Category Archives: cats

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TB in cats

You may have seen the recent articles about TB (tuberculosis) in cats, and people.This is a very rare occurrence, and the recent reports relate to an outbreak last year  in 9 cats in Newbury, Berkshire. The symptoms in the cats were varied, but included weeping infected wounds, pneumonia, loss of appetite and enlarged lymph glands. It is thought that the cats became infected from wildlife carrying the disease.  TB is spread by a bacteria (Mycobacterium bovis), which mainly affects cattle and badgers, which is why all milk is now pasteurised to remove the possibility of picking up TB from cow’s milk.  It appears that in this outbreak people became infected from their cats which makes it a zoonotic disease  (a zoonosis is a disease passed from an animal to a person), which is very unusual.

The risk of your cat being infected by TB is extremely low, but if your cat has non healing wounds, skin nodules or  has lost their appetite, you should make an appointment with the vet.

Click here for a BBC article about the outbreak.

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How to train your kitten to play without biting

  • ninja kittens

 

  • Kittens and adult cats are much less likely to bite and scratch us if they have been socialised and handled well when young.

 

  • Kittens have two very important periods of socialisation when they learn normal behaviour, towards other cats and people. The first period is 2-7 weeks of age when handling by various people in a positive manner will increase the likelyhood of them having a friendly approach in future interactions with people.

 

  • Kittens continue to learn by social play  from the age of 7 weeks, and this peaks at around 9-14 weeks of age,  and so when most people first take home their new kitten around 8 weeks of age, they are still in this important socialization period.

 

  • You should not play with your kitten using your hands or feet, and you should not use rough play, whatever the age of the kitten. Instead we recommend the use of a “fishing rod” toy or something similar that induces chasing behaviour e.g. a ping-pong ball. If  your kitten displays pouncing, chasing or biting of human fingers and toes, then they should be ignored.  Kittens like attention so will realise they have done something wrong if you ignore them.  If you are holding your kitten when they bite  or scratch you, then put them down immediately and ignore them.  A few moments later a toy can be provided.  Once your kitten has finished playing and is tired out, you can then stroke and make a fuss of them.
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Kitten care- first steps

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kitten vets

 

Once you have decided on a kitten and are ready to take it home, there are some essential items that need to be prepared first:

Food: A good brand of kitten food (biscuits or pouches) should be fed and we personally recommend the Science Plan food. Kittens must have access to fresh water at all times. Kittens who have been weaned do not require milk (even though they may really like it!). Cow’s milk can cause diarrhoea and should be avoided.

Food and water bowls: Bowls should be cleaned daily.

Litter: The cat litter should be non-clumping and non-toxic as kittens have a tendency to chew and occasionally try to eat the litter.

Litter tray: Trays can either be open or covered, but should be placed in the room where the kitten will spend most of its time. Scoop out soiled litter daily and completely clean litter trays regularly. If you have more than one cat ideally there should be at least one litter tray per cat.

Bed/ blanket: These are not essential but most cats prefer a comfortable place to sleep that they can call their own.

Toys: Toys are very important to keep your kitten entertained. Avoid toys that are easily broken as these can cause a choking hazard. To avoid accidents, supervise your kitten during any play.

Scratching post: Cats and kittens need to scratch and scratching posts can be an ideal way of preventing the furniture from being used.

Cat carrier: This is essential for safely transporting your kitten. End opening plastic carriers, or top opening wire carriers are suitable.

 

Preparing the area

 

 

One room should be designated for the kitten to spend its first few days. This room should be large enough to include all of the above. It may be helpful to bring something with the scent of the previous owner on it, such as a blanket or toy. This familiar smell can help the kitten relax.

Feliway is a product that can help settle your kitten into a new environment. It can be purchased from the surgery as a spray or plug in diffuser which has replicated pheromones (cat scent) that cats would leave naturally, and is used to calm and comfort cats during stressful times. All cats think it is their own scent, so it can also help if you already have another cat in your house.

Before the arrival of a new kitten, every home should be checked for potential hazards. Kittens are very curious and will explore their new environment by jumping, climbing and sometimes chewing! We recommend checking the following hazards:

 

 

 

  • Oven Hobs (kittens may jump up and burn themselves)
  • Washing machines and tumble dryers (check kitten has not climbed in before turning on)
  • Irons (kittens may jump up and burn themselves)
  • Electric wires (kittens may chew)
  • Dustbins and toilets (always keep the lid on and the toilet seat down)
  • Sewing materials (kittens love to play with string, but if eaten it will cause a serious problem)
  • Any small objects like pins, etc (may cause a problem if eaten)

 

 

 

Many everyday items found in the home can be potentially toxic to kittens and cats, and need to be avoided. Examples of  toxins include:

 

 

 

  • Pesticides and weed-killers
  • Rat-bait and slug poison
  • Antifreeze
  • Paint
  • Certain plants – Holly, Lillies, Mistletoe, Wisteria, Rhododendron, Poinsettia, Ivy and Sweet Pea
  • Paracetemol and other human medications
  • Tea-tree oil
  • Flea spot-on products for Dogs that contain Permethrin

 

 

 

If your kitten has eaten or come into contact with any of the above products, please contact us immediately.

 

 

Finally once your kitten is settled into your home, sit back and enjoy the show -they’ll be climbing the curtains in no time, and post your cute pictures on our facebook page here  !

