Showing your Cat or Kitten at the Fair

Transcription

1 Showing your Cat or Kitten at the Fair 4-H Family Learning Day 2007 Dodge County - Leslie Schmidt -

2 Fairbook Rules Kitten age Between 12/1/06 4/1/07 Vaccination cutoff date 8/1/2007 Sending in Vaccination papers cutoff date 8/3/2007

3 Picking out a New Kitten or Cat What to Look for: Personality Age Unusual-looking cats will have unusual problems. Places to Look: The Newspaper Humane Society Farms Be concerned about Dirty nose Dirty ears Little bald spots

4 Food / Feeding Look at the label Dry vs. Wet Treats Important Nutrients

5 Bathing your Cat Step 1: Slowly wet your cat in water that's close to her body temperature of degrees. Step 2: Lather your cat gently with a shampoo designed just for felines. Rinse her until the water runs clear, then give her one more final rinse. Even a small amount of shampoo lather or residue will cause your cat to froth when she licks herself. Avoid soap in the eyes. It can cause painful irritation. Step 3: Wrap a towel around your cat to dry her as much as possible, then use a human hair dryer set on low heat. Bathing Tips: To avoid tangles with long- and medium-haired cats, comb the coat as you dry it. Shorthaired cats can air-dry. Have everything near and ready before you start: Shampoos, rinses, a soft towel and a hair dryer. Keep them out of reach of the cat so she doesn't grab onto them. A waist-high sink or basin with a non-skid mat is the best place to bathe your cat. Bathing helps keep dander under control, which may help alleviate allergic reactions.

6 Brushing Keep your cat beautiful by brushing and combing her regularly. Step 1: Start at the head and neck with the wide-spaced side of the comb. Comb down the body, following the lie of the hair. Step 2: Pay special attention to mats behind the ears, under the legs and on the rump. Step 3: Comb the cat a second time, switching between the wide- and the narrow-toothed comb as needed. Comb until you feel no more mats and you've collected all the loose hair. Long haired cats will need to be groomed. Brushing Tips: To remove large mats, gently pull them apart and comb them out, taking care not to hurt your cat. For shorthaired breeds, use a short-bristled, slightly stiff brush that won't irritate the skin, or use a comb with close, small teeth. Brush or comb your cat every three to four days. For long-haired breeds, use the comb to remove the dead undercoat that frequently causes matting. A cat that is brushed regularly and frequently will not need a bath very often.

7 Claws Trimmed claws are very important!

8 Nail Care Nail Care Although a kitten's claws should be clipped each week, adults only need theirs clipped every two weeks. Step 1: Place your cat in your lap, facing away. Step 2: Squeeze the toes between your forefinger and thumb, which will extend the claws. Hold your cat gently and talk softly to calm her. Step 3: Clip the claws, being careful not to cut into the sensitive quick (the area of flesh containing blood and nerves beneath the toenail). Remove only the tip. Nail Care Tips: Never use human clippers. They can split a cat's nails. If your cat continually resists nail clipping, schedule a visit with your groomer or veterinarian.

9 Ears What to use: Q-tips Water Method: Lightly wet the q-tip make sure not to have too much water on it! Clean the visual parts of the inside of the ear You can damage the cats ears if you got to far.

10 Teeth Dry Food Brush your cat's teeth Treats designed to clean

11 How to Brush your cat s teeth Step 1 - Select an appropriate time Step 2 - Acquaint your cat with the process. Step 3 - Introduce the Toothbrush Step 4 - Begin Brushing Make tooth brushing a pleasurable experience

12 Traveling Use a carrier A wet cat is an unhappy cat Collar, harness, & leashes Water & cat food at the Fair

13 At the Fair Time Things to Bring Cat Collar/harness & leash Blanket or towel Papers

14 Showing your Cat Showmanship Presenting your cat Talking to the Judge

15 Parents guide Just remember to enjoy the show! Don t forget your: Camera Lint roller Let your child ask for assistance

16 Health Care Cold & sniffles Bite wounds & abscesses Eye problems Over or Under Weight NOTE: Always talk to the vet if you have any questions or concerns!

17 Common Health Problems Colds and sniffles Cats are susceptible to many respiratory viruses. Although some of these infections can become serious, most are not. If your kitten gets the sniffles, but continues to play vigorously and to eat and drink normally, treatment is unnecessary. If he acts sick or stops eating, or if you see a cloudy discharge from the eyes or nose, veterinary attention is needed. Never give cats aspirin, Tylenol or similar human medications.

