more carcinogens reaching the lungs.”

Pet birds also are victims of secondhand smoke. A bird’s respiratory system is hypersensitive to any type of pollutant in the air.
MacAllister said the most serious consequences of secondhand smoke exposure in birds are pneumonia or lung cancer. Other health risks include eye, skin, heart and fertility problems.

Secondhand smoke is not the only danger faced by pets that live in smoke filled environments. Poisoning is another risk they face.

“Curious pets can eat cigarettes and other tobacco products if the products aren’t stored properly,” MacAllister said. “When ingested, this can cause nicotine poisoning, which can be fatal.”
It is important, both for the health of pets and others living in the household, that the smoker has a designated area in which to smoke that is physically separated from the home. In addition, always keep cigarettes, cigarette butts and other tobacco products put away.

“A better choice that could enhance your chances of enjoying a healthier lifestyle with your family and pets would be to stop smoking altogether,” MacAllister said.
Adapted from materials provided by Oklahoma State University.

Feeding Your Cat Only Dry Food? Is This a Problem?

Too many people feed their cats only dry food because it is convenient and they know their cats generally like to eat it.

While this might be easy, convenient and a relatively economical way to feed the cat it is certainly not good for it's health.

Most dry foods are nutritionally deficient no matter what the manufacturers might say, and contrary to the list of nutrients that they list on the back of these packs the best diet that you can give your cat is one that most closely resembles the type of food that they would eat in the wild.

The food that the cat eats in the wild is considerably higher in protein than any of the dry foods on the market.

Another problem with dry food is the lack of moisture in the food and it becomes necessary for the cat to have sufficient fresh water at all times.

While there are formulations for young and old cats, fur ball formulas, and many of the different combinations that are supposed to be healthly for your pet, a diet high in fresh meat, and poultry, will do a lot more for your cat's health than any of these processed foods.

There are some high quality canned cat foods on the market that have both high protein and sufficient moisture to keep your cat healthy.

Once again you need to consider the ingredients that are put into these canned cat foods as some of them are still quite high in carbohydrates and ash which can cause your cat to become diabetic due to the imbalance, and trigger FLUTD.

There are also a lot of by products used in pet foods and most of these are not very high in nutritional value.

Many cat foods also contain wheat products, garlic and onion, corn and other ingredients that are not only wrong for your cat, but they can cause it to become quite sick.

Good nutrition for your pet is as important as offering it a safe environment to ensure that you will have the pleasure of enjoying it for many years.

Cat Health Insurance Eliminates Pain..For You and Your Cat!!

Cat health insurance provides affordable medical care which is a direct correlation to improved health.

Practicing wishful thinking that your cat will stay healthy throughout its entire life
may not work. Additionally, situations beyond our control, like the pet food recall, may occur despite our best effort to care for our pets.

If your cat should get sick momentarily or as it gets older (just as some people do) the insurance is there to help you with the vet bills.

The cost of premiums may be lower than annual check ups and routine health care visits.

One of my cats had an emergency operation that cost $3000. Believe me this amount was not in the budget! In this instance, the costs of the premiums were far lower than the price to pay for his life and proper medical attention.

This certainly eliminated my pain by not having to consider euthanasia and also the physical pain my cat was experiencing. I was only worried about my cat, not the mounting vet bill.

Cat Health Insurance can address many issues, such as:

Care in an accident
Cancer treatments
Surgery
Pre existing cat medical problems
Annual checkups
Prescriptions

Pet health insurance is one of the important considerations in responsible pet ownership.

Make an informed choice on cat health insurance and proper cat care.

Visit http://www.allthingscat.com/cat_health_insurance.html alternative views on cat health care. Which includes cat health insurance, health problems, correct feeding, harmful cat litter and cat lover gifts.

Kitty Cat Bad Breath May Be A Digestive Imbalance...Not Tooth Decay or Disease!

I call it “Kitty Cat Breath.” My cats eat medicated food mixed with homemade cooked turkey that I prepare for them (to be certain that they are provided with the proper nutritional balance). As a result sometimes they have bad cat breath.

Bad cat breath can be caused by dental problems, or disease, but this is not always the case. It may also be due to an imbalance of bacteria in the digestive area.

Cat bad breath is related to what you feed your pet. Most wet and dry cat foods have a strong odor to us, but not to our cats. So is it possible that the food may contribute to bad breath in the digestive tract? You bet it is.

When bad breath odor occurs it is an indication that the intestines and the stomach’s good bacteria are out of balance, and the bad bacteria has grown out of proportion.

To restore inner digestive harmony, what has worked for my cats is a formulation of natural ingredients.

It is obvious when the proper balance has been restored, because the bad cat breath is completely gone.

Your cat may not eat medicated food, but its tummy flora may need balancing, hence you can tell by its breath.

If the natural formulation does not work, this means that your pet may have health problems, and should visit a vet.

Help your cat get rid of bad breath by restoring its digestive balance.

Visit http://www.allthingscat.com/cat_bad_breath.html for alternative views on cat health care. Which includes correct feeding, health problems, harmful cat litter, hairball resolution and cat lover gifts.

Cat Food Recall..Save Your Cat's Life!!!

Cat Food Recall Shows Homemade Cat Food Important !!!

Do you know what's in your cat's food?

Should we always depend upon governmental powers regarding what we

feed our cat?

As a new cat owner many years ago, I thought all one must do is buy pet food and protect your pet from harm, and of course give it love.

As is always the case with any new undertaking, there is a lot more to be done than what appears on the surface.

I went merrily on my way purchasing canned cat food and fed my two cats. One became very ill and in attempting to do the absolute best for its well being, I began asking around, searching on the web, asking homeopathic friends for information. I was made aware of the controversy regarding canned cat food vs. homemade cat food.

How silly, I thought...the governmental powers that be would never allow our pets to "eat" food that was not healthy. Was I mistaken when I learned pet food does not have the same high standards as human food.

My sick cat was not responding well to several medications and he began refusing the canned cat food. I made the decision to prepare his food myself, after all, he had to eat in order to get well and perhaps he would tolerate the medications, if he were better nourished.

I was correct. He began to eat the turkey, veggies, potatoes and supplements I gave him. I had not realized that the canned cat foods are "allowed" to contain by-products which can be animal hair, diseased and cancerous tissue, and a host of other unsavory parts. A sick pet whom otherwise would eat it, may refuse it.

I realized there is some merit to the homemade cat food idea. My sick pet began tolerating the medication and a recovery ensued. I began home cooking their food, and providing supplements for a balanced meal. They do not like the raw food diet for cats,they totally refuse it.

I tried many recipes during the trial and error period and finally came up with one homemade cat food recipe that my cats enjoy the most.

My summation...homemade cat food is equivalent to what we humans eat when eating a home cooked meal vs. eating fast food totally.

Visit http://www.allthingscat.com/homemade_cat_food.html for alternative views on cat health care. Which includes correct feeding, homemade cat food recipe, health problems, harmful cat litter, hairball resolution and cat lover gifts.