The 10 Most Common Cat Owner Mistakes (Explained by a Vet)

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  • Опубликовано: 24 дек 2024

Комментарии • 1,4 тыс.

  • @blackgeekmagic6428
    @blackgeekmagic6428 3 года назад +1074

    1.Not understanding signs of Fear
    2.Spay/neuter too late
    3.Skipping flea control
    4.Miss sign of pain
    5.Playing with laser pointers inappropriately
    6.Only feeding one food their entire life
    7.Not providing enough resources
    8.Skipping annual vet visit
    9.Feeding your cat too much/allowing cat too become overweight
    10.Not testing for parasites
    Thank you so much Dr. Wooten!!❤️

    • @sandymac529
      @sandymac529 3 года назад +38

      Those of us that have hearing problems, thank you so very much for printing this list! Grateful 🤗🌹🌻

    • @blackgeekmagic6428
      @blackgeekmagic6428 3 года назад +24

      @@sandymac529 of course. Glad I could help. I work as a transcriptionist for this very reason.🥰❤️

    • @glitchlypickle5065
      @glitchlypickle5065 2 года назад +9

      My cat refuses canned food, I tried different kinds and nope… so then what does one do?

    • @TheKoffeeisCalling
      @TheKoffeeisCalling 2 года назад +6

      @@glitchlypickle5065 I have the same issue!

    • @KatarinaS.
      @KatarinaS. 2 года назад +5

      @@glitchlypickle5065 have you tried different textures? Ie: pate, shreds, bits, morsels, etc? I have 2 cats, one prefers pate and the other prefers shreds or morsels but not overly large chunks.
      Edit: also different flavors such as chicken, beef, turkey, seafood options like salmon, tuna, cod, shrimp, various organ meats like liver or giblets, extra gravy formulas, or broths, etc?

  • @anne-mariemcinnis9143
    @anne-mariemcinnis9143 2 года назад +549

    It's never a difficulty to bring my cat to the vet. The problem is that it is sooo expensive! Same thing for my small dog. When the family income changes to the lower, it would be great to have options where we may see vets ready to work with us and also vets that have affordable fees. When I got my two precious and beloved sweethearts, I had a bigger income and going to the vet was never an issue, yet now that my income is half of what it was, it's difficult to make my vet visits in a timely manner. It's a huge stress because I love my pets so very much...

    • @blissfuljoy6049
      @blissfuljoy6049 2 года назад +51

      Check with your local shelter. They may have a low cost option for at least vaccines check ups and heartworm testing. The problem is when there is something wrong it is pretty pricey. 😣 I am definitely getting pet insurance for my next pet.

    • @happyme9010
      @happyme9010 2 года назад +26

      In the U.K. there is a charity called the PDSA (Peoples Dispensary for Sick Animals) which provides low cost vet care for people who can’t afford the full fee and they pay what they can or make a donation later when they may have more income. I think it does some other animal welfare work too although I don’t think they operate anywhere remotely near me unfortunately. Maybe there is something like that in your country/area too? Or a shelter or humane society type place that may do some non profit appointments?

    • @DesserTray5
      @DesserTray5 2 года назад +35

      Exactly! Even getting their medications is ridiculously expensive.
      Vets where I live are generally $65 just for the office visit, THEN any labs, meds, nail clips, ear cleanings, dental cleanings, whatever else they might need.
      I had my kitten spayed a couple months ago. It was over $600

    • @tarakincade501
      @tarakincade501 2 года назад +14

      I found when fostering that places who do volunteer spay/neuters know an amazing network of resources. It might be worth it to call your local equivalent, if you have one, and ask if they have any affordable options for regular vet care. Folks who do that kind of work are likely to be as friendly and helpful as they are able.

    • @BonitaSixx
      @BonitaSixx 2 года назад +33

      @@happyme9010 that's awesome. Sadly, so many Americans are driven by pure greed, therefore, it is difficult to impossible to find reasonably priced pet care, especially in small towns where they're completely non existent. Small towns are overrun with stray cats and dogs. I dont get rich people. I like nice things, sure. I'm female- gimme a catalog and my eyes get huge I can look at things wishing, wanting, and pretending what all I'd get if I had the $. But that's play pretend lol. Would I have a bigger house? Yes. But not much. I dont understand ppl buying 30,000sq ft homes that require a dozen + ppl to maintain. Especially ppl like Oprah who own 6, 7, 10+ of them. Im.not saying that ppl fortunate enough to be wealthy shouldnt enjoy their wealth. I am saying that I wish more m(b)illionaires could find enjoyment in giving back to mankind, our planet, its various different species, and generally in trying to make the world a better place and make ALL of its inhabitants, happier, healthier and treated more humanely and less ppl who find enjoyment in inanimate objects and "things".

  • @Victoria-gh7ro
    @Victoria-gh7ro 3 года назад +322

    I took my cat to the vet and she is in perfect condition and she is 19.5 years old. Yes i said years.
    Number 1 thing she gets is Love.

    • @geehanel-abbassi7220
      @geehanel-abbassi7220 3 года назад +7

      wow thats so amazing!

    • @plantedlife
      @plantedlife 3 года назад +14

      Cool! What do you feed her? I want my cat to live a long and healthy life too

    • @KiearraDScruggs
      @KiearraDScruggs 3 года назад +1

      @@plantedlife 👀

    • @Victoria-gh7ro
      @Victoria-gh7ro 3 года назад +22

      Different kinds of Fancy feast can and dry cat food is science diet for adult 11+.
      I hope that will help your cat to live a healthy life.

    • @Victoria-gh7ro
      @Victoria-gh7ro 3 года назад +7

      She in a indoor cat and she gets no shots.

  • @margaritaguretski8995
    @margaritaguretski8995 3 года назад +213

    My cat got urinary abstraction with crystals and almost died, when he was 6 years old. Switched him to the wet canned food only, than eventually to the raw meat diet. Year later, he is happy and playful like never before, got his youth back. His fur is amazing too.

    • @arescue
      @arescue 3 года назад +4

      What kind of meat does he like?

    • @margaritaguretski8995
      @margaritaguretski8995 3 года назад +42

      @@arescue I make a mix 80:10:10 ( 80% meat, 10% organs liver or kidney, 10 % bones) for the meat I use chicken thighs and hearts. I also add salmon oil, vitamin E and B .

    • @flyingfox3296
      @flyingfox3296 2 года назад +13

      Exactly the same happened with my cat. Recurring UTIs, dehydration, urine crystals. At 12yo we switched her to high quality wet food, and when it got expensive, we switched her to a raw diet. Half the price, healthy, AND easy. $2.50/lb pre-ground 80/10/10. She's livelier, more affectionate, and got her playful kitten attitude back for the first time in years. Actually, she's crowing to bring me a toy mouse as I write this! 15 years old and going strong. :)

    • @donttalktomebye
      @donttalktomebye 2 года назад +7

      my cat suffers from this and i have been feeding him UTI kibble and wet food. i cant afford just canned sadly but this is something i am hoping to do for him but i also want to make sure his vet agrees

    • @sandywhite1550
      @sandywhite1550 2 года назад +16

      My mothers cat ate only raw meat her whole life and lived to be 21 yrs old. Something to be said about the phrase, “Pay it in good food or pay it in vet bills”

  • @cocoa-nuts2670
    @cocoa-nuts2670 2 года назад +201

    Our cat lived to 26 years. He got basic shots, was indoor outdoor and was loved a ton.

    • @seagullpoet
      @seagullpoet 2 года назад +6

      26 ? Impossible.

    • @zaystone6555
      @zaystone6555 2 года назад +22

      @@seagullpoet actually you would be surprised look up the oldest cat in the world

    • @cocoa-nuts2670
      @cocoa-nuts2670 2 года назад +25

      @@seagullpoet nope not at all. We had the mother. Our daughter missed her 1st day of kindergarten and was 5. She was born in 1990, the cat was born in 1995. The cat died the day before Thanksgiving last year. Do the math, if you know how.

    • @mariaathena7910
      @mariaathena7910 Год назад +1

      @@cocoa-nuts2670 no it cannot reach so old, there was only one cat in the world that reached 26 years, you are a liar

    • @mariaathena7910
      @mariaathena7910 Год назад +5

      @@zaystone6555 that's not the norm, 15-20 years is already extreme

  • @kellymccasland7689
    @kellymccasland7689 3 года назад +87

    I feel like people so often forget that a cats health and happiness is almost 100% reliant on us (same as dogs) because of the narrative that cats are “aloof” and “independent”

  • @HannahCobana
    @HannahCobana Год назад +47

    Cannot stress enough regular vet visits! After my old cat had cancer removed at 14 I got him on pet insurance and had him checked every 6 months to be cautious. The vet was able to catch renal failure early and we started treatment immediately to help keep him happy for the rest of his life. He lived 3 years after diagnosis and I never would have known until his last month alive that anything was wrong with him. It was easier because when that rough month came I was prepared with a set up and medication to keep him comfortable until he was ready to go and I had a lot of time to mentally prepare myself. Of course the last month was still hard, I slept on the floor with him for a month, couldn't leave the house because he would *only* sleep if I was with him and I spoiled him until he stopped eating. The vet had already known the situation and had given me the freedom to take him in without an appointment when I knew he was ready to pass. He didn't have to suffer for a second because I had him regularly checked.

    • @NietzzTube
      @NietzzTube Год назад +1

      I lost my first cat a few months ago at age 15,5 due to lymphoma (probably, they couldn't find conclusively where it was with biopt, but he had all the symptoms and everything else was ruled out). I noticed he was losing weight so I went to the vet, tried enzym treatment, later prednisone. Took about two months untill I had to end it to prevent needless suffering. I took him to the vet after about 2 - 3 months of weight loss (he always fluctuated a bit and it was summer, so he was more active, plus he had stopped eating dry food but ate wet food as eagerly as before, so I initially thought it were his teeth, he had to have them cleaned once before). I did all I could, went for a second opinion when my vet was like 'yeah he's old, nothing we can do', took him to an animal hospital, informed into treatment options like chemo. Still, in hindsight I wish I went earlier. Now, he got ill to soon to do much (he had anemia, this was what in the end made him so miserable I had to let him go, he would barely eat the last few days - gave him a whole buffet of cat soups and other easily digestible wet foods to help with that). It was also such a pressure cooker of worrying for my cat, that it kind of kept me from fully enjoying my last moments with him. With my other 8 yo cat, I am now going for regular yearly check-ups. (Life at one point didn't go as planned which left me with little budget for this before, as he also had a chronic urinary tract condition that required special food and emergency visits to the vet when despite taking all the preventative measures it did act up. Luckily, I could pay those in installments when I was broke).

    • @brendasollers9750
      @brendasollers9750 Год назад

      I'm so sorry for your lost of your pet

    • @Broccoliina
      @Broccoliina Месяц назад

      Your cat was lucky to have such a loving human taking care of him ❣

  • @deankaprolet3994
    @deankaprolet3994 3 года назад +374

    I wish vet care wasnt so expensive in the US.

