Tag: Cats
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Animal abuse: are we right to be suspicious?
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When I was 14, I watched a documentary aired as part of Channel 4’s “Banned” season. Called The Animals Film, the programme was about the way humans use and abuse animals for their own ends, with the emphasis very much on abuse. I didn’t sleep very much that evening and became a vegetarian overnight. The…
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SNAP FeLV antigen/FIV antibody test
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The past decade has seen a significant shift in the prevalence of both FeLV and FIV in most European countries. This, coupled with a better understanding of the viral dynamics of FeLV, will influence the interpretation of the results of in-house diagnostics tests of these viral infections. FeLV is an RNA virus that undergoes classic…
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10 minutes
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I have been doing this for a little while; at a conservative estimate, I have carried out more than 60,000 consultations during my career. Sixty thousand. That makes me feel a little strange (and a lot old). For the majority of my time in practice, my allotted consulting time has been 10 minutes. Sixty-thousand 10-minute slots…
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Pet hunting criteria – am I neurotic?
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It’s been suggested to me recently some of my attitudes to owning a pet might be a bit “weird”. As I have written in previous blogs about Hollie, Little Blue (LB) and general pet ownership issues, you might agree. You might already have thought this. I don’t really mind. I know I’m a little special…
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Good mental health – not just for humans
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Hollie has had a big month. She’s had surgery and now we’ve started behavioural therapy. To be fair, she’s generally a bit anxious as she hadn’t really been socialised at all until we got her at six years old – so she’s always been a bit behind the usual socialisation time frame. We cope with…
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Anti-science
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I gently squeeze the cat’s abdomen. There isn’t much to feel, but the muscles tense and the cat looks at me reproachfully. A tiny bead of bloody urine appears at its vulva and drips on to the consult table. “I think we’re dealing with cystitis here,” I said. Of course, technically it’s probably feline lower…
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New year, new us
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With the Christmas festivities over and 2017 already upon us, many of you will have taken the time to make a new year’s resolution you won’t keep. It is estimated only 8% of people succeed in achieving or keeping their new year’s resolution (so the odds are against you), but if you feel this is…
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Cat-proofing the Christmas tree
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Having acquired two new bundles of fluffy joy this year, our Christmas tree is looking a little worse for wear. Now six months old, our kittens’ new favourite game is trying to de-decorate said tree at lightning speed. Many clients are aware of the edible dangers to pets at Christmas time, but the tree itself,…
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Borrowed time
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I’m hoping to get through writing this without crying. Our beloved Little Blue (or “LB”) is entering the stage beyond the twilight years – she’s firmly in borrowed time territory. Although G (the husband) thinks she’s been on borrowed time for the last five years, she’s really just been a bit more aged-looking than usual.…
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Don’t you miss them?
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Odd spot of locum work aside, I have been out of general practice for a few months now, and a number of people have asked the same thing: “Don’t you miss the patients?” That’s a tricky one – simply because the gut reaction of “of course I do” gets complicated when I start to think…