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Visiting Us?
Here are some great tips we advise to prepare yourself and your kitty cat for their visit with us.
- Acclimate your pet to the carrier. Approach this by bringing the carrier into the home a couple of weeks prior or permanently, leaving the door open or the lid removed. Offer bedding, play, encouragement, and treats to create positive interactions and a good overall experience.
- Use of synthetic feline pheromones like 'Feliway', in the household and carrier a day before or day of the veterinary visit should provide a calming effect.
- Keep the carrier warm, covered by a towel or blanket, and quiet in the vehicle. Reduce stress from loud noises, bright lights, strange smells, and rapid changes in environment.
- The bottom of the carrier should have a blanket or towel for cushioning, as well as a pee pad, absorbable material, or raised carrier grate to reduce the chance of soilage.
- Whether your kitty is transported by a car or another mode of transport, it is important to keep driving steady and even, take shorter routes. The temperature inside the car should reflect the cat's needs. Strong smells should be avoided along with loud noises, i.e radios or music unless cat-specific.
- One of our vets may recommend calmative or sedative medications for your cat to reduce stress. Our team will provide information regarding the use of medications prior to a visit.
"Cats are a predatory and prey species with unique resource and territory needs that are easily disrupted by events such as veterinary visits. Disruptions increase protective emotions in the cat, leading to negative behavioral outcomes during the visit."
"Stressor stacking describes the cumulative stress resulting from numerous disruptions to the cat’s routine and territory in preparation for the veterinary visit. These cumulative changes increase fear-anxiety and frustration, predisposing to negative behavioral outcomes during the veterinary visit. Adapted from International Cat Care." Kelly St. Denis, MSc, DVM, DABVP (Feline Practice), 'From the Cat’s Point of View: Creating a Cat-Friendly Veterinary Environment' Issue: March/April 2024. https://todaysveterinarypractice.com/behavior/creating-a-cat-friendly-veterinary-environment/
Once in the clinic, our customer service team will greet you and usher you to our 'cat parking stations' which are up from the ground. We have Feliway spray and blanket covers at your convenience.Â
Dietary History
Please fill this form in if you have made an appointment for your cat to see us. If you are bringing more than one cat please fill out and submit a form for each of them. Thank you.
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20 March 2014
Cino (and Cino's mother) are worried that he is losing weight despite a hearty appetite. Burmese are more likely than other breeds to develop diabetes so we checked his blood glucose first. It was normal and so were his kidney and liver tests. Hyperthyroidism is more common in older cats like Cino who turns 12 shortly. However the blood test showed that his thyroid is functioning normally. Cino occasionally vomits. Because everything else seems normal we will zero in on his intestinal tract. First we will try a diet that will minimise inflammation in his stomach and intestines. If we don't get any response to that we will scan him from top to bottom for abnormalities. Some cats suffer from inflammatory bowel disease, which may escalate into mild or, less frequently, severe lymphoma. Many of these bowel conditions are treatable and well-managed cats do well.
20 March 2014
Do you dread bringing one of your cats home from the vet? Sometimes the return provokes world war 3 between the returnee and those that have stayed home... The three cats in my house usually adore each other, grooming and sleeping together most of the day. If one had to go to hospital the other two cats would sniff the patient and then hiss and spit at her when we returned. I thought they were reacting to the smell of the hospital or of strange humans and animals. However a recent article says that it is the sudden return of a group member that puts them offside. In the wild when a cat returns to the colony after a solo meal they hang round on the margins and almost sneak back in when no one is looking. No matter how many times in the day she returns, the group seems to debate whether to accept her back each time. When I came home from the hospital with a patient, I would plonk her back in the middle of the group and let her out with a fanfare, hoping they would be nice to her if we pushed our way in. Now I leave her outside and see what the other two are up to. If they are asleep on the bed I sneak the patient into the lounge room, let her out and quickly take the carrier away. If they are up and about I feed them in the laundry and while they are distracted I bring the patient in to the bedroom and let her decide on the best course of action. Abrupt re-entries are not de rigueur in feline circles. They prefer the more subtle return.
21 February 2014
Cat diabetes is very similar to human diabetes. Slimming down and a particular diet help control or even cure it.
However diabetes in cats always requires an intial intense period of insulin treatment and, unlike humans, cats require a high protein diet to overcome their diabetes.
Mini visits us every Thursday morning for a blood glucose test. Her carer gives her an insulin injection twice a day with her meals. Until we find the best dose for her she will visit us every Thursday for a weight check and a blood glucose check.
Mini had already lost her extra kilos when she was diagnosed so she didn't have to go on a weight reduction diet. High protein diets help keep cats' blood glucose down and reduce the insulin dose though. Some cats even go into remission on a high protein diet.
