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.

Is Your Cat Food Actually Table Scraps? Is This Healthy?

There are many foods that should never be given to your cat. They can be extremely dangerous to its health and /or make it extremely sick.

A few of these foods are listed below and are not considered to be proper cat health care:

Dog Food… If you have a dog and a cat, and the cat eats the dog’s food this is surely a no-no. This type of food is formulated for the body of a canine. It does not have ample protein or taurine that is essential for proper nutrition in cats. If a cat eats dog food consistently it will get sick.

Table Scraps… This is healthy for us, but not good for our cats. The same facts apply to this category. What we eat is not properly formulated for the cat’s nutritional health, especially the lack of taurine. No taurine and ample protein indicates physical disaster for our beloved feline.

Chocolate, in any form… This is extremely toxic to cats and dogs. The pet can become very sick and die. Be really careful not to leave it around in an open container, or bowl where they may ingest it.

Bones and string (even though not a food)… Bones can crack and the little pieces can get lodged in their gums, throat or intestines causing irreparable damage. Cat food should never contain bones of any kind.

I know there are lots of photos showing cats with balls of string and some pet stores sell them for cats, but it should never be given to a cat as a toy. It too, can get lodged in the throat, as well as, causing blockages in the stomach, intestines and anus.

The best food that should be given to a cat is a homemade cooked variety.

Dry foods may be easy for us to administer because it is quick to pour. However, it is very high in carbohydrates that contribute to feline obesity and diabetes.

Canned food with a high content of protein, low content of ash is preferable if one can’t provide the homemade cooked cat food.

There are recipes that take 15 minutes or less to prepare and can be done in a large quantity during the weekend or whenever you have a few spare moments.This will surely go a long way in assisting your cat to stay healthier without eating preservatives and fillers.

So in conclusion, table scraps, bones, chocolate and dog food are not healthy cat food alternatives for your beloved feline.

Check out a quick and easy 15 minutes or less homemade cat food recipe.

Methods for alternative cat health, care and feeding can be viewed at www.allthingscat.com/homemade_cat_food.html

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.