Goldie and Trudie

Goldie on the lookout

This is better than television, says Trudie watching Goldie's shadow

Tiger on the prowl

Tiger spent a few days in hospital this week after a paralysing encounter with a brown snake. As you can see he was unsteady on his feet and stayed close to the ground when trying to move. If he'd waited any longer before alerting his humans to his condition he would have been like a floppy doll and completely unable to walk. At the end of summer and autumn when snakes are low in venom cats can take several hours to develop the muscle weakness.  Untreated the paralysis can immobilise them altogether and stop them swallowing and breathing.
We gave Tiger brown snake antivenom as well as drugs to prevent any reaction to the antivenom and hospitalised him on a drip to flush the antivenom and venom complexes from his system.

Tiger in a cage

Places to go...people to see...Tiger after 24 hours, impatient to get home. 

Once Tiger was able to swallow his food we could take him off his drip and send him home.  He is still not strong enough to resume his neighbourhood prowls but at least he can relax and be waited on in the manner to which he has become accustomed at home.

CATcerto - Nora the famous feline pianist

Mother Cat

Cleo is such a mother!  Here she listens to my teenager's woes, nodding sagely.
This morning I had great difficulty finding the offending items on dog poo patrol.  Ahead of me I spotted her methodically scraping the dirt over my three dogs' droppings.  A mother's work is never done...

A word from above

Coco surveys the world from the top of the bunk bed

Cats need high places.  Perhaps to preserve their natural superiority, perhaps to see danger coming, perhaps so that they can watch without being seen ... who knows?
All I know is that cats who don't have high perches or hiding holes can show signs of stress.  Every day I see them with bladder inflammation, excessive grooming, urine marking and other signs of feline stress.
Does your cat have a hidey hole, high or low?

Teeth and tartar

A healthy mouth equals a happy, healthy cat.  In nature cats hide pain so that predators and rivals cannot better them. 
In our homes this is a huge disadvantage.  We don't often look in our cats' mouths so we don't realise that they are hiding holes in their teeth, loose teeth, tartar or gum disease.
Cat's teeth are prone to decay at the gumline.  Rough teeth gather plaque and tartar which rub against the gums and cause inflammation and infection, resulting in loose teeth.
Cat owners are often surprised when we recommend dental work for their cats  They are even more surprised - and delighted! - at how happy and playful their cats are after bad teeth are removed and the remainder scaled and polished.
A good Australian pet dentistry site is:
Sydney Pet Dentistry

The staff at Hall Vet Surgery are happy to talk teeth any time.