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Happy Cat Month – every day of the year!

September 30, 2011 by JPellegrino Leave a Comment

 

 

Four for Friday: Happy Cat Month, every day of the year!

Here we are at the end of September. Did you realize that it was Senior Pet Wellness Month AND Happy Cat Month? In addition, last week was National Dog Week. Sheesh, all this celebrating! Not to minimize the importance of senior pets (who are always a relevant topic), or undermine the fabulousness of the domestic canine (because really, every week should be National Dog Week, right?), but today we will be honoring the Happy Cat. :)

 

Here are FOUR ways to keep your cat happy (by no means an exhaustive list!):

1. Good veterinary care. Take your kitty to the veterinarian for regular checkups, including annual exams and bloodwork. Spaying/neutering, vaccination, microchipping, and dental care are all important parts of thorough, well-rounded feline veterinary care. Keep current with relevant preventative medications. Even all-indoor cats can host fleas, ear mites, heartworms, tapeworms, and more – especially if they live with other animals that go in and out of the house. Cats are extremely good at hiding illness, so it is especially important to stay ahead of the game and keep on top of their health as they age. As cats get older, their relationship with their veterinarian becomes all the more important.

2. Good mental and physical stimulation. Busy cats are happy cats, and just like humans, they tend to stay healthier at all stages of life. Some forms of stimulation are downright necessary – such as scratching posts and surfaces to help your cat remain limber and maintain its claws. But cats also love to play and hunt. Some cats really love to climb and owners have sometimes gone to great lengths to allow for this (check out this link to an unbelievable cat friendly house from Japan). Other cats are content with an empty box or a fabric tunnel.

Cats who love to hunt are often fond of prey toys – toys that require them to pounce, leap, swat, and chase. Catnip mice, feather toys, and laser pointers are examples. Hiding a cat’s food can also be a great form of both mental and physical stimulation as they search for pieces of kibble around the house. My cat, however, will sit for what seems like hours in front of the refrigerator waiting for the stray piece of kibble to emerge from where it was kicked. That probably doesn’t count as stimulation!

Training cats may seem farfetched, but many cats can be trained to do all sorts of things – if they are willing and in the mood! If you find this hard to believe, check out this cute YouTube video of Gregory Popovich and his Circus Cats. Training is a fun and novel activity to share with your cat, but there are two other very good reasons to consider training. First, when it’s done with patience and love it can strengthen the bond between the cat and its owner. And second, training requires mental work – which can be significantly more tiring than physical work. A mentally AND physically exercised kitty is a Happy Cat.

3. Good nutrition. Great strides have been made in animal nutrition. There are now a number of excellent diet lines available to pet owners. It’s important when choosing a brand of pet food to make an educated decision. First of all, consider the age of the cat. Kittens, adults and senior cats should be fed appropriate diets for optimum growth and optimum maintenance. The activity level of the cat is also important. Cats that don’t get a lot of exercise may benefit from an Indoor Cat diet, with a lower calorie count. If your cat has a medical condition there are many prescription diets available that can help ease the burden that disease and medication can place on the body. Keep in mind that quality pet food is rarely found at a low price in the supermarket aisle. The best foods will be found at the vet clinic or a reputable pet store.

4.Good company.Try to give your cat your undivided attention for some part of every day. Sitting with your cat, talking to your cat, grooming your cat, all provide health benefits – to both you and your pet! Most housecats are social creatures and are fairly easy to please. Cats can become attenuated to a social time at a certain hour of the day – which can often be easier to manage in a busy home. Maybe some lap time with your morning cup of coffee? Or some ear scratches between your favorite TV shows in the evening? If your lifestyle makes it difficult to provide regular one on one time with your cat, consider getting another cat to be a playmate. A furry friend will often go long ways towards making a cat happy.

 

It’s the last day of Happy Cat Month. But you still have time to celebrate with your cat! Get out there and buy a laser pointer. Set up a bird feeder outside the window. Get out that cat brush in the back of the drawer. Give your kitty some undivided attention today. After all, a Happy Cat helps to make a happy home.

 

 

 

 photo: federico stevanin / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Filed Under: CLINIC NEWS, WELLNESS

Pet Sweat!

