Update on yesterday's visit

Gustav and Klaus in their usual handsome pose - purrrrrrrrrrr!

Pancakes on my mind

 Gus looking a bit cross with his family for telling his secret 

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!

Flea allergy

 Although I couldn't find a flea on poor old Stripey the pattern of hair loss over his rump is typical of flea allergy dermatitis. The broken hair shafts and sparse hair coat are evidence that Stripey has been overgrooming trying to get rid of the pesky little insects.
The fleas are out in full force with the recent hot and occasionally humid weather.
Flea allergic cats like Stripey should be treated with a flea product like Advantage or Frontline every month without fail to keep flea numbers in the household to a minimum.
Stripey's sister was also treated even though she had no obvious signs of fleas.
I gave Stripey some allergy treatment as well. He should soon be more comfortable and able to get on with life.

Older head of the house

Eighteen year old Andy Mitchell is a frequent visitor to Hall Vet Surgery. He has a few little troubles that need attention so that he can get on with his home duties as head of the house.
A few years ago his owners noticed that he was getting stiff and having trouble jumping up on the window sill to check the yard. Because he is not a fan of pills he has a medication rubbed on his ears to ease the pain in his joints. Guard duty is a lot easier now.
Since he fled his last home a decade or so ago he has had intermittent bouts of flu. Often this happens during times of stress - as defined by Andy. His carers manage this by bathing his eyes and nose, giving him lots of TLC and with antibiotics when necessary.
A few years ago his carers noticed that he was vomiting more and more and losing a bit of weight. His vet diagnosed food intolerance or inflammatory bowel disease. A special diet for sensitive stomachs keeps the carpet clean.
A mild heart murmur has never worried him, but today we found that his blood pressure is up a bit - and that worried us. He may have to go on medication to bring it down because high blood pressure damages cats' eyes, kidneys and other organs.  
Andy Mitchell is a typical older cat - multiple little problems that when managed well let him live the life he enjoys.

Cancer detector extraordinaire

Kiora found her carer's cancer before anyone else knew about it. For 3 months she licked one particular spot on her carer's body.
Her carer thought this was odd because Kiora is not usually a licker. However Kiora's carer started to feel ill and tests revealed that the particular lymph node Kiora had been licking was affected by lymphoma.
During treatment Kiora stopped her attentions but the next time she started licking her carer was quick to get back to her doctor.
I have heard a number of stories about dogs sniffing out cancers in their owners but this is the first time I have heard of a cat detecting a cancer.
Do you have a similar story? I'd love to hear it.

The outdoor cat

This gorgeous torti lives on the roofs and streets of Battambang, Cambodia - a precarious existence with the danger of motodops, bicycles, trucks, cars, starvation, street dogs and other cats.
Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) is spread in cat saliva. If this torti is involved in a fight with another cat she risks infection with FIV and the later, sometimes much later, development of Feline AIDS.
Like humans with human AIDS, cats with feline AIDS get odd infections: including trench mouth, fungal infections, chest infections, toxplasmosis and demodex mites.
Although Australia has one of the highest rates of FIV infections in the world we have a vaccine against it.
If you have cats that enjoy the world outside your home, especially if one is a bit of a warrior, then consider vaccinating them against FIV at the next checkup and vaccination review with your vet.
When bringing a new kitten into your life consider confining her indoors to avoid FIV, cat fights, vehicles and dog attacks. We can choose to keep our cats in safer environs than their brothers and sisters in city Cambodia.

The most patient cat ever...