What are Probiotics?

Probiotics are dietary supplements that supply beneficial bacteria to the intestinal track of animals and people. These microorganisms benefit health by inhibiting the growth of pathogenic bacteria that cause a variety of health problems.

“Good” bacteria exists at natural, balanced levels in healthy animals, and serves as a line of defense against harmful bacteria your pet might inhale or ingest. But diet, medications, age, and even stress can cause an imbalance that results in digestive and other health issues. Probiotic supplements are designed to restore bacterial balance so this natural line of defense works properly.

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Cats are the most popular pets in the United States. According to the latest version of the U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook (2002 Edition) there were almost 70 Million pet cats in the United States. Why are cats so popular? There are as many answers to this question as there are cat owners, but the low health risks cats pose to their owners is certainly near the top of this list. Even though the potential health risks cats pose to people are small, it is important that cat owners are aware of these risks and understand how to reduce them.

The majority of all risks stemming from cat ownership are associated with the cat litter box and/or cat feces. There are two categories of risks. The first category contains health risks posed by bacteria and parasites to both cat owners and their cats. The second category contains injuries resulting from an automatic litter box or self cleaning litter box.

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Buying cat furniture can be a confusing and perhaps exhausting experience. Nothing is more frustrating than to set up a beautiful cat tree only to have your cats completely ignore it! I’ve owned cats all my life, and in this article I’ll try to share some of my expertise and insight with you to help make your decision a bit easier.

There are a number of factors to consider in choosing a cat tree, condo, tower, playground or gym. Here, in no particular order, are some things you’ll want to keep in mind:

* Your cat’s habits and preferences
* Placement and space requirements
* Materials and construction
* Expandability
* Price

What does your cat want?

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Part of many cat’s personalities is independence. Since most cats can fend for themselves, are very good hunters, and cautious by nature they may not be very social. Or in pet terms, they just don’t care if you want them to do something; they do what ever they want.

This really irritates some people to no end. They want to have a pet that responds to their directions. For the most part, my advice for those people is to get a dog. But cats can be social or friendly with a little training. I’m not absolutely sure they may really mean it but they will at least act like it.

Two things all animals respond to are food and affection or positive reinforcement. Many animals will not respond to punishment or physical discipline, especially cats. So the best method I’ve found is to bribe them. Many cats who are prone to hissing or even threatening to strangers do so because at one time or another they were mistreated. Cats aren’t very trustworthy to begin with and any memory of a bad situation just confirms their belief that all strangers may pose a threat.

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If you are a cat lover, you may be interested in one of the more unusual breeds. There are many rare breeds, such as the British Shorthair, that is hard to find, but would not be considered by many as unusual. On the other hand, there are more exotic breeds, some of which are recognized by the Cat Fanciers’ Association and some are not. In fact, new breeds are constantly being bred and discovered.

If you are interested in rare and unusual cats, here is a list containing just a few of them.

Kinkalow

The Kinkalow is a dwarf cat, which has recently been recognized by The International Cat Association. A Kinkalow is a cross between a Munchkin and an American Curl. Therefore, you will notice that the body of a Kinkalow is similar to the Munchkin, with short legs. However, Kinkalows also have the ears and curled back of the American Curl. This breed has a variety of colors and patterns.

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The Egyptian Mau is one of the most majestic breeds of cat. It is also one of the rarest and most exotic breeds. With any rare breed, prospective owners can expect to pay huge amounts of money. However, to ensure a healthy, happy pet it is imperative to acquire your animal from a reputable source. Therefore, cat lovers should avoid breeders that are offering a rare breed at much cheaper than the average price.

That said, if you’re interested in the Egyptian Mau, here is some information about the breed that you may find both interesting and useful.

History of the Egyptian Mau

As its name suggests, the Egyptian Mau originated in Egypt. However, what is surprising is that the breed dates back to Ancient Egypt, several thousands of years ago. Therefore, some claim that it is the oldest cat breed in existence and some people believe that it may even be the cat from which all domesticated cats are descended. However, it cannot be categorically known whether the Egyptian Mau is indeed the ancestor of all household cats.

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Your cat scratching your newly bought sofa.

Your cat making a large mess under the kitchen table.

Your cat chewing away all your plants.

These are all things that can happen, and most likely WILL if you are living with an untrained cat in your house. The damage a cat can make can raise to thousands of dollars! You wouldn’t imagine what a little furry thing can do left home alone.

Unfortunately this is what many people can go through. Not many people know how to train their cat properly, and there is lot of mis-information on the Internet. It’s unfortunate that the right information about cat training hasn’t spread enough on the internet and this makes not only cat owners suffer, but also their beloved cat.

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Cats make such wonderful pets always there for you to pet them and just make your day nicer. Unfortunately cats also like to pee all over the place, and unlike dogs which you can house break and teach them not to do it. For cats it’s not a “just at first” kind of thing, while you can definitely teach your cat to use the litterbox (and I even know someone who manages to teach his cats to use the toilet..)

I personally could never get a 100% success rate with it. Which means that sooner or later you will walk into a room and get hit by that horrible smell of cat urine odor. Goods news is, this article has quite a few tips on how to remove cat urine smell which should help the situation.

Where Is The Cat Urine?
Seeing how cats like to pee all over the place the answer will probably be “everywhere”. But different objects or surfaces on which a cat has urinated might require different methods of removal. If it’s something that you can put into a washing machine, then do that and just add about 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar to yoru regular detergent.

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You may believe that your cat gets all its nutritional needs met from today’s cat food, but fish oil for cats is very important as most of their food is seriously lacking in these essential omega 3’s. Just ask your vet if you want a second opinion! Find out how fish oil for cats can help and how to select the right one.

The sheer range of health benefits that quality fish oil for cats provides is huge and includes helping to improve immune function, cognition, treat rheumatoid arthritis effectively, lessen behavioural problems, vision and prevent cancer. It can also lower the bad cholesterol levels and help maintain a healthy shining coat.

I think it’s regarding arthritis and cancer that they have the most noticeable benefit. Older cats, like us humans, are especially prone to joint problems and the difference that a daily fish oil supplement can make is quite staggering.

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Feline liver cancer is rare but when it does occur, it can be a sign of serious health problems since it is usually the result of cancer in other areas spreading. By the time it shows up in the liver, if the tumor is malignant, it is likely too late for any effective treatment. For this reason, it is imperative that you do everything you can to promote good overall health to keep the liver functioning properly.

Primary liver cancer in cats, cancer which actually starts in the liver itself, is extremely rare. The good news about primary liver cancer is that it is also quite treatable. In most cases, surgery can remove the tumor and the prognosis is quite good. In cases where the primary liver tumor is benign, surgery may not even be necessary unless the tumor impinges on other organs.

The real problem in terms of feline liver cancer is when it occurs as the result of metastasis. Since the liver is one of the largest organs and plays a part in the function of almost every other organ, once it is affected the outlook is grim. Once a cancer which has begun to spread reaches the liver, it is likely in its end stages.

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