Cats

The Vet
Phone 01254 53622
The VETerinary Health Centre, Daisy St.
Blackburn, Lancashire, BB1 5EW

VAT No. 174346162 Clients' Thanks

USA: U.S. Dermatologist Lowell Ackerman has discovered and used pictures from this website in his new book on Veterinary Dermatology book (extract)

Australia Parts of our website are now being used for teaching vet nurses on Gilles Plains Campus

JAPAN: Our Firework Phobia leaflet is now in use in Japan!!
(Download Japanese version)

Heaven for Pets

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Top Priorities for a Healthy Cat
Prevent problems happening rather than wait till they happen.
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Pet Health Insurance - so you can give your cat the best treatment.

Start as soon as you get your kitten. You'll appreciate it later.

Start before your cat has problems or they won't be covered.

Avoid cheap insurances that will only give 12 mo. cover.

Ask our nurses for help when choosing your policy.

How to get the best from your Pet Health Insurance.

30 years ago..... (David Higginson MRCVS remembers)

No one had pet insurance. To some extent no one needed it as treatments were limited. Veterinary medicine for pets was still in it's infancy. Effective drugs without side effects were rare. Anaesthetics were risky. There were few useful blood tests available. Very little was known about feline medicine. In fact the situation in pet practice was little different from James Herriot's days in the thirties. Pet insurance is vital nowadays as, without it, few owners would be able to afford proper treatment for their pets.

Quality Feeding: your cat IS what he/she eats.

Feed a top quality complete dry food.
Hill's Science Plan is excellent - Science Plan Kitten up to neutering,
Hill's Neutered Cat Young Adult up to 7yrs old, then Hill's Neutered Cat Mature
and here's why:-

Neutered Cat keeps a cat strong and slim.

Gives a good coat with much less hair shedding or dandruff.

Regular, well-formed motions, with less smell and less wind.

Reduced volume of motion - toileting just once or twice a day
which makes looking after the litter tray much more pleasant
and saves on the amount of litter you will use.

Hard dry feeding helps keep the teeth clean.

Much easier to feed, easier to store.

Much more economical than canned food or sachets.

A few Don'ts.....

	Don't feed any human food.
	Don't give milk.
	Don't feed scraps or fresh meat.
	Avoid sudden changes in diet.

30 years ago..... (David Higginson MRCVS remembers)

We rarely talked about a cat's diet. Cats were generally fed on canned food of dubious quality or seriously dangerous diets like nothing but fish or liver!. Many cats were overweight Bagpuss style, smelly, had irregular motions, poor coat, and awful teeth, and we accepted this as normal! We hadn't yet realised that most of these problems arose for poor quality diet. It wasn't until the late 80's and the introduction of Science Plan and Iam's Diets that British vets realised just how much we could improve a cat's health by quality feeding.

Vaccination throughout life against some nasty diseases

Annual vaccination against Cat Flu, Infectious Enteritis and Leukaemia.

Rabies vaccination if you have any intention of taking your cat overseas.

We now stock Rabies vaccine and advise it's use if you have any intention of taking your cat to France or Spain etc. You may also choose to vaccinate your cat to cover the risk of a Rabies outbreak in the U.K.

30 years ago..... (David Higginson MRCVS remembers)

