In another thread, someone mentioned that cats are really only for people with money. Personally, I don't think owning a cat has anything to do with money, but with its environment and degree of love and affection it receives.
My 22-year-old Tabby I put to sleep this past Christmas (which was strictly an indoor cat, but had tons of windows to watch birds and squirrels, etc) had virtually zero problems his entire life. An occasional eye infection every 5 or so years, one tooth that had to be pulled, and his last year kidney failure, but really nothing at all. He got a lot of attention, lived in a clean house, and wasn't abused, and lived a LONG and happy and event-free life.
My current 5-year-old female has also had virtually no problems. Sometimes an eye infection (which goes away by itself in about a week) and a slight hairball problem, which I've solved by using IAMS hairball treatment for the past few months. She's also in a clean, loving, non-abusive environment, and has access to windows where she can watch what's going on outside.
Then, there are the OTHER pet owners in my area who spend thousands and thousands of dollars on vet bills, to troubleshoot problems with their pets, and most never actually get their problems solved. I think they worry too much every little thing that happens to their cat, and end up doing too many tests, trying too many treatments, and ultimately stressing out the cat and doing more harm than good.
Yes, I love my pets, but their bodies DO have their own means of dealing with health issues, and often it's better to let them cope with and fight off certain ailments than bring them into a disease-infested vet hospital where they're liable to develop other problems.
I'm NOT saying you should let your pet lay in the corner suffering. But realize there ARE degrees of acceptable "misery" your cat can deal with on his own, which will only make him stronger and less likely to get sick in the future. You just gotta have a little faith in their immune system and not panic at the first sign of something strange.
For example, my 5-year-old developed a bald spot under her eye, and it concerned me for a number of weeks because it wasn't getting any better (but it wasn't getting any worse). So, I just kept an eye on her for any changes in behavior, and none were present. Still full of energy, very playful, ate and drank just fine. Five weeks later, her hair grew back and she was "normal" again.
I think cats easily pick up on a person's stress in life, tension in a household, etc, and that directly affects their health. Speaking from firsthand accounts, all my friends who have a hard time making ends meet, or have stressful jobs, etc, have cats with problems. The ones who are happy and have little-to-no stress in their lives, have cats with minimal-to-no problems.
The point? I'm not sure. Be watchful but not worrisome of your cat, and don't rush to bring them to the vets because of a sneeze...
Cats are strong creatures...
BTW, in the case of fleas, I don't think that's something you should just let "run its course." Flea dip 'em or use that Advantage stuff to get rid of them as soon as possible.
My 22-year-old Tabby I put to sleep this past Christmas (which was strictly an indoor cat, but had tons of windows to watch birds and squirrels, etc) had virtually zero problems his entire life. An occasional eye infection every 5 or so years, one tooth that had to be pulled, and his last year kidney failure, but really nothing at all. He got a lot of attention, lived in a clean house, and wasn't abused, and lived a LONG and happy and event-free life.
My current 5-year-old female has also had virtually no problems. Sometimes an eye infection (which goes away by itself in about a week) and a slight hairball problem, which I've solved by using IAMS hairball treatment for the past few months. She's also in a clean, loving, non-abusive environment, and has access to windows where she can watch what's going on outside.
Then, there are the OTHER pet owners in my area who spend thousands and thousands of dollars on vet bills, to troubleshoot problems with their pets, and most never actually get their problems solved. I think they worry too much every little thing that happens to their cat, and end up doing too many tests, trying too many treatments, and ultimately stressing out the cat and doing more harm than good.
Yes, I love my pets, but their bodies DO have their own means of dealing with health issues, and often it's better to let them cope with and fight off certain ailments than bring them into a disease-infested vet hospital where they're liable to develop other problems.
I'm NOT saying you should let your pet lay in the corner suffering. But realize there ARE degrees of acceptable "misery" your cat can deal with on his own, which will only make him stronger and less likely to get sick in the future. You just gotta have a little faith in their immune system and not panic at the first sign of something strange.
For example, my 5-year-old developed a bald spot under her eye, and it concerned me for a number of weeks because it wasn't getting any better (but it wasn't getting any worse). So, I just kept an eye on her for any changes in behavior, and none were present. Still full of energy, very playful, ate and drank just fine. Five weeks later, her hair grew back and she was "normal" again.
I think cats easily pick up on a person's stress in life, tension in a household, etc, and that directly affects their health. Speaking from firsthand accounts, all my friends who have a hard time making ends meet, or have stressful jobs, etc, have cats with problems. The ones who are happy and have little-to-no stress in their lives, have cats with minimal-to-no problems.
The point? I'm not sure. Be watchful but not worrisome of your cat, and don't rush to bring them to the vets because of a sneeze...
BTW, in the case of fleas, I don't think that's something you should just let "run its course." Flea dip 'em or use that Advantage stuff to get rid of them as soon as possible.