Posts Tagged ‘pet insurance’

A shocking attach on a Tabby cat in Norfolk left the animals in such a bad state that vets had to remove an eye and a leg, after what Ben Kirby of the RSPCA called a “Sickening incident”.

The five-year-old cat was shot by an air gun multiple times at close range, leaving it blind in one eye and with a fractured shoulder.  More pellets peppered the cat’s face and mouth, meaning the attack was probably a prolonged assault.  Police and the RSPCA are not alone in being shocked, sickened and thoroughly confused by the attack; it’s thoroughly baffling how anybody could bring themselves to do such a thing to a helpless animal.  Since the owner of the cat is unknown, the price of the surgery cannot be claimed on pet insurance; instead, the people who found the cat have launched a fund to raise money to pay for the treatment – the RSPCA have contributed £200.

Cats falling from trees, getting into fights and even being hit by cars is part and parcel of what we accept as the risks of modern life.  However, nobody could plan for their pet to be the victim of such a cruel attack – this event will serve to remind everybody to keep a close eye on their pet to make sure it is properly protected.

There are two main kinds of arthritis that affects cats; traumatic arthritis and osteoarthritis. The first is arthritis brought on by an injury that weakens the joints or bones, causing inflammation. Although it doesn’t always last very long, traumatic arthritis can be exceptionally painful and may even require surgery if it is brought on by a break, fracture or dislocation. Because it is impossible to predict when an accident it going to happen, or when your cat might get into a fight, it is highly advisable to invest in pet insurance, just in case.

Osteoarthritis normally occurs with old age or repeated injuries to the same area; as the joints get old and stop working as well as they used to, they become inflamed while new bone continues to grow around the joints. Osteoarthritis tends to get worse over time and can be severely painful, especially for overweight cats. Pain relief is absolutely necessary to allow cats with osteoarthritis to live a comfortable life, so please speak to your vet if you have concerns. Although the constant medication can be expensive, some comprehensive pet insurance policies will pay for it.

A missing cat from Midlothian, Scotland has been found 478 miles south of his home – in Woodlands Veterinary Surgery, Plymouth! Owner Linda Jansen declares she has no idea how Sampson got so far from home, but likes to believe he walked -“Forget the Proclaimers, my cat really did walk 500 miles.” However he managed it, the Janson family is delighted to have him back, after Eagle Couriers shipped him back home for free; “I don’t suppose we’ll ever find out how the animal ended up on the south coast of England” said Director Fiona Deas, “but we can make sure it gets home safely”.

I’m not sure of Sampson’s breed, but if his namesake if anything to go by he must be a longhaired cat! From an owner’s point of view, it is very interesting to know that Sampson was found thanks to the microchip in his neck. I for one think the Jansens should have their cat insurance policy reviewed and the price lowered – clearly Sampson is a hardy individual!
 

Nobody should take on a cat without fully intending to look after it – no matter what the price. Sadly, with the price of pet health care ever rising, more cats and being put up for adoption and less owners say they are willing to pay up for emergency surgery and expensive treatment. Given the current economic climate, it’s understandable that people aren’t keen to see their finances thrown out of whack by a big vet bill, but surely this is all part of the responsibility of having a pet?

Either way, having to choose between the health of your pet and the stability of your bank account is something not cat owner wants to do. When it comes to life-saving surgery, a bill of hundreds if not thousands of pounds could be on the agenda – which 85% of cat owners said they wouldn’t pay if they exceeded £1500. By contrast, cat insurance that covers you pet for up to £1500 can be found from as little as £4.88 per month! At just over £1 per week, protecting your cat and your bank account doesn’t have to cost a fortune.

Although ear infection of the outer ear (otitis externa) is very common in cats, the disease can also spread deeper down the ear canal if not treated quickly enough.  Otitis externa is has a range of causes and treatments, but will normally have no more serious an affect than discomfort and trauma to the ear from scratching.

Inflammation of the middle ear (otitis media) however, can actually require surgery to put right – although treatment normally involve antibiotics or antifungals.  Symptoms include shaking or tilting or the head as well as a loss of balance in some cases.  Should the infection reach the inner ear (otitis interna), then your cat is in real trouble as these infections can result in permanent damage or even death!  The signs of otitis interna are un-missable and include vomiting, hearing loss and loss of coordination.  For this reason it is imperative that ear diseases are diagnosed and treated as soon as possible, as many cats are put down when the treatment is too expensive for owners without pet insurance.

