Category Archives: Medical & Health Care

Medical & Health Care

Anesthesia-Free Dental Cleaning for Cats — Warning, Proceed with Caution

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There’s no shortcut to giving cats good dental care. Beware of the new trend in anesthesia-free dental cleaning for cats and dogs, and my advice – is avoid it like the plague.

The best dental care is always at the vet under anesthesia checking for and filling cavities, cleaning plaque and gums, extracting teeth if needed, and polishing the teeth. Beware of petfood stores advertising “Teeth Cleaning Without Anesthesia for Cats and Dogs.” Though it sounds good, my experience with two cats could not have been worse, and could have led to serious, long-term dental issues if I hadn’t gone straight to my vet afterwards for an in-hospital dental cleaning under anesthesia. Continue reading Anesthesia-Free Dental Cleaning for Cats — Warning, Proceed with Caution →

Cat Care Tips, Elderly Cat Care, Medical & Health Care

Treating Your Cat’s Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) – A Helpful Guide

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is relatively common in mature, senior and geriatric cats. This year, my 17-year-old cat Marcel was diagnosed with advanced, late-stage chronic kidney disease. In a short period of time, I scrambled to learn everything possible about the disease and how to treat it. Had I known before what I quickly learned, about providing the best possible treatment options and support for early and late-stage CKD, I could have possibly prolonged Marcel’s life and quality of life significantly. But the motto, too little too late, applied in my personal journey. The application of my new valuable knowledge came just too late to save him. But it’s not too late to help your cat and provide you with what I wish I had known months earlier. This guide is an effort to give owners of CKD cats the best, most valuable resources possible, in the shortest time possible. CKD is a very manageable disease in cats, but it’s critical to catch it early in order to manage it and prolong your cat’s life. Getting a diagnosis as soon as possible, as early in the disease, will give you more time to apply all the best treatments available to help your cat. Here is the most valuable and useful information and guidance I can provide you and your CKD cat, all in one page with links to some of the best resources and support available today. May your cat live a long, healthy, and comfortable life with CKD with much more quality time spent with you! 

Chronic kidney disease in cats is not a life sentence, but if it is properly treated, your cat can live a long and happy life. So let’s begin. 

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Elderly Cat Care, Medical & Health Care

Treating My Cat’s Severe IBD and Gastrointestinal Inflammation

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In July 2017, my then 17-year-old cat Romeo started presenting with symptoms of vomiting, diarrhea, mild weight loss, and lethargy. Up to this point, Romeo had been a very healthy male cat with no medical issues other than a low-grade heart murmur, one eye infection, periodic dental cleanings, and routine annual checkups to maintain his health. But things were about to change for Romeo and his cat parents.

Concerned that Romeo’s diarrhea and vomiting had become more than just an isolated event, we scheduled an appointment at Four Corners Veterinary Hospital in Concord, our trusted vet who has been highly supportive and a critical partner in managing all of our cat’s health over the years. Romeo’s doctor did a full physical exam—palpating his abdomen—finding some thickening of his intestines. He took Romeo’s blood and ran a blood chemistry profile and urinalysis. Then recommended diagnostic tests—specifically an ultrasound that would rule out things like a GI tract obstruction or abdominal mass, but would provide a detailed examination of Romeo’s internal organs from all different angles, the sizes of the organs, as well as their functioning. An ultrasound evaluates the cat’s liver, spleen, kidneys, gallbladder, lymph nodes, small and large bowels, bladder and pancreas and is able to determine the size, shape and texture of each—revealing any abnormalities, enlargements, masses, fluids, stones, thickening, dilation or if any lesions are present. So we ponied up the $450 dollars (at the time) to get to the bottom of what was going on with Romeo’s gut. 

TREATING MY CAT’S SEVERE IBD AND GASTROINTESTINAL INFLAMMATION
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Cat Care Tips, Medical & Health Care

What are the Signs Your Cat is in Pain?

