If you love your cat and you want to make sure it doesn’t get sick, a few simple precautions can prevent it from getting ill. Doing just three simple things can insure that your cat lives a few more quality years than most cats do.

Pica means eating non-food items. The behaviour ranges from sucking, chewing and biting through to swallowing bites of items. Pica (from the Latin for "magpie"). It should not be confused with the suckling/nursing behaviour that some cats retain into adulthood. Commonly consumed target items include wool, string, elastic bands, electrical cords, tissues, tinsel and houseplants. Other objects have included cassette tape and the rubber "teat" section of a child's dummy (pacifier). Eating a little grass or herbs is normal cat behaviour; indoor cats may eat houseplants if there is no grass accessible.

Vomiting is a common complaint seen in cats. Also known as emesis is defined as ejecting the contents of the stomach through the mouth. Regurgitating is often diagnosed as vomiting. Food which is regurgitated comes from the esophageus shortly after it has been consumed & contains non-digested food. Regurgitating does not involve heaving prior to expulsion, nor will it contain digested food or bile which is often seen with true vomiting. Vomiting is the forceful ejection of food from the stomach & upper intestine. The cat salivates, appears to attempt to swallow, wretches, abdominal muscle contractions can be seen & the cat will retch, make a gagging sound & produce vomit. Vomit will often contain bile, blood & mucus. What are the causes of vomiting in cats?

People all over the world say it is a comforting experience when they show affection towards their pet. Many studies conducted have proved this to be true. But, surely, you would agree that it is a bit difficult to bring ourselves to tolerate seeing our pet scratching his fur all the time because of the itchiness brought about by fleas. It is an extremely uncomfortable sight for you, and more so, for your pet.

On my first trip to the veterinarian's office as proud new cat owner I pondered the question that I am sure has crossed the minds of many cat owners at some point. Does my cat really need these vaccines? My kitten, like many of yours, was destined to be an indoor-only cat so why did I need to drag her into the vet clinic every year for vaccines?

Cats, like their human counterparts, are prone to the aches, pains, and health issues that seem to come hand in hand with advancing age. Unfortunately, as the average lifespan of our cats increases so does the chance that owners will see age-related issues arise in their senior cats.

"Feline heartworm disease is very difficult to diagnose, but easy to prevent," says Dr. Allan Paul, a veterinary parasitologist at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. Because the disease is complex, testing for the parasites in cats can be confusing and, in most cases, more than one test is needed to make an accurate diagnosis.

It's a habit that almost all pet owners fall into. We tend to equate human diseases with veterinary ones. Sometimes certain human diseases are just like certain animal illnesses, but diabetes is not one of them.

Humans are not the only animals diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The Centers for Disease Control estimates that approximately 1.4 million Americans suffer from ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease, two specific disorders that fall under the umbrella term of IBD. Although it is hard to keep statistics on how many of our feline companions have the disease (dogs can be affected as well), it is not an uncommon diagnosis.

If your handsome Maine coon winks at you from across the room and doesn't stop, it's probably not saying, "Hey baby, can I buy you a drink?" In all likelihood it's squinting because its eye hurts. By definition, conjunctivitis is an inflammation of the inner eyelid and the superficial layer of the eye.