    • @dr3ddd
      @dr3ddd 3 года назад +6

      its not i pay for plans it saves so much money

    • @KrisD007
      @KrisD007 3 года назад +38

      @@dr3ddd insurance plans? They are too expensive....

    • @utterlyboredandhungry
      @utterlyboredandhungry 3 года назад +13

      Expensive in Canada too :(

    • @nazilakhademi3754
      @nazilakhademi3754 3 года назад +10

      I live in Canada, same situation here

    • @walkertongdee
      @walkertongdee 3 года назад +1

      Expensive in Thailand

  • @faygriffiths6175
    @faygriffiths6175 3 года назад +217

    I think it should be mandatory for every cat owner to be given this knowledge before owning a cat. So many cat owners have sick cats that could have been saved if they had the right knowledge from the start

    • @donttalktomebye
      @donttalktomebye 2 года назад +9

      a lot of people, myself previously included, expect them to act like dogs but they act more like very secretive people.

    • @Kira-kg4kl
      @Kira-kg4kl 2 года назад +5

      Giving the info is useless if people can't be bothered to learn, I don't think people should be allowed to have a pet in general unless they are willing to learn and prove that they have absorbed the information before hand, stops the situation of misunderstanding 💜

    • @Kira-kg4kl
      @Kira-kg4kl 2 года назад +1

      @@donttalktomebye if you want a cat that acts like a dog get a bengal 😆 ours are more dog than our dog that was raised with cats 😆 😆

    • @Kira-kg4kl
      @Kira-kg4kl 2 года назад +1

      @Tobi Gibbons I do agree with this to an extent accept for the fact that humans grow and leave home and can learn to heal from previous traumas
      Our pets however are stuck in our custody until the day they die due to 'the love' of animals but with a large percentage of the population being extremely ignorant to body language let alone medical signs and diet
      So yes education should be mandatory on raising a child, but 99% percent of countries you cant legally just go purchase a human child like you can on fb for animals

    • @petrahartog5934
      @petrahartog5934 2 года назад

      I see kittens offerd way to young .
      And when asked , they are not de-wormed , de-fleaed or vaccinated .
      I was asked why I think they have worms anyway .
      Prices for these not treated kitten vary from € 50 to €150 .
      And I do not mind paying for a healthy kitten that is at least 12 weeks old and had the care it needs .
      Lots of people have no idea and pay for a kitten that is sick or parasite infested .

  • @rahmaz.9267
    @rahmaz.9267 3 года назад +189

    I have four cats ( two young adults, one 5 year old and a senior). Every morning they get a can of wet food divided between the four. I buy multiple flavors to diversify their food. They don't get fed again until later in the day, typically 4-6pm. At that time, they recieve dry food that they can free feed until morning. Typically by midnight all the food is eaten and they will be hungry again by morning. This routine has helped maintain their weights, coats, and activity levels.

    • @jackiethehighpriestess
      @jackiethehighpriestess 3 года назад +4

      THANK YOU

    • @azaraelg1176
      @azaraelg1176 3 года назад +1

      I tried doing this but my LuLus shit stands so bad if I giver her wet food 😭😭😭😫

    • @rahmaz.9267
      @rahmaz.9267 3 года назад +12

      @@azaraelg1176 cats have hella sensitive stomach. So much so that the food they eat can cause stinky 💩. You can also try giving kibble with warm water or more squeeze treats. The more water or liquid they get, the better.

    • @laylo6904
      @laylo6904 3 года назад +2

      Free feeding is wrong

    • @rahmaz.9267
      @rahmaz.9267 3 года назад

      @@laylo6904 Explain please?

  • @kitgenz1114
    @kitgenz1114 3 года назад +472

    I have one cat and two litter boxes in two different places because he likes to go #1 in one box and #2 in the other, lol 😂

    • @maritzableildesouza8500
      @maritzableildesouza8500 3 года назад +33

      Mine does just the same!

    • @danielleboon1543
      @danielleboon1543 3 года назад +33

      We have two cats. They have two boxes, and yup, one is for poop and the other for pee. 🤷‍♀️

    • @WonderWoman0313
      @WonderWoman0313 3 года назад +6

      SAME! 😻😻

    • @Kayavod
      @Kayavod 3 года назад +17

      Yes!! I found so weird that my 3 cats agree on what litter boxes they use to pee, to poop or both.

    • @Swoop180
      @Swoop180 3 года назад +14

      You should have your cat tested for O.C.D.😉

  • @denisenicole8989
    @denisenicole8989 2 года назад +27

    I cannot express enough how informative this video was for someone such as myself who is a cat owner. I have had my cat since he was 4 months old and he is now 8. I grew up with cats so I have also love them! I have read up on everything new I have noticed in my cats past or present but even this video has shed some light on some things I did not know or may have forgotten. The signs of pain, skipping annual vet visits, feeding your cat too much and not testing for parasites all gave me new information about my feline best friend! Again I can go on and on but thank you so much for making this video!

  • @ohitsbre7535
    @ohitsbre7535 2 года назад +3

    I’ve been wanting a cat for a while and have been doing research on how to take care of a cat and OH BOY! Cats are a huge responsibility.

  • @jeanhansel5805
    @jeanhansel5805 2 года назад +32

    Thank you for this helpful list. Please add lethargy to this list. A cat who is being lethargic (including not drinking water and or eating) can be displaying signs of a serious illness. Never dismiss lethargy as a cat just being tired or feeling lazy. Any deviation from normal behavior can be a warning sign of something seriously wrong. Also, it is easy to check to see if a cat is dehydrated -- firmly, but gently, squeeze and pull up a small area of skin on the cat's back; if the skin stays raised and doesn't immediately snap back to normal, get the cat seen by a vet. Also, if you simply sense something is just not right with your cat, check in with your vet. Always better to be safe than sorry.

  • @netzoned
    @netzoned 3 года назад +9

    @
    All About Cats ... NOTE: I have been rescuing animals for about 55 years. ... The following is posted as general information, not specific to you. ... They are all important, and _thank you!_ Litter boxes: IMO, more cats have suffered because of that. People have to clean the boxes daily, and properly. A person can add litter only a couple of times, tops, but depends. Use wise judgment. Of course, to begin with, there should be enough in the box, and the box needs to be big enough. I recommend jumbo for every cat. No smaller than large. Clean immediately when a cat goes. Obviously, if someone is at work, etc, that is not possible.
    I cannot count how many times I have been personally aware of a cat being turned in to the pound or thrown in the street because they went outside the litter box. That may also be a sign of illness, especially if the cat making verbal sounds when it is going. Get the cat to a vet!
    Morning, get up early enough to clean everything! Return home, do it again. No less than once a week, using rubber gloves, of course, wash with soap and water, and 5%-10% bleach. Rinse thoroughly. Refill.
    The next would be teeth and gums. Get a cat young, teach it to accept brushing. That can be done with older cats, it just takes more patience.
    Nutrition: By law, food manufacturers can have the first ingredient listed as 50% of the food. And, you can bet and win, they do it! Corn: Cats don't eat grains as a source of food. The first ingredient should be a meat or a meat meal... even if a person cannot afford a grain-free food.
    Feed wet food, or as much as possible! They can be mixed. This is also a good way to change food and flavors. If using dry, find a quality wet pate in different flavors and mix with the base dry. 50% of both is good.
    Changing diet: 10 days minimum. 25% of new for a few days. Then 50%. Then 75% for a few days. Then 100% of the new food. That to lessen the chance of diarrhea. If multiple cats, say four, and one gets diarrhea, well 75% to the good is not terrible. That cat can be fed a different food. Of course, all cats should be fine with all the food/s. Sometimes it takes a lot of effort to find a good food all enjoy and with none of them having problems.
    Going above budget may be necessary. People have told me they cannot afford more. As politely as I can, I start a discussion about personal habits. How much bottled water bought a month? How many times eating out buying fast food, and any junk food even at the grocery store. Are recourses being conserved to bring bills down? Etc. All those things and more should be well thought about without even having a pet/companion.
    @All About Cats ... Again, they are all important.
    Having the cat to begin with means loving the cat. People get upset if the cat is going outside the box.
    Better nutrition means better health, _and less waste to even go in a littler box!_
    So choose: Cheaper food, more waste, worse health. Better food, less waste, better health. :-)
    A cat cannot eat if they're in pain with their mouth... teeth and or gums. That may also be a sign of stomatitis, or worse. Get the cat to a vet!
    Cat that seems to have a sensitive stomach: Wet food that is turkey, next chicken. Boiling chicken thighs can be a meat supplement for cats to add to food on a regular basis. Don't over-cook. It does not have to be every day. Even every third day is good.
    SICK CAT: A cat that stops eating, can't get to the vet for a few days: Turkey baby food, with about a quarter unflavored Pedialyte, or a cheaper off-brand.
    That's it for now. Anyone that read all of that, thank you! :-)

    • @netzoned
      @netzoned 3 года назад +1

      Oh, I forgot something that should have been mentioned. Never feed just dry. At least, add some water to the dry food. It might surprise someone, but the same amount of water, such as 1 cup of dry food and 1 cup of water, the dry food will usually absorb every drop of that water.
      This will also help prevent urinary tract inflation and urinary tract infection. And, both male and female cats are subject to that.

    • @marisol2301
      @marisol2301 2 года назад +1

      Thank you for the information.

  • @ggm-i8y
    @ggm-i8y Год назад +14

    Laser pointer made me realise how good cats hearing is. Mine can be sleeping in another room and no matter how carefully I would pick the laser up, if the chain jingles even slightly, she jumps and runs to me straight away. So after many tries I realised it's impossible to pick it up without her hearing it.

    • @shereejones6105
      @shereejones6105 Год назад

      Snap mine are the same also if I move the treat box yep here they come 😂😂

  • @itsmesteve1081
    @itsmesteve1081 Год назад +20

    The fact that retail stores only have 1 or 1 & 1/2 aisles dedicated to cats, but 4 or 5 for dogs speak volumes. After feeding an outdoor/stray cat recently I have learned that information about cats is still so scarce on the internet. Worst of all is that the people online always argue and debate what is the right way to handle a cat

    • @doorkum
      @doorkum 7 месяцев назад

      They are more dog owners/parents than cat owners/parents. So dog food, research, toys and etc will trump the cat counterpart.

  • @HopeyDopey143
    @HopeyDopey143 Год назад +1

    Thank you so much for your advice! I am 75 years old and have enjoyed the pleasure of cats and kittens all my life! You have taught me things I’ve never heard of! Thank heavens, I never ran into any of these complications! And in the future, I will be even more careful than I have been in the past! Rest in peace, Bob Barker!