Pyelonephritis is an inflammation of the kidney, commonly caused by a urinary tract infection that has travelled up to the kidney. It is a serious disease that can lead to kidney failure, sepsis and death, but although acute infections can cause bloody urine, vomiting and fever, the signs can be so subtle that they can easily go unnoticed. There are more obvious signs of the disease, like hunched posture, listlessness and weight loss; but often these do not come about until kidney failure has already occurred.

For this reason, pyelonephritis must be diagnosed early to be successfully treated. Diagnosis normally takes the form of a through physical examination and complete history and description of clinical signs, as well as the following baseline tests: a urinalysis to detect the presence of protein, bacteria or white blood cells in the urine; a complete blood count to detect elevated numbers of white blood cells; biochemical profiling to detected elevations in kidney enzymes.

Treatment normally involves dietary modification, fluid therapy and courses of antibiotics over at least four to six weeks. Surgery is sometimes necessary when pyelonephritis is associated with urinary calculi, though this can be expensive for owners without pet insurance.

Signs of Pyelonephritis Include:

• Painful, bloody and malodorous urinationE
• Excessive drinking but loss of appetite
• Abdominal or back pain
• Vomiting and diarrhea
• Lethargy

Cats eating mice is just about as old an image as you can get; after all, the mouse is the natural prey for any breed of cat. However, when you consider the size of a mouse, doesn’t it seem that a cat might have to eat a fair amount of them on a daily basis to get enough food? The truth is that a mouse only provides about 10% of the daily energy that a cat requires, so – in the wild – cats need to catch quite a lot of prey every day!

However, despite having evolved eating small meals multiple times a day; it is common practise for most cat owners to feed their pet fairly large meals twice a day instead. Yet feeding studies into felines have shown that, when given a choice, cats prefer to eat up to 20 times in 24 hours!

Some cats will happily nibble away at food left out twice a day, but others seem to make it a personal mission to scoff it all down – whether they want to or not! For this reason it is advisable, if you have the time available, to try catering for your cat’s natural tendency towards small meals. Although pet insurance companies are yet to take “feeding habits” into account when you apply, small meals will actually help keep your cat slim, healthy and full of energy.

I thought I’d start this blog with some information about fantastic breed of cat; the highly popular Abyssinian, whose direct descendents were literally worshiped by Ancient Egyptians, who believed they were manifestations of the very Gods themselves! However, despite this grand herriatage, the behaviour of modern Abyssinians could hardly be less Godlike! Known as the clowns or jokers of the cat kingdom, Abyssinians are playful and amusing cats, full of energy and life and rarely aloof. Although they love being involved in as much of their owner’s life as possible, they are very curious cats and are not particularly fond of being restrained, so try not to cramp their style!

When it comes to looking after Abyssinians, it is worth knowing they are prone to tooth decay and hence gingivitis. This is not a major problem if you can persuade your cat to put up with tooth-brushing, but this can be harder than it sounds. I highly recommend regular dental check-ups and taking out cat insurance to help cover the cost of any dental procedures that might come by surprise! Otherwise, Abyssinians are a fairly healthy breed of cat with no major genetic defects, although cases of hereditary amyloidosis are not uncommon.

Hello and welcome to the cat health bulletin!  I – catexpert - have been a lover of all things feline since infancy and hope to share my accumulated knowledge and passion for cats with the rest of you.

When I was just a toddler, my family had three cats; Wacky and Sammy (the parents) and a kitten called Teeny who I grew up with and who sparked my passion for everything cat-related!  As luck would have it, I lived very close to London zoo and, before long, big cats were another huge part of my life.  This feline passion of mine reached an high just after my 18th birthday, when I was given the opportuniy to spend six months in Zambia, in a Lion rehabilitation centre where I helped a dediated team get injured Lions back into the wild, without taming them.

As soon as I returned I signed up for veterinary science at Nottingham University and spent a few happy years learing as much as possible about my favourite subject.  Since then, I have worked closely with the RSPCA and Cat Protection, caring for and rehousing cats across the UK, as well as offering cat insurance advice to owners.  Hopefully this collection of information and insights about different breeds of cat will help you readers care for your cats too.