Thinking of adopting a cat?

A Furry Feline Addition

Thinking of growing your family by adding a furry feline companion to the mix?  Here are some things to consider before adopting to ensure the right match for your family and for the feline you are bringing home.

You need to consider your home environment and lifestyle

It’s always important to consider these factors as you want to set yourself up for success from the beginning. If you already have pets at home you will want to consider their age, stage and personality as it might be harder to bring in an active kitten if you’ve got a house full of seniors. Perhaps adopting an adult cat might be a better fit.  Also, consider your lifestyle as any new addition is going to require your time. A new kitten can be especially mischievous and will require more of your time to help it burn off all that extra energy. 

You need to consider breed, hair coat and gender

Is there a specific breed of cat that you are partial too?  If so, is it a breed you have personal experience with to know their personality traits and medical predispositions?  If not, take some time to research the breed to determine whether or not they would be a suitable match in your home and be aware of any medical issues known to the breed. Being aware of any medical predispositions allows you to plan financially (time to consider pet insurance), catch on to signs and symptoms early and even to reconsider your choice if it is something you are not able to handle.

Hair coat considerations really come down to how you feel about brushing and cleaning.  Long haired cats require brushing and often shed in clumps versus a short haired cat which typically does not require as much brushing but when they shed it often goes everywhere so there will be a lot more vacuuming in your future!

Gender is really a personal preference. Males are less expensive to surgically alter (neuter) than females but beyond that there is little difference in the medical care or personalities between the genders. It always comes down to the individual personality of the cat you are looking to adopt.

Consider where you will choose to adopt this new member from

Do you wish to adopt from a breeder, shelter, rescue or a private adoption?  All of these options have pro’s and con’s but the biggest pro of all is that you are coming home with a new family member! 

Purchasing a kitten or adult cat from a breeder will provide you with a specific breed (if that is what you are looking for) as well as being able to provide you with some health history of their lines and some initial veterinary care. 

Adopting from a shelter or rescue provides a cat in need with a loving home.  More often than not these cats come without much background so it’s a learn as you go with respect to their personalities or medical history. Shelters and rescue groups often do personality tests with their cats to help match them to the right home.  These cats often come with some initial veterinary care.

If adopting privately, you are again providing a cat in need with a loving home and helping out another family re home their cat.  In this situation, you should be able to gain some valuable insight into the cat’s personality and be able to access their health history. These cats may come with regular veterinary care or may not.

No matter where you adopt, we always recommend a visit with the veterinarian for a complete physical exam. Please bring any history you were provided with so we can guide you through a preventative health care program.

Bringing your new addition home

After you’ve made your decision, it’s is time to bring the new addition home.  We recommend setting the cat up in one room with their food, water, litter and toys.  Providing the cat with their own space minimizes stress while adjusting to the new environment and allows them to adjust to sounds and scents of other pets in the household before they meet.  After some time to settle in, we recommend a gradual introduction by swapping bedding to exchange scents, allowing short meet and greets with existing pets, and a gradual introduction to the larger spaces.

Should you have any questions about adding a furry feline to your family, we would be happy to guide you through the process. Our hospital manager Kelly would love to help you find your next kitty!

The Team at Davis Drive Animal Clinic

Summer Safety Tips For You And Your Canine Companion

Traveling with your pet

If you are traveling with your dog in the car this summer, whether it be a short or long ride, never leave them alone, not even for a short errand! Temperatures within a car can sky rocket within minutes and this can become a life-threatening situation.

 Identification

Always ensure that your dog has a proper form of identification, especially when traveling. If your dog goes missing for any reason, proper identification will help the process of getting them back home to you! Options include collars that are embroidered with names and telephone numbers, collars with identification tags and microchips.

Check In with your Veterinarian

Before summer vacation begins, it is always a good idea to check in with your veterinarian regarding what type of parasite protection your dog requires. Here in Ontario, dogs routinely take a monthly preventative medication against fleas, ticks and heartworm. Is your dog going to a boarding kennel? Make sure your dog is up to date on all necessary vaccinations. We would also recommend that if you are traveling a distance with your dog, to research the local emergency clinic in the area so that if you ever do encounter a problem you know where to seek out help. Here at Davis Drive Animal Clinic we have a list of veterinarians across Ontario so if you let us know where you are traveling to we would be happy to help.

