by CeeGunn

Created on: January 15, 2009

The average house cat's lifespan is 14 to 17 years. How long your cat lives is dependent upon a number of factors including diet and exercise, access to the outdoors, genetic abnormalities and contracted diseases.

The single best way to protect your cat from disease is to keep your cat indoors. If your cat cannot interact with other cats, they cannot become infected. There are no diseases that can be transmitted from humans to cats, so your cat cannot catch a cold from you. However, if you handle an infected cat outside the home and then do not properly wash your hands before touching your own cat, your cat could get infected that way.

The second defence against cat diseases is vaccinations. Taking your cat to the veterinarian is one of the first things that you should do when you've brought home a new cat. Your vet will explain to you the different types of vaccinations and their schedules. Several vaccinations require a booster shot every few months or years, so you will have to return to the vet for those shots.

Even if you plan on keeping your cat indoors, it is still a good idea to get the vaccinations. You never know if your cat could escape from the house one day and meet up with an infected stray cat.

Here is a list of diseases that your cat can be vaccinated against:

Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis (FVR) - an upper respiratory disease

Calicivirus - an upper respiratory disease

Panleukopenia - feline distemper

Feline Leukemia - an immunosuppression virus

Feline AIDS (FIV) - an immunodificiency virus

Feline Infectious Perinotnitis (FIP) - a highly contagious virus

Rabies - a neuropathic virus

Other infections such as heartworm and intestinal parasites can be prevented with medication as well. However, once again, if your cat is not in contact with sick cats, they will not contract these diseases.

If you introduce a second cat into your home, be sure to take this cat to the vet as soon as possible. Cats that come from animal shelters are more prone to communicable diseases that can be easily transferred to your other pet. When choosing a new cat, be sure to ask the person selling you the cat if the cat has had their regular vaccinations. Look for a cat that is bright and alert looking, with good fur and clear eyes. Never buy or adopt a cat that is sick looking.

Just remember that keeping your cat indoors is the best way to prevent your cat from becoming sick and also may contribute to a longer and happier life with you.

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