A good host often have questions about pet health and correct care. We chose the ten most pressing questions from participants one of the most popular thematic groups in social networks and asked to answer them Catherine Baluk, a leading veterinarian at Mars Ukraine. Katerina looks back on many years of experience in assisting small Pets, as well as 14 years of consulting in the field of healthy nutrition for cats and dogs.
1. What are the effects of spaying and neutering Pets for their health and life expectancy?
Timely neutering (castration) has a positive effect on the health of cats and dogs. These animals live longer. First example: the cat is spayed before her first heat, this will allow her, almost 99%, to avoid breast cancer, if after the 3rd – the probability of cancer increases dramatically. Second example: if a cat for a long time (2-3 years) to keep the drugs to counteract the heat very often develop pyometra of the uterus (purulent inflammation of the uterus). Then the operation of ovariohysterectomy (sterilization) is simply inevitable, to rescue the animal. But, as a rule, then this procedure is carried out to an animal already in a high state of intoxication, which can sometimes lead to complications or negative consequences. Therefore, if the animal is not subject to a planned breeding, it is desirable to be sterilized in a timely manner.
2. We have a little kitten and we can’t seem to decide what type of food will be best for the cat. The cat lives in the apartment. Lots of opinions heard from friends regarding harm and use exclusively natural food and prepared feeds. Help me decide, please.
How and what to feed the kitten, you need to solve immediately at the time of its acquisition as the most harmful to the health of the gastrointestinal tract of cats and dogs is a sharp and constant “jumping” from one feed type to another. If you decide to cook for your pet, you need to clearly understand what kind of food you have to cook every day, roughly, for the past 15-17 years. Besides, you should know exactly what your animal needs at all stages of their growth and development (which metabolizes proteins, in what quantity, what he needed essential amino acids, vitamins that are not synthesized in the body of a cat). If all this does not comply, then sooner or later the problems start with digestion, and with the appearance of a cat. To understand how you will be able or not to choose a diet of natural foods, recommend a simulator “Individual selection of diet” – I think the result will surprise you!
In view of the foregoing, are much healthier, easier and more economically to begin to feed a kitten a high quality, balanced, complete feed from manufacturers of famous brands of feed formulation which has been developed by veterinary nutritionists at research centers such as WALTHAM. Next, you should choose the most appropriate texture of food for your kitten – first (2-5 months) this can be wet food (e.g. WHISKAS for kittens in bags), then it is possible to smoothly transfer the kitten to dry food for kittens (2-12 months). It is very important to determine what food you like, and most importantly – suitable for your animal. Sometimes the same feed one kitten to digest perfectly, and another may be allergic reaction. This does not mean that food is of insufficient quality, he’s just not suitable for your animal. And the main rule in feeding industrial feeds: strictly dosed food (especially dry), according to the recommendations on the package, and also to provide the animal with free access to fresh, cool, purified drinking water.
3. At what age do cats have menopause occurs? My cat for almost 8 years and 2-4 times a year I give her Counterrevolutionaries. As I understand it, to sterilize it in this age makes no sense, but listen to these “concerts” in her performance at times no power?
Want to make you happy – cats “climax” does not occur. Some individuals, being in good physical shape, able to successfully carry and give birth to healthy kittens even at the age of 30 (look in the Guinness Book of records). For a long time you give the cat a chemical contraceptive preparations which often enough lead to the violation of hormonal background of the animal, which is fraught with development of such pathologies as: ovarian cysts, glandular hyperplasia of the uterus, uterine tumors, pyometra, etc. So I highly recommend sterilizing your 8-year-old cat and to enjoy fellowship with her (this is not a critical age for this procedure).
4. Tell me, why, whatever the question may have addressed to the veterinarian, he always asks: “What kind of food are feeding?”. Because all the food is certified and licensed. In General, why the first question is always about the food, why is it so important?
