‘Tis the Season to Address Your Cat’s Quality of Life at Home

As we roll out the red carpet for Santa, it’s easy to feel consumed by the seemingly endless naughty and nice lists. Not only are we distracted by shopping for family meals or neighborhood potlucks, but there are always last minute gifts to purchase, and a million other things to do. 

The collective frenzy of the holiday season can cause us to shift our priorities a bit, and we’d be willing to bet that our cats sense it.  Luckily, with a few minor adjustments, you can improve your cat’s quality of life for the new year that is just around the corner.

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Disaster Planning For Cats

Natural disasters are some of the scariest and most damaging phenomena out there. Since they happen with little or no warning, they often cause chaos and confusion if not planned for in advance.

If pets are a part of your family, it’s important to include them in the family disaster planning and preparation. Cats especially require some specific thinking as you plan how to keep them safe in the worst case scenario.

The team at Cat Care of Vinings wants to help give you the knowledge and skills to make disaster planning for cats a breeze. Let’s get started!

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The Heart Of The Matter: Cats and Heartworm Awareness

Here at Cat Care of Vinings, we often talk about heartworm disease with our clients–there are so many myths out there regarding its incidence, prevalence, and prevention. It sounds complicated, but it is actually very simple.

First things first, unless your furry kitty friend lives literally without ANY possible exposure to even one mosquito, your baby is at risk. Mosquitoes carry heartworm disease and pass it from dog to cat to cat to dog and so on. The best way to protect your cat or kitten is with year-round preventative measures EVEN when indoor-only.

Heartworm disease has been diagnosed in all 50 states in cats, and risk factors are impossible to predict. The truth is that all cats are at risk, regardless of their life-style. Multiple variables, from climate variations to the presence of wildlife carriers, cause rates of infections to vary dramatically from year to year—even within communities. Nothing truly freezes or dies in the South East to end the life cycle of mosquitos and give us a well-deserved break!

Furthermore, heartworm disease in cats is NOT treatable, difficult to detect, life-threatening and very preventable. Signs of overt heartworm disease in our feline friends rarely manifests until very late; this makes a diagnosis difficult. This seems all “gloom and doom” but truly, the bottom line for cats and heartworm disease is prevention,  prevention, and more prevention!

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Owning a Cat Improves Your Human Relationships in Wonderful Ways

Documented research proves that dog owners are more outgoing and social than other people, but the reach and power of owning a cat is not as well known. Cat owners know how wonderful it is to share their home with a cat or two. While it’s fun and rewarding to have a cat, we also learn a great deal from our feline relationships.

What does this mean for our human relationships? Only great things!

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Kitten Care: The First Three Months

kitten careThere’s something undeniably special about kittens; maybe it’s the large and inquisitive eyes, or the precious and tiny paws, or the little tails that continually twitch in the excitement of exploring a new environment. Taking care of a kitten is an exercise in playfulness and delight, to be sure.

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Why Regular Wellness Care For Cats Is Important

wellness care for catsRegular wellness care is of the utmost importance for any pet, but trips to the veterinarian often end up on the back burner when it comes to our cats.

This pro-cats-tination could be due to a general dislike of car rides, carriers, handling without their consent, or because cats are experts at masking symptoms,  hiding pain and making us believe that there is nothing wrong. Because of this, many felines don’t get the care they need until their health problems become serious. It’s important to remember that cats age more rapidly than humans, making regular wellness care an essential component of a healthy lifestyle for your feline companion. Preventing illness and disease in our feline companions is easier, healthier, and cheaper than attempting to treat a problem once it arises. Continue…