13264 Pond Springs Road

Austin, Texas 78729

(512) 258-2024 - Voice

The Cat’s Meow

Cat Hospital Of Austin's

October 2005 Newsletter  

Add Someone Warm and Fuzzy to Your Home

This year, the Cat Hospital was inundated with a large number of abandoned kitties.  Please read the list below and come visit if someone sounds interesting as an addition to your household:

v    Snatchers – A very sweet (approximately) 2 year old grey and white spayed female cat.  Like Mama Mia, she was abandoned with a litter of kittens and nursed a second litter of kittens as well.  She is a little nervous around children, but seems very happy around adults.  She is very playful and active.  She is also very attentive and remembers her kittens even when she has been away from them for days at a time (we separate her from the kittens so that she can have some quality rest).  She is fully vaccinated and microchipped for permanent identification.

v    Carter – A brown tabby neutered male with a slight orange tint to his fur that almost makes him look golden.  He is 5 months old and is one of Snatcher’s original kittens.  He purrs all the time and is extremely affectionate.  He is microchipped for permanent identification and fully vaccinated.

v    Darren – A brown tabby neutered male who is 3 ½ months old.  He was abandoned motherless with a sister at the Cat Hospital.  Snatchers willingly nursed this abandoned kitty and now he is a very healthy and sweet little boy.  He currently lives with Carter and they do enjoy playing together all the time.  He is microchipped and fully vaccinated.

v    Frostini – A black female 5 month old kitten.  Frostini was named for her frosted white tufts of hair that she has throughout her body.  She was living in someone’s car and was rescued and brought to the Cat Hospital for care.  She required some fluid therapy and TLC when she first arrived, but now she is extremely healthy and fully vaccinated.  She was a little shy, so we introduced her to Count (see below) and now she is very playful and loving.  She would make a great addition to any home.

v    Count Chocula – A tuxedo black and white male kitten who is fully vaccinated and is 3 ½ months old.  He was originally found by a client and discovered to be from a litter of kittens with a feral (wild) mother.  His brother and sister have homes and he now keeps Frostini company.  He is very playful and affectionate and seems to get along very easily with other cats.

v Mama Mia – A very sweet 1 ½ year old tuxedo black and white spayed female cat.  She was abandoned with a litter of kittens and nursed a second litter of kittens as well.  Now all of her babies have found good homes and she needs a good home too.  We have completely vaccinated her and microchipped her for permanent identification.  She would be good with quiet children, or in an adult-only household.  She is very friendly and affectionate and seems to get along well with other cats.

Hurricane Katrina and Rita Devastation

There is no doubt that all Americans have been touched in some way by the traumatic events that unfolded when two hurricanes hit so closely.  I know I discussed some personal issues regarding Katrina in the last newsletter, so I won’t bore you with details again.  I mostly wanted to remind everyone that donations to the Red Cross and Salvation Army are extremely helpful for all the people affected by these disasters.  There is still a substantial need to help the animal victims of these storms as well as humans.  There are still Veterinary Medical Assistance Teams, formed by the American Veterinary Medical Association and funded by the American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF) working in the disaster areas as part of FEMA.  Many of you have already made generous donations into our donation box here at the Cat Hospital and it is truly appreciated.  This donation box is still set up and I will be sending in a check at least once monthly and match as much of the donations as I can.  If you would like to contribute separately, visit AVMF’s secure website at http://www.avmf.org, or consider a donation to the SPCA in Austin that is currently housing a large number of hurricane victim pets.

Liver Disease Profile:  Spotlight on Cholangiohepatitis

There are a number of different liver diseases that affect cats.  Often, liver disease is the most likely culprit when a cat goes for a long period of time without eating, or has a decreased appetite.  One of the types of liver diseases is a complicated condition called cholangiohepatitis.  Cholangiohepatitis is an inflammation of the tubes that carry bile and the surrounding liver tissue.  Any breed of cat can be affected, although it does seem to be more common in Himalayans, Persians, and Siamese.  It usually occurs in middle-aged animals and males appear to be at slightly greater risk.

The cause of this condition appears to be an infection that starts in the intestinal tract, but can also be linked to bacterial and parasitic infections of other organs.  Some infections can be carried through the bloodstream and lodge within the liver to cause this disease.  Symptoms include fever, loss of appetite, dehydration, vomiting and/or diarrhea, yellow color to the skin (jaundice), lethargy, fluid accumulation in the abdomen, weight loss, and disorientation or even seizures.  Diagnosis of this condition is usually made by a combination of tests including blood tests and ultrasound (sonogram – like when pregnant mothers see their babies). 

This condition can be treated, but early diagnosis is a key to successful treatment.  Treatment can include hospitalization and supportive care, antibiotics, nutritional and vitamin supplementation, and drugs to help enhance the flow of bile.  In severe cases, surgery is needed.

There are no preventative measures known to prevent a cat from developing this condition, but as with many diseases, the sooner the disease is identified and treatment begun, the better chance for successful recovery.  If one of your feline friends exhibits any of the symptoms mentioned above, seek out veterinary care as soon as possible.

If you would like more information on this and other liver conditions, please feel free to contact me at kpercival@CatHospitalofAustin.com

Halloween Safety Tips

There are a large number of hazards that our feline friends can encounter at this time of year.  Here are some great ideas to keep your cat out of harm’s way during this season.

·        Don’t leave your cat outside unattended on Halloween (or on the days before or after this holiday.)  Halloween pranks committed against pets can be vicious and black cats are particularly at risk. .  I highly recommend that all black cats be kept indoors for the entire month of October and a couple weeks into November for their safety.

·        Halloween treats are for people, not pets.  Candy wrappers and lollipop sticks can be hazardous if swallowed and chocolate can be poisonous.

·        Keep pumpkins out of reach of curious noses and paws.  Cats can knock over a lit pumpkin and cause a fire.

·        Consider keeping your cat in a separate room, away from the door, when trick or treaters arrive.  Strange people in scary clothes can frighten pets, or an especially curious kitty can dart out the door unexpectedly.

·        Remember, cats with identification tags are much more likely to be returned to their homes.  Microchips will help get them returned home fast and serve as a permanent form of identification.  (We can microchip your pet at the Cat Hospital of Austin using the Home Again Microchip system.)

Halloween Humor

List of Services

The Cat Hospital of Austin is a full-service veterinary facility.  We perform vaccinations, a variety of in-hospital blood testing, Xrays, surgery, dentistry, and preventative health care maintenance.  We also carry a wide selection of cat toys that have been feline-tested and approved.  Flea control products and a high quality cat food selection are also available.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this issue of The Cat’s Meow Newsletter. Our convenient hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday 7:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Wednesday 7:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m and 2:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. (we have a client service meeting from 12:00 – 2:30 p.m. for training and education) and Saturday 7:30 a.m. – Noon.  We are closed the last Saturday of every month. 

If you have a particular topic that you would like to read about in our next Newsletter, please email Dr. Percival at kpercival@CatHospitalOfAustin.com