  • @susanswinny588
    @susanswinny588 2 года назад +6

    Thank you, Dr Wooten, for such instructive videos. You fill a great need.
    I remember getting my first kitty Eloise when I was 28 without the first clue what a cat was like or how to care for one..so tiny, white and fuzzy she was.
    It was 1979 in in the middle of a harsh Chicago winter.
    The little one was sick in a week or so with a respiratory bug. She didn't eat or drink for a day. I found the closest vet.
    He gave her a feeding tube and his nurse cared for her a couple of nights.
    He knew I was in over my head but he sent her home with me, along with a feeding syringe and medicine, wished me luck and said she may not make it regardless of all the care.
    I got a heating pad, blanket, pillow, and stuffed animal for her. Gave her water and milk. She pulled through somehow.
    Soon she was climbing the curtains without any way to get back down and getting into everything.
    One life down, 8 more to go.
    It was my crash course in how close to death a cat can be yet come back so quickly and completely.

  • @Fairburne69
    @Fairburne69 Год назад +7

    My cat is an indoor cat. I've had this cat for 15 years. Never had a flea never used flea medication. I've also never been told by the vet that I should get flea medication for him. I can only assume that his odds are very low to get fleas as an indoor cat.

    • @katehalleron4688
      @katehalleron4688 Год назад +2

      I've had indoor cats get fleas - they ride in on your clothing and they're tough to get rid of once established.
      I have an indoor cat now and you can bet she gets her flea treatment every month because I don't ever want to deal with that again.

  • @susiepoo51
    @susiepoo51 Год назад +5

    I appreciate you sharing such vital information with us! I just don’t understand why Vets choose to charge so much and don’t consider to work with us, which causes pets to eventually suffer from not being seen as needed. It’s so sad.

  • @semievilsquirrel
    @semievilsquirrel 2 года назад +35

    I feed my old guy (17) raw food from Darwin's. He was diagnosed as diabetic two years ago. When I transitioned him to raw, his blood sugars leveled out naturally and he has more energy and verve than he has in years. I was skeptical at first, but I can't deny that his health is so much better after the switch.

    • @Happy-hippo-3579
      @Happy-hippo-3579 2 года назад +2

      Love Darwin’s!!

    • @ricknowak4582
      @ricknowak4582 2 года назад +4

      I've been feeding my cat raw chicken drumsticks! They're much cheaper and healthier than Wet can food! There are less than a dollar each and I'll get 3 meals from one drumstick!! And in between I'll get him human tuna fish In water Rinsed and drained to get rid of the sodium. And for another meal I will give him half tuna fish 1/2 chicken drumstick cut up with scissors small pieces.He loves it! I also mix in a little bit of dry food to think that its bones He is chewing on. Haha. When I see what the ingredients are in wet can't food I am appalled! I believe I found the healthy inexpensive diet for my loving cat. Please reply ..... Anyone. I tried chicken breast but he seems to like the drumsticks better he won't eat the chicken breast in fact..

    • @semievilsquirrel
      @semievilsquirrel 2 года назад

      @@ricknowak4582 sounds good to me! I mostly like the convenience of Darwin's. It's good to know there are less expensive options.

    • @Felineintuition
      @Felineintuition 2 года назад +3

      @@ricknowak4582 Reply to what? Maybe go see a vet and talk about the diet and all nuteients and vitamins the cat needs but other than that... Internet advice is not good advice, my friend. Always check with people who studied about this, not some random people.

    • @BGing_Foodie
      @BGing_Foodie 2 года назад +1

      @@ricknowak4582 Cats need additional vitamins and taurine than just what's in chicken, tuna, etc. Please do more research before your cat becomes severely deficient in something and gets sick or goes blind.

  • @joniangelsrreal6262
    @joniangelsrreal6262 2 года назад +3

    Hello Dr. Sarah 🥰 🐈‍⬛🐾🐾🐈‍⬛🐾🐾
    My twins get combed daily nails trimmed biweekly… vet visIts 2x year..I’m blessed with a pair of angels…giving more than they take🥰

  • @xoallison12ox
    @xoallison12ox 3 года назад +23

    @11:07 I 1000% agree with switching foods consistently. My 13 year old dog developed GI issues from eating 1 brand of food her whole life. She eventually passed due to a potential Cancer and her inability to digest anything. Her stools became smelly and runny and she had diarrhea uncontrollably. She lost so much weight so rapidly, I never suspected a "holistic well balanced" food was a death sentence. I have definitely learned a lot since then. Now I dedicate most of my budget towards nutrition over toys/material things for my pets.

    • @hermeshemp6271
      @hermeshemp6271 2 года назад +2

      We adopted two cats and all they ever knew was the same dry cat food their whole lives for 7 years. We switch their food and it's a challenge for them.

  • @PursuingHeaven
    @PursuingHeaven 3 года назад +35

    The NUMBER ONE mistake cat owners make is not feeding their cats properly! Cats are obligatory carnivores and need whole prey to thrive. Not the junk in 95% of the food on the market. Cats get overweight because they eat too much but they eat too much because they are not eating the right food, having an insulin response, whine to be fed, owners feed because they feel bad and then it becomes a cyclic pattern. Add then the cat gets bored and whines and the owners feed more. It is a never-ending cycle that starts with food choice. Feed your cat a proper biological diet (that DOES NOT include grains, or high carb foods, they don't eat that in the wild-except in the digestive tract of their prey which is often left) and play often with your cat, they are not decorative ornaments in home, they are sentient creatures completely dependent on you so be responsible. I agree with a lot of what you said, but you completely missed the foundational point of cat ownership.

    • @AllAboutCatsYT
      @AllAboutCatsYT  3 года назад +2

      Thanks for sharing, K R.

    • @rockymntain
      @rockymntain 3 года назад +3

      So true. My neighbor who feeds the strays, was also letting my cat eat her food. He developed a knack for the unhealthy Costco Maintenance cat food she put out(corn meal/high in fat). He was very competitive and selfish in eating all of the food to drive the other cats away. He put on a lot of weight and now this summer he is struggling because of the overeating. I talked to the neighbor and now she only puts out the food when she sees the stray and doesn't leave a huge amount of food out which is helping him to slim down.
      My other cat was getting sick on the standard cat food fare, so I switched up the product which has no dyes and has a delicious aroma of fried chicken. I change the flavors between bags, and she likes either one.

    • @Julie-sw8xv
      @Julie-sw8xv 3 года назад +4

      So how should we feed them? Seeing lots of comments about not feeding properly, but none that say what is proper. I don't know what a "proper biological diet" is. Thanks in advance!

    • @saramations
      @saramations 3 года назад +1

      BARF is good on paper, but terrible on the wallet.
      It's also not fit everyone. You really need to know what you said doing so you don't get your cat sick.

    • @Resist4
      @Resist4 3 года назад

      Actually, cats are over weight because they don't have to hunt for their food. House cats over eat because they are bored and need to be played with to get exercise.

  • @TH-eb5ro
    @TH-eb5ro 2 года назад +4

    Calm clinic training is helpful. My mom's cat was banned from the vet before I trained it. I then called them and asked the options they had such as ocean music and used them to train him at home. He is now able to go to the vet again.

  • @alimo1611
    @alimo1611 3 года назад +35

    I took my litle boy to get neutered at the vet about 15km from my home. left him there and they let him excape. Its been almost a year and a half now. I can't explain what I went through and still am :(

    • @staufferfamily9629
      @staufferfamily9629 3 года назад +9

      Aww thats so sad.😥 I hope he comes home.

    • @michelehayes9509
      @michelehayes9509 3 года назад +14

      That's awful. What was their explanation? Obviously not a very good setup at the clinic for something like that to happen. I think I would have called a lawyer.

    • @thezjj
      @thezjj 3 года назад +8

      I can't imagine, I'd have given them a piece of my mind.

    • @AllAboutCatsYT
      @AllAboutCatsYT  3 года назад +14

      That is so sad; I'm sorry you went through that.

    • @KrisD007
      @KrisD007 3 года назад +5

      That sucks. I'd lose it.

  • @dawnvickerstaff9148
    @dawnvickerstaff9148 3 года назад +62

    We have just recently adopted two kittens. They are just about 11 weeks old. We planned the adoption. We brought our scent and left a carrier with blankets from our house. The kittens played in it for a few weeks and then we collected it and the kittens. Imagine our surprise (and the total embarrassment of the breeder) when the mother cat defecated quite dramatically in the corner where the carrier used to be! Talk about demonstrating pain! I don't think she liked the fact that the last of her kittens were leaving. We can sometimes dismiss animal emotions but we thought this behaviour was quite clear!

    • @nopenope8543
      @nopenope8543 3 года назад +22

      If you purchased them from a breeder, then you didn’t “adopt” them. You bought them. Don’t get the 2 mixed up. Completely different. 1 is wonderful and the other is selfish :)

    • @patsystone8114
      @patsystone8114 2 года назад +4

      I hate breeders!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😤 Greedy bastards. Im sure your kittens are sweet but you could have done the unselfish thing and adopted kittens that needed a home instead of supporting greedy breeders. Rescues are simply the best! 😻😻😻

    • @MeadowRose7
      @MeadowRose7 2 года назад +11

      Nothing wrong with purchasing a certain breed of cat or dog from a breeder, if you want a certain breed.
      The selfish ones are the people who don't spay or neuter their pets and let them run, and people who up and move and abandon their pets. If people would be responsible for their pets, there would be no need for shelters.

    • @belmum1689
      @belmum1689 2 года назад +6

      @@MeadowRose7 Total BS just in Australia alone 200,000 cats and dogs which includes those certain breeds are put down every year in animal shelters b/c there is not enough people for all of them and people still want to buy from someone (a breeder who didn't desex their pet in the first place)

    • @belmum1689
      @belmum1689 2 года назад +6

      @@MeadowRose7 Adopt don't shop

  • @judywatson6551
    @judywatson6551 2 года назад +4

    I thought I knew all about cats, I've had cats a big part of my life, but I have learned so much more about cats that I dearly love from watching veterinarians, and CAT DADDY.

  • @missann0906
    @missann0906 3 года назад +11

    I’m not sure why this video was on my Home Screen today,but it’s been helpful I have a 6 month old and 17 year old males,And it’s been time spent socializing them to the point they can be together on the patio,but I still separate them when I’m not home, I was aware of the need to have 3 litter boxes,I just realized I need to change up on pet food textures,both been eating pates for months.

  • @dooomswear303
    @dooomswear303 3 года назад +60

    How do you not have a million subs you're the best cat channel

    • @ThatsMyBlackOpinion
      @ThatsMyBlackOpinion 3 года назад +3

      Right?

    • @AllAboutCatsYT
      @AllAboutCatsYT  3 года назад +9

      You're so kind. Thank you.

    • @ThatsMyBlackOpinion
      @ThatsMyBlackOpinion 3 года назад +8

      @@AllAboutCatsYT It is true. I have learned so much from your channel. You have helped my cat and me more than you know. I take her to the vet but was never advised about the deworming, or even the 6 month visits (she is 11 years old). Thank you so very much for this channel!

