Cats - Illness and injury

More and more dogs and cats are living well into their senior years and just like elderly humans, pets can suffer from a kind of dementia called cognitive dysfunction syndrome, or CDS. CDS is a syndrome associated with brain ageing.

What is Allergy Management? Is your pet itchy? Perhaps they chew their feet or are prone to ear infections. These are often signs of allergies (or hay fever) and there are many things we can do to

Anal Sacs (or Anal Glands) are two small glands located just inside your pet’s anus (bottom). Each of these glands has a tiny duct or tube, which has an opening into the rectum.

Studies have shown that up to 90% of cats aged over 12 years are showing signs of osteoarthritis (Hardie et al, 2002). However, cats are very adept at hiding any illness (especially pain) as this

Feline Bronchial Disease is also known as feline asthma, allergic airway disease, chronic bronchitis, allergic bronchitis or feline chronic small airway disease. These terms all describe a condition

A blood vessel rupture is usually caused by the cat itself. Normally from vigorous scratching of the ears or shaking of the head which is often due to an infestation with ear mite (Otodectes cynotis) or allergic dermatitis (atopy, food allergy).

If your pet has been stung by a bee or insect, here's some instructions you can follow to assist your pet.

An overview of the most common blood tests we perform in pets and the types of diseases and problems the results can indicate.

What causes cancer and why your pet may have developed cancer. How will it affect your pet, diagnosis and treatment including oncology.

Cat flu is a common and highly contagious disease in unvaccinated cats of all ages. It tends to be particularly severe in kittens. The two viruses associated with cat flu are Feline Viral

A failing kidney cannot reabsorb fluids or excrete toxins, resulting in a very dehydrated and unwell cat.

Whether a cat accidentally chews into a pill bottle or a well-intentioned pet owner accidently switches medications (giving their pet a human medication), pet poisonings due to human medications are common and can be very serious.

The diagnosis of cancer is stressful for pet owners, and the prospect of chemotherapy treatments can be equally difficult. However, the fear that animals will spend most of their time sick from chemotherapy is unwarranted.

Conjunctivitis is the inflammation of the conjunctiva, which is the inside of the eyelids and the whites of the eye. A cat with conjunctivitis will often appear to have a red, swollen and partially

Coughing in cats is a symptom of a problem, rather than a problem in its own right. When the cough receptors in the larynx (the area at the back of the throat), the trachea (windpipe) or the

There are a number of reasons cats lose their hearing. They could be born deaf (known as congenital deafness), or develop hearing loss during old age or after physical illness. With a few adjustments

Diabetes Mellitus is a medical condition where there is an excessive amount of glucose (sugar) in the blood. This is caused by a deficiency of the hormone insulin, which is secreted by the pancreas.

Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) is a disease that results in inflammation of the bladder (cystitis) and/or the urethra (urethritis). The condition may result in partial or complete

The familiar sounds of late night cries and squeals are often the first obvious sign that a cat fight has taken place. Cats are instinctively territorial. They fight with other cats to protect or

Have you ever suspected your pet may be suffering from an injury and you weren't sure what to do? Bleeding skin, broken bone, eye injury, convulsion, obstruction, choking and not sure what to do. Here's a few tips on how you can make your pet more comfortable whilst you are on the way to the vet. Firstly, once you think your pet's immediate needs are met and before you start driving, please call us. This will allow us to be ready for you when you arrive with oxygen, iv fluids etc, set up and ready to go. We may also be able to provide some life saving advice over the phone. Secondly, the tips below are advice on what to do just prior to or while on the way to our hospitals. It is often not a good idea to delay your trip, so unless you think your pet is bleeding or convulsing, or needs CPR, then getting to the car and getting here quickly is the way to go.

Burn damage to the surface &/or deeper layers of the skin will occur immediately regardless of the source of burn. Visible signs can be seen immediately or it can take up to 12-24 hours after the accident depending on the cause or type of burn.

Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) is a viral disease which affects the immune system of domestic cats. Whilst FIV cannot be transferred to humans, it acts in the same way as the human form of HIV,

There are many reasons why cat's itch and allergic dermatitis or skin allergies can be the source of irritation. In the allergic state, a cat's immune system "overreacts" to foreign substances called

What causes food allergies? A food allergy is a reaction by an individual animal to a particular substance in their food. This occurs when the bodies' response to normal food becomes 'confused',

Hairballs can be quite distressing to observe and also messy to clean up. They are a common problem in cats - especially longer haired cats. If there are concurrent clinical signs it is important to

Around the age of 7-11 years some cats will start to show early signs of ageing such as blindess or deafness.These changes can be a sign that there is a serious underlying medical problem (such as kidney disease or diabetes) but can also just be due to the cat getting older.

Cardiomyopathy is a term used to describe diseases of the heart muscle. In cats, three classes of cardiomyopathy have been described: hypertrophic, dilated and restrictive cardiomyopathy. However,

Heatstroke (hyperthermia) is the elevation of the body’s temperature and is a life-threatening condition requiring immediate treatment.

Cats just like humans can get hypertension (high blood pressure). However, for most cats hypertension is secondary to an underlying disease rather than the stress and pressure of everyday life.

Hyperthyroidism is the most common endocrine (hormonal) disorder of cats. The thyroid gland which is located in the neck overproduces hormone and this directly affects the cat's metabolism. It is

The liver is a very complex and multi-faceted internal organ that is vital in the normal functioning of the body as a whole. It has many important roles including aiding digestion, removing toxins

Although most lumps are harmless it is impossible to tell what sort of lump you are looking at. There are many different things that can cause swellings - bruising or fluid build-up, abscesses, things attached to the skin (eg. small parasites) and, of course, cancers.

If you know or suspect your pet has been involved in a motor vehicle accident, seek veterinary treatment immediately. Your veterinarian will be able to perform a thorough physical examination and detect potential areas of concern and check for the signs which may indicate internal injury.

In the wild, cats that appear sick or injured are vulnerable to predators. For this reason, cats often disguise the fact they are in pain. Cat pain can be caused by a variety of problems such as

If your cat’s appetite has changed recently, it could be due to something as simple as fussiness. However it could also be an indicator of an underlying medical problem. While the causes of appetite

Despite the name, ringworm is not a worm (or even caused by a worm), but a fungal infection of the top layers of the skin and hair. The kinds of fungi that cause ringworm are called dermatophytes,

Yes, pets can get skin cancer. Tumours affecting the skin or subcutaneous tissue (the tissue just under the skin) are seen in pets. Many cancers are benign, meaning that they won't spread to other parts of the body, others are more life threatening. A veterinarian can diagnose a tumour in a pet with a biopsy, which involves removing a small amount of tissue.

Sneezing is a natural body mechanism in cats. The occasional bout of sneezing is generally nothing to worry about, however if the sneezing is persistent and/or is accompanied by other symptoms,

As the weather starts to warm up a cat’s water requirements naturally increase. However, cats are very adept at masking signs of illness and often it is only very subtle changes in their behaviour (

Toxoplasmosis is a disease caused by infection with the organism called Toxoplasma gondii.Cats are usually infected by ingesting the organism present in the tissues (meat) of another infected animal known as an ‘intermediate host' which is usually a rodent.

Ultrasound scanning is a painless procedure that uses high frequency sound waves (inaudible to humans) to produce images of structures within the body. When sound waves are aimed into the body, some are absorbed by body tissues and others bounce back. The sound waves that bounce back are measured by the ultrasound machine and are transformed into an image of a particular body area.

If your cat vomits once and there is nothing else unusual about their behaviour or their health and they return to their normal self straight away, then chances are your cat is probably ok. On the other hand if the vomiting continues and you notice any other signs ...

We often get phone calls from clients who are concerned about the symptoms their pet are showing, but are unsure whether it is a sign of something more sinister or if things will resolve on their own

Understanding wounds and infection. How to stabilise a wound or graze and first aid tips for simple wounds and bleeding wounds. Dog and cat fights and tips on breaking up a dog fight.