Health

Springtime has finally arrived for most of us in the U.S. Unfortunately, spring also brings those nasty little pests we know as fleas and ticks. Though both fleas and ticks can survive the winter under the right circumstances, there is no doubt that the increased temperatures of spring causes an increase in the numbers of these pests as well. Why worry about fleas and ticks? Fleas and ticks both can pose a threat for your cat. Both of these pests feed off of your cat's blood. If the infestation is heavy enough, your cat can lose enough blood to become anemic. This is especially true for young kittens because of their smaller body size. Your cat may also develop skin rashes and other skin ...

Today I want to talk about cats and water. Cats obviously need water to survive, but controversy surrounds exactly where it should come from and how much they should take in to thrive. I think the disagreements center around the fact that domestic cats evolved from desert-dwelling ancestors. You'll alternatingly hear this fact used as evidence that they don't need to drink as much as other species, and to support the idea of their "low thirst drive," indicating they need to get their water from food rather than a bowl. I'd like to take a look at this question in a couple of different ways. First, I used a well-regarded "calculator" to determine how much water a 10 pound, adult neutered dog ...

In honor of Earth Day, I wrote about how noise pollution affects human lives. But what about our beloved pets? They have become part of our families. We try and provide them with love and balanced lives. In my opinion, that also means educating ourselves in how our human made sounds affect them. Humans hear up to 20 kHz. Dogs hear 125% higher than that, up to 45 kHz. And cats hear up to 64 kHz, that's 42% higher than dogs and 220% higher than humans. So it shouldn't be any surprise that cats get easily agitated when they hear people fighting, and dogs bark when trains screech, or they shake and show other anxiety signs during the roars of motorcycle sounds. The sounds of garbage trucks and ...

I dread broaching the subject of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) with the owners of sick cats. As its name suggests, FIV is closely related to HIV, the virus that causes AIDS in people. When clients make that connection, I invariably see an "Oh, Crap" expression cross their faces. My first job under these circumstances is to offer up just about the only good news I have available regarding this disease. Despite the similarities between FIV and HIV, the former is not transmissible to people. Put bluntly, you cannot catch AIDS from your cat. Also, cats that are diagnosed with FIV but are not yet showing signs of illness can remain healthy and enjoy a normal life for an extended period of ...