Archive for the ‘General’ Category

Cats, though they seem very independent, are very sociable animals. