Vet’s Corner – Town Cats

23Sep 2020 by Jilliann Matteucci

How To Be A Proactive Eco-Friendly Cat Owner

All Posts, Cat Blog Articles, Current "Mews", Vet's Corner

How To Be A Proactive Eco-Friendly Cat Owner By Anna Huerta Some people easily live an environmentally friendly lifestyle. Others may be too overwhelmed even to try, perhaps fearing the high costs or overthinking the effort required. Besides that, people might not even be considering how their pets could add to their household’s environmental impact. However, some simple swaps in your own pet’s, specifically cat’s, lifestyle could help reduce your total carbon footprint. Starting with food, it’s essential to select brands that require fewer resources during the production process, like valuable areas of land or large amounts of water. Some environmentally friendly options include foods made from organic ingredients from companies like Open Farm, Lily’s Kitchen, and ZiwiPeak. It’s also important to check if most of the cat food you buy…

16Sep 2020 by Jilliann Matteucci

How Are The Wildfires Affecting My Cat?

All Posts, Cat Blog Articles, Vet's Corner

How Are The Wildfires Affecting My Cat? Written by Sela Garza If you live in California at the moment and own a cat, you might be wondering how the wildfires are affecting cats and what we can do to keep them safe. Smoke and low air quality can affect your cat just as they affect humans. It’s easier to keep indoor cats safe from harm, but we can protect our outdoor cats, too, by limiting the amount of time they spend outside. It will be an adjustment for them—and probably for you—but it will be worth it when you see them emerge from the house happy and healthy! As in humans, smoke can irritate your pet’s respiratory tract, which can lead to labored breathing and coughing. Needless to say, they cannot…

09Sep 2020 by Jilliann Matteucci

Your Cats’ First Week Home Pt.2

All Posts, Cat Blog Articles, Vet's Corner

Your Cats’ First Week Home Pt.2 By Cece Gu When it comes to cats, bonding can be unpredictable due to their moody behavior. Some cats, such as Persian, Burmese, or Ragdoll, have a more friendly and sociable personality and can be easier to bond with. Some breeds, such as Siamese, tend to be a little more standoffish. But one thing to keep in mind is that if you’re patient, you can form a bond with any breed of cat as long as you do it the right way. Bonding does not happen over a few hours but may take days or weeks. Here are some more tips for gently and effectively introducing new cats to you and your home. Tip #1: Set up a small space to bond in. Cats…

02Sep 2020 by Jilliann Matteucci

Enjoying the Outdoors Safely

All Posts, Cat Blog Articles, Vet's Corner

Enjoying the Outdoors Safely By C. M. Saracco It’s a dilemma many cat parents face: they want their cats to enjoy the outdoors while remaining safe and protecting wildlife. What if it wasn’t strictly an either/or choice? Leash / Harness Training Training your cat to tolerate a harness and leash can help your cat explore the sights, sounds, and smells of the outdoors while remaining safely near you. Combined pricing for both units is affordable, often $15 - $40. For more than a decade, I’ve used this option with my now 19-year-old cat Ezekiel, a rescue who had been accustomed to roaming outdoors and occasionally fought with neighbor cats or dashed across the street. He’s now indoors-only except when we harness him for a backyard sunbathing or garden exploration session. …

26Aug 2020 by Jilliann Matteucci

Growing Your Own Kitty Treats

All Posts, Cat Blog Articles, Vet's Corner

Growing Your Own Kitty Treats By C. M. Saracco The sunny days of Spring are a great time to grow cat grass or catnip for your kitties. Both are easy to cultivate in Santa Clara County, in containers or in the ground. And both are reputed to offer mild health benefits – for example, cat grass can aid digestion and help cats eliminate hairballs, while catnip can reduce anxiety and encourage exercise. Most cats like them. Growing these treats for your cat is actually quite easy. You just need a couple of sturdy containers and a sunny spot indoors or outdoors. If you’re impatient or just don’t want to get your hands dirty, many garden shops carry cat grass and catnip plants. But growing your own is fun and inexpensive and…

29Jul 2020 by Jilliann Matteucci

Summer Parasites: Part Two

All Posts, Cat Blog Articles, Current "Mews", Vet's Corner

Summer Parasites: Part Two In our last blog, we covered fleas, ear mites, and ticks, external summer pests all of which can cause plenty of harm; at least these parasites can be removed manually and easily treated to an extent. Today’s vermin are a lot different in how they affect our cats. We’ll discuss ringworm fungal outbreaks, as well as heartworm and hookworm infestations which manifest internally in our cats’ digestive tracts. These parasites are lurking almost year-round, however they’re specially active during warmer climate conditions prevalent during Summer. With vermin like these, it’s important to stay up to date with medicating your pets with the appropriate monthly doses per your veterinarian’s advice. Ringworm knows no boundaries. It will spread to both humans and animals with ease upon close contact…