Today I had the great experience of being able to watch a bobcat at Pelican Hill golf course. My husband told me that he had seen a bobcat run across the cart path last month when he was playing, and how cool he thought that was. We weren’t expecting to see one during our round, but the course was pretty empty, and when we walked up to the 16th tee box [...]
I had a very nice client named Peggy at my clinic on Monday. She had found a very friendly and outgoing male cat in the unincorporated area of Santa Ana about six months earlier, and she wanted to be sure that he was vaccinated and healthy. It was the first time that she had taken him to a vet. Peggy told me that she was really enjoying the cat and [...]
I had a very eye opening experience last month after I had the great opportunity to visit the Hill’s pet food corporate headquarters in Topeka, Kansas. I like many other veterinarians, promote Science Diet and Prescription Diets in my practice, but I do offer other foods too. The pet food business is a continually growing market and I cannot keep up with all of the new brands on the market. [...]
Smidget is an active and full figured 15 pound cat with asthma. I received a phone call the other day from her owner, Mrs. Motley, who had moved to Connecticut. She called to talk to me about the treatment options for managing Smidget’s asthma, because when it flares the cat gags, wheezes, and becomes lethargic. Mrs. Motley faces two challenges with Smidget—safely managing asthma, and trying to get medication into [...]
As our feline companions age, changes occur in their bodies that are similar to those that occur in aging people. Cats don’t complain about their chronic aches and pains as do their human counterparts, but they do feel them. Morning stiffness, a mild limp, or an inability to jump up to places easily reached in the past are all signs that degenerative joint disease, better known as osteoarthritis, exists. Arthritis [...]
Why would a cat that used her litter box faithfully for 7 years all of a sudden start pooping out of the box? Several readers submitted questions about dealing with this scenario, so hopefully I can provide some answers. Their cats use their litter boxes for urination but have decided the floor is a much better place to leave their stools. There is no simple remedy to this situation, but [...]
Upright and standing tall, folded or curled, cat ears come in a variety of sizes and shapes. Despite dramatic variations in appearance between some breeds, all cat ears function the same way. Ears can be the difference between winning a cat show or being able to dart away from danger. The ears are a component of the cosmetic appearance of a cat but they are also an important part of [...]
If your cats are anything like mine, going to visit the vet is not something they enjoy. My female cat, Keiki, meows a bit when she first gets in the carrier, but my male Shaka sings to me during the entire car ride. His complaining stops once he enters the clinic and he knows he will have to stay for a bit. Cats don’t like changes and unpredictability in their [...]
Do you have friends or relatives that cannot come to your home for a visit because you own cats? Do you own a cat despite recommendations from your doctor not to? If the answer is yes to either of these questions, cat allergies are having an impact on your life. Most humans are allergic to a protein in cat saliva called Fel d 1. This protein can also be found [...]
We think that cats are picky and extremely discriminating. How can it be that they would willingly swallow inanimate objects that can lodge in their intestines? The answer to this question is a mystery. It could be that their hunting and stalking behavior gets the best of them. Cats like to chase and pounce on quick moving objects, and then ingest them as they would prey. I have observed my [...]
