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...

Jazz up your indoor cat’s life

It’s NOT normal for a cat to eat, sleep, and hide most of the day – and get FAT. Enriching cats’ environments helps them burn calories, alleviate boredom, prevent behaviour problems and bladder troubles, and slow down the aging process. 

Here are five tips to make your home cat friendly:

1. Cats need elevated spots to hang out in. Buy cat shelves to hang at different heights or simply clear a window ledge. They also love scratching posts and plenty of cosy hiding places like boxes and tunnels.

2. Stop ignoring your cat. One of the reasons cats have become so popular is because people think you don’t need to do anything with them. Of course, this is far from true and is one of the reasons there are so many overweight cats. Play with your cats once or twice a day for at least five minutes—during TV commercials is ideal!

3. Activate the cat’s hunting drive. See if your cat likes feeding from enrichment toys hidden around the house.  The kibble will only fall out of the toys a few pieces at a time stimulating the hunting instinct and preventing the cat from eating too quickly. You can buy these food-dispensing toys or make your own from a toilet paper roll, with both ends sealed off. Fill the tube with kibble and poke holes in it.

4. Redefine and rotate toys.  Move cat toys around the house. The feather toy in the living room is a whole new toy in the bedroom. Cut holes in an empty box and move it around the house. Exercise your cat’s hunting instinct with mouse-sized toys jerked around the floor.

5. Take your cat new places. Fenced-in outdoor pet patios or cat runs break up the indoor cat’s day and provide live entertainment.

The more time you spend enriching your cats’ environment, the smarter and healthier they will be. A cat’s mind is a terrible thing to waste!

Weight loss worry

Minette has lost weight - despite a raging appetite. She has also been a lot more talkative than usual. Her owners are (and Dr Kate) are suspicious that she might have hyperthyroidism. Minette very kindly let us take a sample of blood - you can see the hair under her collar was clipped so we could see her vein.
Minette is about 20 years old and very fit for her age. She is on medication for high blood pressure and has kept her kidney disease at bay with a special diet for over a year. Her owners' vigilance and care should keep her going for a few birthdays yet!

Cool cat!

Rainbow Ginger was in for her annual check up this morning. She passed with flying colours and chilled out on top of the Chiller while we examined her brother, Burchil.
Burchil had his ears cropped last year because he had developed skin cancers on them. Rainbow's pale nose could develop sun cancers too if she doesn't keep out of the sun.
Their owner is keeping them inside for most of the day, especially the afternoon when the Australian sun is at it's most dangerous.
Not a bad idea for the humans to avoid the sun then too!