18 February 2014
Mika has been trying to find a way out into the wild world for the past 3 days. Her yowling, rolling and over-the-top affection are driving her family crazy. Although she is only 4 months old she has come into season and could fall pregnant if she found a tomcat outside. Cats will often start to cycle as the days get longer in August and September, even if they are barely out of kittenhood themselves. Mika's carers have booked her in for a spey next week. Once cats start cycling they keep it up every 2-3 weeks until they fall pregnant - and Mika's owners don't want their beautiful Burmese to have motley kittens!
14 February 2014
Tiny is just on his way home after having his blood pressure checked. He sat quietly while we wrapped a cuff around his arm. He thought the cold gel we put on his wrist for the Doppler probe was the worst part. Because a cat's pulse is so small we have to amplify it with the Doppler. We pump the cuff up until we cannot hear the pulse and then slowly let the air out until we hear the pulse. At this point we read his blood pressure from the dial. Tiny has a heart murmur and kidney problems. Heart disease often lowers the blood pressure but kidney failure increases it. Fortunately Dr Kate found that Tiger's blood pressure is quite normal.
13 February 2014
Gustav (Gus to his friends) and his brother Klaus came for their annual checkup this morning - and nearly broke the scales! Between them they have put on 1.5 kg in a year. Their diet hadn't changed much since last year.... or so I thought until their family divulged a deep dark secret. The family used to make pancakes and leave them covered with a tea towel on the bench overnight so they could have a quick breakfast each morning. Until one morning all that was left on the bench was the tea towel, a few sticky crumbs and two sleepy cats. Fortunately they hadn't added maple syrup! Pancakes have been eliminated from the cats' diet and they are on kangaroo meat and low fat biscuits. The family are moving into a house with a yard soon and plan to build an outdoor play area for the cats. More exercise, less food and no pancakes should equal slimmer, more active and healthier cats. Smile Gus!
10 February 2014
All species of lilies are toxic to cats. Indoor cats with little choice in plant munching material are most at risk as they will try any cut flower that comes into the house. Any part of the plant – flowers, leaves or stems - is dangerous. Even lily pollen licked off the coat destroys cats’ kidney tubules. Lilies proven to poison cats include: Easter Lily, Tiger Lily, Day Lily, Glory Lily, Stargazer Lily, Rubrum Lily, Asian Lily and the Japanese Show Lily. If you see your cat with lily on her coat, in her mouth or in her vomit don’t wait for signs of poisoning. The sooner we get it out of her system and start treatment to protect the kidneys the greater her chance of survival. Affected cats vomit and are depressed within hours of ingesting lily. Some then seem to recover before starting to show signs of severe kidney failure a day or so later. Others continue vomiting, go off their food and get more and more depressed. If emptying the stomach and medications to prevent absorption of the toxin are effective, the chance of recovery is excellent.
If your cat absorbs enough toxin to cause damage to her kidneys then her outlook is very poor. It is essential to seek emergency care immediately after ingestion of the lily plant.
9 February 2014
Because cats are so good at hiding illness and discomfort it is imperative that they have a check-up at least once a year. Cats older than 9 years of age may need a physical twice a year especially if we identify any problems. During the examination we check their eyes, mouth, teeth, ears, heart, lungs, skin, joints and belly for any abnormalities. Many cats start having dental problems as early as 3 years old. Skin disease, allergies and gut upsets an happen at any age. We discuss the optimal diet for your particular cat because every cat is an individual. Behavioural problems like inappropriate urination, yowling or attacking often come up in discussion, too. If your cat is likely to go into boarding or other stressful situations then we recommend an annual vaccination for enteritis (also known as panleukopenia or parvovirus) and the two flu viruses (calicivirus and herpesvirus). This vaccine is also known as the F3 or 3 in 1 vaccination.
Inside cats who don't go into boarding may need less frequent F3 vaccination. Cats who go outdoors or who may escape home, particularly if they fight, require an FIV vaccination against feline AIDS every year. It is important that cats receive the FIV vaccine boosters exactly 12 months apart. We also give or recommend the best worming and flea treatments for your cat during the annual visit.
9 February 2014
Sixteen year old Burmese Cleo was slow to jump down off the kitchen bench when caught out last week. She poured herself down the side, landed with a thud and looked stunned for a moment before moving off. When we X-rayed her elbows we were horrified to find that she had severe osteoarthritis. She had been covering it up - as cats do - for a long time before we noticed she was having trouble. We then noticed that she is also reluctant to jump very high. She uses chairs to get onto tables and has stopped leaping up to sit in the sun on the windowsill. Her painful knees make her hesitate before jumping and she then scrambles up rather than jumping. Unwilling to miss the electric blanket at night she pulls herself up on to the bed. We've set up boxes as steps onto her feed bench and the bed. We also play gently with her by trailing ribbons and batting balls to strengthen her muscles. To reduce the strain on her joints we've restricted her food and watched her weight. She makes sure that she sleeps in a warm, well-cushioned sleeping area - our bed! Now she is also on pain medication and doing remarkably well.