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Ah yes, everyone's favorite pet chore. One day you clean your cats' box and discover little white chunks of what appear to be cooked spaghetti lodged in the feces,
that is, until one starts to move. You know then that it's time to deworm your cats. If your veterinarian says that your cat doesn't have anything particularly tough or nasty then he or she may recommend a regular schedule using commercial dewormers that can be found readily in any pet store. Your veterinarian even may have a good general purpose dewormer on hand for your use. Fortunately, there is a wide range of deworming medicines available on the market. Most are liquid or pill form.
If you have only one cat, your task is relatively simple. Choose a dewormer that your cat will find acceptable if not palatable. Many liquid dewormers claim to be very
tasty to cats. Unfortunately, many cats would vigorously disagree with that assessment. In such a case, if you have access to a pill form of dewormer that your cat is willing to swallow, you're in luck. If your cat won't swallow pills without major mayhem breaking out and turns his nose up at every liquid dewormer you try, then you have a problem. If
you have more than one cat, it can become even more of an issue. If your cats will happily take whatever you offer, then the only thing you have to worry about is keeping
the greedy guts from getting more than they should. But, If each of them has a different idea as to what is acceptable (or not) for deworming medicine, then you have a major
headache.
Rather than cater to each cats whims and maintain a veterinary pharmacy worth of dewormers in your house or routinely running your finicky feline into the veterinarian
every to he needs deworming, you might try a different route. You will need a liquid deworming medicine and a syringe. Syringes are readily available in the livestock
medication section of farm supply stores. You only need the section with the barrel and plunger. No needles are needed or should even be used. Syringes in farm supply stores
usually offer the two sections separately. Select one of smaller size. Your cat won't need large amounts of medicine at any one time.
Measure out the proper amount of dewormer for your cat into a measuring cup. A measuring cup usually comes in the package with a liquid dewormer. Take one of your
syringes and place the open end (where the needle would normally attach) into the measuring cup and draw the medicine up into the barrel by pulling upward on the
plunger. Try to get it all at one time. You could do this task by increments but trying to manage a squirming cat while refilling a syringe really is more difficult than it is worth. Now restrain your cat gently and situate yourself so that you can hold the cat and use the syringe easily. It could require some experimentation to work out a suitable position for the both of you. . If you keep one hand underneath the cats head and cradle his chin it
will make this part of the task go more smoothly. Slide the end of the syringe a little bit into your cat's mouth and slowly depress the plunger This will empty the medicine into
your cat's mouth slowly enough that he can readily swallow it without choking. Repeat
for each cat.
Naturally, your cat will not be particularly pleased with this method. He may object rather strenuously. With repetition, however, you will become much smoother with the task. You don't need to rush during this task. Take your time to discover what will work best for you and your cats. Your cats will become more accustomed to it despite themselves. This method will ensure that each cat, even your most finicky, gets the proper amount of medicine he needs. And that, of course, is the whole reason for the entire exercise.
Date Added: Sunday, 04-06-2025 02:05:08 PM
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Cats are what are known as obligate carnivores. An obligate carnivore is one that must east meat. You cannot just turn her out to graze in a pasture. The digestive tract of cats has been shortened and optimized proteins from meat. They simply don't have the dental or digestive apparatus to process plant materials. It's therefore surprising, given their physical inability to process plants, that you will still find cats nibbling on plants from time to time. There are many theories for why cats would nibble plants. They may be trying to balance an upset digestion or add missing vitamins and minerals. Perhaps they simply like the taste. Maybe it's a combination of factors. The jury is still out on this matter.
Fortunately these days, we don't have to go out and hunt for food to feed our cats. There are a large number of very good, nutritionally balanced foods available in pet stores to satisfy any cats' tastes. Try to feed good quality food. It really does make a difference in the health and appearance of your pet. Pick one that your cat likes and stick with it. Cats don't actually need a lot of variety. Changing their food constantly tends to just make them picky eaters.
Nutritional requirements for your pet will vary by age and size. What she needs as a kitten will be very different than what she will need as an adult. Be sure to follow the instructions on the bag to avoid feeding too much or too little. The average adult cat will need about one cup of food a day. Cats appreciate consistency in their feeding schedules. Try to feed them at the same time each day. Also, try to keep their bowls out of high traffic areas. It's hard to eat your dinner when people are stepping on you!
Try not to feed your cat people food. Some things, such as chocolate and raw liver, are actually toxic to cats. Others cause digestive upset. Remove the bones from any cooked meat you might want to give to your cat. Poultry and pork bones in particular are given to splintering and can injure your cat.
When you need to switch from one type of food to the other, do so in a gradual process. Shifting gradually from one to the other over the course of a week will help prevent digestive upsets. You may need to switch foods because your store may stop carrying the brand you like or perhaps your kitten has grown old enough to graduate to adult food. Do the changeover slowly and your cat will thank you for it.
Feeding treats is something for you to decide if you want to do it. Some people are dead set against them. Others lavish treats on their pets at every opportunity. There are many good cat treats on the market today. Read their directions carefully. You don't want to overindulge your cat and turn her into a furry beach ball with legs. The only other thing that a cat requires is water. Do your best to keep a nice fresh supply of water available for your pet. With a little thought and planning you can keep your pet healthy and happy for a long time to come.
Date Added: Friday, 04-04-2025 10:30:28 PM
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