Tips for Bathing Your Cat

Cats normally do not need help getting and staying clean. They are fastidious about their cleanliness and spend much of their day primping and preening. Cats learn from a very young age to stay clean, as the mother always teaches her young the art of bathing. Cat owners rarely need to give their cats a bath, however, there are some situations where you may find it necessary to bathe kitty. You never know when your cat will get so dirty that she needs a little extra help. If your cat is afflicted with skin allergies or has a flea infestation, you might need to bathe your cat. Sick and older cats may have a difficult time keeping clean, too. You will find that your cat probably resists getting a bath, but you can do it if you are prepared.

Where to bathe your cat.

The best place to bathe your cat is in a small, enclosed room. If you have a sink in your laundry room, that would work perfectly. A deep bathroom sink would also do the trick. The idea is to get your cat in a small area to help him or her feel safer during the process. Another idea is to use a baby tub and place it inside your own bathtub. This might cause an aching back on your part, but may be just the thing for your cat.

Get Your Supplies

You want to make sure that you have everything you need on hand before you begin. It will be almost impossible to stop what you are doing with a struggling cat to run and get a towel or shampoo. You will need several old towels and cat shampoo and possibly cat hair conditioner. Human shampoo, even baby shampoo does not have the right ph value for your cat, so if you think there may be a chance that you could have to bathe your cat, buy cat shampoo and conditioner ahead of time. If you get caught unprepared and you do not have cat shampoo, baby shampoo can be used, but do NOT use it on a regular basis as you could cause your cat to develop skin problems. If you do not have a hand wand attached to your shower, or a removable one you can attach to the tap you are using to bathe your cat, you will need a cup to wet your cat’s hair before applying the shampoo and to rinse off the shampoo. As an alternative, you might even consider using a turkey-basting tool to rinse under the chin, around the neck and between the legs. In addition, if your cat’s fur is matted, you should consider removing these mats before beginning the bath. Trying to brush or comb mats out of a wet cat is very difficult to achieve.

Get the Bath Ready

When you have gotten all of your supplies where you need them and removed any mats from your cat’s fur, you will want to prepare the bath. Lukewarm water works best. Think of the temperature you would use to bathe an infant. That is what you need when you wash your cat. Put about four or five inches of water in the tub or sink. You do not need a lot of water when you bathe your cat--just enough to get the cat wet and do the first rinse. It is also a good idea to place a non-skid mat or folded bath towel in the bottom of the sink or tub before you begin filling it with water. This prevents the cat from slipping on the bottom of the sink or tub.

Ease your Cat into the Water

It is now time for the hard part. You have to get your cat and ease him or her into the water. This may sound easier than it is. Some cats may struggle with you more than others may. Only you know your cat’s personality. The best way to go about doing this is to lower your cat into the water by placing one hand under the cat’s belly and one hand firmly, but gently on the cat’s back. If your cat is still struggling, you might want to wrap a towel around it to prevent scratches. You may be surprised by your cat’s reaction. Some cats will sit there quietly and let you work. Others will be scared and will try to run from you. You will get wet, but you may try holding the cat’s body close to your own while bathing so he or she feels more secure. Never raise your voice or move too fast, as this can send your cat into a frenzy.

Begin the Bath

You can use vegetable oil if you need to remove sticky substances from your cat’s fur, but use it before giving the cat a bath, as the oil will leave a harmless residue on the cat’s fur. After your cat is situated in the water, you can begin to bathe. Work quickly, but gently. The best method for bathing your cat is to start with the head and work your way to its tail. Be careful not to get water or shampoo in your cat’s ears or eyes. If you are treating for fleas, then you will want to follow the directions on the flea shampoo at this point. Wet your cat’s fur before applying the shampoo. You will only need a very small amount of shampoo. If you get too much, you will have to rinse longer. Once your cat has been bathed and all of the shampoo has been rinsed off, check the skin to see if it shows any signs of flaking or dry skin. If dry skin is present, you should use a cat hair conditioner to alleviate this dry skin condition. If you use a conditioner, make sure that it is thoroughly rinsed off to prevent a rash or allergic reaction. The first step in drying your cat is to use a towel to get the majority of the water off. Then, if your cat is not scared of blow driers, you can use this to finish the drying process, after the excess water has been towelled off. Be careful not to set the blow drier too hot. If you do not use a blow drier, then use another dry towel to finish the drying process. When the cat feels dry to the touch, take a comb and carefully comb its hair to ensure all tangles are removed.

If you cannot give your cat a bath, check to see if any of your local groomers or veterinarians provide this service. Depending on where you live, this service could be quite expensive, so you should consider checking around before you need this service to see who provides the best deal. Ask the service provider to give you several references you can check to ascertain the quality of the service and the reaction of the reference’s cat to that service.

Until next time,

Teia

Metabolic Bone Diseases in Exotic Animals

Other than diseases which result from bacteria and viruses, diseases can also be caused by an inadequate supply of proper nutrients in the diet. Metabolic bone disease is caused when there is a deficiency of vitamin D, calcium and phosphorus. The condition is especially aggravated when the problem is not treated for a long period of time. The major cause of this disease is improper care in the dietary needs of animals. According to some veterinarians, the disease can also be caused by a very high consumption of proteins.

Metabolic bone disease is also known by other names, such as osteoporosis, cage paralysis, nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism, rickets and paper bone disease. If the ratio between calcium and phosphorous is disturbed, the disease is impending. A well balanced diet and close monitoring can result in the proper absorption and retention of calcium in the bones.

As long as a young animal is totally dependant on its mother’s milk, it has a very rare chance of developing this disease. But, once it starts eating other food and completely stops drinking its mother’s milk, it can face the risk of catching this disease. Also, animals which live in the wild have a lower chance of developing metabolic bone disease. These animals are able to eat their prey as a whole and the meat is combined with skin, fat, fur, bones, feathers, intestines, etc. Different parts of the prey provide different nutrients and the animal feeding on it gets a balanced diet by eating it.

The major cause of this disease is the unbalancing of calcium. Chunks of muscle meat which are provided to animals in captivity contain minute traces of calcium and high levels of phosphorous. This high level of phosphorous decreases the capacity of the body to absorb the available calcium. Calcium deficiency can also occur when the animal is not fed fully grown animals and only gets neonatal prey. The actual ratio of calcium and phosphorous that has to be consumed is 20:1. And this ratio is reversed when only meat is given to the captive pet, which results in nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism. Even worse, captive animals which are frequently fed only organs such as heart, kidney and liver will have calcium and phosphorus in the ratio of 1:44 which is not only alarming, but will usually result in premature death.

When vitamin A is taken in excess, it suppresses the absorption capacity of vitamin D and even of calcium. The rate of vitamin A consumption increases when liver is fed in large quantities. When the required quantity of vitamin D is not available, it causes rickets disease. In this disease, the bone density is reduced at joints and they become weak and brittle. The bones become more prone to pathological fractures. In addition, neuromuscular abnormalities and poor motor reflexes can also result from lack of adequate quantities of vitamin D.

Calcium is not only required for proper bone growth but also for the proper functioning of muscles. It also enables blood clotting and activation of enzymes. Another function of vitamin D is to maintain the proper ratio of calcium and phosphorous in the blood stream.

The diet should be well balanced. Twice a week, the animal should be given raw bones which have scanty meat on them like ribs, necks, thigh bones, etc. A more simple way is to give the animal a whole prey to feed on. Commercially designed diets already have the required composition of nutrients, but they can be quite expensive. So, if you have an exotic pet, find out the proper type of food that should be provided for it so that it will not suffer nutritional deficiencies, illness and premature death.

Until next time,

Teia