How do you take care of a cat for beginners? Caring for a cat can be easy, but there also times owners feel like they are losing their minds. Cat hair is everywhere and hairballs come from nowhere. We all know that cats are independent creatures, but in reality, they can be fun, adorable and absolutely funny. And most of all, no matter how aloof they seem, they love you and need you. We promise. That’s why Shelley and Cynthia are sharing some of our top cat care tips in this episode of the Pet Care Pro Show.
How to Prevent Hairballs in Cats
Hairballs are actually a good thing. You’ll see this in the wild when wild cats eat birds and other small animals, they ingest the bones and hairballs cover the ends of these bones so they won’t puncture the cat’s intestine, but domestic cats, they don’t need that protection. Since domestic don’t exactly live in the wild the best way to prevent hairballs is of course to brush your hair cats hair as often as possible. There are also gels such as Hairball Remedy that you can give your cat that help lubricate the adjusted hair to help it easily pass through the GI tract. You can use a fatty acid supplement to help reduce your cats an overall shedding and this will help prevent those hairballs.
Is it Normal for Kittens to Have Diarrhea?
Diarrhea is a real problem for bottle fed kittens. We get a lot of compliments from our customers on how well Breeder’s Edge Foster Care Feline works for them. It is easy for kittens to digest so there’s no diarrhea or sore fannies. In addition it has the right balance of protein and fat to help kittens grow and thrive. Also remember that over feeding can cause diarrhea so you want to keep those tummies more football-shaped and not too round like a basketball.
How to Reduce Cat Dander
The biggest tip for reducing cat dander, is to clean and vacuum often in order to remove that dander. Don’t forget to frequently clean under furniture and wash the drapes, curtains, comforters, blankets, and other items that can easily trap that cat dander. Again daily brushing removes loose hair. There are also cat beds made with special fibers that trap cat hair and dander.
Your cat’s diet does also make a difference in how much she will shed. If a poor diet is causing your cat to shed more feeding higher-quality food that has the right balance of vitamins fatty acids protein and fats can really help.
What is the Difference Between Killed and Modified Live Vaccines for Cats?
Given how many vaccine orders we ship every week at Revival it is no surprise we get a lot of questions on this topic, especially when it comes to whether killed and modified-live vaccines are both safe for cats. The most important things to know about killed and modified-live vaccines though is that they are both very safe. Killed vaccines use an adjuvant to stimulate the immune system to respond. Whereas a modified-live vaccine contains a wimpy virus strain of the virus that does not cause the disease but it stimulates the immune system. So it responds without the adjuvant. So how they create the immune response is different, but they are both very safe to use. Use Revival’s Vaccine Finder to choose the best vaccine for your cat.
If you want help finding the best vaccine for your cat, call us at 800.786.4751.
Written by: Shelley Hexom
Content Manager
Shelley Hexom is Revival's Content Manager and helps develop educational pet health resources. A three-time Emmy® Award-winning news anchor, Shelley works with Revival's Director of Veterinary Services, Dr. Marty Greer, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, to help create useful and easy-to-understand articles, videos, and webinars. Shelley received her bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from Winona State University in 2002. As a pet owner, Shelley enjoys time with her Boxer mix, Sally. Shelley has been part of the Revival Paw Squad since 2016.
If you need help, call us at 800.786.4751.