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!!!
