Before, cat friends have been asking, how is my cat? What aspects of maintenance should I pay attention to? I happened to be reading recently, and there are also relevant content in the book "Cat Behavior Health and Welfare". Today, let's take a look at the key words for cats at different life stages.
Let’s first talk about the word “maintenance”.
Maintenance, the editor’s understanding is: take care of the cat’s material life and mental health, meet the cat’s normal physiological and behavioral needs, and carry out disease prevention, so that the kitten can have a healthy, happy and long-term cat birth (just like raising children).
Next, we will talk about different life stages, including juvenile, adolescence, adolescence and adulthood, maturity, old age and old age, including daily care, nutrition and weight management, oral health, behavior and living environment, parasite control, vaccines, physical examinations, disease prevention and precautions.
Time: At this stage of birth to 6 months of age, attention should be paid to screening for congenital diseases, hereditary diseases, and varieties of diseases that are susceptible to. If you adopt a stray little cat, take it to check for cat AIDS and cat leukemia. If you buy a breed of cat, a regular cathouse will take the cat to screen for congenital diseases, hereditary diseases and breeds that are prone to diseases. For example, a regular ragdoll cathouse should be checked for heart ultrasound or genetic testing before the cat is delivered to your home. Of course, parents have to do these tests themselves.
Infancy is a critical period for cats to learn and socialize. The golden period of kitten socialization is very short, probably 3-7 weeks after the kitten is born. But before 6 months old, the kitten was still very curious. Their vision and hearing develop rapidly, are full of curiosity about the world, their behavior of self-exploration increases, and their acceptance is high. Their social interaction increases, and they begin to understand the whole world. They will learn games with their mothers (biting, snatching, falling, rolling, running, jumping, etc.), hunting (beating, staring, biting, snatching, preparing to fly forward, etc.), and eat.
At this stage, you should pay attention to bringing your cat to new things, so that it will be easier to accept new things and will not be so timid in the future. For example, at this stage, you can train your cat to enter your suitcase and take a short car trip around your home, which will facilitate taking your cat to the pet hospital in the future. At this stage, you should also train your cat to brush your teeth, watch you clean with a vacuum cleaner, get along with other people and cats more, and cultivate your cat’s bold and cheerful personality. For details, you can look back at "The Socialization of Cats, Mom is the Best Teacher".
If you are raising a cat for the first time and have a little kitten, please pay attention to taking the cat to the hospital for the first physical examination of Meowen at this stage. For the first physical examination during the kitten period, it is recommended to undergo physical examinations, palpation, auscultation, routine blood and biochemical examinations, screening of cat leukemia and cat AIDS, feces floating examination parasites, abdominal ultrasound and cardiac ultrasound. For details, you can read "The first time I pick a cat, how to choose a healthy baby? What examinations should be done? 》
At the same time, be sure to visit and consult a reliable veterinarian. Visiting and consulting veterinarians is mainly to obtain reliable and detailed maintenance suggestions and some tips, determine the appropriate age for sterilization, and make an appointment for the first time. Of course, this knowledge can also be learned in MYAO! For example:
Cut your cat's nails, "I want to cut your cat's nails! Cat: I do not allow it》
brushing, "MYAO Directory: Cats' teeth problems and brushing", "Beasts and Bugs"
deworming, "Beasts and Bugs! The simple and clear cat deworming manual is here~》
vaccine, "How should cats get vaccinated, the detailed guide to the entire process is here! 》
Physical examination, "Introduction to Cat Raising | Cat Physical Examination Manual"
Nutritional needs and weight management, "MYAO Directory: What cats eat and drink", "MYAO Directory: Nutritional needs of cats"
Tailing and peeing, "MYAO Directory: Cats' Digestion (Desert)"
Sickness and common small problems, "MYAO Directory: Cats' Sickness"
Cats' Stress, "Cats Have Stress Respond! what to do! ! 》
Time: 7 months-2 years old
The cat has lived with you for a while and has undergone a complete vaccine, sterilization and physical examination. Everyone must arrange the cat's vaccine book, physical examination report, and illness cases or records in chronological order. It is best to take a photo of the cat every year and put it together.
In daily life, you should pay attention to the health of the cat's eyes, ears, mouth, nose, claws, and paws, whether there is cough/asthma, vomiting/reflux, other intestinal discomfort, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, dyspnea, etc. As long as you observe the cat's life carefully, you can determine whether the cat has health problems.
In addition, it is recommended that everyone add 1-2 high-quality cat groups to discuss with other cat friends whether the cat's behavior is normal, such as: whether there are any problems such as pica, urination and defecation, disturbing sleep, and biting. You can look back at "MYAO Directory: Cat's Confused Behavior" and "MYAO Directory: Cat's Annoying Situation".
At this stage, cats are in the growth stage, and they should monitor their weight regularly. After sterilization, they should pay attention to eating less and eating more meals, and reduce energy intake to avoid gaining weight. In addition, learn more about feeding and body condition rating, "The fatter the cat becomes, the cuter it is? Don’t wait until you get sick before you remember to lose weight! 》《The kitten actually lost weight when hungry? How much should you eat every day! 》.
In terms of excretion, as the size of the cat increases, the cat litter box should be replaced in time, to ensure that the cat is 1.5 times the size, and to change the cat litter regularly and clean and disinfect. "Where is your cat litter box? Place it in these 7 places, it will not smell, it will not be dirty, and cats will not urinate! 》.
