SimplyCats Vet Clinic Blog

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!

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 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.

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

As you can see from the picture, Caroline’s fat cat – Dubby had a great Christmas dinner. After a couple of glasses of wine and his willpower dulled, Caroline’s husband fell victim to the ‘feed me’ face and threw down a yorkshire pudding onto the floor. Dubby immediately leapt onto the pudding, steadying it with his paw.

He actually looked rather funny as he tore off strips, much like a lion on the savannah eating its kill !

To follow he ate a sprout in one lick….needless to say Caroline had a few sharp words to say to her husband as she looked in the litter tray later on…..ewww

The moral of the story is “if your cat is on a special diet, don’t feed him extras, such as yorkshire pudding and sprouts as

a) he will put on weight and
b) you would not like to see / smell the litter tray afterwards, and
c) cats are not meant to eat human food”

Last week I noticed Megan had a sore eye and didn’t seem herself so I brought her in to see ‘Aunty Sarah’
Sarah gave her an examination and said she had a viral infection so gave her tablets, Metacam and some eye drops. She has suprised me by taking her tablets better than I thought……well I had to wrap her up in a towel but there you go. A couple of times the tablets ended up stuck on my dressing gown but they went back down and all was well. I found her one morning, drinking the cold remnants of my coffee from breakfast time…..her head was almost lost in the mug bless her ! Anyway all is well with her I am pleased to say.
Maisie, my oldest girl is very well at the moment – she gave herself a fright the other night though. I was watching TV and all of a sudden I heard a great commotion. Megan was asleep with me on the settee and suddenly Maisie came hurtling down the stairs and into the sitting room attached to a Primark carrier ! She has been snuffling about in it and got it stuck so she had taken off with it attached and came downstairs like a whirlwind. Poor Megan got the fright of her life and followed Maisie all over until I could get it off her. No one was hurt I am pleased to add. Just one very perturbed pussycat, one startled younger sister and one now wide awake Mam

We have a selection of Pet Odour Eliminator Candles on sale at SimplyCats in time for Christmas. They are great for all household pet odours. The enzyme formulated candle attacks and removes the odours when burning – and left unlit without the lid on provides a gentle scent to refresh any room in the house.

Available in a variety of scents and colours such as festive ‘Mulberry & Spice’, ‘Creamy Vanilla’, ‘Watermelon Slices’, ‘Pineapple & Coconut’, ‘Clothesline Fresh’, ‘Vanilla & Rose’, ‘Hot Apple Cobbler’, ‘Fresh Strawberries’ and ‘Lavender’ – they burn for approximately 70 hours and are great value at £9.18 each. Buy one for yourself and one for a friend for £16.00 and SAVE £2.36 !

We had an unusual customer the other day in the back yard at SimplyCats – a very hypothermic snow cat. It remains in quite a critical, frozen state, but will hopefully make a full melted recovery if we ever get a thaw!!

Caroline’s youngest cat, Maisey enjoys ruining a game of ‘pop up pirate’ by patting the dice and playing pieces away from the board with her paw – but the question is – is it really Maisey or some strange alien cat in disguise???

I have just returned from a lovely holiday to USA. We went to Memphis to visit the home of Elvis Presley (I am a HUGE fan) and have previously been in 2007. We had planned to go back again this year with my Mam and Dad but very sadly, I lost my Mam last July so we decided that my husband Keith, my Dad and myself should still go, as that is what Mam would have wanted. It was strange without her but we managed to have a good time and remembered her every day. We moved onto Las Vegas after Memphis and that really was something to see…..an experience you could say . We also went to the Grand Canyon, which was spectacular.
I have eaten too much but I suppose that’s what holidays are for and I am now trying to lose the extra pounds I have put on.

My best friend’s Mam and Dad looked after my two cats and my Dad’s cat while we were away. They only live 3 doors down from my Dad so she just came up to the house to feed and clean them all.

When we arrived back, my Dad’s house looked like a bombsite!  My Dad’s cat Tibby had broken through the cat flap and my oldest cat, Maisie had followed him out…problem being, Maisie is a house cat and dosen’t go out. Anyway, when my friend’s Mam came the next morning and discovered the cat flap broken, she panicked, but to everyone’s suprise Maisie came trotting up the garden path and straight into the house.

