SimplyCats Vet Clinic Blog

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 sitting outside the house where Elvis was born

Joanne and Dad in Las Vegas

Joanne

Cats will drink water from the strangest of places – puddles, the toilet, bath, sink, even the shower tray.

Being guilty of all of the aforementioned, Caroline decided to purchase a cat water fountain for her cats.

This was especially for Maisey who is the worst offender, climbing into the sink while Caroline was getting washed and licking the water from the tap as it is flowing.

Here is a picture of Maisey licking the actual fountain, rather than drinking out of the reservoir itself.

Caroline can now get washed in peace and can recommend the use of water fountains for similar offenders.

Caroline

Maisey strikes again at Caroline’s house sleeping where she shouldn’t.

This time on the piano stool which is covered in a velvet-like fabric, perfect for attracting cat hairs! Despite pushing the stool halfway under the piano.

Maisey still manages to squash herself in and deposit the required hairs, ready for the posterior of the next piano-playing victim!!

Caroline

It’s time for Caroline to share some more nature photography shots – the close up of the bee on a foxglove was taken in July after much waiting and near misses from stings!

The photo of the poppy field is above Rainton Meadows. For those of you who live locally will know that is is a nature reserve created from the old pit works.

Caroline

I found this video online and just had to share it with you

Claire

A couple of weeks ago during some heavy rain some fledgling starling chicks took refuge within the bird table in the back garden. They were forced to remain there all day due to the fact that the heavy rain had drenched their feathers and they weren’t quite sure how to deal with it. Popping out occasionally for a fat ball treat and some seeds, they obviously were quite comfortable in their ‘hotel’ as when the rain stopped, they stayed there for quite some time. Luckily, Caroline’s three cats are ‘fair weather’ cats and stayed indoors through the starling ordeal!

Who says you can’t enjoy birds in your garden when you have cats!

Caroline

This could be a regular topic for Caroline as one of her cats, Maisey takes time out on the dining table from examining a giant lava lamp which she found really scary!

Caroline

After her first adventure in the garden, Megan now wants to be out everytime the Patio door is opened. She is very good because if she does get out, she just stays on the top step and dosen’t make any attempt to run away. She was playing around in the garden and the window cleaner appeared on Tuesday…what a commotion!!! She took off into the house and managed to wrap herself around the table legs. All I could hear was a pathetic little squeaky meow . I picked her up and poor little thing was shaking so I cuddled her in. Normally when the window cleaner comes, she sits on the window sill and chases after his cloth ….much to his amusement. Anyway no harm was done and she soon regained her confidence and was back to business in the garden again.

Maisie is a bit too adventurous when she is out on her harness. We have a large fence between us and our neighbour and I just caught her jumping on top of it and disappearing down the other side, thank goodness the lead on the harness was very long or goodness knows what would have happened. I now make sure that she isn’t near the fence when she is out……it’s like having children….you can’t take your eyes off them for a moment

Joanne

Caroline’s eight year old son, Calum has plenty of soft toys to choose a favourite from. Like all children, he has to choose the same toy that Katie likes to snuggle up to. Here she is pictured taking advantage of the fact that Calum is at school and she has Spongebob all to herself – she looks very smug!

Caroline

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 in a Stitch hat (who says we have to be mature all of the time?)

Claire & Neil in Universal Studios, Hogwarts in the background

Claire & Neil at Seaworld

Claire & Neil waiting to ride the world's largest SlingShot

Claire at Disney's Animal Kingdom

Lion at Disney's Animal Kingdom

Claire at Pixar Studios, home of Toy Story

Claire and David Hasslehoff's handprints at Planet Hollywood

Claire with a lego boy and lego dogs at Downtown Disney

Claire at Honeyduke's shop in Wizarding World of Harry Potter (Claire's nickname is Duke)

Invisible cat at Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Claire & Neil at Universal Studios

Claire

We are offering our clients the chance to see their cat appear on SimplyCats vaccine reminders and the Mewsletter. If you would like your cat to feature in these materials, please contact us and include a photo of your beloved cat.

If you have any comments or suggestions, please click here to contact us. Any feedback welcome on how we can improve our site.

If there is any subject you would like to read about on the blog or in the Mewsletter, please let us know, as we are always grateful of any suggestion.

Claire

SimplyCats would like to thank everyone who attended our Open Day on Saturday 8th May and made this a fantastic day!  

We are pleased to announce that so far we have raised over £150 and are still receiving donations.

 We certainly had nice weather for it and the day was brilliant, everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

The day would not have been a success without those who attended so once again, a big thank you from everyone.

Many thanks go to all who attended and helped to organise the event.

Please click here for more information and photos from the Open Day.

Claire

We are celebrating our first birthday today at SimplyCats! We opened a year ago today, May 5th

If you have ever had a cavity or dental work done, you know how uncomfortable and inconvenient it can be. For humans, caring for our teeth is something we do almost automatically. Since cats are unable to brush their own teeth and, like humans, do not have a natural, built-in way to keep teeth clean, it falls on you to maintain your cat’s dental health.

Veterinary research indicates that dental disease, in its various forms, is the number one health issue in feline medicine and about 70% of cats over the age of three have some kind of dental problem. Fortunately for your cat, dental disease is preventable!

When I got Piglet she had slight tartar on her canines and molars, and ideally needed a scale and polish. I decided to let her settle in first before undergoing any dental work.

Scale and polish is the most common dental procedure performed on cats. Generally, the process takes about an hour. General anesthesia is required for any kind of veterinary dental work.

Piglet is currently fed Purina Housecat dry food and she loves it, I can’t get it into her bowl quick enough I also use Logical Oral gel on her teeth once daily, or as often as I get a chance to do it. 8 weeks later I checked her teeth and the tartar has almost all gone from her teeth and she now doesn’t need a dental.

Not all cats will be as lucky as Piglet and find their tartar breaks down completely but it just goes to show that  a dental routine really does make a difference to your cat’s oral hygiene.

Claire

It seems that many cats like to ‘help’ when it comes to packing or unpacking things at home. This is my cat, Katie getting in on the action, along with my son, Calum.

Caroline