"Fixing" Your Girl Kitty

We have had a minor flurry of young female cat surgeries of late. You see, it's "that time of year" - when last spring's crop of girl kittens has become old enough to neuter ("spay" is the slang term). We recommend spaying females at 6 months of age, after the kitten vaccinations have been finished, but before most females come into estrus ("heat"). By the age of 6 months, we no longer consider it to be pediatric anesthesia, so it is much safer than in a younger cat.

Back in the old days, the thinking was that going through a heat cycle or even getting pregnant and having a litter made a cat a much better pet. We now know that is simply not true. And we DO know that the more times a female cat goes through heat, the greater the chance of her developing mammary cancer down the road. So we like to beat Mother Nature to the punch, and the target date of 6 months works best when we consider all the factors involved.

Prior to making an appointment for your cat's spay, we will need to have seen her at least once for a physical exam, and also to ensure that vaccinations are complete per our hospital's protocol. We cannot schedule this surgery if we have never seen your cat - the exam is a mandatory prerequisite. Please do not ask our reception staff to waive this rule - we do this to ensure your cat gets the safest surgery experience we can deliver.

Once you have our official go-ahead on the surgery, you can make your appointment. We only do spays on weekdays. You will be instructed to withhold food (not water) at a certain time, and then be told what time to drop her off the morning of surgery (usually 8:30-9:30 AM but this can vary). Surgery will be performed that morning, and kitty will need to stay one night in the hospital for the equivalent of enforced bed rest in humans. Again, this is a safety policy and not subject to negotiation. No one is here at night, but your cat doesn't spend that night post-op because she is in critical condition - she stays so that she will be confined to a small space and forced through sheer boredom to get a good night's sleep. We never leave a patient unattended if we are not satisfied that it is completely stable and recovering normally.

The procedure itself is considered major abdominal surgery, though it is one of the less technically demanding surgeries we do. Ovaries and uterus are completely removed - this is not simply a tubal ligation. The sutures that we place in the abdominal wall and skin are absorbable, so no post-op recheck for suture removal is needed. You may, however, see a lump or knot about an inch wide at the surgery site - this is perfectly normal but varies in magnitude from cat to cat - it's just the body recognizing the wound, starting healing, and starting to absorb the suture material. Please note that drainage or worsening redness at the surgery site are NOT normal and always necessitate a recheck, as does failure to return to normal activity levels after a couple of days.

Most kitties have only a day or so of slightly subdued behavior post-op, and then get right back to bouncing off the walls. So we discourage throwing frisbees for them for at least a week. And yes, the fur WILL grow back!

The Upcoming Holidays

Well, the season is almost upon us - that time of year when it seems like every other week we have a federal holiday or religious holiday of some sort or another. I am not closed on ALL federal holidays, however, because I like giving our schoolteachers a chance to get in here for weekday procedures on kitties throughout the year and not just in the summer.

Halloween - Saturday Oct. 31 - not an official holiday but worth mention - OPEN
Veteran's Day - Wednesday Nov. 11 - OPEN
Thanksgiving - Thursday Nov. 26 - CLOSED - we WILL be open on that Friday and Saturday
Hanukkah - OPEN throughout unless it falls same time as Christmas
Christmas Eve - Thursday Dec. 24 - CLOSED EARLY at 1 PM
Christmas Day - Friday Dec. 25 - CLOSED - also closed that Saturday
New Year's Eve - Thursday Dec. 31 - CLOSED EARLY at 1 PM
New Year's Day - Friday Jan. 1 - CLOSED - also closed that Saturday

If I wind up visiting family back east at Christmas, this schedule could change, but I probably will be staying here this year.

What To Do If You Have An After-Hours Emergency

For 18 years we have referred after-hours emergencies to Animal Emergency Care Center/Animal Critical Care down at the corner of Ventura and Winnetka. One of the drawbacks to their facility is that they close at 8 AM and all patients must be either transferred directly to a daytime practice like ours or taken home. This is not always in the pet's best medical interest.

