September 2011

In this issue:

Clinic News

Christmas Boarding

Georgia visits the Cat Practice in New York

Fleas – a guide

Staff Profile:
10 Questions with Veterinary Nurse: Sarah Bourke

New Toy - Da Bird Cat Catcher

Cats don't like change without their consent.
- Roger A. Caras

Cat whispers is a special e-mewsletter for our valued clients. Each edition we bring you up to date on what's happening at the hospital as well as interesting information and facts on pets and pet healthcare.
Visit our website at www.catdoctor.com.au

On 5th September Richard and Amy are lucky enough to be jetting off to Seville, Spain to attend the prestigious Congress of The European College of Internal Medicine.

Richard has been asked to present a talk on one of his fields of interest, the use of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (Metacam) as treatment for osteoarthritis in older cats. We will expect them home from 20th September. Bon Voyage Richard and Amy, have a great time and don’t forget to bring your hard working nurses home a present!

Dr Sally Coggins will be looking after the clinic in Richard and Amy’s absence with the help of Richard & Amy’s friends and feline colleague, Dr Alison Montgomery BVSc(Hons), MACVSc(Feline Medicine).

Dr Ali graduated with honours from Sydney University in 1994, worked in small animal practice for several years, then packed up and went travelling through South-East Asia with her husband. Whilst in Thailand, she spent two years setting up an International visiting vet program to benefit the welfare of Thailand’s animals, as well as working with the Bali street dog and cat foundation. She returned to clinical practice in 2001, accepting an offer to work in a small animal hospital in Hong Kong. During this time she decided to further develop her passion for all things feline and in 2004 became a Member of the Australian College of Veterinary Scientists in Feline Medicine.

Since then she has been a dedicated feline practitioner, currently working at 9 Lives Cat Hospital in Hong Kong. She is really looking forward to working at The Cat Clinic and coming back to Australia to see her family with her two young daughters.

CHRISTMAS BOARDING

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Due to the tiny size of our boarding cattery (only 16 cages!) we are unfortunately, fully booked over the Christmas and New Year period. If you require a boarding facility for you feline friend over the holidays please have a look at our alternate boarding cattery list on our website.

The holiday period is an incredibly busy time for catteries, so we recommend making arrangements as soon as possible to prevent your holiday plans going awry.

Georgia visits the Cat Practice in New York

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137 Fifth Avenue, New York
http://www.thecatpractice.com

I realised recently how little time I spend away from cats. With four cats at home and a full-time job nursing at The Cat Clinic, when I am away from my favourite animal I feel it quite keenly. This was made apparent to me recently when I spent three days at a friend’s (cat-less) ski lodge. The lodge was named ‘Wombat’ and sported several taxidermied varieties of Wombat that I kept seeing out of the corner of my eye and approaching to pat. It was really quite disturbing.

So as my three week holiday to the USA came closer, I did a bit of research and discovered the multitudes of Clinic’s operating in the US which, like ours in Prahran cater exclusively for cats. It is a much more common concept over there and they have the population to support it.

I found ‘The Cat Practice’ at 137 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York around 23rd Street, (glamorous address!) and dragged my poor husband there to check it out. Founded in 1972, it is quite a small clinic with only one vet working on the day I visited. It was very interesting for me to see how another cat-only clinic worked and the differences and similarities between their practice and ours. It made me very proud to work here as we have such talented and compassionate vets as well as sophisticated diagnostic equipment that just isn’t available everywhere.

I had a long chat with the full time vet at ‘The Cat Practice’ who was very passionate about feline medicine and who showed me around the clinic and introduced me to some of the patients in hospital and boarders in the cattery.

One big difference that struck me straight away was the large number of ‘Clinic cats’ cruising around the hospital. They were everywhere. They were all rescue cats and all enormously friendly and it was great to have a bit of ‘cat time’ with them. Clinic cats are found in many vet practices and although it is lovely for the rescue cats to have somewhere safe to live, it isn’t as nice for sick visiting cats staying in hospital. They can often become quite scared and intimidated by the cats who are allowed to roam around freely. This is one reason we don’t have them at The Cat Clinic. We would prefer your cats to feel as safe as possible in our hospital and cattery.

With my need for some ‘cat contact’ fulfilled I was then able to turn my mind to other New York sights and destinations – like Katz’s deli! Thanks to everyone at The Cat Practice for showing me around. Next item on my agenda – establishing an international Cat Clinic exchange program!

Fleas – a guide

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Fleas were responsible for claiming more victims than all the wars ever fought, as a result of diseases such as the "bubonic" (Black Death) plague that they spread throughout the world in the 14th century causing the deaths of over 200 million people. Now, these insects are better known for their irritation and pest status worldwide. Fleas can cause scratching, skin irritation and they can also transmit tape worm and blood parasites such as infectious anaemia.

Be warned! Keeping your cat indoors won’t necessarily protect them from the little bloodsuckers. During the last few months we have seen a number of seriously infested cats. When a large flea burden is accumulated it can be really hard to get rid of. Products like Revolution, Advantage and Advocate are fantastic if you diligently apply then every month, but flea pupae are able to lie dormant for up to 9 months so even if you apply flea prevention for half a year and haven’t seen one in all that time, you can still have fleas hatching out in the carpet, floorboards, all over the house the minute you stop. We can also walk fleas into the house on our clothes, as they can inhabit grasses etc. outdoors too.

