<![CDATA[Special Care for your Special Cats since 1985

<![CDATA[Special Care for your Special Cats since 1985 - Our Blog]]>Sat, 26 May 2012 03:07:51 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[Curiosity did WHAT to the cat?? ]]>Thu, 03 May 2012 14:09:09 -0800http://www.catclinicofjc.com/1/post/2012/05/curiosity-did-what-to-the-cat.html

We all know the old saying about what curiosity did to the cat. That curiosity and playfulness are part of their charm after all, but that can sometimes put kitties in danger. Because they are small, mobile, and have sensitive noses, they are not unlike a small child. Cats will play with and eat just about anything, even if it is not good for them. Whether you're thinking about adopting a new feline friend or already have a cat or two (or three or four!); it's important — and easy — to cat-proof your home for your naturally curious cutie and help you both have the best, longest lasting relationship possible.

Windows and Blinds:
Make sure you have a sturdy screen on your windows, allowing your cat to enjoy the outdoors, but avoid the risk of falling. Those lovely cords that dangle and entice your cat to play, tie them up well out of reach to avoid having your cat get caught and tangled to disaster.

Cupboards:
Keep medications and cleaning solutions out of the way and out of kitty’s curious mouth by putting child-proof locks on cupboards and cabinets.

Laundry:
Who doesn’t like the clean warm laundry??! Make sure to check your dryer BEFORE you start it!

Bathroom:
Medications may have a child-proof lock on them, but it doesn’t make them chew proof. Make sure to place them in a locked cabinet, out of kitty’s reach. Toilets can be dangerous too, it may sound funny at first, but can you imagine being caught in one all day?? Not a good thing, keep that lid closed!

The Garbage:
This theme park of adventure is so enticing to your feline with its different smells and fun things to chew on. Keep your garbage covered to avoid having it all over your house or ingested by your feline. Keep garbage in a trash can with a sturdy lid and latch.

]]><![CDATA[April 27th -- National Hairball Awareness Day!]]>Tue, 20 Mar 2012 09:33:12 -0800http://www.catclinicofjc.com/1/post/2012/03/april-29th-national-hairball-awareness-day.htmlAlthough the title might make you laugh or smile, if you've ever had the misfortune of stepping on one of these when you get up during the night, you know that hairballs are no laughing matter! Besides being gross for cat owners who have to clean them up, hairballs can cause some serious discomfort for your favorite kitty as well!

What are hairballs, anyway?
Most cat owners are familiar with the sound of their cat retching and gagging, and eventually producing this nasty by-product of feline hygiene. The vomit will usually contain visible matted hair, and may be tubular in shape. During a cat's daily grooming, he/she will inadvertently ingest loose hair, which generally passes through their system and into their stool. However, some hair may remain and collect in the stomach or lower intestine. This collection is what causes the cat to hack or gag until he/she vomits the offensive product, called a "hairball."

General Symptoms
Primary symptoms include coughing, gagging or vomiting. Hairballs may also cause constipation and/or lack of appetite. Usually you will see accumulated hair in the vomit, however, sometimes it will just cause a very upset stomach, and the cat will vomit only food or mucous.

What can I do about hairballs?
If your cat continues to cough and gag for more than a day, or if he/she seems uncomfortable, is constipated or has diarrhea, you should see your veterinarian. In some cases, hairballs get stuck in the esophagus or can cause intestinal blockages, which can require surgery to correct. These symptoms can also be signs of a more serious condition, so it's always a good idea to see your veterinarian should you observe any of these abnormal signs.

Are some cats more prone to hairballs than others?
Long haired cats, those who shed excessively, and cats who compulsively groom themselves are especially prone to developing hairballs. In rare cases, frequent vomiting of hairballs, can indicate an underlying issue, possibly irritable bowel disease or even cancer.

