Welcome to the latest edition of The Cat Clinic newsletter. This month we have lots of exciting news. Marcus and Mandy passed their exams, we welcomed some new members to the team, and Rhett welcomed a new member into his family. We also have a new cat of the month. With summer just around the corner, ticks are becoming more of a problem as the weather heats up. Read our piece about ‘Tick Toxicity in Cats’ to make sure you know what signs to look out for to make sure your precious pet does not become a deadly ticks next victim.

If there is something you would like to see in our newsletter or added to our website, then please let us know by mailing info@thecatclinic.com.au We aim to provide the best possible information and veterinary care for cats and welcome any comments, advice or requests you may have for us. Our website gets updated regularly so remember to visit us at http://www.thecatclinic.com.au

What’s Going on with Us!

We welcome 2 new staff members

Petra Boettcher

Petra graduated from Veterinary school in Germany in 1992. Since then she has spent time in veterinary practices in England, New Zealand and has now joined us here at The Cat Clinic. Petra has always been a cat lover, and shares her home with her husband and their 3 cats Earwig, Cricket and Beetle. You can find Petra taking extra special care of her feline patients at our Clayfield clinic, and occassionally our Mt Gravatt clinic.

Lydia Adams

Lydia is our newest veterinary nurse. After 20 years in the retail industry, she decided it was time for a change. She completed her studies in Certificate IV Veterinary Nursing in 2006, and has been working with the animals she loves ever since. Lydia shares her home with her four ‘furry children’, Oscar, Benson, Chloe, Sweet- pea and Scruffy the dog.

Congratulations Marcus and Mandy!!

In July, Marcus passed his examinations to become a fellow of The Australian College of Veterinary Scientists. In June Mandy Doan became a member of The Australian College of Veterinary Scientists.

Our Athletes..

Well Done to Marcus, who completed the Gold Coast Marathon. He enjoyed it so much, he is in training for the Hell of the West Triathlon.

Two of our nurses, Heather and Shelley recently took part in the 100km bicycle ride from Southbank to Southport. They enjoyed the ride, but their poor aching bodies didn’t enjoy the next few days. Well done girls!

Rhett and Esther welcome a baby girl.

Josette Madeline Marshall was born on the 6th August 2009. She is the third child for Rhett and Esther, and after having two boys already, Josette now helps her mum out in making up the female numbers in the Marshall house. She is a very lucky little girl, who will have not only one but two big brothers, Ethan and Felix, looking after her as she grows up. Rhett is a very proud Dad, and we congratulate him and Esther on their newest arrival.

Cameron is back from Africa.

Cameron Reid completed his internship at The Cat Clinic in January 2009. Cameron has a passion for tigers. He left us to go to Africa and work with and care for big cats and other African animals. He thoroughly enjoyed his time, and has the scars to prove it. A nip from a lion has not dettered him away from his dreams, and he has now returned to Australia where he is still actively pursuing his goals, whilst working part time with us here at The Cat Clinic.

Cameron getting up close and personal with one of the youger lions

Tick Toxicity in Cats

With the onset of Spring comes the onset of the Tick Season in Brisbane. The Paralysis tick (Ixodes holocyclis) is unique to the east coast of Australia. Where the ticks occur in Australia seems to coincide with where the long- nosed bandicoot has its natural habitat, because this bandicoot can carry the different life- stages of the tick. However other native animals like possums and lizards can also transport the tick. The paralysis tick is also believed to climb trees vertically until it hits an angled branch. It will then follow this branch to the end and can drop off to attach to unsuspecting animals. This might explain why backyards with overhanging trees from a neighbour’s yard may have paralysis ticks, whilst not necessarily having much in the way of trees or possum habitat itself.

The Paralysis Tick (Ixodes holocyclis)

As in most conditions, cats are unique in how they present their signs of illness compared to other species such as dogs. For one thing the ‘paralysis’ aspect of this condition may not be the first sign seen or noticed in the cat. We may therefore refer to this condition as “tick toxicity”, rather than “tick paralysis”. Cats may look as if they are quieter in behaviour than normal, reluctant to take more than a few steps before lying down again. The other important signs to look out for are increased breathing effort and changes in breathing noises, especially a ‘grunting’ sound when breathing out. A ‘wheeze’ or asthmatic sound may also be heard.

Very particular and peculiar to our cats is a throat clearing type of action. Your cats mouth may open wide with a gagging sound, making many owners think their cat has something caught in the throat. This action is happening because the cat’s vocal chords are paralysed and small amounts of saliva or mucus are very irritating on the larynx, making the cat feel like he or she is choking. This can be extremely distressing to your cat, and the more anxious they are, the more difficult it is for them to clear the throat. This is why veterinary attention for your cat often starts with medications to relax and reduce anxiety, after which breathing becomes a while lot easier.

