One of the best things you can do to ensure your cats health is to feed a nutritious food. A complete and balanced diet is likely to maintain a vigorous immune system that will help fight off bacterial and viral infections.

The Iams Company has a full range of dry and canned cat foods that provide cats with a balanced diet. Generally, a ten-pound cat needs about a half cup of dry Iams® Cat Food per day to stay within its weight range, says Dr. Leighann Daristotle, veterinarian for the Iams Company. Check the bag for exact feeding instructions.

Cats that are overweight have a hard time grooming themselves. They find it difficult to reach their backsides and tail, which results in a build-up of excessive oil and dandruff that can lead to skin problems.

Iams Less Active® For Cats, available in both dry and canned formulas, is designed for older or overweight cats. While still complete and balanced for your adult cat, dry Iams Less Active® For Cats contains 33-percent less fat than regular dry Iams Original Cat Food Formula.

Cats can hear sounds that are nonexistent to human ears, such as the sound of a mouse rustling in dry grass. Using more than 20 muscles in each ear, these sound funnels can be aimed at noises to direct as much of the sound as possible into the ear. Hearing ranks right behind sight as a cat's most acute sense.

Hearing develops early in kittens. A tiny kitten's sense of hearing begins to function during the second week of life. At this young age, a kitten is able to hear the mother's purring.

Cat's ears don't need much care and generally should be left alone, says Karen Campbell, DVM, University of Illinois in Urbana.

It's a good idea to check for infection, though. Bobbi Whitlock, a cat groomer in Westville, Illinois, instructs her clients to check their cats ears regularly. Healthy ears are pink, clean and have a pleasant smell. An unpleasant odor, dark discharge or extremely red ears can be signs of ear mites or fungal infection.

Dr. Campbell recommends taking a cat with these symptoms to the veterinarian. Ears should be cleaned prior to medication and care, and this is best done by a professional, she says. The most common ear problem in cats is ear mites, which cause large amounts of dark wax to build up in the ear canals.

Mites are eight-legged parasites that live in and around cats' ears. Smaller than a pinhead, they can be very irritating to your cat. Imagine hundreds of little bugs crawling around in your ears and you'll quickly understand why your cat scratches and shakes his head.

Scratching, however, can lead to inflammation and ear infections. Mites are most common in kittens but adult cats can suffer from them, too. Mites are generally transmitted through contact with other cats, dogs and rabbits.

Treatment of ear mites is fairly easy--usually with ear drops. Dr. Campbell stresses that ear mites are contagious. If one of your cats is diagnosed with them, assume that your other pets also have mites--treat them all at the same time. Examining the ears of a new cat or kitten before introducing him to your resident cat is a smart precaution.

Dealing with surface dirt on a cat's ears is a simple matter, according to Whitlock. She dips a cotton ball in peroxide and gently wipes the outer surface of the ear. Before bathing a cat she puts a small cotton ball in the cat's ears. It's important to keep water out of a cat's ears to prevent infections, she says.

Improper ear cleaning or probing with a cotton swab can push wax buildup against the ear drum and even cause permanent damage. Leave this task to your veterinarian.

Hearing loss is unusual in cats, says Dr. Campbell. Heredity is the most common cause, and white cats are the most susceptible. If your cat doesn't respond to sudden loud noises or if he ignores the hum of the can opener or other sounds that should produce a response, talk to your veterinarian. For your cat's good health, your veterinarian is the best-qualified person to care for your cat's ears.