September 9, 2011 by JPellegrino Leave a Comment

There’s a lot of information circulating right now about the prevention of heatstroke (hyperthermia) in pets. In light of the sustained high temperatures that we are currently sweating through, I thought it would be a timely topic to visit one more time. But this time, let’s talk about WHY pets need extra attention in hot weather. Let’s talk about pet sweat.

Humans are typically a very sweaty species. We sweat because it’s hot outside or because we have been exercising. And when we sweat it usually becomes outwardly visible on our brows and/or under our arms. If we sweat enough, moisture becomes visible across the entire surface of our skin. Like most human characteristics, sweating is variable from person to person. Some people are just shiny, sweaty individuals. Others (like my own mother) seem to sweat very little and have to be very careful not to succumb to heatstroke in hot weather.

Sweating is one of the ways that the body regulates its own temperature. The body shivers to regulate temperature in response to cold and the body sweats in response to heat. When the fine layer of moisture spreads over the skin it begins to evaporate. This evaporation causes cooling to occur on the surface of the body and helps lower our body temperature. It’s a very effective cooling method for humans because we have sweat glands distributed over most of our body surface. If we sweat enough, cooling occurs all over.

The dog and the cat, on the other hand, have most of their sweat glands located around their foot pads. Occasionally at the clinic, very nervous cats will leave a trail of wet footprints across the exam table. You may have seen your own overheated dog leave damp footprints on your wood floors at home. But there’s not a lot of surface area around the foot pads to accomplish cooling. So dogs and cats have to use additional methods to cool themselves down.

Dogs use open mouth panting as their primary method of cooling. Moisture on both the tongue and the lining of the lungs evaporates. This is a very effective way of cooling the dog down. It’s one reason why it’s so very important to keep pets well hydrated during hot weather – to keep their mucous membranes moist so evaporation can occur.

The brain of the dog is also able to dilate the blood vessels in the face and ears in response to heat. This allows the dog’s blood to flow closer to the surface of the skin where it is cooled by closer contact with the cooler ambient temperature. This pretty much only works when the dog is overheated due to exercise. Because if the temperature is higher outside than the dog’s own body temperature nothing is accomplished.

Canines also possess a very interesting anatomical bonus called a rete mirable which is located at the base of the neck. It is a complex grouping of small arteries and veins which thermally isolates the head from the rest of the body. In other words, the brain, which is very heat sensitive, is protected from the muscles of the body, which generate heat. This is why dogs can sustain physical exertion over a prolonged time in a hot environment. Prey animals may slow due to overheating as heat from the body impacts the brain. A rabbit may be able to outrun the dog, but eventually it will have to slow down or overheat. The cool brained dog, if it has kept up the chase, will then catch up.

Cats deal with heat a little differently. They seek out shade and avoid exerting themselves. They will sleep away the heat of the day under the porch, in the shade of a tree, or in front of a fan. They will also seek out cool surfaces where they stretch out to maximize skin contact. Cats will also groom themselves more frequently during heat events. As saliva cools from their fur and the surface of their skin, it performs the same job as sweat.

If a cat resorts to panting due to the heat…..then you know it’s hot. Usually cats only pant in temperatures over 90 degrees. Although cats will also pant when extremely stressed or in pain. If your cat is panting due to hot weather, you need to take steps to cool it down. And on that note, here are some ways to……

 

Keep your pet cool when it’s hot!

  1. Keep your pets indoors in air conditioning or in cool rooms with fans.
  2. If pets are outside, make sure shade is constantly available.
  3. Offer cool water at all times. You can also freeze a bowl of water overnight so it will thaw and provide cold water throughout the day.
  4. Have your long haired pet groomed for the summer – a puppy cut for your dog or a lion cut for your kitty.
  5. Spray down your dog with a hose and wipe down your cat with wet towels.
  6. Provide your dog with a kiddie pool outside. Sometimes they may even want to bring the pool inside! Check out this so CUTE YouTube video: Gus vs. Pool
  7. In very hot weather, cats will sometimes bed down on “beds” of ice packs if they are wrapped in towels or pillow cases.
  8. Avoid exercising your dog in the middle of the day.
  9. DO NOT EVER leave your animal in a parked car on any day when the temperature is over 60 degree
 dog image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
cat image: smokedsalmon/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
sun image: digitalart/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Filed Under: WELLNESS