My Types of Cats

Cats can get a variety of intestinal parasites. The most common ones are “worms”. There are many ways a cat can get worms and it’s crucial to find out what the source of it is if your cat has them.

There are some types of worms that are actually a danger for the human system, so it’s in your best interest to help your cat get rid of them as soon as possible.

As I mentioned before there’s a variety of parasites that can harm your cat, but just how do cats get worms?

Symptoms of an intestinal infection
The symptoms will practically scream for your attention and worms are easily recognizable if you pay attention.

Vomiting and coughing are one of the most frequent symptoms, however the most definite sign if there are tiny worms visible, is in the cats stool.

Diarrhea, constipation, a bloody stool, weight loss or a general feeling of weakness are all pretty clear symptoms that there is an issue.

How do cats get infected?
Cats can pick up worms practically everywhere, so it’s surprising when cats get them, especially the ones who rarely or never leave the house.

Cats can pick up eggs from the grass or the soil they come in contact with or simply by ingesting them. The latter is the most common case, just like with humans.

There are certain worms that can frequently be found in pork, which is one of the reasons why the meat is always tested before it’s sold or prepared.

If the cat stumbles into a random piece of meat, it won’t hesitate to sink its teeth in it and it may potentially ingest certain types of worms.

Fleas also tend to carry worms, among many other illnesses. This is another common source of an ingestion infection.

Cats can pick up certain fleas from random areas, including the vet’s office or simply by coming in contact with another cat or animal that carries them.

The fleas may potentially spread from the cat to the nearby humans, and that is why you should treat your cat as soon as possible.

Most common types of worms
Roundworms are the most common internal parasite in cats. Adult worms are three to four inches long. Cats can easily become infected, for example kittens can get them while drinking the infected milk of the mother.

Hookworms, which are more common in dogs, are also present in cats. They’re smaller than the roundworms and reside primarily in the small intestine.

They primarily feed on the blood of the animal, which can cause life-threatening anemia, especially in younger cats. A cat can get infected through ingestion or skin contact.

Tapeworms are usually carried by fleas. The cat may also become infected should it eat an infected rodent.

The tapeworms are segmented and their length ranges from 4 to 28 inches. If the cat is infected, there are tiny segments of the worm visible on the fur on the cats’ hind end.

A different type of worm is the lungworm, which resides in the lungs of the animal. It causes coughing and respiratory problems. Cats usually get them by ingesting infected prey like rodents or perhaps from snails and slugs.

Outdoor cats are more prone to getting worms than indoor ones simply because they’re more exposed to soil and certain environments that might infect them.

Kittens and cats that do not receive appropriate care will most likely develop more serious complications with their ingestion.

Solution
The problem of worms is definitely one of the main reasons why you should take your cat to the vet.

The main problem is that you can’t assume which of the worms your cat has so you can hardly guess a treatment.

A vet will definitely first have to determine what the issue is or rather what type of worms your cat has and then provide appropriate treatment.

Cats are commonly known as one of the few creatures that hate being in water. Although this may be true for many cats, it doesn’t apply to them all.

Cats usually tend to avoid water and there is rarely a need for the owners to give their kitty a bath so there is hardly a chance to find out if all cats have the same feelings about water. If they avoid it, how can cats swim?

Do cats hate water?
Cats are like just like people when it comes to preferences. Some cats like certain types of food, some love fish while others can’t stand it.

Some cats like to cuddle and some will growl at you even if you think about it. And some cats despise water, and others love every drop of it.

Cats are the most important ingredients in cute online videos, so you can be sure to find many videos of felines that love the water.

I remember seeing one where the cat would protest if it were removed from the water and proceed to return back in it.

So in short, not all cats hate water. Perhaps your cat loves it but it hasn’t had the chance to check it out.

But if you’re curious, please don’t proceed to throw your cat in a tub filled with water. If you choose to though, be prepared for any reaction, from a joyous swim to an aggressive cat assassin.

Can cats swim or not!

Yes.

For a more elaborate answer, there are many facts across history.

The ancient Egyptians relied on the abilities of cats, not only when it came to hunting mice, but also when hunting fish.