Having Fun in the Sun

When you take your dog out for a fun day in the sun, please remember that pets can get heat exhaustion just like people, so remember these helpful tips:

· provide access to water at all times
· provide access to shade
· limit your dog’s time outdoors
· do not let your dog overexert themselves (especially seniors and those breeds with flat faces as the shorter nose makes it hard for them to breath!)
· if you see signs of heat exhaustion seek out veterinary care immediately

Time to hit the Water 

Lots of dogs enjoy a day on the water just like we do. However, dogs are just like children and should never be left unattended near bodies of water. Here are some other safety tips:

- be aware of the body of water they are swimming in! Is it a pool, pond, river or lake? does it have an undertow? are there sharp objects (ie. Zebra mussels) they could injure themselves on? Any wildlife to be careful of? boats?
- know your dog’s ability to swim and always keep an eye on them
- keep lifejackets on hand, especially if taking your dog out on a boat!


The team at Davis Drive Animal Clinic wishes you a safe and happy summer

Clinic Renovations

We have recently completed some renovations here at the clinic. However, unless you take a behind the scenes tour you will miss out on all the improvements. We have installed new cabinets, flooring, plumbing, electrical, ventilation, added extra storage space and a beautiful tiled dog run complete with a glass door. It certainly has made a huge difference in our work space and the animals seem to like it too !

Dr Fussell

Pet Insurance

Everyone is aware of the importance of insurance when it comes to their life, vehicle, house and property. When disaster strikes, having an insurance policy protects us from potential financial ruin. No one likes to pay a monthly premium for a product that we likely will never need but if the house burns to the ground, an insurance policy allows us to rebuild.
In Ontario, most of our health care is covered by OHIP. Our taxes pay for our medical care and we never get to see that bill. Additionally, some employees are fortunate enough to have their company provide group insurance plans to cover dental, vision and prescriptions.
When it comes to our pets, most people are prepared for the costs for food, grooming, toys, and taking the dog or cat to the vet once a year for a check up. Approximately half of the appointments we see are for healthy animals that are in for a routine physical examination and perhaps updating their vaccinations. However, the other half of our day is dealing with sick or injured animals. We see it all - diabetes, kidney failure, liver disease, bladder stones, cancer, ruptured ligaments or fractured bones, osteoarthritis, immune mediated diseases, dental problems, seizures, blindness and the list goes on and on. Some of these problems are expensive to diagnose and treat and may also involve a referral to a specialist. There is so much help available for animals but the costs involved can be an unexpected financial burden.
There are a number of pet insurance companies in the marketplace that sell policies that cover illness and accidents. There are a number of factors that will affect the monthly premium but most companies allow you to generate this directly from their website.
I am a huge fan of pet insurance. When an insured pet comes in with a medical problem, we are able to provide the required care without the owner worrying about how they will pay for it. Every owner who has insurance is glad they purchased it when their pet becomes very acutely ill or lives with a chronic disease condition and virtually everyone who has an uninsured pet wishes they had it when things go badly. Pet insurance is not for everybody but it is something that is gaining popularity and is worth investigating.

Dr Fussell

Understanding Your Cat

To understand cats, we must first understand how they behave in their natural environment. Even if your cat lives indoors, its behaviours result from their survival value in the wild. In their natural environment, cats hunt for food, hide from predators (often by climbing), and defend their home territories. Indoors, these behaviours may look hostile (biting and scratching) or spiteful (climbing and marking), and we may not like them.

 The keys to enjoying cats in our lives are to:

1. provide acceptable outlets for their natural behaviours, and

2. reduce their exposure to threats.

 The following paragraphs describe natural behaviours of cats, and how the indoor environment can be modified to permit cats to engage in them in appropriate ways.

