The first cat-only vet practice in the North East. We are Certified by the ISFM Cat Friendly Clinic
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Have you had the benefit of our Thermochips yet? Teddy was recently microchipped with our new Thermochips and not a moment too soon it seems. When he needed to come back in a few weeks later as had an upset tummy, thanks to the Thermochip we were able to read his temperature with the chip-checker instead of the usual, less dignified, method 🤭🌡
He's back to his usual crazy kitten self again 😸
Meet the Team! Our fabulous Animal Care Assistant team! 🩶
Emma, Julie, Linda and Marina are our wonderful "ACAs". Not all veterinary practices have an ACA team, and much of their role is "unseen" but for us they are the glue that holds everything together:
- Consult cat whisperers - any support needed in consults by our vets or nurses they're on hand to hold and help calm our cats
- Pharmacy pros - dispensing and prepping medication for clients in consult, in patients, or repeat medication requests
- In-patient support team - supporting our nurses they help carry out the nutritional and well-being support. They are the ones getting all the cuddles and often found sitting in the hospital encouraging the fur-patients to eat and feel better
- Silent shadows - the best way to describe this team are like "shadows". Predicting the equipment the clinical team will need, they make sure it's available then whisk it off to be cleaned and ready for the next time. They ensure that all areas of the practice are set up and ready to go, performing multiple switch-arounds throughout the day turning an x-ray environment into an ultrasound room within minutes
- Lab technicians, preparing blood and urine samples for analysis, running in-house diagnostics, and prepping samples for external analysis- Hygiene control heroes - and arguably the most important responsibility of maintaining our hygiene standards between every cat and case we see
- Reception reservists - our team are also fully trained in all reception duties and ready to grab the phone, make diary arrangements and communicate with clients for their medication requests
However, most importantly, and aside from their "job" above, they care. They truly care about every client and every cat and juggle all their skills to support you all 🩶
***TONIGHT***
A quick reminder our colleagues at VVS who specialise in cardiology are delivering a webinar tonight geared at all the questions you may have if our vets ever mention a potential heart murmur.
Sign up in the link below 😻
❤️🩺 "My Vet Has Heard a Heart Murmur, What Does This Mean?"
Join Us and our colleagues at VVS for an informative webinar.
Has our vet heard a heart murmur when listening to your cat? Do you want to understand a little more about what this could mean for your cat's health?
🐾Date: Tuesday, June 11th
🐾Time: 7:00 PM
🐾Where: Zoom (online)
🐾Speaker: Dr Brigite Pedro, RCVS and European Specialist in Veterinary
Cardiology
🐾Register Here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/6217158737715/WN_57Ikg976SBavY8Rlj64Wkg #/registration
Brigite is one of the specialists who scans alongside us when your cat is booked in for a cardio scan.
In this session, she will cover:
🫶Common clinical signs of heart disease in pets
🫶When a heart murmur should be further investigated
🫶What a heart murmur might indicate about your pet's overall health
This webinar is designed to help you make informed decisions about your cat's care.
We highly recommend you take up this valuable opportunity to learn from an expert in veterinary cardiology!
Brought to you by our partner Virtual Veterinary Specialists.
We hope you can join us and look forward to seeing you there! 😻🩺❤️
***New Legislation starts TODAY*** Monday 10th June 2024
All owners now have only 21 days to ensure their cat is microchipped.
Don't forget, ours also contain thermochip technology for faster (and more dignified!) temperature measurements in case of illness.
We've opened up additional RVN appointments for the rest of the month so please give us a quick call and get booked in. It's super simple and peace of mind.
Sadly, we have had a deceased black cat brought in today.
Unfortunately there is no microchip so we're unable to update the owner directly.
The cat was found in Hetton, near Eppleton Academy Primary School.