Some cats swim for pleasure, for example the Turkish Van is also known as the swimming cat. Meanwhile certain types of cats, like the tiger, can swim for longer distances if necessary.

If you find yourself in a situation where you’re running from a feline though, don’t expect water to be your escape.

Although most cats hate the water, they don’t fear it, and will most definitely jump in if they feel the need for it. For example when they feel they’re being attacked and there’s no way out or if there is something in the water they are desperate to reach.

Cats are natural swimmers just like dogs, however domestic cats aren’t quite used to water and tend to avoid it.

An interesting fact when it comes to swimming is that it’s more or less based on an instinct. People have to learn it at a specific age, however babies that just came into the world will know how to swim for a certain period of time.

They don’t fear the water as adult humans do when they’re learning and they find it much easier to relax to keep themselves afloat, however after a certain period of time has passed, they lose the ability and have to learn it later on in life.

Much like young children don’t see the danger in large animals or anything that adult humans might find scary. Cats and dogs don’t take as much time to learn it as we do.

If you choose to test or even teach your pet how to swim, be prepared to get it out of the water should there be any problems, as well as provide the means of leaving the wet environment.

Wild cats in warm areas of the world, where there isn’t much rain present, usually love a dive in any water they can find because, just like humans, they love cooling down in hot weather.

Why do cats hate water?
Many assumptions are formed around this question. Many scientists believe the experiences cats go through in the rain are unpleasant and give the impression of a forced bath, or perhaps when owners use water to discipline the cat, it hardwires the image of it as something negative.

Also when owners protect their cats from the elements. If you bathe your cats when they’re young, they’ll grow accustomed to the feeling and view it as nothing negative.

Cats frequently explore it with their paws or simply gaze at it in certain situations, so it’s clear to say that, whether they hate it or not, cats are indeed very fascinated by water.

Have you ever wondered why cats have whiskers? Whiskers are the thick, long hair on the face of a cat which is normally flexible and that is why these are also known as tactile hair.

These can be located in the whisker pad that is between the outer edges of your cat’s nose and the top corners of its mouth.

Like humans, hair and nails fall and then grow then similarly cats’ whiskers also fall out and re-grow. You must be wondering why are these hair called whiskers if they are like normal hair on other parts of a cat’s body.

The reason is these whiskers are different from its body hair in a few ways: whiskers are never trimmed, these are thrice as thick as the thickness of cat’s body hair and lastly, whiskers have their roots deep inside the cat’s face area that contains blood vessels and high volume of nerves.

The whiskers grow in many locations of a cat’s body so as to help the animal to collect various sorts of signals and information that can lead to a big picture of its surrounding areas.

Apart from whiskers on its cheeks, cats do have shorter hair right above their eyebrows and on chin too. Now the question here is why do cats have whiskers?

Well, these flexible hairs on their face help cats to express their mood, to navigate and to measure an opening.

Helps in navigation: Whiskers help a cat to navigate its path around, as these hairs are so light and sensitive that when the breeze changes its direction, they can detect it.

Especially during the night when cats go on their prey-hunting mission, whiskers help him to quietly move around the place without hitting against any object around it. How does it help cats?

The location of the objects kept in a room direct in changing the air circulation within that area. So, as the cat moves around the room and comes closer to one of these furniture pieces he will get to know which direction to go in depending on the change in the direction of air current.

This is the primary use of having whiskers; they get information about their surroundings, which is important for their safety too.

Whiskers as mood indicator: Apart from helping them to navigate, whiskers help cats to indicate their mood. When a cat is in a bad mood or feels distrustful, these whiskers will be in backward direction.

On the contrary, if a cat is in a happy mood or is excited, the whiskers will be pushed forward and you can sense it. So, it can be said that whiskers are a part of their body language and you can understand what they are trying to communicate by looking at their whiskers and body language.

Helps in measuring an opening: Another reason to why cats have whiskers is that it helps them in governing the measurement of an opening.

What is the importance? It is important for a cat to understand whether he will fit through an opening or not by measuring it using its whiskers.

Whiskers act as a cat’s natural ruler as these are approximately as wide as its body and whiskers tips are quite sensitive to the applied pressure. You might have sometimes observed you cat sticking its head to an opening before it plans to put its body in.

