The Cat Clinic

Full service feline only veterinary hospital

veterinary visits

Early Detection Can Lead to Early Diagnosis of Disease

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cat disease
Cat Disease- Tulip

There is nothing quite like the grief of loosing a pet, this is undeniable. Our furry friends are such a huge a part of our lives and our hearts, and there is an unforgettable emptiness after they’re gone. One of the hardest situations to deal with is unexpected euthanasia that comes suddenly with no time to prepare. The best way to avoid such situation is early detection of cat disease and illness. Noticing your felines first subtle signs of sickness can lead to early diagnosis and can help avoid unprepared loss.

In the veterinary world, when a patient presents with sudden abnormal behaviors or signs of illness that cannot yet be determined, we call it “ADR”, or ain’t doing right. It is common in older cats who have no previous history of disease and have been healthy for most of their life. As a pet owner, it is important to be able to pick up on to the early signs of ADR, but first you must be able to understand and identify them. There are multiple key points to look out for as your cat ages.

 

 

  • Visible changes in your cat are important in determining if there is something wrong. Changes like weight loss, abnormal gait, lack of luster to the coat, or even something as subtle as an unusual look in their eyes can be the first signs of an illness.

 

 

 

  • Behavior changes  can range from obvious and alarming, to subtle and hard to notice. Some of the more obvious changes in behavior include hiding, if they are typically social. Subtle signs can be as simple as sleeping in an odd location or deciding not to play with a toy that they usually love.

 

 

 

  • Changes in appetite is a common sign that should never be ignored. If your cat doesn’t finish or decides to skip a meal, it is likely there is something brewing. Also, it is not uncommon in some cat diseases for cats to become more hungry. If you notice they are begging more often or seem ravenous, they could be telling you they are sick.

 

 

  • Changes in thirst is also common with many cat disease s. An increase in thirst can be an early sign of illnesses such as kidney disease or diabetes. If you notice you have to fill up the water bowl more than usual, don’t ignore it!

 

  • Vocalization is very common in cats who are in pain or uncomfortable. Howling or an increase in vocalization is an easy sign to pick up on, and it is pretty hard to ignore. It is important to listen when your cat tells you there is something wrong!

 

There are many more subtle signs that your cat can begin to show if they are ADR. These may include a fowl odor, such as bad breath, inappropriate elimination or use of the litter box, excessive scratching or grooming, vomiting or diarrhea, or becoming less social or affectionate.

It is important to remember that as a pet owner, you know your cat better than anyone else. Trust your instinct. If you think something may be off, or something seems different, do not hesitate to call your veterinarian. It could be a matter of early detection of a life threatening  cat disease, and you will be thankful that you called.

Schedule an appointment today 

by Leah Carlson, CVT

Finding Time for Preventative Care for your Cat

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preventative care
cat at the veterinarian

We have already talked about why cats need preventative care. How important it is to get them checked out by their veterinarian at least yearly to avoid missing diseases and problems until they are severe. Cats are stoic animals that don’t show symptoms until the disease is advanced.

Also, we have spent time learning how to make veterinary visits less stressful and more pleasant for all involved. Picking out the perfect carrier and learning how to easily get your cat into the carrier has all been discussed.

But we still can’t get our cat to the animal hospital. Why? Because we work too much.

If you are a professional who is already struggling to maintain that work life balance that we all hear so much about then you know how hard it is to make it to your own appointments let alone get your cat to the veterinarian.

At the Cat Clinic of Plymouth, we strive to make sure that we make taking your cat to their appointments as convenient as possible.

  • Drop off appointments are available by appointment. Drop off your cat for the day and we can arrange to complete the services needed and contact you by telephone with the results.
  • Later hours on Tuesday and Thursday. We are open until 7 pm to allow for later appointments of later pick up times for cats that have spent the day with us.
  • Saturday openings. We are open until 2 pm every Saturday for those Monday through Friday 9 to 5 ers.
  • Conveniently mailed medications or after hours pick up. Just call or email ahead and we will have your medications waiting for you.

Let us know what else we can do to make it convenient for you, the professional, to get the cat care they deserve! We are willing to try!

Check List for a Successful Veterinary Visit

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Happy Cat going to the Veterinarian

At the Cat Clinic of Plymouth, we know that our clients want their kitties to have a happy and healthy life. Part of achieving this level of wellness is by scheduling preventative care visits routinely with your veterinarian. However, getting some cats to the animal hospital can be a bit stressful for both you and your cat.

