Sunday, February 21, 2010

Cat Health Questions In The World

By Harold Peterson

Cats are one of the easiest pets to have inside your home. They are comforting, friendly, and easy to snuggle up to, pet, and fall in love with. Yet, in order to make your pet happy within your home and be happy with them there as well, you must be aware of cat health questions that most owners will face at some point along the way.

While new owners must become familiar with very common health concerns such as how to keep a litter box sanitary and when to take the pet in for vaccinations, there are still many questions about feline health that most owners can't get answers for easily. Let's take a quick look at 3 of the questions you may be pondering as an owner.

When injured, can a cat be given pain medication?

If your cat were to somehow get injured and appeared to be in severe pain, what would you do? This is a common issue with cat owners, because this species of pet is very good at hiding signs of pain. Some pets actually have to be in severe pain for it to really be obvious, but you can assume there is pain if they are less active, hiding, or just not acting like themselves after an accident or mishap of some sort.

The answer is to go to the vet and ask about appropriate pain medications for your pet. Pain killers were once considered unsafe and downright dangerous to felines, but there are some kinds now that have proven to be safe and effective.

Can felines give a disease to humans?

Just as it's hard for owners to imagine their pets in pain, it is difficult to realize that there are some diseases that can pass from a feline to a human. Most owners are not aware of this issue, so it is important to make others in your home aware of this.

You don't have to rush to get rid of your pet out of fear for your family or your own health. Most people are not aware of this health issue because it doesn't happen very often or the owners are unaware of the root cause of the illness when it does happen. If you make sure that the litter box is always sanitary, follow a strict grooming routine for your pets, and make sure that they are all vaccinated on schedule, then you have very little to worry about.

How long does a cat typically live?

Cats have relatively short life spans compared to humans, though they are living longer today than ever before. If you care for your cat properly they may live twenty years or more. Of course, felines can suffer from many of the same health conditions that lead to human deaths, such as cancer.

The typical age at death is around 9, but it is entirely possible for a healthy, well cared for cat to live much longer today.

In the end, there is a lot of care required to keep your cat friends healthy and happy, but the happiness and peace that they bring into the home far outweighs this issue. Just make sure to familiarize yourself with other common cat health questions so you are more knowledgeable for whatever comes up in the future with your pet.

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