I haven’t thought about ticks much in the past and rarely had I seen them on cats. Over the past year, that has changed.
• 2018 brought Pennsylvania a new, invasive, year-round Asian longhorned tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis). The Asian longhorned tick has unique characteristics that pose a threat to humans and animals (females can reproduce without a...Continue Reading
Two particularly serious infectious diseases we are worried about in cats are feline leukemia virus (FeLV) & feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). These viruses infect approximately 2-3% of cats.
These retrovirusus can be a bit tricky to predict and diagnose. There is often confusion and miscommunication regarding feline leukemia and FIV testing. Here are s...Continue Reading
Cat owners have a strong emotional interest in what they feed their cat because they are in control. Unfortunately, the pet food industry has taken advantage of this emotion with their marketing strategies. The average cat owner is “eating up” what these marketing geniuses are selling: great sounding diets with little to no scientific data to back up their claims. Google, TV celebrity chefs and pet store employees know very little, if anything, a...Continue Reading
A vaccine is a biological substance used to stimulate a cat’s immune system to provide future protection against a disease. It may contain an inactive organism (i.e. rabies), a weakened organism (i.e. some FVRCP vaccines), a toxin, or a protein from the...Continue Reading
It’s that time of year again when Easter hazards, from a cat’s perspective, make their way into the home. The most dangerous hazard is the lily. Day lilies (Hemerocallis) & true lilies (Lilium) are deadly to cats. Unfortunately, we do not know what characteristic of lilies causes kidney failure. All parts of the lily are thought to be poisonous, especially the flower...Continue Reading
We recommend canned diets over dry diets for a number of reasons:
• Canned diets are closer to what cats should be eating…small mammals.
• Cats are carnivores and should be eating a high protein/moderate fat/low carbohydrate diet. Canned food achieves this goal much better than a dry food.
...Continue Reading
Let’s talk cannabis.
There’s a lot of talk about CBD these days. The exact usage and medical benefits at this time are unclear. In the human field, there have been some studies looking into anti-seizure, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-tumor, and anti-depression benefits of CBD with some promise. Here's w...Continue Reading