Pet Health: Tips for Keeping Your Cat Healthy

Healthcare for Cats

Authored and edited by Brent Carroll, DVM
© Banfield 2002.11 HOEP #81030

Good preventive healthcare begins with careful attention to the basics:

Nutritional Needs

A healthy diet that provides proper levels of energy and nutrients is the foundation for well-being and disease prevention. Your cat needs a protein-rich food with the highest quality amino acids, such as those found in most premium pet foods.

Your pet also needs "life cycle feeding," which means a different diet depending on your cat's age. For example, a kitten needs a diet rich in calories and minerals for a more active lifestyle and for healthy, growing bones and muscles. An older cat on the same diet could quickly get fat. The best food for older cats is restricted in fat and supplemented with fiber.

Early Vaccinations

Vaccination protects your cat from many viral diseases, including feline infectious peritonitis (FIP); feline leukemia virus (FeLV) infection; giardia; and herpesvirus infection. These organisms cause a wide range of disease symptoms, from sneezing to death.

Just like a child, your cat needs to be protected at an early age and given boosters as an adult. Vaccinations are one of mankind's greatest medical achievements and can extend and enhance lives--so why take the chance?

Controlling Parasites

Many kittens are born with worms, which attach to the intestinal lining and can cause painful diarrhea or life-threatening conditions. Intestinal worms stunt your cat's growth and energy level by competing with your pet for nutrients, and some types of worms can be transmitted to humans.

Giardia is a microscopic parasite that can cause serious intestinal inflammation. If infected, pets may exhibit diarrhea, weight loss, depression, decreased appetite or vomiting. Left untreated, the infection may cause your pet to become increasingly debilitated and susceptible to other infections. There is also a risk that giardia is transmittable between pets and humans, making you subject to the same health threats as your pets.

Ask your pet's doctor to design a de-worming plan tailor-made for your pet's needs. For example, cats at risk for heartworms--a different type of worm that causes severe cardiovascular disease--will need a preventive de-wormer specifically for that parasite.

Spaying and Neutering

As your pet's voice and keeper, you will make many important preventive care decisions, one of which is whether to spay or neuter your cat. Scheduling this important surgery early in your pet's life helps prevent many future problems, among them uterine infections, cat fights, roaming, spraying, and overpopulation.

Spays (which are technically known as ovariohysterectomies) and neuters are routine and generally safe, but they are major surgeries that require general anesthesia and an all-day stay. Spays and neuters are usually performed when the pet is 4 to 6 months old.

Routine Health Check-Ups

Think about the regular care we receive throughout our life time from pediatricians, dentists, physicians, allergists, ophthalmologists, and so on. Why settle for anything less for your pet? Now think about the fact that pets age an average of seven years for every one of ours--and it's clear why regular care is so critical.

Health check-ups are recommended twice a year for your cat. These professional evaluations will help you make sure you're on track with your cat's healthcare. Keeping your pet up-to-date on all aspects of healthcare gives your cat the best chance for a long, happy life.

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