In terms of oral health, you still have to brush your cat's teeth every day. If it's too late, you must ensure that it will be done every 2 to 3 days at least, because the plaque will cure in 3 days.. If you brush your cat's teeth once a week, the effect will not be ideal. In addition, if the cat does not undergo oral care when it is young, some tartars may have accumulated at this stage. It is recommended to take the cat to have an oral examination during a physical examination and discuss with the veterinarian whether it is necessary to clean teeth. We have published many articles about cat oral care. You can click the Ai Teeth Series in the official account to view the "MYAO Catalog: Cat Dental Problems and Brushing".
Vaccine, deworming, or just look back at the previous vaccine manual and deworming manual. You can do some training, such as how to make cats adapt to going to the hospital. "What should you do when a cat is nervous when you go out? 》.
The same recommendation for juvenile cats is as physical examinations as for juvenile. It is recommended to screen cat leukemia and cat AIDS based on the actual living conditions of the cat. If it is fully kept indoors and has not been exposed to foreign cats, you can not do it. In addition, feces are floating to check for parasites, and routine blood and biochemical examinations, urine tests, abdominal hypertension, heart hypertension, etc. are performed according to the situation.
Time: 3-6 years old
Like juvenile, the cat's vaccine book, physical examination report, and illness cases or records should be arranged in chronological order. It is best to take a photo of the cat every year and put it together. In daily life, you should pay attention to observation of cat behavior and health issues, discuss cat exercise, and correct some cat behavior problems.
Body condition score (BCS) can be used by a veterinarian. It is recommended that the cat be kept in a moderate body condition. You can study the richness of the cat's movement lines at home and decoration (for details, please see "Introduction to Cat Raising | Cat Living Environment Manual"), which will help the cat stay active and play with the cat every day.
Brushing should continue, and vaccination should be administered on time and dewormed on time.
Adult cats can undergo a comprehensive physical examination every 1-2 years according to actual conditions. It is recommended to have feces to check for parasites. In addition, blood, biochemical, urine tests, thyroid tests, heart hypertension, and abdominal hypertension can be checked according to actual conditions. If the cat is free-range, FIV/FeLV testing should be performed. Say more. Free-range is not recommended in the domestic environment.
Time: 7-10 years old
At this stage, you should pay attention to increasing the number of physical examinations for cats. It is recommended to conduct a physical examination every six months to a year according to the cat's physical condition, and learn about cat aging and common diseases in elderly cats.
Special episode of the elderly cats, "MYAO Catalog: Care for the elderly cats"
Diabetes, "The 5-year-old fat cat was diagnosed with diabetes! Time is about feeding pigs, what can parents do! 》
thrombosis, "Die at least 6 hours, beware of cat thrombosis! 》《Cat thrombosis can only be happy? 》
Chronic kidney disease, "Introduction to cat kidney disease: Early detection, early treatment, early management"
Hyperthyroidism, "Cat Disease Special | Hyperthyroidism"
Degenerative arthritis, "Sothe waist and legs hurt, can't walk, how to take care of cat arthritis! 》
Heart disease, "The Primary Guide to "Cat Heart Disease" | MYAO Selection"
Difficult breathing, "The kitten opens his mouth and breathes like a dog, not cute at all! Go to the hospital immediately! immediately! 》
Drinking more and urinating more. "A kitten drinks more water and urinates more. Are they sick? I'm so worried! 》
Pay special attention to the cat's movement to see if they don't like to jump, whether their walking posture has changed, whether the frequency close to the cat's litter box has changed, how good the appetite is, etc.
Dental and oral health should still be paid attention to, and vaccines should be given on time.
Physical examination is recommended for fecal floating detection, parasites, routine blood, biochemical, electrolyte examination, urine examination, abdominal hypertension, and heart hypertension. As needed, thyroid, blood pressure, FIV and FeLV detection are also checked.
Time: Cats aged 11-14 will enter old age after the age of 11. For cats who are completely kept indoors and do not like exercise, they will enter old age after the age of 7. At this stage, you should increase the number of physical examinations and learn about cat aging and common diseases in elderly cats.
In addition, the needs of elderly cats for the environment are different from those of young cats. For example, their legs and feet are not very flexible, and they may need some steps to climb up high cabinets or soft carpets to prevent injuries when jumping. You can learn "How should cats be taken care of when they are old? 》.
It is necessary to regularly evaluate the cat's food, medicine and nutritional supplements, and pay attention to the cat's weight loss, adjust its diet as needed, etc. If there is oral disease or tumor, you must see a doctor.
In addition, the vaccine should be given on time, the cat litter box should be cleaned up, and a soft nest should be prepared, and some cat pheromones should be sprayed at home if possible to keep the cat calm and happy.
Every six months to one year, a health examination is conducted. It is recommended to do fecal floating detection, parasites, routine blood, biochemical, electrolyte examination, urine examination, thyroid, blood pressure, heart hypertension, and abdominal hypertension. FIV and FeLV detection can be done as needed.
Time: Over 15 years old, this stage is equivalent to over 75 years old in humans. In addition to the precautions in old age, you should also observe whether the cats have symptoms of cognitive dysfunction. In addition, you should cherish the days when they accompany you with gratitude every day.