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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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21 September 2017
A paralysis tick Already this year our sister clinic, Hall Vet Surgery, and the Canberra Veterinary Emergency Centre have treated pets with tick paralysis. Several of these pets have not been to the coast and neither have their owners. Please check your outdoor cats every day by running your fingers through their fur, checking in their ears, armpits, around their faces and under their tails for ticks. We have other types of ticks in our region too. If you find a tick and are not sure whether it is a paralysis tick or not bring it in for identification. Prevention is much better than cure, especially where ticks are concerned. We recommend Frontline spray, but also suggest Seresto collars, which coastal vets recommend. Watch this video for the signs of tick envenomation.
13 September 2017
Thanks to our lovely clients we have been nominated for Vet Practice of the Year! We are one of five practices from all over Australia who have been nominated for the award. Now we need your votes to win Vet Practice of the Year! Please vote here on the Vet Practice tab Our winnings go to Pet Rescue ACT, a very worthy local organisation.
9 August 2017
Fat itself is a serious health threat, particularly in small animals like our beloved cats. We don't do our cats - or our wallets - any favours by letting the cats in our lives accumulate fat.
Killer Chronic Inflammation - fat cells produce toxic compounds (adipokines) which cause chronic inflammation and damage all over the body
Decreased Life Expectancy - pets kept at a lean body mass live an average of 2 years longer and had fewer medical problems. Fat cats suffer more health issues and live shorter lives
Osteoarthritis - overloaded joints break down cartilage leading to arthritis but it also appears the adipokines produced by fat tissue compound the problem.
Diabetes - obesity leads to diabetes and insulin resistance in many cats, especially Burmese cats Kidney Disease - excess weight in cats leads to high blood pressure, which can directly affect the kidney. Respiratory Disease - trying to breath with excess fat along the chest wall and abdomen is like having a heavy bag pushing down on your chest. It alters the normal breathing pattern and reduces overall activity. Cancer - Obesity causes increased cancer rates in mice and men. Not enough studies have been done on cats to confirm the linkage in cats - but it's only a matter of time.
3 August 2017
Over half of our patients are overweight and many of these are clinically obese. As little as an extra 1% of intake over caloric requirements can result in 25% excess bodyweight by middle age. Overweight cats risk developing health issues like diabetes, arthritis, breathing difficulties, bladder problems, liver disease, decreased exercise and heat tolerance, and an overall compromised quality of life. Obesity is caused by overeating and lack of exercise. Indoor cats eat more and exercise less, often through boredom and lack of opportunities to play and hunt. It’s up to their carers to give them an appropriate amount of food, a good quality diet, exercise and mental stimulation. When cats are desexed their energy needs decrease by about 30% as their metabolism is more efficient. Depending on their age we recommend you reduce food intake by 20-30%. If you are concerned about your cats' weight or quality of life discuss it with us at a health check soon.
27 July 2017
We consider blood in a cat's urine to be an emergency. If it is coupled with straining in the litter box like this poor cat, especially in a male cat, you should contact your vet or the emergency centre immediately.
Blood in the urine indicates either a medical problem, like a urinary tract infection, or an anxiety problem.
Urinary tract infections occur in older cats, particularly older females with kidney disease or constipation problems.
The urethras of young male cats sometimes completely block. If your male or desexed male cat is straining and only producing a few drops of urine, and seems distressed do not hesitate to call a vet. They soon become painful and toxic, and can die.
The most common cause of blood in the urine is anxiety. Sometimes it is difficult to know why our cats are anxious but usually it is to do with another cat. Neighbourhood cats straying into your yard, too many cats in the household, a new cat, or human visitors can trigger anxiety in cats. Anxiety causes bladder inflammation and pain and a vicious cycle of anxiety - inflammation - pain - more anxiety is set up. Pain relief and allaying the anxiety soon helps these stressed cats.
Your vet will tease out the possible causes of the blood in the urine and treat accordingly.
19 July 2017
Many cats are suffering from cat flu this winter. Mali's runny eye and sneezing are typical of the type we are seeing. He has been picky with his food and inclined to go off on his own instead of playing these last few days too.
The swab revealed that he has herpesvirus, a common cause of cat flu and widespread in the cat population. Mali was vaccinated against herpesvirus so he should only have a mild dose of flu of short duration. Vaccination against herpesvirus and calicivirus doesn't necessarily prevent cats from getting some signs but the disease is much less severe and prolonged than if they'd had no vaccination.
Severe cat flu in unvaccinated cats can lead to runny nose, chronic sinusitis, mouth ulcers, coughing, pneumonia and even death in young or elderly cats.
Confirmed herpesvirus infections respond to a special antiviral which your vet may prescribe.
