One simple thing I just read about to help prevent your dog and cat from developing urinary, bladder, or kidney infections is to be vigilant about washing out the water dish with hot/soapy water and changing the water atleast once a day.

Bacteria can grow quickly in the water and not just in hot weather.

The article mentioned some nice dishes that are made from recycled plastic. However, I believe stainless steel dishes are the best. Years ago, my cat Oliver developed what the vet called “feline acne”….little bumps on his chin. I was told that is something that is more common when the animal eats or drinks from plastic dishes.

And seamless dishes are the best, too, as bacteria cannot accumulate in any creases.

Chloe and Kate’s annual vet exams are usually done in the spring, but I am going to bring them in next week. They both seem to have bad breath and I want to get it checked out.

Since both of them are young, (5 and 3), they have never needed dental work, but it may be time for Chloe to get her teeth cleaned. She’s not going to like it!

I know that dental disease is extremely serious and if left untreated the bacteria can cause life-threatening problems, such as kidney, liver, and heart disease which will only get worse as the animal ages.

I regret that I didn’t make more of an effort to clean their teeth when I first adopted them. Chloe especially gets very upset when I try to look in her mouth, or try to get to her back teeth.

My sister brushes Lily’s teeth almost everyday and Lily doesn’t seem to mind much at all.

Hopefully, it isn’t too late to get the cats accustomed to some teeth cleaning at home, but I will have to make sure their nails are trimmed first–another big challenge with Chloe.