When it comes to colon health, cat digestive systems are quite similar to those of humans. Just as with humans, cats can suffer from a number of digestive disorders. In fact, constipation is relatively common in felines. Therefore, as a pet owner, it is important for you to understand how to recognize digestive problems as well as how to help your cat maintain a healthy colon.

Feline Constipation

Concerning colon health, cat constipation is relatively easy to recognize. Fortunately, it is fairly easy to help your cat recover from feline constipation.

Just as with human colon health, cat colon health problems have a great deal to do with the age of the cat. As in humans, older cats are more susceptible to constipation. Those that are eight-years-old and above are more likely to become constipated. Nonetheless, it is possible for a cat of any age to become constipated.

A cat with bowels that are functioning efficiently will usually have one or two bowel movements every day. Of course, just as with humans, every cat is different. Signs of feline constipation include:

No bowel movements, or very infrequent bowel movements

Straining during a bowel movement

Painful bowel movements

A sudden decrease in the amount of stool produced

When it comes to colon health, cat constipation is a sign that something is not working correctly within the digestive tract. And, if you fail to take action, your cat may become quite ill. Signs the constipation has advanced and is becoming serious include:

Failure to keep itself groomed

Lethargic behavior

Loss of appetite

Crouching and hunching up

Vomiting

Passing a small amount of diarrhea, which is runny and blood-tinged

Some potential causes of cat constipation include:

Ingesting foreign bodies, hair, and animal bones

A dirty litter box

Recent hospitalization

Lack of exercise (let your cat out to run)

Obstructions, such as improperly healed pelvic fractures or tumors

Medication

Hair matted with dirt/mud

Injuries from cat fights

Obesity (don’t overfeed your pet please or share your meals)

Parasites, usually obtained from dirt, animals, or unclean water

To maintain proper feline colon health, constipation needs to be treated as soon as possible. The first approach is to address the underlying cause of the problem. A cat that is dehydrated, for example, may receive intravenous or subcutaneous replacement fluids to help encourage a bowel movement.

If a change of the underlying cause is not enough to get things moving again, the veterinarian may administer an enema to your pet to help induce a bowel movement. If the cat is severely constipated, however, it may be necessary to place the cat under anesthesia and remove the feces manually. This can be a very time consuming process.

Feline Obstipation

Feline obstipation is similar to constipation, but must be treated differently. Whereas constipation is characterized by difficulty in eliminating waste, obstipation occurs when the cat’s bowels are blocked and it is unable to pass any waste at all. The cause of obstipation and the signs and symptoms of the disorder are usually the same as with constipation.

Feline Megacolon

A cat that suffers from chronic constipation or obstipation may ultimately develop Megacolon, which is a distended colon with poor movement. When this occurs, fecal matter remains in the colon and becomes continuously drier. As a result, the colon becomes filled with waste almost as hard as concrete.

Maintaining Colon Health Cat Style

Maintaining your cat’s colon health requires many of the same steps for maintaining the health of a human colon. Placing your cat on a high fiber diet, for example, will help prevent your cat from becoming constipated. Like humans, cats are unable to digest fiber. As the undigested fiber sits in your cat’s colon, it absorbs water and helps loosen the stool while also providing it with extra bulk.

Since cats tend to have more sensitive digestive systems than humans, however, it is important to implement a high fiber diet slowly. Changing your cat’s diet too abruptly can cause it to experience gas pain. Therefore, you should spend about five or seven days gradually modifying your cat’s diet.

Foods that can be added to your cat’s diet to increase its fiber intake include:

Canned pumpkin

Bran

Vegetable meal

Whole grains

Your cat may not want to eat any of these foods alone. Therefore, you will need to mix them in with your cat’s canned cat food. It is also important to ensure your cat drinks plenty of water. This is particularly important when increasing fiber consumption since the fiber will absorb water within your cat’s digestive system.

By helping your pet maintain proper colon health, its digestive problems should not be of serious concern. However, if problems arise, contact your veterinarian right away to take care of the issue before it worsens.

Some of the common causes of ‘sudden death’ are electric shock, heart attacks, cardiac arrest, drowning, severe allergic reactions, drug overdose etc.  After someone stops breathing, he or she can survive only for 4 to 6 minutes before lack of oxygen results in permanent damage such as brain damage or even death. CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) can buy that extra time by artificially circulating oxygen to the body, until professional help arrives.

CPR is a simple but effective procedure that allows almost anyone to sustain life in the first critical minutes of cardiac arrest. It provides oxygenated blood to the brain and heart, long enough to keep vital organs alive until professional rescuers arrive. AED (Automated External Defibrillator) is an electronic device that can deliver a shock of electricity to get to return to a normal heartbeat. AEDs are very accurate and easy to use. With a few hours of training, anyone can learn to operate an AED safely.

CPR training is a great skill to have at the professional level or for personal development. Online CPR certification courses prepare one for an emergency situation and give the confidence to save lives. These courses include video, clearly illustrated graphics and easy to follow text.  Online courses are great in that they are available from any computer with internet access and can be accessed 24/7. The program takes advantage of today’s technology to interactively demonstrate and provide comprehensive instructions in cognitive and theoretical CPR and AED skills.

The purpose of CPR Certification Classes is to give individuals the skills necessary to prevent, recognize and provide basic care for breathing and cardiac emergencies in adults, children, and infants until advanced medical personnel arrive. These classes follow the recommendations of the American Red Cross and American Heart Association. Adult CPR Certification courses teach individuals how to perform CPR and use AED for adult victims; adults are classified as individuals of age 12 and older. Similarly Child CPR Certification courses are for child victims of age 1-12 years, and Infant CPR Certification for children up to 1 year of age.

It is not only the invaluable ‘feel good’ factor of saving a life, but also the immense gratitude expressed by the person whose life is saved, makes every effort worthwhile. A large number of cardiac arrests occur in private residential settings, so being trained to perform CPR can mean the difference between life and death for a loved one!! In the event of an emergency are you prepared to save a life?

It is very important to know a business well before you decide to become involved in it. You do not want to find yourself stuck with unpleasant loopholes after you have already signed all of the contracts. Most individuals do not learn this lesson until much later in life; however, if you have ever been a babysitter, you might have figured this real world tip out much sooner than any of your colleagues.

Babysitting is a very common way for teenagers to make extra money while in high school and college. They most often sit for aunts and uncles or close family friends, but never try to expand their customer base. Other babysitters are much more market savvy, however, and decide to make their services available to new families in the neighborhood or for those who do not have family near by. In order to be one of the most sought after babysitters in the neighborhood, you need to know how to market yourself, charge a fair but competitive rate, and have the skills parents are looking for in a sitter.

The tricks of finding a baby sitting job are not difficult to master, you just need to know the market and your competition inside and out. What are girls are babysitters in your neighborhood? How old are they and do they have skills or experience that you do not? If you are just starting out, it is a great idea to take baby sitting classes at your local community center or American Red Cross. You will learn about the basics of child development, first aid skills, and how to handle different types of emergencies. These classes and certification will give you an edge over competing babysitters and entitle you to charge a slightly higher rate.

In order to look professional, order a few business cards. You can hand them out around your neighborhood and to families at your place of worship. This purchase is a great investment because parents will remember you; they will also have your number and be impressed at your maturity level. As long as you work hard at being a great babysitter and prove that you are responsible, you will never be short of baby sitting job offers!