Jaffa's Health Centre for Cats

19/04/2024

It's getting warmer - at least for a day or two. Soon it will be tick season - here's a pic I took the other day - look at the saw-edged mouthpiece - which is why simply pulling wont detach them easily.

19/04/2024

The'corporate' practices have hit the news recently - and the independant vets are fighting back. Here are some very pertinent observations from some of my contempories - I am not one of the authors here!

Why use an independent vet?

27/12/2023

Lost West Grimsteas Xmas day, She is a 3 year old Bengal x Russian Blue, with about 1/3 of her tail missing. She is neutered and chipped and is nervous of strangers.
Please share

10/11/2023

my scribing but very pertinent

PLEASE SHARE THIS CRITICAL SAFETY INFORMATION WITH YOUR VET
Yesterday we learned that a random test of 35 different dry foods sold in the EU were ALL contaminated with pathogenic bacteria that can lay you on your backnot . Every single one of them.
Last month we learned a random sample of healthy, dry-fed dogs house more species of E.coli (and in greater numbers) in their guts and around their a**s than raw-fed dogs. Imagine if this had been the other way around?!
(All studies are below in the comments).
Then I'm reminded of a recent analysis of the last three years (2019-2022) of pet food recalls for hazardous microbiology in the US, conducted by the awesome Susan Thixton of Truth About Pet Food.
She found that 7,793,497lbs (3.5mil kilos, 3535 tonnes) of pet food had been recalled due to pathogenic bacteria contamination (excluding a large recall by the dry food company Sunshine Mills recall for which there was no data).
Dry pet food was responsible for 7,647,643 lbs – 98% of all pathogenic bacteria recalls.
Cooked pet food was responsible for 122,526 lbs – 1.5% of all pathogenic bacteria recalls.
Raw pet food was responsible for just 23,328 lbs – 0.3% of all pathogenic bacteria recalls.
Note that, during all that time, dry pet food accounted for just 59% of total pet food sales.
And the net result of all this contamination? Humans are being harmed. 2006 - 2016, 132 people were poisoned by pet food in the US. Four different studies reveal every single one of them was due to dry food. Of the 132, half of them were toddlers under two years of age. Imagine again, if this was real food doing the damage?! They'd be apoplectic.
The safety of our pets apparently aside (not only do a multitude of studies indicate clear health benefits of feeding real food to pets with ZERO studies suggesting dry food is more beneficial for anything at all, but dry pet food has killed tens of thousands of cats and dogs over a multitude of instances in the last two decades. Complete raw? Less than 10. Is this not important information for the vet sector sworn to protect ANIMALS...not humans, we have a health sector for that?), it appears, for reasons best known to themselves, the veterinary industry is stubbornly pointing the fear-finger at the wrong product and people ARE getting harmed.
Enough now.
Do not let them perpetuate this myth anymore. Call it out with this information every single time you see it and it will become so embarrassing for them to lead with it that it will go away in favour of the next fear-du-jour.

08/11/2023

very interesting interview with my friend Roger Meacock - very much worth a watch
https://rumble.com/v3u0uvg-if-you-have-a-pet-listen-to-roger-meacock-a-vet-unlike-most-others.html?fbclid=IwAR0xRi0JAYcjzksh45JA78LT9zpMrKGvQCPSIt_4i2UTK1IKO9tJNh1gnjQ

About this interview: Roger Meacock is a vet, but not a conventional one. Roger has been at the forefront of quantum veterinary medicine in the UK for the last 25+ years. His practice, Natural Healing

14/09/2023

and while we are talking diet here's a book everyone should read - Ultra-processed people. Everything I have learned about diet is here with lots more, along with scientific date to back it all up. It will change the way you think about the world! And this is proper science, not something written by a crackpot dietary guru.

14/09/2023

all on the news today about vegan diets for cats!
do get sucked in!
whilst there are very good ethical reasons to reduce meat consumption and factory-farming the issue of sound nutrition and personal ethics should not be confused.
Th long-term effects of artificial diets including cat vegan diets is poorly inderstood - other than that effexcts are often inisdious taking many years to show their effects.
Prof Knight who did the study is a keen personal advocate of veganism, and the patient selection (those who would put their cats on a vegan diet) would be quite specific - and likely to be caring people who would care for their cats well - this is not representative of the cat owning population as a whole.
The conclusions of the study are inconclusive anyway - the claimed improvements in health are not statistically significant - ie it could be pure chance.
And statements made show that rather than being pure science looking at the facts this is propoganda posing as science
When talking about table scraps they say, and I quote "Because such scraps are not nutritionally complete or balanced, these should always comprise a minority of diets." That is nonsense - when you eat an apple it is not 'balanced' - diet should be considered as a whole over a time scale, not the content of every item you eat! So if your cat has some liver one day, some kidney another, with meaty bones throughout that is fine - yet liver on its own is not 'balanced' ie if you fed only liver your cat would not get all the nutrients it needs. I could go on but I wont

