GoGoKitty’s Cat Secrets

Health Care for Your Pet Cat

Pet cat  care may be similar to caring for other pets. But such care may also have its own differences. One of them is that pet cats may suffer from a host of different diseases that other pets may not go through. Here is a list of some feline diseases that pet cats may suffer from at some point.

Feline Distemper

This disease usually affects pet cats at a young age. Known medically as feline panleukopenia, this type of viral infection lowers down the immune defenses of young kittens by severely affecting the production of white blood cells. This infection can make young kittens pass, liquid stool with blood due to the severe hemorrhaging that happens in their small intestine.

Fever may also be expected and will lead the young kitten to become depressed and then refuse to take any food and water. It may seem to the pet owner that the cat has a temperamental personality, hence the name feline distemper. The infection actually has no effect on the cat’s personality in any way. Sadly, recovery for such conditions is very rare for a cat.

Feline Infectious Peritonitis

This is another viral infection that is also fatal in cats. Once your pet cat shows signs of this infection, it can take years and years of trouble. This infection is usually common mostly in young adult cats and can be transmitted to other cats. There are two known types of this infection.

There is the “dry” type where the young adult cat is affected by high fever as well as problems with internal organs such as the kidneys, lungs and the intestines. With this type of infection, the cats never seem improve no matter how well the treatment is given.

There is also the “wet” type of the disease has the young adult cat having a fluid discharge within the abdomen. Occasionally the cat’s chest displays a golden and dense liquid that contains flakes within. This infection makes the cat run a high fever and would usually not eat well.

The only protection that cats can have over the disease is vaccination. But vaccines should be given to pet cats prior to any exposure to the virus or else the vaccine would not be very effective to prevent any infection.

Feline immune Deficiency Virus

This disease is similar to the Human Immune Deficiency Virus or HIV in humans. This virus in only found in cats and is being spread mainly through a bite from an infected cat. This disease suppresses the cat’s immune system and leads the cat to be more prone to all sorts of infection. There is an intranasal vaccine available to protect cats from the FIV infection although some veterinarians are not that convinced that it can protect  more effectively as compared to  other  vaccines.

Feline Leukemia Virus

This virus can severely limit an infected cat’s immune system. With the affected immune system, the cat has limited ability to defend against all sorts of other infections. This virus can be spread from contact with infected cats. Many cats can become carriers of the virus for years without displaying any outside symptoms of the infection.

Cats harboring the virus may at times develop clinical signs of the infection if they undergo surgery, get injured or when they get lost outside their usual environment. These diseases may give pet owners an idea of how pet cat health care may be important to ensure that their pets live healthier and longer lives.

Some years ago, I hosted a talk show on health on a Palm Beach radio station. Someone called in, and wanted to know what to do about fleas, as she was violently allergic to the various poisons that people put on the back of the neck of their dogs. (Most dogs and cats dislike them as well.)

Years previously I had found a solution, so I gave it to her. Purchase a large plastic “squeeze bottle” of Boric Acid. It’s in a fine powder, and if you point the snout down and squeeze the sides, it comes out in a puff of fine powder.

To start, vacuum the carpets, particularly where your pets may sleep or lie, or the entire carpet in a house where all the floors are carpeted. After a thorough vacuuming, go around squeezing the boric acid in a cloud all over the carpet. You’ll have to brush some of the excess into the carpet with your shoes, or a broom.

It will take a week or so, but after that, even with outdoor cats and dogs, you will find very few, or no fleas. Boric Acid is virtually harmless, to children, and your pets, but deadly to most insects.

A product sold in many health food stores was discovered a few years ago. It’s a product made with mixing common yeast and garlic powder. Mix a half teaspoon or so into their food every day. Surprisingly, my cats love it mixed into canned tuna. I thought the garlic odor would be a problem, but it’s not.

This helps keep fleas at a distance outside. You might be able to barely smell the garlic on the skin of your pets if you smell closely. It’s also healthy as the yeast has B vitamins, and the garlic is a natural healthy food for man and beast.

Let’s look at cockroaches next. They’re the “survivors” for millions of years, and will probably survive after all humans have gone the way of the dinosaurs. Every housewife hates them, and most houses have a few hidden away. In South Florida, we have flying cockroaches almost as big as mice, and lots of smaller ones also along with many other insects. Except for ants. Boric Acid works very well.

Boric Acid in the carpets, particularly around the edges and baseboards, keeps your pets pretty free. But, there are a few places where it pays to keep them out as well. Put a small amount of Boric Acid into some beer botttle caps.

Place the caps of Boric Acid into the corners of your cupboards. If you have paper in the bottom of your kitchen drawers (or cabinet shelves), take up the

Paper, and do a small Boric Acid spray, then replace the paper. Don’t forget to spray the Boric Acid under the refrigerator, and the stove.

That night, the entire program was taken up with callers, some telling us how well this worked for them, or asking more questions. Several people called the next time the program was on to thank me and some of my listeners for the above advice.

Much later, I learned how to stop ants, including fire ants. Simply empty one or more “blue” packages of NutraSweet (Aspartame) onto the nest. The ant hills are gone by the next day usually. Sprinkle a few grains in the baseboards or any possible entry holes into your home to prevent intrance. Aspartame seems to be a deadly poison to most insects, but particularly to ants.

If it’s that deadly to ants, what might it do to some susceptible humans? Many persons are allergic to it. Not everybody is even aware of this problem. It often causes headaches in fact. I never use Nutrisweet!

I hope that the above helps you to better health for you and your pets.