13264 Pond Springs Road

Austin, Texas 78729

(512) 258-2024 - Voice

The Cat’s Meow

Cat Hospital Of Austin's

March 2007 Newsletter  

Happy Spring!

We at the Cat Hospital wish you a bright and cheery spring season.  Have plans for Easter?  Your kitty will love Bogart’s Bed & Breakfast accommodations if your plans take you out of town.

Latest Information on Pet Food Recall

As most of you now know, there has been a major and very dangerous pet food recall.  The recall involves “cuts and gravy” type dog and cat foods manufactured by Menu Foods from December 3, 2006 – March 6, 2007.  Only canned and pouch foods are affected.  Dry foods do appear to be safe.  To check out the list of foods, visit http://www.menufoods.com/recall/.

At this time, the cause seems to be a rat poison called aminopterin that was applied to the wheat that the manufacturer acquired from China.  This led to a contaminated source of wheat gluten.  The poison can cause birth defects in humans and can cause kidney damage in dogs and cats.  Aminopterin has not been permitted for use in the United States since the 1950s.

Immediately stop feeding your pets any of the recalled food.  If you think your cat has eaten a recalled food, I recommend bringing kitty in for a complete physical exam and possibly a blood and urine test.  The kidney disease caused by this poison is more treatable if it is caught early and these tests can help detect potential problems.  Symptoms caused by exposure to the poison include decreased appetite, decreased activity, increased thirst, and increased urination.  These symptoms can occur up to 14 days after exposure.  Please keep us informed if you have any questions or concerns about this at all.

Keep Kitty Safe, Get Kitty HomeAgain

For several years, the Cat Hospital of Austin has promoted identifying cats with microchips.  This way, if they are ever lost, there is a greater chance for kitty to be returned home.  All local animal shelters are equipped with scanners and typically with scan any new stray for a microchip before putting them into isolation or administering vaccinations and testing.  Also, since cats can have a tendency to lose identification tags and collars, microchipping provides us with a permanent way of identifying our beloved pets.

HomeAgain has revised their registration program and is providing extra benefits.  A pet is still permanently registered to the HomeAgain database, but there are some new perks as well.  HomeAgain will give your pet a web page to allow you to print off lost pet posters if your family member goes missing.  They will also send out emails to all HomeAgain participants to let local veterinarians and pet rescuers know that your pet is missing so please be on the lookout.  There is even 24 hour access to a poison control and emergency care hotline that can be helpful in times of need.  This means that there has never been a better time to help keep your feline friend safe.  Ask us about microchipping the next time you visit us. For more information on the new HomeAgain program, visit http://www.homeagain.com

If kitty is already registered in the HomeAgain database, we can provide information on how you can receive the extra benefits for your pet.  Also, they will allow registry of other manufacturer’s microchips into their database for even extra safety and security.

Finding Your Lost Cat (Large portion of this section reprinted courtesy of Town Lake Animal Center)

If you discover you are in the predicament of being unable to find your feline friend, here are some helpful tips to help get kitty back home:

·        Start looking NOW!!  Don’t wait to start your search, and don’t give up too soon.

·        Thoroughly search the area where you last saw your cat.

·        Talk to the neighbors and get permission to search all nearby properties as well!

·        Provide neighbors with a description and photo of your cat and a number to call if they see your cat.

·        Put up large, brightly-colored “Lost Cat” signs.

·        Visit local shelters at least every other day; see if they have website listings you can check more often.

·        Place a classified ad, do a fee posting at http://www.austinlostpets.com and take lost pet fliers to all area shelters.

·        Call veterinarians in the area so they can be on the lookout for your cat. 

·        Don’t be afraid to use a humane trap to get your cat back to safety.  (We have one at the Cat Hospital that can be borrowed for a completely refundable deposit of $25).

For more tips and info on searching for a lost pet: http://www.lostapet.org

An online tool to create a lost or found pet flier can be found at http://www.bestfriends.org/nomorehomelesspets/resourcelibrary/flyermaker/flyermaker.cfm

Spring Has Sprung.  No Spring Flings! Have Your Cat Spayed or Neutered.

Feline breeding season is upon us and kitten season is just around the corner.  Yes, there truly are seasons for such occurrences.  Female cats are readily having heat cycles and males are on the prowl.  The reason a large portion of this newsletter is devoted to lost animals is because this is the time of year that roaming is most common.  The best way to avoid stress and roaming in your own feline friend is to make sure that kitty is spayed or neutered.  Spaying and neutering helps keep kitty safe at home in addition to reducing risks for severe diseases such as mammary tumors and prostate problems, as well as the obvious of helping control the pet population.  For more information on spaying or neutering your cat, please contact us.

Join in Our Referral Rewards Program

At the Cat Hospital of Austin, we LOVE taking care of your cats!  We are always trying to grow our business to help serve more people and kitties as efficiently as possible.  We have started an incentive program to let our clients know how much we appreciate it when you tell a friend or family member about us.  The more people referred to us, the more rewards received.  This is how the program works:

We truly enjoy our clients and are always looking for ways to serve you better.  This is our way of saying thank you because a referral is truly the best compliment that we can receive.

Last Spring Thought

Take time to stop and enjoy the wildflowers.  They should be popping up soon.

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, 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 – Friday 7:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and Saturday 7:30 a.m. – Noon.  We now close from 12:00 pm – 2:30 pm every Wednesday for a client service meeting to learn how to provide you with the best possible service and information.  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