Cat Health FAQ
Answers From Dr. Wexler-Mitchell Herself
Find the answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about your cat’s health, including questions about diet, sterilization, fleas and parasites, behavior, and health issues.
Cat Health FAQ
Answers From Dr. Wexler-Mitchell Herself
Find the answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about your cat’s health, including questions about diet, sterilization, fleas and parasites, behavior, and health issues.
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Frequently Asked Questions On Cat Health
Every day our doctors and veterinary staff are asked questions by caring cat owners wanting to know more about our feline-only hospital and how to best take care of their furry friends. We’ve made this FAQs list to include questions about cats as well as questions about our cat hospital. Have a question you don’t see below? Give our veterinary clinic a call at (714) 282-2287 or click here to contact us and we’ll be happy to help you out.
Each cat has unique needs for nutrition based on lifestyle, activity level, health, and age. Nutrition plays a crucial role in lifelong health. The doctors at The Cat Care Clinic would love to discuss your cat’s specific nutritional needs and diet at each visit. There are many good diets for cats, but we generally recommend Hill’s, Royal Canin, and Purina Pro Plan products due to their superior attention to ingredient source, quality control of manufacturing, food safety, and ongoing research to improve animal health.
The feeding instructions listed on food bags are a guideline but may not fit your cat’s body condition and activity level. Generally, the feeding instructions on food bags are more than your cat needs to be fit. Most adult, indoor cats can only eat ½ a cup of dry food per day or, if feeding a combination of canned and dry, 3-ounces of canned and ¼ cup of dry per day per cat.
Both! For most cats, the doctors will recommend feeding a combo of canned and dry foods daily. Canned food is usually higher in protein and water content, which is beneficial to cats. Dry food offers convenience but also can help decrease tartar buildup—especially when a dental formula is fed.
The surgery can be performed anytime over the age of 8 weeks, but we generally recommend waiting until four to six months of age. Cats usually do not reach puberty before 6 months.
It is not better for a cat to go through a heat cycle or have a litter before being spayed. A spay is an ovariohysterectomy — the ovaries and uterus are removed.
Male cats generally do not spray before reaching puberty. The smell of their urine and undesirable marking behavior is prevented with neutering. When a male cat is neutered, the testicles are removed.
If your cat is currently in season, it is best to get her spayed ASAP. This is the only safe way to discontinue her heat cycles. Female cats can come in and out of heat every 2-3 weeks.
Unfortunately, even cats that stay indoors can get fleas. Fleas may be living in the outside environment and inadvertently brought into your home. Once you detect fleas, we recommend treating your cat for a minimum of three months to stop the flea life cycle and reinfestation.
We do not have any recommendations on holistic flea treatment. Holistic flea treatments are not FDA approved and can potentially be harmful to your cat. You can use a flea comb daily to remove fleas from your cat. You can use a borate/salt compound to treat carpets (Fleabusters powder) in the environment to kill flea eggs and larvae by dehydration. This process can take weeks to be effective.
We recommend prescription, spot-on products for ease and safety. If your cat does not tolerate a spot-on treatment (has a skin reaction or gets irritable after application), we recommend monthly oral Comfortis or a Seresto cat collar. If your cat has lots of fleas and flea dirt, we recommend bathing and drying before any flea product application. Our doctors recommend using Bravecto, Activyl, Revolution, and Advantage for topical flea treatment.
These are called tapeworms. Fresh tapeworm segments look like grains of rice, but when they dry out they look like sesame seeds. Tapeworms can only be eliminated with a drug called praziquantel which is not an ingredient in most over the counter deworming treatments.
Tapeworms are very common in cats. Cats acquire tapeworms by ingesting fleas carrying tapeworm larvae during regular self-grooming. Tapeworms are eliminated by applying a topical or oral deworming treatment. Don’t forget to prevent re-infestation by using monthly flea control too.
Ear mites are microscopic bugs that can live in your cat’s ears. The only way to see them is through magnification. Proper treatment involves a careful and thorough cleaning of the ear canals, and application of ear drops and/or spot-on treatment with a drug called Selamectin. All dogs and cats in the household require concurrent treatment to prevent re-infestation between the pets.