 

 

Here is a checklist for making that trip to the animal hospital to see your veterinarian much less tricky.

  • Choose the correct carrier for your cat.

 

 

  • Familiarize your cat with its carrier

 

  • Use feline facial pheromones

 

  • Ask your veterinarian if they recommend any other medications for travel

 

  • Cover the carrier for travel and for entrance into the animal hospital

 

  • Make a list of changes in your cat and questions that you want to ask the veterinarian

 

  • Allow your cat to familiarize itself with its new surroundings

 

  • Make an appointment at a veterinary clinic designated as a Cat Friendly Practice by the Association of Feline Practitioners like the Cat Clinic of Plymouth

By Cassandra Kelley DVM

 

Stress Free Veterinary Visits for your Cat

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Happy Cat going to the Veterinarian
Happy Cat going to the Veterinarian

Check List for a Stree Free Veterinary Visit

At the Cat Clinic of Plymouth, we know that our clients want their kitties to have a happy and healthy life. Part of achieving this level of wellness is by scheduling preventative care visits routinely with your veterinarian. However, getting some cats to the animal hospital can be a bit stressful for both you and your cat.

Make the Experience Stress Free

Here is a checklist for making that trip to the animal hospital to see your veterinarian much less tricky.

  • Choose the correct carrier for your cat.
  • Make the carrier a place of comfort. See our blog.
  • Familiarize your cat with its carrier
  • Use feline facial pheromones for a stress free ride
  • Ask your veterinarian if they recommend any other medications for travel
  • Cover the carrier for travel and for entrance into the animal hospital
  • Make a list of changes in your cat and questions that you want to ask the veterinarian
  • Allow your cat to familiarize itself with its new surroundings
  • Make an appointment at a veterinary clinic designated as a Cat Friendly Practice by the Association of Feline Practitioners like the Cat Clinic of PlymouthCat Clinic Plymouth MA

By Cassandra Kelley DVM, veterinarian and owner Cat Clinic of Plymouth

How to Choose your Veterinarian?

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Veterinarian
Veterinarian examining a cat

I was going to title this blog “Why are you mad at your veterinarian?”

Sometimes as a veterinarian during my examination of a cat, I start to give some options for dealing with some of the everyday problems that the cat parent has brought to my attention for instance, occasional vomiting, bad breath, itchy skin, etc. Every once in a while, a cat parent becomes quite agitated with my suggestions. Their face clenches, their words get clipped, the voice is raised and I am not sure why. Why are they mad at me? Maybe they feel I am suggesting that they do the impossible. Maybe they feel they can’t afford some of the recommendations. Maybe they feel that the problem isn’t actually a problem. I really don’t know because the conversation becomes almost impossible to navigate because of the agitation level.

I always feel terrible when this does happen because I feel that I felt short of doing my job which is to be a health advocate for the little cat that is my patient. And I think if everyone who is interested in the best care for their pets would pick the right veterinarian for them, we could avoid this unpleasantness altogether.

Choosing your veterinarian

Now I believe that all veterinarians are kind hearted people who were called to this profession because of their love and commitment to animals. Believe me. No one chose this job because they were in it for the money, hours, lack of stress, emotional or physical comfort, etc. We work long hard hours to make sure your pet is well cared for while we miss dinner with the family every night. We drive our old cars so we can pay our student loans. We cry after we euthanize your pet.

So beyond making sure that your veterinarian is a qualified, up to date, skilled practitioner of veterinary medicine, make sure you like this person. You should feel able to ask questions of this person, learn from this person and communicate easily with this person. Most pet parents eventually have an emotional and difficult conversation with their pet’s veterinarian. So make sure before that happens that the discussions about at home dental care, flea control and diets aren’t difficult. Everyone communicates differently and has different personalities. That’s why there is more than one veterinarian. Make sure you pick the best one for you!

Check out some of the testimonials from clients of the Cat Clinic of Plymouth.

By Cassandra Kelley DVM, veterinarian and owner Cat Clinic of Plymouth

Breakdown of a visit to the Animal Hospital

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Veterinarian performs an exam on a cat at the animal hospital
Veterinarian performs an exam on a cat at the animal hospital

Entering the Animal Hospital

Ever wonder what all the people racing around your animal hospital are doing? What is the veterinarian looking for in my cat’s mouth? I can remember going to the animal hospital visit when I was small and trying to make sense of everything that was going on in this tiny office full of barking dogs and crying cats. Luckily, we have no barking dogs at the Cat Clinic of Plymouth so things are less hectic feeling.