We are very happy to now be able to refer our after-hours emergencies to Veterinary Specialists of the Valley at 22123 Ventura Blvd in Woodland Hills, just west of Topanga Canyon Blvd on the north side of the street. VSV, in addition to having internal medicine and surgery specialists on staff during the day to see referral cases, provides 24/7 emergency and critical care, and has board-certified critical care specialists on duty all night and weekend. Their phone number is 818-883-8387.

Dr. Deborah Rackear is the lead internist. I have referred a number of cases to her over the years, particularly cardiac cases needing ultrasound evaluation. With a 24-hour facility I can now refer difficult cases like unstable ketoacidotic diabetics to her as well (these are not well suited to a small day practice such as Cat's Meow).

Dr. Morgan Cavanaugh is in charge of the emergency services. Emergency and Critical Care is one of the newer veterinary specialties, and one we have needed desperately in this part of the Valley.

Dr. Charisse Davidson is director of surgical services. Charisse did her surgical residency at VetSurg under Jack Henry just down the street from us, and divides her time between VSV and another surgery referral practice in the Pasadena area.

Several other veterinarians are on staff, but I didn't grab their cards when I went to the open house, so I don't have their names handy. I'm just thrilled to know that they are available for my clients.

As always, if you have an emergency during our business hours please call us first to see if we can fit you in and determine if it sounds like a genuine emergency. An exception would be if your cat JUST got hit by car or attacked by a dog and seriously injured - in that case it would be perfectly reasonable to drop everything and head straight for VSV - they do see daytime emergencies, surgeons are always either on site or on call, and they have radiography, ultrasound, and CAT capabilities on-site.

With a brand new facility, state-of-the-art equipment, and multiple specialists on staff, veterinary services at VSV are obviously not going to be at bargain-basement prices, nor should anyone expect that. Their fees are in line with equivalent services elsewhere in the area, and it is especially true here that you get what you pay for. Emergency exam fees are $70-90 depending on time of day/night, and obviously any diagnostic tests, treatment, surgery, medications etc are in addition. Please do not expect them or us to quote fees over the phone for treating a sick or injured animal they have not yet seen (this also applies when you call about coming to Cat's Meow Veterinary Clinic - we still don't have a magic crystal ball to look into and read the future).

While we sincerely hope that you will never have a medical emergency and need their services, I can sleep easier at night knowing that VSV is available.

Dusty Robison (1991-2009) - In Memoriam

It is with great sadness we report the passing of Cat's Meow Veterinary Clinic's mascot of the past 10 years, Dusty. She was euthanized today after a long illness.

Born in Ft. Collins, Colorado, Dusty adopted my grandparents as a kitten and spent her first 8 years with them, demanding endless brushing and petting, chewing holes in oxygen tubing, and in general living the life of a princess. When my grandparents eventually both passed away, I was assigned the task of dealing with Dusty, so I brought her to California in late 1999.

After a few days, I decided I liked her well enough to keep her rather than place her with a new home, and because Mummy liked her too, she made an excellent mascot. So she settled in here. For many years her days were spent at the front desk, eagerly awaiting petting from anyone and everyone who came through the front door. She was especially fond of elderly men, who obviously reminded her of my grandfather. One of her favorite activities was sandpapering the skin right off you if you lingered too long at the front counter.

In 2006 we diagnosed Dusty with hyperthyroidism and kidney disease. It took quite a balancing act with multiple medications, supplemental fluids, and lots of follow-up blood and urine testing, but we were able to keep her happy and eating very well until the last few months. A grand mal seizure in the spring of this year marked the beginning of her final decline, and a week ago she stopped eating and clearly wasn't feeling well. We adjusted her treatments to buy a little more time, but it became obvious that we were reaching the end of the line.

Dusty was particularly loved for her odd meow ("that's not a meow, that's a QUACK!"), those gorgeous blue eyes looking at us in slightly cross-eyed confusion, and her total obsession with being brushed (until the past couple of years).

She will be greatly missed. In lieu of flowers, her family and friends request that you make a donation in her memory to the animal charity of your choice.