Feline coccidiosis is a condition in cats that causes watery stool, dehydration, abdominal pains, and vomiting. Kittens and debilitated cats are prime candidates for its more severe manifestations.

Coccidia is not actually just a cat ailment, dogs can also be affected. It is thought that around a third of cats and dogs are in fact infected with the disease. However, not all of these animals will show symptoms of infection.

Protozoa, which are one celled organisms, are the cause of coccidiosis. These organisms take residence in the intestinal tract of the cat and may cause symptoms that resemble other parasites such as worms.

However, though the symptoms of worms and coccidia are similar, the conditions must be cured using different treatments. This makes it very important that you take your cat to a veterinarian as soon as you notice symptoms of intestinal distress, diarrhea, and vomiting.

So, how do cats become infected with coccidia? Coccidia are transferred via fecal matter. All cat stool contain immature protozoa (referred to as oocytes), which are relatively harmless until they mature in an open environment. Once they mature, they may infect the cat once again. Cats may also acquire coccidiosis from eating mice infected with the protozoan.

To prevent against coccidia infestations, you should...

1. Keep basic sanitation for catteries and kennels. Where they sleep, eat and play should be clean, tidy and well maintained. Dispose of stool as soon as possible so that the risk of the coccidian spreading is lessened.

2. Disinfect. Before doing this, you may want to move your pets to a different location for the time being. You don't want your pets to inhale the potentially harmful fumes from disinfectants. As for what disinfectant to use, find one that contains a fair amount of ammonia. Alternatively, just mix a little bleach in with some water.

3. Not ignore the cleaning of crevices and other hard to reach areas. You should pay close attention to them as many forms of parasites ? oocytes notwithstanding, could make their home there.

4. Repaint. Coccidian oocytes living on the walls of your house will instantly be killed should you repaint the areas where they are.

Get more cat health information right now. Explore how your cat should be acting from day to day. This knowledge can help save the life of your cat or kitten. Learn more right now : http://pet-comfort-products.com/cat-health.html

Designer Cat Carriers

• Flea Infestation in cats (The cute new addition to your family home could very well have fleas, though this may be hard to believe. Unfortunately, it’s not unheard of for a very young kitten to have fleas; it all very much depends upon the environment in which it lived before you brought it to live with you. For example, [...])
• Feeding Your Cat - Dos and Don’ts (Food for cats is of course one of the most important needs of cats and it has to be provided by the owner. I think everyone agrees that this is the number one need of animals like cats and the kind of food you feed them would also reflect the nutritional contents of the food [...])
• Aiming for Long Term Cat Care (If you are coming up with to be a pet owner, you need to be prepared for the future cat care. That's if you are settled on having cat as pet. You want to be off to a good start. Everything must be planned so as to avoid future mistakes. Cats can be a [...])
• The Amazing Cat Species (We all know that cats are loving and truly wonderful creatures. These days, it isn’t out of the ordinary to see a cat in virtually every other home, sleeping in the window or cuddling up on the laps of their owners. Although cats have been popular pets for as long as most can remember, [...])
• Cat Care & Health (Owning a pet has sure responsibilities. You've got to feed and groom it and keep them away from various diseases. This is often what cat care and health is all regarding and by doing it properly, they will live for ten years or maybe longer. Cat vaccinations are the most effective means of fighting [...])
• Health Care for Your Pet Cat (Pet cat health care may be almost like caring for different pets. But such care might also have its own differences. One in all them is that pet cats could suffer from a host of various diseases that other pets could not go through. Here is a list of some feline diseases that pet cats [...])
• The Basic Know How’s About Cat Care (Owning any pet could be a big responsibility. You need to apprehend all the fundamental steps on a way to groom and care for it. This goes for each animal. If you're favoring the feline sorts, you must apprehend all about cat care. Owning a cat and having it as a pet is not [...])
• Pet Cat Care & Health (Proper pet cat care and is the sole suggests that of preserving its health. If you fail, your feline friend will get sick and die. Surely, you don’t wish to happen thus you should apply the ways of making this happen. After you get a cat, it's probably had already one vaccination. If you're [...])
• Feline Urinary Problems — What Every Cat Owner Should Know (Did you know that up to 1.5 percent of all cats in the US are plagued with feline urinary problems? That's a lot of cats. The severity of these problems can range from an uncomfortable cat bladder infection to a life-threatening cat urinary blockage. An an informed cat owner, you should always be on the lookout [...])
• Taking Care of a Three Legged Cat ( Ever dreamt of turning into a pet owner? How about looking after a 3 legged cat? If you are serious regarding caring for a feline companion, you have to be ready for any comeuppance. Being a care giver to a traditional cat is additionally not as simple as you think that it is. [...])
• Care for Pet Cats (Pet cat care should be your responsibility if you have got your pet cat at home. Knowing if you have a healthy cat would need that you know how to observe how your cat looks. You should be ready to guage if your cat is just too thin or too fat. The most effective factor [...])
• Weakness In Your Cat’s Legs May Be First Symptom Of Feline Diabetes (You may be surprised to learn that one of the symptoms of feline diabetes is weakness in your cat's legs.  If you notice your kitty walking on her "elbows" on her back legs instead of her feet, or on her "wrists" on her front legs, you may have a diabetic cat.  Other symptoms include her [...])