My kitten, Megan had been such a good girl and hadn’t made any attempt to go out, she was just curled up on the settee. Only problem was they had been in Dad’s cupboard and pulled all sorts out, there was ornaments all over and hairs on everything….oh well the joy of being a c at lover I suppose.

Joanne

After a fantastic holiday in Florida I am officially back to work and back to reality.

I loved spending time at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Seaworld and Busch Gardens mainly because of the animals but also because of the big rollercoasters (I’m a huge adrenaline junkie). The animals in the parks are kept in fantastic condition and I enjoyed chatting to the keepers at these parks and discussing all things animal related, mainly cat related (I just can’t seem to turn off work mode sometimes).

Here are just a few of my holiday snaps I thought I would share with you.

If any of you are considering a trip to Florida, I strongly urge you to go. It is a fantastic, magical place and I loved every minute of our holiday. Infact we enjoyed it so much we’re already planning a holiday back there next year.

Claire

It’s that time of year again when we all start thinking, or if you’re lucky enough, booking summer holidays. Whilst you are counting down the days until your holiday, take a minute to think about where your cat will spent his or her summer holidays too.

You should start looking for a cattery a while before you need it, as it may take some time to find one that you like and suits your needs. Try and get recommendations from friends and from the Feline Advisory Bureau.

Catteries are classified as outdoor (having an outdoor run for the cats) or indoor (having no outside run).

Most cats enjoy having an outdoor run; it also helps to ensure there is good ventilation and airflow to help prevent the spread of disease. While totally indoor catteries may seem cosy, the shared-air situation means that bacteria and viruses remain in the cats’ environment and can spread from cat to cat unless there is some form of ventilation.

Good cattery design should ensure that:  

• The cat accommodation has a separate enclosed sleeping area with its own individual exercise run.
• There is no possibility of cats within the cattery coming into direct contact with each other.
• Only cats from the same household are boarded together.
• Adequate ventilation and air are present to minimise the danger of spreading air-borne diseases.
• There are gaps between units or if the units are joined together, sneeze barriers. Full-height barriers are essential to prevent cats sneezing on or touching one another.
• Cats have an interesting view to stimulate them, a scratching post and plenty of toys to play with.
• Cats have a shelf in the run for resting and basking in the sun.

Ensure that your cat to be up to date with its vaccinations against cat flu (herpesvirus and calicivirus), and feline infectious enteritis as without these vaccinations your cat will not be able to stay at a cattery.

Click here to view a list of FAB listed boarding catteries.

Claire

Some tips on keeping your cat as safe as possible over the festive season

1. Young kittens may chew through new and interesting items such as electrical wires for your fairy lights. Keep these lights secure and away from your cat.
2. Never give your cat cooked chicken or turkey bones. These bones can splinter and become lodged in your cat’s throat or puncture the intestines and stomach.
3. Chocolate is toxic to cats. The darker the chocolate, the more toxic. Chocolate contains both caffeine and theobromine which are both toxic to cats. If you suspect your cat has eaten chocolate monitor for signs of restlesness and vomiting and contact the vet immediately.
4. Many holiday foods are too rich for cats to eat. Foods that are out of the ordinary can cause stomach upsets
5. Holiday decorations such as ribbon and tinsel can cause problems if your cat ingests them. This is more common with cats that like to play with string. Cats that ingest the ribbon or tinsel can develop a foreign body. This type of foreign body may cause the intestine to fold on itself, like an accordion; this in turn causes a lack of circulation to parts of the intestine
6. Holly, Mistletoe and Poinsettias are all popular plants to have in the home over Christmas. These plants are toxic to cats so should be placed where your cat cannot get to them
7. Every year a great number of cats are poisoned by swallowing Ethylene Glycol based Antifreeze, the sort that is used in car radiators. Cats are attracted to the substance due to it’s sweet taste and enticing smell. Even relatively small amounts of this substance can cause serious problems.

Claire

I spent a week in Broadford on the Isle of Skye looking for somewhat different 4 legged creatures – eventually we found some that were living around a secluded hotel in Glencoe on the mainland called The Kings House (www.kingy.com) and were a little used to approaching people as the hotel kitchen staff would put out vegetable scraps on a regular basis. What a brilliant experience!!

Caroline