Dental Health Care
One of the most common problems in any cat breed is that some will
show signs of oral disease by the time they reach three years of age,
or even sooner. Many veterinarians recommend that you should
brush your cat's teeth several times a week, preferably every day,
beginning when they are a kitten. Never use toothpaste for
humans as it can upset your cat's stomach. There are a number of
flavored toothpastes for cats, some of which include poultry, seafood
and malt flavors. Tika loves the poultry flavor, although other
flavors are equally appealing. Get your cat used to the flavor
of the cat toothpaste for a couple of days first before trying to
brush its teeth. A finger brush will do fine. It is also a
good idea to feed your cat plaque and tartar control foods and treats.
Ask your local veterinarian what he recommends.
Alternatives To Declawing
I cannot stress enough the importance of cats keeping the claws
that they were born with. Cats need claws to stretch, play,
exercise and mark territory. In fact, many reputable
veterinarians outright refuse to declaw cats on the grounds that the
operation is cruel, disfiguring and may cause the cat a great deal of
both physical and physiological suffering. The surgery involves
severing the nails up to the first joint where bone, ligaments and
tendons are removed. After the operation, the cat may have
recurrent infections, suffer damage to its nerves, have problems
balancing and may suffer from chronic back and joint pain. In
some cases, the nails can actually grow back through the inside of the
paw, not necessarily visible to our eyes, but causing a great deal of
pain. The operation may traumatize the cat so much that its
personality could change. The cat could resort to biting more
often as a defense and might even refuse to use its litter box, out of
pain to the paws, or to mark its territory with urine.