We will keep them here for 7 days in case an owner comes forward so please contact us on 0191 3859696 if you are missing a black cat in this area
Meet the Team! Our fabulous RVN green team! 💚
Kelly, Kirsty and Rachel are our dedicated Registered Veterinary Nurses
- Education gurus - our team are highly skilled in providing education on nutrition, behaviour, and preventative healthcare. Through their nurse clinics they can create bespoke plans specific to your cat to help support good health and well-being
- Principal pharmacists - dispensing medication for clients in consult, in patients, or repeat medication requests
- In-patient support network - providing expert nursing care for all our felines in the clinic by looking after their nutrition and well-being, monitoring their vital signs (temperature, pulse, respiratory rate, pain scale), and administering medication
- Radiologists rads - preparing, monitoring and quite often completing the radiology of our patients under the guidance of our vets
- Theatre stars - preparing our patients for surgical procedures, then scrubbing in to theatre as anaesthetists and monitoring the patient's vital signs
- Laboratory whizzkids - sampling blood and urine, running in-house diagnostics, and prepping samples for external analysis
Our RVNs have studied intensively in veterinary nursing, have signed up to the RCVS register and must maintain a minimum number of annual training and development hours to remain licensed in the profession. And it will come as no surprise that we utilise the International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM) for most of our training up-keep.
However, most importantly, and aside from their "job" above, they care. They truly care about your cats and will be there to support and care for them in all their moments of need 💚
Gorgeous Bella came in recently so we could check out her poorly leg.
She knew what to do. Jumped straight up on to the scales, tucking her tail in, ready to be weighed................ and thus proving her leg wasn't as bad as her owners had first thought 😻
❤️🩺 "My Vet Has Heard a Heart Murmur, What Does This Mean?"
Join Us and our colleagues at VVS for an informative webinar.
Has our vet heard a heart murmur when listening to your cat? Do you want to understand a little more about what this could mean for your cat's health?
🐾Date: Tuesday, June 11th
🐾Time: 7:00 PM
🐾Where: Zoom (online)
🐾Speaker: Dr Brigite Pedro, RCVS and European Specialist in Veterinary
Cardiology
🐾Register Here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/6217158737715/WN_57Ikg976SBavY8Rlj64Wkg #/registration
Brigite is one of the specialists who scans alongside us when your cat is booked in for a cardio scan.
In this session, she will cover:
🫶Common clinical signs of heart disease in pets
🫶When a heart murmur should be further investigated
🫶What a heart murmur might indicate about your pet's overall health
This webinar is designed to help you make informed decisions about your cat's care.
We highly recommend you take up this valuable opportunity to learn from an expert in veterinary cardiology!
Brought to you by our partner Virtual Veterinary Specialists.
We hope you can join us and look forward to seeing you there! 😻🩺❤️
😻 It's "Check Your Meds Tuesday"!! ⏰💊
The last of the May Bank Holidays is approaching so please make sure you check your cat's meds today and call / email us straight away if you need to stock up before the long weekend. We'll be closed on Monday 🌞🤞
Meet the Team! 🥳😻 Our fabulous Reception Team!
Caroline (Head Receptionist) and Debbie are the core of the team, ably backed up by Julie and Linda.
They are the first people you'll speak to you when you contact us but also the anchor in all things Simply Cats!
Being in the "control" seat holds so much responsibility:
- Appointment gurus - they manage all appointment bookings to make sure you're booked with the right clinician for your needs and are trained to ensure they identify emergencies when necessary
- Diary managers - no day is the same at a vet clinic and inevitably every day brings changes to the plan, so the team are alert to re-plan, review and at times re-arrange to make sure we're providing the most optimal service depending on the needs of the day
- Specialist services - they have contact details at their fingertips for all our local referral centres, and other specialists. So if you need care outside of Simply Cats they'll organise it
- External lab communication queens - they'll provide timely updates on receipt of external lab results and find the most appropriate clinician to make aware and review the results for timely health management
- Insurance wizards - they'll take the pain out of almost all insurance claims. Whether you're applying yourself or asking us to claim on your behalf they'll talk you through how best to start / continue a claim with your chosen insurance provider and make a complex process much more manageable
However, most importantly, and aside from their "job" above, they care. They truly care about you and will be there in moments of worry, moments of relief and everything in between 💙
🥳 The team took a break this weekend to celebrate our recent birthday! 🍹🍻
A rare chance to dump the scrubs and let our hair down 😻
And some dubious "syringes" that weren't the usual type of medication we use 🫣🧪
We’ve been incredibly spoilt this morning with all this lovely cake from our clients and neighbour 🎂🧁🥮 😋
Thank you so much, and for all the birthday wishes 🎈😻
Sarah & Caroline..... 15 years on 🎈, still going strong (and matching colours!) from day one 🩶💙💜
Over the next few weeks we'll be meeting more of the team that care deeply about all our (Simply) Cats 😻
🥳Happy 15th Birthday to us!🥳
Today we recognise 15 years of Simply Cats! Back in 2009 Sarah & Paul took the decision that our north-east kitties deserved somewhere as stress-free, calm, and quiet as possible, with a team solely focused on felines 😻
It's an achievement we're very proud of, not only as an independent veterinary clinic working in an industry dominated by larger corporates, but for any small business in these recent economic climates. Our mission statement remains the same.......
