There’s more to pet grooming than simply giving your pet a bath. Tending to their skin, coat and overall health are also part of the process. Pets can’t talk about their problems. So when you groom them, you will be able to discover any underlying problems.

As you carefully groom your pet, it will be easy to discover any marks that appear unusual. You will notice right away if he has fleas, ticks, or wounds and you can deal with them properly. This is the best way to care for your pet.

Following are some pet grooming supplies that you will want to have with you when you begin to ready your animal for his grooming.

1. Brushes. You will need to use a specific type of dog or cat brush for your pet. Look for pin brushes which have a metal comb and wider spaces between them. This is perfect for pets with thick or matted hair.

After you’ve used a pin brush, follow it up by running a slicker brush over your pet’s coat. They are often somewhat shorter and might have a bend at the tip. You’ll get a more thorough comb through since the spacing is tighter.

2. Combs. For combs, you’ll again want to look at the distance between the pins. You’ll get the most effective comb through when they’re close together. But before using a thin comb, it’s essential that any knots or mats be brushed out thoroughly.

3. Nail Clippers. Look for a good quality pet nail clipper. It’s important that you don’t cut into the skin. Use styptic powder to stop bleeds. Make sure to get some training from your vet on how to cut nails before doing it yourself.

4. Clippers. If you will be cutting the animal’s fur, you should look for a good quality clipper. These can be purchased at any pet store. Check that the blade is the correct size. Keep in mind that the closeness of the cut depends on the size of the blade. You may want to purchase several different sizes.

Most of the tools that you need to do a thorough job of pet grooming are available at your local pet supply store. They’re also available on the internet. Regardless, you need to buy well made tools that will be long lasting and durable. Keep them in good shape, cleaning and sanitizing them after each use as instructed by the manufacturer.

As cats age they can develop many diseases that affect their heart, kidneys and other organs, just like humans. Among the top diseases of older cats is cancer, renal (kidney) failure, diabetes, hyperthyroidism (cancer of the thyroid gland), dental disease and heart disease. Since they age seven times faster than we do, examinations done by your veterinarian twice a year can help detect problems earlier when they can still be treated. Diagnostic tests such as blood work, ECG, ultrasound and blood pressure monitoring can help detect problems earlier.

The most common heart diseases that affect cats is hypertrophic cardipmyopathy or HCM. HCM affects more cats than in dogs. HCM is an acquired heart disease that affects the muscular walls of the ventricles making them abnormally thick. As the disease progresses the pumping capabilities of the heart reduces. The heart muscle eventually thickens and stiffens decreasing its ability to contract and pump the blood. The narrow heart chamber holds a smaller volume of blood, so less blood is pumped out of the heart with each beat of the heart., This results in the amount of blood that once filled the heart is less than it should be and the heart muscle can’t contract as well to move the blood out of the heart into the body. The diseased heart now has to pump faster and harder than normal just to keep the blood flowing throughout the body. The increased pressure also begins to back the blood into the lungs causing edema and congestion and eventually leads to congestive heart failure.

Sometimes, the faulty heart can have changes in the conduction system that tells the heart when to contract. Irregular heart beats may develop in the diseased heart resulting in sudden death, similar to young athletes that die during practice.

Another problem that can occur from the cardiomyopathy is a disease called feline aortic thromboembolism (FATE). Blood clots that form on flaps of the heart valves can sometimes break off and lodge in main artery leading to the rear legs,. The dislodged blood clot can cause severe pain, a lreduction of blood flow to the legs, paralysis and death. The blood clot is sometimes referred to as a saddle thrombus. About 40% of the cats can recover from a saddle thrombus with expensive and intensive therapy and may regain use of their legs over time. Once recovered, these cats may have another thrombus episode and will continue to have problems with their heart.