    • @cherylmcnutt9905
      @cherylmcnutt9905 3 года назад +8

      You could put this into a pamphlet that people could purchase when they first adopt a cat or the first time they take a new pet to the vet! This information is invaluable, and something I’ve been looking for, for years! Thank you!

    • @saramarie7984
      @saramarie7984 3 года назад +6

      Agreed! This channel is always my go to!

  • @socialmoth4974
    @socialmoth4974 3 года назад +4

    We just had our cat baby put to sleep yesterday. She was 20 years old. I will miss her. My husband and I got her when we first started dating, so she was a big part of our lives together.

    • @AllAboutCatsYT
      @AllAboutCatsYT  3 года назад +1

      I'm sorry to hear that; it sounds like this marks the end of an era. Wishing you and your family all the best.

    • @jade8568_VR
      @jade8568_VR 3 года назад +1

      So sorry... we did the same about 9 yrs ago.. she had just turned 18.. it was like losing a child. It's aweful... just awful. We all still get teary eyed talking about her. We had her before our kids. She used to walk my son down to the corner bus stop AND go back & wait for him so the could race each other home. The cat we have no... ugh polar opposite...she's a mess lol

    • @markharold2732
      @markharold2732 Год назад

      Hello how are you

  • @moondazedmercantile
    @moondazedmercantile 3 года назад +33

    My kitty sometimes ate his food funny and would lick his lips a lot afterwards. Vet came and diagnosed him with Stomatitis! It could’ve easily been nothing, but I’m so glad I called and got him the dental care he needed.

    • @adelaalvarenga1669
      @adelaalvarenga1669 3 года назад +6

      What?. My cat do the same thing. But I was thinking he loves he's 🍲 So much. Thanks for sharing.

    • @cvasoyan6065
      @cvasoyan6065 2 года назад +1

      We;daughter & I, brush our cats teeth every other week but we not sure if that’s enough when considering how often we brush ours daily. Do you have an opinion/suggestion?

    • @cornchips007
      @cornchips007 2 года назад

      @@cvasoyan6065 definitely enough. Vet recommended just booking a teeth cleaning every few months or second check-up

  • @susanswinny588
    @susanswinny588 2 года назад +2

    Preventive care isn't cheap. Annual shots and exam was $160 per cat (we have 3) this year. But these caregivers aren't getting rich.
    Emergency care isn't cheap for sure. It costs so much money to have a clinic, hospital, imaging and lab equipment, beds, drugs, food, and 24 hour care.
    Last year, our big 10 year old orange tabby Clancy had a 4-day inpatient visit due to a urinary blockage, which came to over over $2000 (he recovered completely).
    The nurses sent me photos and called me at least once a day to report his status in detail.
    Their care was amazing and genuine. At least 3 vet nurses I talked to about him knew him by name right away.
    And the discharge nurse spent a long time going over Clancy's home care with me.
    My cat Pepper had cancer surgery in 2002 when she was 16 years old.
    When I talked to the nurse, she told me that Pepper was responding much better than most cats just waking up from cancer surgery. She was eating and soaking up the attention she was getting.
    And she lived another 5 years. These animals are so special.
    I feel so fortunate to have the means to pay for pet health care.
    I may not have money to retire but I have my furr babies for the moment.
    It's a privilege to have experienced their special love.
    It's all possible because of the human angels that love and care for them.

  • @karenescalera1612
    @karenescalera1612 2 года назад +3

    As a newbie cat owner..., THANK YOU!!!!

  • @user-jl5lh9mq2b
    @user-jl5lh9mq2b Год назад +2

    Great tip when playing with the laser. Thank you.

  • @sweetgirl070707
    @sweetgirl070707 2 года назад +6

    I've gone to the same vet for 15 years now, first with my senior cat who died at 16, and then with my current cat who's five, and they've never told me I should bring them for an yearly prophylactic check. I even specifically asked for my previous cat, but they've never said it's necessary. They only have me come every 3 months for a deworming tablet. I don't insist on bringing him because he's afraid to death when I do, he wets himself and he just lies there frozen, trembling and staring off into space and it's horrible. So I just try to pay close attention to my cat and bring him if I notice something unusual.

  • @redwillow79schippers94
    @redwillow79schippers94 3 года назад +25

    I would also add, do not declaw. It's unnecessary and painful

  • @geehanel-abbassi7220
    @geehanel-abbassi7220 3 года назад +23

    In my personal opinion, I would ditch the dry food completely when it comes to cats. Because kidney issues are so prominent in cats because of their nature, dry food will just elevate that and make it worse. canned food 100% or cooked/raw or a combo of both (as my cat eats both canned and raw)

    • @mysterykitty587
      @mysterykitty587 3 года назад +13

      I had to put my childhood cat to sleep a week or so ago cuz he started signs of early kidney failure and the next day his chest filled with a bunch of fluid so I had to say goodbye so he would no longer suffer... 😔😔 I fed him mostly dryfood all his life but for the majority of it I didn't know any better. He was only about 11 yrs old... and although I loved him to death and pet and cuddled him a bunch he passed away cuz of the kidney failure plus fluid... If I would have known a moisture filled diet like canned food could have prevented kidney failure I would have fed him more wet food rather than feeding him crappy Purina dry food.... ~_~ 😔

    • @sherriross4785
      @sherriross4785 3 года назад +5

      @@mysterykitty587 l'm so sorry to hear about your furbaby. It's so hard but unfortunately we've all been there. Keep learning how to keep your furbabies healthy and safe and maybe soon you will feel ready to adopt again 😻

    • @sandywhite1550
      @sandywhite1550 3 года назад +8

      My 7 year old cat had the same kidney problems due to dry food. Cost me $4000. In Vet bills before he passed. They say, “Pay it in good food or pay it in Vet bills”. Lesson learned. My mother fed her cat nothing but raw food and the cat lived for 22 years. Her indoor cat never saw a vet and never had any vaccination.

    • @geehanel-abbassi7220
      @geehanel-abbassi7220 3 года назад +4

      @@mysterykitty587 Im so sorry to hear that... I hope that this education about steering away completely from dry food resonates with people, because it can definitely save a cats life. don't blame yourself, the pet food company is extremely convincing and persuasive. Trust me I've been there with my cat, shes 5 and all her life she was on dry food, until I was on tiktok and a video really resonated with me and it led me to join groups on canned/raw food diets.

    • @geehanel-abbassi7220
      @geehanel-abbassi7220 3 года назад +5

      @@sandywhite1550 Im so sorry for your loss :( im so glad more people are realizing that dry food is absolutely horrible for cats and raw is the best way to go! I definitely agree with that quote. I do pay way more in raw than in dried, but I know its going to be worth it in the long run!

  • @hcarroll1983
    @hcarroll1983 2 года назад +3

    I ended up with 3 male cats between getting one myself and taking 2 from family members that had kittens. I had NO clue about urine marking/spraying. All of them started spraying.....I mean 3 males ya know. My house STANK so bad. They'd spray my shoes, work clothes, everything else lol. So by then they were all adults. I took them to get them neutered and the vet told me at they're age they may not stop fully or at least develope other behavior issues. I got so lucky all 3 stopped and never had any issues going forward. They all lived to be 18 or older. Theyve all moved on and I now have 2 little kittens. Im glad I know all this knowledge now as the new ones grow up.

  • @RBFBettyCrew
    @RBFBettyCrew 2 года назад +17

    Betty was scheduled for her spay at six months. But she went into heat at four months! So we had to get her appointment bumped up and have her spayed while in heat. It went OK, but definitely not ideal. But my goodness, if she had managed to get outside and get pregnant, I'd have been very worried about her because she was still so tiny. I doubt any of the kittens would have made it.

  • @mishaccrush5395
    @mishaccrush5395 3 года назад +11

    I'm at a lost... I don't know what can I do to help my cat. He's traumatized. He was beaten by the son of his previous owner. Now that he is under my care, it seems to me that he is afraid of everything and everyone. Even a small sound can surprised him. It hurts me watching him unlike other cat. He has an extreme anxiety. I know he's in fear. I'm trying to make him get used to his surrounding but I don't know whether it's a good idea.

    • @dinas2369
      @dinas2369 3 года назад +12

      Please give him time and space. When they are scared like that, even you looking at them they perceive as a threat. It might be best just try and act as if you don't know he is there, and give him a lot of time. Adventually he will come around. You could read books around him to get him used to your voice, but try to pretend like you don't know he is there, it will help him feel safer as it is very nonthreatening behaviour.

    • @Katlady001
      @Katlady001 3 года назад +8

      Please please please pack on your patience. This cat has been abused so it’s gonna take a good amount of time to turn that around. Make out more of a quiet space for kitty. Kitty needs to heal first before you can worry about integration. You have to be on this kitty’s schedule. Give treats but not too many.

    • @joancash1749
      @joancash1749 3 года назад +5

      I buy calming treats from Amazon. They are a natural supplement & help with anxiety. You can get collars & pheromone air diffusers also, but they tend to be a little more expensive.

    • @dinas2369
      @dinas2369 3 года назад +1

      @Elle Em royal Canin is crap in nice package

    • @dinas2369
      @dinas2369 3 года назад +1

      @Elle Em I am not just talking about royal Canin, there is a whole range of prescription foods, that are falsely presented as prescription, as if there is some actual testing done. That is not the case. Also if you look into feline nutritional needs you will realize that the dry foods and a lit of these "prescription foods" are exact opposite of what cats should be eating. First of all dryness of the food makes it really bad for the animals that absorb moisture from their food. That alone can increase the chances for different diseases, like kidney problems, urinary problems and others. Simply because they cannot draw enough moisture through their food. Next thing is they are packed with different kinds of carbs, grains and plant proteins, none of which have any place in the cats nutrition or can be absorbed in a positive way. This can further result in other health problems, like thyroid issues, diabetes and others.

  • @conferenceclips4940
    @conferenceclips4940 Год назад +4

    Sign 4, signs of pain - this is what happened to me! 😥😥😥 My cat suddenly stopped eating. I took her to the vet right away. It turned out she had pancreatic cancer spread throughout her little body. This was almost a year ago. I am still grieving.😰 Such a good-natured creature.

    • @NietzzTube
      @NietzzTube Год назад

      Lost my cat to cancer (lymphoma) in december last year too. It started with losing weight, last days he could barely eat. Still grieving too. He was such a lovely animal. Just wanted to say I understand how you feel and share your grief

  • @anest-uk
    @anest-uk 3 года назад +4

    Kibble! Love it. They tend to communicate, one needs to pay attention, it's not that hard. Thanks vet.

  • @Ice_Karma
    @Ice_Karma 3 года назад +64

    It's always appalled me, how many people approach cats as if they were dogs. Also I recently noticed early signs of arthritis in my 11yo cat, which our vet said they wouldn't even have noticed in her recent well-cat exam. She's on Cartrophen, in the maintenance phase now, and responding really well. [Edited ten months later: please see my reply below.]

