From the Springfield, IL bureau of the Action EyeWitness NewsCenter On Your Side (With More Local News!)........
Today I am posting from the All Cat Clinic in Springfield, and I will be here all week. So this C&J is going to have a particular emphasis on cats, both cat news and tips on cat health. I don't think you will be upset!
Working in an all-cat clinic is like working in a bank. It's very quiet most of the time; you might hear the occasional meow, but that's it. I love dogs, but I can't say that I miss the constant noise of barking dogs in a kennel that goes on all day in a veterinary practice! This facility is brand new, and one of the nicest I have seen.
This will be a different C&J from the usual because, in honor of where I'm working this week, I'll be discussing feline medicine as well as the usual C&J stuff. Don't worry, it won't get heavy (this is the kiddie pool, after all) but hopefully what I have for you will be helpful to all of you that are personal assistants for cats.
Doc's Cheers and Jeers begins below the fold, with news from around the nation, around the world, and up your alley! ("Up my alley?" Up yours!)
DISCLAIMER: AAbshier's Cheers and Jeers are not affiliated in any way, shape, or form, with Bill in Portland Maine's Cheers and Jeers. The use of the words JEERS and CHEERS , the swoosh/gong device, pie references, pootie pics, the heartbreak of meta diaries, whomps, Snuggies, kvetching over DK4, the heartbreak of psoriasis, and flicked peas are all used with permission of Bill in Portland Maine and the members of the C&J Café community. Any further resemblances to BiPM`s Cheers and Jeers are deliberately coincidental. So there.
NOTE: None of my exes live in Texas.
Your Moment of Witzelsucht For the Week:
(in the box so that you can avoid it and not miss anything else)
Light bulb jokes!
How many bodybuilders does it take to change a light bulb?
Six: one to screw in the bulb, one to spot, and four to yell, "Dude! You're HUUUUGE!"
How many folk musicians does it take to change a lightbulb?
Four: one to screw in the bulb, one to complain that it's electric, one to say how much they miss the old one, and one to stand around and watch.
How many accountants does it take to change a lightbulb?
What kind of answer did you have in mind?
The Obligatory C&J section:
Jeers to my work ending after this week. I do work 6 days this week, but then I have six days scheduled.....for the rest of the year. Gulp. The phone had better ring at some point, and soon.
Cheers that what work I have had has mostly been at quality clinics. Two of my favorites are in Springfield--the All Cat Clinic and Laketown Animal Hospital--and both have needed my services.
Jeers to the city sending me a citation stating that my house needed to be painted. I talked to some neighbors and some of them got cited also. I can get out of the fine if I go to them directly and explain my situation, but it is a pain in the butt.
Cheers to the many benefits of yoga practice. In addition to preserving joint mobility, enhancing flexibility and suppleness, and promoting quietness of mind, yoga has another benefit: it can help you relieve wind:
Aside from releasing unwanted gases from the intestines and stomach, the exercise will also massage the abdominal organs and the rocking motion will get rid of the stiffness in your spine.
Does the pose work? Oh, yes it does. (Granted, it's a variation on the pose, but still.)
Doc's short compendium of cat medicine and husbandry tips:
Kitty on the half-shell: I don't know which feline practitioner came up with this idea first, but it is brilliant:
Mom and kittens resting contentedly in their carrier. You would not see this if they were out of the carrier, most likely. BTW they all have homes, don't worry!
Here's why it is brilliant. Cats like to be in enclosed spaces as a rule, and they particularly like it when they are in unfamiliar surroundings, such as a veterinary clinic. Newer pet carriers are being manufactured that feature top and bottom halves that can be taken apart quickly. In an exam room setting, I'll have the client place the cat on the exam table in the carrier, then remove the lid to perform the physical exam. Almost invariably, the patient is much calmer inside the carrier than out, and I've even been able to do exams on cats labeled as fractious as long as they stay in the carrier bottom.
The Petmate Kennel Cab, sold in PetsMart and other discounters, is ideal, but similar carriers are available. They are relatively inexpensive, break down quickly, and are easy to clean. Avoid the plastic carriers that are put together with nuts and bolts--you can disassemble them, but it takes longer to take apart and put back together.
Another tip: Weigh the carrier with bedding by itself and write down the weight on the carrier. If your veterinarian doesn't use baby scales to weigh cats (see below) you can weigh your cat in the carrier, then subtract the weight of the carrier to find your pet's weight--all while keeping your cat secure. (Use the same bedding each time, so you don't throw off the weight.)
Cats deal in subtleties! If your cat is not acting quite right, there may be more to the story. We think of cats as being predators, but they are small enough to be prey animals as well, and they still keep that wild animals' instinct to hide disease or injury so that the predators won't single them out for dinner. If you're bothered by how things are going with your cat, no matter how minor, call your veterinarian, and plan on at least getting your cat examined. If we catch things early, the prognosis is almost always much better than at the point it turns into a major problem.
Little changes to us may be big changes in their world. If you don't like how things are going, don't hesitate to call your veterinarian.
Monitoring your cat's weight: One of the subtle changes we can see in cats is a change in weight. Weight changes can be sneaky. If you have a cat that is being treated for a chronic condition such as hyperthyroidism or diabetes, you might consider investing in a baby scale:
Lightning, the acting clinic cat at the All Cat Clinic, thinks the scale is the perfect cat bed. We've had to evict him more than once when we've had a patient!
Baby scales are becoming more common in veterinary clinics. This enables us to be able to place the scale in the exam room and obtain your pet's weight there in that relatively secure environment, rather than out in the reception area where there can be much more commotion and thus a more unsafe environment for the cat. If your vet doesn't have baby scales, weigh your cat in the carrier and subtract the carrier's weight.
I'm starting to advocate baby scales for my chronic patients because that enables the client to weigh their cats in the security of their homes. Usually we see chronic cases once every six months, and I know I would find it useful to see if a pet's weight has been trending downward. Scales cost about $80 or so on Amazon, and can also be used for other small-scale weighing jobs (food portion control, postal) as well as for your cat.
Inky says, "Hit that reco button!
Special guest cat "Kitten to be named later" adds, "Meow, meow, meow, meow, MEOW!!!!"
This is NOT my new kitty! She was a Good Samaritan rescue that had severe injuries to her left front leg. Dr. Murdach did a leg amputation, and she'll be adopted out when she recovers.
What's the word? Johannesburg!