Cats are very good as masking underlying physical problems so early detection is key to helping these cats live a full life. A fat and lazy cat may be hiding a heart condition. Of course not all fat and lazy cats a have heart disease, but the only way to tell is with full exams by your veterinarian. Diagnostics needed to detect heart disease in cats includes an EKG, blood pressure monitoring and doppler ultrasound. With ultrasound, your veterinarian can view the wall thickness of the heart, just like doctors use ultrasound on our young athletes.

Special medication can be given to help cats with their heart function and reduce the edema in their lungs. The prognosis for a cat that has already developed the congestive heart failure is guarded, and even with medication, survival rates are 12-18 months after diagnosis and sudden death can occur at any time.

Speak with your veterinarian at your next cat’s health check and set up a plan for early detection and diagnostics. By detecting diseases earlier, changes in diet and medication can help your cat live longer.

You can find more on Cat Health Care at LuvUrCat.com

Have you ever wondered if holistic cat care would help with feline lower urinary tract disease, or FLUTD?  Many cat owners who have had a long and frustrating battle with feline cystitis wonder if natural feline urinary support would help.

What Is Holistic Cat Care?

Holistic cat care involves looking at your kitty as a whole, as an alternative to  focusing on her kidneys and bladder when she has cat urinary problems.Instead of just focusing on the symptoms of FLUTD, a holistic practitioner will want more information about your cat’s diet, along with information on any stressful situations in her life,.it’s acceptable to use natural remedies for pets, too.

Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease And Your Cat’s Diet

Many cat owners don’t realize that there’s a direct link between their cat’s diet and feline lower urinary tract disease.  Ads on tv and in magazines tell us repeatedly how great dry food is for our cats.  It has all the nutrients your cats needs, yes.  But that’s not the whole truth. 

Cats in the wild don’t drink much water, for the simple reason that they’ve been designed to get most of their fluid intake from their food.  All people and animals are over 90% water.  A cat who eats mice and other prey animals will almost completely satisfy her water requirements. 

It’s a different story for our kitties.  We want to do the best for them, so we feed them what we have been told is the best possible diet.  But dry cat food has a moisture content of less than 10%.  This is good for a long storage life, but it’s not so good for your cat’s health.  A cat who eats only dry food is probably a chronically dehydrated cat, since it’s hard for her to drink enough water to make up the difference between what’s in her diet, and what her body needs. 

Did you know that kidney failure is the leading cause of death in older cats?This often results from a lifetime of chronic dehydration. 

It’s been proven that increasing the amount of water going through your cat is the best way to prevent FLUTD.  A more than adequate water intake flushes impurities out of your cat’s body and his urinary system.  Be sure your kitty always has access to plenty of clean fresh water.

Cat Stress Is Linked To Feline Cystitis

Most of us would think that our cats lead a charmed life.  Wouldn’t it be great to just lay around and sleep all day?

Well, maybe not.  Cats face a lot more stress than most of us realize.  Just being an indoor cat is a stress on an animal that’s meant to be outside hunting, and slinking around in the dark.  Add a lack of exercise, too much of the wrong food, not enough water, annoyances from other cats and pets, and just being cooped up inside, and you can see that maybe life isn’t quite as easy as you thought for your furball.

Feline interstitial cystitis has been linked to cat stress.  If your vet can’t find any reason for your cat’s bladder inflammation, maybe you should be looking for hidden stress in your cat’s life.

Natural Feline Urinary Support

You may be interested in one of the many natural remedies for pets available now.  You should look for one that contains the herbs uva ursi and barberry, along with the homeopathic remedies Cantharis and Staphysagris.These remedies provide natural feline urinary support by keeping your cat’s urinary system working well. 

Your goal now?  To use holistic cat care to keep your cat healthy and to prevent feline cystitis.

Visit Natural Pet Urinary Health to learn more about holistic cat care, and to find the best place to buy herbal pet remedies.

Let me ask you a simple question:  Do you know how natural feline urinary support can prevent frequent cat urinary problems?  If your cat suffers from cat bladder infection, there are three ways you can support feline urinary health.