Yeah, right, this is one of the first questions asked by the vet patients. The answer allows the doctor to understand what the condition really is an animal. It sometimes depends on the diagnosis. Often, the owners say, “My cat is very well fed!”. And begin to call, “beautiful”, from their point of view, the list of products for cat: soup of the bulls, porridge with chicken, sausages, olives, etc. And when the doctor hears this list, believe me, his mind goes through a whole range of possible diseases! If patients list the name of industrial feed, then there is, unfortunately, also occur in the feed are not certified on the territory of Ukraine and imported illegally (such feed now on the shelves of pet stores over 50%). Such foods, of course, can cause great harm to the body of the animal. As a rule, doctors know about them, allowing them to properly diagnose and take action.
Unfortunately, there are situations when the physician cannot make a diagnosis or the animal has not passed the necessary examinations. And then all the problems blamed on the food. And typically referred to as the most popular and advertised brands of feed. When the problem persists – it becomes clear that food has nothing to do with anything, but an unjustified negative Association from the owners of the animals have already formed.
5. We often go on business trips for 2-3 days. The question naturally arises, where and with whom to leave the cat? The apartment and negotiate with neighbours to regularly feed? Or in a hotel for Pets? When the cat is left alone in the apartment, after our return, she is offended, ignore us, may refuse to eat.
If the animal is a vulnerable and sensitive, of course, the best option is to leave it at home, and ask someone close to visit him. Because the cat is very attached to his dwelling place, to smells, objects, and separation with you, he is perceived as something that you threw (at least for a short period of time). In this case the cat is forced to adapt to new people, and it is not big, but still stress. In order for the cat is easier to tolerate separation, ask family to give her a little more time to not only feed her but also to communicate with her (to play, to stroke, etc.). And when you arrive from the trip, be sure to bring the cat something tasty (alternatively, try a bag of SHEBA) and immediately offer her a treat, then the animal will understand that it is for you at the 1st place, and I hope no more hard feelings on the part of your pet will not.
6. Fold cat, 1 year old, shed since childhood. How to stop constant moult?
Usually occurs 2 outdoor cats shedding in spring (when the cat changes a warm winter coat for a light summer) and autumn (when heavily dressed for the cold period). Permanent molt occurs in one way or another, almost all “residential” cats, because the average annual temperature in the room is always 21-23 ° C, and the body “apartment” cat “understands” that summer, and when winter, so the sheds constantly. In order to reduce this process, the cat should be regularly and efficiently comb (1 per month) using the special combs for grooming, such as “slicker brush”. You also need to regularly give complex vitamins with Biotin, or add to the diet: 1 raw chicken egg yolk 2 times a week (contains large quantities of the vitamin Biotin), you can also add 1 coffee spoon of ground flax seeds 1 time a week (contains polyunsaturated fatty acids omega -3,6). But do not forget that cats lick themselves all the time and swallow onlineshow wool, which must rid the body of the animal, and preferably in a natural way, so these animals must constantly be fed with prepared feed with special additives for the removal of clumps of hair (as an example: Perfect Fit In-Home). All these measures in complex will allow your cat to be healthy and will help to improve the quality of wool and to reduce the amount of shedding.
7. Tell me what to do with a cat. Cat after sterilization is the second year the spring just bald in the wounds – cats do not give passage until the winter. In addition, she is also wild.
Yes, it happens with cats in some cases, after sterilization procedures:
- If the vet spayed cat in heat, when the ovaries have a cat covered with enlarged follicles containing oocytes. Careless ovariectomy several follicles can be separated from the ovary and remain in the abdominal cavity. Subsequently, they will be active enough to produce sex hormones, which will be expressed in the symptoms of estrus, but the cat is sterilized and not able to birth kittens.
- If the veterinarian when removal of the ovaries removed ovary not completely, and part of his left – this will lead to similar symptoms. In this case, the required re-operation for complete removal of the ovaries, so the symptoms of oestrus have disappeared.
