Flea Treatment In Cats : Types Of Products One Can Choose From

Fleas are the nasty parasites which endangers pets the most. Since there has been a lot of improvement in veterinary section of science and a lot of products and solution have been designed for the pet’s allergies from fleas. Flea treatments are now widely available in the market and in wide variety too. Normally we would have thought that pets medication will be just like humans, tablets and syrups etc. but, it is beyond that.

Having researched on all the varieties of treatment available for flea treatment, broad classification of these remedies includes the following:

Collars

Flea collars are a conventional method of repelling fleas from the cat’s body. It is a chemical-built collar. The chemical disperses in the entire cat’s body as soon as it comes in contact with the skin. This effective method of eliminating and preventing flea infestations is a long lasting and water-proof method. They are very easy to use and have very few side effects. An example of a flea collar is Seresto Flea Collar For Cat widely used by cat-owners.

Sprays

Another convenient option for the cat owners are sprays which can be applied directly on the pet. You have to be very careful about spraying near eye and ear region. Read the instructions carefully before applying the spray. For the head and eye area, spray on a gloved hand or washcloth and rub gently into your cat’s hair, being careful not to get any of the product in your cat’s eyes. The best spray to remove fleas from your feline’s fur is Frontline Spray.

Oral

Oral treatment is also a form of medication which has to be provided in most of the cases, once a month only. Oral medications are now available in wide variety like tablets, chews and oral injections. Capstar etc. 

Flea Shampoos 

There are a wide range of shampoos available in the market for flea prevention. They help in washing off adult fleas and their eggs for a certain period of time. The common ingredients present in these shampoos are pyrethrins, which kills all the adult fleas on contact. When using a shampoo, allow it to stay in contact with the skin and coat for at least 10-15 minutes before rinsing thoroughly. Avoid getting this product in your pet’s eyes or mouth.

Flea Combs 

Flea combs are very fine-toothed comb used to extract flea and their eggs from a cat’s fur. The first thing you should do when you fleas on your cat is to bathe your cat. Then thoroughly look into the fur of the cat to find fleas if any. Comb the entire body, including the facial region and the tail. Each time you stroke the comb through the animal’s fur, dip it in a bowl of hot, soapy water which will kill the fleas.

Topical/Spot-on

To fully eliminate the fleas with their eggs and larvae and the entire life cycle cannot be done by flea combs or sprays. For that a strong treatment like topical or better known as spot-on treatments are preferred. They are completely harmless to the pets. If there are any side effects they won’t be adverse and you can consult your vet regarding any treatment at any time. The chemical present in the spot-on is absorbed by the fur and skin and enters the fleas when they bite. Advantage, Advocate, Frontline Plus, Revolution Plus Cat are a few best topical products for cats.

These treatments ensure full safety for your kitty. Although being medicines, they are so delicious and relished by the cats that you should have no fear of administering them as a treatment but provide them as a treat.

Cat Behavioral Problems and Solutions

When our feline pals rub against our legs, knead our laps, or purr into our eyes, we love them. But we do not always agree with our four-legged friends. Not when they rush into the house at 2 a.m. or refuse to use a spotless litter box.

The good news is that almost any common cat issue may be resolved with little assistance. That’s why we have come up with the blog with the answers to some of the most frequent feline problems.

Litter Box Problems

This is “by far” the most common problem pet parents have with their cats. It can be really frustrating when your cat decides that the litter box is off-limits. However, there is usually a reason why cats refuse to use their litter box, and there is luckily a lot you can do about it.

Consult your veterinarian first. Your cat’s refusal to use the litter box could be due to bladder stones, urinary tract infections, or urine crystals. Make an appointment with your veterinarian to rule out any of these or other health issues that your cat may be experiencing.

Urine Marking

The most prevalent behaviour issue reported by pet parents is inappropriate elimination, also known as inappropriate urination. Infections, inflammation, bladder stones, stress, and tumours are all known to cause 10% of cats to eliminate outside their litter box at some point in their lives. Conflicts between cats or other pets in the house can cause cats to get stressed, which can lead to litter box troubles. Urine marking might also be caused by your cat still being in the litter box training phase. Consult your veterinarian about training and behavioural products.

Scratching

It may appear that kitty is clawing your couch and curtains to annoy you, but they are actually doing so to relieve stress, play, establish their territory, and even get rid of frayed claws. But, there are also a few simple solutions to prevent this. So you don’t have to put up with dingy furnishings or prevent your cat from acting naturally. To prevent scratching, you can try the following solution:

• Get one or more scratching posts for your cat and coat them in catnip to encourage them to be used.
• Your cat’s claws should be trimmed. Trimming may appear daunting at first, but it’s actually a lot easier than you might expect. Get a quick tutorial from your veterinarian, who can likely complete the task in a few minutes and tell you how to do it.