    • @WyldMoonChild
      @WyldMoonChild 2 года назад +2

      I agree about people treating cats like they are dogs, and the most annoying part to me is that they dislike the cat for reacting poorly (and in some cases end up hating cats in general). Mostly because the human was unable to adjust their own behavior and cannot accept that they are the problem and not the cats.... Drives me nuts when "friends" come over and judge my cats based on their own abhorrent behavior towards them.
      All the luck to your sweet 11 y/o kitty and his/her arthritis. Hope the meds help as long as possible :)

    • @tigresmom5654
      @tigresmom5654 2 года назад +2

      You have a better vet than I do. Mine told me that there are no medications available to cats that have arthritis. No, I'm not going to be going to that vet anymore.

    • @Ice_Karma
      @Ice_Karma 2 года назад +2

      @@tigresmom5654 ​ So, ten months on... I'm not sure the Cartrophen actually had any effect. The only position my cat seems to have trouble getting into is the 'cat loaf', and otherwise has no difficulty, for example, jumping over a metre/three feet from the floor onto the desk in my home office so she can look out the window, or another 15 cm/half a foot up onto my dresser. I know it's on me to interpret subtle signals to tease out her health status, but I wish she could just _tell_ me, or the vet, what, if anything, is actually wrong. =/

    • @jvrock7
      @jvrock7 2 года назад +2

      @@Ice_Karma I read last night in an article on 7 reasons why cats loaf (😆) that the loafing might be altered in some way if the cat has some type of kidney disease as they are trying to avoid pressure on internal organs. Might be worth mentioning to your vet, especially as this vet ☝️has said that kidney problems are common in older cats

    • @Ice_Karma
      @Ice_Karma 2 года назад +2

      @@jvrock7 Thanks for this, I'll bring it up at her next appointment. 😻

  • @SandyCampbellHemet
    @SandyCampbellHemet 3 года назад +15

    I have 5 cats and 4 Xtra large litter boxes that are kept clean daily. My cats eat both wet and dry food and they drink bottled water which is changed two to three times each day. I do not use tap water for consumption for myself, in cooking or my cats. My cats are healthy and happy, playful and they all get along well with each other.

  • @johnbrandolini2915
    @johnbrandolini2915 3 года назад +8

    As for getting our cat checked once a year I will skip my exam before I'll skip Medb's. She gets a full run up once a year. She's a rescue kitteh and the vet we take her to are the ones who did her spaying and adoption physical. You are the first vet I know of that advised giving both dry and wet cat food which we have done with all our cats. Some sources say letting cats have food on demand is bad but we've only had one cat out of I don't know how many actually become over weight. Medb has a full dish of kibble along with a tbsp or two of wet food. Recently I have been treating her with home made chicken broth which she loves. My broth is made from chicken only without seasonings since I use it in various cuisines. One of our strategies to avoid damage to furniture which has worked with all our cats has been to provide cardboard corrugated scratchies which mimic tree bark. Not one of the cats we've had scratched furniture when these items were available. As for fear, people just don't realize how frightening they are to a small critter like a cat let alone a kitteh. And one mistake they make in my opinion is they assume that cats are aloof and independent thus making the cat more fearful. The trick is in the way a cat is socialized. Every cat has their own personality and as their guardians we need to recognize their need to adapt to our attention. For example, Medb will lapland on my sweeties lap and not mine. Why - because I am muscular and just not that damned comfortable. But she will cuddle my toes in bed and crawl up my back when she wants my attention. In the AM I get my share of head butting when she wants her morning treats. Which leads to another misconception about cats. Yes they are trainable. Medb and I have a daily routine concerning treats. When I get up I ask her if she wants treats and she will hop on her chair and meow. I offer her a treat asking her to say please and she will beckon with her right paw for it. She also recognizes other commands such as move when we want her to leave a spot or up up when we want her to be a specific place. There's a host of other commands she recognizes that would blow people's minds but the best is her ability to attempt human speech. I had a white cat called Kerry that unmistakably called my sweetie by name and Medb has learned a few human phrases on her own the funniest being hello. Anyway my point is that too many people view cats in the same light as budgies or hamsters when in a lot of cases they can be smarter than dogs.

    • @dmm29
      @dmm29 2 года назад +1

      I really appreciate your sharing your knowledge and experiences with your cats. Such lucky cats to live with you. For the chicken broth, do you just use water that chicken baked in? No seasoning. Sounds so healthy for cats. I will do that.

  • @brittneyhibdon3896
    @brittneyhibdon3896 Год назад +2

    Wow that was a really good information about the laser pointer: “cats need to catch something, so place a toy or treat and have the laser pointer land on the item and turn off the laser.”
    I wonder if that is also something is should do with my dog and will do some research. A lot of dogs do love the laser pen too. :)

  • @barbaramaduchie744
    @barbaramaduchie744 2 года назад +4

    Dr. You have no idea how excellent this information is. We love your knowledge/presentation AWESOME!! Leaving for vet now, wish you were here!!!

  • @bearfog07
    @bearfog07 Год назад +2

    Yay, I am doing right by my 16 year old, female cat. She's happy and healthy. I am only concerned that I don't play with her enough. When is a cat too old to actively play with? When I last took her to the Vet, he told me she had put weight on which was, as he said, unusual. She isn't overweight at all but she is maintaining the healthy weight of a younger cat. I love using flea and worm treatment that comes in a tube and is applied as a fluid to the back of the neck. Nice and easy once a month!

    • @AllAboutCatsYT
      @AllAboutCatsYT  Год назад +1

      Never. As long as the cat is healthy enough to not be in pain from the play, it's a great idea to play with them.

    • @markharold2732
      @markharold2732 Год назад

      Hello Chrissie how are you

  • @laurenagetstein2761
    @laurenagetstein2761 3 года назад +8

    I always say our pets should get the same medical care we’d give ourselves!! I do give her some variety of wet food flavors!!! I was told not to get mine fixed before she was 6 months old!! She started a season of heat a couple weeks shy of being 6 months old!!! I got her fixed about 8 months ago. She turned 1 in April

  • @jordenhaddad561
    @jordenhaddad561 Год назад +2

    when I would worry about my cat and wanted to take him to the vet, he wouldn't agree to go in the cage and I couldn't manage to force him in. He was an outside cat, independent and free. Eventually he would get better on his own or I would consult with the vet about his symptom. I always hoped that the love we gave him would benefit his health as well. So I didn't understand the severity of his condition at end. I wished I would have insisted more to get him to the vet more often

  • @knsparks5
    @knsparks5 3 года назад +48

    It’s unfortunate that a lot of "specialized" veterinarian cat foods contain so much grain and by-products. As obligate carnivores (meat eaters), cats are not built to digest grains and thrive off of protein. By-products can consist of the nasty leftovers that humans would not ingest (ex. eyes, beaks). It just kills me to think that the professionals we trust convince us to spend a fortune on food that doesn’t always benefit our pets well-being.

    • @dmm29
      @dmm29 2 года назад

      Amen.

    • @KerryRussellRN
      @KerryRussellRN 2 года назад +2

      I know!! I think they get kickbacks from those companies. What I don’t understand is why a company has not decided on actual HEALTHY products, grain and by-product free. It would prevent so many health problems. Maybe their theory is these super expensive unhealthy vet prescribed diets will guarantee future vets visits.

    • @madamedemonsieur
      @madamedemonsieur 2 года назад +1

      So true. The “vet prescribed diet” for weight control made my cat *gain* weight.

    • @whitneywaterbury6506
      @whitneywaterbury6506 2 года назад +7

      Do consider that not all by products are inherently bad. Meat byproduct can be things like extra meat, liver, other bodily organs rich in nutrients. By- products themselves are not always unhealthy, so its important to check the label to see where the byproduct comes from.
      Some grains are also okay too, as long as it's not the bulk of what they eat. In general, grain free diets have been linked to heart disease in dogs and cats. While these things have gotten a bad rap, they are not always as bad as the market has made them seem. And grain free diets often times add other carb sources like legumes and whatnot, so it can still be packed with carbs while still being "grain free". :)

    • @RBFBettyCrew
      @RBFBettyCrew 2 года назад +1

      @@madamedemonsieur yes, same here! Even the vet prescribed weight control kibble can be basically like eating at McDonalds every day.

  • @8sun52
    @8sun52 2 года назад +2

    I cut up about a quarter teaspoon of 1/4 by 1/4 pieces of baby kale or romaine lettuce and mix it in with our cat's food. He loves his veggies. I don't put veggies in his meal every time though. Once or twice a day, but sometimes I might skip a few days. Sometimes I run out of veggies and he might go a week without the veggies.
    Sometimes I put food out without the veggies and he won't eat it. I mix the veggies in and he eats it! 😼😺
    When I first started feeding him veggies, I noticed he had more energy, it wasn't my imagination.
    The fiber gently scrubs the intestines of buildup. In the wild, cats and big cats get fiber when they eat the whole animal including some fur and other indigestible parts. I know a lot of the wet cat food these days has fiber in it but I believe the fiber of fresh veggies with live enzymes is much better. And chlorophyll is excellent in so many ways. Helps prevent cancer, very good for the heart, a detoxifier, on and on...

  • @alysgrant6732
    @alysgrant6732 Год назад +4

    I think one of the biggest problems that is caused by Vets cause is charging unbelievable fees for Spay/Nuetering, $300 -$400. 😕. It can be the most expensive single visit an owner faces throughout the cats whole life. Too many people don't know, or have access to cheaper Spay/Nueter services. Also, too many people don't know that cats can get pregnant at 6 months, and also don't know the additional dangers of cats going outdoors. From, eagles, coyotes, traffic, and neighbors that leave poison out, shoot cats or grabbing up animals to torture.
    I believe that if every Vet charged $100 or under Spay/Nueter fees, we would have less kittens, and less cats being abandoned by frustrated owners. Also, the desire to get outside to find a mate would lower the amount of cats with unwanted suprise litters leading to homeless, shelter cats, and euthanized cats.
    I've even thought as far as each Vet should legally be required to discount Spay/Nueter services, and/or even get a Tax incentive to do so.
    Think of all the benefits and money cheaper Spay/Nueter Services would save across the board.

