One of the greatest gifts you can give your cat is keeping them healthy.
The easiest and most economical way to do that is by bringing in your pet for Preventative Care Exams and vaccinations. Cats age far faster than people, so significant changes in your cat’s health can happen in a short time. Cats have a unique physiology and are definitely not just “little dogs.” They are experts at hiding illness and often a subtle symptom or even a cat that “just isn’t doing right” can be a very sick cat. This guide can help you decide if your cat might be hiding an illness.
Immunization and Preventative Care
Our Preventative Care Program allows us to diagnose diseases and conditions early, when they would be easier to treat and manage. Often, we can help prevent diseases entirely, just by ensuring that your cat has received appropriate vaccinations and preventives. We recommend that healthy adult cats visit us once a year. Kittens, senior pets, and pets with chronic illnesses need more frequent checkups. We work with you to create an individualized Preventative Care program, including a vaccination and preventative protocol customized specifically to your pet. This could include:
- Thorough physical exam
- Intestinal parasite testing
- Feline Leukemia and FIV testing
- Flea and tick preventatives
- Vaccination program
- Specialized blood tests for each life stage
New Kitten?
Congratulations on your new kitten!! This is one of the best parts of our job, greeting all the adorable kittens! We want you and your new addition to feel welcomed at ALL of your kitten visits. Check out our kitten page for more information.
Here are some of the ways we can take care of your cat.
Spaying and Neutering
Neutering (the generic term for both spay and castration) your pet has many important health and behavior benefits. They include eliminating ovarian cancer, testicular cancer, uterine cancer and uterine infections (called pyometra). It dramatically decreases the incidence of mammary cancer and prostate cancer if done at a young age. It also virtually eliminates overpopulation problems. We recommend neutering your cat around 6 months of age. Male cats that are neutered later in life have a VERY distinct and awful smell to their urine. They are also more prone to spraying or marking their territory (your house) but have very little problems if neutered young. The health benefits are the greatest if females are spayed before their first heat cycle. It is NEVER too late to spay or neuter your cat!
Obesity
On average up to 50% of all adult cats are obese! Obesity in cats is a known risk factor for type 2 diabetes mellitus, heart disease, osteoarthritis, grooming issues, certain forms of cancer and lower urinary tract disease. It can also decrease your cat’s quality of life and even their life span. With today’s advances in nutrition, weight loss has never been easier. We can design a safe and effective weight loss program that fits you and your cat’s lifestyle. It is possible for cats to lose weight! We can help you both achieve whatever goal you have set for weight loss.
Dental Health
Keeping your cat’s teeth clean isn’t just for hygiene; it is good for their overall health as well. Tartar is bacteria growing on your cat’s teeth, which leads to gingivitis and can enter their blood stream. Cats often have very painful mouths and there is even a disease specific to cats called stomatitis that can lead to excruciating pain. The treatment for these cats is full mouth extractions. We offer full dental services including:
- Scaling and polishing
- Extractions
- Radiographs
- Advanced dental procedures
After a dental procedure or before any tartar has built up on the teeth is the perfect time to introduce your cat to brushing. Our guide can show you an easy way to get your cat used to this process and avoid frequent dental cleanings under anesthesia. There are also dental diets that are specifically designed to break into smaller pieces when bitten into. These pieces help scrape the thin layers of tartar off the tooth. If your cat has gingivitis or heavy tartar, however, the only treatment would be a dental cleaning under anesthesia.
Nail Trimming
If you have never trimmed your cat’s nails before, the process can be truly intimidating! Our guide can make the process much less daunting. We are always here to help you if you have questions. You are also more than welcome to bring your kitten or cat in to see us and we can help you on your way to stress-free nail trimming.
Blocked Male Cats
There is a condition in male cats that can be life threatening. If your male cat is showing these signs; call the office and bring him in IMMEDIATELY!!
- Straining in the litterbox especially if vocalizing
- Extreme lethargy
- Yowling
- Small amounts of urine in the litterbox
Poisoning
Many common indoor and outdoor plants can be poisonous to cats. If you suspect your cat has ingested a toxic plant or other kind of poisonous substance, the Pet Poison Helpline is your best resource for any animal poison-related emergency, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If you think your pet may have ingested a potentially poisonous substance, call (855) 764-7611. Have the packaging available for the product you are calling about. Even if you call us, we will refer you to this number. There are an unlimited amount of treatments for potential poisonings and they are the experts. We work with Poison Control to come up the best treatment plan for your pet.