Prevention
If your veterinarian has determined that hairballs are causing your cat's occasional vomiting, there are a few ways to decrease their formation. 1) Brush your cat regularly (daily for long haired cats); 2) feed your cat a food specifically formulated to reduce hairballs, these foods usually improve skin and hair coat, reduce shedding and add needed fiber to the diet to help eliminate hair through the system normally; and/or 3) have your cat eat a small amount of lubricant especially formulated to encourage the passage of hair through the intestine; ask your veterinarian for a recommendation, there are many of these on the market.

And, last but not least, have a very happy "Hairball Awareness Day!"

Cheryl Waterman, CVPM

]]><![CDATA[Community Students Learn and Grow Here at the Cat Clinic of Johnson County]]>Mon, 05 Mar 2012 09:23:34 -0800http://www.catclinicofjc.com/1/post/2012/03/community-students-learn-and-grow-here-at-the-cat-clinic-of-johnson-county.htmlAt the Cat Clinic of Johnson County we care for felines on a daily basis, but did you know we assist students with their education too?
As a member of this community, we currently work with a high school program called Health Care Career Professionals. This program allows local students to come shadow our medical care team during school hours for class credit and to see what the Health Care field is all about.

We see students from Blue Valley High School, Shawnee Mission North High School and Shawnee Mission West High School. This fall we are pleased to say several other high schools will have students joining us too.

We have had the pleasure of hosting the skilled and educated hands of Veterinary and Veterinary Technician students for their internships from Kansas State University, Maple Woods Community College and Brown Mackie College.

High school aged students and college interns are not the only ones who come to our clinic to learn, we also host local various aged Scout Troops for tours on the weekends!

]]><![CDATA[How Important Is Dentistry to Your Cat's Health????]]>Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:52:04 -0800http://www.catclinicofjc.com/1/post/2012/02/how-important-is-dentistry-to-your-cats-health.htmlDo you know what the No. 1 disease seen in general veterinary practice is? Do you know what the most underdiagnosed AND untreated disease in veterinary medicine is??? The answer is the same for both questions....periodontal disease!

This disease affects 85% of all cats older than 3, yet only about 1% receive proper dental care, according to the AAHA (American Animal Hospital Association) Compliance Study. And, unfortunately, the diagnosis and control of this disease is the ONE BIG THING that can make a difference in your cat's overall health and well-being.
A veterinarian should always do an assessment of your cat's mouth during his/her regular checkup. (Just imagine what your mouth might feel like if you hadn't brushed your teeth for up to a year.) The levels of dental disease are usually graded from 1 through 4, with 4 being the extreme, with a need for extractions.

You may not realize that periodontal disease plays such a huge part in your cat's overall health. It not only has a strong negative effect on a cat's ability to eat pain-free, but on his/her internal organs, such as the liver, kidneys and heart. Unchecked plaque (just as in your own mouth) can allow harmful bacteria to flourish and grow. This bacteria can then enter the bloodstream through lesions in your cat's gums, and it doesn't always take "advanced" disease for this to happen. Once in the bloodstream, the bacteria travel through the body and can have an extremely harmful impact on your cat's organs.

Sometimes one illustration is worth a thousand words, so I'll share a story from Dr. Schomacker. We know that cats are extremely stoic and do not usually show symptoms of pain, even if they feel really bad. This particular patient was new to our clinic and hadn't seen a veterinarian in some time. The owner apologized for his grumpy behavior, saying that he used to be great to work with, but his age had made him grumpy. Dr. Schomacker wasn't concerned, she's used to unhappy patients, however, a bit of anesthetic gas was necessary for her to thoroughly examine him. Dr. Schomacker found that he had severe periodontal disease and needed some extractions. The owner felt bad that she hadn't realized he needed anything, and promptly made the appointment for the dental on the next morning.

