Wednesday, July 31, 2013

The Basic Steps In Cat Litter Box Training

You've got your new kitten and now it's time to start the toilet training, it's easier than you think. Even if traditionally cats are known to hate water they are in fact very clean animals. You might observe that if you have a pet cat they are licking themselves a million times a day to make sure that every single inch of their body is clean. It's for this reason that cats usually dig a little hole in the ground if taken outdoors to do their needs, and then carefully cover it and smell around until they are sure it is properly concealed.

 
A cats natural instinct is to do their needs outside, but a lot of people get a cat and keep them indoors most of the time, if not all the time. If this is the case then it is essential that you get yourself a litter box and then train your cat how to use it. Here are the tips to help you with this.

Cat Litter Box Training

When a cat arrives at its new home it is important that it is familiarised with it's new surroundings. This is known as house breaking and you must be patient in these first staged as the cat may be a little disorientated over the first few days. You will have to repeatedly take it to where its food and water bowl is and then to the litter box.

For successful cat litter box training, you must remember that cats need a couple of things just as humans do . . . guessed it yet? Well, privacy for one, cats get nervous or shy doing there job when there are passers by or when there are loud noises. They also need a clean environment, which may mean cleaning out the cat litter tray straight away for him/her to do it again.

You also need to get the right litter for the tray, this is down to a number of things, it is necessary for it to be odourless, or have a scent that your cat agrees with? Your cat litter box training will be unsuccessful very soon if your cat litter tray has a strong scent that your cat doesn't like as they do have a very developed sense of smell.

Taking Cat Litter Box Training to the Next Level

If what has been mentioned doesn't give any positive results, then you need to take your cat litter box training to the next level. It seems a little cruel but will reap its own rewards very quickly. Keep our cat confined in one space for a day where you will provide him ir her with food and water and when the time comes his or her cat litter tray, you must keep the cat near the tray until he/she uses it. If you repeat this procedure a couple of times then you will be successful.

Helpful Tip

Reward your cat when he or she uses the litter box, at least for the first few times and always ensure that you keep the litter box clean so your cat has no excuse to choose other locations for its needs.

Andy Manifield is the owner of On Cat Litter [http://www.on-cat-litter.com], the BEST source for all the information you'll need to help you deal with the messy aspect of your best friend.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/506784

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Food Allergy In Cats - Symptoms, Treatments And Diagnosis

Not only humans' Even animals are affected by food allergy. It mainly affects cars and is rated among the main causes of atopy, flea bite allergies. Cats usually develop allergies from constantly fed kind of foods.

Often cats are sensitive to a certain type of food ingredient. So, an antibody in their intestinal tracts responds, leading to food allergy. Among all other type of allergies, with a 10% ratio allergies caused by food are more prone to cats.

 


Food allergies affect male, neutered cats and also female ones. It is also a misconception connecting specific breed of cats to allergies caused by food. This condition can initially create symptoms for cats from four months young to eleven years old. But majority of food allergy cases occur between 3- 6 years in cats. These cats are also in connection with inhalant allergies.

The main difference between food intolerance and food allergy should be learned to correctly manage allergy in cats. Allergy caused by food are taken as true allergies revealing symptoms like itching and skin problems associated with feline and canine allergies. Incase diarrhea or vomiting happens without creating allergic responses, it means that it's only intolerance of food. Cat food intolerance is similar to a human having a stomach ache or diarrhea as a result of consuming spicy food or eating food that is fried. By utilizing foods food intolerance and allergies can be prevented. This doesn't offend the agents.

Many studies reveal that few ingredients of food are the main causes of allergies when compared to the rest. The main common causes in cats are dairy products, fish and beef. Many pet owners would have observed that the following ones are the main ingredients found in foods that are consumed by the cat. Even though few proteins are more antigenic, it still comes in similar forms. So, this reaction depends mostly on the quantity of exposure.

