Cats are a favorite choice of pet among animal lovers and the reasons for this are obvious. They are cuddly and playful, bringing joy to whoever owns them. They are also independent, so they require less attention than other animals. They don't have to be walked, a simple litter box will do and they thrive indoors as well as outdoors. They are fastidiously neat and take care of much of their own grooming and are fun to watch as they play with the toys that are given to them.

Despite their independence, cats still require health maintenance and should be taken to see a veterinarian on a regular basis. Many potential health issues can be avoided by keeping them up to date on their vaccinations. There are still health problems that need to be watched for, even if you take your cat for its annual physical and shots.

Since I was little I remember when friends of the family visited our house to advice me not to kiss my cat or touch her and then put my fingers in my mouth. The danger was called toxoplasmosis and although I was particularly young to understand what it was or why it was so serious, I felt compelled to touch my cat and then wash my hands at least before dinner.

The answer to that depends upon several factors.  The care that you give your cat, the quality of the food that your cat eats and the kind of lifestyle that your cat lives. All these things play their part in the chances of your cat enjoying a long life.

Veterinary medicine has made some great advances in recent years, and this is one of the reasons the average age of domestic cats is increasing. A well cared for cat that is kept indoors and is fed a good nutritional diet, would be expected to live for about 15 years.

The most common disorder in cats is runny eyes. Infectious organisms such as the flu viruses or chlamydia cause conjunctivitis, an inflammation of the membranes lining the eyelids. This results in a discharge that is either watery and runny or thick and a greenish-yellow color. Occasionally a runny eye is caused by a disorder of the normal anatomy.

Tear glands continually produce secretions that lubricate the surface of the eyeball and flush particulate material into the tear ducts which then drain into the nose. If there's a blockage of the ducts, the tears have no choice but to spill over and run down the face. Blockage can occur if there has been earlier damage to the ducts or if the cat has abnormal anatomy.

If you own a cat, you already know how hard it is to get the little beggar to do anything he or she doesn't want to, and that includes taking medicine! Pills and capsules are a particular problem - it's almost impossible to get a cat to swallow a pill, so your only option is to crush it to powder and hide it in the cat's food. Cats have a good sense of smell, so you may have to hide it in a stinky treat, like salmon, for example.

Cats make great pets. They are quieter than dogs, require less care, and can provide their owners with plenty of attention and love. Also, cats adjust well to indoor living, take great care in grooming themselves, and are easily trained to use a cat box. For these reasons they can live in an apartment as well as a large house.