The great folks at VIN and VeterinaryPartner have another article on having a safe and happy holiday time with your pets.
May the spirit of giving, the love of friends and family and joy of the season be yours, from all of us at Richmond Veterinary Clinic.
We talked about Aunt Vivian and her scary voice yesterday. But what if your pets love her because she sneaks them food under the table?
Just be sure that Aunt Viv knows what foods should NOT be given to pets.
There are some great online resources for this:
Veterinary Partner has an article.
ASPCA Animal Poison Control also has a list, and an 800 number that you can call over the holidays if your pet has eaten something that concerns you.
If you have guests staying over who may be on medications, please ensure that those medications are kept out of the reach of pets as well.
Have a safe and happy holiday from all of us at Richmond Veterinary Clinic.
There’s a great blog about what happens if your pet bites one of your holiday visitors. Rabies quarantines are not fun for anyone.
How could this happen? It might look like a completely unexpected turn of events.
The holidays are exciting for us, but look at it from your pet’s point of view:
Any one of these changes could be enough to put even the most well-behaved pet on edge, but put all three together and when Aunt Vivian leans over your nervous pup with her squeaky voice and trembling hands, you have a recipe for disaster.
Some pets are happier in a quiet room with a favorite toy than they would be in the middle of all the hubbub of a holiday gathering.
Most of the time, cats will voluntarily leave the areas where they feel uncomfortable. How many of us have cats who’ve never been seen by a visitor? Imagine if you tried to haul kitty out of hiding and force them to sit on someone’s lap. We’d never imagine doing that.
But with dogs, they are often used to being in the living areas when we are there. Sometimes they just don’t think to leave. Sometimes they think they should keep an eye on the intruders. You can train dogs to accept and even enjoy visitors, but probably not in 3 days.
Be aware of the body language your dog is showing you, and help them find a quiet place to rest if they seem to be getting stressed during holiday celebrations:
We all know the google effect. The most sensational, most interesting and most visited sites go to the top. But maybe they aren’t the best at giving reliable information, because Google is a popularity (and SEO) contest.
Here are 5 sites that have a lot of helpful and factual information about cat care.
1. The Indoor Pet Initiative Cat Owner Page
This site, from the Ohio State University School of Veterinary Medicine, has a wealth of information on the needs of cats, their behaviour and some great training tips.
2. Cornell Feline Health Center
Another university site dedicated to feline health.
3. American Association of Feline Practitioners
These are the cat vets, specialists who have spent years learning about the needs of cats. The have a great cat owner section on their web site.
This is a charity dedicated to cats and cat care, again some great cat care advice.
This is the public branch of a veterinary group called VIN. The site is searchable and provides good information about cats and other pets.
If you have a question or concern that isn’t addressed by these sites, please feel free to give us a call (613) 354-2330.
I hope you enjoy this classic short film as much as I do.
Manny arrived not too long ago in a convoy of SUVs, a tiny black and white bundle of fur covered in snot and pus and filth.
He’d been living in a vehicle with his best friend and protector, a two pound Chihuahua. His name was Amanda, and he was a sick little fuzzball. He was probably fed a diet of leftover fast food and had an impressive case of diarrhea. He also had an upper respiratory and eye infection that is common for kittens from feral or stressful backgrounds.
Our amazing team took him him, treated his infections and cleaned him up. He spent the first few weeks with us sleeping and eating. Oh, can this little fellow eat! As he grew, we had to start separating him from his little canine buddy at meal time — or he eats all his food and steals hers, too.
Now, Manny is a handsome young cat with a beautiful coat and clear eyes. He’s discovered the padded tables in our exam rooms and often spends part of his day lounging there. He’s playful, energetic and friendly.
Sometimes the old tales, like the one about cats having nine lives, do have a basis in fact. Just look at our amazing Manny catching his first mouse!
Thank you, Mr. Herriot.
This fellow is special. Not only is he incredibly gorgeous, he’s the heart and soul of our little workplace. He goes on vacation occasionally, and it’s never long before his absence is a huge hole in our day.
He likes to go for outings in our backyard area. He may be out for a few minutes alone, but he tends to mow grass and then vomit it, so he is usually supervised.
He sneaks outside when the doors are open. These days, he moseys out to a nearby grassy area, relaxes and takes a whiff of nature while he waits for someone to tote him back in.
One lazy afternoon many years ago, a shock went through the clinic. Mojo couldn’t be found.
Where was Mojo? In a space of twenty minutes, the building was completely searched. Every nook and cranny was exposed and there was no little grey cat. Two staff members were in tears. Others formed a search party and began covering the area outside our building. I think there was trespassing.
He came back a few hours later, meowing at the door and he never took off again. He obviously knows a comfortable situation when he finds it.
We were aware that, in a flash, the cat could disappear.
I’ll tell some stories of my own cats and how they ended up in the wide world, and how I luckily got them back. I’ll also share what we’ve done to prevent another catastrophe.
Do you have a plan? What would you do if your cat got out?
Ziggy is a princess.
She has the most beautiful green eyes, a loud purr and she loves to cuddle. She’s bossy and vocal and lives to report on the level of the food bowl.
She is firmly pro-indoors as far as cats go, and will actually observe an open door with a hint of distaste on her face. Because she’s been out there, and she didn’t like it . . .
One summer night a few years ago, in the wee hours of the morning, something woke me. I don’t know whether it was a sound I didn’t register or something I ate or some psychic call from Zig. Something didn’t feel right, and I needed to check the house.
I went out the front door and around to the side of the house. She was on the ground, under the window, calling out to me and trying to climb the stone wall.
I slogged out through the grass and she almost jumped into my arms.
Cats with personalities like Ziggy are the easiest to find if they get outside. She was panicked, but not so much that she tried to hide. She trusted me enough to call out to me, and scared enough to want back inside immediately.
I don’t think she liked getting her feet wet, either.
Thanks for joining me!
In the coming days, I’ll be adding posts that were originally posted on the CatSide blog, and then in the New Year, a series I’m calling ‘Letters to my cats (and dogs)‘.
Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton
