What is wrong with TOBY?

Toby could have lost his sight.  Or developed kidney failure.  This beautiful 12 year old boy is SO lucky that his owners were able to recognize the subtle but abnormal changes occuring in his eye.  What they noticed was a small red area developing in the margin of the iris (the colored part of the eye).  It was not bothering Toby, and he was acting perfectly normal.  But he was suffering from HYPERTENSION, or elevated blood pressure.  This elevated pressure was causing damage to the fragile blood vessels in the iris of one eye.  And could have caused him to go blind....thank goodness I was able to help him before that happened.

HYPERTENSION is a disease of people, and has many causative factors:  genetics, obesity, stress, poor diet, sedentary life style, smoking...  But did you know that high blood pressure is a real threat to your cat as they age as well?  Several of the common diseases seen in older cats, such as kidney disease, diabetes, obesity, hyperthyroidism can be associated with high  blood pressure. 

HYPERTENSION in people (and animals) is a HIDDEN DISEASE.  The blood pressure can be high without ANY outward signs. Toby actually was the lucky one -with an outward sign in his eye before severe damage was done to the rest of his body.  Measuring the BLOOD PRESSURE is the only reliable way to know what is going on at the level of the blood vessels (which is what this is all about!).   Measuring a blood pressure on a cat is very similar to what we are all familiar with -the cuff, and the pressure gauge on your upper arm.  The challenge is that most cats do not appreciate having their feet worked with, and Toby was definitely in this category! 

The benefits of having blood pressure measured in your older cat definitely outways the challenge of taking the measurement.  I recommend having this test done for  any senior cat that is diagnosed with thyroid disease, kidney disease, diabetes, or in the healthy geriatric catagory.  It is a simeple, inexpensive test, and can be SO IMPORTANT to the health and vision of your older cat.  Toby is now on daily medication to control his high blood pressure, and his eyesight is no longer at risk, thanks to Toby's loving owners.

If you found this information helpful, please pass it on to your cat loving friends.  Thanks for following!
Dr. Maureen Flatley
Fox Valley Cat Clinic

5 Things to Do If You Vacation Away From Your Cat.

A very good client of mine went on a 10 day vacation, leaving her 15 year old cat home alone.  The neighbor was to check on Kitty daily, offering fresh food and water. But, the worst thing happened:  the neighbor forgot.  Kitty went without food OR water for at least 7 days.  When her owners arrived home, Kitty was alive but dehydrated and listless.  With medical attention, Kitty was able to recover from this episode, but the owner was heartsick about what her beloved cat had endured. 

Kitty inspired me to cover this topic today.  Here are 5 things to think about before your next vacation.

Keep in regular contact with your pet caregiver while on vacation. In this day and age of twitter, facebook and gmail, daily contact is easy and convenient and reassuring.  A daily "doing great today" or quick camera picture of Fluffy sleeping on the bed is proof positive that things at home are going well.

Notify your veterinarian of your plans.  If a stranger needs to bring your cat in for a medical problem while you are away, this advanced notification will streamline the process.

Put all of your pet care instructions in writing each time you go away.  Include how much to feed and how often, how often to scoop the box, what to expect as far as appetite and activity level, what to watch for that would indicate a call to the vet is needed (and leave the clinic name and number).

Consider a professional pet sitter, or a boarding facility- especially if your cat is geriatric or has medical problems.  There is much less risk of an unnoticed problem developing if a professional is watching your cat.  For example, at our boarding facility we document the appetite, urine and stool output twice a day for each boarder .  A professional would be able to identify a problem early, before it became serious.

Have a back up plan in place.  If a problem develops with your pet, what will you do.  What if your pet caregiver can't follow thru with care while you are gone.   It is essential that you leave an emergency phone number no matter where you are going.  Perhaps leave a phone number of a close family member in case you can't be reached, or aren't able to return early if necessary.  Have the pet caregiver contact your veterinarian if they have questions about care while you are gone.  These plans may not be needed, but are much easier to put into place before you leave on your trip. 

We all deserve a vacation, but it is so important to know that our pets are healthy and happy while we are off traveling!

If you have found this helpful, please feel free to share it with your cat loving friends.
Dr. Maureen Flatley
Fox Valley Cat Clinic

Get Grandma out of the basement.

I saw a 19 year old cat yesterday for a variety of issues, as you can imagine. Thru my history taking, I found out that the only litterbox was in their basement. They were, essentially, making grandma travel all the way down into the basement every time she had to urinate.  Since she was in kidney failure, this was 6+ times a day.
 Now this guy loved his cat, don't get me wrong.  He thought it was giving her needed exercise.  Makes sense. What makes MORE sense is to give an old cat the option of a litterbox on EACH floor of the house.
 It also makes sense to add more water bowls in conveniently located spots, as dehydration is a frequent and serious problem in older cats.
 Feeding only soft food to any cat over 14 is a recommendation that I make to all my clients.  Why? -it increases their water intake as most soft food is at least 75% water, it is easier to chew and digest, and it usually contains higher quality, less processed ingredients. 
 As your cat ages, making some simple changes to their home environment will not only make their life easier, it may actually help them live longer!