The modern cat is chipped, wormed, vaccinated and needs drops between its shoulder blades every so often to keep the ticks and fleas at bay. Now, it seems, the off-grid feline lifestyle is as passé as my mother’s mangle. My mother may have been doing all the worming, delousing and general maintenance while I was asleep, but somehow I doubt it. I grew up in a house with three cats, and I recall mainly purring, mewing, cuddles and the odd scratch. The internet also revealed a lot more about cat care in the 21st century. We could have saved ourselves a lot of up-tail action. We eventually decided he was a tom, before discovering from the internet that 90% of ginger cats are male. It’s astonishing how difficult it is to tell the difference between a pair of testes and a vulva when they’re jiggling swiftly across grass, partially obscured by a swishing, stripy tail. For the next five days, from our usual exclusion range of between two and five metres, my wife and I would follow the cat around, exhorting it to lift its tail and give us a peek at its genitals. If an impartial observer had been around to witness what followed, we might have been taken in for questioning.
Were we now “going steady” with this animal? Should we name it? But wouldn’t naming it mean we were committing ourselves to feeding it for ever? How could we name it without knowing its sex? Why does sex even matter when naming a cat? Should we get it sterilised? Did we even have that right? At this distance, and after scores more bowls of cat food and leftovers, we started to feel a little proprietorial. Over the following four weeks, the process continued, until we were permitted to approach as close as two metres. Don’t forget to familiarize yourself with nearby veterinary hospitals offering 24-hour care in case of emergencies.Did this make us pet owners? Of a cat that never came within 20 metres of us? Of an animal that – for all we knew – could also be getting fed and watered by half a dozen other people? We didn’t notice at the time that the distance had halved, that the cat was gradually drawing us in.
With the current shortage of veterinary health professionals, many practices are scheduling visits several weeks out. If you do not already have a veterinarian you trust with your pet’s health, it’s important to plan ahead to find a veterinary practice in your area that is accepting new patients. If your cat’s litter box habits change or if you notice a change in the condition of the box contents, take your pet to the vet as soon as possible. When everything else appears normal, one place where early signs of an illness can show up is the litter box. Litter box issues may be a sign of something bigger Your veterinarian can provide guidance on helping your cat maintain a healthy weight and can point you towards a high-quality food specially formulated to meet the specific nutritional requirements of your cat’s age and lifestyle. In some cases, your veterinarian may recommend a dental cleaning or tooth extractions under anesthesia. Plus, it prevents unwanted litters and is part of the solution to solve pet overpopulation in shelters.ĭuring an annual exam, your vet will check your cat’s teeth to ensure they are clean, and that there are no loose teeth, gum disease or signs of infection. Spaying and neutering eliminate the risk for certain types of cancer and helps prevent nuisance behaviors like spraying or marking. At your cat’s annual exam, your vet will review any necessary booster shots and updates to your cat’s vaccination schedule to keep them healthy.
#CATS COMING BACK TO LIFE SERIES#
As kittens, cats receive a series of vaccines to protect them from common diseases.
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