Cat Aggression

A cat might become aggressive for a variety of causes, such as disease, overcrowding, a lack of socialization, maternal protection, or even plain play. Consider the following suggestions to deal with feline aggression:

• Consult your veterinarian about your cat’s hostility. While pain and disease may put anyone in a grumpy mood, you’ll want to rule out any physical causes for the kitty’s grumpiness before moving forward.
• Male cats who aren’t fixed are more prone to aggression than other cats, and it only takes one intact male to influence the behaviour of all the other cats in the house. Spaying or neutering your feline companions is a straightforward solution.
• If you and your veterinarian can’t figure out why your cat is acting aggressively, consult a veterinary behaviourist, who may be able to assist you in identifying the source of your cat’s aggression.

Excessive Licking

Cats lick themselves all the time, but persistent licking is usually caused by discomfort, stress, or worry. Excessive licking is an indication that your cat is in pain and should be treated as such. They may constantly groom other parts of their body or lick an area of their body till it is bald and raw. An excellent first step is to speak with your veterinarian or a competent behaviourist about this. Meanwhile, you can concentrate on making your cat’s habitat safer and more secure to help them cope with stress and anxiety. Make a safe location for them to go where they won’t be disturbed, or use pheromones to make them feel safe.

Bottom Line

Do not reprimand your cat if it attacks you or exhibits other violent behaviour. This simply exacerbates the problem, so ignore them completely. Reacting or fleeing may make the game more thrilling for them. Pheromones, supplements, drugs, and specific diets may all be useful in reducing undesirable behaviour. You can also provide your cat with alternative outlets for their energy, such as workout toys or catnip. Make sure to rotate them on a regular basis to keep things interesting.

Top 3 Pet Dental Health Tips for Optimal Oral Hygiene

Dental health of a pet is given the least priority and many times it is been neglected. Taking care of your pet’s oral health is the most essential part to keep them healthy and happy. Not only dogs, but cats equally are highly susceptible of dental diseases in lack of proper oral hygiene. Dental health problems, at the large scale can be avoided by using dental chews, treats and regular vet visits. Dental chews and treats are specially designed to keep your dog or cat’s teeth healthy and clean. Apart from this, regular checkups and dental procedures like cleaning and scaling also ensure that your dog or cat doesn’t develop any major dental problems.

Chews

Dogs and cats enjoy chews, and it not only savor their taste glands but also help them maintain their dental care. There are numerous delicious chews available on the market and these dental chews, made of meat, help your dog enjoy the meat flavor, without the effect of digestive and oral hygiene problems. When your dog chews the tasty food item, it will clean their teeth. These chews easily scrub the surface of the pet’s teeth and remove plaque or tartar buildup.

Treats

There are specially designed dental treats, which are exclusively used for keeping dog and cat’s teeth clean. These treats not only cleanse pet’s teeth but also provide additional nutrients for total wellbeing. These treats can even be substituted with the everyday snack option, which will be a healthy snack replacement. Greenies dental treats are the best option that work both as a snack and dental cleaner. Greenies are available for both dogs and cats. These treats are uniquely designed having a texture surface that aids to clean your pet’s teeth. As the pets chew these treats, the specially designed texture removes plaque, and cleans your pet’s teeth as they chew it. These treats are made up of 50% protein, which helps to maintain optimal weight and other ingredients present in the treat helps prevent tartar and plaque buildup.

Dental Check-ups

Vet visit for dental check-up is an essential regime to follow for a good oral health. Normally, pet owners ignore this due to lack of time or vet bills. But, neglecting the most important aspect of your pet’s body may put your furry pal at a risk of some dangerous diseases caused due to lack of oral hygiene. Therefore, regular dental check-ups will put your pet on the radar to prevent any forthcoming dental issue. Additionally, a dental checkup can help to uncover, treat and prevent any oral health conditions before they get worst.

Usually, pet owners are not aware that sometimes, their pet may have a cavity, fractured tooth or gum disease. Regular dental check-ups of your dog or cat will bring forth such conditions and help to treat and resolve them before it may become worst to handle. Furthermore, daily cleaning of your pet’s mouth, at the largest, can control a lot of dental diseases.

Top 5 Myths About Heartworms – Debunked!

Pets need complete protection against external as well as internal parasitic infestation to lead a healthy life. External parasites like fleas are visible to our eyes and thus it is comparatively easier to get rid of them. Whereas internal parasites like heartworms and other intestinal worms are not detected until they reach their adult phase.

In case of heartworm infestation veterinarians say that it is easier and cheaper to prevent rather than curing the disease. Canines and felines get infected by heartworms through a bite of an infected mosquito. Use of efficient heartworm preventives is recommended to protect the pets all round the year.

However pet owners fail to do so because of a few myths believed about heartworms. Here we’ll debunk 5 such myths that may be responsible for your laid attitude about using heartwormers. Let’s have a look!

