News

Christmas and your cat:

With the coming of the holidays, sometimes we get caught up in the season and forget about some things which may negatively affect our feline friends. Things to remember at this time of year include the fact that some of our favorite seasonal plants may be very poisonous if our cats decide to dine upon them. Probably the best-know of those problem-plants is the poinsettia, but it is also probably the least-deserving of it’s bad reputation. Usual consequences of eating poinsettia are simple and self-limiting with some vomiting and an upset stomach. Other holiday plants such as mistletoe, holly, any of the lillies and Christmas roses can have consequences much more dire.

Here is a link to the ASPCA site detailing dangerous holiday plants.

ASPCA link

Some of the things we choose to decorate with over the holidays can be a problem as well. TINSEL! Tinsel seems to be an irresistable item for a kitty. Like other types of linear/string type objects (including bows and ribbons), tinsel seems to mysteriously end up caught on the tongue of a cat or strung between bowel movements in it’s intestines where it ends up sawing holes in the gut with peristaltic movements. This is often a tragic outcome if it occurs as the ENTIRE length of the GI can be ruined all at once.

ORNAMENTS! Be careful in selecting and hanging especially your small breakable ornaments. It was awfully nice of you to hang the bright shiny glass bulb just a little too near the bottom of the tree. Your kitty probably enjoyed batting it to its death on the floor. The shattered glass is a problem for both you and kitty as you walk around. Some silly cats (and dogs) think it’s fun to try to eat their shattered "kills" or the metal hangers. It unfortunately is not uncommon this time of year for (mostly dogs, but also cats) to have to go through surgery to remove tree light bulbs and other swallowed items.

PAPER! Much less serious in nature than tinsel and ornaments, just remember that lots of cats love to unwrap gifts. The paper shreds so nicely! And sometimes the stuff inside is edible! Bad idea to wrap the Hickory Farms package and then leave it under the tree. Cat and dog noses know, and then they usually don’t mind helping themselves to the contents. That can also cause a trip to the vet.

PEOPLE FOOD! Face it. Some of what we eat, especially at the holidays, isn’t good for us either. Our feline friends often get upset stomachs easily especially with spicy, greasy foods. Chocolates and other candies are also not good for cats. Do kitty a favor and practice "tough love" over the holidays for him/her, even if you can’t manage it for yourself! Your cat will appreciate it, even if he doesn’t know it at the moment.

PLANTS:

Thoughts turn to planting and growing at this time of year. Are your new favorite houseplants going to pose a problem if your kitty decides to nibble on them? Fortunately most common household plants are only irritants or may cause temporary bouts of vomiting, but some can do worse. Here is a nice web page full of pretty good information about the various common plants around our home.

List of some toxic plants

FLEAS:

Also, don't forget that with warmer weather comes ideal flea reproduction conditions, so go ahead and get your kitties (and dogs too, for that matter) started back on their flea control so that you can nip the fleas in the bud this year.   Believe it or not, we've already seen several patients this month whose flea allergy dermatitis is already a problem!   We recommend Advantage and Revolution at Coastal Cat Clinic. Both are available at the clinic. The only requirement for purchase is a current doctor-patient relationship since both products are available by prescription only.

We do NOT recommend the common over-the-counter products (Hartz, Zodiak, etc) because many kitties are allergic to the pyrethrins and synthetics in the formula. Also many people mistakenly apply the dog products to their cats. We see each year a few cats with tremors, seizures, and even death due to the over the counter products. Yes, they may be a bit less expensive to purchase but there is a reason for that! The pyrethrins/permethrins have been on the market for so long now that they are no longer terribly effective against fleas, certainly not lasting for a month as their label advertises. Give us a call at the office and we will gladly discuss fleas and flea control with you.

SPAYING AND NEUTERING:

It is springtime, and with the change of seasons all the unspayed females go into high gear with their reproductive cycles. Cat heat cycles are different from dog heat cycles. Female cats tend to go in and out of heat continuously until they are finally bred, especially this time of year. This can go on for months at a time, so if your kitty isn't intended for breeding you may want to call to schedule her spay so you can BOTH get some sleep.   Tomcats tend to fight more this time of year trying to win the attention and affection of their potential mates.

Spaying is not only good for your sleep patterns since your kitty won't be yowling all night long anymore, but it is also good for your kitty since she can not develop uterine infections, uterine and ovarian cancers, is MUCH less likely to develop breast cancer, and she only needs to be spayed once! Also, one unspayed female can "accidentally" turn into a dozen or more kittens in a year just due to their very efficient and rapid rate of reproduction.

Neutered males are less likely to fight, wander, get hit by cars, and spray urine in the house! They are also less likely to need vet visits with fight wounds, abscesses and the like since they are less interested in the birds and bees.

Our requirements for spays and neuters:

1)   Must weigh at least 4 pounds in weight (usually about 4 months of age since most kittens gain an average of a pound a month at this age). You do NOT need to wait until cats are 6 months or older to have them spayed or neutered. Many females are pregnant by that time in their lives!

2)   Must be in good health. We will do a pre-surgical exam to be sure that your kitty appears to be free of any major medical issues and should handle the surgery well.