	Cat Flu. When I joined the practice in 1970 Cat Flu was everywhere and was a killer. Good catteries were designed especially to prevent groups of cats breathing the same air, but even this didn't prevent disastrous outbreaks and epidemics throughout the area. In 1973 the first Cat Flu vaccines arrived and suddenly it was possible to kennel your cat safely. Over the next 10 years uptake of the vaccine was sufficient to reduce cases to just a trickle. Most cared-for cats are now vaccinated and now we only see sporadic cases. These days, with more effective medicines and thorough nursing we can save most cases.
	Infectious Enteritis vaccination was already in use when I became a vet in 1970. Previous epidemics had caused sudden deaths in many cats in a similar way to Parvovirus in dogs but by the mid 70's the disease was rare. We now only expect to see it in households of unvaccinated cats.
	Feline Leukaemia (FeLV) was first identified at the Glasgow Veterinary School in the late 60's. During the 70's I remember many households of 5 to 10 cats that had unexplained sporadic deaths every few months usually in young cats of 1 - 3 yrs old, some with chest tumours, others with anaemia or bowel tumours. I was involved in regular blood testing of these groups of cats in association with Glasgow's unravelling of the disease and became very familiar with the various forms of leukaemic disease. In the 80's the first Feline Leukaemia vaccine was introduced and very gradually the number of deaths from leukaemia began to fall. We still diagnose leukaemia regularly but the number of cases continues to fall steadily. Yet another example of just how effective vaccination can be at eliminating disease.
	Feline Immune Deficiency Virus (FIV). First recognised in the late 70's, we began identifying cases once we had access to effective in-house testing (CITE test)in the mid 80's. FIV is a serious threat to cats to which we have no vaccination as yet, or effective treatment other than supportive nursing. Similar to human aids in many respects, it attacks the immune system and causes debilitating disease usually resulting in death 2 - 3 yrs after initial infection. It is transmitted by cat bites (fights) but unlike human AIDS is not transmitted sexually or by ingestion. The best defence against aids at present is neutering and any other step that reduces cat to cat aggression.
	Annual Health Check-up. One additional benefit to feline health by regular vaccination has been the annual health check at the time of vaccination. Early detection of health problems which have come to light at vaccination has raised the health of our cat population enormously. How many humans get a full health examination every year of their lives!

Neutering - prevents many serious disorders <pictures of cat neutering>
Best time for neutering a young cat is at 5 - 6 months of age. Older cats can be neutered at any age providing the cat is healthy and not too overweight. A female cat is not normally neutered while she is in season.

Three good reasons to neuter your female cat

1. Prevents unwanted pregnancies - cats breed easily!
2. Reduces the number of "visiting toms" and the resulting tom cat smell.
3. Eliminates the risk of many common "female" diseases.
The following are virtually unknown in neutered females:-
Mammary Tumours, Uterine Infections.

Five good reasons to neuter your male cat

1. Reduces fighting — and serious bite infections.
2. Reduces the risk of contracting Feline Aids - Feline Immune Deficiency Virus (FIV) is transmitted by cat bites. It is untreatable, and usually fatal within two years.
3. Stops "tom-cat" spraying - and the smell.
4. Reduces road accident injuries - Neutering stops males wandering. This makes them less likely to be lost, stolen or knocked down by a car.
5. Eliminates the risk of many common "male" diseases such as testicular tumours or prostatic diseases.

What happens when your cat is neutered? <pictures of cat neutering>

Your cat is with us for only 6 - 7 hours.
A gentle sedative is given to reduce any anxiety followed by a general anaesthetic and the operation is completed early in the day.
A powerful pain relief medication is used to eliminate discomfort during recovery.
Your cat will be up and about by early afternoon, and is usually ready to go home soon after 3.00pm.
Cats have remarkable powers of recovery and are usually back to normal within 3 to 4 days.

Neutering a woman would give rise to hormone problems. However, the ovaries of a cat spend most of the year inactive so neutering a female cat simply results in maintaining this state permanently and healthily.

Take a close look at our anaesthetic standard.....

30 years ago..... (David Higginson MRCVS remembers)

	The benefits of neutering a male cat were always obvious - less fighting, less cat calling and most of all not tom-cat smell. It's relatively recently that we have understood that neutering dramatically reduces the risk of being bitten (and hence contracting FIV), and greatly reduces the risk of being hit by a car as neutered cats cross roads much more carefully.
	Un-neutered female cats usually spend their lives pregnant or nursing kittens. Neutering has done much to control the stray cat population and the welfare problems of over-population that used to occur. Most cats are now wanted, cared for and happy.

Flea prevention - all year round - treat all your cats and dogs.

Flea prevention is Easy!

	PROGRAM INJECTION - just one injection every 6 months, guaranteed to keep your home clear. With PROGRAM INJECTION fleas can't breed on your cat - end of problem!! Program Injection is the best choice as you don't have to remember each month to apply a spot-on - and most cats hate spot-on treatments because of the smell - which they take as an insult!
	OR: you can use STRONGHOLD Spot-On every month.

