Cats – Page 2 – Moorabbin Veterinary Hospital

Cats

Vaccinations For Your Pets: Your FAQs answered

Vaccinations are an important part of protecting your pets against a range of life-threatening illnesses. By vaccinating your cat, dog or rabbit, you’re giving them the best chance of living a long and healthy life. There’s a lot of information (and misinformation!) when it comes to vaccinations for pets, so we thought we would compile a list of FAQs – and the answers of course! Why do pets actually need vaccinations? Many diseases that can affect dog, cats and rabbits are incredibly infectious. While puppies and kittens receive immunity to a range of diseases through their mother’s milk, once they reach about 4-6 weeks of age, they can start to become vulnerable to infection. Vaccines help to stimulate your pet’s immune system and prevent future infections from diseases. Without vaccination, your pet is significantly at risk of developing illnesses that

December 9, 2022

Cats

Desexing Your Cat Or Dog: What You Need To Know

While having surgery performed on your precious cat or dog – especially when they are young – may seem a little confronting at first, desexing is a very common and safe procedure, with minimal risks involved. If you don’t intend to breed your cat or dog, we strongly recommend that you desex your pet. Benefits of desexing your pet Desexing your cat or dog prevents unwanted pregnancies, but also offers many benefits for both male and female pets. Desexing male pets Neutering male pets offers a number of health and behavioural benefits, including: Desexing female pets When a female cat or dog is desexed (also known as spaying), their risk of developing a number of serious health issues is significantly reduced. When should my pet be desexed? The timing of desexing can vary depending on the sex and breed of

November 22, 2022

Cats

What does an annual health check for your pet include?

Even if your pet seems perfectly healthy, it is still important to book in that annual health check with your vet. Dogs and cats are living longer than ever before, so it’s crucial that the beginnings of any health issues are detected before they become serious. What happens during an annual health check for your pet? Regular check-ups are the best way to make sure your pet is in top shape. During the appointment, your vet will undertake a thorough physical examination. They will check your pet’s eyes and ears, take their temperature, and listen to their heart and lungs. They will also feel for any abnormalities in the lymph nodes, legs, and abdomen, as well as having a good look at their coat and skin to check for any signs of irritation or lumps and bumps. A dental check

November 15, 2022

Cats

Lily Toxicity In Cats

Lilies are a very common flower often seen in gardens and flower arrangements. A very scary fact about lilies that people may not know, is that they are in fact extremely toxic when ingested by cats.Every part of the lily is toxic, from the petals, leaves, stems, stamen, pollen and even to the water in the vase. Even licking the pollen or just mouthing any part of the lily, and not even ingesting any of the plant can have fatal consequences. It is best to consider all lilies in the lilium (true lilies) and hemerocallis (day lilies) species as toxic. Typically, signs of ingestion are:∙ Vomiting∙ Diarrhoea∙ Lethargy∙ Depression∙ Inappetence∙ Dehydration∙ Increased thirst∙ Seizures∙ Death Within 1-3 days of ingestion acute renal failure (ARF / kidney failure) develops, with the cat displaying dehydration, uremic breath (ammonia like) and often oral

December 7, 2016

Cats

Choosing the Right Collar

A collar is everything from a fashion statement to an essential item to attach ID, registration tags and of course your pet’s lead. Registration tags are a must for many types of pet. For dogs, leads are required in many outdoor spaces throughout the metropolitan area. There is a huge range of collars available and we know it can be a little overwhelming. There is such a thing as the right collar for your pet so here is a quick guide to help you keep it simple and make the right choice. Size and Weight While it’s easy to get blinded by all the pretty colours and patterns, the most important thing for your pet is to choose a collar that fits and isn’t too heavy for them to wear. For example, bigger dogs need a heavier and wider collar than

May 13, 2015

Cats

Microchips for Pets

Microchipping is the most effective and harmless way to make sure your pet is never lost.Getting the microchip It is a quick and simple procedure with minimal discomfort, which will soon be forgotten by your pet! The microchip, only the size of a grain of rice, is implanted underneath the skin on the back of the neck, between the shoulder blades. Some owners prefer for the microchip to be implanted during an unrelated surgical procedure, such as desexing, so their pet will already be under anaesthetic. Finding your pet Veterinary clinics, animal shelters or the local council will use a microchip scanner to identify your lost pet’s unique number. This number is linked to a database containing information such as your phone number and home address so you can be easily contacted. Here at Moorabbin Veterinary Hospital, we have permission from local

