Ten essential articles on cat health and welfare that all cat owners should read

Anyone who is thinking of buying or adopting a cat and of course, anyone who already has one should have a good basic grounding in cat health and welfare, as well as various other aspects of cat care like understanding their natural behaviours and what they need to be happy.

There are a great many different elements to feline health and potential health issues that can arise in cats over the course of their lives, which are impossible to predict from the outset. That said, a basic understanding of how to tell if a cat is sick, what sort of health issues are common in cats, and knowing the potential threats to cat health that you might have in your home gives you a head start.

With this in mind, this article will introduce you to ten essential articles on cat health and health-related welfare that all cat owners should read to learn the basics on keeping their cat healthy for life, and identifying any potential health problems early on; or even being able to prevent them entirely. Read on for our pick of ten essential cat health articles.

How to tell if your cat is at a healthy weight

Cats can be found in a wide range of different shapes and sizes, and quite a variance of weights. There is no fixed ideal weight range that suits all cats, and some breeds are naturally much larger than most others, like the Norwegian forest cat. With this in mind, there is a system that cat owners can use to assess their cat’s body condition and build, and if this is within healthy norms, which is known as the cat’s body condition score.

Find out your cat’s body condition score here.

How would you know if your cat was in pain?

Whilst you might not know what was wrong with you cat, you’d surely know if your cat was ill or injured, right? Not necessarily. Cats are very adept at masking pain and discomfort, which is a survival behaviour that helps to ensure that they do not appear to be an easy mark to predators.

However, this means that cats commonly hide signs of pain, and identifying if your cat is in pain is harder as a result; learn why cats mask pain and how you could tell if they were in pain here.

Human foods that are bad for cats

Cats are nowhere near as bad as dogs when it comes to eating things that they shouldn’t do, but some cats have quite peculiar tastes and often, enjoy a number of different human foods. Additionally, if you give your cat scraps of things they like, these might contain ingredients that your cat cannot taste, but that can be harmful to them.

This list of ten human foods that are harmful to cats will help you to avoid feeding your cat something that could be dangerous for them.

Cat care 101

Keeping a cat healthy means knowing how to care for them properly – and this means starting with the basics. This article on basic husbandry and care of cats will help to ensure that you get things right from the start, and set your cat up for a long, healthy life from the day you bring them home.

What are the most common health issues in cats?

As mentioned earlier on, you cannot predict you cat’s future health, but if you know what type of health problems are most likely to affect cats, you can at least take steps to prevent them where possible, and learn to identify them in their early stages.

This article will tell you the feline health conditions that are most common in the UK, based on the experience of real vets.

Five household substances that are poisonous to cats

Seemingly innocuous substances that many of us keep at home without a second thought can potentially be poisonous to cats, and this list will share with you five of the most common ones so that you can ensure that they’re kept well out of your cat’s reach.

Bone and joint problems in cats

Arthritis is a condition that affects many people in old age, and the same is true for dogs. Cats tend to remain lithe and flexible and less prone to such problems up to a much older age than either dogs or people do, but they can still suffer from such issues nonetheless, and not all cat joint problems are arthritis, or exclusive to old age.

Find out about joint problems in cats and how they can be identified here.

Stomach and digestive problems in cats

Most cats will vomit from time to time, and cats actually have quite sensitive stomachs that will expel a foodstuff that doesn’t agree with it without much fuss, helping to reduce the amount digested and potentially, safeguarding the cat’s health. Cats eat grass too if they feel a little nauseous, and this helps them to vomit and resolve the issue, and whilst a bit gross, is important as it helps them to clear out hairballs as well!

However, there are a number of more serious causes of stomach and digestive problems in cats that all cat owners should be aware of, which are discussed in more detail within this article.

Cats, dental pain and healthy teeth

Cats need dental care just like people do, and yet the vast majority of cat owners in the UK neglect this entirely. Dental pain, rotting, loose or missing teeth and gum disease all result from this, which is painful for you cat and can go on to cause other problems too.

This article will talk about dental pain in cats, common dental problems in cats, and why it is vital to take good care of your cat’s teeth.

Preventative healthcare for cats

Finally, preventative healthcare can help to prevent your cat from becoming sick – and save you money – in the long term. However, this vital aspect of caring for cats is overlooked by far too many cat owners, causing problems and avoidable expense further down the line.

Find out what preventative healthcare cats need, and what percentage of cats are going without it, here.