The symptoms of this allergy in cats are most likely the same to most kinds of allergies. But the major ones are excessive scratching, hair loss, military dermatitis and itchy skin. For pet owners it is difficult to distinguish cars that suffer from atopy or food allergy by physical signs. But, they must suspect food allergy if these symptoms begin to take place during winter or through out the year and the cats fail to respond to antihistamine or steroid treatment.

When you figure out the symptoms of different allergies in cats it is very simple to diagnose the allergy. Symptoms of food allergy are similar to that of bacterial, notoedric mange, hypersensitivity to intestinal parasites, seborrhea and yeast infections.

It is necessary to carry out food trials. Elimination and provocative testing diets could be done. One should feed the cat with foods that has carbohydrates, proteins for 11 - 12 weeks without any treats. A typical instance is potato and venison or potato and duck. These foods are commercially available in the market or could be homemade. Young and growing cats have special nutritional needs. Diets made at home containing a carbohydrate and a protein eliminating multivitamins and fatty acids could be fed for 12 weeks. Food trials for kitten are carried out by giving a commercially balanced diet. After few weeks, feed the cat with previous food that they once have consumed. In case the symptoms are shown then it's surely food allergy. Others perform blood testing which is not accurate when compared to trials (food).

Feed the cats with commercial diets from hill or Purina or homemade diets which makes treatment of allergy simple and easy.

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Thursday, July 18, 2013

Treating Severe Cat Allergy Symptoms Properly

Many people love cats but a lot of them are suffering from cat allergies. Most of the time, people are typically showing mild symptoms among the common cat allergens like hair and saliva. These mild symptoms can be treated with the help of medications that can be purchased even without prescription.
However, some patients may experience severe cat allergy symptoms which can definitely be bothersome for them.

 

In contrary to regular rashes or allergic rhinitis among individuals, they may experience extreme pulmonary or skin symptoms like asthma-like allergy attacks and even eczema. These symptoms however are not treatable by over the counter medications so they need to get medications right from the allergists or their physicians.

The most common medication for these severe cat allergy symptoms are allergic shots. Treatment approaches using shots may come in two different forms. The first one would contain medications that will help alleviate the symptoms. These would immediately calm their system and prevent soreness. Aside from treating them immediately, these medications can also help prevent the occurrence of symptoms for a long time. This is why you'll see lots of people who have this problem to take shots at intervals of several months just to avoid getting these symptoms.

The next approach is the shot would have allergen serums which will trigger the symptoms This is called immunotherapy which will make your body immune from allergic reactions by producing the right antibodies to prevent their attacks in the future. The good thing about this is it will help you be immune to cat allergies after some time. This type of approach, however, is not meant for treatment but just for therapy purposes.

Skin problems like eczema are also an extreme symptom of cat allergy. This problem can only be solved by getting help from a dermatologist. In addition to just regular topical creams or medications, they can prescribe others that will totally clear out your body from this skin problem. In a sense, this medication is considerably stronger as it treats the body from this extreme symptom.

Once you've experienced these severe cat allergy symptoms, it's vital for you to get treatments with the help of your physician. For the time being, they may also ask you to avoid getting exposure to cats. With the help of their procedures and getting less cat exposure, you'll definitely get treatment from cat allergies and even totally be free from it after doing your therapy.

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Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Guide to Cat Allergy Symptoms

In the vast majority of cases the symptoms of cat allergies are pretty minor. By far the most common are itchy eyes and a runny nose. In some cases a sore throat and sneezing may also be present. The more serious symptoms are a rash and in some cases difficulty breathing due to asthma. This is the most severe of the symptoms since it can make breathing difficulty by inflaming the airway. In a very small number of cases the asthma can be serious enough to be a health risk however this is quite rare with cat allergies.

Although cat allergy symptoms are not all that serious they are a real nuisance since it is virtually impossible to avoid them. In most cases the allergies are caused by cat dander. If you have a cat you are going to around the dander all the time. Even if you don't you are still likely to encounter it on a regular basis. Cat dander sticks to everything so if you enter a home that has a cat you are likely going to cat allergy symptoms whether the cat is there or not. The dander will even stick to the garments of people with cats meaning that there is a good chance that you will have a reaction just from being around other people who have been around cats.