April 7, 2015

Cats

Lumps, Bumps and Cancer

Although most lumps are harmless, some can be very dangerous if left untreated, especially those that are cancerous. Non-cancerous lumpsYour pet can get lumps from insect bites, mange, cysts, calluses, infected skin and warts, all of which might appear dangerous. These conditions may cause your pet pain but are not nearly as dangerous as malignant cancer. Cancerous lumpsCancer is a disease caused by an uncontrolled division of abnormal cells forming a lump.Cancer lumps can usually be classed as malignant or benign. Benign lumps stay in one place. Although these cancers can be painful they are not as feared as malignancies as there is a good chance they can be removed, especially if diagnosed early. The most common benign lump diagnosed is the lipoma. Malignant lumps spread around the body. These cancers cause the most pain and suffering and it is

July 23, 2014

Cats

Pet Food and Prescription Diets

Food for healthy petsDietary requirements of healthy pets vary depending on a number of factors including breed, sex, age and activity level. Whenever feeding it is important to ensure that an adequate supply of clean, fresh water is readily available. Moorabbin Veterinary Hospital stocks Advance Pet Food®, a range of premium pet foods for all ages, lifestyles and special needs. All Advance Pet Food® products come in both dry and wet form, are made here in Australia and offer excellent digestibility. Advance Pet Food® delivers guaranteed palatability and contains no artificial colours. As additional proof of our confidence in the performance of our products, all the Advance Pet Food® range comes with an unconditional full money-back guarantee. Our team is fully trained to assist you in making the right decisions for your pet’s diet. We can organise a weight control

July 23, 2014

Cats

Arthritis in Pets

Arthritis is inflammation of the joint and neighbouring bone. It is normally caused by abnormal stresses placed upon the joint such as: These increased stresses will cause damage inside the joint. The degradation can cause the joint to become inflamed and swollen. The joint’s surrounding tissue thickens in an attempt to stabilise the joint, causing a decreased range of movement. Symptoms of arthritis Managing arthritisRegular health checks allow for early detection of arthritis, which makes the condition a lot easier to manage. Once the condition is diagnosed, our vets will recommend a multi-pronged approach that may include focusing on weight loss, appropriate exercise, anti-inflammatory pain relief medications, surgical procedures and supplements. The aim is to improve your pet’s quality of life and freedom of movement as much as possible. Weight loss and dietObtaining a lean weight is very important to

July 23, 2014

Cats

Heartworm

The symptomsHeartworms are blood parasites. Adult heartworms can live in the large blood vessels of a dog that connect the heart and lungs. The parasites can cause blockages in blood flow and stimulate inflammatory reactions within the lining of the blood vessels. These serious health problems can then be transferred to other blood vessels throughout the body. The inflammation can have far-reaching, life threatening consequences. Signs include: How it is spreadHeartworms are blood parasites spread by the bite of an infected mosquito, much the same way malaria is spread. It is not a disease that humans contract, but dogs are at risk. The spread of the disease has been well contained inside Australia since it was first identified, but pockets of infection continue to emerge around the country. Some factors can increase the risk of the spread of heartworm: PreventionAlthough

July 23, 2014

Cats

Vaccinating Your Cat

Vaccinations for pets are important to ensure they live a fulfilling life without preventable disease or illness. We can vaccinate cats to protect against several diseases. Feline respiratory disease (Cat flu)This disease is debilitating and can be fatal to kittens and older cats. Symptoms of this complex disease include mouth ulcers, sneezing, coughing and discharge from the eyes and nose. The disease is commonly passed on from mother to her kittens. Feline immunodeficiency virus (Cat AIDS)This is a fairly commonly seen disease with cats that fight and wander outside. It is spread from cat to cat through biting, also through grooming and sexual transmission. The virus attacks the immune system, leaving the cat prone to infection and cancer. We recommend all wandering cats to be tested and vaccinated for this disease. Feline enteritis (Parvo)There have been recent outbreaks of this

May 28, 2014