Feline health is all about maintenance. This article will give you three easy steps for keeping your cat(s) happy and healthy on a long-term basis.

Cats are independent creatures in many ways. If you follow a few simple guidelines your feline friends will enjoy maximum health and a very long life.

Use the information below to formulate your own feline health care plan:

Feline Health Tip #1 Choosing The Right Food

It’s critical that you feed your cats a high quality food product. You might save money by going with a dollar store brand of cat food, but the end result will be poor health and possible even complications.

A quality food will ensure optimal feline health by providing the proper nutrition. A good product like Science Diet, Iams, or Eukanuba will boost your cat’s energy levels, give them a healthy, shiny coat, and support a strong digestive system.

Also, a higher-grade food will not contain the kind of fillers and junk found in low-grade stock. Such byproducts can cause digestion problems and sluggish performance over time.

Feline Health Tip #2 Providing A Cat-Friendly Environment

Feline health experts agree that cats living indoors fulltime live longer than cats that are allowed to go outside frequently. Obviously felines will encounter far fewer hazards in your home than they would when wandering the streets or countryside.

However, cats love being outside. So you may want to allow some outdoors time if you live a safe distance from a busy road and there are no free-roaming, aggressive dogs in your area.

Even cats that live inside can endanger themselves through their tendency to investigate unsafe areas. Go over your home as if you planned to childproof it to avoid problems that arise form curious felines.

Keep cleaning chemicals and other toxic materials locked away. Cats might be attracted to the sweet smell of cleaning solutions.

Also be sure any heating/cooling ducts are protected with the proper grates to prevent cats from getting stuck in the ductwork. And avoid leaving easy access to standing water in kitchen sinks or bathtubs.

Feline Health Tip #3 Cat Maintenance

It’s a good idea to pay close attention to your cat’s eyes, mouth, ears, and feet. Look for any liaisons, discharges, or other signs of injury or illness so you can prevent infection or serious complications resulting from their active lifestyle.

And be aware that cats are vulnerable to a whole range of dental, respiratory, and ear/eye complications. By keeping a close watch on any new developments or major behavioral changes you can stop an illness from becoming too serious.

Any changes in eating or drinking habits should be taken seriously. If a cat becomes disinterested in food or water or becomes unable to use the litter box contact your vet without delay.

These three very simple tips can help you keep your cat(s) happy and healthy for a very long time. These wonderful creatures rely on you to keep them healthy and safe, and diligence in this regard is a small price to pay for the companionship they offer.

Cats need a high-protein diet, rich in fats. They normally eat small meals all through the day. Cats maintain their body weight by sticking to the diet they take in. To keep cats healthy, owners have to ensure that the foods they give to their cats are rich in minerals, protein and vitamins.

In addition, the diet needs to be limited. Increasing the food intake for cats may invite serious health problems.

Necessary Nutrients:

Cat owners need to check, if their pet food offers the following nutrients:

1. Pet food has to contain vital nutrients such as minerals and vitamins. One vital nutrient is Vitamin A and vitamin E, which helps to build resistance against a variety of diseases.

2. Animal protein from poultry, meat, egg sources and fish helps to keep bones sturdy and strong.

3. The diet needs to have accurate balance of fatty acids that nurture the skin and coat health.

4. Taurine, an amino acid, extracted from meat sources such as fish and chicken. This helps in keeping the eyes healthy and preventing heart diseases. Taurine supports fetal growth, development and reproduction in cats.

5. Next, a fiber source such as beet pulp, which maintains the digestive system of cats, is also a necessary nutrient.

Special Dietary Needs for Pregnant or lactating cats:

Pet owners have to take enough care of their pregnant cats. Increase their intake by 50 per cent than their current diets. The owner may give kitten food as a nutritional support to cats at the time of conception.

After the mother cat gives birth to young kittens, gradually increase the intake to 75 per cent. Maintain this diet until the kittens get used to eating canned or dry food. The moment kittens begin eating substitute food, incorporate the normal food again so that the mother cat keeps away from any weight gain.

Avoid Obesity:

Generally, indoor cats do not get the opportunity to exercise as compared to outdoor cats. Due to this, indoor cats fall prey to obesity. To avoid this, pet owners have to allow their cats to exercise in open the way they wish.

Preventing Cats from Developing Hairballs:

Cats take their own time to arrange themselves neatly. They constantly lick their fur and in the process, sometimes swallow hair. If the hairball fails to pass into the intestines, the cat may land in trouble. It may try to eject the hairball. To avoid this, pet owners have to make sure that they supply a nutritional diet to their cats.

What Every Cat Needs:

No matter what food they get to eat, owners need to make available plenty of water for their cats, always. It is advisable to place water at a distance three to five feet from the food.

This prevents the cat from swallowing water hastily. Cats demand comfortable place to eat and prefer to stay away from people around them. Last of all, the cat owners need to take their cats to the veterinarian at regular intervals. This will help in keeping pet cats healthy and happy.

Kate Rieger asked:

Cat urinary tract health care remains one of the top challenges facing caring cat owners. Be on the lookout for the symptoms cats show when they have poor cat urinary tract health or other feline urinary tract disorder(FLUTD).

You or someone you know probably has endured the human version of a urinary tract infection. There is an intense, persistent urge to urinate accompanied by a burning sensation when *********. The urine has a strong odor and there may even be blood in the urine.

In the cat world, these symptoms are very similar except that progressed cases of urinary tract infection in cats can lead to a very painful death. Cats of any age may suffer from the disorder, but older cats are more susceptible. Another similarity to human UTI is that both female and male cats can suffer from poor cat urinary tract health.

In fact, male cats are more susceptible to one condition more so than female cats — urinary stones.

5 Conditions of Poor Cat Urinary Cat Health

1. Incessant licking in the ******* area

2. Blood in the urine

3. Urinary(Bladder) stones also called uroliths

4. Urethral obstruction

5. Death

The only way your cat knows how to deal with an itch or burning sensation in his ******* area is to lick and lick and lick. One clue to a urinary tract infection in cats is that you find urine on the floor, or on tile or in the bathtub — really a blessing because you can see it.

Blood may be visible in the urine. However, if you don’t see any blood that doesn’t mean its not there. A trained eye using a microscope will note if there is blood in the urine.

Urinary stones are a huge reason to alert on changes in your cat’s behavior pointing out urinary tract infections in cats. These stones are mineral crystals formed in the bladder.

When the stones leave the bladder they travel down the urethra tube to exit the body. The stones become lodged in the urethra and block the passage of urine. This problem occurs more in male cats than females as the male urethra tube is narrower. Smaller stones cause a blockage where the female’s wider urethra allows the smaller crystals to pass through.

This is where time becomes a critical factor. If the stones aren’t dislodged naturally or medically, your cat endures a painful death. You have 72 hours from the onset to deal with the stones. Unfortunately, your cat may not display symptoms for 24 to 48 hours.

Causes

It was once thought that certain minerals in cat food contributed to urinary stones. Bacteria can also lead to poor cat urinary tract health.

Today, veterinarians pay more attention to the ph level of the cat’s urine. Ph is the measurement of the acid or alkaline level of the urine. Veterinarians recommend the ph level be around 6.0 to 6.5.

Prevention

Ask your vet to check the ph level in your cat’s urine.

Place clean, fresh water bowls throughout the house and outdoors so that water is very available to your cats. Provide smaller meals more frequently. Minimize major routine changes.

Make no mistake about it, you can help your cat stick to a simple, natural pet care program that promotes vital cat urinary tract health. There are a number of natural remedies available that are blends of herbs tested and proven to treat painful and chronic urinary tract infection in cats.