"Exceptional Veterinary Care For Cats"
We are extremely grateful to every single person out there who helps support us.
Thank you 🫶
😻 It's "Check Your Meds Tuesday"!! ⏰💊
The first of the May Bank Holidays is approaching so please make sure you check your cat's meds today and call / email us straight away if you need to stock up before the long weekend. We'll be closed on Monday 🌞🤞
*10th June 2024*
The countdown is on for new legislation making it mandatory for all cats to be microchipped.
At Simply Cats, our microchips also have the ability to record internal temperature making that procedure much less intrusive for our cats 😻
If your cat needs microchipping please call up now and get booked in with our nursing team 💚🌡 It only takes a few moments
Aslan and Maneki were purrfectly poised on their recent visit to us, taking it in turn to be weighed 😻 Check out those gorgeous fluffy ears!
Looks like something tasty was also going on while licking those lips!
Edit..owner found
found - Front Street, Fencehouses..19.10pm today - a cream cockapoo type dog. Finder details held by the clinic. Please message the clinic with proof of microchip number etc
EDIT..FOUND SAFE AND WELL
*Missing Cat - Shotton Colliery area**
We've received the following message from one of our clients - please keep a look out and contact the owner if you have any news
"My ragdoll cat is missing from Saturday 13th April 2024 her name is Pandora
She is very scared indoor cat but decided to take herself out on Sat evening about midnight she jumped the fence and has not returned she is a timid frightened until she knows you
She is cream with grey face and grey tail with bright blue eyes I need her home as soon as possible as she is on medication and will need to continue with this she is 13 years old but still looks small and fluffy she will run away if approached and will hide
Please help"
The owner is not on social media so please can any genuine sightings be communicated directly to them on 07867498844
Only helpful comments please 🙏
Such an adorable little face! Gizmo was very proud of himself earlier this week when he came in for his first kitten health check and vaccinations🩵
As you can imagine........ he had lots of cuddles!
We've had an injured male un-neutered longhaired black cat brought into the clinic late this afternoon by a member of the public. Found in Penshaw, around the Chester Road area.
No microchip details for us to trace the owner. He does have a distinguishing feature not visible on this photo that will be used to confirm identity.
If you are the owner of this little lad, or know who the owner is, please contact us urgently via our Facebook Messenger. The clinic is now closed, but our phone lines re-open at 8:30am.
He'll be under our care tonight but we'll need to contact the RSPCA tomorrow for his ongoing well-being and care so please do contact us ASAP if you have any information to share.
Thank you
Thank you
***Check your meds Tuesday*** ⏰💊
With a four-day bank holiday weekend coming up please make sure you check your prescription medication and are fully stocked before we close on Thursday at 6pm.
We need up to 48 hours notice for most medications, and up to 5 days for a small number of individually sourced medications. Please check today and call / email / message to ensure you have plenty to see you through 😼
Happy St Gertrude's day 😻😻 The patron saint of cats. She must have been a very nice person and the original 'crazy cat lady'😁😁
As a practice, we are fully aware of the CMA investigation that was in the news yesterday and wanted to reassure all our clients about the care and service provided by us.
When you register and entrust us with your cats' health and welfare we undertake this with a great deal of responsibility to make sure we provide the best, and most appropriate, care for both our patients and our clients.
Like you, our whole team just wants the best outcome for your cat.
Simply Cats is an entirely independent veterinary clinic set up by Sarah & Paul almost 15 years ago. We are not under the ownership of any corporate business. The positive side of that is that we have complete clinical freedom to act as we see is for the best interests of our patients, and utilising medical procedures and pharmaceuticals that we deem the most appropriate. We are not restricted to specific brands due to "corporate contracts". We are also in no way incentivised to recommend certain treatments. However, the downside of being a truly independent practice is that we do not have the buying capacity to negotiate large wholesale discounts on pharmaceuticals and stock products.
