Pet insurance

Should we take out pet insurance for our cats? Medical or accident emergencies are hard to predict and the cost of the best treatment can challenge many budgets. If insurance is taken out while your pet is young then you can cover most eventualities. Sally’s story is typical of many we see every week. Names and faces have been changed to protect the not so innocent!

Sally lives with her retired carer, Kathy. Besides food and sleep her life’s work is keeping a close eye on the street. One night last summer she checked out one yard too many.

A German Shepherd defended his territory and left Sally with a broken leg and a gaping wound on her back. She limped home to Kathy who bundled her into the car and straight over to the emergency centre at Fyshwick.  The casualty team treated Sally for shock. Once she was stable they anaesthetised her, sutured the wound and splinted her leg.

Next morning Kathy brought her back to Hall Vet Surgery. Dr Jim X-rayed her leg and suggested the most appropriate fracture repair. Kathy wanted the best for her little friend and readily agreed to the surgery.

Because Kathy had taken out pet insurance for Sally when she was a kitten she did not have to break into her retirement savings. The insurance meant that she did not have to compromise and could give Sally the very best and most effective treatment. The morning after surgery she was thrilled to see Sally up and walking on the leg.

Sally stayed in hospital for 5 days so we could dress her wound and continue pain relief and antibiotics. Purr therapy and constant nursing care helped Sally through her long week away from home.

Pet insurance made all the difference to the outcome of Sally’s adventure. Without it Kathy could not have afforded the emergency care, fracture repair or the hospitalisation. She may not have recovered as completely and as rapidly as she did.

Kathy visited Sally daily, delighted with her rapid recovery and the care we lavished on her. When Sally was finally allowed to go home the insurance company reimbursed her for the bulk of the cost of the emergency care at Fyshwick, and the surgery and recovery at Hall.

Special cat event coming up...

Sorry I've neglected Hall Cat Vet lately. Tabby and I are on holidays, enjoying the glorious sunny weather, but hoping for rain for the garden and the about-to-emerge crops.
I'll be back next week to tell you about an exciting event coming up in Spring - a very special cat-only event at Hall Vet Surgery! Keep your eye on this blog and in our winter newsletter coming out soon.

This is charley

What a cat! Charley enjoys life and is not inhibited about getting around. His condition will not deteriorate, in fact as he grows older he may adapt to his brain malfunction even more successfully.

Tooth decay

Many cats suffer holes in the teeth where the teeth meet the gums. These  neck lesions, or FORLS, are intensely painful.
Cats with bad mouths show less interest in food. Some approach the food bowl eagerly but then pain overcomes hunger and they leave most of the food. They chew cautiously, drop food from the mouth, or swallow with difficulty. Dribbling, blood-tinged saliva, and bad breath are common.
Reluctance to eat leads to weight loss.
Tartar builds on the holes and rubs the inside of the cheek causing further pain. Severely affected cats paw their mouths or shake their heads.
The only effective treatment is extraction of the affected teeth under general anaesthesia.
Most people comment that their cat is much happier and more relaxed afterward. The short-lived pain of extraction is much less severe than the chronic and intense pain of the tooth neck lesions. We can prevent the pain of extraction but not the pain of neck lesions.
The cause of neck lesions is unknown. However, good dental health and a healthy diet help preserve teeth as long as possible. Regular veterinary checks reveal and treat neck lesions early.
Chunks of meat and small bones such as gravy beef, rabbit or chicken carcasses, kangaroo, chop bones or chicken thighs encourage chewing and prevent the build-up of plaque and tartar. Greenies are a palatable treat that clean the teeth as well. A bowlful of special dental foods such as Royal Canin dental or Hills t/d several times a week prevent dental disease.
Chewing meat and dental biscuits stimulates the production of saliva, which contains natural antibacterial substances, and scrapes plaque and tartar from the teeth.
Calicivirus vaccination helps prevent gingivitis.

Cat labour

Things are pretty hectic up at my sister's farm at the moment - even Nick was flat out on the tractor when I arrived on Easter Day.

Sadie's bad day

Sadie is not having a good day - last night she found some tasty capsules on her human's bedside table. No sooner had she licked up the yummy powder she found inside them than her humans whisked her off to the Emergency Centre at Fyshwick.
Despite her protests the doctor hooked her up to a drip and started her on tablets to counteract the drugs. DRUGS???? Sadie's eyes widened - no wonder her heart was beating very fast and her legs wouldn't behave. Now she thought about it she also felt a little faint.
Labradors are not the only ones that hoover up every morsel they can find. Some cats love to clean up after their owners and sneak in extras too!
This photo was taken  at Hall Vet Surgery this morning. Sadie says this is not her best side but at least she's feeling more normal today. Cats take a long time to metabolise many human drugs so it will be a few days until she is really herself again.

Dog flea products toxic to cats

Flea products containing permethrin are highly toxic to cats.

Products for dogs such as Advantix spot on for fleas and ticks and Permoxin, a spray, contain permethrin.  Do NOT ever apply them to cats.

Cats which groom or sleep with dogs treated with these products in the previous 48 hours can be poisoned also.

Signs of toxicity include: tremors, twitching, drooling, incoordination, convulsions, coma and death. Some cats flick their paws, twitch their ears, or are sensitive to touch or sound. Vomiting and diarrhoea are also common.


Signs start within 1 to 3 hours of ingestion or application but can be delayed up to 12 hours. Effects can last more than 3 days.

More than 500 cases of permethrin poisoning have been reported in Australia. A quarter of these cats died despite treatment.