Time to cross to Canberra Cat Vet

After 7 years as Hall Cat Vet it is time to cross to Canberra Cat Vet.
As the builders transform a derelict office space into a dedicated cat hospital so Hall Cat Vet transforms to Canberra Cat Vet.
Follow us to our new blog and join us in the anticipation of this exciting new veterinary hospital - just for cats!

Week one - Ground Zero

The builders have knocked down a few walls and ceiling tiles, and left the odd wire hanging. Now the transformation to cat hospital begins...

Go Mr Puddy!

Pointers for laser pointers

Does your cat love to chase a laser pointer? It's great exercise, keeps cats trim and is lots of fun - but don't forget to let your cat catch some solid prey before you turn it off!

Pointers for laser pointers - Veterinary Community Video - Find it all here.

Cat hospital for Canberra

Work begins!

The builders have started fitting out  Canberra Cat Vet, an offshoot of Hall Vet Surgery!
After 3 years of planning we hope to open the doors of Canberra's first cat only hospital at the beginning of August.
Watch this space!

Do you have more than one cat???

Then check out The Ten Commandments of Cat Management for lots of hints on keeping a calm and contented household!

Cats get arthritis too!

Cleo curled up with daughter Cinta

Sixteen year old Burmese Cleo was  slow to jump down off the kitchen bench when caught out last week. She poured herself down the side, landed with a thud and looked stunned for a moment before moving off.
When we X-rayed her elbows we were horrified to find that she had severe osteoarthritis. She had been covering it up - as cats do - for a long time before we noticed she was having trouble.
We then noticed that she is also reluctant to jump very high. She uses chairs to get onto tables and has stopped leaping up to sit in the sun on the windowsill. Her painful knees make her hesitate before jumping and she then scrambles up rather than jumping. Unwilling to miss the electric blanket at night she pulls herself up on to the bed.
We've set up boxes as steps onto her feed bench and the bed. We also play gently with her by trailing ribbons and batting balls to strengthen her muscles. To reduce the strain on her joints we've restricted her food and watched her weight.
She makes sure that she sleeps in a warm, well-cushioned sleeping area - our bed!
This winter she is also on pain medication and is doing remarkably well.

Cat fight abscess

Poor old Kingston has had a run-in with a local bully. Here he is showing off the swelling on the side of his face and waiting for the vet to anaesthetise him and lance it.
We have already given him a long-lasting antibiotic.
Fortunately he has had an FIV vaccination against cat AIDS. The virus is spread by cat bites.
A latex drain, called a penrose, will keep the wound open for a few days to prevent further pus build up. Once that is out he will heal rapidly.
Hopefully he will steer clear of trouble in future!

Cats only!

Thank you for listening Hall Vet Surgery!

From Wednesday 24th April we are trialling a cat-only consultation time from 6 - 8 pm every Wednesday evening. This will be a quiet, dog-free period so that cats are stressed as little as possible before seeing their vet.

Most cats find the vet surgery waiting room a stressful place. They can smell and see dogs and strange humans. Doors bang, dogs bark, people laugh and talk, cages clang.

On ordinary days we find that by the time cats reach the exam table many are very wound up. Vets and nurses find a tense cat hard to examine and results from blood tests are skewed by the body’s stress response.

While cats are hunters they are also prey. In their natural or familiar environment they are very efficient at defending themselves against perceived threats. 

When they are unable to act because they are trapped in a carrier or unable to hide they get ready to flee or attack.  The vet visit becomes very unpleasant for the cat, the owner and the veterinary staff.

Hall Vet Surgery wants to minimise your cat’s stress and make the vet visit a more relaxed and comfortable experience for your cat and you.

Look at the vet visit from your cat’s point of view and book your next visit for a Wednesday evening.

All in the family

Cleo grooms her daughter Cinta

Are the cats in your household stressed by each other? 

In their natural state cats live with their relatives - their mothers, siblings and offspring. We expect them to live in close quarters with total strangers and then wonder why they mark indoors, have bladder problems and overgroom - all signs of stress.

You know your cats consider each other family if they sleep together and groom each other, paying particular attention to each other’s heads. When all the cats in your household think of each other as family stress levels are low. 

More often in multi-cat households each cat considers the other as just another tenant of the house and would rather not share dining, toilet and rest areas. When forced to share tension levels between the cats will rise and fall. Occasionally we see outright aggression between housemates. Sometimes the only sign is the occasional spray of urine up the curtain or recurrent cystitis (inflammation of the bladder).

Check out your cats’ sleeping arrangements. If they are sleeping separately and not grooming each other with complete ease then make sure you have multiple resources available so that each ‘family’ can eat, drink and toilet in private. If you have three cats who do not groom each other then you will need feeding and water bowls, and a litter tray in three separate areas.

Home wanted!

Harry

Harry and Cino's people

Cino

are moving to Texas USA sometime after June and are looking for a fantastic home for their Burmese boys. They want to rehome them together as they have been together since they were kittens.
They have always been inside cats but go outside into a secure courtyard.
As they are getting on in years, they would prefer them to be only cats. However they have grown up with a golden retriever and a Labrador.
Their people will supply their paraphernalia, cat tower, crate, bed, litter box etc, and any food which may be remaining.
Harry, the red, is the more verbal one, he is the boss apparently and keeps our dog in line. He also has a penchant for hair ties which will go missing from the bedroom and turn up in his food dish!!
Cino, the brown, is the smarter, much more affectionate one who loves the rings from around milk containers. He will play with them for hours.
They have been very healthy all their lives apart from some dental problems. Harry has just been diagnosed with low grade kidney disease but is healthy and happy otherwise. 

They love them madly and would like to find someone who is a genuine cat person to love and adore them - and who doesn't mind being entertained.

Please phone Hall Vet Surgery on 6230 2223 if you think Harry and Cino might fit into your home.

Litter tray worries?

Food allergy

Kingston as a kitten

Kingston now

Poor old Kingston had a rough start to life! Almost from the moment his family brought him home for Christmas he had diarrhoea and vomiting. At first we thought it was the change of diet.
When it continued we tested him for infectious diseases like Tritrichomonas, Giardia, Cryptosporidium, Clostridia and Salmonellosis. All tests were negative.
In January we and his family switched him to a low allergy diet and miracle of miracles his stools firmed up and he stopped vomiting! He also started putting on weight and playing more.
Food sensitivities and allergies are not common but when all the common causes of gastroenteritis in kittens are ruled out we have to consider them.
Good to see Kingston growing and happy with his  loving family!

Update on yesterday's visit

Gustav and Klaus in their usual handsome pose - purrrrrrrrrrr!