SimplyCats Vet Clinic Blog

On 11th July 2009 we will be holding a tea party to raise money for the Blue Cross.

The Blue Cross provides a range of services for pet owners across the UK. Through its network of animal adoption centres it rehomes thousands of animals each year. Its hospitals also provide veterinary care for the pets of people who cannot afford private vets’ fees. The Blue Cross does not receive any government funding and relies entirely on contributions from the public to continue its vital work caring for animals across the country

We will be holding the event at SimplyCats Veterinary Clinic, everyone is welcome; infact the more the merrier

So bring your friends and family and join us on 11th July, starting at 1pm.

More details to follow so keep checking back regularly or ask at SimplyCats for updates!

Claire York

A curious cat wanders on to the pitch during the Uefa Cup final between Shakhtar Donetsk and Werder Bremen at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey

We are currently running a ‘Vaccinate your cat for life’ option on vaccinations given at SimplyCats.

For a one-off Vaccinate for Life fee of £70 paid now, you can enrol your cat into a course of annual vaccinations at no future cost.

Here at SimplyCats we are keen to promote preventative healthcare at an affordable price.

We offer a tailor made vaccination programme designed specifically for the individual needs of your cat. Please ask a vet or nurse at SimplyCats for more information.

Vaccinations are an important part of taking care of your cat, offering protection against many life-threatening or unpleasant conditions.

Complete the Vaccinate for Life Registration Form and hand it in at SimplyCats or pop in to SimplyCats today and protect your cat

Terms and Conditions are set out here.

Claire York

Paul & Sarah from SimplyCats have their own feline behaviour website and have written an online book about feline behaviour including issues such as urine spraying, over attachment, scratching and many more.

If your cat has any behavioural problems you will like to discuss, please contact SimplyCats.

Please see their website for more information.

Claire York

If you happen to be feeling flush this month, how about treating your cat to a Swarovski crystal custom made cat flap?

The cat flap is encrusted with over 1,000 Swarovski crystals and will set you back over £1,000.

The cat flap is made by Doors4paws which sells standard designs of cat flaps including those in the style of a Roman arch and a stable door.

See full article here on the DailyMail website

Claire

SimplyCats are cool for cats.

We’ve found fame at last, appearing in the Sunderland Echo.

“We’re certainly the only feline practice in the North of England.”
Paul and Sarah were inspired to set up SimplyCats after seeing how distressed cats can become when visiting normal, mixed practices.

Click here to see the full article.

Claire

Does your cat have what it takes to be the face of SimplyCats?

We are running a competition in which the winner will be the featured cat on a marketing campaign by SimplyCats in conjunction with the Blue Cross and other cat charities

All submissions will be featured on the web site and a large range of prizes will be offered, including an electronic book on solving cat behavioural problems, cat hamper baskets full of goodies for clients and their cats, a cat first aid book, 6 months supply of cat food (vet recommended) and many more. A full list of prizes will be available shortly.

We will select the main prizes sometime in June / July 2009.

Click here to see the gallery of QuirkyCats so far!

So what are you waiting for, get your cameras and pens rolling and then go to the Submissions Page and send us your QuirkyCats.

Claire York

An enquisitive Siamese managed to get his head caught in a car alloy wheel in Bury St Edmunds.

The curious cat found himself in a spot of bother when he couldn’t free himself from the car wheel.

He was taken to Bury St Edmunds fire station to be cut free by firemen, who worked for an hour cutting him free.

See the full story on the DailyMail website.

Claire York

SimplyCats would like to say ‘well done’ to Selckah Cats and their gorgeous neutered male Norwegian Forest Cat ’Loki’

Loki won Best In Show Male Neuter at Lincoln FIFe Show on 17th May 2009

Please see our breeds section on our website for more information on the Norwegian Forest Cat

Claire

On Friday 15th May, Narla Stephenson, a 7 year old tortoiseshell and white cat came to SimplyCats for a consultation. A normally timid cat in the veterinary clinic, Narla relaxed in our feline only vets; infact Narla liked it so much here she decided to make herself comfortable by the sink in the consulting room!

At SimplyCats everything is specifically designed just for cats, and to be as stress free as possible; which we think Narla demonstrates perfectly.

Claire York

Whenever I introduce plants (or on the rare occasion I receive flowers )
I find both my housecats do a really good job of pulling them to pieces and eating them. I suspect this is true of many households.
This can have medical implications for your cat depending on the type of plant – please remember NEVER bring lillies into a house containing cats as they are poisonous and cause serious kidney failure.
Cats however do benefit from the roughage provided by non toxic plant material especially for those cats who are confined indoors. I decided to give cat grass a try. After a few days thinking nothing was ever going to germinate after watering the seed tray and leaving it in the dark warm airing cupboard, eventually little sprouting areas began to appear. I then removed the tray from the dark and put it on the windowsill in the sun making sure it was well watered and low and behold the cat grass grew and is now a substantial plant residing in my living room where it being chomped upon on an almost daily occurrence!

