SimplyCats Vet Clinic Blog

We would like to wish all our customers and web followers a very merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year !

Don’t forget that we still have raffle tickets available here at the practice at £1.00 per strip – all proceeds going to our local branch of Cats Protection. Lots of great prizes to be won, including electric guitar and amp, large cat scratching post, signed Sunderland football, chocolates and many more!

We teamed up with our sister company, SimplyHorses for a Christmas night out. Everyone enjoyed their meal at Melanzana Durham and a few drinks afterwards.
Wishing everyone a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Thanks to the generosity of local companies and some of our clients,we have amassed a great selection of prizes for the ongoing Autumn Raffle! All proceeds are going to help the local Durham branch of Cats Protection. If you can, please pop down to the surgery and help the cause by purchasing your tickets, priced at £1.00 per strip.
Many thanks.

At this point, there is no closing date for the raffle – we will keep it going until as many tickets as possible have been sold, in order to help as many needy cats as we can.

Why not treat yourself or a friend to the luxurious smell of one of our pet odour eliminator candles. Gorgeous scents include vanilla & rose, french lavender, vanilla, clothesline fresh, pineapple & coconut, green apple pomegranate, cherry blossom, cherry pomegranate & hot apple cobbler, to name but a few! 70 hours of burn time – great value at £9.38 each.

For your furry friend we stock a range of soft, sisal and vibrating toys. Get in early and avoid the Christmas rush!

We are hoping to host another ‘open day’ here at the practice with the proceeds to go to a local cat charity. We are provisionally looking towards late October, early November 2011.
If you have any unwanted items that would be suitable for raffle / tombola prizes or know anyone who would be able to offer sponsorship of any kind…..ie teas, coffees, cakes, sweets and toys for kids prizes we would gratefully receive them.
Many thanks for your support.

We are pleased to announce our July winner of a £10.00 voucher is Poppy Wilson !

Our kitten lineup is as cute as ever! These three all started their vaccination course within the month of July and one lucky kitten will win a £10.00 voucher to spend on any product or service here at SimplyCats. Book your cutie in for August and be in with a chance of winning!

We are pleased to announce that Mr & Mrs Dickson will be offering this doorstop / draught excluder cat a new home! It was handmade and donated by a staff family member in order to raise funds to support the treatment of a local registered charity – Cats Protection, Durham Branch. We are pleased that we managed to raise nearly £50.00 for them.
Many thanks to all those who purchased tickets.

The Young ones competition is held every month here at SimplyCats. Every kitten who comes into the surgery to start its course of vaccinations has their photo taken and is entered into the draw to win a voucher for £10.00 to spend on any product or service here at SimplyCats. The entrants so far are pictured above.

Caroline has been out with her camera again! Wasington Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust provided some beautiful subjects in bird and flower form. Enjoy!

Dubby has been naughty again….Caroline’s son had his 9th birthday tea. Luckily only family members were present to see him jump on the table via the chair and steal a ham sandwich and take it to his lair underneath the chair. He would not part with it and hid further under the table as Caroline tried to reach him. He is pictured above re-emerging from underneath the table as he licks his lips after finishing his tasty snack !!! We’ll hold off for a weigh in at the moment as he finished off with part of a slice of battenburg cake stolen about 20 minutes later

Spring is in the air…. well the sun is out and the grass is starting to grow and hopefully this constitutes the onset of Spring. I for one will not be sorry to see the end of the long cold dark nights and now that the clocks have gone forward it means being able to spend more time outdoors with my animals.
Also at this time of year many more cats are making a move to venture outdoors to enjoy the sun and participate in their feline adventures! As some of these outings can be very exciting and require a lot of concentration our feline friends may venture further than they intended and a lot of owners find peace of mind knowing their beloved cats have been microchipped in case they get lost.
This is a simple and relatively painless procedure which can be carried out here at SimplyCats.
Further information on the subject of microchipping can be obtained by visiting our home page, clicking the link for information sheets where the microchipping info can be found.

Carol

I began working at Simply Cats on the 21st February as a receptionist, and I would like to thank Sarah, Paul and all the staff for allowing me this great opportunity. Over the last five weeks I have learnt a great deal about our feline friends regarding their health, welfare and nutrition needs.
Up until this point I was unaware of the large number of different breeds which exist in the feline world. I have been introduced to so many beautiful breeds of cats and their very friendly owners. During our conversations I have gained a lot of useful information. I would like to thank you all for patiently biding with me during this massive learning curve in my working life.
Here at Simply Cats I have found there are a number of ways information can be cascaded. In and around the reception area there are numerous free leaflets which give useful help and advice regarding how to care for your cat. Also there are sample books on display which can be obtained through the practice. Simply Cats also hosts client evenings, which deal with the different aspects of feline care. I attended the most recent one on Wednesday 23rd March and my friend came along too. We both enjoyed the evening and the information we gained was very informative.
I must go now as I have two pairs of hungry eyes staring up at me (this sounds like a pun for a song). Those eyes are reminding me they have mouths and it is tea time, it’s been along time since breakfast. Those eyes belong to my two hungry dogs.
Carol

From 4th April 2011 we are introducing free geriatric nurse clinics here at SimplyCats for our feline clients aged 7 or over.
This will include a weight check and complete a ‘well cat’ questionnaire which will help to highlight any areas of concern.
We will also perform a free urinalysis and give advice on correct diet for the mature cat.
To book your appointment please call the surgery 0191 385 9696.

We named this little cat “O’Mally” when he was brought in as a stray by a member of the public from the Penshaw area. Approximately 3 years old and according to the member of the public who brought him to us, he had been living rough for quite some time

His tail had an open fracture on arrival at the surgery which was causing him a considerable amount of pain and distress. This wound had originally alerted the member of the public that something was wrong with him. After phoning the RSPCA, he was instructed by them to bring the cat to us here at SimplyCats Vet Clinic for initial treatment.

However, after examination by Sarah, our vet, the tail had to be partially amputated to limit the risk of infection, leaving a cute stump of about 4 inches. She also castrated him whilst under anaesthetic, and he is now looking for a new home.

Unfortunately the local branch of RSPCA’s rehoming centre was full, and unable to take him from us, leaving the majority of our vet’s work in this case to be a goodwill gesture….

On a brighter note we have now managed to secure him a place in a foster home until he finishes his recuperation, organised through Cats Protection Gateshead Branch

All the local rescues, including Cats Protection are full of cats like O’Mally needing a second chance. If you feel you would be able to offer a loving home to a cat in need, please contact the surgery on 0191 385 9696 and we will give you the relevant rescue contact details for your area