The Cat Clinic

12/12/2024

Please keep an eye out for Dubh. 😿

06/12/2024

Could your cat be a lifesaver? The R(D)SVS Hospital for Small Animals are looking for donors for their feline blood program.

03/12/2024

Marley and Mini Marley came in for their annual health check recently! Mini Marley's nails were quite long so they got a trim😸

28/11/2024

With the holidays coming up, we thought we'd share our Christmas and New Years opening hours. Please ensure you order food and medications in advance of the festive season as wholesalers will not be delivering as often during this period. Happy holidays!

05/11/2024

Tonight, join an evening of soothing classical music for all pets and animals who might feel anxious and scared with loud noises of Bonfire Night.

01/11/2024

A very handsome (and sleepy) Hastings. Isn't he beautiful??

Happy Friday everyone! 😸

24/10/2024

A very inquisitive and sweet Hastings came to visit us recently. He even thought it best to help the vet out and weigh himself!

The best boy! 😸

07/10/2024

We are looking for a new feline loving Registered Veterinary Nurse to join us at The Cat Clinic😻

Details at link below ⬇️

Registered Veterinary Nurse needed in Blackford Ave, Edinburgh EH9 2PP, UK for a Permanent job, working Full Time or Part Time in Small Animal Practice for The Veterinary Cat Clinic.

01/10/2024

1st October is Veterinary Receptionist Appreciation Day!! ✨😃🥰

We are celebrating the hard work, dedication and compassion our fabulous reception team demonstrate every single day. They are the first people you see when you walk into the practice, and the last as you are leaving. They play such an important role in the clinic, doing lots of different jobs - all at the same time! We know our fabulous clients love our front of house team just as much as we do. Please join us in giving them a big THANK YOU.

Team, you are absolutely amazing!! Keep doing what you’re doing, we couldn’t run the practice without you.

Love, Everyone at The Cat Clinic 🐈😻💖

03/09/2024

"Just getting the pet bus to the vets" 🚌😂🐈🐈‍⬛

27/08/2024

Doesn’t Mimi look adorable with her pink bow 🎀 😻 she was in recently to get some dental treatment. 🦷

21/08/2024

⭐ Important information shared from Cat The Vet ⭐

The specialist veterinary team at Edinburgh University are warning vets about an outbreak of TB in raw fed cats.

Although so far only 11 cases have been confirmed, TB is not a condition many vets will think about because it is so unusual, the symptoms are vague and can mimic other conditions and the testing needed for a diagnosis is very specific.

It is also extremely serious, sadly 8 of the infected cats have already been euthanased and it can make humans very ill as well. Which is why it is important that the word is spread.

All the cats so far diagnosed were fed the same raw diet. They were mainly indoor cats and did not drink raw milk, so had no other risk factors that might have caused the disease.

The company impacted is aware but has not yet been named and the vets are at pains to point out that they appear to have followed all the regulatory requirements and that this is simply an inherent risk (albeit thankfully a low one) of raw feeding.

As yet, as far as I am aware, a recall hasn't been issued.

Infected cats have presented with weight loss, coughing (a real concern as this could increase the ability of the disease to spread, particularly to people), abdominal abnormalities and were often very poorly by the time a diagnosis is made. Their blood tests generally only show non-specific changes like a mild anaemia.

Although TB in cats can present with skin lesions, this strain (similar to the last time this happened) appears to mainly cause respiratory signs and abnormalities may well be seen on chest x-rays.

If a lung wash is performed the bacteria might be identified but any vets doing one on a suspicious case must take care to wear PPE to protect themselves.

If you are concerned you might have a case, the team at Edinburgh, which includes Danielle Gunn-Moore and Conor O'Halloran, are very happy to help and advise you.

They have this webpage which is great; https://www.ed.ac.uk/vet/services/small-animals/vet-professional/specialist-services/feline/mycobacteria and advice on suspected cases from this outbreak will be given free of charge.

You can also contact Conor directly on [email protected]

And don't forget that TB is a notifiable disease, so the APHA must be contacted, and they are also a good source of support.

If you are a cat owner who raw feeds and you are worried, the best people to speak to for information and, hopefully, reassurance are your veterinary team and the company who produces the meals you feed.

It is also worth noting the difference between this problem, with a specific subset of infected animals, similar symptoms, a definitive diagnosis, a common diet and specialist vets at the forefront of raising the alert… and the the issues claimed with Purina pet food at the start of this year, which had none of these typical hallmarks of a genuine food related illness outbreak.