05/08/2023

Microchips

This is not a sales pitch but just to inform you that as of June 2024 it will be the law that all cats are microchipped, The way these chips work is that they each carry a unique number which can be linked to your cat by contacting a database – it doesn’t hold your details on the chip itself.

There is the threat of a £500 fine for having an un-chipped cat though quite how this will be policed or enforced we do not know. However we do actually heartily endorse microchipping, as much for identifying cats that die on the roads as for re-homing cats that get lost.

We routinely use a ‘thermochip’ – a microchip that includes a thermometer, so if we need to take its temperature we simply scan it over the neck area. Cost is £20.

10/03/2023

Lost from St Peter's Place, Salisbury, only 4 months old, this is Margot a grey and white Bengal. Please share

07/01/2023

can anyone offer a country home to Louie? he's fed up of being in care

The animals available for adoption are always changing and we try to keep our website up to date but it is advisable to contact the shelter to see if an animal has found a home, or if there are any new animals for adoption.

15/11/2022

lost 7th nov steeple langford, Boris, 18m old neutered and chipped. Please share

25/08/2022

artwork by Millie age 5

20/08/2022

are you insured with Many Pets formerly known as Bought by Many? After a change in name (and ownership?) things are not as they were. Take a look at recent reviews on Trustpilot.

BUT before making any change of ANY insurance company be more than aware that if your pet has an ongoing problem it will not be covered by your new insurers whoever they may be.
https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/manypets.uk

Do you agree with Manypets's TrustScore? Voice your opinion today and hear what 49 customers have already said.

19/08/2022

Yes we are still busy - could do with another nurse really! If you are vet nurse that fancies joining our feline revolution please get in touch. We offer a lovely work environment, every day something different, and a competitive salary. Shout if you're interested!

28/07/2022

having a baby? worried about how the cat takes it? Here's a new very interesting course for you if you fall into the above camps.
https://courses.icatcare.org/product?catalog=CFI00-OD

For cat care givers or cat owners, this course looks in greater detail at how we can assess whether a cat is likely to accept another cat and gives you in-depth advice on how to introduce your cat to other animals and small children with step-by-step plans to maximise success.

26/05/2022

at last, the evidence has been published to confirm something I think is a total nonsense!
For years I have been told how we musn't over-exercise our puppies - one minute per week of life - so a 14 week puppy is only allowed 15 mins walking a day! To do so risks crippling our dogs with arthritis when older! Piffle!!!! What are we breeding if this is the case - and how are we feeding them? A new study looking at all available evidence finds no support for this limited-exercise idea - indeed it reaffirms that it is damaging both from a socialisation perspective, and from a joint-health basis. The best way to exercise your puppy is to let it take the exercise it wants, let it rest when its body says rest, and keep it lean and fit. It also helps to choose your pup carefully - avoid breeds that are prone to joint issues from square one. Feed to keep them lean - and lean means lean not less-obese than the rest of the dog population. And my take - feed them raw meaty bones - from a puppy.

10/03/2022

here's something that infuriates me
you just don't know what you are feeding when feeding processed!
https://www.petfoodindustry.com/articles/11104-shark-dna-found-in-32-cat-foods-sheba-whiskas-kit-cat?utm_source=Omeda&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=NL-Petfood+Industry+News&utm_campaign=NL-Petfood+Industry+News_20220310_0200

Scientists suggested that endangered silky sharks and other species ended up in pet foods. However, the researchers couldn’t determine the route by which the shark meat made its way into the pet food supply chain.

01/10/2021

another lost cat - we are seeing loads of lost cats and cat fight injuries currently - must be the change in the weather. Here's the latest missing kitty : MISSING! Sansa, our tabby shorthair female cat has been missing since 27th Sept. Last seen in Fowler's Road area of Salisbury (between Milford Hill and Fowlers Hill just outside ring road). She has a pink collar and is chipped. It's very unlike her to stay out, especially in the rain we had over the last few days (she usually pops in every few minutes to meow loudly and make sure we know it's raining)!! Please share and check sheds/garages etc. if you're in the area. She has a swirly pattern to her stripes." Please share

30/09/2021

another lost cat - this time a black girl 3 years old, Wilton rd/devizes rd area, NOT CHIPPED. No pics - but black cats pretty much all look the same.

