Home Remedies for Cats
Your cat can fall prey to the same illnesses and discomforts that people have, plus other problems that are limited to felines. In many cases, home remedies for cats can eliminate the problem without an expensive trip to the veterinarian.
Cat Hairball Remedy
One of the most common problems cats have is hairballs. You can try expensive medicines that will help get rid of the problem, but the best treatment is supplementing your cat’s diet properly in order to prevent the formation of uncomfortable (and disgusting) hairballs.
Brushing your pet regularly to get rid of excess hair will help, but if your cat is prone to hairballs, there are a few home remedies that will help. Switch to a moist, canned cat food and offer your cat plenty of water; lack of fluids is a contributing factor with hairballs. If this doesn’t alleviate the problem, try offering your pet ½ teaspoon of butter or canned, plain pumpkin or baby squash two or three times a week. You can mix it in the cat’s food if they won’t lick it off the spoon. This lubricates the digestive tract for easy elimination of hairballs.
Your cat may occasionally develop diarrhea due to stress, an upset stomach or a change in diet. Try fasting the cat for at 24 hours, offering nothing but water. To settle the stomach and relieve the diarrhea without fasting, offer your feline friend a bland, gentle diet of boiled chicken or hamburger mixed with cooked white rice.
If your cat is straining due to constipation, two tablespoons of mineral oil or ½ teaspoon of plain pumpkin can work within 8-12 hours. You can repeat this once or twice if necessary. However, if your cat suffers from constipation for more than a few days, you should call your veterinarian to rule out a more serious problem.
Cat Preventative Care Home Remedies
Are you worried that your cat has eaten something he or she shouldn’t have? Prevent the potential for poisoning by inducing vomiting to get rid of the toxic substance. Give a small amount (no more than 10 ml.) of hydrogen peroxide to your cat every fifteen minutes, but no more than three times total. This usually quickly causes the cat to vomit up anything poisonous.
Bladder infections are a recurring issue for some felines. Once an infection has set in, only antibiotics will effectively treat the problem. You can, however, prevent bladder problems by making sure that proper acidity is maintained. Cranberry juice added to food or water is an excellent way to keep the bladder acidic so that infection won’t set in.
Does your cat scratch at his ears constantly? Is there a dark, waxy substance built up in the ear canals? It’s probably ear mites, tiny little creatures that bore into the ear canal and cause inflammation and itching.
Gently add several drops of mineral oil to the ears and massage behind the ears so that the oil warms and coats deep into the ear canal. Now gently use a cotton ball to swab out the oil along with the waxy coating. This may take a few treatments to completely get rid of the mites, but your cat will be grateful.
Any time you try a home remedy for cat health problems, keep an eye out for recurrences. If you can’t seem to get the problem under control yourself, a trip to the veterinarian may be needed.