    • @judyferguson3185
      @judyferguson3185 5 месяцев назад

      Our community has an organization called “Project Hope” that offers free spay/neuter to pet owners. They also offer free or reduced annual vaccinations and city license for dogs. And other services like taking in homeless animals and finding them new homes. It is a nonprofit that is well loved and supported by our community. Vet expenses are out of control. A few months ago I had to have my. Big boy cat put to sleep, he was almost 18 In a decline. The vet bill was $125.00 and then I get a bill from the cremation people for $150.00 more. I have his littermate Pinkie who is also almost 18, and having some health issues and for now I can afford her care but I am outraged. A month ago she had to be shaved because of mats in her fur all over her body. I was told that older cats quit grooming and that was probably the cause. She had to be sedated and a groomer had to come over to shave her😮😮😮. Another $275.00. She’s on meds that are $25.00 a month and Hills kidney care wet cat food, $3.00 a can. I have had these kittens since they were 2 weeks old and discovered them and the mom and moved them to a safe location so I am in it for the long haul. I’m not complaining, I am just reinforcing my statement about vet bills. And I love my vet. I am now 73 and on a fixed income so no more pets for me after Pinkie dies. She is doing good; we are just 2 old ladies hanging out❤

  • @arohk1579
    @arohk1579 3 года назад +9

    Great video as a long time pet owner and am married to a pet lover very little we don't know, we also have a great vet who has instructed us over the year's on the thing's we didn't know. As far as visiting the vet it's not only important but your duty to keep your pet safe, and annual checkups is part of that. And one thing I can't stress about more is pet insurance it's added peace of mine, we use Trupanion it's not that expensive and it's nice knowing if something bad happens we don't need to worry about what it's going to cost.

  • @CrankyPantss
    @CrankyPantss 3 года назад +18

    I don’t understand the reasoning behind needing 1 more litter box than you have cats. We have one cat. He uses the litter box just fine, without problems. We scoop it at least once per day. Years ago, we had two cats for many years. They shared a litter box. We scooped it out at least once per day and we never, in the 8years that we had them both at the same time, never had a single problem. Lately, though, I keep hearing that thing about the number of boxes you should have. What’s the reasoning behind it? Don’t people keep them scooped?

    • @marloesschaap2265
      @marloesschaap2265 3 года назад +16

      A lot of cats don't want to go to the litter box when there is already something in it, or when it smells like another cat, or they prefer to have a litter box for urinating and one for defecating. It could be that your cats do go to that one litterbox, but it can be that they hold their urine or poop until they really can't hold it anymore, which can have negative effects of course (source: I'm a small animal vet)

    • @cloud28nails88
      @cloud28nails88 3 года назад +8

      Sometimes the cats make a pecking order, and the cat on the bottom of the totem pole will get ambushed and beat up while they are vulnerable in the box. Or they will fear having that happen and they stop going to the box and start finding other hidden places to use the bathroom. In your case, it's great that your cats got along.
      Or if you have a bigger home, two boxes are better so the cat can always get to a bathroom and won't have accident.
      I will say that I have two and my cat only uses one. I'm not sure if it's because the other one is top entry and he prefers the one that is open. So I'm gonna change the top entry one and see if he starts using it, or if I can just cut down to one.

    • @jessicaking5615
      @jessicaking5615 2 года назад

      I'm the same, I have two cats (siblings) and they share a large litter tray with no problem at all

    • @ninapisani25
      @ninapisani25 2 года назад

      Cats will guard their litterbox, preventing other cats from using it or making it hard to use. This can lead to urinary and bowel issues.
      Most cat owners don’t recognize dominance issues within their “cat family”. It’s subtle. Fact: Most cats don’t get along, which is why the vet wants enough resources.
      One of my co-workers had a fat cat and skinny cat. The fat cat was starving the skinny cat. The skinny cat got really sick (from malnourishment) and they were shocked when the vet told them the skinny cat would die if they didn’t step in and separate them for feeding time. My co-worker was like “but the cats don’t fight?” Ignorance at its best.

    • @madamedemonsieur
      @madamedemonsieur 2 года назад

      I used to have five cats and they had one big litter tub (a baby bath) between them, and never had any trouble using it. I now have two cats and they still use the same tub. There isn’t room to have multiple litter boxes in my home.

  • @TheJessicahammerly
    @TheJessicahammerly 2 года назад +3

    I'm so glad you said the thing about flavors of food.. I always felt that way and would switch up food and treats and stuff and when I prepare our dinner I cut some of the raw meat up for the cat cuz I always thought like if we don't like eating the same thing all the time then surely the animals don't either but if they have no choice they aren't gonna starve but why give yourself and your family options and not your pet.. they're part of the family too and they also get tired of things.. but yeah I've just never heard anyone else ever actually say that in any of the videos about animals I've watched before

  • @ndbyers23
    @ndbyers23 2 года назад +3

    I only wish you had listed the website for Sophia Yin’s information, and the only. Fabulous video other wise!

  • @alpha10prior40
    @alpha10prior40 Год назад +1

    My poor baby (my cat) had periodontal disease when we adopted her because dental health is such an issue for many cats!! And when people hate on kibble it makes me so infuriated (so happy this vet mentioned feeding kibble) because the bigger pieces of kibble are great for them to scrape off the plaque off their teeth and avoid them developing dental issues sooner in life

  • @McRambleOn
    @McRambleOn 2 года назад +4

    My indoor cat got lungworms and had only eaten one type of food besides treats. Getting him to eat the medicine in his food that he desperately needed to eat was INCREDIBLY difficult. Now I give “treats” of wet food so they don’t expect it every day but look at wet food positively. I combine two types of food, one with big kibble and one with little, so they each get benefits of special food for their health needs and aren’t obsessive compulsive about one type.

  • @valerieiglar-mobley4894
    @valerieiglar-mobley4894 Год назад +1

    Excellent info and fun video! Thanks.

  • @orangepurple8546
    @orangepurple8546 3 года назад +54

    I find it ironic that she started out with fear... The only times my cats are fearful/terrified is when they're at the vet

    • @elisabethmhawkins9025
      @elisabethmhawkins9025 2 года назад

      That's the only time my senior boys show fear to, once we leave the vet he's absolutely fine.

    • @dianethompson9525
      @dianethompson9525 2 года назад +3

      Or when the vacuum cleaner comes out.

    • @belmum1689
      @belmum1689 2 года назад +1

      @@dianethompson9525 Or the lawn mower AKA the outdoor monster, my cat's are scared of a few things, one of my cat's is fearful of different people.

    • @sailorarwen6101
      @sailorarwen6101 2 года назад +1

      My male cat is a bundle of nerves. We adopted him at 9 years old and he came from a hoarding situation. He’s very friendly, just very skittish.

  • @Joraya.
    @Joraya. 2 года назад +5

    My one cat is overweight, but to be honest, the only thing that my vet tells me is that he is indeed overweight. They never told me what to feed him or how much, so I always had to figure that one out on my own, which always bugged me. They even told me that we should test for diabetes after a certain age. 🤷‍♀️
    Otherwise, I think I dodged most of the common mistakes. My tip is to get your cat early enough to a vet after they reach a certain age, to avoid late stage issues in senior cats. I took my cats yearly for their check ups and as soon as my other cat got to 8 years, I had a bloodwork done, which was the best thing, because the vet discovered early stage of kidney disease. He is seeing the vet now every six months. Don’t wait too long, your cat will thank you for it.

  • @hayleyvannistelrooy7038
    @hayleyvannistelrooy7038 Год назад +1

    Food- Different types/textures. For wet food mine only ate the meats with 'gravy' it had taken months to make progress in adding variety

  • @efoxkitsune9493
    @efoxkitsune9493 3 года назад +29

    One of our cats does defecate in front of the litter box occasionally, but there's a very clear pattern - if the litter box is too smelly for her, like if somebody forgot to clean it or if it hasn't been washed in a while, she will not go in. It's a clear message for us that the box needs proper cleaning. It's "funny" because she for some reason often doesn't bury her poop, so then it smells and she doesn't want to go in lol. But she's great, she often lets us know vocally before doing it, so you can often get ahead of it. She's really sensitive to that stuff, our other cat has no problem with it. She's also a very picky eater... I suppose she's just a bit more sensitive to things like smell and possibly taste. She's a darling though. Very clumsy for a cat haha, but I guess that sort of comes with being a ragdoll. It's amazing how completely different the personalities of our cats are.
    Thanks for an informative video!

    • @netzoned
      @netzoned 3 года назад +2

      Yeah, I have tried to make some people associate a little box with a person having to go in a disgusting port-a-potty! I don't know a single person that likes that! :-p

    • @efoxkitsune9493
      @efoxkitsune9493 3 года назад

      @The Peter Lorre Companion Channel Hey, thanks for your concern! Thankfull she really only does it when the litter box is full. It only happens rarely because, well, we tend to clean the litter box regularly, haha.

    • @cherylimeson3006
      @cherylimeson3006 2 года назад +1

      I used to have a Himalayan which is like a ragdoll. I didn't dare change location of litterbox or brand of litter or she would poop and pee elsewhere.

    • @zekec6088
      @zekec6088 Год назад +2

      It sounds to me like you don't clean your litter box enough. Of course she doesn't wanna poop in a box full of poop or that already has poop in it. Scoop it every time, don't let it sit there. Would you want to sit on a toilet that has sh1t in it? If your cat poops more than once a day and you have to work outside and can't be there, have two litter boxes. If dog owners can pick up their dog's poop immediately, we ( cat guardians) can too. Its not that hard. I never leave my cat's poop for more than a minute, I clean it immediately, both out of respect to him and for sanitary reasons- I don't want a turd just sitting in my house. I don't want my cat to have to step on his own sh1t the next time he goes to the bathroom and then track it onto every surface in the apartment. He only poops indoors a few times a month or less, because he goes outside most days but even when I keep him in he only poops once a day. I looked it up and typically cat's defecate once every 24-36 hours. I also scoop my cat's pee immediately, he pees usually once or twice a day inside [*edit] and another couple times (?) outside. For two cats, that would be [edit] ten scoops a day, or about 20 minutes of your life. Still less time than walking a dog and collecting their droppings. I wanted a dog before the universe incidentally made me a cat guardian; and whenever I mention this, people tell me how much 'easier' or 'less work' having a cat is. I'm starting to consider how much of that 'ease' has to do with how much cat owners tend to let slide.

    • @efoxkitsune9493
      @efoxkitsune9493 Год назад

      @@zekec6088 I appreciate your concern for my cats' well-being, but you can rest assured that they're well taken care of. I don't leave their litter boxes full of poop, don't worry. It gets cleaned in the morning before we head off to work/school and again in the evening when we get home. The cats are seriously not being neglected. They're healthy, happy and very much loved.

  • @gunfisher4661
    @gunfisher4661 Год назад +2

    According to my vet who used to drill me every visit was that my little fur balls should never be feed canned food finally I told him how would you like to eat nothing but cereal your whole life never heard a word after that.

  • @luceatlux7087
    @luceatlux7087 2 года назад +3

    i still remember seeing my cat come right up to me in the livingroom and start peeing on the carpet and letting out a loooong meow while going. i almost passed out from seeing that horror.
    she must've been in extraordinary pain.
    we took her to the vet and he pulled her skin up and said, "this cat is extremely sick."

  • @tiaelina1090
    @tiaelina1090 Год назад

    Yep I have had cats all my life and my last cat was desexed when he was 5 months old. My cats are always indoor cats that have a run. I still defies and deworm my cat. Brilliant information.

  • @greyleva
    @greyleva 3 года назад +3

    My indoor cat suffers from worms last month. This is a big help coz i dont know where they get it so i think its from the environment coz sometimes there are flying bugs here. Thanks for this vid.