 Cats, unlike dogs and other domestic animals, are not a pack or herd species, which explains a lot about their behaviour, Pack species that are predators are mostly group hunters of large prey, whereas the prey species, cattle and horses for example, developed groups for self-protection. In contrast cats are solitary hunters of small prey. This strategy resulted in important differences in cat behaviour, which has been carefully studied. we can use our understanding of cat behaviour to improve the environment of the indoor cats that share our lives.

 1. Cats do not have the daily sleep-wake cycle that we and many other animals have. Rather, they sleep and wake frequently throughout the day and night. This is because cats in the wild need to hunt as many as 20 small prey each day: they must be able to rest between each hunt so they are ready to pounce quickly when prey approaches. This explains why our cats seem to sleep so much during the day when we are awake, and spend so much time awake at night when we need to sleep! We may conclude that cats are nocturnal creatures, but it only seems that way because their sleep/wake cycle is so different from ours. Adding playful activities to your cat's daily routine can diminish the occurrence of such nocturnal activity.

2. Dogs are cats' most common nautral predator in the wild. This is not to say, however, that cats and dogs cannot live amicably together in your home! Cats also may be afraid of other cats, of humans (if not properly socialized), and loud noises such as thunder, automobiles, and lawnmowers. Fearful cats generally have dilated pupils, flattened ears, a flattened or crouched body, and a fast breathing rate. If threatened further, they may hiss or growl, arch their back and puff up their fur, and may even attack.

3. Cats try to hide when they are anxious or feel threatened. They especially like to hide in high places, which permit a clear view of their surroundings. This is why it is especially important to provide indoor cats with hiding areas: these spots must permit the cat to feel safe from people, loud noises and other animals. If it is not safe for your cat to hide on top of the refridgerator, ect., then you will need to provide some other high location for your cat to hide in, such as a climbing tower or closet shelf.

4. Cats are not as social as many other species and they do not communicate in the same ways we do. Contrary to what people believe, cats primarily rely on smell, not sight, to communicate with other cats, locate food, and detect predators. Cats communicate by "marking" objects and other animals. These marks are scents (called pheromones) released from special glands located in their forehead, cheek, tail base, and paws when they scratch and rub their bodies on objects. Cats also do not rely too much on sounds from other cats, so they do not pay particular attention to the verbal sounds we humans make. Allowing your cats to mark scratching posts and other appropriate objects in the home will reduce the temptation for them to mark using urine. It is important that indoor cats have enough litter in a clean litter box to hide urine scents after covering. In the wild, cats urinate in new clean spots all the time; if we want them to use the same spot each time we have to keep it clean!

5. Cats are carnivores; they primarily eat small rodents, birds, and bugs. Because hunting is such a big part of a cat's life, even indoor cats want to engage in hunting types of activity. Keep this in mind when shopping for toys for your cat; most prefer those that resemble mice, birds, and bugs. If you really want to make it realistic, make the toy move like it really is alive!

6. Cats establish their home hunting ranges by scent marking them. Males will physically defend their ranges from other males, but females usually share or overlap their home range with other females. The size of a home range or territory can be up to 6km2 (~20 city blocks). Because cats in the wild hunt small prey, they tend to lead solitary lives so each cat gets enough to eat. If a food resource is very plentiful, cats may live in small groups, 2-25, consisting mainly of females. Male cats generally live alone regardless of food source, because they also complete with other males for mates.

7. Cats can be aggressive when defending territories, fearful when threatened, engage in play behaviour with one another (especially as kittens), and groom each other throughout adulthood. Mothers and other females in their group raise the kittens. Kittens begin to sample the mother's kill while still nursing, and begin to hunt alone at 8 to 16 weeks of age. They generally rest and groom together with their mothers until they are 6 to 12 months old. Adult males patrolling the mother's home range usually evict the juvenile males; juvenile females may leave if food resources are low. Adults establish their own home territory (range), and may be dominate or subordinate within the parts of their range that overlap that of other cats.

8. Sometimes cats play a little too hard and may scratch or bite you. You can teach your cat to inhibit this inappropriate play behaviour by leaving the area when your cat is not playing nicely!

