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Feline_Healthcare.ppt
- 1. Providing The Best For Your Pet: Topics In Feline Healthcare Kristi Lively, DVM, DABVP Village Veterinary Clinic Farragut, TN
- 2. Feline Healthcare Today we will discuss the basics of routine feline healthcare to help you meet the needs of your feline companions, including: – Home care – Nutrition – Behavior – Veterinary care – Lifestyle & age related needs
- 3. Home Care Many facets of appropriate care in the home: • Housing • Exercise • Sensory input/ output • Nutrition • Behavior
- 4. Appropriate Housing • Be sure all windows and doors close and lock • Secure screens in all windows • Protect electrical cords from chewing • Healthier inside vs. outside • Toxic plants • Litter boxes = # of cats +1
- 5. Common Toxic Plants • Philodendron • Easter Lilies, day lilies, calla lilies • Shamrock • Christmas cactus • Onions and chives • Poinsettia • Lantana • Iris
- 6. Inside vs. Outside Outdoor cats are more susceptible to: • Vehicular trauma • Bite wounds from other cats, and thus viral diseases such as Feline Leukemia Virus and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus • Parasites- fleas, ticks, toxoplasmosis • Attack by larger animals • Get lost or wander off • Indoor cats live longer, healthier lives
- 7. Litter Boxes • # of cats plus one • Locate in a quiet, private area • Use a baby gate to keep dogs out of the area • Clean daily • Be consistent with litter brand/type
- 8. Exercise • Often overlooked with cats more so than with dogs • Laser lights • Feather toys • Rolling balls
- 9. Sensory Input/Output • Cats are social animals • Windows with bird feeders • Fish tanks • Videos • Play time daily
- 10. Nutrition • High quality cat food • Controlled, measured feeding • Twice a day, 10 minutes • Body condition score • It is VERY difficult to get weight off an obese cats, easier to prevent!
- 11. Obesity • Diet or light formulas available, but weight loss in cats is very difficult • They don’t exercise as easily as walking a dog • Obese cats are predisposed to developing diabetes, arthritis, and dermatitis if they cannot groom themselves • Easier to prevent than to reverse
- 13. Nutrition Continued Home dental care: • Diets made to aide in cleaning of the teeth • CET chews (hexadene) • Greenies
- 14. Feline Behavior The most common cause for owner surrender of cats • House soiling • Clawing/scratching furniture
- 15. House Soiling Urine spraying: • Identify and treat this early for best prognosis! • Spay/Neuter all cats in the household • Rule out medical reasons such as UTI, cystitis • Adequate # of litter boxes • Limit sight contact with outdoor cats • Reduce stressors (don’t yell at them for it)
- 16. Urine Spraying Continued • Clean area with an ammonia free product • Avoidance tactics for areas being soiled such as tin foil, food bowls, boxes • Having more than 3 cats increases your risk for inappropriate elimination due to territorial issues • Anti-anxiety medications • Confinement
- 17. Inappropriate Scratching Behavior • Natural for most cats to want to scratch • Territorial activity
- 19. Treatment Options Cont Scratching post
- 20. Declaw Surgery: • Best if done when young • This is an invasive surgery • Proactive pain management • Consider laser surgery option Treatment Options Cont
- 21. Declaw Surgery Cont • Invasive procedure: removing the last joint of the digit
- 22. Laser Surgery • Better pain management • No bandages required • Most humane surgery technique
- 23. Veterinary Care • Cats need to have annual or semi-annual exams • Vaccines related to lifestyle • Heartworm prevention- not just for dogs • Fecal exams • Flea and tick control • Routine urine and blood work screening • Spay and neuter!
- 24. Vaccines • Rabies • Rhinotracheitis • Calici virus • Chlamydia • Panleukopenia • +/- FeLV • +/- FIV ??
- 25. Heartworm Prevention • Transmitted by mosquitoes • Infection causes heart and lung disease • Indoor and outdoor cats are all at risk • Heartworm preventive should be given year round • Can cause sudden unexplained death in a cat
- 26. Parasite Screening • Fecal parasite exams are recommended by the CDC twice per year • Intestinal parasites in cats can be transmitted to people • Monthly heartworm preventives can help control intestinal parasites as well
- 27. Flea and Tick Control • In East TN, we see many fleas and ticks • Cat scratch fever • Tick borne infections being identified in cats • Excellent topical products are available (Frontline, Advantage) rom your veterinarian
- 28. Spay and Neuter • It is healthier for pets to be spayed or neutered • Cancer • Behavior problems- urine spraying • Reproductive tract infections • Overpopulation problem • Do it because you care
- 29. Routine Screening • Recommend annual urine evaluation, CBC, and chemistry • Blood pressure measurement • Try to identify silent disease processes before they manifest as problems. • Provides a good baseline for future
- 30. Common Conditions In Senior Cats • Kidney disease • Hyperthyroidism • Dental disease • Arthritis • Liver disease • Cancer
- 31. Seniors • As cats age, their needs change: • Diet • Exercise • Proactive veterinary care • Pain management
- 32. Remember • If your pet is an integral part of the family, you will be more able to meet your pet’s needs socially, emotionally and medically. • A pet is for a life time. It is not a right, but a privilege, and we must remember we took responsibility for their well being when we brought them into our home
- 33. How • Proper home care • Proper nutrition • Behavior management • Proactive veterinary care • Remembering lifestyle and age related needs
- 34. Why? • Talk to your veterinarian • Talk with your family • Teach responsible pet ownership to children • You will be rewarded with unconditional love
- 35. Rewarded For Years To Come Unconditional love
- 36. For more information, please contact CAIT www.vet.utk.edu/cait cait@utk.edu 865-755-2276