Coaxing Kitty to Swallow: Administering Pills

If your cat s sick, there are many things that you can do to help him or her regain health. A vet will be able to explain to you all of the treatment options available. Sometimes, this means administering medications to your pet, and pills can be especially difficult to get your cat to eat. In fact, many pet owners think that their cat has eaten a pill, but they later find it on the floor or in the food bowl! There are many ways you can ensure that your kitty is swallowing all of the proper medications in order to heal as quickly as possible.

Remember, no matter how old your cat gets, you’ll never be able to explain to him or her that a pill is the first step to feeling better. Therefore, in order to teach a cat the importance of pets, you must teach a pet to be nonresistant to pills—or things that look like pills! Many cat treats that you purchase are actually in a similar size to pills and can be given to your cat regularly to get him or her used to pills. That way, if your cat ever needs pills, he or she will not resist. When you do this, give your cat the pill, and then immediately give your cat the pill-shaped treat.

If your cat has not had pills before, don’t worry—you can still get them into your cat’s system. Most cats will not resist pills at first if they do not know what they are. Start with the pill-shaped treats—cat chocolate is a good place to start. You can feed the cat a few of these pill-like treats, and then the real pill. Follow up with the treats once again.

You can also hide the pill so that the animal swallows it without realizing what he or she is doing. Push your cat’s pill into a chocolate treat that is made for cats (never you chocolate made for humans), or talk to your vet about other appropriate ways to cover the pill. Some people coat the pill in butter. Make sure, however, that your cat can have the pill with food. In some cases, your cat needs the medication on an empty stomach.

If your cat still won’t swallow the pill, you can also push the pill down his or her throat. This may seem a bit cruel, but if your pet needs the medication, it is the best choice. You can purchase pill pushers, but it is usually more convenient and effective if you do it by hand. Your vet can demonstrate how to push up on your pet’s mouth to insert the pill without getting bit. Stroke the cat’s throat and insert some water into the cat’s mouth to make him or her swallow. Pills and medication are very important to your pet, so make sure that your pet is getting them to stay healthy.

Newborn Kitten Health

Any pet’s health is important, but those who are new to the world may need extra care and attention in order to stay safe and healthy. If your cat has recently had kittens, you are a second mother to these new little additions to the family. It is crucial to make sure that you are providing the best living environment possible for the kittens as they grow during their first few weeks of life.

During the first few days of a litter’s life, your mother cat will spend most of her time lying with the kittens. This is a natural instinct. You should move the food and water to be very close to where the kittens are so that the mother does not have to move far to find nourishment. Check mom a few times a day to make sure that she is producing milk properly. If the mother does not stay with her kittens, something may be wrong. First-time mothers are especially prone to bouts of anxiousness. When a mother is worried about her kittens, she may move them t hide them form everyone and everything, even you. If she feels very threatened, she may kill her kittens as a form of protecting them. If you see your mother cat exhibiting anxious qualities, monitor her activity with the kittens closely and consider keeping her caged.

Kittens need a very warm temperature to survive. If the mother does not stay with the kittens, you may need to supply heat from an outside source, like a heat lamp. Large litters will typically stay warmer, using body heat. Make sure that the box where the newborn kittens are staying is about 85-90 degrees Fahrenheit for at least the first week of life. However, mothers may feel as through their kittens are in danger if there is too much light. You can calm an anxious mother by placing a blanket loosely over the top of the box.

Don’t be alarmed if the kittens are not moving around much at first. Newborn kittens sleep and eat 90% of the time for the first two weeks of life. Crying is common if the mother leaves for any amount of time, but if the kittens cry excessively, it may signal that they are not getting enough to eat or they are sick. Call your vet if this occurs. You can also call your vet for special instructions if there are more than 5 kittens in the litter, which may mean that the mother cannot supply enough milk. In general, it is simply best to talk to your vet about what to expect with your new kittens.

The Holidays and Your Cat’s Health

Keeping your pet safe and health at all times should be one of your major concerns, and this can be even more difficult around the holidays. There are a number of special considerations you must make for your cat around the holidays. Your vet can give you more specific instructions, but here are just a few of the things you need to consider.