It can be easy to miss the signs your cat is in pain since cats try to disguise when they’re suffering, but if you know the signs you’ll be able to quickly detect if your cat is in pain. Some signs are more obvious, but others are harder to detect. Most signs can be seen in a cat’s physical posture, facial expression, behavior, response to touch, vocalization, or change in daily habits.

Cats in severe pain may become more aggressive and agitated—even sometimes frantic—and behave more erratically. They can pace about in their restless discomfort and vocalize more. But often the signs are more subtle and easy to miss. They may hide in a corner or closet, or sit in a “crouched” position, and may even purr when they are distressed and uncomfortable. Here are some common signs of pain in a cat to be on the lookout for:

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Cat Care Tips, Elderly Cat Care, Medical & Health Care

Medicating and Pilling Cats – How to Make it Easier, Safer and Healthier for Your Cat 

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If you have a cat at home chances are really good that sometime in your cat’s lifetime you will need to medicate them, especially as they transition into their senior years. Sometimes cats can be challenging to pill or medicate, but there are some techniques that will make medicating them easier, less stressful, more effective and healthier for them. Here are some important things to know and follow when medicating your cat.

Why Dry Pilling and Dry Swallowing is Bad For Cats

Have you ever taken a pill without water? Ouch, it’s not fun. Well the same goes for cats. Without chasing a pill down with water or liquid afterwards the pill can get lodged in the throat and irritate the lining of the esophagus. Dry swallowing can cause a pill to go down painfully and slowly, and can even damage the delicate tissues lining the esophagus. Dry pilling can cause choking, gagging, reflux, heartburn, esophagitis, esophageal injury and strictures, and even cause aspiration. There have been case studies where dry pilling certain medications (including Clindamycin and Doxycycline) have resulted in severe injury to cats and in some cases, even death when these cats were dry pilled. One study noted that “After five minutes 84 percent of capsules and 64 percent of tablets are still sitting in the esophagus,” when dry swallowed. (Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, Volume 8, Issue 6, Dec. 2006: 412-419) Another study that appeared in a veterinary journal found that following dry swallows, “No pills were in the stomach at 30 and 60 seconds, and only 6 percent of the pills were in the stomach at 90 seconds. At 5 minutes, only 36 percent of the pills were in the stomach. For wet swallows that were followed by 6 ccs of water, 90 percent of the pills were in the stomach.” (Journal of Western Internal Medicine, 2001, Sept-Oct: 15: 467-70)

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Elderly Cat Care, Medical & Health Care

The Importance of Annual Physical Exams for Cats

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Maybe you adopted a new cat or have had your cat for years now—in either case annual physical exams are highly recommended for maintaining the optimal health of your cat. Your cat may be low-maintenance, but that’s no reason not to take them for a wellness exam every year. This article will highlight the reasons why annual physical exams for cats are so important, how annual checkups can prevent and detect disease as early as possible, reduce factors that may be health risks,  correct or delay the progression of disease, and help to give your cat the healthiest, highest quality of life possible for as long as possible.

Cats mask when they are sick or feel bad—they can hide suffering and pain very well, it’s an evolutionary trait—so you may not know they are suffering or are in pain. And just because your cat lives indoors doesn’t mean they can’t get sick or develop a congenital or chronic disease, or a bacterial or viral infection, or severe tooth decay and gum disease, or inflammation that causes health issues, or a possible stress-related illness. All of these are very possible health issues for indoor-only cats.

Benefits of Annual Physical Exams for Cats

Annual physical exams give you peace of mind knowing the state of your cat’s overall health. Annual exams give you a baseline for what is normal for your cat’s health so you can readily see any changes from the previous year or years. Annual checkups can lengthen your cat’s life expectancy by addressing health issues early-on before they become more serious or advanced and difficult to treat. Your veterinarian will be able to detect any new health problems or chronic conditions and treat them immediately—that would otherwise have been delayed and left untreated if you waited another year. By treating your cat’s health problem and not waiting longer to diagnose and medically treat it, your cat will be more comfortable.