Since you are likely going to be exposed to cat dander you are going to need to be able to control your cat allergy symptoms. This isn't as easy as it sounds. The standard way to control most allergic reactions is with antihistamines; unfortunately these don't work with cat allergies. The most common recommendation for people with cat allergies is that they try to limit exposure. The suggestion is that you should really make an effort to clean up the dander in your home. It is also suggested that you get your cat neutered since this seems to reduce the allergies caused by their dander. However if it isn't your cat you are having a reaction to this isn't going to be an option. There does seem to be some evidence that you can get rid of allergy symptoms by becoming desensitized. If you get enough exposure to cat dander you will eventually become immune to it. While this can work the actual process of becoming desensitized will be very uncomfortable.

A lot of people with cat allergy symptoms don't actually know what is causing them. The problem is that most other allergens will produce similar reactions. Often it is very difficult to determine what you are allergic to. This is especially true with cat allergies since you can have a reaction even when there is no cat around. If you are having allergy symptoms it is a good idea to have your doctor administer an allergy test so that you can determine what you are allergic to. This will make it easier to avoid the cause of your allergies.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5644524

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Cat Allergy Symptoms Induce Cat Asthma Attacks

Many illnesses in children and adults are actually caused by a cat allergy symptom. The source of the allergy symptom is of course our feline pet friends. Today, one out of two households has a cat for a pet. This exposes millions who suffer from cat allergy symptom(s) to allergens that produce symptoms ranging from sneezing to severe asthma.

 


Cat asthma refers to the sudden reaction some people have to coming in close contact with a cat. The victim suffers from spasms and swelling of the respiratory tract due to the immune system rejecting the protein contained in the pet dander. This protein is carried in the cat's saliva and deposited on the feline's fur (to become pet dander) during a cat's constant grooming ritual. In severe instances the airway can be shut off and the person unable to breath.

The top four symptoms that contribute and may indicate an asthma attack is around the corner are as follows:

1. Acute Rhinitis.

Rhinitis is an inflammation of the nasal passages in the nose. Acute rhinitis means it occurs suddenly. Many people who suffer from cat (and often food) allergies have an instant reaction when a kitty is brought near their face. This usually evokes a fit of sneezing, and an itchy runny nose. Often the person may sneeze uncontrollably. Allergy relief for this symptom may consist of an over the counter oral antihistamine and/or nasal spray to alleviate cat allergy symptom(s).

2. Itchy, red, watery eyes.

Some sufferers' eyes will water so much it may look like they are crying. Eye drops for cat allergy relief are available over the counter and by a doctor's prescription.

3. Skin Rash or hives.

The skin may have an adverse reaction if the cat saliva comes into contact with the skin (such as the cat licking or rubbing up against you). A raised red area called hives may occur at the point of contact. The body's immune system then takes over and continues to make the rash worsen. Washing the area may help give cat allergy relief from this symptom.

4. Difficulty Breathing or shortness of breath (dyspnea)


If the dander from the cat is inhaled via the air, inflammation and swelling of the airways may occur. If the irritation continues to cause the immune system to attack the mucus lining, an asthma attack occurs.

Anyone with asthma should discuss a treatment plan that includes a rescue inhaler if cat asthma symptoms need to be controlled suddenly due to an attack. Most individuals who know they suffer from symptoms carry and inhaler to counteract the swelling of the respiratory tract. Prompt treatment is crucial. If an attack does not improve quickly with on hand treatments; call 911 and request professional medical assistance to avoid fatality.

Suffering from a cat allergy symptom may be difficult if many of your friends are cat lovers and owners. Some things you can do to maintain your friendship while avoiding symptoms from occurring is to ask your friend to put kitty in a secure (and away from you) place. Do let them know it is not because you are a cat hater, but rather you want to avoid becoming seriously ill. Your friends should understand this.
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