Dental Prophylaxis

Lance tries some t/d after his prophy

Plaque builds up on teeth immediately after each meal. Eventually, with the help of bacteria naturally in the mouth, it calcifies into tartar, a hard substance which inflames the gums and can make the teeth fall out.
Your cat will need a dental prophy- a scale and polish - if we notice plaque and tartar building up at the annual check-up. It is common for cats to need a prophy every year - just like humans.
After a scale and polish we discuss how to prevent more plaque and tartar building up on the teeth.
Many cats like stir fry strips, which keep their chewing teeth nice and clean as they chew along the strips.
Cats who like their crunchies might prefer Hills t/d or Greenies. As their teeth break through the biscuit it cleans the food and plaque off.

Merry Christmas

 Merry Christmas to all our furry friends and their carers!

We look forward to seeing you again in 2014.

We are closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day. If you have an emergency on those days please phone the Animal Emergency Centre on 6280 6344.

Yoda liked our Christmas tree when he visited recently

Signs of dental pain

We take a dental Xray of some painful canine teeth

Cats are determined to hide any sign of pain or discomfort from us. The observant owner may notice one or more of the following if they are really on the ball:

• not grooming properly, leaving coat matted, loose or scurfy
• eating on one side of mouth or tilting the head to one side when chewing
• resenting stroking around the face/jaw
• not enjoying handling at all
• keen hunter not interested in hunting any more
• keen warrior not interested in fighting any more
• not wanting to play with tug toys
• throwing food to back of mouth to chew
• bringing unchewed, unlubricated food up within 10 minutes of a meal
• hesitating at food bowl even though clearly hungry
• not crunching kibble
• preferring moist to dry food when used to prefer dry to moist and vice versa
• bad breath
• eating only a little but going back to the bowl often
• drooling
• pawing mouth
• swollen face
• bleeding from mouth
• grinding teeth

Training your cat to tolerate the AeroKat...

The coughing cat

Nick enjoys some fresh air

Nick's carer wasn't sure if he had a hairball or was coughing until we saw him at the hospital. He crouched down with elbows out, hacked and hacked and then swallowed - he was definitely coughing.
To help you work out whether your cat is coughing have a look at this video. Some people mistake 'hairballs' or vomiting for coughing.
When we listened to Nick's chest he had a wheeze, which his owner had also noticed at night. His wheezing has been much worse this spring and summer.
We decided to Xray Nick and found that he had thickening of his bronchial walls, typical of chronic bronchitis or asthma.
Like humans, cats can have frightening episodes of not being able to breathe. They panic and can die if not treated with a bronchodilator like Ventolin immediately.
Nick is now on steroids and is training his owner to use an AeroKat inhaler.

Vaccinations and regular check ups

Bella has her annual check up

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.

Allergic dermatitis

Does your cat scratch or groom more than normal? or are patches of fur missing perhaps with areas of broken, red or raw skin?
If you answer yes to any of these questions your cat may have allergic dermatitis - the feline equivalent of human hayfever.
We will rule out flea allergy dermatitis - very common - and food allergy, which is less likely, before deciding that your cat has allergic dermatitis.
A treatment specific for allergic dermatitis in cats has just been released. Atopica is designed for cats so is easy to administer and in cat-size dosage bottles. It relieves the irritation, allows the skin to heal and the hair to grow back within 6 weeks.
Your cat will soon be back to her/his happy, beautiful self.

Weight Loss

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.

Cat Friendly Clinic

We were thrilled to hear that we have been awarded the Cat Friendly Clinic gold standard!
This is awarded by the International Society of Feline Medicine to veterinary practices that meet very strict criteria. We planned Canberra Cat Vet to conform to their standards but still had to do a lot of work to document our efforts.
We had to demonstrate that Canberra Cat Vet:

• understands the unique needs of cats and has made veterinary visits more cat-friendly
• understands how to approach and handle cats in a gentle, empathetic and caring manner
• has good standards of equipement for investigating and treating feline diseases
• has a high standard of facilities and care for hospitalised cats.

Cat body language

It's easy to misinterpret our cats' body language. Watch this great video to find out some of the common signals our cats are giving us.

Whitie's big night out

Whitie ready for his surgery

Whitie came home with a sore paw a few days ago and has got lamer and quieter since.
When he came in to see us we saw a cut on the side of his paw but once we had him under anesthetic and could clip the hair away we found a big abscess.
With the pus drained and pain relief on board Whitie is feeling heaps better.

Feed the cat more meat!

Cats are carnivores and have quite complex dietary needs. Vets are now strongly advising that cats are fed a primarily wet diet. This means good quality canned or pouch foods coupled with meats like chicken, rabbit, roo, beef or lamb. I like to feed the meat as stir fry strips or chunks so that my cats chew on them and clean their teeth.
To protect their kidney and bladder health cats must consume water in their food as well as drinking it. Cats on wet foods have a much higher intake of fluids than cats on dry foods.
A good quality commercial food is high in protein and low in carbohydrates. In the wild cats consume very little carbohydrate ie wheat, maize and a lot of animal, not plant, protein.
In our busy lives we are forced to feed our cats some dry food for convenience sake but wet foods should provide the bulk of their intake.

Flea allergy

Kaiser has been out enjoying the warmer weather - and so have the fleas! 

Poor Kaiser has been grooming more than usual and has lost some of his beautiful coat  especially over the rump. Normally cats are only mildly irritated by fleas but Kaiser is allergic to flea saliva. Just one flea bite causes intense and long lasting itchiness.

To make Kaiser more comfortable we must try to eliminate all fleas from him and his environment.

Capstar or Comfortis kill the fleas and paralyse flea mouthparts preventing deposition of saliva.

