Improvements in pet nutrition over the years have contributed to increased pet longevity and quality of life. At Diamond Valley Veterinary Hospitals we recommend feeding your cat a balanced, high quality diet. Factors to consider include age, dental health, lifestyle, weight management and special needs as your pet ages. Kittens require a diet higher in protein and calcium, whilst older cats often require reduced calorie diets to manage their weight, or reduced protein content for kidney health.
At Diamond Valley Veterinary Hospitals we stock a wide range of premium cat foods, and can offer you expert advice on the best food for your cats individual requirements. When changing your cats food type please introduce the new food gradually, over about a week, mixing it with the old food. This reduces the chance of a tummy upset due to a sudden diet change. It is useful to feed your kitten or cat a mixture of wet and dry food – cats love variety and you might need to hide medicine in their food one day! Ensure your cat’s food and litter tray are well separated, in different rooms if possible. No-one wants to eat near their toilet! Cats also do not like their water to be close to their food so keep them separated by a few metres.
Cats have very particular nutritional requirements – there are certain proteins that they must source from their diet (rather than the body producing them, like other mammals). For this reason cats should always be fed at least part of their diet with a branded food that is accredited by AAFCO (a world-standard regulatory body) to be balanced. Dog food is not balanced for cats and should never be offered.
Whilst most cats are sensible and don’t eat silly things we do recommend you take care allowing your cat access to the following:
Lily plants/flowers – all parts of the lily are toxic to cats if eaten – leaves, flowers, even the pollen. A very small amount is all that is needed to cause irreversible and fatal kidney failure. Many indoor cats in particular will be very interested in new plants or flowers and will be tempted to have a chew. We recommend you keep all lily plants well away from cats when inside.
String/wool/tinsel – please take extra care when allowing your cat to play with strings and the like – some cats will eat them and this can result in disastrous gut obstruction.
Rat bait – cats are unlikely to eat the bait itself, but can experience potentially life threatening secondary poisoning if they eat a poisoned rat or mouse.
For a comprehensive list of foods, household products and plants that can be toxic to pets please contact our staff.
There are two broad categories of worms that may affect cats – intestinal worms and heartworm.
Worming is one of the first health care issues new pet owners need to address as puppies and kittens are the most susceptible to both infection and the effects of worms. As their name suggests, intestinal worms are parasites that live inside the intestinal tract. These worms range in size from being a few millimetres long to up to 18cm in length. Regardless of their size they all have detrimental (and in extremely rare cases potentially life threatening) effects.
Most species of animal (including humans) can become infected with intestinal worms.
Common intestinal worms in Australian pets are Roundworm, Tapeworm, Whipworm and Hookworm. If your pet has a large number of worms it may find it difficult to maintain body condition and it can lose weight. In some cases worm infestation can cause vomiting, diarrhoea and even anaemia (a low red blood cell level). Occasionally, heavy intestinal worm burdens can lead to death.
Worms sometimes have complex life-cycles which involve a period of existence and development outside your pet. Understanding the life cycle of a specific worm is important so that strategies for treatment and prevention can be designed and implemented. For instance, some tapeworms need to pass through fleas to complete their life-cycle, so flea prevention is an important method of preventing tapeworm infection.
It is important to maintain a routine worming treatment for your pets, to reduce the incidence of infection and to reduce environmental contamination. There are many worming treatments available as tablets, spot-ons, or pastes. Re-infection is a common problem, particularly in pets that are in contact with a heavily contaminated environment. Another very important reason to worm your pets is to protect your family as children in particular can become infected with certain cat worms.
Below are some tips to improve the prevention of worm infection:
Please call us to discuss the most appropriate intestinal worming program for your pet.
Fleas are seen in maximum numbers during the warmer months but as we keep our homes warm throughout winter, we do see fleas all year round. Only a small part of the adult flea population actually lives on your pet – they hop on for a feed, then hop off to lay eggs in the animals environment. Flea eggs and larvae can survive for up to a year, so it is important to not only treat your animal directly for adult fleas but also to use a product that manages environmental contamination as well. Washing your pets bedding using the hottest cycle and regularly vacuuming carpets and fabric furniture can help.
Most animals will be itchy and mildly uncomfortable when they pick up a few fleas, but a small number of dogs and cats can have a severe reaction to flea saliva resulting in a skin condition called Flea Allergy Dermatitis or FAD. Treatment of FAD can be complicated and veterinary advice is recommended.
In addition to causing skin irritation fleas can spread blood borne diseases – another reason we recommend using a good quality flea preventative product all year round.
Warning: Some non-veterinary brands of flea treatments for dogs are potentially lethal when applied to cats. Always seek veterinary advice about the best flea treatments for your pet.
The immunity kitten vaccination weakens over time and your pet can again become susceptible to disease. An annual health check and booster vaccination if needed will provide the best protection for the life of your pet.
We most commonly vaccinate our feline patients against Feline Enteritis, Feline Respiratory Disease (‘Cat Flu’) and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV).
FIV is a viral disease spread by cats that fight. Outdoor free-ranging cats are therefore at a much higher risk of contracting this disease. It cannot be spread to people, but can affect the immune system of an infected cat, making them more prone to infections and certain types of cancers.
Your veterinarian will discuss with you the most appropriate vaccination requirements for your individual pets needs – vaccination is not a ‘one treatment suits all’ scenario.
Following vaccination your cat may be a little quiet or off-colour for a day or two, or may have some slight swelling or tenderness at the injection site. Access to food and water and a comfortable area to rest are usually all that is required for a quick recovery. However, if the response seems more severe, you should contact us for advice.
If you’re uncertain about your pets current vaccination status, please visit or call the friendly Team at Diamond Valley Vet to discuss your vaccination needs. If you have a number of worries to discuss at the annual check-up and vaccination, we recommend booking an extended consultation.
Entire male cats are extremely territorial and are far more likely to want to roam and engage in aggressive behaviour with other cats. This increases their risk of injury and disease including FIV infection. Male cats are also more likely to urine spray to mark their territory. Entire male cats significantly contribute to the stray cat population – part of responsible cat ownership in Australia includes desexing your male cat.
Entire female cats can have multiple litters of kittens every year – they are very efficient breeders, coming on heat every 2-3 weeks in the breeding season. Desexing reduces the numbers of unwanted kittens being born – every year many kittens are euthanased due to an oversupply, especially in summer. Speyed female cats are less likely to wander and get involved in fights. Part of responsible cat ownership in Australia includes desexing your female cat.
We recommend desexing cats at 5-6 months of age. With veterinary advice desexing can be performed at a younger age if necessary.