As a new cat owner you must realize your cat will have health problems at some point in it's life. Some of the problems are easily prevented while others are hereditary and will need to be dealt with on an ongoing basis.
The first problem we are going to look at and one of the most common is hairballs. Cats are continuously grooming themselves and licking their fur to smooth and clean it. In doing so loose hairs are swallowed by the cat. Occasionally this hair clumps in the digestive tract and forms balls of hair. Your cat will cough and hack and eventually regurgitate a clump of fur. While this is more of an unpleasant issue for the owner the cat usually has no problem in dislodging the hairball.
At times however the hairball may move lower in the digestive tract and cause a blockage. This can be a life threatening issue for your cat. If your cat stops having bowel movements, becomes listless, stops eating, or is lethargic with a dull coat it could have a major blockage. You should consult a vet to investigate this further at that point.
Hairballs can be avoided by brushing your cat regularly to remove the lose hair so your cat does not swallow it. You can also buy special food that helps prevent hairballs by helping the hair move through the digestive tract easily.
Another issue with cats is intestinal parasites or worms. Cats are most often infested with roundworms or tapeworms. If your cat is not gaining weight and you find small specks in its bedding that looks like grains of rice your cat is infected with tapeworms. The flecks you are finding in the bedding is pieces of the tapeworm that have broken off and passed through the rectum. These pieces are often picked up by other cats in the house infesting them as well. Roundworms are shorter than tapeworms and have round bodies. Roundworms are common in kittens and are passed when the eggs are passed in the stool and then consumed by another cat or a rodent which is then consumed by another cat. Also if the kittens mother is infested the eggs can be passed through the milk. Roundworm infestations are common and you can assume that unless your kitten has already been treated it has them.
It is a simple matter of giving your cat medication to get rid of both round worms and tapeworms. Your vet can provide you with the medication or you can buy it over the counter. Follow all dosing instructions when treating your cat.