The procedure was done and the owner scheduled his follow-up exam. When the owner came in for the follow-up, Dr. Schomacker was prepared to have to anesthetize Mr. Grumpy again (although we hate doing this for follow-ups). Dr. Schomacker entered the exam room expecting the worst, and what did she find. Mr. Grumpy had turned into Mr. Sweetie. He was walking around the exam room, tail in the air, and immediately walked over to rub up against Dr. Schomacker's legs. The difference in attitude? He was no longer in, what must have been, terrible pain! She examined him with no problems at all.

This story speaks for itself. If your kitty hasn't had a thorough oral examination in the past year, do him/her a favor and make an appontment today. You will thank yourself, and most of all, your faithful companion will be grateful to you in the long run. This visit may just enable them to return to the playful kitten they used to be. Most important, your cat will be living a healthier, happier life.

Cheryl Waterman, CVPM
Hospital Administrator

]]><![CDATA[5% Savings in honor of "Dental Health Month"]]>Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:23:36 -0800http://www.catclinicofjc.com/1/post/2012/01/5-savings-in-honor-of-dental-health-month.html

In honor of "Dental Health" month, we are offering a 5% savings off every dental cleaning all month, beginning Monday, January 30th.

If you've been told that your kitty needs a dental, then now is the time to schedule. Unchecked gingivitis and periodontal disease can cause various systemic issues throughout your cat's body, just as in humans.

See an actual dental treatment video and slideshow

Call us today at 913-541-0478 to schedule your appointment and take advantage of the savings.

]]><![CDATA[You Asked - We Listened!]]>Fri, 06 Jan 2012 10:39:03 -0800http://www.catclinicofjc.com/1/post/2012/01/you-asked-we-listened1.htmlIt makes us very happy to announce that Dr. Schomacker will be making "house calls" one Monday morning per month.
When many of you come into the clinic, we notice that it has been too long since we've seen your kitties, and usually most of you tell us that it is just too stressful for them to bring them in for annual or bi-annual exams, and consequently too stressful for you, also. We listened!

We are very much aware that cats sometimes react to stress in embarrassing ways (especially for you), although all of us have at least one cat who acts the same way. Of course, there is never any reason to be embarrassed about your cat's behavior -- they are scared to death to be out of their usual environment, and when "new" people are trying to treat them or examine them, they want no part of it. You might try to place yourself in your cat's shoes (paws?) and just think how you would feel. You ONLY have to get in the carrier when you're going in the CAR to that really scary place where they poke and prod, stick you with needles and last, but not least -- stick a thermometer in your rear end! And, they have no idea why! It is shear torture for some of them!

Of course, some of us are lucky enough to have cats that are fine with coming in, but those are more rare than usual. Due to this fact, we have decided that offering affordable housecalls to our "Kansas" clients might help us take better care of our patients and reduce the stress for both the patients and their owners. Unfortunately, we cannot go to Missouri, as Dr. Schomacker is not licensed in Missouri.

Beginning Monday, January 16, 2012 from 8:00am to 12:00Noon, we are offering housecalls within a 10 mile radius at the reduced cost of $35.00, every 3rd Monday of every month thru May 2012. This $35.00 would be in addition to the regular cost of any treatments provided.

If you would like to schedule a housecall for your kitty, just give us a call and we will be happy to schedule you with Dr. Schomacker. We will be scheduling clients as closely together as possible, and so will call you on the day of your scheduled housecall just before arriving.
]]><![CDATA["FAIRNESS TO PET OWNERS ACT" H.B. 1406]]>Mon, 21 Nov 2011 14:18:56 -0800http://www.catclinicofjc.com/1/post/2011/11/fairness-to-pet-owners-act-hb-1406.htmlI just read an article in one of the newest "Veterinary Economics" magazines, which made me sit up and take notice. You may or may not have heard of the "Fairness to Pet Owners Act" now floating around the U.S. House of Representatives. I can think of other names for it, and none of them are good!

This bill would require veterinarians to give clients "written" prescriptions for pet medications, whether or not the veterinarian is dispensing the medication. This bill is bad news for a number of reasons.