Well, the first person that you meet might seem to have the most obvious job. The veterinary receptionist will great you and let the rest of the staff know you arrived. They confirm you and your cats information and find out any other information that the rest of the staff might need to know before the appointment begins including new medical history, medical concerns or how your cat seems today. That receptionist takes care of this while also answering sometimes complex veterinary questions via telephone, email and social media. They stay very busy!

Preparing for the Veterinary Exam

Once the receptionist informs the veterinary technician or their assistant, the veterinary technician will again familiarize themselves with your pet and prepare the room to make sure that it is clean and comfy. One in the exam room, the veterinary technician will take a history of basic husbandry questions plus changes in medical history since the last appointment as well as any new medical or behavioral concerns for the veterinarian. We will usually open the carrier and allow your cat to comfortably patrol the exam room of the animal hospital and get comfortable with the new space. Sometimes with a more nervous patient that gets defensive if over stimulated, we will allow them to relax in their own space within their carrier. (See How to get your cat to LOVE its carrier). Eventually, we will ask the patient to step out of their cat carrier. We avoid pulling or dumping them from their carrier if at all possible. If there is a top door or if the top half of the cat carrier can be removed we will use that option sometimes performing the entire exam in the safety of the bottom of the carrier if at all possible. If appropriate the veterinary technician will collect a basic health assessment including heart rate, respiratory rate, temperature and blood pressure.

At that point, the veterinary technician confers with the veterinarian allowing the veterinarian to reexamine the cat’s chart in light of any new information that the veterinary technician has discovered during the conversation with you or assessing your cat including prior examinations or treatment plans, prior blood results or radiographs or the new medical history that was provided.

The Preventative Care Exam

The veterinarian then enters the room and hopefully after some pleasantries with you and your feline fur baby, the exam begins. Every veterinarian has their own systematic approach to the exam so that no body system goes unexamined. My exam begins when the patient is exploring the exam room. I watch how they are getting around. Do they get around comfortably? Are there any signs of pain or lameness? I also take note of their attitude and body language. Sometimes I will spend some time on the floor with them before moving them to the exam table.

After some chin scratches and some treats for the patient if appropriate, I usually start with the cat’s head. At this point, I am looking for obvious abnormalities like dirty ears, cloudy eyes, oral disease and enlarged lymph nodes that may require further investigation. Continuing down the body, I stop to check the neck and chest again for enlargements especially of lymph nodes or thyroid glands all the while trying to get more specific information about the issues that were brought to the veterinary technician’s attention.  With my stethoscope safely plugged into my ears, I then listen for heart sounds. This is usually when my client wants to start a story. So between the cats growling, purring, breathing and the client talking, I listen to the heart for specific heart sounds, beat abnormalities and heart rate. I then turn my attention to the breath sounds of the cat, they should be relatively quiet and at a normal rate.

Once the stethoscope is off I palpate the abdomen of the cat looking for a normal sized liver, spleen and bladder. Once these are identified, I concentrate on the intestines feeling for masses, thickenings, amount and consistency of stool in the colon.  Finally, I run my hands over the entire body of the cat looking for lumps and bumps and health of the skin and coat.  At this point, I will investigate more intensely any areas of concern found on initial veterinary exam. This may include looking at the ear canal with an otoscope or looking at the eyes with a ophthalmoscope.

Preventative Care Plan

Hopefully there are no abnormalities and we can administer preventative vaccinations or draw blood for preventative lab work. If there is an abnormality after discussing with the client, the veterinarian and veterinary technician come up with a diagnostic or treatment plan that the technician can then explain to the owner. If everyone is in agreement, we proceed with the plan. The technicians and veterinarians work together to set up what is needed so that when the patient is ready, we efficiently work through the punch list attempting to decrease stress to the client and the cat.

Veterinary Medical Record Documentation

Once the appointment is concluded, the veterinary technician and veterinarian make sure that all of the exam findings and discussions are noted within the medical record as well as all of the treatments or diagnostics that have been suggested. The clients are walked back to the receptionist to make their next appointment and receive any necessary documents.

So while what I have described here is the protocol of the Cat Clinic of Plymouth and other animal hospitals may have slightly different takes, the basic idea is fairly universal. As always I encourage my clients to ask questions and raise concerns at any point of this process. We are here to be a health advocate for your special fur baby. As their health care proxy, you must be just as comfortable with your experience at the veterinary hospital.

To schedule an appointment for your cat, Contact Us

 

By Cassandra Kelley DVM, veterinarian and owner Cat Clinic of Plymouth