Myth#1: Pets can be infected by heartworms only in specific season.

Fact: Although development of mosquitoes depends on temperature, you cannot entirely be sure about its absence. Water pools at your home, ponds having warm temperatures encourage mosquito development and where there are mosquitoes there is a chance of heartworm infestation. Therefore arrival of winters should not stop you with the prevention treatment on your pets. Protect your pets from heartworms all around the year to avoid lethal circumstances.

Myth#2: Cats cannot get infected with heartworms, only dogs can.

Fact: Cats are as susceptible to this infestation as much as dogs are. Presence of mosquitoes in the environment is a threat to your felines too. Use of heartwormers for cats is recommended to save them from the unhealthy situations later.

Myth#3: Indoor cats and dogs are safe from heartworm infestation.

Fact: Do you not get bitten by a mosquito while indoors? Of course everybody does, right? Similarly dogs and cats that stay indoors are not any exceptions. They are as much in danger and need prevention to fight the probability of heartworm infestation whether indoors or outdoors.

Myth#4: Kittens and puppies are immune to heartworm infestation.

Fact: Although mothers pass immunity strength to puppies and kittens through her milk, they are not entirely protected from heartworms. Experts recommend starting prevention at an early age to safeguard young pets from this infestation.

Myth#5: Heartworms are contagious.

Heartworms are not contagious and pets may get infected only and only through an infected mosquito. There are no chances of getting heartworm infestation by an infected dog or cat. This parasitic infestation can affect only dogs, cats, ferrets, and other mammals. Humans are rarely affected by mosquitoes as heartworms cannot complete their lifecycle in humans.

These myths may have been misguiding you and have a potential to affect your canines and felines. Heartworm prevention is necessary for all canines and felines of all breeds. It is important that you get your pet checked for infestation before starting any preventive treatment. Use of treatments like Heartgard Plus, Revolution, Interceptor, etc. is recommended only if the test results are not positive. So, consult your vet to get the tests done and protect your furry friends with suitable preventives.

Top 5 Dog Treat Brands in 2022

If your dog is like any other dog, he’ll never say no to a good treat. Even the laziest dogs show their best moves when enticed with treats.

While dogs love to snarf up on treats, pet parents love the fact that treats help in their training and positive reinforcement. On top of that, good treats also help create a deeper bond with pets.

Today, zillions of brands offer a variety of dog treats. They come in every shape and flavor to please your buddy. But with a lot of choices, it becomes difficult to pick out the best one.

We have narrowed down the very best 5 dog treat brands that we think your dog is going to go crazy for.

Best Vet Recommended Dog Treat Brands

Greenies: Best for Proactive Wellness

Greenies is dedicated to manufacturing delicious dog treats with proven health benefits. These treats are purposely designed by expert veterinarians, nutritionists, and scientists to improve specific pet health issues. Greenies offer treats for dental care, weight management, immunity, joint health, skin & coat, anytime bites, etc.

Greenies is very popular for their dental treats, which keep dental health in check, and for flavored pill pockets to disguise medicines.

Lickables: Best for Quality Snacking

Lickables by Central Pet offer quality snacking solutions for dogs. Lickables are tail-waggingly delicious treats made with high-quality ingredients and 100% single meat protein. Free from any artificial flavors and preservatives, these treats deliver straightforward goodness and lickerrific variety.

If you’re looking for healthy treats for dogs, Lickables lamb bites, beef bites, or chicken tenders are great options to consider.

Balanced Life: Best Premium Treats

Balanced Life brings to the market an exclusive range of premium dog treats. Companion treats by Balanced Life are rich in protein, packed full of flavor, and loaded with vitamins, minerals, and essential trace elements for maximum nutrition. They’re gently air-dried to retain their maximum nutritional value.

Spoil your furry companion with the best-selling Balanced Life Companion Treats like Chicken Companion Treats, Salmon Companion Treats, and Lamb Companion Treats.

Yours Droolly: Best Puppy Treats

Yours Droolly believes that as much as a pup is joy and fun, it needs training. And, with good training comes the need for good treats. Yours Droolly offers the best dog treats for puppies. Their range of healthy and delicious treats will keep your puppy happy and coming back for more.

If you are looking for a way to your new pup’s heart, Yours Droolly Chicken Training Treats or Mix-up Treats is the way!

Blackhawk: Best Training Treats

Blackhawk treats are specially crafted for rewarding your pups while you’re training them. Made from responsibly sourced, human-grade local ingredients in regional Australia, Blackhawk treats promise to deliver protein-rich, tasty treats that are packed with nature’s goodness.

Rest assured you’re giving your dog the best with Jerky Treats, Jerky Bites, and more from Blackhawk.

We hope these suggestions eliminate the guesswork of choosing the best dog treats so that you can spend more time with your dog!