Hello, I'm new here

I found this group, knowing beforehand that there must be a wealth of
knowledge within the group, who are cat owners and I hope that some cat
owners/cat friends can answer some of my questions. I recently was given
a cat, and his medical (papers) background history shows that he is 13
years old. My question is..would that be literally 13 yrs old, as humans
calculate, or as with dogs, this number is multiplied by seven?. And he
is somewhat of a long-hair cat, but no where near the amount of fur on a
Persian/Himalayan(?) cat, so should I find some kind of "Furr-Ball"
remedy, or just make sure that he always has plenty of water each day?.
Yes, I'm pretty much of a "rookie" at this point, but I would never want
to harm the little guy (Charlie the Cat") and that is why I am posting
to you folks, who probably have a whole bunch of helpful info. Thanks in
advance!! ~Diana~

"Diana" wrote in message
...
I found this group, knowing beforehand that there must be a wealth of
knowledge within the group, who are cat owners and I hope that some cat
owners/cat friends can answer some of my questions. I recently was given
a cat, and his medical (papers) background history shows that he is 13
years old. My question is..would that be literally 13 yrs old, as humans
calculate, or as with dogs, this number is multiplied by seven?.

Literally 13, as in human years. 13 is "older", but not ancient for a cat.

And he
is somewhat of a long-hair cat, but no where near the amount of fur on a
Persian/Himalayan(?) cat, so should I find some kind of "Furr-Ball"
remedy, or just make sure that he always has plenty of water each day?.

Of course plenty of water, but you can also give him Petromalt or Laxatone
(furball/hairball remedies), or even offer him licks of plain Vaseline
(that's what in the hairball remedies, along w/ flavoring); some cats
actually like Vaseline.

Yes, I'm pretty much of a "rookie" at this point, but I would never want
to harm the little guy (Charlie the Cat") and that is why I am posting
to you folks, who probably have a whole bunch of helpful info. Thanks in
advance!! ~Diana~

Good luck w/ him. Looking back at his medical history, see if he's been to
the vet within the last year, & if he had a full-panel bloodwork done.
Maybe not everyone'd agree, but once a cat is over 10, I think it's a good
idea to make sure diseases common in older cats haven't started to show up -
such as hyperthyroidism & CRF (chronic renal failure). The earlier caught &
treated, the better.

Cathy

"Diana" wrote in message
...
I found this group, knowing beforehand that there must be a wealth of
knowledge within the group, who are cat owners and I hope that some cat
owners/cat friends can answer some of my questions. I recently was given
a cat, and his medical (papers) background history shows that he is 13
years old. My question is..would that be literally 13 yrs old, as humans
calculate, or as with dogs, this number is multiplied by seven?.

Literally 13, as in human years. 13 is "older", but not ancient for a cat.

And he
is somewhat of a long-hair cat, but no where near the amount of fur on a
Persian/Himalayan(?) cat, so should I find some kind of "Furr-Ball"
remedy, or just make sure that he always has plenty of water each day?.

Of course plenty of water, but you can also give him Petromalt or Laxatone
(furball/hairball remedies), or even offer him licks of plain Vaseline
(that's what in the hairball remedies, along w/ flavoring); some cats
actually like Vaseline.

Yes, I'm pretty much of a "rookie" at this point, but I would never want
to harm the little guy (Charlie the Cat") and that is why I am posting
to you folks, who probably have a whole bunch of helpful info. Thanks in
advance!! ~Diana~

Good luck w/ him. Looking back at his medical history, see if he's been to
the vet within the last year, & if he had a full-panel bloodwork done.
Maybe not everyone'd agree, but once a cat is over 10, I think it's a good
idea to make sure diseases common in older cats haven't started to show up -
such as hyperthyroidism & CRF (chronic renal failure). The earlier caught &
treated, the better.

Cathy

"Diana" wrote in message
...
And he
is somewhat of a long-hair cat, but no where near the amount of fur on a
Persian/Himalayan(?) cat, so should I find some kind of "Furr-Ball"
remedy, or just make sure that he always has plenty of water each day?.

Please don't rely on additional water to assure passage of swallowed hair.
Cats tend to derive a lot of their water intake through what is present in
the foods they eat. Some cats however will drink larger quantities of
supplemental water while others rarely drink anything. In any case, the
water will be absorbed in the digestive process and the swallowed hair
remains behind. If the cat can process it on through, all is well. If not it
will collect in the lower stomach until such time as the cat becomes
distressed enough to regurgitate it. There are instances where hairballs
have passed on to the small intestines and caused blockges.

"Diana" wrote in message
...
And he
is somewhat of a long-hair cat, but no where near the amount of fur on a
Persian/Himalayan(?) cat, so should I find some kind of "Furr-Ball"
remedy, or just make sure that he always has plenty of water each day?.

Please don't rely on additional water to assure passage of swallowed hair.
Cats tend to derive a lot of their water intake through what is present in
the foods they eat. Some cats however will drink larger quantities of
supplemental water while others rarely drink anything. In any case, the
water will be absorbed in the digestive process and the swallowed hair
remains behind. If the cat can process it on through, all is well. If not it
will collect in the lower stomach until such time as the cat becomes
distressed enough to regurgitate it. There are instances where hairballs
have passed on to the small intestines and caused blockges.