Health and Care for Older Cats

Maintaining a good health program for your cat will help increase its longevity and quality of life. Today it is not uncommon to have a household cat live 18 plus years. Success is dependant upon regular veterinarian visits and proper nutrition, both of which have been instrumental in prolonging the average cats' life.

The aging process in cats is natural and brings along changes in hormone balance, caloric burn rates, normal behavior and even changes in the physical appearance of your cat. Its important to work together as a team with your veterinarian to look for subtle changes that may be early signs of a more serious health challenge.

The relationship with your veterinarian begins the very first time you visit the office with your new kitten or cat. The questions you ask, the information you receive, establish a baseline from which you evaluate change in your cat as you move forward. As your cat matures the questions and information change but the intent is to always add to the knowledge base and be able to evaluate the current health condition of your pet.

For more information regarding what you should be looking for when you take your cat to the veterinarian, and what you can do in your home environment to make your older cat more comfortable, see: Tips for Health and Care of Older Cats

As many cats get older they develop arthritis and many of their activities like running, jumping, climbing have to be curtailed. We have designed and built our cat tree furniture so that even an older cat can enjoy features and comforts unique for its age. Our leaves are attached so that they "flex" when a cat climbs or jumps onto them making it easier on its joints and back. The leaves are offset around the truck of the tree allowing an easy path to the top of the cat tree. The top of each tree is padded with an extra layer of cushioning material for greater comfort. And each large leaf and the top of each tree is built with a heat retention layer that holds your cats body temperature increasing its feeling of well being and security. Take a look at our website for a list of all our product and read about the many features and benefits we built into our trees for your cats comfort: www.greatlakescatfurniture.com

Traveling With Your Cat on Northwest Airlines

Making arrangements to travel with your cat, or to ship your cat, via a commercial airline is not difficult. Most major airlines will allow your pet to travel one of three different ways. In the passenger cabin with you, in the luggage compartment of the same flight you are on, or via the airline when you are not traveling (cargo). The rules and regulations for each type of travel differ, and they may be different according to the airline you are traveling. We have started a series of hubpages that explain all the basics of pet travel via a commercial flight. We are going to organize them by commercial airline company. The first detailed document produced is for Northwest Airlines. If you are planning to travel by air this year and are considering taking your cat along you will want to read "Traveling with your Cat on Northwest Airlines"