Many pet owners complain about their pet’s bad breath. Unfortunately, most cats don’t have their teeth cleaned so the most common cause of halitosis (bad breath) is caused by bad teeth.

The problem can range from mild gingivitis where the gums look red, to severe periodontitis where teeth are covered in brown tartar and there may even be tooth root abscesses.

Although our cats do not demonstrate dental pain like we do, there’s no doubt that they do get toothache. It’s surprising how much brighter and livelier a cat will become after a dental. Although it might not stop your cat eating, your cat will feel very uncomfortable with that dull ache.

Early detection

Early dental problems can often be picked up by your vet when you take your cat in for its annual booster and health check. It is much easier to treat an early case of gingivitis by scaling and polishing the teeth rather than wait until your cat has severe dental disease resulting in a much longer anaesthetic to remove teeth.

Dental diets

After having a dental, your vet can recommend a food that you can feed your cat to help keep your cat’s teeth clean. Dental diets are available for cats, specially formulated to act like a toothbrush to help prevent tartar build up. Provided it is fed at least as part of your cat’s daily diet, it does help keep the teeth clean without you having to brush them.

If the teeth have severe gingivitis or a deeper infection it is important that your cat has a dental as a matter of urgency. The infected gums provide a source of bacteria, which can get into the bloodstream. Once in the blood, these bacteria can deposit in major organs such as the kidney, liver and heart valves.

As with most things, prevention is better than cure. Regular check-ups and a diet consisting of chews and biscuits help keep the tartar away.

Do you know that just 5% of fleas live as adults on pets?

The other 95% of flea population lives in the home. Adult fleas lay their eggs on the cat within a few days of their first blood meal. These eggs are non-sticky and will drop off onto surrounding carpets and bedding waiting to hatch. From here, the eggs will hatch to produce larvae that feed on flea faeces and organic matter found in the environment. The larvae dislike light and will tend to live deep in the carpets and in soil.

An adult flea will lay up to 50 eggs per day, about 2,000 in her lifetime. The adults come out of their cocoons when they detect a host is nearby. Once they hop onto a host, the adults mate and begin the life-cycle all over again. The newly emerged flea may bite humans before jumping off to find a more suitable host. The entire life cycle can be as short as three to four weeks.

Flea diseases transmission

Fleas are not simply a source of annoyance. Some people and animals suffer allergic reactions to flea saliva resulting in rashes and/or impotence. Fleas can also act as a vector for disease (viral, bacterial and parasites) to humans and animals. An animal can die from a serious infestation of fleas if it is not treated.

Don’t wait until you see fleas on your animal to start a treatment

Fleas are an all year problem. They love our central heating as much as the hot summer weather. Preventing an infestation is much easier and much more effective than trying to treat one that already exists. Ridding your home of an existing infestation can be timeless (months, regardless of the flea product you use), labour and expensive process.

Don’t assume that because your animal doesn’t go outdoors he is safe from fleas. Indoor cats can and do get fleas just as easily. Fleas can hitchhike on your clothing and come inside with you. They can come in with other pets that do go outdoors. They can also find their way inside through very small openings.

Prevention and treatment of pets is essential.

We often read stories in the press of cats that have strayed miles from home only to be eventually reunited with their owners thanks to their microchip. A microchip can be the difference between seeing a lost pet again, or not.

It is very distressing to lose a pet but unfortunately without any reliable form of identification can be extremely difficult to reunite owners with their pets.

Microchipping is a simple way of permanent identification for any pet and as part of your membership of the Healthy Pet Club, a microchip for your cat is included in the package.

The procedure

Microchipping is quick, safe and painless. Your vet will inject a tiny microchip (about the size of a grain of rice) under the loose skin of your cat’s neck, which will give your cat his/her own personal identification number.

If your cat strays and gets handed in to another veterinary surgery, rescue centre, the police or local authority, they have special hand held scanners that can detect and “read” the information on the microchips.

Your cat’s unique number can be checked against the national database and once identified as yours, you will be reunited without further delay.

Males

A male kitten can become sexually aware from as young as six months old and he may start pungent marking of his territory.

Unless you want to breed from your cat, castration of a male cat is quite a minor operation if done early – usually at six months.

An un-neutered male is more likely to get involved in fights often resulting in abscesses and other ailments. He is also more prone to catch Feline Immuno-deficiency virus – a deadly viral disease which is spread by bite wounds. Neutering your male cat also stops testicular tumours occurring.

Females

Female kittens can come into season well before they are a year old. It is therefore advisable to consider neutering between four to six months of age. Your vet will be able to advise what is best for your kitten. Cats usually come into season (ie are reproductively active) between March and September, though this will vary a little depending on weather conditions, such as day length and day light. However, with the majority of cats kept indoors and not truly subject to outside weather conditions, some cats will even come into season in the autumn and winter periods.