By doing so, your cat is trying to judge the width of the opening to understand if his body can fit through it. Another advantage they have over humans is that they don’t have collar bones so they can turn and wriggle through any narrow opening after ensuring their body can fit in.

Whiskers are like antennas for your pet that are highly sensitive and detect not only the air currents in the surrounding areas but also the vibrations on the surfaces.

These sensitive hairs detect the movement and motion and send the signal to the brain in case of danger. Cats do treat the feedback from their whiskers as a guiding signal apart from all they see, feel and hear while exploring an unknown region.

Whiskers on Legs of Cat:

After learning in detail about the whiskers on the face of a cat, let us try to understand why cats have whiskers on their legs.

To keep a track of its prey, cats use the whiskers on their legs. As is it a well-known fact that cats have shortsightedness, whiskers help them to figure out how large a prey is and how far it is located at the current time.

According to researchers, as cats have limited vision the whiskers really help them in self-protecting by understanding the details of the prey. Apart from whiskers, they are gifted with acute smelling sense. So using this power of acute sense of smell and whiskers they handle their prey animals smartly.

It can be seen that whiskers are really important for a cat whether it comes to expressing their anger, happiness, confidence or for learning the surrounding details.

If at any point in time you see that your pet’s whiskers are falling out at a fast speed, it is a matter of worry. If a cat is losing its whiskers in a large number it might be an indication of bad health or some serious disease.

So, the moment you observe this, don’t wait any longer and contact your vet as without its whiskers your cat is like a blind animal and can no longer get information about its environment.

The tail is an interesting body part with most creatures that have them and it serves a different purpose animals.

The main one being balance while other animals like horses and cows also use it to ward away insects and other pests. Some dogs and cat species barely have a tail or have a very short one, but today’s question is mostly fixed on cats.

Main purpose of any tail
It is balance, as mentioned before. It’s not the form of general balance that impacts walking but the balance that allows cats to stand on narrow surfaces for example and when hunting and when speed is required.

You’ll hardly see a cat fall off a fence it’s standing on due to a loss of balance. The only thing that might cause such a fall is a misplaced step resulting in loss of surface beneath their feet, this also being a rare situation as cats are extremely agile.

As far as maintaining the balance of their bodies, the tail isn’t the only thing that is used. The cats’ whiskers are just as important as the tail, especially when navigating narrow areas.

They pick up the air currents in dark spaces as well, while the tail assists in navigating through those unknown spaces. Suffice to say, the tail is a part of the system that cats use to move around with and is part of the primary system they use for hunting.

Feelings of display
There are other uses for a tail aside from balance, for example emotions.

Cats show their feelings by growling, purring and their general body language, however the tail is the one that you really need to pay attention to in order to see how a cat is feeling without it displaying any sounds or behavior.

For example a tail lifted straight up usually means the cat is happy and greeting. It can be most frequently observed when you get home and your cat approaches you.

Also when you enter the kitchen and the cat is looking forward to food. Other tail positions can tell you if a cat is upset, angry, scared, stressed or any other emotion. The speed of movement is also important.

For example if the entire tail is wagging forward and back quickly, it means the cat is annoyed or stressed, meanwhile if only the tip of the tail is slowly moving, it means the cat is currently focused on something, usually a target such as a bird, mouse or anything interesting.

What happens when a cat loses its tail?
The loss of a tail can be extremely painful (just imagine someone chopping of your thumb) but cats can adapt to its loss.

While the loss of whiskers required a longer time to adapt and it being more difficult, the main issue with the tail is the pain.

It won’t grow back but the cat will move on with its life and adapt. Its emotions won’t be displayed and would be a bit more difficult to see.

What to do if a tail is injured?
Tail injuries usually happen in catfights, when people tug on the tail too strongly, usually children, if a tail is caught in a shut door, a car accident or a similar accident.

Damages near the tip of the tail aren’t that serious and the cat should recover; however the damages closer to the head of the tail (it’s beginning) can be more serious.

If you think that your cats’ tail has been injured, please please please take her to the vet. Even though your cat may not be showing any pain, you can be sure that she is in serious pain.