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Elderly Cat Care, Medical & Health Care

Don’t Ignore the Signs of Dental Disease in Cats

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Cats Need Dental CareFebruary is Dental Awareness Month, so it’s a perfect time to start the year off right by providing good dental care for your cat. Dental or periodontal disease can lead to many serious health and medical issues if left untreated. And untreated dental disease can be very painful for your cat and can even cause them to stop eating. The key to good dental care and managing dental disease is prevention.

Dental disease and oral tumors can start in cats as young as 1-2 years old so it’s important to have your cat’s mouth, gums and teeth evaluated starting when they are young. Gum disease is an infection that results from a build-up of dental plaque or bacteria on the surfaces of the teeth around the gum line. If plaque is allowed to accumulate it can lead to infection in the bone surrounding the teeth. The gums will then become inflamed causing bleeding and oral pain. Inflammation can progress affecting both soft and bony tissues causing gum disease, bone loss, and periodontal damage. When severe periodontal disease is present bacteria from the mouth can enter the bloodstream and damage the kidneys, heart and liver.

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Cat Care Tips, Elderly Cat Care, Medical & Health Care

Does Your Cat Have High Blood Pressure?

Feline high blood pressure or hypertension can be a dangerous problem for your cat’s health. If left untreated it can affect your cat’s organs including their eyes, kidneys, heart and even brain. A simple blood pressure test can be done during your cat’s annual veterinary exam to quickly determine if your cat’s blood pressure is in the normal range. Detecting it early is the key to success and will minimize damage to vital organs.

Cats that are particularly vulnerable to developing hypertension are often older cats as well as cats that have been diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, diabetes, heart or hyperthyroid disease. If your cat has been diagnosed with any of these diseases, you want to watch carefully for the signs and symptoms of hypertension, and get annual or bi-annual veterinary exams to avoid the possible damage caused to organs by hypertension. Since it’s more common in older cats, you’ll want to include regular blood pressure checks in your annual exams starting with cats that are 8 years of age and older. For cats that are 14 years and older, include a blood pressure test in their bi-annual exam.

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Cat Behavior, Elderly Cat Care, Medical & Health Care

Ways to Reduce Stress and Anxiety in Your Cat

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Sometimes change is unavoidable for our cats, like moving into a new home, bringing home a new baby, having house guests, or adopting a new dog or cat. All of these can truly rock a cat’s world and trigger behavior changes. Sometimes even the slightest change can cause some cats to become uncomfortable, fearful, stressed, and anxious. Fortunately, there are many effective ways to reduce anxiety in your cat, and provide a more stress-free environment at home. 

Cats are very vulnerable to changes at home, new people, houseguests, home remodeling, and they will often show they are feeling anxious and uncomfortable by hiding more often, vocalizing more, obsessively licking, uncontrollably drooling or chewing, sleeping all day or more than normal, urine marking or even potting outside the litter box. Sometimes external changes in the cat’s home environment can even negatively impact your cat’s overall health and quality of life.

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Cat Care Tips, Food & Nutrition, Medical & Health Care

Probiotics for Cats Helps Build a Healthy Digestive System

Probiotics are the “friendly” desirable bacteria that boost digestion, build a healthy digestive/intestinal and immune system, and reduce the harmful bacteria and organisms that can invade the body and cause infections and disease. Probiotics work to enhance the right balance of GI bacteria.

I have learned through my two cats with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), that probiotics given daily in their food really helps to strengthen and build their intestinal tract and reduce the symptoms and suffering caused by IBD. In cats, IBD is caused by intestinal disorders that increase inflammation in the lining of the digestive tract. Food sensitivities and allergies can contribute to IBD, and chronic diarrhea and/or vomiting are typical symptoms that result in the inflammation and scar tissue in the lining of the intestines.

Who Needs Probiotics?

Not all cats need probiotics, but if your cat has loose or smelly stools, chronic diarrhea, lots of gas, is taking steroids for prolonged periods of time for a chronic medical issue, or is on antibiotics for an infection—probiotics can help get their intestinal and digestive system health back on track and ease any suffering they might feel.

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