  • @sandywhite1550
    @sandywhite1550 3 года назад +19

    We built a Catio outdoor enclosure on our condo balcony for our 2 cats this summer. Keeps then safe and entertained. Lots of fresh air, sunshine and climbing opportunities. Your channel is very informative.

    • @deankaprolet3994
      @deankaprolet3994 3 года назад +1

      I cat proofed our yard. Put the angled fencing on top our regular fence. Keeps ours in and others out. They love outside time

    • @stevenhenry2940
      @stevenhenry2940 2 года назад +1

      Hello Sharon how are you doing today

  • @Chef-el-kbir-djel-lagar-e-sgir
    @Chef-el-kbir-djel-lagar-e-sgir Год назад +1

    Hello Dr. Sarah Wooten,
    My female cat often suffers from bladder infections that she gets constipated, our kitten goes outside every day. We clean our kitten every day with a washcloth, especially her paws and her chest which is often dirty. She is dewormed on time.

  • @emmie4is
    @emmie4is 3 года назад +16

    Oh I miss Dr. Sophia Yin :( I've read some of her stuff that's dog training related, I'll have to check out her cat articles. She was an absolute wealth of knowledge and it was so sad when she passed away

  • @Kira-kg4kl
    @Kira-kg4kl 2 года назад +16

    100% agree with the behaviour situation, I honestly think pet owners should have to have like a yearly course on psychology of whatever animal it is we are owning, to create a world of better educated pet owners
    And just so people know cats can actually go into heat as early as 3 months, literally kittens having kittens :/
    I believe its beneficial for them to become mentally and physically mature before spaying or neutering, but then I have purely indoor cats with massive catios so I don't have to worry about the repopulate issue 😅

    • @BoGy1980
      @BoGy1980 Год назад

      My first "own" cat I got from a rescue shelter, she was like 8-9 weeks old... she got into heat at about 7 months of age. This was not a fun time for me nor the cat. They can't help it that they're moowning to you and show their genitals to instigate reproduction... It's hormonal. They feel just as bad as we feel, annoyed by this behaviour. It took 5-6 days of frustration to get over the situation, but I never punished her or got angry on her. I did ask her to stop a few times, a typical human reaction of course, which doesn't help at all. But I then taught myself some 'cat body language' and I tried the /Ignore and the /uninterested moves; squat to get down to their level, doing a long yawn she clearly noticed, then while staying squatted turning my back to her and staying in that position for a little way. Cat noticed I was NOT INTERESTED in her calls for reproduction, went out the room, went to the balcony and I had more than a full hour of silence in the room...
      I could've also just PUT the cat on the balcony by picking her up; but that would just make her come in again and continue her quest for reproduction, I could've put her and closed the door, which would create anxiety in the cat because she's locked out and has no escape route. I made her do it herself, just by learning some cat behaviour and using that with some reversed psychology. I know cats in heat can really push your buttons, but just try to stay calm; it'll end eventually and once it's over you can end it permanently (sterilization or "cat-pill", though I'd strongly oppose the second option as this can cause cancer over time). The cat pill can also be used to end the heat faster, but don't use this as "regular treatment of HEAT" because you'll end with a cat that dies younger and has high probability of getting cancer... If u only do it the first time, I'd say it's not really hurting the cats' health, but then take the correct action and prevent getting them in HEAT by getting them sterilized.

    • @Lilaphire
      @Lilaphire Год назад

      People should have a yearly course to get a cat WTF people aren’t required to do this to create & raise humans definitely should not be a priority for pets until after it’s prioritized for people

  • @maketheworldabetterplace6657
    @maketheworldabetterplace6657 3 года назад +8

    Very good video! Wished more vets were as caring and as knowledgeable as you!

    • @ramirosantillan8395
      @ramirosantillan8395 2 года назад

      I agree not all vets are equal or honest, I dislike the vet who sole purpose is to make as much money from you as possible caring less about what is going on with your cat than what it is on the invoice every visit.

  • @hilary3219
    @hilary3219 Год назад +1

    Y'all need to like referrals in the description or a pinned comment not spell it out like we're talking on the phone, if you actually want people to look at them (ie the low-stress handling and fear free website). Also, giving a tldr/brief overview in the video of the signs of fear so people walk away with some information they don't have to hunt for would be better too.

  • @emerycorner
    @emerycorner 3 года назад +36

    I'm starting to transition my cats diet to less of kibble, and I'm thinking of turning our living room into a sort of "jungle gym". We've made the mistake of free-feeding her when we got her in the first couple of years.

    • @alexandrac9536
      @alexandrac9536 2 года назад +1

      at least you realized your mistake. we all make them with out first animals!

  • @ericabertagnoli5469
    @ericabertagnoli5469 2 года назад +1

    True I blew off my cats vet appointment as she seemed fine. Turned out she had a ear infection hence why she was scratching her neck and ears which didn’t even occur to me s as she doesn’t usually go outside.

  • @vickythecat1741
    @vickythecat1741 3 года назад +39

    Biggest mistake made by all humans incl. vets: You are not a cat owner, your cat owns YOU, owns ALL OF US!

    • @attheranch873
      @attheranch873 3 года назад +1

      My cat doesn’t own me, we are friends and roommates.

    • @stevenhenry2940
      @stevenhenry2940 2 года назад

      Hello Vicky how are you doing today

  • @shubhangiautade1541
    @shubhangiautade1541 2 года назад +1

    Thank you for this information

  • @eschuler6503
    @eschuler6503 3 года назад +7

    Great advice!
    I would also say invest in pet insurance and do so while they're young because if they're 8 years old and need that $3,000 treatment and you try to get it then out of desperation you won't be covered. Like any insurance hopefully you won't need it but having it there is priceless when it comes to peace of mind. Veterinarians go through a lot of schooling and money to do what they do and they deserve appreciation.
    Also OVERSTIMULATION! Cats are not dogs and if you get in their face just to get a response because that's just well who you are you're just going to end up hating each other.

  • @dipsetkory7964
    @dipsetkory7964 2 года назад +2

    I've had my cat for 11 years. He's been a house cat for all of his life. I've never got him spayed and I've also never had problems with him bc of it. He's always been very chill and extremely social to people. Why did I get lucky? What did I do right? What What am I missing? Bc everyone says "cats get crazy" but that hasn't been my experience at all

    • @dianethompson9525
      @dianethompson9525 2 года назад

      Oh boy are you lucky!! My adult daughter had a male cat that she left with me awhile because her apt would accept pets. He wasn’t neutered and he sprayed all over!! It smells like a cross between skunk and urine!! I was shampooing the carpet all the time!!

  • @bambinaforever1402
    @bambinaforever1402 Год назад +3

    I have 2 cats and 2 litter boxes. The number of boxes is not the matter, u CLEANING THEM is. Clean the box after they use them and u do not need fill your house with toilets all over the place. Also do not vaccinate your cat too much if it is indoor cat. My cat got sick after vaccination ( all indoor). They say it is impossible -IT IS POSSIBLE

    • @zoebear1992
      @zoebear1992 Год назад

      My cat hated going to the vet..she hated going in the carrier, she hated being in the car, and she would hold a grudge against us for weeks afterwards...it got to a point where we decided not to take her to the vet, except for obvious reasons like rabies shots and fleas meds.

  • @charlotteladwig6106
    @charlotteladwig6106 Год назад

    Question please. 4 cats- youngest boy 4yr old Scooter Booter-has chronic uti issues. He and the other younger boy 5yr old Rufio- are perfect weight. Stella-11yr female garbage rat is underweight I think. 10 yr old Redford is overweight.
    They used to all be good weight when I fed them Nature's Variety Instinct original chicken/Ziwi Peak air dried chicken and tiki cat various wet pate.... after scooter booter had surgery for his uti business I did eventually switch him back to these foods from the c/d he ate while recovering. His uti came back 2 years later (last year). So now they are all eating the c/d with the exception I mix up the wet food flavors. Scooter strictly gets c/d wet & dry and the others get dry c/d (free feed) and daily dollop of tiki wet food. Redford sometimes doesn't care about the wet to be honest- he's a picky eater- but he's the overweight one he's gained so much weight on the c/d.
    Rufio eats secretly- scooter is just weird he likes when I stand there guarding while he eats but he'll eat either way- Stella will eat until she throws up if the bowl is only half full or if there's only one bowl with food- Redford just eats normally as long as it's food he likes. I go thru maybe an average of about 1.5c/ daily of dry food.
    How can I fix this? Please help! I worry about Redford and Stella but I don't know what to do.

  • @rockymntain
    @rockymntain 3 года назад +6

    #11.) Not paying attention to how your cat is handling the summer heat, especially if your cat spends time outdoors. If they are not eating or drinking enough water then you need to bring them indoors to a cool place to cool down, monitor how well they are doing and limit their time outdoors in the heat, particularly in the hot afternoons/evenings. An indicator of overheating is that some cats get a bit testy and don't like to be handled when they get too hot or meow or cling more than usual because they don't know why they don't feel so well.
    Some cats are smart about beating the heat, others haven't figured it out (adolescent kitties). One cat I had would find a nice damp spot in the shade and when she would come from that spot, her belly was always cool. She had many places on the lawn where she matted down the grass, but she was smart enough to know how to beat the heat, so how could you blame her.

    • @dmm29
      @dmm29 2 года назад

      I live in Palm Desert and, CA and am very conscientious about making sure large bowls of ice water are on my patio during summer months. I TNR cats and feed them every nite. I would bring them inside, but they howl to be outside. I wish they would stay in air conditioning.

  • @johnnybrovo3222
    @johnnybrovo3222 13 дней назад

    just got a 6 week old orange kitty thank you for the info

  • @snorgviggle5852
    @snorgviggle5852 3 года назад +10

    Mistake 11: Failing to familiarize an indoor-only cat with the local outdoors, so when Kitty accidentally escapes to the great outside, she will know where she is.
    After moving house ~30 years ago, I took each of my four cats in my arms, and took a walk around the house, in and out of each exterior door. Now, my cats have always been indoor-outdoor and quickly familiarize themselves with yard, garden, and (I think) adjoining properties. I recomend this strongly, especially for indoor-only cats.

  • @tcboucher6158
    @tcboucher6158 5 месяцев назад

    We have a mobile vet and it is wonderful!