- Don’t normally do this, but there are cases where the vet just bandaged and did not remove ovaries. In this case, due to the unique body of cats, it will heat and kittens.
- Also, these symptoms may occur in pathologies of the adrenals and/or thyroid (just with such pathologies, in addition to the symptoms of oestrus are observed and even baldness)
So, in your case, you need this cat to contact an experienced veterinarian, who will conduct a comprehensive examination of the animal (ultrasound, blood tests, skin scraping) and establish correctly the reason for this rejection.
8. How to cure demodectic mange in domestic cats?
Demodicosis is quite rare as an independent disease. Demodectic mange most often seen in those cats which have any kind of immunodeficiency (for example: leukemia, VIC, FIP, immunodeficiency different Genesis). So it is very important the correct diagnosis is to determine with high quality product scraping, whether in cats demodicosis. Sometimes similar symptoms can be caused by scabies mites (sarcoptic mange, notoedres). You also need to do a blood test for the presence of immune deficiency, if the diagnosis is confirmed, it is possible to begin a comprehensive treatment. Most often for the treatment of demodectic mange, use drugs: Ivermectin/ Dectomax/Bravetta and L-sulphur (bathing of animals) also need extensive supportive care of the animal during treatment and after. But demodicosis is a very serious disease in which the diagnosis, selection of drugs and dosages should only be performed by a veterinarian.
9. My Dachshund brazenly stealing food from the cat. Not harmful cat food dog and how to deal with it?
Of course, it’s not nice to steal! But don’t worry the dog does not happen, if it will eat do a bit of food for cats. However, if the dogs feed exclusively industrial forages for cats, it will not benefit and may lead to various health problems (obesity, lipidosis of the liver, etc.). Food for cats contain, on average, 2 times more protein and fat, because cats in these nutrients to 2 times higher need than dogs. In order that the dog dragged the cat food, I recommend to put the cat’s bowls with food on the middle level of the apartment (windowsill, table, washing machine etc), in General, where you and the cat will be comfortable and the dog can’t get.
10. Do I need to bathe the cat? If Yes – how often to bathe, water, what temperature and with what means? My cat strongly demonstrates that she likes the water. Sometimes she “asks” include a small trickle of tap: first drinking water, and then wets legs and rubs herself. In short, to clean. Your reply Catherine, it is very important now – despite the temporary cold, the case still moves to summer, to heat. The cat froze in anticipation of your verdict.
A very distorted view that cats are afraid of water. Most often, they are afraid of its noise. Many cats like to swim, to touch the foot of water – they do it with pleasure, if not previously scared (for example: trying to wash under the shower, etc.). Bathe the cats if they are constantly in the house if their hair looks nice fluffy and shiny, if it smells good – no need. If you do decide to take this feat – cat bathe under a shower, and a little water-filled bathtub, no more than 1 every 3-6 months, and you should try bathing with detergents as little as possible, so as not to overdry the skin and fur. After all, a defensive reaction of the organism on cat skin dryness will increased secretion of the sebaceous glands, and this, in turn, will affect the appearance of the animal: the fur will look unkempt, sometimes fatty and stuck together. Many cats, especially in the summer, just live in the bathrooms, as they find cool and cool, running water that you drink. Unfortunately, we have in the taps now flowing not the pure water that cats do not give to drink, as there is a risk of urolithiasis. Cats need to give only purified (filtered after freezing) drinking water. But you need to take into account one important factor: cats almost never drink warm water, warmed up to room temperature. Therefore, if the cat’s bowl of water heated up, and as a rule, cats are small (100-150 ml) plastic bowls for water, they begin to look for cool water. Because of that, they can often be found near sinks and aquariums. Many owners it causes joy and emotion, and in fact is a reason to think. In order for the cat drinking from his dish, you need to put not plastic, and ceramic or metal bowl volume of at least 500 ml and at least 2 times a day to change the water in it. In the summer for cooling cast into the water ice cubes – cats love it.
