Health Care for Cats
Cats are natural carnivores, with very specialised nutritional requirements. Cats absolutely need meat in their diet so please do not try vegetarian diets – it will compromise their health and shorten their lives.
NEVER feed your cat, dog food it is totally unsuitable and far too low in protein levels to maintain good health in cats.
Cats have evolved over millions of years but have been domesticated pets for at least 4,000 years since when they were much prized by The Egyptians, as they are now with over 9.2 million cats in the UK.
Cats are totally adaptable, content to clean and exercise themselves. They can live peacefully with dogs and other pets and are happy to live their entire life indoors. This makes them the ideal pet for modern busy owners.
If living their lives totally indoors then grow some grass, catnip, thyme sage or parsley in a flowerpot for their use as they enjoy chewing on these.
Cats are ideal companions, they are clean, inexpensive and make affectionate and devoted pets especially for people living on their own although unlike dogs you cannot command respect, you have to earn this along with their trust.
Cats hearing, sight, touch and smell are far superior to humans. They have natural in-built stalking skills just like their larger cousins, lions and tigers and can see in the dimmest of lighting conditions.
Cats do not like young boisterous children or sudden loud noises or movements and should always be given their own space where they can be on their own in quiet surroundings.
Unlike dogs, cats do not vary greatly in size with an adult weighing approximately between 2.5kg and 5.5kg for most breeds.
There is a huge variety of at breeds but when choosing a pet remember that longhaired breeds require daily grooming whereas a shorthaired variety will do all the grooming themselves. If you decide to have 2 cats in is worthwhile getting a male and a female to avoid competitive behaviour.
Unless you wish to become a breeder then you should have both male and female cats neutered at about 6 months of age. They will be happier and much more contented after this procedure, it is a straightforward procedure carried out under a general anaesthetic by a qualified vet.
Heart, brain, kidney and liver problems are the most common ailments as a cat ages but you can keep a simple health check on elderly cats by looking out for any unusual behaviour, and regularly examining their eyes, ears, mouth and their coat.
Never trim a cats whisker, these grow from special hair follicles with very sensitive nerve-endings and are exactly the same width tip-to-tip as the maximum width of their bodies, allowing them to judge precisely whether or not to attempt squeezing through any restricted space.
The rear legs and associated muscles allow a mature cat to jump to an incredible five times it’s own height. The equivalent of about a 30-foot jump from a standing start for a human.
Cats have a superbly engineered body, it is worth ensuring their long-term health and agility, including the incredible mobility of its all-important backbone. They use their tails as part of their unique ability to balance.
Ensure that your kitten is inoculated against “cat flu” and infectious feline enteritis at around 12-weeks old by a qualified vet and has annual boosters thereafter.
This is what an adult cat needs between 300 – 550 calories a day of tinned premium cat plus supplements to provide the full spectrum of your cats complete daily nutritional requirements:
28% protein as a minimum 0.5 milligrams of vitamin B1
9% fat as a minimum 0.5 milligrams of vitamin B2
39% MAXIMUM carbohydrate content 0.4 milligrams of vitamin B6
1.0 grams of calcium 0.02 milligrams of vitamin B12
0.8 grams of phosphorous 4.5 milligrams of niacin
0.2 grams of sodium 0.1 milligrams of folic acid
0.4 grams of potassium 1.0 milligrams of pantothenic acid
0.05 grams of magnesium 200 milligrams of choline
10 milligrams of iron 100 milligrams of taurine
0.5 milligrams of copper No vitamin C required
1.0 milligrams of manganese 100 units of vitamin D
4.0 milligrams of zinc 8.0 milligrams of vitamin E
0.1 milligrams of iodine No vitamin K required
550 units of vitamin A Access to clean fresh water at all times
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