9. Outdoor cats experience a wide range of temperatures. Since cats, cannot sweat very well, they learn to seek shade in warm temperatures, and warmth in cold temperatures. Indoor cats use shade, fans, bedding and blankets to regulate their temperatures throughout the year.

10. Most cats are so good at grooming themselves they do not need baths to stay clean. Longhaired (if the hair mats), obese, or sick cats may need extra combing and brushing. While cats in the wild do not have this luxury, you can help your cat stay healthy and clean if he struggles to do it for himself.

Tips To Keep Your Cat Happy

 To be at their best, cats have some basic needs; providing them will help ensure your cat's long-term health and welfare. If these needs are not met, your cat may feel stressed, which, can affect both health and behaviour. Listed here are things an "ideal" house for cats might include. Your cat(s) might not need all these features to get along, but making your house more "cat friendly" will ensure that you and your cat enjoy each other's company for years to come.

The MOST IMPORTANT fact for cat owners to understand is that cats DO NOT respond to force, and that they DO respond to praise! Reprimands only work if you catch you cat "in the act". Punishment that follows an action by more than a few seconds won't stop him from doing it again, and may even cause him to be afraid of you or the surroundings. If you do catch your cat making a mistake, it is better for both of you to create a distraction by making a loud noise or throwing something (NOT at the cat!) that will attract its attention, but not toward you.

Provide a room or other space she can call her own, complete with food and water, a bed (a cat carrier with a soft pad inside is a good choice), a litter box, a scratching/climbing post, a window to look out of, and some toys.

Place food and the litter boxes away from appliances and air ducts that could come on unexpectedly, and locate them such that another animal (or human!) cannot sneak up on the cat while she uses them. To keep them appealing to the cats, food and water should be fresh, and the litter box "scooped" every day.

Give her something to scratch on to ensure that she can "do her thing" without damaging your things. Praise her profusely when you see her use it to let her know that this is hers to use.

Provide places to climb and look out of windows to help keep your indoor cat(s) healthy and happy.

Cats seem to prefer to feel like they are "in control" of their surroundings, and to choose the changes they want to make. When you make changes (food, litter, toys, ect.), offer them in a separate container next to the familiar one so your cat can decide whether or not to change.

 Be sure to see your veterinarian regularly. In addition to providing preventative health care through regular check-ups, they also can help you troubleshoot any "issues" before they become problems.

If you have any questions regarding the health care of your cat please call or visit us online.

Dr. Fussell, Dr. Murray and your Veterinary Health Care Team

Quality Control

In order to provide high quality patient care, we rely on different types of medical equipment. This includes our anesthesia machines, xray generator, surgical instrument sterilizer, air driven dental drill and polisher, microscope and more. Once a year we schedule a service technician to come in to calibrate, clean, replace necessary parts and test our equipment and ensure that they are performing according to manufacturer's specifications. We feel that being proactive about equipment care allows us to have the confidence that we won't be caught by surprise by malfunction or inconsistent results.

Dr Fussell

Interesting Case

At Davis Drive Animal Clinic we diagnose and manage some very challenging cases. Recently, we had a dog with some very strange blood test results that required us to hit the books in order to come up with a diagnosis.
Chica is a female 6 year old Terrier Cross adopted from the SPCA in Mexico 3 years ago. She did have intestinal worms that we successfully treated but was otherwise healthy upon her arrival to Canada.
Last month, Chica came in for her annual examination and routine Lifestage Blood Tests. She was in great health physically but her labwork showed a peculiar elevation to her globulin proteins and a concerning reduction to her platelets. Platelets are involved with clotting and if a platelet count drops too far, spontaneous bleeding will occur. We elected to recheck her blood again 2 weeks later to trend these findings and found that these abnormalities were repeatable. There are several possible diseases that can cause a low platelet count. However, since she came from Mexico originally, I decided to test her for the various bacteria that can be transmitted by ticks. Chica tested positive for one called Ehrlichia canis which invades the white blood cell and she is currently on 6 weeks of antibiotics. We expect her platelet count to return to normal and plan on retesting her blood counts again in 1 week.

Dr Fussell