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cat

I’m a cat and I need meat!

Ginger cat eating out of a stainless steel bowl

Why there are no healthy vego cats out there

As a vet I see and hear a lot of opinions on how to care for animals. I hear from breeders, owners, lecturers, food reps and veterinary specialist among others. Often there is no ‘Best Way’ and what works in one situation or for one animal, might not work for an other. Rarely though, there are some instances where the answer is black and white and one of those is that cats need meat!

Cat Exercise - not an oxymoron

A cat looking stunned with the message "Exercise- you've go to be joking

Cats, Exercise- The two words are not often seen together, however exercise is important to your cat for a number of reasons.

Cats have not changed much in the 10,000 or so years since their domestication started. Until recently, they were roaming the countryside earning a living. For example, a scottish wild cat can have a territory of up to 40 square kilometers to patrol!

As well as food and exercise, this activity provides another essential component to cat welfare - mental stimulation.

3 ways to tell if your cat has fleas

Matt Young's picture
Cat overgrooming

Cats are great groomers and clean freaks. Their tongues are really rough specifically so they groom themselves with it. Because they are so good at grooming you won't often see a lot of fleas on them. There are a few things though that can give it away.

1. Look under their chin. 

You'll often see live fleas here or flea dirt. It's the one place on their body that they can't reach to groom with their tongue or their paws. The fleas will often hide out here so lift up that chin and part the hair

How often should I apply Frontline to stop ticks?

Matt Young's picture
Ixodes Tick

Frontline is effective for reducing the chance of your pet getting tick paralysis. No product is 100% effective for ticks though so make sure you still check your pet daily for deadly paralysis ticks. 

Frontline needs to be applied more frequently for tick prevention than is does for treating fleas. It is really important that you apply it as directed. 

Dogs

Use Frontline Plus and apply it every 2 weeks for Ixodes ticks (the paralysis tick). Make sure you use the size appropriate for your dog.

Dental X-rays- what's the point?

Matt Young's picture
Dental X-ray

Dental X-rays can save your pet from ongoing painful conditions or save them having painful procedures that are unnecessary. 

A case that proves the point

The X-ray you see above is from a cat that we did a dental on a couple of weeks ago. Just from an examination under anaesthetic I knew that most of the teeth would need to come out. You might think if you're taking the teeth out anyway what's the point in x-raying them?

xrays allow us to visualise the roots of the teeth, see where they are, and in some cases if they still exist. 

Cat fights- keeping the claws from coming out

Matt Young's picture
Cats play fighting

Cat fights- we've all heard them:

  • That horrible yowling in the front yard at 3am. 
  • The hissing and screaming as they dig their claws and teeth into each other
  • The dogs barking because they hear it all too!

Cat fights are not just a problem for us, they are a big problem for the cats involved. As far as armory goes cats are pretty well equipped- sharp claws, sharp teeth capable of penetrating flesh and unreal flexibility make them a mean fighting machine. If you're the weaker cat, you're in trouble!

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