Basic cat health care knowledge can help to prevent problems. Look out for a build up of fur. Great advice is to make sure grooming your cat forms a part of your daily routine. This is a great activity as you are helping the cat’s health and also your pet will love being stroked. Make sure you do it gently so the animal becomes more relaxed and it will sit in your lap all day as you groom it!

Some cats with longer fur (and more of it) are prone to hairballs, and this is something that the vet should remind you of when you take it for check-ups. Persian cats, for example, have very long fur and when hairballs form, they easily end up in the cat’s throat and this causes problems. Since a cat’s licking can’t be stopped, it is important that you take extra care to prevent hairballs forming. Luckily, dogs don’t suffer with this hairball problem, as they don’t clean themselves by licking the fur. As cat owners know, cats keep clean by licking their fur and thus hairballs occur.

The process is simple – as soon as the hairball gets into the stomach, the cat tries to cough it up. This is when you will hear choking sounds and it can make pet owners quite nervous when they hear this, as they don’t know how to deal with it. There’s not much you can do at this stage, and it’s a case of letting the cat cough the hairball up, but be sure to keep an eye on the cat. Look out for any worrying signs and just make sure the cat is okay after coughing the fur up. Luckily, there are some things available to help treat hairballs, so speak to the vet for more information.

Cats that have long hair need to be brushed and combed on a daily basis, while cats with short hair need to be groomed on a weekly basis.Whenever brushing is done to your cat, you should be watchful for lumps in the coat or any marks of irritation on the cat’s skin.  You should start brushing along the cat’s back, going from his head to his tail.  Do this a few times on one side, and then switch to the other.  Each area should be brushed a few times in the direction of the way your cat’s hair is growing.

When you brush your cat, you should always avoid brushing his face and paws.  If a cat doesn’t like to be brushed, you can still groom him using another tool.The grooming glove is an excellent alternative to the brush, as most cats don’t mind it at all.  Starting out young is the key to grooming, as it will get your cat used to brushing and grooming.  Some cats that have started grooming when they were kittens grow to love it, many of which often look forward to their grooming time.

When brushing your cat, make sure that you check his ears, eyes, teeth, and claws.  His eyes should be bright and clear with nothing residing in the corners.  His ears should be clean, pink in color, and no sign of ear mites.  Ear mites result from dirt built up in a cat’s ears, and can result in the ears shriveling up and your cat losing his hearing.  Ear mites are very annoying for the cat, and hard for you as an owner to get rid of.  The best way to get rid of them – is to ensure that your cat’s ears stay clean and healthy.

Your aim always should be to go a bit further with your examinations, every time when you groom your feline.  When your cat remains still, you should always praise him and give him a treat.  If your cat doesn’t cooperate and starts to struggle, you shouldn’t fight with him, but instead let him go and try the next day.  Once your cat gets used to grooming he will look forward to it each and every day.