Welcome to our “Ask Dr. Paola” sequence, the place each and every Monday we deliver knowledgeable recommendation immediately from Dr. Paola Cuevas (MVZ) to assist our readers higher perceive their cat’s well being and well-being.
Whether or not you’re a brand new puppy dad or mum or a seasoned cat lover, Dr. Paola is right here to offer solutions for your maximum urgent questions. From vitamin pointers and preventive care to troubleshooting commonplace behavioral problems, Dr. Paola is able to be offering insights that may stay your kitty glad, wholesome, and tom cat positive. Keep tuned for knowledgeable steerage on a variety of subjects that topic maximum to you and your cat, so you’ll make knowledgeable selections and give you the very best conceivable take care of your hairy spouse.
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Lend a hand! How A lot Do I Feed a Feral Hepper?
“We have had what looks to be a feral cat living in our barn since yesterday. It is a tabby just like my tabby, but has smaller ears, so I have called it Little Ears. It’s really thin, so I have been putting food out, but I don’t know how much to give it. I don’t want to make it sick, so what would you recommend?” – Barbara
Hello Barbara,
What a steady center you need to take care of Little Ears. You might be completely proper to be considerate about how a lot to feed, since cats which have been undernourished want to be reintroduced to meals step by step and safely. The difficult section is that every cat meals system has a distinct calorie density, so there is not any common quantity that works for each and every meals. For this reason essentially the most dependable position to begin is with the feeding pointers imprinted on the package deal. Those are in response to reasonable calorie wishes in step with frame weight and provide you with a secure framework to regulate from.
As a result of Little Ears is skinny and most likely has been consuming little or no, I counsel you start with a couple of quarter to part of the really helpful day by day portion divided into a number of small foods all over the day. This prevents overwhelming his digestive gadget whilst nonetheless giving him the vitamin he wishes. As his frame adjusts, you’ll step by step building up the parts over the process per week till he’s consuming nearer to the rule quantity for his estimated wholesome weight. Rainy meals is especially useful in those instances since it’s more straightforward to digest and in addition supplies additional hydration. If dry meals is all you’ve got, moisten it with heat water to make it gentler at the abdomen. Additionally, please be certain that recent water is at all times to be had.
With persistence and constant feeding, his frame will regulate, and you’ll slowly transition him towards the quantity a cat his age, measurement, and situation will have to devour. As soon as he’s extra strong, I additionally inspire you to believe having Little Ears neutered or spayed if it has no longer already been performed. This no longer solely prevents undesirable litters but additionally a great deal improves long-term well being and decreases dangers of roaming and harm. Thanks to your compassion towards Little Ears. You might be actually creating a distinction in his existence.
Sincerely,
Dr. Paola
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Lend a hand! My Rescue Hepper Bites Me at Bedtime!
“Hi Dr. Paola,
I’ve a Torbie, rescued cat known as Ginny. She is set 3 or 4 years previous now and an indoor-only cat. She was once already spayed when she was once discovered chilly, unkept, and hungry outdoor a sort soul’s storage. I’ve had her for 2 years. She does no longer meow.
The problem I’ve is that she bites. It may occur after I puppy her. I’ve discovered the approaching indicators to steer clear of frustrating her and puppy her for shorter occasions. Alternatively, the time she is in all probability to chunk is after I move to mattress. She is welcome on my mattress, but when I divulge a hand or arm out of the sheet, she’s going to chunk it. That is virtually each and every night time with out fail.
Staying below the sheet protects me a little, however she then bites the sheet (she received’t chunk my
head). She most often will stop seeking to chunk if I push her out of bed, however on occasion she’s going to soar again up and check out tougher. In the end, she stops and is going to her mattress, which is on most sensible of the opposite aspect of my mattress.
Have you ever ever heard of this bedtime habits? Any theories why she would possibly do
this? Any ideas for corrective movements? I’m at my wits’ finish, however I like her.