If you find a flea on your cat

and you are not using Program Injection or Stronghold then there are probably lots of flea eggs about your home already
- you'll need to:
1) Spray Indorex all around your home and vaccuum thoroughly over the next 4 weeks.
2) Start using Program Injection ( 6-monthly) on all your cats, and keep using it.
3) Use Stronghold Spot-On monthly for 3 months on all your cats
4) Treat all your dogs with Prac-Tic Spot-On monthly all year round for on-going protection.
5) Worm your dogs and cats monthly with Milbemax for the next 3 months (fleas transmit tapeworms).

Flea Prevention - Why?

	FLEA ALLERGY - Over 50% of skin disorders in dogs and cats are caused by allergy to flea bites. Flea allergic dermatitis is common, we see new cases every day. Pets can only become allergic to fleas after being bitten regularly. Prevent fleas and you will dramatically reduce the risk of your pet having nasty skin diseases later in life.
	FLEA BITES - Fleas cause skin irritation in dogs & cats, and unpleasant bites in humans especially once they are established in the house. Flea bites on owner - picture
	FLEAS CAUSE ANAEMIA - Flea suck blood. They take much more blood than they need and pass large amounts of flea dirt in the dog's coat. This drops off the dog onto the floor and feeds the tiny larvae that have hatched out in the carpet. Older cats, pups and kittens are most at risk from anaemia.
	FLEAS TRANSMIT PARASITES - Tapeworms are transmitted by fleas.
	ONE FLEA CAN PRODUCE 1000 FLEAS IN 4 WEEKS!!
	NOBODY WANTS FLEAS AROUND THE HOUSE!!

Flea Prevention - What NOT to use - Products that fail!!

	Cheap imitation spot-ons that just don't work.
	Flea Powders, Flea Shampoos and most Flea Collars.
	Herbal Flea Treatments.
	Many Flea sprays on general sale are inefficient.
	Flea Combs don't help at all!

30 years ago..... (David Higginson MRCVS remembers)

Fleas were very common (and still are!). Treatments were fairly ineffective. Actually we didn't understand the fleas' life cycle properly until it was thoroughly researched in the early 90's. We used all the preparations listed above in the DON'T USE section. We had nothing else. Then in the mid 70's Nuvan Top, an organophosphorus spray, was produced and worked quite well, but it was poisonous, smelt awful and drove pets, especially cats, to distraction when it was applied (weekly)! We knew nothing of flea allergies and thought that scabby cats and dogs had vitamin deficiency. We didn't realise till a decade later just how severe a flea allergy reaction can be, i.e. just one flea can cause a severe dermatitis if the pet is allergic to flea saliva.

Routine Worming - protects your cat.

Worm using Milbemax tablets every 3 months - treats all known worms.

An injectable version is available for cats that are difficult with tablets.

Kittens should be wormed with Milbemax at 4 wks, 8wks, 12 wks and 16wks then every 3 months throughout life.

Worming - What NOT to use

Many old-fashioned wormers still on general sale are ineffective or have side effects. Some cheap tapeworm tablets still use dichlorvos which can cause convulsions and vomiting especially in cats.

About Roundworms:

Roundworms produce thousands of tiny eggs which are passed in the faeces and lie dormant on the ground. These eggs are transmitted directly to other cats as they sniff and lick around. They even re-infect the host cat directly as he licks his own rear end. Roundworms will often be vomited up by kittens but in adult cats there may be no clues to indicate that roundworms are present. They will still be there draining the body's resources and triggering allergies.

About Tapeworms:

Some tapeworms are transmitted by fleas. The cat, irritated by the flea, grooms itself and eats the flea. In the bowel the flea is digested releasing the tapeworm to develop in the gut.

Other tapeworms are transmitted by eating uncooked meat, hunting or scavenging. Adult tapeworms develop in the gut. Tapeworm segments are passed in the cat's faeces and are eaten by birds and mice. The tapeworms form cysts in the muscles of these small animals and remain dormant until the flesh is eaten by a dog or cat. The cysts then develops into tapeworms in the gut. Tapeworm segments like tiny slugs or dried up grains of rice may be seen near the anus, or lengths of tapeworm may be "washed out" by diarrhoea. Untreated cats may show no signs of worms but if they become ill for some other reason they will deteriorate more quickly because of the debilitating effects of the worms.