18 Bite wounds & abscesses Cats have sharp teeth, equally effective for catching prey or inflicting deep puncture wounds. Their bite carries bacteria deep into the wound and the hole closes immediately, providing the bacteria an excellent place to grow and multiply. Under the hair, these bite wounds are almost invisible, so the first sign of trouble will probably be when you notice lameness, or pain and swelling. This means the wound has become infected. The next stage, development of an abscess, happens quickly. White blood cells, the body's natural defense against bacteria, move into the area and start killing bacteria. Pretty soon we have dead bacteria, dead white blood cells, and dead little bits of cat all combined into a gooey mess. The rest of the body protects itself from spreading infection by making a protective barrier around this dead, gooey mess. This is an abscess. If close to the surface, the abscess will eventually drain on its own. The central area of skin, deprived of its blood supply, slowly dies and falls off, allowing pus to escape. The cat feels better right away and the wound heals. pus still inside. Abscess treatment: Unfortunately, the abscess usually comes back, because the wound heals with some of the To prevent the long period of illness before an abscess drains on its own, and to keep the abscess from coming back afterwards, we drain it surgically. We usually open the abscess at the bottom and top, flush it with an antibacterial solution, and place a Penrose drain tube. This drain tube keeps the hole open, pus continues to drain for a day or two, and the abscess begins to heal. After we remove the drain tube, the surgical openings will heal and all the infection will be gone. Abscess prevention: Bite wound abscesses can usually be prevented if antibiotics are given within the first twenty four hours. If your cat is a regular patient with a history of bite wound infections and was in a fight last night, call us right away. In such cases we are generally willing to dispense antibiotics without an examination.

19 Eye Problems Eye problems, especially those affecting only one eye, require immediate attention. Cats frequently scratch each other's eyes when fighting. If left untreated, these small corneal lacerations quickly become big eye ulcers. If your cat is suddenly squinting one eye in the summertime, there is probably a foxtail in it. If you cannot easily remove the foxtail yourself, come see us right away.

20 The Ideal Weight for a Cat Breed For the larger breeds, a large fully-grown male can weigh 18 pounds without being the least overweight. A female of a smaller breed, may actually be overweight at a mere 7 pounds! You can find the weight ranges for different cat breeds at PetsMart cat breeds directory. Cats that are not purebred should usually weigh between 8-12 pounds, depending on the cat's bone structure. Sex There is a noticeable difference in weight between males and females of the same breed. Males are usually 2-4 pounds heavier than females. Note that whether a cat is neutered or not should not affect its weight. The only difference is that, in order to achieve the same weight, neutered cats require about a third less calories. If they eat as much as they did before the operation, they are liable to experience a serious weight gain. You should not accept this weight gain as "natural" or "expected." It must be dealt with like any weight gain and treated accordingly.

21 Assessing Your Cat's Weight The best way to tell if your cat is overweight is by checking the cat. Move your hands along the sides of the body and gently try to feel the ribs. If the cat is within range of its ideal weight, you should be able to easily count the ribs. The ribs should be covered with a layer of fat, but not to an extent that would make it difficult to feel them. With obese cats it is easy to see that they are larger than usual, have a large abdomen, and experience difficulty walking and grooming themselves. Obesity can sometimes be a side-effect of a more serious disease and requires urgent veterinary attention.

22 VERY THIN THIN UNDERWEIGHT IDEAL OVERWEIGHT HEAVY OBESE GROSSLY OBESE Your Cat s Weight

23 Obesity Obesity is a common problem in cats. Identifying the cause and following a total weight management program (which includes evaluating your cat and modifying her behaviors) can help with weight control and maintenance. DEFINITION OF OBESITY: Obesity is an increase in body weight beyond skeletal and physical capability resulting from excess body fat. CAUSE OF OBESITY: Obesity happens when the calories a cat takes in exceeds how much she uses. This simply means that a cat eats more energy (calories) than she uses and stores the excess energy. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO OBESITY Overfeeding Inactivity Breed Age Sex Spay/neuter status

24 Weight Loss Plan If your cat is overweight, you should take care and help it lose weight. Talk to your veterinarian and work out a plan for the cat's gradual weight loss. You and your vet should set the weight loss goals and fix sensible timetables. The basic line of the plan would be feeding the cat with specially formulated low-cal cat food and setting an exercise/play regime. Please note that kittens should never be put on a weight loss diet, unless under strict veterinarian instructions. Kittens need all the nutrients they can get, including fat, to achieve adequate growth rate.

25 Gradual Weight Loss The goal of a good weight management program should be gradual weight loss. This is especially important in cats. Severe nutrient restriction can result in hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver). This is one reason why you should involve your cat s veterinarian in the weight loss effort. Per week, cats should lose 1% to 1.5% of their initial weight. A good way to begin a weight-loss program in cats is to reduce caloric intake by 30% of their personal maintenance intake, then decrease intake by 10% increments every 2 3 weeks until a 1% weight loss per week is achieved. Your veterinarian can help you figure out how much to feed your cat to lose weight, or follow the weight loss recommendations on the package. Cats who do not respond quickly should see their veterinarian for a special weight-loss program. A total weight management program can lead to successful weight reduction in an obese cat. A complete evaluation by your cat s veterinarian is always recommended. Remember, your help is essential to your cat s success.

26 Thank You for Coming Today! Please contact me if you have any questions. Leslie Schmidt (920)