Tips For Keeping Pets Warm & Health Druing The Winter

The winter months can pose a number of expected health threats to pets, ranging from frigid temperature to salt scattered on sidewalks. 

Just as we wear clothes and eat differently when the seasons change, pet's grooming and nutritional needs also vary. By taking some basic precaution, the needs of our furry friends, responsible pet owners can help their cats or dogs make it through the winter in good health.

Water, water everywhere.  If your pet is kept outdoors, be sure it always has a fresh supply of water and check frequently to be sure the water has not frozen.

Open door policy.  Increased numbers of visitors during the holiday season may provide an opportunity for your pet to slip out the door unnoticed. Keep an eye on your car or dog when guests arrive and depart, and be sure your pet has proper identification in case it does get out.

Fatal attraction.  When refilling your car's radiator, be sure to clean up any spilled antifreeze.  Ethylene glycol has a sweet taste to both dogs and cats and is highly toxic.

Dry cleaning.  Do not neglect pet grooming in the winter.  While a regular bath is unwise unless you have a good dryer, coming and even dry bathing will keep your pet's coat clean and healthy and reduce order.  Otherwise see a professional groomer who has the right tools and dryers to provide a professional grooming for your pet.

The big chill.  Do not leave your pet outside for long periods of time.  Low body temperature can quickly result and can lead to death.  If the wind chill index is below 20 degrees, do not take small house pets, older dogs and cat, or short haired dogs outside.  If you must take your pet out in cold weather dress your pet in a knit sweater or fleece jacket which will give your pet an added layer of protection.

Scat cat.  Before starting your car on cold days, honk the horn to scare away any cat that may be hiding in the warm engine compartment.

Your Cat cannot taste things that are sweet...
The taste buds of a cat cannot detect sugar.

Originally kitty litter was made of sand, but in 1948 it was discovered that clay was more absorbent.

Your cat can see in the dark.
Cats can see at one-sixth the light level require for human vision....

Without Taurine, your cat would go blind.

Taurine is an amino acid that most animals produce on their own.
However cats require it in their diet.  Do not worry it is in your cat's food.

Taurine is also an ingredient in most energy drinks.
But this does not mean you should ever vie these to your cat!

Things Worth Knowing About Your Cat!!

Your cat purrs continuously....

by flowing air past the voice box during both inhalation and exhalation.

Your cat's whiskers to gauge whether or not they can fit though an opening. 

Furthermore, your cat's collarbone does not connect to any other bones but instead sits
buried in muscle.

This makes it easier for your cat to squeeze through tight spaces.  

Your cat purrs at the same frequency as an idling diesel engine.

This is around 26 purrs per second.

Things About Your Cat & More...

Your cat's ears can hear ultrasonic sounds....

Rodents use these sounds to communicate.  Your cat can hear them but dogs and humans cannot.

Your cat uses whiskers to gauge whether or not they can fit through an opening.

Furthermore, your cat's collarbone does not connect to any other bones but instead sits buried in muscle.  This makes it easier for your cat to squeeze through tight spots.

Your cat purrs continuously...
By flowing air past the voice box during both inhalation and exhalation.

IBD Cats develop an intolerance for common meats they eat regularly - like chicken

They  may do better with less common ones like duck and venison.
Go offers some helpful options, they have a variety of  meats to choose from.  Hounds & Gatos have a variety as well.

If you prefer to feed your cat raw food to constipated cats.

With some cats, constipation is made worse by foods with ground bones  - most raw recipes have ground bones in them.  When that is the case, then you could make homemade raw food with one of these complete supplements.

Please keep in mind that cats can die without enough of certain key nutrients so you need to follow very specific instruction if you want to start a homemade raw diet.

Current Supplement for making homemade cat food:

Alnutrin Supplement:  A good supplement and recipe for bone-free homemade cat food.  You can request a free sample and they will include the recipe.

Feline Instincts Supplement:  They provide a recipe and nutrient supplement, which makes if easy t make  - sure your cat gets what they need.

Natural cat food picks for cats with IBS/IBD Symptoms

Mainstream vet medicine often puts cats with IBS/IBD symptoms on manufactured  hypoallergenic foods like Hill's Z/D, but these odds are often high in carbohydrates (fattening) and low in quality protein..  And according to some like myself and DVM, these food do not always work either  - at least not for long.

For mild cases of IBD, grain -free canned diets are helpful.

For tougher cases, a raw diet of ground meat with cat-appropriate vitamin and essential-fatty acid supplements mixed in is a complete cure ( my opinion.)

I have seen cats ( two of mine) that have done well with food that have a lot of ingredients, even fruits and vegetables.

First Choice:

My first choice of natural cat food with the most simple, digestive-friendly formulas are:

Hounds & Gatos, canned.  One of the higher quality choices out there.  Several different meat formulas. 

Pure Vita canned.  Simple ingredients, grain free  and low carb.

Tiki Cat Koolina Lua and Puka Puka Luau canned.  Very simple recipes, but the only option is chicken.

What Are Feline IBD and IBS?

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is an inflammatory immune-reaction syndrome in the gastrointestinal tract.  We know healing has been possible for many humans and cats, but the roots of the condition have not been well understood , so doctors have not had reliable solutions.

The symptoms are regular bouts of diarrhea, constipation, or vomiting.  You may also see mucous or blood in the stool.  In some cats the only symptom i weight loss.  Some may stop using the litter box because it reminds them of a painful experience.

IBD has similar symptoms to IBD and  I believe it is a precursor to IBD.  The difference is that IBD is so inflammatory that it causes damage to the intestines.  Besides making everyone miserable, the scary thing about IBD is it can be deadly because:

. a cat can actually starve from a very serious case of IBD
. some experts believe the inflammation it causes can to to the intestinal lymphoma which has
become so common in cats.

By the way sometimes what you think are frequent hairballs are actually IBD symptoms.  If you
have a cat who gags or throws up hairballs more than once a month, consider it suspicious.