30 years ago..... (David Higginson MRCVS remembers)

Barely a day would go by without a cat passing worms in the consulting room. Thin wormy kittens would vomit up a tangled mass of roundworms, scrawny tom cats would have tapeworm segments all crawling all around their bottoms. These days such heavy worm infestation are less common. Cats that hunt still present us with lots of tapeworms especially in late summer. The introduction of Milbemax within the last few years has totally revolutionised worming in cats as it is totally effective against all types of worm. 25 years ago we'd never heard of dermatitis and bowel inflammation caused by allergies to worms.

Regular Dental Care - keeps the mouth in good condition

How the teeth gather tartar (Periodontal disease)

Plaque begins to form on the teeth from birth. By 3 years of age most cats have signs of the plaque changing to hard brown calcified tartar. This can be seen along the edge of the gum line. This tartar harbours bacteria which causes the edge of the gum to become inflamed and red. More tartar forms and under-runs the inflamed gum eventually forming pockets deep into the tooth socket resulting in loosening of the tooth. A bad smell on the breath may be the first sign of dental disease as cats tend not to show pain in the mouth until the situation is well advanced. In the same way a person may have quite severe dental pain but you wouldn't know unless they told you. Your cat can't tell you. See "Dental Problems of Dogs & Cats" for photos of the various stages of dental disease.

How to reduce dental problems

	Feed a good quality complete dry food. If possible use Hill t/d as part of the diet (t/d actively removes plaque).
	If your cat is very co-operative you may be successful at using a pet toothpaste twice daily. It works well but is not easy to do well, don't worry if you can't manage it, annual de-scaling and polishing will do just as well.

Regular dental check-up with our nurse or vet.

A 3 monthly check-up with one of our veterinary nurses will allow you to spot trouble early and take action. Most cats are fine till about 3 years of age. As soon as tartar becomes visible the teeth should be de-scaled and polished. See "Dental Problems of Dogs & Cats" for photos of the various stages of dental disease.

Annual Dental De-scale and Polish from 3 years of age.

Your cat's "Day at the Dentist".

First of all, don't worry - dental treatment at the Veterinary Health Centre is a very routine procedure. We will do all we can to make it easy for you and your cat. We begin with a combined sedative and analgesic which allows us to gently introduce isoflurane (the best anaesthetic gas available). The patient relaxes peacefully and in about 10 minutes is asleep in light anaesthesia. A analgesic is given to prevent any discomfort on recovery. A pulse oximeter is used to monitor pulse rate and oxygen levels in the blood. Then we sort out any dental problems. We remove all hardened tartar, and polish the enamel to reduce plaque formation in the future. We do all we can to preserve the teeth, but any loose, or decayed teeth will be removed. Antibiotics to clear infection will be used as necessary. Older cats or those with kidney problems or active infection may need fluid therapy (I/V) during the procedure. It doesn't take very long. We need your cat at the surgery for just a few hours. Admission 8.30am - 9.00am, discharge 3.00pm - 5.30pm.
(see also Our Anaesthetic Standard).

Routine Blood Test.

	is recommended before every anaesthetic to check for any hidden problems . Our in-house laboratory gives us the results within the hour.
	If you would like to stay with your cat while the anaesthetic is given, or during recovery you are most welcome. Please tell the receptionist you would like to stay with your cat as you fix your cat's dental appointment. There is a charge for this service. You might even enjoy the Rolf Harris Experience!
	Other minor medical problems such as cysts, warts, small growths etc. can be dealt with at the same time (ask for an estimate).

30 years ago..... (David Higginson MRCVS remembers)

Dental care was non-existent. Must cats had awful smelly mouths by the time they were 5 or 6 yrs old. No-one expected a older cat to have a pleasant mouth! Unlike nowadays anaesthetics were quite risky for older dogs so dental care consisted of waiting till there were lots of bad teeth then extracting 15 or 20 teeth at one go. Not surprisingly many cats did well after such treatment. We now know that with regular dental de-scale and polishing we can maintain a healthy mouth throughout life for most cats.

Watch the weight - overweight cats have loads of problems

Overweight cats are very likely to end up with:

diabetes (very common in overweight cats over 5 yrs old), arthritis, stiffness, heart disease, breathing problems, constipation, dermatitis, or fatty tumours.

The benefits of slimming:

As your cat loses weight he/she will become more alert and active, and look younger and happier. You will be glad you helped her lose weight, and she will reward you by living a longer healthy life. Oh, and the cost of her medical care will be less too!!

