Cats, like us, benefit from regular health care. Long-haired cats and some others need help with grooming to avoida matted coat.
Cats are vulnerable to a range of infectious diseases and other illnesses. Your vet can provide advice on serious infectious diseases. Signs of illness include sudden changes in behaviour, such as restlessness and crying,or becoming quiet and withdrawn.Cats may stop grooming when ill and any changes in eating and drinking habits, such as lack of appetite or excessive drinking, may indicate problems.Changes in weight, either up or down should be investigated. Signs of injury include swellings, limping and evidence of pain, such as sensitivity to the touch. Other signs of illness include discharges from the eyes, ears or nose, difficulty with toilet behaviour, or sickness and diarrhoea. Cats that have eaten corrosive or poisonous substances often salivate excessively. This list is for guidance only and is not exhaustive.
Microchipping a cat gives them the best chance of being identified and more likely to be reunited with their owner if injured or lost. They are more likely to receive the prompt veterinary treatment they need if
injured. To avoid adding to the over-population crisis affecting cats in the UK,many people choose not tobreed their cat. Neutering can prevent your cat becoming pregnant, or fathering an unwanted litter.
Good advice about the age at which cats can be neutered, where you can have your cat neutered and the health benefits of neutering is available through the Cats Protection’s Kitten Neutering
Vet Database(www.cats.org.uk/kittenneutering). Neutering has numerous benefits including a reduction in spraying, lessened risk of some cancers. Un-neutered cats are more likely to fight, to catch some diseases as a result of fighting, and to be lost or run over whilst roaming. Cats frequently enter puberty at a very young age and unplanned early breeding may result in welfare problems. If you decide to breed from your cat, your vet can advise on the risk of inherited conditions and exaggerated features.
Kittens require care and cannot be sold under eight weeks. Raising kittens is difficult and time-consuming, and the kittens are your responsibility, with the same needs as any cat under the Animal
Welfare Act.

What you should do:
• Check your cat for signs of injury or illness regularly and make sure that someone else does this if you areaway. You should examine your cat closely, including their coat, whichshould also be checked for parasites such as fleas.
• If you notice changes in your cat’s behaviour, you should contact your vet and follow the advice you are given.
• If you suspect that your cat is in pain,ill or injured contact a vet promptly and follow veterinary advice regarding their treatment.
• Try to minimise fear and stress in your cat’s daily life. By doing so you will decrease its risk of certain illnesses.
• You should take the advice of your vet on how often your cat needs a health check and about the things that you can do to protect your cat’s health including routine preventive health
care, such as vaccination, neutering and treatments to control parasites (e.g. fleas and worms), as well as how to deal with any current health problems your cat may have.
You should follow the adviceyou are given.
• Make sure that you groom your cat without causing distress if they need help with the care of their coat. If you are uncertain, ask your vet about grooming your cat and how often you should do this.
• Only use medicines and drugs that have been prescribed for your individual cat.
• Human products and medicines intended for other animals can be dangerous to cats and sometimes fatal. If you are unsure seek veterinaryadvice.
• Make sure your cat can be identified such as by microchipping and ensure any microchip details kept up to date. This will ensure that it can be treated quickly if injured when away from home, or returned to you if lost. Make sure any collars fit properly with a quick release mechanism and are not harmful. If using a microchip as a form of identification.