First of all, let me say that the doctors here at the Cat Clinic have no problem with calling in prescriptions for human drugs that are also used in veterinary medicine, to help clients save on their cats' medications, when appropriate or when compounding is needed. However, there aren't local pharmacy options for veterinary specific drugs. There are only on-line pharmacies, and these can involve a several-day delay for delivery -- not an option for urgent cases, and we are not fans, for several reasons.

There have been cases of online pharmacies shipping the wrong drugs, expired drugs, diverted black-market drugs, or illegally imported drugs. In most cases the drug manufacturers will not support these products if they are diverted through illegal channels. So, for example, suppose the feline heartworm preventive from Cats Are Us Online Pharmacy either fails to protect the cat or causes a serious reaction -- perhaps even death. Either way, the client is out of luck. If the same thing were to happen when the medication was purchased through legitimate channels, most drug companies would foot the bill for treatment.

There have been cases where the pharmacy filled the wrong drug with devastating results. The article in "Vet Economics" recounts an example of a golden retriever who was prescribed carprofen (a veterinary specific NSAID that's FDA-approved especially for dogs.) The owner's pharmacist friend figured that carprofen sounds like flurbiprofen and gave the dog flurbiprofen. The dog ended up with multiple perforating, bleeding stomach ulcers. After 3 transfusions and exploratory surgery, the dog died. Pharmacists DO NOT have training in animal physiology and pharmacology.

Let's hope this misguided attempt to avoid veterinary pharmacy costs ends up in the wastebasket, not the law books. It's best for cats, dogs and owners alike to let veterinarians decide what's best for their patients. We will do all we can to make prescriptions affordable to you, afterall, our foremost goal is seeing that our patients receive the best medical care available.

Cheryl Waterman, CVPM
Hospital Administrator

]]><![CDATA[Our very own Cheryl Waterman, CVPM was featured in MetroPet!]]>Thu, 17 Nov 2011 08:56:06 -0800http://www.catclinicofjc.com/1/post/2011/11/our-very-own-cheryl-waterman-cvpm-was-featured-in-metropet.htmlDid you know?
Some of the Most Common Household Items Are Toxic to Your Cat!
As you might suspect, the large majority of calls to the Pet Poison Helpline concern dogs. However, in 2010 almost 9% of the calls were concerning potentially poisoned cats. The top culprits are things you may not realize can harm your cat(s).
Please follow the link below to read more...
http://www.metropetmag.com/current-issue/current-issue/417-julyaugust-2011-issue
]]><![CDATA[Stanley will make YOU a great new forever friend]]>Tue, 15 Nov 2011 08:49:44 -0800http://www.catclinicofjc.com/1/post/2011/11/stanley-will-make-you-a-great-new-forever-friend.html

UPDATE: I FOUND A HOME!!!!
This purr machine wants to come home with YOU!!!! Stanley will surprise you with how well he follows you on his three legs, and when he isn't being your shadow - you can easily find him by listening for his purr - which can be heard from a room away. He loves to tell stories and have you pet him and swoosh his beautiful tail. He is looking for someone who won't mind being followed at every step and sharing in every moment. He is ALWAYS right behind you! Come meet Stanley today and have your very own purr shadow and forever friend go home with you!

]]><![CDATA[Hocus and Pocus need a HOME! Come TREAT yourself without the Calories]]>Sun, 30 Oct 2011 18:52:05 -0800http://www.catclinicofjc.com/1/post/2011/10/first-post.htmlUPDATE: WE FOUND HOMES!!!! Thank you everyone

Looking to get yourself a TRICK (cats and kittens CAN and WILL do tricks) and a TREAT (a new companion is calorie and fat-free) this Halloween, check out Kitty City Kansas City and be SPELLBOUND (who can resist a cute cat or kitten) into giving a new furry friend a home! Hocus and Pocus are in our reception area waiting for YOU!

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