Sarah Middleton BVSc MRCVS

Paws for thought! Some interesting cat facts:

 - Sir Isaac Newton invented the first known cat flap. While he was in his attic trying to conduct light experiments, his cat kept nudging the door open and letting the light in, spoiling his experiments.

 - Cats have more bones than a human being; humans have 206 bones and the cat has 230 bones.

 - Cats have the largest eyes of any mammal.

 - Airlurophile is the word cat lovers are officially called.

 - On average, a cat will sleep for 16 hours a day.

 - A domestic cat can run at speeds of 30 mph.

 - The life expectancy of cats has nearly doubled over the last fifty years.

 - There are approximately 60,000 hairs per square inch on the back of a cat and about 120,000 per square inch on the underside.

 - When a cat rubs up against you, it is marking you with its scent claiming ownership.

 - Purring does not always indicate that a cat is happy. Cats will also purr loudly when they are distressed or in pain.

 - The cat’s tail is used to maintain balance.

 - Cats see six times better in the dark than humans.

 - The ancient Egyptians were the first civilisation to realise the cat’s potential as a vermin hunter and tamed cats to protect the corn supplies, on which their lives depended.

 - Cats like to be stroked as it reminds them of when they were kittens and were licked by their mothers.

 - Cats see so well in the dark because their eyes actually reflect light. Light goes in their eyes, and is reflected back out; their eyes actually work as built-in flash lights.

Claire

On Tuesday 11th May, the SimplyCats team held a Coffee & Cats evening at Cafe Neros in Durham.
Ideal for those who have a passion for coffee and a passion for cats!

The idea behind the evening was to introduce ourselves in an informal environment, have a short talk on a feline topic and answer any questions that anyone had.
Paul discussed feline behaviour, primarily inappropriate urination and the concept behind SimplyCats, a feline only veterinary clinic.
The staff at Nero’s provided a wonderful spread of food for us to enjoy.

The night was informative, informal and most of all, interesting! Paul encouraged everyone to ask any feline questions they had, many questions were asked and Paul provided answers to those who asked questions.

If you would be interested in attending a Coffee & Cats evening please contact us at SimplyCats or e-mail simplycats@simplycats.net. Please note all welcome!

Claire

Any environmental changes will disrupt the cat’s territorial areas, therefore leading to stress.

Feliway, is a plug in diffuser that emits a synthetic copy of the feline facial pheromone. By copying the feline natural pheromone, the diffuser creates a familiarity and security in the environment, therefore reducing feline stress.

The hospitalisation area in a veterinary surgery is potentially stressful for cats. Cats may stop eating, over groom, urine mark, in this environment when stressed. When using Feliway diffusers in the hospitalisation environment, cats have been shown to increase food intake and reduced stress signals.

Feliway can be used to comfort and reassure our feline patients whilst they are in a challenging situation and help to reduce stress levels. We use Feliway diffusers within our hospitalisation area to ensure our patients are as stress free as possible

For more information and to see an article wrote by one of our vets go to http://www.purrfectcatbehavior.com/downloads/SC-pcb-cats-and-Pheromones.pdf  and for further information just phone the practice.

Claire

It’s been a whirlwind week at SimplyCats this week, we’ve all been busy getting the practice just purrfect, and meeting some new clients and of course new cats.
We’ve met various breeds of cats at SimplyCats this week, one of which being the Norwegian Forest Cat, bred by our client Wendy, who has kindly sent us some photos of these gorgeous cats.
Below is a brief description of the Norwegian Forest Cat, we hope to see a lot more of Wendy and her cats, as they have a wonderful nature and full of character. Please see photos to see exactly why the Norwegian Forest Cat is such a wonderful cat.

The Norwegian Forest Cat is a large, heavy boned semi-long haired cat. They are elegant and alert. They mature slowly and full development of the cat the coat can take as long as four years! The Norwegian Forest Cat has evolved and adapted to survive in the hostile Scandinavian climate, during the winter they develop a dense undercoat to protect from the cold, the long overcoat is course and water repellant to protect the cat from the elemnts. They are well suited to hunting in the wilderness and are often used as farm cats in Norway.
During the 1930′s they were a rare breed and at risk of becoming extinct, the Norwegians began to make plans to ensure the future of the Norwegian Forest Cat, however due to World War II, these plans were put on hold and they again became a rare breed. In the 1970′s the Norwegians again recognised the risk to the breed and made plans to protect the breed using a special breeding program. The Norwegian Forest Cat was finally recognised as a distinct pedigree in 1977 and the breed has gone from strength to strength becoming extremely popular in many counties.

 Claire York