Holidays are not festive without a little decorating, and this includes, in many cases, the use of flowers. If you have a cat in your house, make sure that flowers are well out of reach if they are toxic, remembering that cats can jump very high. Some of the most popular flowers that are harmful to your pet include bleeding hearts, calla lilies, poinsettias, daffodils, Easter lilies, irises, ivies, tulips (the bulb part), and a number of other plants. Most cats will not go out of their way to eat these things, but to be on the safe side, make sure you use them in a safe way in your home or, better yet, opt for faux versions instead. There are many kinds of plants that can harm your cat, so check with your vet to make sure before bringing new kinds of plants into your house.

The holidays also may bring a number of guests into your home for parties and gatherings. This can be very scary for your cat, unless he or she is used to high levels of traffic. It’s a good idea to keep your cat in a room away from the party with the door shut. This will prevent your cat from being scared. When people are coming into and out of your house, there’s also the potential that your cat could get outside, and there is also the danger that guests will feed your cat unsafe human foods. It is better to keep your cat away from the party.

Remember also that alcohol and animals do not mix well. Alcohol, in fact, is deadly to animals. Although you or (more likely) a guest might think it’s funny to slip a little vodka into your cat’s water bowl, this could prove fatal. When you have guests, put your cat’s food and water bowls somewhere safe where no one can tamper with them.

Candles and electrical lights could also be unsafe for your pet. Cats are attracted to bright lights, and a candle could not only burn your pet, but you may find that a cat knocking over a candle will start a fire in your house or, at the least, spill wax onto furniture or carpets. Use electrical lights instead, but remember to keep the cords covered and taped down so your pet isn’t tempted to play with them. Overall, keep an extra eye on your pet during the holidays to make sure they are staying safe at all times. You can have a good time without compromising your cat’s health.

Feline Leukemia Virus Disease: A Major Threat to your Cat

Just like in humans, cats can develop very deadly medical conditions. One of the most common and fatal kinds of disease a cat can contract is feline leukemia virus disease, known as FeLV. Leukemia, which is also found in humans, is a disease of the white blood cells. There are three major types of this leukemia. Today, we can protect our cats for FeLV with a vaccine, so it is important to have your pet up-to-date with medical care at all times.

With FeLV, there are three disease categories. The first are the leukemias, which are similar to what leukemia is like in humans. This is cancer of the white blood cells. However, not all FeLV diseases are cancer. Lymphosarcoma is the second category. Also cancerous, this disease begins in the lymphoid tissue around the lymph nodes. It affects the intestinal tract, kidneys, liver, spine, brain, blood, and bone marrow. The third category is the non-cancerous diseases that fall under the umbrella of FeLV and include immune suppression, anemia, and arthritis. Some of these medical conditions may also be fatal.

Cats are most commonly exposed to FeLV when they get into fights. FeLV is a virus that is spread mainly through saliva, and the wounds a cat receives from bites during a fight provide an entry point into the body. Cats can also get FeLV from sharing food or water bowls, grooming one another, and transmission from mother to kittens. If your cat contracts FeLV, there may be many possible outcomes. Some forms of the disease cannot be treated, however, so prevention is important. Remember, though, that a cat can live with the disease for many years and so your vet can help you choose the best course of action. Cats infected with FeLV are dangerous to other cats, and so they must live in confined single-cat homes, or you can choose euthanasia.

So far, there have been no studies that have found any correlation between this disease in cats and diseases in humans, so your family should be safe. That said, high-risk individuals should avoid contact with a sick animal. This includes newborns, senior citizens, AIDS patients, and chemotherapy patients. Because the virus cannot live for more than a few hours outside of the cat, you are safe in having cats return to your home as soon as two days after the infected cat is gone. Talk to your vet for more details.

Cat Sitter Tips

There will be times in your life when you have to leave home, and you can’t always take your cat with you, no matter how well behaved he or she may be. If you have to travel out of town, it is important to make sure that your cat’s health will be in good hands while you are gone. For this job, you’ll need a cat sitter. When hiring a cat sitter, make sure that you leave him or her with good information about your cats so that you can rest assured that they are safe and healthy.

In the best-case scenario, your cat sitter will be someone that you already know. Neighborhood teens make good cat sitters, as do relatives. You can also call a pet sitting company if you don’t have anyone else in mind. Whoever takes care of your cats, make sure that they are trustworthy and responsible to show up at your house every single day at the correct times. If you have multiple cats or other pets, or if you will be gone for over a week, it may be a good idea to have someone you know house sit and stay overnight in your home.