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Your cat should be neutered ASAP. Neutering removes the hormones that can trigger spraying, but spraying can also be a behavioral issue. You should schedule a behavioral consultation with your vet if your cat is neutered and still spraying. Most behavioral problems can be corrected if addressed as soon as they start.
While there are a lot of things to consider when bringing a new cat into your home; age, gender, and temperament are probably the most important. If you’re seriously considering bringing a new cat into the picture, you should consult with your kitty’s vet to discuss the best options and to get information on the gradual introduction of the new cat into your household. A proper introduction is vital to cats getting along.
Cats will commonly hide when they don’t feel well or when they are stressed or scared. If your kitty is hiding, and this is a new behavior you cannot explain, we recommend a veterinary consult.
Urinating outside of the litterbox is commonly a sign of urinary discomfort. Possible medical causes of this can be a urinary tract infection, bladder stones, bladder masses, and sterile cystitis. In a male cat, urinating in inappropriate locations can be an early sign of a urethral blockage (which is very serious and should be addressed with a vet ASAP).
Straining to eliminate can be a sign of a life-threatening urinary blockage in male cats. If you have a male cat and are not sure that he is able to COMPLETELY EMPTY his bladder, he should see a vet ASAP. It would be very rare for a female cat to have a urinary obstruction. Straining can also be a sign of a urinary tract infection, inflammation, and even constipation. Straining typically indicates pain, so be sure your cat’s condition is diagnosed by a vet.
If you have an indoor cat, we recommend the 3-way vaccine which includes feline rhinotracheitis-calici-panleukopenia viruses (FRCP). If you have an outdoor cat or one who comes in and out, we recommend the FRCP, Feline Leukemia, and Rabies vaccines. Outdoor cats run the risk of coming in contact with these diseases when they mingle with other cats or animals.
We recommend retroviral testing for all cats. Retroviruses can lay dormant, similar to AIDS in humans, and can cause problems later in life. They can be spread to other cats by direct contact, so it is best to screen any new cat before exposure to other cats.
You can use a hairball paste, which you can give your cat every other day. Most cats love this and will lick it right off your finger. You can also use fiber, such as psyllium, daily. Pre-measured veterinary capsules are available. There are also other hairball preventing diets and treats. Daily combing helps decrease the amount of hair your cat will ingest during grooming.
Your cat needs to be examined to determine if this is an infection from a cat bite, a growth or tumor, an insect sting, an injection reaction, or some other type of allergic response.
Hair loss can be caused by several things including a fungal infection (ringworm), flea allergies, food allergies, environmental allergies, or other dermatoses.
Your cat should be examined to determine the cause. Possible causes include viral or bacterial infections, corneal ulcer, and foxtail or other material under the eyelid.
Both vomiting and diarrhea are caused by a variety of medical and dietary factors. It can be as simple as eating a bug or as complicated as exposure to a toxin or major organ dysfunction. If vomiting or diarrhea last more than 24 hours, or if your cat is lethargic, weak, or dehydrated, we recommend having your cat assessed by a vet as soon as possible.
You can try offering the medication in specially designed treats such as Pill Wrap or Pill Pockets. You can discuss having the medication prescribed in a different form with the doctor. Some medications are available as liquids and others can be made into liquids, transdermal gels, or treats by compounding pharmacies.
There could be a number of reasons why your cat has stopped eating. If your cat hasn’t eaten in a 24-hour period, you should schedule an appointment ASAP. Even if the initial cause of inappetence is not serious, cats that do not eat for a couple of days can develop hepatic lipidosis/fatty liver disease and this is a dangerous complication.
Raise the upper lip of the cat’s mouth and look towards the sides of the teeth. If the teeth are not white but are yellow, brown, or look like they have tartar and plaque, they need cleaning. If a bad odor exists, this is usually due to bacterial overgrowth in the gums and is a sign of gingivitis. A raised red line above the teeth is another sign of gingivitis.
Proper oral care requires anesthesia so that teeth can be probed, dental x-rays performed, and thorough cleaning above and below the gum line completed. We tailor the anesthesia to your individual cat’s health and condition, and we use safe and short-acting products. We do offer hand scaling of the teeth, however, this service is only adequate with mild tartar buildup and with patients that cooperate with this type of procedure.
Our cat doctors are experienced in diagnosing feline health concerns.
Maintain your cat’s good health and schedule a consult today.
