by Nomi Berger
 
Curious as to whether it’s safe for cats to crunch on celery? The short answer is “yes.” But, as with everything edible, it’s safest in moderation.
 
Chock-o-block full of fiber, celery helps keep your cat’s digestive tract healthy. Because it’s nearly 95% water, celery is an excellent way of both hydrating your cat and combating paw-tential constipation. Celery also contains such vitamins as A, C and K and various minerals, including folate, iron, magnesium, potassium and sodium. Not only do these assorted nutrients help keep her skin, hair and coat shiny and healthy, they also work together to maintain a strong immune system and brain function. And should she have trouble eating, celery can serve as an effective appetite stimulant.
 
On the other paw, the downside of consuming too much celery can result in stomach pains, indigestion and diarrhea. Should your cat exhibit any of these signs, immediately stop feeding her celery. While probiotic supplements may help alleviate more minor issues, anything major or especially concerning should promptly be reported to your veterinarian.
 
Calculating how much celery is best for your favorite feline is fairly simple. Just as with any other “treat,” celery (please serve it finely chopped) should comprise less than 5% of her daily diet. Too many additional treats -- even healthy ones -- can throw off the specially balanced commercial diets most cats depend on.
 
You can also feed your cat celery leaves -- the leafy tops of the celery stalks. While they may be easier, especially for senior cats or ones with few teeth, remember to chop the leaves up as finely as the stalks themselves. If, however, your cat isn’t crazy about the taste or texture of celery, consider mixing some into her food or sprinkling it over her food as a topper.
 
Another option is feeding cooked celery to your cat. Since, like many other vegetables, celery loses the majority of its nutrients through the cooking process, raw celery remains the optimal choice. But whether it’s raw or cooked, always remember to clean the celery – stocks and leaves -- thoroughly before serving it to your cat.
 
Celery, therefore, with its bounty of vitamins and minerals, can, when served in moderation, make a healthy, lip-smacking snack for most feline fanciers’ furry friends.
 

by Nomi Berger
 
Does the sight of your kitty shaking her head and scratching either one or both of her ears have you worried? If so, the likely culprit is an ear infection.
 
Not only are ear infections (otitis externa) uncomfortable and painful, they make the ear canals extremely sensitive. As a result, cats will shake their heads and scratch their ears in an effort to remove the debris and fluid from their ear canals. Their ears will often become red and inflamed, develop an offensive smell, accompanied most often by a yellow, brown or black discharge.
 
While an infestation of ear mites can cause many of these same symptoms, ear mite infections are generally found in outdoor cats and in kittens. Ear mites in adult cats tend to occur after a kitten already infected with ear mites is brought into your home.
 
Sometimes ear mites create an “environment” within a kitten or cat’s ear canals that prove to be a fertile breeding ground for a yeast or bacterial infection, i.e., a secondary infection. Ironically, by the time you bring your kitty to the veterinarian, the mites may be gone but a serious ear infection may remain.
 
To determine the precise cause of the problem, your vet will examine your cat’s ear canals with an otoscope, an instrument that provides both light and magnification. This allows for an excellent view of the ear canal and enables your vet to determine if the eardrum is intact and if there’s a foreign object, polyp or even a tumor in the canal. Should the canal be severely inflamed or should there be a large amount of debris and/or discharge inside it, a thorough examination may be impossible. If this is the case or if your kitty’s ears are extremely painful, and she refuses to allow them to be examined, she may require sedation or a general anesthetic.
 
Your vet will then examine a sample of the material taken from her ear canal under a microscope for any signs of infection. For a bacterial or fungal infection, a specific medication will usually be sufficient, but if more than one type of infection is identified, it will require multiple medications. (Some medications combine both antibiotics and antifungal treatments with an anti-inflammatory agent). If a foreign object is lodged in her ear canal, she can always be sedated to have it removed.
 
Of even greater importance, though, is determining whether or not your kitty has some underlying condition. If this can’t be determined, she’s either less likely to respond positively to treatment or she may respond temporarily only to relapse once it’s discontinued. The possibilities include allergies, an ear mite infestation or an oddly shaped ear canal. Not to mention, closing of the ear canal when an infection becomes both severe and chronic. Some medications may help shrink the swollen tissues and open the canal. However, some cases may eventually require surgery.
 
On the plus side, nearly all ear infections that are correctly diagnosed and treated can be cured!