How to slim your cat:

1. Make up your mind to do it!
2. Feed a true low-calorie diet, Hills r/d is the most effective.
"Light" diets will not reduce weight, all they can do is stop weight rising.
3. Feed nothing but the low calorie diet!
4. Bring you cat for a weight check every 2 weeks with one of our nurses.
4. Cut out all tit-bits. Find out who "cheats" in your house and bring them with you to your cats next weight check.

Underweight cats.

Cats can be underweight for many reasons: digestion failure, diabetes, overactive thyroid, kidney trouble, liver problems, hormone problems, tumours etc. Underweight cats should be examined by the vet and investigated with blood tests etc.

30 years ago..... (David Higginson MRCVS remembers)

Many cats were obese very early in life and were fat and slow by the time they were 4 or 5 yrs old. Overweight cats rarely lived beyond 9 or 10 yrs. We are still presented with overweight cats regularly but now we take action early. We weigh all our patients regularly and adjust calorie intake if weight seems to be rising. Cats live longer, happier and healthier lives as a result.

Identichip - electronic identification for if your cat is lost.

Permanent electronic identification is easy.

A grain of rice sized transponder (Identichip) is inserted under the skin over the shoulders and remains in position for life. If you cat is lost and ends up at a veterinary practice, a rescue centre or at a police station then the Identichip will be used to find out the name and phone number of the owner.

Travel Abroad.

Your cat will need an Identichip before Rabies vaccination.

Proof of Ownership.

If ever a dispute about a pet's ownership arose then the Identichip would confirm who the true owner was.

Collar and Name Tag:

is still recommended in addition to Identichip.
Include on the tag your vet's phone number 01254 53622 so that if your cat is lost or injured locally it can be dealt with by your own vet.

30 years ago..... (David Higginson MRCVS remembers)

No fancy electronics then! Maybe we didn't need them so much as families and cats didn't move about so much. Now that cats travel all over the country, even overseas, and families re-locate around the country more than ever before, permanent identification is a very sensible idea.

Sort out behaviour problems early for a happy cat and a happy family.

If your cat has any of the following problems - talk to us.

Nervous or unhappy. Aggressive to people or other pets.
Toileting problems or spraying.
Objects to tablets or ear drops, resists grooming.
Afraid of fireworks or other noises or objects.
Oversexed, destructive hyperactive, territorial.
Might not accept a new baby or a visiting toddler.

How we deal with pet behaviour problems

Arrange a routine appointment with our vet behaviourist David Higginson for an initial assessment to discuss the problem and treatment options. Simple cases will be dealt with in routine consultations. For more complex cases you will be given a "Life Story" questionnaires to complete and a Full Behaviour Consultation (approx. 1 hr.) will be arranged at your convenience.
Your Cat's Life Story. This will ask you to write down in detail everything that worries you about your cat's behaviour. It will ask you about your cat's daily routines, likes and dislikes, games, treats, habits, friends and enemies. We also need to know about yourself and your family, and how you (humans) relate to your cat. Return your completed Life Story to the surgery and our vet will contact you soon afterwards to fix the Full Behaviour Appointment.
Full Behaviour Appointment
If possible bring the whole family to that appointment. The vet will go through your cat's lifestyle, and will want to ask you lots of questions about your relationship with your cat.
Once a diagnosis has been made, the vet will tell you whether treatment is likely to succeed, and will instruct you on how to begin correcting the problem. Any necessary equipment or medication will be supplied. A review appointment is usually arranged for two weeks later.

30 years ago..... (David Higginson MRCVS remembers)

25 years ago the whole concept of pets experiencing emotions, anxieties and distress was just not considered. Many vets still don't quite accept it! In the mid 80's I was inspired to learn about pet behaviour correction as I tried to find ways of correcting aggressive or nervous biting dogs that were brought to me for euthanasia by loving owners at their wits end. I studied the new methods of Dr Roger Mugford, Ian Dunbar and John Fisher and found that we could indeed change the way a dog thinks and feels. It wasn't long before the same successes could be achieved with emotional problems of cats, particularly in influencing spraying and toileting problems, and nervous aggression. I have continued to study pet behaviour therapy as a special interest over the past 15 years and consider the emotional state of a pet to be a vital factor in success or failure of any medical treatment.