For more information about TB in cats, this article from the Edinburgh team, written in 2019, is very helpful; https://www.ed.ac.uk/vet/services/small-animals/information-about-cat-tb **But do note the company mentioned in it is in relation to the outbreak at the time, not this one**

Link to this report; https://www.research.ed.ac.uk/en/publications/tuberculosis-in-young-raw-fed-cats-in-the-uk

*Letter pictured published with the permission of the Vet Record and the authors.

19/08/2024

Did you know Edinburgh Council’s current consultation on a city-wide Firework Control Zone (FCZ) ends on Friday?

The Council is currently considering both four individual zones (Calton Hill, Balerno, Niddrie and Seafield), and an alternative city-wide zone.

If any of our clients (individuals need to live; work or otherwise have a connection with the city in order to have their response considered) would like to complete the Council's consultation below:

https://consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/sfc/47991c3e/consultation/mappingsubpage.2024-07-24.0239432995/
Sample arguments to help you and your members to fill in, should you/they wish to, the free-text comments boxes are available here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DomYmxbCrlk6kouKcLdBQ7kLgwIxaOXE1EEYWN9oWG4/edit #
The consultation is open until 23 August, but completing the consultation by 19 August would be ideal. Please do still fill it in later if you are not able to by this date.

Another, and perhaps, the best, way to make your views known is via the Deputations system. Deputations can be made to the committee meeting live (in-person or online) or via a written statement. The written statements can draw on the same material as your consultation responses.

Deputation requests can be made to [email protected] and more details are available here; https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/councillors-committees/speaking-committee-meeting

Speaking at a Committee

19/08/2024

⭐⭐⭐ It was black cat appreciation day on Saturday 17th August! ⭐⭐⭐

Obviously, we cannot miss out on seeing some photos of your gorgeous mini panthers. Please comment below with some pics to brighten up this Monday morning 🐈‍⬛😻🖤

14/08/2024

⭐⭐ ** FLEAS ** ⭐⭐

We are seeing a big increase in cats coming to us with fleas the last few months.

Fleas, mites, ticks, and lice are all external parasites which may cause problems for cats. The most common culprits are fleas which we see all year round. Over the next few weeks we expect the Harvest Mites (Berry Bugs) to make an appearance too causing some itchy cats.

Fleas are by far the most common ectoparasite (external parasite) we see on cats. It is usually much easier to prevent infestation than to get rid of them once they are established. The most frequently used preparations are spot-on treatments which are applied to the back of the neck but there are tablet versions now available.

There are a number of different ones available with variable effectiveness. We recommend prescription-strength products which although they can be more expensive than pet-shop products, are usually more cost-effective in the long run as they are more effective. A large part of the flea life-cycle occurs within the soft-furnishings of the home so an environmental spray is often recommended in combination with a spot-on treatment.

If you suspect your cat has fleas then please call us on 0131 466 7110 for advice. PLEASE NOTE - Due to new regulations, we may need to see your cat in clinic before dispensing a veterinary strength product.

08/08/2024

An estimated 300 million cats around the world are believed to be unowned. One of the ways we is through our collaboration with many other organisations to improve the lives of cats everywhere, including unowned cats. 🐈

Our Cat Friendly Homing Programme (supported by Battersea) aims to support everyone in the rehoming sector to work more effectively together and help more cats by:

📝 Delivering veterinary training internationally in key areas such as neutering and shelter medicine

👩‍💻 Providing free virtual educational events and resources to support all those working with unowned cats

🤝 Bringing together experts and organisations to tackle cat population management more effectively

Learn more about our Cat Friendly Homing Programme 👉 https://icatcare.org/unowned-cats/cat-friendly-homing/

To receive the latest news and updates on our work with unowned cats, including details of our upcoming free virtual event, subscribe to our newsletter here 👉 https://confirmsubscription.com/h/i/CE09DF999249AE68

08/08/2024

Today is ! 🐱 The theme for this year is , and with an estimated 600 million cats worldwide, we're looking at what it means to become a cat friendly professional with International Cat Care.

What defines the art of being a cat friendly veterinary professional? And how do we keep evolving to do the best for our feline patients and for cats as a species?

08/08/2024

Celebrate your cat on by spending a little more time with them today. Perhaps treat them to a favourite snack, a new toy, and play with your furry baby for at least 5 minutes 🐈🐈‍⬛🩷 They deserve it!