More advanced stages of tick toxicity will include a more obvious difficulty in walking, staggering and swaying. Or your cat may be found lying down on his or her side, unable to sit up at all. Immediate veterinary attention must be sought.

The paralysis ticks themselves are grey in colour with orange legs and head part, with the legs all coming out from the “head” end rather than down the sides of the body. This describes the adult female tick, the main cause of tick toxicity. Larval stages can cause signs of tick toxicity but usually in large numbers, and this occurs much less commonly. The tick itself can be tiny to start but is usually about 4mm across by which time it causes signs of tick toxicity. The tick may have been present for a few days before reaching this size, hence ticks found early and removed may prevent signs of tick toxicity.

Finding ticks in your cat’s coat is best done by “finger walking” through the coat, rather than looking for them visually. The most common areas to find ticks are around the head and neck, around or in the ears, even inside the lips. The next place to look is the front end of the body up to about the level of the elbows. All of these areas are more difficult for the cat to reach and groom. Also the ticks are attracted to carbon dioxide. Hence the other area to look for ticks is around the back end, the bottom, tail and genital area. We are much less likely to find ticks in the ‘middle’ area of the cat, but would advise thorough searching. Cats who go outside in areas where possums and bandicoots are prevalent should be checked for ticks daily.

The availability of commercial products that may help prevent ticks is very limited for cats, and in fact it should be noted that products labeled for use in dogs only for tick prevention can be HIGHLY TOXIC and possibly fatal for your cats. If you wish to discuss use of products for assisiting in tick prevention please call our clinic for a consultation. It is worth noting that there is no single product that can be relied on for tick prevention in cats an ‘finger walking’ is still recommended despite the use of products.

If you find a tick on your cat, despite urban myths and legends, you are advised to pluck the tick off immediately. It is not possible to ‘leave behind the head’ or to ‘inject more toxin’ by doing so. You may use fingers, tweezers, or special tick hooks are available. You are then advised to seek veterinary attention. There is a tick toxin anti- serum that can be administered to your cat, along with other supportive care deemed necessary. It is not the anti- serum alone that treats these affected cats, as this ‘antidote’ can only remove some of the toxin in the blood stream and cannot reverse the toxin already affecting your cat. The overall supportive care for your cat’s breathing and comfort is equally as important as this medication. On average, cats may need two to four days in hospital for a full recovery.

We are happy to report that most cat’s recovery from tick toxicity is excellent. Just as cats present differently to dogs with tick toxicity, they also experience far fewer of the complications that befall their canine cousins. Confirming yet again that cats may indeed enjoy nine lives, with a little help from their friends: you the owner, and your veterinary team.

Photo Opportunities – Coming this December

Santa will be visiting The Cat Clinic a little closer to Christmas, (before it gets too busy). Bring your favourite feline in to have a photo taken with Santa. Please call our clinic at Mt Gravatt on (07) 3349 0811 for more details.

That’s all for this edition of The Cat Clinic Neswletter..

See you next time!!

Dental disease is one of the most common illnesses we see in cats and occurs to some degree in most cats over 2 years of age. The effects of dental disease can be serious and even life threatening if left untreated. An effective dental treatment plan starts with a thorough dental examination, treating any existing dental disease and then preventing it from recurring. Recent advances in feline dentistry such as dental x-rays and root canal therapy allows us to diagnose and treat many more dental problems that cats suffer from.

As owners, you are not expected to be veterinary dental experts. The Cat Clinic feels so strongly about the devastating effects dental disease has in cats, that we are offering FREE dental examinations next week for every cat (Mon 22nd to Sat 27th September). Regardless of whether you are an existing client or not, simply call one of our clinics today and book your free dental examination and dental treatment plan. Your cat will thank you for it!!! Click here for more information about dental disease in cats

What Have We Been Up To?

Rhett’s a new dad again!! [Rhett's a new dad again!] Felix Henry Marshall arrived a few weeks early but was in perfect health and ready to get stuck into life. He is a much adored addition to the family and is a source of great fascination to the cats. With big brother Ethan just 18 months old, Rhett’s house is busy both day and night!

