GoGoKitty’s Cat Secrets

The iPhone by Apple prides itself on the fact that it has a number of ‘apps’ with which you can find almost any information. Now, luckily for our furry friends, it seems there’s even an app for pet health care. These apps are perfect for pet owners who prefer mobile phones to computers as a way of finding information quickly.

The applications are all created very much with pet owners wanting quick, concise pet health care information in mind. A very useful application is the Pet First Aid app which contains a very helpful collection of simple snippets of pet health care advice for many different animals. Also, it gives detailed information about how to carry out physical checks on your animal, allowing you to identify problems. A very useful ‘what’s normal’ section lets owners look up symptoms or behaviour to see whether they should be a cause for concern.

Similar to the first aid app is the mobile symptom checker. Working in a similar way to its human counterpart, the NHS direct website, users can search any symptoms their pet is showing by category.

To help pet owners to keep up to date with their animal’s pet health care records there is a Vet Records app. The app allows users to input medical records to keep track of treatment.  Whilst this app may sound redundant, it is especially useful if a pet has to receive emergency treatment from a different vet to normal, for example on holiday.

The Pet Services finder app is great for pet health care enthusiasts. It is a cross between Google and the Yellow Pages and allows pet owners to find any animal service from vets to dog walkers to catteries in the local area.

Other popular pet and pet health care related apps include an Off the Leash app which gives dog owners suggestions of interesting walks which are pet friendly and a Veterinary Dictionary which helps to clear up some of the confusing terms vets use.

It is certainly true that these new apps are making a big contribution to pet health care by simplifying it and making it easily accessible.

Hairballs can be a nightmare, not least for the pet owner, but also for the pet. Hairballs are due to the owner not brushing the pet’s fur enough. Cats end up swallowing furballs and this is where the problem starts. Once these lodge in the cat’s throat, choking can ensue. This is an unpleasant thing to have to stand by and watch.

Basic cat health care knowledge can help to prevent problems. That means watching out for hairballs and matted fur accumulating. Groom your cat daily to make sure there is no loose fur that can get stuck in its throat. Owners and pets get pleasure from grooming, so persevere with it. Just be sure to be gentle to make the cat as relaxed as possible.

Some cats with longer fur (and more of it) are prone to hairballs, and this is something that the vet should remind you of when you take it for check-ups. Take Persian cats as an example – they have beautiful long fur but if it ends up forming hairballs, this could be very risky for them. No-one can stop a cat from licking, which is why hairballs are a problem. In contrast, dogs don’t get hairballs but this is because they have finer and shorter hair, and they don’t like their fur like cats do. As cat owners know, cats keep clean by licking their fur and thus hairballs occur.

Once the hairball gets into the digestive system, the cat will start trying to cough it up. Choking sounds are made and owners sometimes panic because they don’t know what to do about it. The cat must finish coughing up the hairball, so keep an eye on it. Check your cat is feeling okay after getting rid of the big clump of fur. If you like to stay prepared, there are some hairball treatments out there which a vet can advise on.