Cerebellar hypoplasia: Two long (and baffling) words. Let’s break them up into something understandable. First, the cerebellum: The cerebellum is the part of the brain which coordinates movement. Think of keeping your balance on the shifting deck of a ship at sea, and it’s your cerebellum (along with other internal mechanisms) taking up the slack to keep you upright. The …
Understanding Hyperesthesia in Cats
Despite over 30 years working as a vet, I’m not convinced I’ve seen a ‘true’ hyperesthetic cat. Of course, this doesn’t mean the condition doesn’t exist (I’ve never seen Las Vegas but I’m pretty sure it’s there). I’ve certainly seen cats with sensitive skin that ripples and twitches at the lightest touch, but there’s always been a logical explanation. But maybe I’m …
Pet Medicine Safety: Storage and Disposal
How much thought do you spare for the safe storage and use of pet medicines? You wouldn’t be the first person to leave the childproof lid off your cat’s meds and keep the open bottle on the countertop. But this invites problems on so many levels. There are veterinary poison advice lines and these are a first point of contact when a pet has been poisoned. They also keep …
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Holey Teeth, Catman! Resorptive Lesions and Your Cat
What do you think is the biggest cause of tooth loss in the cat? a) Gum disease b) Resorptive lesions c) Trauma (such as a fall or accident) d) Caries e) Something else. If you answered (b) then give your cat a stroke, because this is the correct answer. Indeed, resorptive lesions are startlingly common. Experts estimate that 20 – 60 % of all cats have …
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Poisoning in Cats: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment
It is a rare cat that scavenges and eats something she shouldn’t, so poisoning isn’t necessarily a problem at the forefront of a cat guardian’s mind. However, cats are still at very real risk of toxicity, even in the safety of their own home. At the root of the issue is the cats’ inability to break down many common drugs, plus their fastidious grooming habits place them …
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Is Your Cat Bored? 10 Ways to Prevent Boredom
How can you tell if your cat is bored? After all, she sleeps all day. . . Actually, it’s not as difficult as you might think to tell if a cat is bored. There are lots of clues when you know what to look for. In cats, boredom usually manifests itself as ‘trouble’, either to you, other cats, or the individual themselves. What do we mean by that? Here are seven …
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How Smart is Your Cat?
Stupid question! All cats are smarter than we are. . . otherwise we’d be the ones at home all day on the sofa. OK, seriously, let’s start again. How smart is your cat? How Smart is Smart? When trying to work out how clever cats are, straight away we hit a problem. Whilst our canine cousins are eager to please and will problem solve to earn a reward, cats are cannier …
How to Help a Blind Cat Adjust to Life Without Sight
What do you do if your cat loses their sight? Firstly, it's important to know that cats usually adjust well to blindness, whether they suffer a partial or a complete loss of vision. That's because a blind cat quickly learns to rely on their other senses and compensate. Of course, you will need to make some adjustments to your home environment and it may take a few weeks …
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What Is a Therapy Cat and What Do They Do?
It’s official! Did you know that therapy cats exist and they’re officially good for us? When you think about it, this makes sense. We all know how soothing it is stroking a cat when she purrs like a motor, so why not use the purr power to help others? OK, so one argument is that cats are often fussy about who they snuggle up to but surely this makes it all the more special …
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Cat Scratch Disease: What You Need to Know
Don’t you love it when a problem is self-explanatory? ‘Cat scratch fever’ is one such condition as, ‘It does what it says on the label.’ This is people run a fever as a result of being scratched by a cat. Simple. However that simplicity belies a more complex condition so let’s take a look in more detail to see if this is something to worry about? (Spoiler alert: It isn’t… …
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