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Female cat health

Female Cat Health:

If you have a female cat, you need to know about female cat health issues.



Let’s first look at sexual maturity and what it involves.
  • Sexual maturity: Generally, female cats can become sexually mature by the time they are five to six months old, and this is signaled through the first heat cycle. This duration does vary however with some cats only reaching maturity at a year. At this time, the cat will be very vocal and would want you to caress and pet her more often. She will crouch low, moan and roll around.



    At this time, your female cat might defecate or urinate in other places rather than in the litter box and her appetite will also decrease. If this female cat is not allowed to mate nor spayed, she’ll go through a lot of heat cycles and will have a lot of sexual energy, which leads to discomfort. The cat might scratch and bite itself, or become more aggressive. So, you might want to get your cat spayed.



    Once spayed, the cat will become more content and there might be a decrease in energy. This will often lead to their packing on more weight. Keep in mind that you might need to decrease the amount of food you serve your cat. If you do not want to get your cat spayed, then remember that she might mate and have kittens. If this happens, you need to provide veterinary care to your cat and attend to the kittens.
Female and male cats can have a host of health problems that you need to be aware of. We suggest that you speak with a vet and get to know the details. Here are a few of the health problems and diseases that cats can suffer from.
  • Feline Idiopathic Lower Urinary Tract Disease: The cause of the disease is unknown. In this disease there is blood in the urine. Some of the other symptoms of this disorder include frequent urination, painful or difficult urination, complete or partial blockage of the urethra, and urinating in unusual locations. This can affect both female and male cats, but can be treated.
  • Hairballs: This is a common problem that happens because cats have a tendency to groom themselves and swallow loose hair. Sometimes, the hair forms a ball and gets stuck in the digestive tract. You might know it’s a hairball if the cat begins to cough and hack suddenly. Sometimes, hairballs land up in the intestines of the cat and can cause a blockage, which turns into a life-threatening problem. The cat might be lethargic, off food and constipated, if there is a hairball in its stomach.
Lyme disease, worms, urinary tract infection, feline infectious peritonitis, feline immunodeficiency virus, and feline leukemia virus are some of the diseases that can affect cats.
 
  Submitted on May 7, 2010  
 
 
 

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