Mycoplasma, chlamydia and other bacteria may complicate the viral disease. Antibiotics help control these infections.
Nursing is the most important therapy for cats with flu. To keep their appetite up feed strong smelling foods. If the nose is blocked half an hour in a steamy bathroom helps loosen the secretions up. Wipe mucky eyes and nose with a moist cotton wool or makeup pad. Purr therapy is crucial to recovery! Lots of gentle petting and coddling will help your sad cat through this difficult patch.
4 July 2017
Sadly, over half of our patients are overweight and many of these are clinically obese. As little as an extra 1% of intake over caloric requirements can result in 25% excess bodyweight by middle age. Overweight cats risk developing health issues like diabetes, arthritis, breathing difficulties, bladder problems, liver disease, decreased exercise and heat tolerance, and an overall compromised quality of life. Obesity is caused by overeating and lack of exercise. Indoor cats eat more and exercise less, often through boredom and lack of opportunities to play and hunt. It’s up to their carers to give them an appropriate amount of food, a good quality diet, and mental stimulation. So how can we help our overweight cats to lose weight? ¨ Overweight cats lose weight most reliably on a high protein, low fat diet like Hill’s Metabolic diet ¨ Make sure everyone in the household knows the new feeding regime so that meals are not fed twice and treats are rationed ¨ Weigh the kibble allowance. An extra piece or two every day adds up ¨ Don’t allow free access to kibble ¨ Feed more wet food. A can Hill’s Metabolic is available and palatable ¨ Avoid fatty treats like cheese, liverwurst or pate. Hill’s Metabolic treats help control hunger by keeping you cat feeling full and satisfied between meals ¨ Make sure you overweight cat is not taking your other cats’ food or raiding the neighbours’ dog and cat food bowls! It is vital to increase your cat’s opportunities to exercise. Cat towers, high shelves, window sills and a variety of toys on rotation out of the cupboard are a good start. Tunnels and hideouts made from cardboard boxes are cheap and amusing. You can join in the fun with a fishing rod type toy or a length of ribbon or string, ping pong balls, scrunched up foil, or a laser light. If possible install an outdoor cat enclosure so indoor lounge lizards can have a run and a stretch in the sun, Food puzzle toys are ideal for plump pussy cats. They slow down food consumption, increase movement and mentally stimulate your cat. Please book an appointment with our weight control nurses. They will help your cat achieve safe and effective weight loss. Too rapid weight loss in fat cats may cause liver damage.
22 June 2017
Behaviour problems like urinating on the curtains, aggression to other cats or people, and toileting on the bed, are common reasons for euthanasia of cats.
Our vets and nurses find it very hard to euthanase these healthy cats when many of these behaviours can be remedied if they are brought to us when they first start and before they become ingrained habits. Many perfectly normal cat behaviours are unacceptable in the domestic situation. Understanding this and providing a more enriched environment or improving resource access is often all that is necessary.
For example, inter-cat tensions can be defused if we recognise that cats like to have privacy when eating, drinking and toileting. This means that the bowls and litter boxes for each cat or family of cats in the household should be well separated, preferably in different rooms. Cats that groom each other and sleep touching each other regard each other as family. The odd one out requires separate bowls and litter.
Many indoor cats are anxious. Just spotting a strange cat out the window can make them anxious and set off a bout of urinating on the window, curtains or corner of the room.
To analyse and prevent these unacceptable feline behaviours from escalating we offer a behaviour consultation service. Any behaviour consultation takes at least five times as much time as a normal disease consultation or health discussion and examination. Our vets spend about an hour preparing material and reading your responses to a special survey we send out before meeting with you and your cat. The meeting takes about an hour and includes a full physical examination and blood tests to rule out medical causes of the behaviour. For example, some cats who urinate outside the litter box have diabetes, kidney disease or a urinary tract infection. After the meeting, the vet spends another 1-3 hours writing a report and recommendations individualised to your cat. Our vet will also call you to see how you are progressing and may recommend drug therapy in some cases. Understandably we require a deposit before such a consultation to cover the time your vet spends preparing to seeing you and your cat.
15 June 2017
Because cats in the wild are preyed upon if they show signs of pain or illness cats will disguise pain until they cannot hide it for a minute longer.
Changes in behaviour are the most common early signs of pain. Contact us as soon as possible if you notice your cat: hiding or avoiding interaction with you or other pets showing reduced interest in food hesitating to jump or climb stairs showing reduced activity or tiring rapidly during activity having difficulty getting up, standing or walking is not grooming normally has changed urination or defecation habits squinting is hunched up or tucked up instead of curled up to sleep is sensitive to touch, particularly if he or she vocalises when you pet changes temperament eg becomes aggressive or crotchety