5 natural ways I can help my cat live a long and healthy life-Catster

2021-12-06 20:26:55 By : Ms. Echo Wong

As a long-term cat parent and reporter, I have written a lot of articles about cat health, and I have learned a lot about the natural ways to ensure my kittens live a long, happy, and healthy life.

Most of my cats lived to old age, and one of them-Jenny-lived to be 20 years old. This is equivalent to 96 years old for humans.

The downside is that before I received proper cat care education, I made many mistakes that reduced the quality of my cat’s life and even cost a life at a very young age.

I did learn from my mistakes, and it was usually difficult. You can also follow the guidelines below.

Cats are obligate carnivores because they completely need meat protein to survive. Although they have been domesticated for thousands of years, the dietary needs of domestic cats and their ancestors have not changed. They reflect the needs of their wild cousins.

Many feline nutrition experts insist that cats should never eat grains. Because cats have no biological tendency to effectively synthesize grains, this can lead to overproduction of insulin, which over time can lead to diabetes. In addition, a grain-based diet can cause obesity and inflammation in cats, which can lead to diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), hyperthyroidism, kidney disease, and other health problems.

In addition, many cat nutrition experts insist that kittens should not eat any type of starch, such as potatoes, peas, and rice. The true stubborn purists—especially Dr. Lisa Pierson DVM, a famous advocate of raw cat food—are firmly opposed to giving cats any form of dry food, forever. These experts believe that dry cat food or coarse ground food has too low moisture content, too high carbohydrate content, and often contains more plant than meat protein, which may be harmful to the health of cats.

Since cats are descendants of desert creatures, they are not inclined to look for water. This is another reason why feeding cats with wet food is so important to their health. This is why I mainly feed my cat Lily and Murphy grain-free canned food, such as Dave's, supplemented by healthy food as snacks, including roast chicken, corned beef and canned salmon or tuna. I only give them a small amount of high-quality, grain-free natural dry food, such as Fromm, Orijen or Acana.

As a result, my cat has reached an ideal weight, has beautiful fur, and is active, happy and healthy.

This is a very painful topic for me, because in 2013 I lost my life's beloved five-year-old cat Omar due to vaccine-associated sarcoma (VAS). I have been taking him to the vet. Not only did she use the rabies vaccine for three years instead of one year, which is safer for cats, but she also insisted on vaccinating him against canine distemper every year.

As a result, Omar suffered from IBD and persistent seizures, and then eventually VAS, a fatal cancerous tumor that developed at the injection site. I learned a very sad lesson through the hard way, and now I have to be very careful when vaccinating my cat. I decided to limit their distemper vaccine to kitten vaccines and chose one year instead of three years of rabies vaccine.

For more information on this, you can refer to the website of Dr. Pierson and Dr. Jean Hofve, another well-known veterinarian who is a supporter of holistic pet care.

Cat litter will have a direct impact on the health of cats. Because their bodies are in very close contact with this, they may inhale any toxic chemicals that may be contained in the trash, and they can lick their paws after using the trash can. So I have been using natural plant-based products for a long time, such as Cedarific and Feline Pine.

I avoid any cat litter that contains irritating synthetic chemicals or fragrances, as well as cat litter that clumps like a plague, because these can cause health problems for cats.

I first sprinkle some pure baking soda on the bottom of the clean trash can. I always remove the solid waste immediately and replace the trash regularly to avoid the accumulation of bacteria and odors.

After the unfortunate experience with Omar, I decided to seek the services of a comprehensive veterinarian who combined traditional western, holistic, homeopathy and eastern alternative medicine. These veterinarians are not only less inclined to over-vaccinate pets and over-use drugs, but they often have more tools to supplement and accelerate the effects of traditional treatments, including acupuncture and chiropractic, reiki, herbal knowledge, cats’ dietary requirements, etc. Wait.

I also keep a series of natural remedies at home, including:

I even cured Murphy from rodent ulcers with natural remedies. You can find more information about coconut oil, pumpkin and other natural home remedies in this Catster article by Louise Hung.

As we all know, the life expectancy of a cat that lives indoors is much longer than that of a cat that moves freely outdoors. Outdoor cats are more likely to be knocked down by vehicles and exposed to diseases such as feline leukemia, toxins and severe weather. In addition, they are also at risk of being stolen or abused.

This is why I always keep my Murphy and Lily indoors. On the downside, indoor cats usually don't get enough exercise and get bored. Therefore, I provide them with a lot of toys and encourage them to play to help them stay busy and keep their best condition.

Do you have any natural secrets for keeping a cat? Let us know in the comments!

Read more about cat health on Catster:

About the author: Alisha Wolfe is an award-winning journalist and lifelong animal lover. She lives with her cat near Atlantic City, New Jersey. The handsome Murphy is a proud owner with a large number of bow ties. ——And the occasionally popular cat Lily model. She writes articles on various pet topics on her blog Critter Corner. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

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