Every month his owners will give him Advantage, Revolution, or Comfortis  to keep flea numbers as low as possible.

Because fleas spend most of their life cycle off the cat as larvae and pupae in bedding, carpet, dirt and leaves they will have to wash his bedding in hot water and dry it in the sun.  They should also vacuum carpets and furniture often. they may decide to call a professional to fumigate the house.

Kaiser has had an injection of cortisone to block the allergic reaction and give relief from the intense itching.

Niles has his spring clip

Niles came in for his annual check-up, clip and dental examination today. Because his coat gets so matted in spring his carer opts to have him clipped all over every year. Eleven year old Niles passed his physical exam and blood tests with flying colours. 

He had a general anaesthetic so that we could scale and polish his teeth and take out one decayed canine tooth. 

Niles does not like the clippers and the matts were perilously close to his skin so Nurse Eliza clipped him while he was still asleep.  

He was very frisky when he woke up, demanding a late breakfast asap! 

Niles before his clip

Nurse Eliza does a thorough, stress-free clip

Niles in his smart blue coat ready to go home

Fat Cats

Time for a diet, Tiny!

Obesity in cats is no joke.  Every day I see cats with arthritis, diabetes, bladder problems and liver disease as a result of overeating and lack of exercise.  (Where have we heard that before??!) 

Just a 20% increase in weight – a 1kg increase in a 5 kg cat – makes a cat obese.  Cats hide their fat under their bellies and along their ribs so their owners often miss the early signs of expansion. 

Neutered cats, particularly neutered males, and cats that live indoors are more likely to be overweight. When kittens are neutered their energy needs decrease dramatically.  We need to reduce their daily intake by 25% and make sure we keep them playing and active.  

If your cat is already overweight consult your veterinarian before starting the diet.  Too rapid weight loss may result in a fatty liver, which is often fatal.  Aim to lose about 1-2% of the current weight per week.  For a 5 kg cat that is about 50-100 grams per week. 
Nurse Leanne runs a weight control clinic at Canberra Cat Vet. She will recommend a diet and a target weight for your cat, discuss exercise and encourage you through the difficult first days.

A 33% to 50% reduction in current food intake combined with exercise should be effective. If possible, cut back the dry food to less than 50% of the daily intake and offer more meat and canned food.  A good chew on raw stewing steak, chicken wings, a rabbit leg, osso bucco or lamb cutlets makes puss feel full and cleans her teeth as well.

Ensure that she does not have access to alternative food sources such as the meals of other pets in the household or friendly neighbours!

Increase the opportunities for exercise.  A cat tower and a variety of toys that you can rotate out of the cupboard are a good start. Tunnels and hideouts made from cardboard boxes are cheap and fun to play in.  You can join in the fun by tugging a simple length of ribbon or a feather along the corridor. This will trim your cats’ waist lines, increase their muscle mass and make them – and you - feel good.

Living with allergies AND cats

Ragi has a look around her new hospital

Do you suffer wheezing, sneezing, watery eyes and itchy eyes and arms around your cat? For me, these allergy symptoms are a small price to pay for the company of my cats – although some mornings when I wake with a heavy head and red eyes I wonder!

Cat allergies are not caused by cat hair as most of us assume. They are caused by a protein found in cat saliva, urine and skin cells, or dander. The immune systems of people with allergies mistake this harmless protein for a dangerous invader like a virus or bacteria and mount a full scale attack on it.

Here are some tips for minimising our allergy symptoms without giving up our cats.

• Made your bedroom a cat free zone
•  Reduce the load of cat allergens in your bedroom by washing or replacing bedding, curtains and pillows. Then cover pillows and mattress with allergen-proof covers.
• Open windows wide at least once a day to air the house and dilute the allergen load
•  Send your cat outside, preferably into an outdoor run, to disperse some of the dander
•  Eliminate allergen traps such as carpet, rugs and upholstered furniture as you can. Carpet accumulates up to 100 times more allergens than vinyl or wood flooring. If you can’t take it up steam clean it regularly and vacuum with a high efficiency particulate arresting (HEPA) filter or us and allergen-proof vacuum cleaner bag.
• Brush your cat outside and/or in an outside enclosure to minimise contamination of your home with dander
• Wipe the dander away with a moist cloth or wipe to remove saliva and dander.
• Spray the house with anti-allergen sprays
• Use a low dust cat litter and ask non-allergic family members to clean the litter box frequently
• Take the antihistamines, decongestants, eye drops and aerosol inhalers your doctor recommends. Antioxidants such as Vitamins C and E also have anti-allergen effects.

 Don't let allergies come between you and your feline friend.

Canberra Cat Vet is open!

Gus recovers in his hospital bed

Tomorrow we meet a new kitten, check a few feline senior citizens and put our new dental suite through its paces. 

Gus couldn't wait for our official opening. He was very down on Monday morning and came in with a sore belly and very dehydrated. A night in our quiet, warm hospital on a drip has revived him enough to go home this afternoon.

Phone us on 6251 1444 for all your cats' health needs.

Setting up Canberra Cat Vet

Now that the building is finished we are busy setting up all our fantastic new cat-size equipment. Here is our Xray machine. Digital processing gives us beautiful clear images in no time at all.
Looking forward to a few pussy cats stalking through our rooms next week!
Call in and have a look any day next week. A special opening gift awaits our first 50 visitors!

Nearly there...

Already a few cats moseying around Canberra Cat Vet

The waiting room and reception area from inside

The fit out of Canberra Cat Vet has taken much longer than expected - but we are nearly there!
We are aiming for the beginning of September.
Watch this space!

DIY suitcase bed!

Find instructions on making this neat bed for your cat at DIY - suitcase bed. Your cat will love it!