A plea - chipping your cat is cheap, simple and very effective. It can be so helpful in reuniting live cats. But it is also good for cats that have sadly been killed - you at least get to know that they are no more and not lost somewhere! And make sure your chip is registered and kept up to date - 50% of the cats we get in as road accidents or the like have unregisterd chips.

24/09/2021

found yesterday Ridgeway/Moberley Rd area, old boy who has a microchip that isnt working!. He has severe chesty issues. Non-working chips is a worry - make sure you cat's chip is checked at every annual check if you don't use Jaffas.

30/06/2021

"My cat went missing Thursday. He is pure white with bright blue eyes. Ollie is virtually deaf and so very easily startled and nervous. He is mostly a house cat and it's very unusual for him not to be home, he rarely spends time in the garden even due to visiting cats."
Beatrice Road Salisbury

26/06/2021

07/05/2021

FIP latest
Feline infectious peritonitis is a terrible disease that kills lots of cats every year - it is pretty much invariably fatal. At least it was until Prof Pederson in USA found a drug (GS for short) which cured 80% or more of cases. Unfortunately the drug is not legally obtainable in the UK.
GS is closely related to Remdesivir the human drug. Because this drug is officially 'licenced' it is legal to use it on cats. A study has shown it to be safe and effective so we vets could use it if we could get hold of it - and currently we cant. However, I understand that we may be able to get supplies from September - so for the first time in history we may have a legal and safe treatment for this genuine 'killer' cat disease. (it's still a mission to perform the treatment but in the face of certain death it's a real option)

28/04/2021

Buddy, went missing from Bulford yesterday

24/04/2021

Lost from Old Sarum after moving house - was at Robin Road, Bishopsdown previously so she may have headed 'home'. Called Nala - she's chipped, and toothless! please share

19/03/2021

Alexander, missing from Bower Chalke from 16th March. Eyes open please country folk.

09/03/2021

Missing from Sutton Veny, Jess, 3 yrs old. Please share

04/12/2020

Ceasar has been missing for 24 hours which is unusual for him - he lives in Farley. Let us know if you see or find him.

25/11/2020

Jaffa’s holiday

Are you fed up with the Covid situation? It’s been a long summer – and it looks like being an even longer winter to come!

We are very fortunate to have a business that has not been decimated by the Coronavirus pandemic. Our regulars will know that we have stayed open and fully operational all summer, and it has been a very hectic summer indeed.

Working in ‘lock-out’ mode has created big challenges and is somewhat time-consuming. We have had to learn a whole new way of working and we are getting much slicker, but it all takes more time.

It’s not only humans who have had their lifestyles turned upside down – our cats have too. With more home-working and kids off school most households have been a more-challenging place for cats. Some then go outdoors more, meeting other cats who are also going out more, and the whole feline social structure is disrupted – which means lots of cats with cat-bite injuries and stress-related problems at our busiest time of year.

In order to keep pace with day-to-day work we have been delaying routine health checks and non-urgent ops as best we can.

We are now all pretty worn out and in need of a rest. We have therefore decided to take a break, and we will be shutting our doors completely for the week of 7th to 11th December, Monday through to Friday. We will be back, duly refreshed, on Saturday 12th for emergencies, and as normal the following week.

During this week our friends at ‘The Vets’ on Exeter Street will be seeing any cat that needs emergency care. Non-urgent cases will be seen the following week at Jaffa’s.
Their phone number is 01722 337 117.

Out-of-hours cover is Vet’s Now as usual, tel no 01722 337117

SO PLEASE BE PREPARED. If you need any REPEAT PRESCRIPTIONS, FLEA TREATMENTS or FOOD please do so in advance. Many of the specialist drugs we use are not stocked by most vets, in particular many are formulated especially for cats, so may not be available on demand.

Thank you for your patience and understanding, and thanks for your continued support of Jaffa’s – it is hugely appreciated.

04/11/2020

deviating from kitties, have you seen Luna wandering around ? - lost on Monday from Bishopsdown. Fireworks - I hate 'em as do my own dogs. Please share.