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Loud bangs, fireworks and other scary noises

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Fireworks are a particular problem for many dogs, and can cause severe anxiety in some. Here are a few ideas that may help in dogs that are scared of loud noises.

 

  • Give your dog a safe area to go to such as a crate or cupboard under the stairs, and provide plenty of bedding to allow him to burrow in.
  • Leaving a loud radio or turn the television up  can help also, or play classical music.
  • Use dog pheromones – a spray , plug in diffuser or collar are available which emit a scent that reassures and calms the dog. This is called DAP (dog appeasing pheromone) and can be purchased at the veterinary surgery. The plug in diffuser should be placed near the safe area.  Your dog can also wear a DAP collar, so that the calming scent accompanies him if he moves around.
  • Dog appeasing pheromone
  • Ensure that your dog does not get extra attention when acting in a frightened manner. This can make the problem worse in that he may think that by acting frightened he will get more attention. You should continue with your normal routine, and only give him reward with attention after he has calmed down.
  • Provide toys or chews as a distraction.
  • Take your dog out early to toilet before the fireworks begin.
  • Close the curtains, and put on lights to reduce flashes from the fireworks.
  • It is possible to try to desensitize your pet to noises, by using various CD’s such as Sounds Scary, or soundtherapy4pets.co.uk , which start off by playing noises at low volume and gradually increasing the volume. This can take many weeks or months and is best started early in the year well before bonfire night.
  • Occasionally sedatives may be required for dogs that become extremely distressed, but an appointment with the vet would be needed to discuss this.
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Pet of the Month – cat with broken leg

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Our Pet of the Month for October is an incredibly lucky little cat called Skitz. He was brought in to the vets as emergency after been attacked by an animal. On arrival there was evidence of an injury to the right fore limb as it was swollen. He was put on fluids for the shock of the attack.

Once he was more stable he was sedated to take x-rays of the injured leg. X-rays showed that there was a complete fracture of the right radius and fracture of the ulna. A survey x-ray was also taken to check there were no internal injuries. Skitz was also showing possible nerve damage to the back legs from a crushing injury but after a couple days he regained nerve function.

The vet decided that the best treatment for Skitz was to wait for the swelling to go down before they could operate on the broken leg. So after several days Mr Young repaired the fractures by placing pins inside the fractured pieces of bones to hold them together. The pins are held in place by an external fixator cement bar to ensure the bones will heal in the correct position. This type of fracture repair allows all his weight to go through the bar whilst the bones heal.

Skitz treatment was complicated further by the fact that he had an over-active thyroid , which can affect bone healing, so Skitz had his thyroid glands  surgically removed at the same time as his fracture repair.

 

Skitz needed a few days after surgery to recover in the hospital, when he was  encouraged at least once a day to go for a walk to use the leg.

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10 Interesting cat facts !

The domestication of cats was based on mutual benefit. In the earliest days of agriculture, people were forced to deal with an unforeseen consequence: rodents devouring  crops and spoiling the grain. Following voraciously in their footsteps were predators like snakes and owls—and cats. The cats with the friendliest dispositions were eventually welcomed into human settlements, highly valued for their ability to destroy vermin. The house cat was domesticated from the African wildcat approximately 10,000 years ago in the Middle East and has rarely strayed from our side since.

10 Interesting Cat Facts !

  1. Sir Isaac Newton invented the cat flap
  2. It was once thought that the ancient Egyptians were the first to tame cats, but a pet cat has since been found in a 9,500 year old grave in Cyprus
  3. Cats have around 230 bones in their body, while humans only  have 203 bones
  4. According to the 2010 PAW Report there are 11.9 million pet cats living in the UK
  5. When cats run they can reach speeds of up to 30mph
  6. According to the Guinness World Records, the oldest cat lived to be 38 years and 3 days
  7. Chocolate is poisonous to cats
  8. A person that loves cats is called a ailurophile
  9. Julius Caesar was scared of cats, a condition known as ailurophobia
  10. Cats use their whiskers to judge if they can fit through a hole
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Microchipping your cat

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Microchipping  your cat

reading a microchip

Microchipping is one of the most effective forms of pet identification, but too few cat owners have their pets microchipped. The 2011 PDSA Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Report has revealed that 54% of cats in the UK are not microchipped. That’s around 6.4 million cats without microchips.

If cats are microchipped, they are more likely to be reunited with their owners because microchipping is a permanent form of pet identification, unlike collars which can become lost. A cat’s microchip can be read in seconds by a handheld scanner at most veterinary practices or animal shelters.

Cats are naturally inquisitive creatures. Some inspect delivery vehicles and are inadvertently locked inside. There are stories of cats that have turned up hundreds of miles from home and are returned to their owners thanks to their microchips.

We offer cat microchipping at our surgeries in West London. The procedure is quick and often painless – your cat won’t even need to be anaesthetised. Using a syringe, the microchip will quickly be inserted under the skin between your cat’s shoulder blades. It takes no longer than giving a normal injection.

Some cats regularly lose their collars, so microchipping could be a cheaper option in the long run. A microchip will stay with your cat for its entire lifetime. Collars are also a potential hazard to cats as they can easily become snagged on things. Dextrous cats can even get their paws caught underneath a collar, which can lead to painful wounds.

If a cat is believed to be a stray and it is brought into our practice, we will immediately scan it to find out if it has a microchip. If the cat can’t be identified, then it could be rehomed, while its real owner is left forever wondering what happened to their beloved pet.

Call Young Veterinary Partnership today or drop into our practice to enquire about microchipping your cat.