Diet And Feline Urinary Support

Your cat’s diet is extremely important in promoting cat urinary health.  Many cat owners are unaware that a one-year study showed that feeding a high-quality canned food reduced feline urinary problems significantly.  Why is this?

Many cat owners aren’t aware that the best way to prevent feline lower urinary tract disease, or FLUTD, is to increase the amount of water that goes through a cat.  The easiest way to do this is to feed him canned cat food, which has a moisture level of around 75%.This resembles your cat’s natural diet. 

You see, cats are meant to get most of their water intake from their food.  Dry cat food has a very low moisture level, under ten percent.  A cat who eats only dry food must drink a lot of water to get enough fluid intake to prevent cat urinary problems.  Unfortunately, it can be very difficult to get your cat to drink enough water, since he doesn’t naturally do this. 

Chronic dehydration often results when a cat has a low water intake.  His urine is very concentrated, which can lead to cat bladder stones.  These stones irritate the bladder wall, and cause feline cystitis, which is a bladder inflammation.  Just feeding your cat moist food can help to prevent this problem. 

Another way to get your cat to drink more water is to divide his food into three equal amounts and feed him three times a day.  It’s been shown that feeding your cat two or three times a day as opposed to once a day is associated with an increase in his daily water intake.

Reduce Cat Stress To Reduce Cat Bladder Infection Problems

Cats appear to lead charmed lives, but this isn’t really true.  Our kitties are creatures of habit, and they don’t like changes at all.  Moving to a new home, remodeling, adding a new pet or person to your household, and even changing your feline’s food causes cat stress.  Cats don’t handle stress well.  In fact, stress in cats has been linked to feline idiopathic cystitis, which is a bladder inflammation that doesn’t appear to have any cause.

Be on the lookout for anything that’s stressing your cat.  Reducing or removing the cause of the stress may help to reduce cat urinary problems.

Natural FLUTD Treatments

Humans have been dealing with bladder infections since the beginning of time.Before modern antibiotics were developed, people used herbal remedies to treat this condition.  In many parts of the world, they still are.  Can these natural remedies work on cats too?

The answer is yes.  Uva ursi and barberry are two herbs that have stood the test of time for treating cystitis in people.The homeopathic remedies Cantharis and Staphysagris are well known for treating human urinary tract infections successfully.  These four remedies have been specially formulated into a remedy that’s not only safe, but effective, to prevent feline urinary problems. 

For your cat’s safety, be sure to make your purchase only from a long-established company that’s well-known for producing only the highest quality natural pet remedies.

Do your kitty a favor and improve his cat urinary health by using natural feline urinary support to prevent cat bladder infection.

Visit Natural Pet Urinary Health to learn more about feline urinary support, and to find the best place to buy herbal pet remedies.

If you’re contemplating taking your pet on a holiday vacation, you’ll want to find pet friendly hotels and know the policies of each company.  In order to find out whether the hotel you are considering allows pets, the easiest thing to do is call.  However, we’ve compiled a list of the pet policies for many of the major hotel chains right here.  Hopefully this will ease your mind and help with holiday preparations…

AmeriSuites is a pet friendly hotel that understands pets are an extension of your family. That’s why most of their hotels doors are open to guests with four-legged friends. We gladly welcome our guests traveling with small pets and dogs at all properties, subject to state and local laws. The following represent their pet friendly hotel policy:

Service Animals accompanying persons with disabilities are always accepted.
Pets must weigh under 30 lbs.
Pets must not be left unattended in the hotel room or suite
A pet fee of $10.00 is required for each pet.

Quality Inns charge a fee of $10.00 per night per pet but do not charge any other fees. They may require a $50.00 damage deposit, which is refunded if the room is in order at check out. Quality Inns accept any well-behaved pets with a maximum of 3 per room, but dogs are limited to 50 pounds. They do not currently require a veterinarian certificate. Most properties have designated rooms for people traveling with their pet. Pets may not be left alone in the room unless in a cage. Many properties can provide you with the names of pet sitters.

