Professional Cat Advice & Information in Albury/ Wodonga

Every year, millions of cats are euthanised. There are shelters worldwide full of cats who desperately need a good home and somebody to love them.

As cats often wander, it is extremely easy for them to get pregnant. Each pet owner should consider this before adding to the overpopulation of cats.

Veterinarians subsidise desexing surgery to encourage responsible pet ownership.

• It prevents unwanted litters.
• It prevents medical problems associated with breeding infected uterus (pyometra).
• Birthing problems, possibly needing a costly caesarian.
• In females, it reduces the chance of breast and uterine cancer drastically.
• It will reduce the stress to females caused by coming on heat (constant calling) – cats will often remain on heat until a tom cat mates them.
• Male cats will be less territorial and not get into as many fights with other cats, resulting in less risk of injury.
• Desexing does not cause weight gain! There is no weight gain unless you over feed your cat!
  

There are several serious viral diseases kittens and cats are at risk from. However, a simple vaccination program can easily protect them from most of these diseases.

Cats are often quite mobile, sometimes roaming the whole neighbourhood during the day, and your pet will likely come into contact with infections in unvaccinated kittens and cats.

Vaccinating is a cost-effective way of protecting your cat or kitten against potentially fatal diseases and the possible high costs involved in their treatment.

This is a highly contagious viral cat disease that can spread rapidly. Kittens and young cats under the age of 12 months are most susceptible.

Symptoms are depression, vomiting, bloody diarrhoea, marked dehydration and severe abdominal pain. If pregnant cats contract the disease, their babies may have coordination problems or other abnormalities.

The virus is very tough and can survive in the environment for long periods. Survivors of this disease become carriers for some time and can still infect other cats.

The Calicivirus or the rhinotracheitis virus often causes this complex disease. It can infect cats of all ages and is spread very easily by coughing and sneezing onto other cats.

The symptoms are sneezing, nasal discharge, weepy eyes, limping, depressed appetite, and tongue and eye ulcers. Some of these signs can last for many weeks and cause significant discomfort.

This disease complex commonly occurs in multi-cat households. Survivors of this disease become carriers for some time and can still infect other cats, particularly kittens.

The above three mentioned viral diseases (Enteritis, Calicivirus, Rhinotracheitis) are most commonly vaccinated against and often known as an F3 Vaccination.

This virus causes an infectious disease in cats similar to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV infection – AIDS) in humans. It attacks and weakens the body’s immune system, making the cat prone to infections and diseases that don’t affect healthy cats.

It is mainly transmitted through bite wounds during cat fights but can also be passed on through saliva when sharing food bowls. An infected mother can also pass it on to her babies while pregnant.

The symptoms can be obscure but often manifest as fevers and mild anaemias. As time progresses and the cat’s immune system weakens, more significant signs are seen (mouth ulcers, chronic abscesses, lymph node cancers, behaviour changes and much more).

It is only identified with a blood test, so it may often remain undetected in cats for years. The best time to vaccinate is from the kitten stage onwards yearly.

Adults can still be vaccinated but must undergo a blood test first to ensure they are not already carriers.