How do I know if my cat has fleas? Fleas can be hard to spot, but they do leave tell tale signs. Is your cat scratching? Some cats don’t scratch at all, especially if they are not allergic to fleas. Have a close-up look at your cat. Part its fur in several places on its body, or use a fine tooth ‘flea-comb’. Fleas leave behind a small black gritty substance that will turn red if you wipe a damp tissue over it. Why does it turn red? Because it is dried digested blood….EWW! You may find a little bit of this ‘flea-dirt’ or a lot of it, on your cat, it’s bedding, or anywhere your cat spends it’s time. Due to the fastidious nature with which cats groom themselves, sometimes no flea dirt is evident at all. Cats can often develop flea allergies. Any strange twitching or over-grooming of fur, redness around the ears or anywhere on the body can also be signs of a flea infestation.

What do I do if my cat has fleas? If your cat has a few fleas we recommend using Advantage® spot on flea treatment control or Revolution® or Advocate® spot on parasite control which will kill fleas and worms. Supermarket products do help but are just not as effective as the ones mentioned. Sadly, we also see Frontline® becoming less effective than in past years. Thereforewe do not recommend it based on these observations. Make sure you get the appropriate weight range for your cat and never use DOG flea products on your cat unless under strict guidance from a Veterinarian. These are to be applied once a month every month on the back of your cats head to keep fleas at bay. We also recommend a thorough vacuum. Placing a flea collar in the bag of the vacuum cleaner can be a good way of killing what your vacuum collects. Any other household pets should be flea treated also. If you have a heavy infestation and a monthly spot on just isn’t doing the trick, try the following:

• Apply an Advantage® topspot fortnightly for 2-3 months, then monthly long term to all animals (cats, dogs, rabbits) Note that you may continue to find live fleas on your cat during these first few months. This is does not mean the product is not working but more a sign of a heavy environmental burden, as new fleas must hatch out and take a bite of the animal before the product will kill them.
• Capstar® tablets will kill any fleas living on your pet in 30 minutes; it will not kill fleas living in your environment. You can give one Capstar® tablet every second day for the first week of treatment then one tablet everyday a live flea is seen.
• Vacuum twice weekly for the first 2-3 months, especially focus on areas pets spend the most time, including soft furnishings, sofas etc.
• Wash all bedding in a hot wash weekly for the first 2-3 months.
• Consider flea bombs for very heavy infestations.

If this all sounds like a lot of work, why not get your pets onto a good quality flea control today?

STAFF PROFILE

10 Questions with Veterinary Nurse:
Sarah Bourke

1. How long have you worked at the Cat Clinic?
I am the newest nurse and have been here just 2 months.

2. What is your favourite thing about working with cats?
I love seeing all the different breeds and getting to know individual cats and their owners.

3. What is your least favourite thing about working with cats?
The worst thing is seeing any cruelty cases (thankfully none at the Cat Clinic) and I’m also not a fan of the grumpy, swipey cats.

4. How many pets do you own?
I have 4 cats – Jackson, Milo, Bohdi and Saffron as well as 2 dogs – Tori and Axel and a tank full of fish.

5. What is your favourite breed and why?
Burmese are my favourite breed of cat because of they are so beautiful and have fantastic personality’s being very outgoing, friendly and talkative.

6. What is the most common question asked by clients?
Most clients want to know what food their cat should be eating and a lot of people also have questions about behavioural problems such as inappropriate urination or scratching.

7. What is the most rewarding memory you have of being a Veterinary Nurse
My most rewarding memory would have to be from my time as a vet nurse at the Animal Emergency Centre. We had a cat come in who had been hit by a car and had a fractured jaw, chest and massive facial injuries. His owners were adamant that he would recover and were willing to try any treatment to help him. He ended up staying in hospital for almost two weeks, during which time he had his jaw wired and a feeding tube placed, as well as numerous xrays to assess his lung function and treatments to help his facial injuries. During this time, everyone in the clinic fell in love with him as he was so friendly, even though he must have been uncomfortable. His owners were so happy when he could go home and it made us all very proud to be a part of his recuperation.

8. What is the biggest misconception about cats?
That they only purr when they are happy. Purring can cover a whole range of emotions!

9. What do you enjoy doing after hours?
I love cooking, reading and spending time with my pets. I also enjoy hand rearing and re-homing kittens and fundraising at “The Cat Corner” in Boronia.
http://www.thecatcorner.com.au

10. What is the most memorable case you’ve been involved in working at the clinic and what was the outcome?
The most memorable case I’ve seen so far was a cat who ate around 10 hair elastics. The hair bands caused an obstruction that had to be removed surgically. He recovered really well and went home to an elastic band-free home!

New Toy - Da Bird Cat Catcher

This toys design mimics the motion of a real bird in flight.

NO CAT CAN RESIST IT! It’s recommended by veterinarians as a great way for your cat to exercise.

There are loads of cool attachments you can buy to mix things up a bit. These include mice, rabbit and feathers.

These toys are flying out the door, but we should have a new delivery in soon. Check Out this Youtube Link:
http://youtu.be/OiswAJmg3rY

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