Sheraton hotels within North America will welcome dogs as guests into their hotels, in accordance with local health codes. W Hotels will also welcome cats. These hotels will pamper pooches with luxurious custom pet beds and other amenities, such as floor mats, food bowls, ID tags, and more. All guests checking in with a dog will receive a “welcome kit” to include information on nearby areas for exercise and other goodies to help make traveling with your dog more enjoyable.

Some pet friendly motels may require an extra per night charge and/or a deposit. There is a weight limit of 80 pounds (40 pounds at Westin). However, dogs exceeding the weight limit and pets other than dogs may be accepted into the hotel at the General Manager’s discretion. Pet owners will be responsible for their canine companions and for any excessive damage they may cause. You will be required to sign a pet waiver upon check in. Additional restrictions may apply and full hotel details are available upon request.

Four Seasons Hotels allow small pets only (generally under 25lbs). Pets must be fully trained and appropriately restrained by guest. Pets must comply with local legislation requirements. Pets must be kept on a leash when in the hotel or on hotel property unless it is in the guest’s room, and must not be left unattended. If guest requires a pet-sitter or pet supplies, they should contact the concierge with advance notice.

Additional restrictions:

- Pets are not allowed in any food and beverage outlets, health club and pool areas of the hotel. This exclusion does not apply to guide dogs.
-Guests are responsible for cleaning up after their pet on hotel property and in the neighbourhood.
- Any disturbances such as barking must be curtailed to ensure other guests are not inconvenienced.
- Guests must contact the housekeeping department to arrange for a convenient time for servicing their room.
Guests are responsible for all property damages and/or personal injuries resulting from their pet.
Guests agree to indemnify and hold harmless the hotel, its owners and its operator from all liability and damage suffered as a result of the guest’s pet.
The hotel reserves the right to charge guest’s account commensurate to the cost of such damages.

La Quinta has over 350 pet-friendly locations from coast to coast. Cats and dogs up to 50 pounds are accepted in all guest rooms (unless prohibited by law). Housekeeping services for rooms with pets require pet owner be present or pet must be crated. No fees or deposits are required.

Saving the best for last, Loews Hotels offers a standardized “Loews Loves Pets” program at the chain’s 16 hotels across the US and in Canada. Well behaved pets of all types (except some aggressive breeds) are welcome. The Loews program offers specialized services and first-class amenities designed to make pets and their owners feel at home when traveling together.

Amenities include a personal welcoming note from the hotel general manager with a listing of pet services available at the hotel, including dog-walking routes, veterinarian information, pet shop and grooming locations, pet attractions, pet-sitters, pet-friendly restaurants, and other resources.  They also add specialized bedding for dogs and cats, complimentary bag of pet treats and a pet toy, special pet place mats with food and water bowls, and a special “Do Not Disturb” sign.

Their Room Service Menu items include dishes such as grilled lamb or chicken with rice for dogs, grilled liver or salmon with rice for cats, and for health conscious cats and dogs Loews also offers a vegetarian entrée. Additional Pet Services include pet-walking and sitting services which can be arranged through the concierge desk. The Loews “Did You Forget Closet” includes: dog and cat beds in different sizes, leashes and collars, and pet videos; guests can also purchase essential items through the “Did You Forget Closet” including: kitty litter boxes, pooper-scoopers, and pet toys. Rooms for guests staying with pets undergo special cleaning procedures including the use of specially-filtered vacuums to remove pet allergens in preparation for subsequent guests.

Hopefully this information on pet friendly lodging will help you during your holiday travels, whether you’re search for pet friendly hotels New York, France, Australia, or anywhere in between.  Sometimes, you need everything you can get to ease your pet travel worries…