There is no doubt that owning a cat can be quite expensive.
In addition to having to pay for vaccinations, neutering or spaying and food, unexpected veterinary bills may crop up and really put the drain on your wallet.
According to Veterinary Pet Insurance, which is the oldest and largest pet health insurance provider in the country, there are several costly conditions that seem to affect felines the most often.
Here is a look at these conditions as well as a few steps you can take to help prevent them from occurring.
Foreign Body Ingestion Foreign body ingestion occurs when your cat swallows something that it cannot pass through its intestine or that gets caught in the cat's stomach, with the most commonly ingested items being string, nipples from baby bottles, strings and shoelaces.
In order to prevent this condition, be certain to keep these items and other small items out of reach of your pet and monitor your cat's toys to make certain potentially dangerous parts are not becoming dislodged.
Urinary Tract Obstruction Unfortunately, there is a genetic component to urinary tract obstruction, which means it is not entirely preventable.
You can, however, take some steps to help reduce the likelihood of your cat suffering from this condition.
For example, you can make certain your cat drinks plenty of fluid and you can feed canned cat food in order to help your cat get more water in its diet.
Acute Renal Failure Acute renal failure can be caused by a number of different factors, though the most common cause of this condition is ingestion of antifreeze or poisonous plants such as Easter Lily's.
Therefore, you can reduce the chances of your cat suffering from acute renal failure by keeping harmful chemicals and plants away from your pet.
Hyperthyroidism Although there is no known way to prevent hyperthyroidism, catching the condition early will help prevent complications from occurring.
Not only will this help reduce the suffering your pet has to endure, it will also save you money on your veterinary bills.
The most common sign of hyperthyroidism is weight loss in a cat that is over 8-years-old and seems to have a good appetite.
Bladder Stones You can't completely eliminate your cat's risk of developing bladder stones, but you can reduce the risks by making certain your kitty has regular access to water that is fresh and clean.
You should also encourage your pet to drink plenty of water and you should feed it a good quality cat food.
If your cat has experienced bladder stones in the past, you might want to consider putting it on a stone prevention diet in order to further minimize the chances of developing bladder stones again.
Some other conditions that commonly affect cats include rectal cancer, intestinal cancer, skin cancer and mast cell tumors.
Unfortunately, there is not much you can do to prevent these conditions.
But, by keeping a close eye on your cat's health and behaviors, you can increase the likelihood of getting it the medical care it needs during the early stages.
In this way, you can keep the costs down while also increasing the chances of your kitty ultimately coming out with a clean bill of health.
In addition to having to pay for vaccinations, neutering or spaying and food, unexpected veterinary bills may crop up and really put the drain on your wallet.
According to Veterinary Pet Insurance, which is the oldest and largest pet health insurance provider in the country, there are several costly conditions that seem to affect felines the most often.
Here is a look at these conditions as well as a few steps you can take to help prevent them from occurring.
Foreign Body Ingestion Foreign body ingestion occurs when your cat swallows something that it cannot pass through its intestine or that gets caught in the cat's stomach, with the most commonly ingested items being string, nipples from baby bottles, strings and shoelaces.
In order to prevent this condition, be certain to keep these items and other small items out of reach of your pet and monitor your cat's toys to make certain potentially dangerous parts are not becoming dislodged.
Urinary Tract Obstruction Unfortunately, there is a genetic component to urinary tract obstruction, which means it is not entirely preventable.
You can, however, take some steps to help reduce the likelihood of your cat suffering from this condition.
For example, you can make certain your cat drinks plenty of fluid and you can feed canned cat food in order to help your cat get more water in its diet.
Acute Renal Failure Acute renal failure can be caused by a number of different factors, though the most common cause of this condition is ingestion of antifreeze or poisonous plants such as Easter Lily's.
Therefore, you can reduce the chances of your cat suffering from acute renal failure by keeping harmful chemicals and plants away from your pet.
Hyperthyroidism Although there is no known way to prevent hyperthyroidism, catching the condition early will help prevent complications from occurring.
Not only will this help reduce the suffering your pet has to endure, it will also save you money on your veterinary bills.
The most common sign of hyperthyroidism is weight loss in a cat that is over 8-years-old and seems to have a good appetite.
Bladder Stones You can't completely eliminate your cat's risk of developing bladder stones, but you can reduce the risks by making certain your kitty has regular access to water that is fresh and clean.
You should also encourage your pet to drink plenty of water and you should feed it a good quality cat food.
If your cat has experienced bladder stones in the past, you might want to consider putting it on a stone prevention diet in order to further minimize the chances of developing bladder stones again.
Some other conditions that commonly affect cats include rectal cancer, intestinal cancer, skin cancer and mast cell tumors.
Unfortunately, there is not much you can do to prevent these conditions.
But, by keeping a close eye on your cat's health and behaviors, you can increase the likelihood of getting it the medical care it needs during the early stages.
In this way, you can keep the costs down while also increasing the chances of your kitty ultimately coming out with a clean bill of health.