Thank you to your time,” – Tom
Hello Tom,
Thanks for sharing Ginny’s tale. She is fortunate to have discovered any such affected person and loving house. The habits you describe isn’t unusual in cats, and it most often stems from a mixture of predatory play and overstimulation. Cats are crepuscular, which means that they’re naturally maximum lively at first light and nightfall. For plenty of indoor cats, bedtime coincides with a top in power, and a shifting hand below or outdoor the sheets can cause the looking intuition, just like prey scurrying during the grass. The biting of the sheet after you quilt up is a continuation of this predatory collection.
Since Ginny already presentations indicators of petting intolerance, her threshold for stimulation is also low, and when pleasure builds up within the night time, it’ll overflow into biting habits. A useful technique is to redirect this power sooner than you move to mattress. Enticing her in a structured play consultation the use of interactive toys, equivalent to wand toys or a feather teaser, adopted via a small meal, mimics the herbal hunt–devour–leisure cycle and is helping settle her. If she jumps at the mattress and begins to nip, steer clear of bodily punishment or pushing her away, since this will building up frustration. As an alternative, lightly take away your consideration and provides her a secure, attractive selection like a cushy toy she will combat with close to her mattress.
With consistency, Ginny will be told that bedtime is a time for calm and closeness quite than looking. It may take persistence to damage the dependancy, however with redirection and certain reinforcement of calm behaviors, you’re atmosphere her up for luck whilst preserving your bond sturdy.
I’m hoping this is helping!
– Dr. Paola
Lend a hand! I Assume My Hepper Would possibly Have Everlasting Eye Injury!
“Is there some way for a vet to test a cat’s differ of imaginative and prescient? We followed Gianni at 8 weeks from the safe haven the place he was once being handled in isolation for a critical eye an infection. As a nurse, I agreed to proceed his remedy as a result of he was once the one long-haired haired to be had and he wanted me.
He’s 3 years previous now and nonetheless has common eye infections in his left eye, even if he’s an indoor cat. I wonder whether he has everlasting harm as a result of he turns out to have hassle
discovering treats or bits of unpolluted hen I drop for him proper in entrance of his face. May just he be far-sighted? He doesn’t appear to be completely blind.” – Loretta
Hello Loretta,
What a compassionate selection you made to offer Gianni an opportunity when he wanted it maximum. Cats who’ve had critical eye infections early in existence, particularly the ones affecting the cornea, conjunctiva, or deeper buildings, can certainly expand a point of lasting imaginative and prescient impairment. Scarring, persistent irritation, or harm to the corneal floor can all intervene with how obviously gentle enters the attention, just like having a look thru a foggy window.
Veterinarians can review a cat’s imaginative and prescient in different tactics throughout a medical examination. Easy assessments come with staring at how the cat navigates a room, monitoring a cotton ball tossed close by (because it falls silently and assessments visible monitoring quite than sound), and checking the risk reaction, the place a steady hand motion towards the attention will have to cause a blink. Extra specialised checks contain assessing the retina and optic nerve with an ophthalmoscope or relating to a veterinary ophthalmologist for complex checking out equivalent to electroretinography. Those equipment assist decide whether or not the limitation lies within the eye’s floor, the lens, or the deeper buildings chargeable for transmitting visible knowledge to the mind.
From what you describe, Gianni can have diminished close-range imaginative and prescient, which makes it tougher for him to identify small treats proper in entrance of him. The usage of higher, extra fragrant meals rewards or hanging them in a contrasting dish would possibly make it more straightforward for him. As a result of he continues to have recurrent infections, I like to recommend having him tested via your veterinarian, and if conceivable, a referral to a veterinary ophthalmologist. This may assist assess each his present visible capability and whether or not there may be an underlying situation that may be controlled to support his convenience and offer protection to the imaginative and prescient he has.
Sincerely,
– Dr. Paola
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