Top tips for keeping your cat healthy

You can take a dog out for a run or give it a long walk on the leash but how do you encourage your cat to stay healthy? Cats can be independent creatures that seem to spend more time lounging around than anything else, so what can you do to keep them in good health?

Annual Check up: Have an experienced vet give your cat an annual check up. This should include examining the cat's body, from nose to tail; weighing and taking its temperature; listening to the cats heart and lungs; checking for abnormal discharges; checking its teeth, gums and ears; and inspecting for parasites.

Vaccination: You should make sure your cat is vaccinated against all the common diseases to ensure they dont become ill. This can also be important when it comes to your pet insurance. Normally for your pet insurance policy to be valid, you must ensure that your pet is vaccinated in accordance with the recommendations of your vet, against feline infectious enteritis, feline leukaemia and cat flu.

Poisonous House Plants: Be cautious when choosing houseplants for your home if you have cats. House plants such as poinsettia, English ivy, mistletoe or Crocus may look pretty but they are actually poisonous to cats.

Exercise: Cats can easily sleep for 18 out of 24 hours per day, so exercise is important. Buy a toy mouse to help your cat to practise its stalking and hunting skills; this way he or she will have lots of fun whilst also getting lots of exercise. Cats also love fishing rod style games with pieces of string and feathers. Making one of these yourself can be an inexpensive way to keep your cat happy and healthy.

Controlling Hairballs: If you have a long-haired cat, brush its hair daily, especially during the warmer months. Cats love to groom themselves, but they can get hairballs if their hair is left too long. Hairballs can easily be prevented by a little grooming help from you.

Ear mites: Check your cats ears regularly. Cats can be prone to infectious mites that feed on the lining of the ear canal; if you see a dark brown wax inside the ear, or if your cat excessively scratches behind or inside the ear, take the cat to a vet immediately.

It is important to keep your cat in a general state of good health. Pet insurance can help to protect your pet should they become ill, however, if your pet had any illnesses at the start of the cover those pre-existing illnesses will not be covered. The cover will only be for new illnesses so youll need to confirm to the best of your knowledge your pets state of health at the start of your policy.

Keeping your cat healthy will enable it to have a long life, and research has also shown there can be added health benefits for humans too. Researchers at the University of Minnesota's Stroke Research Centre looked at 4,435 people, aged 30 to 75 years, who were participating in ongoing national government health research from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Study. They found that over a 20-year period, previous or current cat owners had a forty percent lower risk of death due to heart attack than those who had never owned a cat. The Stroke Research Centres researchers argue that keeping a cat may relieve stress and anxiety and subsequently reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

So by following these simple steps to keep your cat healthy, you might be improving your own health too!

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