Natural Pet Health

Do you walk through the pet store, see the many toys available for your cat, and wonder if the expense will be worth it? Cats can be fickle creatures, but a good time can be found with almost any toy. Cats are like children they go through stages and sometimes need age appropriate toys and can get bored very easily. Some suggestions for toys include the cat towers, stuffed mice, small amounts of catnip, stuffed animals, ribbons, and plastic balls.

No cat wants to be dirty, and it’s up to you to ensure that your cat stays clean. Grooming is very important, as it helps your cat remain clean and healthy. Grooming starts with brushing, as brushing helps to keep the cats hair from becoming hairballs. Brushing will remove loose hair, and help prevent the risk of hairballs. A lot of cats have trouble dislodging hairballs. If the cat isn’t able to get a hairball out, it could result in a blockage of the intestines. Blockages are very serious, and can quickly become life threatening for your pet.

These days, Persian cats are among the most popular breeds of cat. Well known for their gentle and sweet personalities and their long hair, Persian cats have very attractive features. They are great companions for virtually anyone, and not very demanding. Unlike other breeds, such as the Siamese breed, Persian breeds need very little attention.

Although white is the color normally associated with Persian cats, they actually come in a variety of other colors as well. During competitions, they are divided into seven color divisions – solid, silver and gold, tabby, shaded and smoke, parti-color, bicolor, and Himalayan. No matter what color of Persian cat it may be, they are best noticed during competitions by their long and flowing coats.

A lot of people think that cats work on their own agenda, not paying much attention to their owner – provided they have clean litter, food, and water. Cats can behave in odd manners at times, which can easily confuse their owners and make it really hard to determine what the cat wants. As much as cat behavior can be confusing, there are some ways that you can solve common cat behavior mysteries.

A common behavior that almost all cats do is pushing their heads into any type of object that will allow them to do it. You’ve probably seen your cat do this before, probably against table legs, TV stands, or another object. This can be noticed more when you have other people who own animals or those with allergies over at your house. When a cat notices this, he will rub his head against the person. In doing so, he will put a touch of saliva on the individual. In a cat’s mind, he owns what he puts his saliva on.

Over the last thousands of years, cats have pretty much handled their breeding themselves. In the beginning, they were used for one purpose – hunting and killing rodents. As the years progressed, we began to breed cats more to our liking. Now days, there are several different breeds of cats – which you can tell if you look closely.

These days there are over 70 distinct cat breeds, which are recognized through cat registries. There are several registries that will recognize around 40 breeds or so, as they exclude the more domestic breeds such as tigers. There are also many variations as well, including wild cats that have longer hair.

The Persian cat breed was first brought to Europe from the Ottoman Empire in the XVI century. Although originally the Persian cat was typically short-haired, the long hair version of today’s Persian was thought to have been developed from the Pallas cat strain.

As is commonly known, today’s Persian cat breed has an extremely long, thick coat. This cat’s legs seem to be short compared to its body size. Its head is wide and the ears are rounded and typically set far apart. It has beautiful large round-ish eyes and an extremely fore-shortened, flat-faced muzzle, making its face seem almost squashed.

This breed of cat can have any color or markings, including, tortoiseshell, blue, tabby or pointed. There are tipped varieties also which are known as Chinchilla. Point types are known as Himalayan in the U.S. and Colorpoint Persian in Europe.

Does your pet come home from the park with fleas and ticks?

Are you looking for natural flea and tick pet care? Did you know that apple cider vinegar repels fleas and ticks?

To make the solution more fragrant, you can make a tincture of fresh and dried leaves such as rosemary leaves, calendula blossoms, rose petals, lavender, lemon peel, sage, comfrey and/or chamomile.

Loosely place the plant leaves & blossom in a small jar filling about one third full. Cover with vinegar. Leave the jar in warm place for two or more weeks. Occasionally shake the jar gently.

Strain the scented vinegar and add several drops essential oil of rosemary or lavender to enhance the fragrance. Store the vinegar in a cool dark place.

Cat owners know for a fact that bad cat breath can be downright awful. It isn’t that much different from bad human breath, as both are caused by bacteria found in the mouth that breaks protein down and releases the sulfur compounds out into the air. Sulfur smells really bad on its own, which is why breath containing it smells bad as well. The bacterium that causes bad breath with cats is normally associated with a buildup of tartar around the teeth. Tartar is yellow in color, known as a coating of bacteria, food, and minerals.

Unforeseen Dangers of Spring

With warmer spring weather arriving in the next few weeks, pet owners face an entire new set of challenges. While your pet was likely cooped up inside during the winter, the change in climate will soon likely bring your pet outdoors—also exposing it to potential health hazards.

Nearly every system in your pet’s body can be affected by the change in season, but preventative measures can be taken to ensure your pet stays safe and healthy while frolicking in the great outdoors!

When unleashing your pet into the yard, park, or other place of recreation, be sure to err on the side of caution regarding the territory they investigate. Puppies especially tend to mistake blooms, leaves, and branches as potential chew toys, which can disrupt digestive systems or even be poisonous.

Cats are one of the most popular pets in North America. They are loving pets, capable of providing you years of companionship. Like other pets, cats can sometimes get sick. There are several different types of ailments that cats can get, one of which is feline diabetes. Feline diabetes is a serious disease, although it can be treated by a veterinarian.

Diabetes is more common with humans than with cats or other animals. The cause of diabetes is actually quite simple. Sugar, or glucose, is found in the blood. The level of blood sugar in the body or the animal is kept under control by hormone insulin, which the pancreas produces. When the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin, diabetes is to blame.