Sunday, May 29, 2011

Reasons to Purchase Pet Health Insurance for Your Cat

By Ram Collins


Cats are funny creatures. One minute they want to be petted and stroked, the next they are taking a swipe at your hand and acting like you are public enemy number one. Some people love the conundrum of pet cats and other people hate them.

Love them or hate them they are a still a common pet and have a whole host of potential health issues that will require veterinary care and might have their owners considering the pros and cons of pet health insurance. When cat owners first bring their brand new kitten to the vet they should have the kitten vaccinated for distemper.

Cat owners who have a cat that is entering into the golden years of its life should know that kidney failure is the most common problem senior cats have to deal with. Hairballs are often the very first thing cat owners think about when they stop to consider possible threats to their cat's health. Hairballs are clumps of hair that can be found in the cat's digestive system. Cat owners can purchase food additives that will help eliminate hairball. In extreme cases the cat will have to undergo surgery to have a hairball removed.

Cats can also develop urinary tract infections in addition to the other diseases. Symptoms of this disease include crying when they use the litter box, "misses" the litter box and have accidents inside the house. Treatments can be done on the urinary tract infection depending on the degree of the condition. Some cases only require that certain antibiotics are prescribed, however, immediate veterinary health action is needed when the infection has spread to the kidneys or there is an occurrence of blockage.

Cats are prone to respiratory problems if they are not kept indoors. Symptoms of these include cough, sneeze, runny noses, discharges from the eye, listlessness, and fever. This can be contagious to other cats so they should be separated from other cats. Infected cats should drink lots of fluids to get well. At the onset that a fever appears with your pet, take the cat to the veterinarian because if left untreated, this can lead to brain damage and even worse, death.

Some cats are prone to getting abscesses. Abscesses are wounds, sometimes small, that heal over, trapping infection under the skin. As the pus gathers a bump will appear on the cat's skin. Cats with abscesses could be taken to the veterinarian's office to have the abscess lanced (cut open), drained, and an antibiotic cream applied. Depending on the abscess veterinarians might attach a tube to the animal to let the pus drain. When the abscess has been drained, cleaned, and dressed the veterinarian will probably prescribe a round of antibiotics. Some cats that have abscesses will run a fever.

Lots of pet cats develop diabetes. Many pet health insurance plans will help offset the cost of vet bills.




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