We understand you may have some concerns if you have heard about the CMA investigation. Please make sure you read the detailed information from the CMA, and not just the media headline!
We have nothing to hide therefore if you would like to discuss any information about this topic please contact our practice manager at [email protected]
“When women support each other, incredible things happen”
International Women’s Day 2024
*a rare photo of a few of the team enjoying some downtime recently
Why do we do dental x-rays? To see what's lurking below.
February has been National Pet Dental Health Month and we're always looking for ways to support the education of dental health for our cats. In the practice, our nursing team have been creating visual displays, and continue to offer advice and guidance at post-operative checks.
We also promote the huge value of conducting dental x-rays prior to any dental procedure. As you can see from this image, dental x-rays are vital to see the hidden issues happening beneath the gumline.
Tooth 1 is an example of a "good" tooth
Tooth 2 shows tooth resorption / neck lesion and loss of the periodontal ligament
Tooth 3 shows the loss of the crown and pronounced loss of the periodontal ligament assimilating into the bone.
So whilst the teeth may look "ok", there can be a lot we can't see going on underneath
If it fits...we sit!!!🐈🐈😻😻
Anyone in the Stanley area, please keep an eye out for this lovely little girl and let’s hope she’s home soon.
Contact details are in the original post
LOST female cat in STANLEY (County Durham)
1/2/24
Area : sleepy valley Stanley.
Chipped & Spayed
Contact : https://www.facebook.com/efrafageneral
When Cookie arrives for her kitten check and you can't choose a single photo to post 🤣🤣😻
12 Front Street
Houghton Le Spring
DH46LP
| Monday | 8:30am - 6pm |
| Tuesday | 8:30am - 6pm |
| Wednesday | 8:30am - 6pm |
| Thursday | 8:30am - 6pm |
| Friday | 8:30am - 6pm |
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***New Legislation starts TODAY*** Monday 10th June 2024 All owners now have only 21 days to ensure their cat is microchipped. Don't forget, ours also contain thermochip technology for faster (and more dignified!) temperature measurements in case of illness. We've opened up additional RVN appointments for the rest of the month so please give us a quick call and get booked in. It's super simple and peace of mind.
Lovely Mika popped back earlier in the week for her post-op dental check. She thoroughly enjoyed the fuss and attention from Head Nurse Kelly 💚😻
It’s “Pancake Day” in the human world but staff cat Piper wanted a piece of the action too……. 🥞 Any other pancake thieves out there today?!
A few of the lovely patients who've visited us at the practice in recent weeks 🐈🐾
Christmas has well and truly arrived here at SimplyCats ..our pixies Marina and Holly hope it gets everyone in the Christmas spirit! ✨🎄🎅🏻
We were delighted to see Reggie and his owners again today for his first kitten vaccs (and a little nibble of Michelle the vet’s fingers) 😸 So lovely to see him blossoming into a happy and healthy young cat 🐾
The SimplyCats team would just like to say a huge thank you to those who very kindly answered our call for donations of towels and blankets! 😸 The patients love them 💕
The lovely Daisy decided to give our reception team a helping hand earlier today 😸🐈⬛ #newreceptionist #yourehired
The peloton does look impressive 😻
Little legs not realising that he can't actually hug us when the door is in the way. His brother is a bit more clued up!
A bit of kitten play with Toby and Poppy to brighten your Sunday 😻😻
Louie wants to remind everyone that it's not only important to get kittens neutered but also to get them Microchipped as well. From 2023 it will become mandatory to have your cat chipped. We can't overstate how vital it is, in identifying and returning lost cats as well as helping with cases where cats have been stolen!
Paws and claws and paws and claws! Show us those feet!
Well done to all those who guessed hedgehog on our Guess the X-ray post. This little lad was brought into the clinic because he had been attacked by a cat and his finder was concerned. After much tlc and being rehabbed in the home of one of our vets he recovered well and has made his way to Bernie's Hedgehog Rescue Durham Hopefully with care from Bernice and her volunteers he'll continue to recover and gain enough weight to be released back into the wild where he can thrive!
...when all you have is a syringe wrapper to distract a brave kitty for his second vaccinations...😍🥰😍🥰🤪
Take the Lead - Dog training Sunderland
Brinkburn Crescent