Before you leave, create an easy-to-read sheet of important information. Start by listing your cats—include their names, fur color, special diet and medication, likes and dislikes, and favorite hiding place. You should also include step-by-step detailed instructions for cat care and the number for you and for your vet.

Make sure that everything needed to care for your cat is out in the open and easy to use. For example, do forget to leave a can opener for your cat sitter! If any of your cats fall ill or are injured, your cat sitter will need to call a vet and possible even take your act to the vet’s office. Have the phone in an easy-to-locate place and leave cat carriers by the door. Also make sure that all cleaning supplies are easy for your cat sitter to find, including litter box materials.

If any of your cats need vet care, you will have to pay the vet bills, of course. Leave a $20 bill (or more if you’ll be gone longer) for your cat sitter to specifically be used for the cats. Beyond that, call your vet to alert him or her that you will be out of town. Given your vet your credit card number, the phone number where you can be reached, and the name of your cat sitter, with the assertion that he or she will act in your place until you return home. Doing this will help keep your cat safe and healthy even while you are away.

Rule of Photograph

When it comes to the most beneficial rule of composition is to keep in mind that there is a rule of thirds. This will be helpful to the professionals and amateurs. You will find that there rule of the thirds will help you to get your composition set up. It is not difficult to learn or even use. You will always want to keep the rule in mind so that you can see a drastic improvement in the quality of the pictures that take.

Fortunately, our minds think in Rule of Thirds mode even if we do not know it. It is very important that you follow this real so that you can get things in motion taking a picture that is pleasing to look at and also appealing. If your viewfinder has a grid option, use it. This was set up to make using the Rule of Thirds easy. If your camera does not have this option, you’ll have to imagine it. When looking at a frame, you will want to draw a mental note of a tic-tac-toe box so that you can see lines that running horizontally and vertically.
Next, check out your subject matter in relationship to the horizontal lines. Your picture will have the most impact if the horizon is placed close to one of these lines, so that your sky occupies about 1/3 or 2/3 of the picture. This will have a visual impact. The next step is to look at you subject matter in relationship to the four points on the grid where the horizontal and vertical lines meet. Also known as “sweet spots” for photographers. By placing visual importance in these spots, your picture will look more balanced.

A good photographer will include diagonal lines. It will appear more pleasing if they run through one or two of the sweet spots. You will find that your subject also matters when it comes to using the rule, but you should always keep the rule in mind when you are taking the picture of anything. You need to be willing to break these rules, but you need to understand the importance of the elements will help you to make great shots, however, you have to keep in mind that not everything will fit picture perfectly in the sweet spots. When you keep the rule of thirds in mind you can create wonderful pictures with more of an impact. You can practice using it when it comes to still life shots, landscapes, and when arranging portraits. You can take a good picture and make it great within a few seconds.

Print Storage

There is nothing wrong with you to continue to get copies of the photographs for scrap booking. If you’re anything like me, however, it’s hard to find the time to always complete pages as soon as you get the hard copies made. It is important to safely store your prints until you can create albums.

There are many storage systems that can be found on the market and it will protect your pictures and your memories by using acid free products and by learning to keep them clean and well. Look for products that are specially made for picture storage; these organizational tools should always be acid free. One of the easiest and more convenient ways to storage is to buy photo albums. This will keep them from acid and will protect them from getting dirty.

There are a lot of options on the market when it comes to acid free products and many safe albums to ensure you the protection of your pictures. Sliding your pictures into slots is not nearly as attractive as creating pages, but when you use a regular photo album, you can still share your pictures in a presentable way with guests until you have time to create scrapbooks.

It will be best for you if you learn how to organize your pictures according to album, rather then theme. Also, you will want to think about virtual folders and other tools to help you to keep the pictures separate. You will find that there are folders that you can keep certain pictures in and you will find that they are much like a file or drawer. You will be able to label them and then you’ll increase the type that it takes you to find something that you need. You will find that organization is the key, but so is the time it is going to take some time to get familiar with the scrap book organization system that you have going, but you will find that it is so much easier for you to start a project with some organization.