Caroline Astley has gained Membership of The Australian College of Veterinary Scientists after passing her examinations in Medicine of Cats. Caroline has a special interest in Endoscopy and Surgery and works predominantly at the Mt Gravatt clinic. The knowledge and confidence gained from these further studies allows Caroline to see referral consultations and manage our difficult cases. Click here to find out more about Caroline or our veterinary team

Lecturing other Vets – Lectures given by 4 of our vets formed the basis of the PGF 2008 Feline Symposium held in Brisbane a few weeks ago. When initially invited to host the conference, we thought 20 or so vets may attend. To our absolute amazement and delight, the conference was fully booked out with more than 140 vets from all over Australia attending, and many turned away. It was one of the largest “feline-only” conferences ever to be held in Australia and The Cat Clinic was deeply moved by both the interest in cats and the interest in what we had to say. The most rewarding thing for us has been feedback from many of the attending vets, stating that cats lives have already been saved as a result of our lectures. Congratulations to Marcus, Rhett, Fran and Natashia for passionately delivering world class lectures in such a dynamic and practical way.

An extra vet on Saturdays at Paddington – we are delighted that Dr Alison Jukes has joined our veterinary team on Saturdays at Paddington. Having an extra vet on duty on Saturday helps us to always run “on time” with appointments during the busy morning period as well as giving us the back up to deal with any emergencies.

We also welcome three new nurses to The Cat Clinic team – Caroline, Luke and Lisa to our Mt Gravatt clinic, and one new nurse Amanda to our Paddington clinic. They will be helping around the clinics with the many nursing duties, and are all very enthusiastic to be working with the The Cat Clinic team. For more information on our new nurses, or any of our nursing team click here.

Boarding and “Cat Flu” – what you need to know

Boarding can be a stressful time for cats as well as their owners and there are a few things you can do to ensure a healthy cat on your return. Even if you have never boarded your cat or don’t plan to in the near future, the following information may prove valuable in protecting your cat’s long-term health.

Cat flu is a term given to cats showing signs of an upper respiratory tract infection and is usually caused by feline herpes virus or feline calicivirus. Most boarding catteries now require that cats have a current F3 vaccination before entering the facility but many cats still develop cat flu. How can a vaccinated cat get cat flu?? Our veterinarians are presented with this question almost every day and someone is wanted to blame. Infection with herpes virus may occur from exposure to an infected cat or re-activation of a dormant herpes virus infection which has been brought on by the stress of boarding.

Stress and its affects on immune function.

We believe that stress plays a key role in most cases of cat flu while boarding. Stress has many negative effects on a cats immune system, rendering them more susceptible to a new infection or allowing expression of an existing dormant herpes virus infection (becomes active again).

Exposure to cat flu virus from a shedding cat.

Infected cats shed cat flu virus by sneezing tiny nasal droplets which can travel several meters and can infect any cat that breaths them in. Being fully vaccinated unfortunately does not stop an exposed cat becoming infected with cat flu virus, but it does modify and significantly reduce the severity of the infection. This is important to understand as many healthy vaccinated cats will still develop mild head cold like symptoms if they are exposed to an infected cat whilst boarding.

Vaccination failures.

Vaccinated cats can fail if using expired or ineffective vaccines, administering them incorrectly or from incorrect vaccination protocols. Vaccinating a cat while it is sick can reduce the response to vaccination and render the cat unprotected. This is why a veterinarian should perform a health examination before administering a vaccine. Another common reason for failure is not allowing enough time between a vaccination and when the cat is boarded. Most vaccines take about 2 weeks to provide adequate protection so cats should be vaccinated at least 2 weeks prior to boarding. It is still common for many cats to get vaccinated on the way to boarding because the cattery insists on them simply being vaccinated, but this practice provides little or no immunity from the vaccine and should be avoided.

It is difficult to identify shedding cats.

Many cats infected with cat flu virus enter a carrier state which can last from months to years. These cats can shed virus whenever stressed and some wont show any clinical signs of infection. Thus, vaccinated cats carrying a latent cat flu virus infection that get stressed by boarding, are often responsible for shedding and spreading cat flu virus infection. Additionally, many of these cats will have some signs of mild cat flu. It is believed that this reactivation of their own virus is the most common reason for cats to get signs of flu when boarding.

How can you reduce the chance of your cat getting cat flu whilst boarding?

1. Being fully and effectively vaccinated at least 2 weeks prior to boarding

2. Select a good cattery

- solid cages minimise contact with other cats and reduces spread of infection

- good vaccination protocols and adherence to the rules

- caring staff who look out for stressed cats and make necessary changes

- clean and tidy kennels

- quiet and tranquil, NO DOGS

3. Bring along your cat’s own food, blanket, toys, and a couple of articles of your clothing. Your scent on clothing is comforting to your cat. Ask the staff not to remove it from the cage.

4. Leave your cat in their home environment with a house sitter or Pet Sitter.

5. Hurry home!!!