GoGoKitty’s Cat Secrets

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