During the breeding season a female cat, which has not been spayed (a queen) will come onto heat every three weeks. When on heat, a female cat is usually extremely vocal and it is not unusual for an inexperienced owner to think their cat is crying in pain. She is usually very affectionate, even more so than normal, and will rub against your legs and furniture. She may also adopt a characteristic position, called “lordosis”. In this stance, she crouches down on her front legs and holds her rear end up, in a position ready to mate.

If you do not want your cat to have kittens, it is advisable to have her spayed.

There is no specific treatment for most of the viruses that affect our pets today and we believe that ‘prevention is better than cure’. Cat flu is still a very common disease, and sadly we also often see cats that have been infected with Feline Leukaemia Virus, a frequently fatal disease. Both of these and many other diseases can be prevented or kept to a minimum just by a simple vaccination.

The Healthy Pet Club membership includes your cat’s routine vaccinations. We recommend yearly booster vaccinations to ensure that your cat’s immune system is always prepared in its constant fight against disease. Some of the diseases we vaccinate against (see below) are treatable but some can be fatal which is why we recommend keeping up to date with your boosters to help protect your cat.

Vaccinations for cats

We recommend that kittens are given their initial course of vaccinations from nine weeks of age. This consists of one injection, followed by a second, three weeks later. These should then be followed by a booster vaccination on an annual basis. These vaccinations will help protect your cat against:

Feline Leukaemia Virus

This virus is the most common infectious cause of death in cats of less than one year.

Causes the development of leukaemia (cancer of the blood cells), anaemia, and can even cause cancer of the eyes, kidneys, chest, liver and intestinal system.

Virus is found in cat’s saliva and spread by mutual grooming.

Cat Flu

Symptoms include runny eyes, sneezing, ulcers on tongue, mouth and eyes.

Can be fatal in kittens if left untreated.

Feline Enteritis

Causes diarrhoea, severe vomiting and is usually fatal.

Kittens are most at risk but it can affect adults too.

It’s never too late to start a vaccination programme.

If you have an older cat, it is not too late to start a vaccination programme and your vet will be able to advise you on this. Older cats often have a weaker immune system so it is especially important to give them a helping hand and keep their boosters up to date. Most reputable catteries will not take cats for boarding unless they have an up to date vaccination record.

If more than 12 months pass between boosters, your pet may need to restart their vaccination course, as their immunity will have deteriorated.

Health check

At the time of vaccination, your vet will also give your cat a thorough clinical examination that can alert us to problems ranging from bad teeth to heart disease. This examination is as vital for the well-being of your cat as the vaccination and is a valuable opportunity for you to discuss any concerns or queries you may have about your cat’s health.

Any cat is at risk of infection of worms, however well cared for – and most will be infected at some stage in their life. Left untreated, worms have the potential to cause real health problems for your cat: vomiting, diarrhoea, weight loss and anaemia to name just a few.

A few worms (in particular Toxocara – the common roundworm) can be transmitted to people – and children are particularly vulnerable. Accordingly, you should make regular worming part of your cat’s healthcare routine.

The different types of worms

Cat worms can come in a number of different forms: roundworms, tapeworms, hookworms – there are in fact more than a dozen different intestinal worms that can affect cats and dogs in the UK.

Roundworms live in the cat’s gut, living off the contents and growing to around 100mm or so in cats. These worms can be passed from the queen to the kittens. Infected animals pass eggs which can survive in the environment for a long period of time.

Tapeworms can be much longer. The commonest is the flea tapeworm (Dipylidium Caninum) which affects both cats and dogs, and grows to around half a metre. Cats that hunt are particularly at risk from tapeworm as mice and other animals can be a source of infection.

Hookworms are only 10mm long but they attach themselves to the gut wall to feed on the cat’s blood.

Whilst all of these worms can damage your cat’s health, the good news is that they can all be controlled.

Treatment and frequency

Worming treatments do not prevent infection in adult cats – so your cat could become re-infected shortly after being wormed. What you can do is to help protect your cat against the effects of infection, by killing worms before they can cause serious damage to your cat’s health. Worming your cat regularly not only ensures that your cat stays healthy but can reduce the risk of certain diseases being passed on to you and your family. How often you should worm your cat depends on your cat’s lifestyle. If they eat raw meat, hunt birds, mice or rabbits then they will need to be wormed more frequently compared to cats that tend to stay indoors. Your veterinary practice will be able to recommend a parasite prevention plan that is most appropriate for your cat.

Worming your cat is now a whole lot easier. Giving your cat a worming tablet can sometimes be something of a battle so there is now an alternative to take the stress out of worming!

An easy-to-give, effective multi wormer for cats that kills all the roundworms, hookworms and tapeworms that your cat can get is now available from your veterinary practice. It is straightforward and easy to apply (just a drop on the back of the neck) and will make worming a much less stressful process for both you and your cat.