  • @DoriGaga
    @DoriGaga 3 года назад +16

    The signs of pain thing is so hard... I just lost a 12 year old cat last week, and it seemed very sudden to me. She was slowing down, and had lost a little weight, but nothing significant (I lost a cat 4 years ago to chronic kidney disease, so I was hypervigilant about watching for the warning signs). Anyway, my 12-year-old cat, Sunday morning, she ate her breakfast and lunch, but then didn't come for dinner. I found her downstairs, not really hiding, but laying in a spot I've never seen her lay before, so I picked her up and brought her up to see if she'd eat, and she refused to even eat her treats (she normally begs for them and never rejects them). She got up and walked away and she looked like she'd lost 10 pounds since the morning, so I knew something was very wrong. She laid down and I went over to her and she was breathing very fast and it seemed laboured, but not mouth breathing or making any sound, and when I pet her she did that happy cat eye close thing and her breathing slowed down. I got her into the vet, and she was very vocally angry for the entire car ride, and honestly, I was thinking "Oh, that's a good sign. She's still alert and engaged with her surroundings". The vet ended up finding her lungs were inflamed and appeared to have masses in them, she had an ammonia build-up, a slightly enlarged liver, and red and white blood cells in her urine and she was dehydrated. They put her on IV fluids, prednisone, and antibiotics, but even the vet said she seemed calm and relaxed and was acting friendly to the staff. She did not respond to any of the medication, and she died within 24 hours. I, of course, have been obsessively asking, "what sign did I miss?" But when I went to see her body, she looked so healthy still, and she looked like she was just sleeping (my cat who died of CKD did NOT look healthy when she passed). It's such a sad and scary thing that they can't tell us what's wrong, and even the things we know to look for aren't always enough. I have photos and videos of her playing with toys and chasing a laser pointer, up to 3 weeks before she died. I wish there was a way they could say, "something feels off", even if they aren't in pain yet.

    • @JY-zq5jk
      @JY-zq5jk 3 года назад +9

      I’m very sorry your beloved cat passed away.

    • @jade8568_VR
      @jade8568_VR 3 года назад +4

      Cats are tough & don't show signs of pain the way dogs do. Don't blame yourself. Death is just another part of life....but for my family the death of our cat (9yrs ago) was like losing a child & the reason I swore never to have another pet.. till my then boyfriend brought over a rescued 5month old kitten lol..she's now 9🙄🥰

    • @Grace2Hope
      @Grace2Hope 2 года назад +1

      I'm sorry you lost your sweet kitty. I have had many, many cats, mostly they have been dropped off at my house. Generally speaking, when they get sick, they go downhill FAST. Don't blame yourself. You gave her the best life you knew to give! She was loved, safe and fed. What more can a kitty ask for!

    • @baileys1004
      @baileys1004 2 года назад +6

      Reading your comment made my chest hurt. I'm so sorry for your loss 😔❤ My cat Tom almost died from fluid build up in his lungs last June and then got diagnosed with heart disease. It took us a while to get him back on his feet (+ heart medicine, oxygen therapy, a bunch of other shots). After that I thought I knew what signs to look for if he gets sick again, and I was wrong. At the beginning of March we took him to the vet bc he was barely eating (even refused to eat meat, his favorite) and after 3 precious days wasted trying to get a diagnosis, we got told he had abdominal fluid. The vet took out 800 ml of it...he looked so much smaller I couldn't believe my eyes. We tried IV fluids for 3 days and special renal food (he had very similar blood work results to your cat), but he ended up having a violent seizure on March 6th and he passed away. His changes in appetite did appear sooner but I thought it was just a phase (he had one during the summer), and he didn't have any other symptoms of fluid build up+ his blood tests from the end of September were perfect + he had no fluid in his heart and lungs either then. He was peeing and pooping regularly, and behaving normally up until the day he stopped eating. He would have turned 16 on March 25th. The vet suspected Tom also had an abdominal tumor and at his age a surgery was out of the question. I don't know if a day will come when I don't blame myself for what happened but I try to remind myself that we're only human. We make mistakes. We're not God, or vets to be experts in pet health. We tried our best with the knowledge we had. I'm sure your cat had a very happy life with you and it's not anyone's fault that diseases and sickness exists.

    • @DoriGaga
      @DoriGaga 2 года назад +1

      @@baileys1004 it's so hard to not blame yourself, but like you said, we're only human and we can only do the best we can. Cats can't tell us what's wrong, and they tend to hide their symptoms until it's too late. 16 years is a good life for a cat! People tend to think they all live to be 20, but that's actually pretty rare... average is 12 to 17 years, so your boy nearly making it to 16 is impressive! But at the end of the day, the length isn't what's important, it's the quality... so often we beat ourselves up for not noticing the signs sooner, but the reality is, indoor cats really do live on borrowed time... feral cats only get about 5 years, and when we bring them inside they get a lot longer, but their bodies will still shut down eventually, and there comes a point where prolonging their life isn't fair any more. They don't have any concept of their own mortality, and they don't know that their time is limited, and they don't have future plans or goals... they can only live in the present moment... I read once about how cats only experience life as a series of "nows", and what matters is how they feel now... so the goal shouldn't be prolonging their life, but maintaining a good quality of life... more good nows than bad ones. Your boy was eating and behaving normally right up to the end, so you know he was having more good nows than bad ones. That's what really matters... I also something once, that changed my entire view of pet ownership... it was a quote from a vet that basically said "any cat who is lucky enough to have a home has won the lottery". Her point was, most cats are strays, and they live short lives, and have to fend for themselves. No matter what mistakes you make (or think you make) with your cat, it still lives like royalty compared to most cats, and it was SO lucky to get that life. So as long as you are taking care of it to the best of your ability, giving it love and affection, then you know it's living its best life. I'm so sorry for your loss! It's so hard, but you really have to try not to blame yourself. Some things are just out of our control.

  • @LunasMom
    @LunasMom 7 дней назад

    I adopted my cat when she was 5 years old (4 years ago). She came to me with a shaved belly, having been spayed recently before I took her home. I don't know much about her background, why she hadn't ever been spayed, or why she ended up in the shelter. She had a case of mastitis, which means she had at least one litter. I believe she had that when she was surrended, but don't know anything about what happened to the kittens. I sometimes think she was used as a breeder, and when she got older, she wasn't wanted anymore, and possibly the infection contributed to it also. I know that she had been someone's pet because she's very loving -- loves receiving affection and gives it back in her own way. She's not a lap cat, but she enjoys being as close to me as she can, and is always curious about what I'm doing and what I'm eating. She wants to smell the food and will sometimes lick it, depending on what it is. She does like the taste of butter and salt, but for the most part, she doesn't have a lot of interest in human food, and I'm happy about that. She's the best girl and my best friend.

  • @hilaryweiner893
    @hilaryweiner893 3 года назад +10

    Thank you for this great information. I've had cats for many years, and while I knew about most of the things you addressed, I was not able to get my cat to the vet this past year due to the pandemic and transportation issues. Her vet is now welcoming back routine appointments, so I bringing her in next week. She seems to be in good health, and hopefully the vet confirms my impressions.

  • @mikesaintjulesmusic
    @mikesaintjulesmusic Год назад +1

    9:08 - can you go more in depth at the ages of when changes should happen in the food? I've read and watched multiple videos so I'm looking to pinpoint the best method. I'm getting kittens and I'm planning to alternate the meals throughout the day. Starting with wet in the morning and then using the automatic feeder while I'm not home to feed them dry.
    Some people say once they become an adult switch to dry only. But I'd like to switch it up anyway. There's also a transitional period when introducing new foods as well. Any thoughts would be great, thanks!

  • @lisavoegtly1475
    @lisavoegtly1475 3 года назад +3

    In my home, I have 3 cats all raised from kittens together, and they share 1 litter box with no issues. I used to have 4 cats and had 3 boxes in a very small condo and that’s all I did with my time was clean out all those boxes, not to mention the mess around them and the dust! I will stick with my one box - I clean this box and outside area twice/day so it’s VERY clean and litter is changed out fully once/month.

    • @KrisD007
      @KrisD007 3 года назад

      I got 3 kittens in 2003 I had to bottle feed at 3 weeks bc their mother went missing. A woman I worked with had them and let the mom go outside hence why she was pregnant and didn’t come home. I just lost the last sibling in January. Broke my heart to lose them.

    • @fuzzypumpkin7743
      @fuzzypumpkin7743 3 года назад

      I've always used one litter box for two cats. No problems...except that when I had an extra-large corner box both my cats liked to use it together. They were fine with that, but I thought it was a bit odd.

    • @peacefulpossum2438
      @peacefulpossum2438 3 года назад

      I have three cats and two litter boxes with no problem.

    • @KrisD007
      @KrisD007 3 года назад

      @@peacefulpossum2438 They say it’s usually psychological for the cats. We always think they are fine until it’s too late.

  • @kenlasky3904
    @kenlasky3904 Год назад +2

    I wish I could do a double thumbs up for this video!

    • @AllAboutCatsYT
      @AllAboutCatsYT  Год назад

      Thanks, Ken! Leaving a comment is worth about 100 thumbs up. Appreciate it. :)

  • @dizzydaydream9647
    @dizzydaydream9647 3 года назад +9

    Sounds like I’m doing ok then…..with an 18 and 17 year old and 2 x 9 week old kittens…..they are all happy and content 🐾💕💙🐾

  • @kelleywyskiel8513
    @kelleywyskiel8513 3 года назад +2

    Amazing information. My cats are 17.5 and 14 years and I’m definitely not the greatest cat owner but I also have weird rescues. However: There’s no fat overeating because my guy just eats and pukes every dang day then eats again. It’s insane and he’s been tested and tested and tested and I swear we’ve done all the things. It’s just the fun of who he his and keeping most of the house closed off so we aren’t surprised to find it.
    This was super helpful

    • @Julia-tz7yc
      @Julia-tz7yc 3 года назад +2

      My senior cat did this because she would eat too much too fast. I've tried obstical feeders to slow her down but I found adding water to her food helped

  • @tohrurikku
    @tohrurikku 3 года назад +9

    You also need to be careful of feeding cats certain foods like dairy and tuna. Traditionally we are told that they are foods to you can give to cats but they can make the cat sick if you feed them this stuff regularly (or at all if a cat can not stomach it).

  • @adorablecats9891
    @adorablecats9891 Год назад +1

    Thanks sooo much. This has Ben super helpful. ❤️

  • @lasvegasliving2672
    @lasvegasliving2672 2 года назад +10

    Hi! I was wondering if you’ve got a video about dental care for cats. I recently had to have several of my cat’s teeth extracted, and it was quite a shock to me. I’ve taken my cat to the vet for his regular check ups every year, so it came as a huge surprise to me when the vet told me that my cat needed all of his teeth removed. It made me feel like I had failed my cat somehow. It makes me feel very sorry for my cat T_T

    • @bovnycccoperalover3579
      @bovnycccoperalover3579 2 года назад

      Same thing happened to me. Greenies help!

    • @mandyinseattle
      @mandyinseattle Год назад +1

      ​@@bovnycccoperalover3579 what are greenies?

    • @museofthesea
      @museofthesea Год назад

      They're dental chews. But it's best to brush your cat's teeth with cat-safe enzymatic toothpaste and a baby toothbrush (not a pet store one; those have horribly hard bristles)

  • @evamussio7533
    @evamussio7533 2 года назад +1

    thank you so much for tackling this very important topic 😊