A Helpful Product for Enticing Your Cat Into the Carrier

A client reported to me this week that they had tremendous success in getting their cats into their carriers (and enjoying a quiet ride here) after using At Ease calming spray. It's made by Whisker City and they got it at PetSmart.

I think it's worth a try and plan to get some for my own cats. If enough clients show interest or report to me that it works I will carry it here with the other retail items at the front desk.

Before using, be sure to clean the carrier thoroughly. Spray the terrycloth towel that you MUST lay in the bottom, but also spray the carrier's interior.

You DO lay a folded towel in the bottom of your carrier, right?? If your cat pees, you want it to absorb rather than winding up with a dripping cat. I get tired of having to do all that cleanup while I should be examining the cat.

Ok, Should I Start Up an Email Newsletter of Sorts?

I am seeking input on whether or not people are interested in any kind of email newsletter from us. It would be quite advantageous for us as a way to pass PDF files that don't have a web host on to you (my hard drive is just FULL of client information sheets and stuff that could be sent to your email inbox rather than posting here, formatting issues and all, and hoping you remember to visit).

If you are a client of Cat's Meow Veterinary Clinic, or if you are just an interested cat owner, please email me at gardvm at aol dot com - and please put "CMVC newsletter" in the subject line. Tell me if you would like to be on a mailing list, and how often you think a newsletter should be (I am sensitive to the issue of TOO MUCH EMAIL).

Please do NOT email me with questions about your cat's health. We can only advise you based on an actual physical examination of the cat here at Cat's Meow. I do NOT practice internet medicine.

Our Facebook Page

This is just a friendly reminder that we DO have a Facebook page and I am a little better about posting links to good news and info over there than I am here (lately).

Click here:
Cat's Meow Veterinary Clinic on Facebook

Weird Pets and Weird Infections

Dr. Scott Weese over at Worms & Germs has a great piece about some of the difficult considerations when you adopt an exotic species of animal and then get bitten by it.

As is virtually always the case, I agree completely with him. People sometimes ask why I don't treat various exotic species: ferrets, ocelots, chinchillas, snakes, etc. Well, aside from the small fact of our being a CAT hospital (ie DOMESTIC kitties ONLY), I don't have experience with these types of critters. They can and do have sometimes extraordinarily unique husbandry needs, and can have very rare and strange diseases, many of which can affect people. I never took the exotic animal medicine elective course in vet school, so I prefer to leave that to those who did.

The State of California strictly regulates ownership of many exotic species, and for good reason. The case of 49 large exotics having to be killed in Ohio recently is a tragic case in point. If you are going to keep lions and tigers and leopards, you simply MUST know what you are doing and be equipped to do it right. I will never forget the sight of all those gorgeous tigers lying dead in a heap. I would never want to enable that sort of neglect.

On rare occasion I still see pet domestic rabbits or rats, but the demand for that is virtually gone in this economy so I am phasing them out altogether.

We are all about Felis domesticus. We don't dislike other creatures, we just don't vet them. And yeah, we still don't do dogs.