Mojo

Mojo is very popular with us all at Hall Vet Surgery, and of course much loved by his family. Two weeks ago he disappeared for a night and when he came home couldn't get interested in his food – very unusual for MoJo and most distressing for all his fans! 

When we saw him we found a few scabs on his head, presumed he’d been in a brawl and sent him home with antibiotics.

Although we noticed a heart murmur we didn’t take much notice of it because many cats have murmurs and never show signs of them.

Next day his owner searched the house for him. She found him hiding in a cupboard and still not the slightest bit interested in breakfast. His breathing seemed a little laboured so we took an X ray of his chest. His heart was hidden by fluid around the lungs.

We drained the fluid and he was much happier. It was clear fluid, possibly as a result of his heart murmur. An ultrasound confirmed that he has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and that his heart is failing to pump efficiently.

Just as we thought we could let him go home on fluid removal medication he started limping on a front leg.

Cats with heart failure sometimes throw clots into the bloodstream which end up blocking vital arteries. Poor Mojo had a clot in the artery to his front leg. Fortunately it must have been a small one because with heparin therapy it dissolved and Mojo is on aspirin to prevent more clots forming.   

Signs of heart failure are rare in cats even when they have murmurs we can easily hear with a stethoscope. When the blood is so turbulent that it causes clots the outlook can be very poor because clots are so hard to prevent.

Mojo is stable for the moment, enjoying his meals and spending a lot of time on his owner’s lap. Regular checks of his chest and blood pressure should help keep him feeling good and his fans happy for a long while yet.

Your official invitation!

You are invited to

Hall Veterinary Surgery’s

Cat Care 

Information Evening

Wednesday 21^st September 7pm

at Hall Pavilion

Gladstone Street, Hall ACT

Learn why your cats behave (or misbehave) the way they do, how to care for your older cat and why regular checkups are vital to cats’ health and comfort. Win heaps of prizes and join us for supper  

Entry is FREE

Please RSVP by 14^th September

on 62302223, at natalie@hallvet.com.au or talk to one of our Receptionists

(Carers only!)

In case you missed the great apple ambush...

Herpesvirus for cats

Yes - cats have their own herpesvirus, just as irritating as the human variety, and liable to flare up with stress just like it does in human sufferers. However cat herpesvirus mostly affects the eyes and respiratory system.
The great majority of cats suffer their first bout with herpesvirus when they are kittens. They get watery eyes, sneeze, snuffle, go off their food for a day or two and look very sad and fluey. Antibiotics to prevent secondary infections and good nursing pull nearly all of them through.
Although most infected cats then become carriers very few have any further trouble with the virus themselves.
A few poor cats go on to develop flu-like signs or various eye diseases whenever they are stressed.
Some just get watery eyes. Painful ulcers on the cornea, the window of the eye, and on the conjunctiva, make other cats very miserable. Occasionally a part of the cornea dies and turns black, or the eye perforates.
Any eye problem is an emergency. If your cat has watery or pussy eyes, is squeezing his eyelids closed, or the eye looks blue, red or black bring him straight in to the surgery.

Momo's war wound

Momo's had a bad week. His mum found him shivering under a bush on Thursday morning. When she coaxed him inside he didn't feel much like breakfast and curled up in front of the fire. He'd eaten dinner on Tuesday and gone out for a stroll around his domain feeling as fit as a fiddle. By the time his mum found him he had a fever and was very miserable.
When she took him on her lap for a cuddle he snuggled up until she rubbed his head - OW!  He sprang onto the floor and under the couch.
His mum realised something was very wrong and whisked him in to see us. We found a tiny wound on his head and extracted a claw. Poor old Momo had taken on an intruder in his garden. No wonder he had a headache - an abscess was forming under the wound.
We started treatment straight away. Blood tests and observation proved that it was a fresh wound so we clipped and cleaned it, started strong antibiotics (cats' mouths contain some very nasty bacteria that love the airless space under the skin) and gave him something for the headache.
Because Momo's owner had found him soon after the brawl and the wound was fresh we didn't have an abscess to lance. The earlier we can treat cats after a fight the less likely it is that a general anaesthetic and surgery will be necessary.
Cats are most active finding mates and defending their territory in late winter and spring. Poor old Momo had got caught up in the annual feline fight festival. His mum is going to keep him indoors after dinner and through the night to try and prevent another episode.

Cats, cats, cats!

Make a note in your diary - cat health and behaviour will be the focus at this year's Hall Vet Surgery information night on Wednesday 21st September.

This will be our third information night but the first to give cats the attention they deserve!

I'll keep you posted on time and place.

If you have any suggestions on what you would most like to hear about make a comment below.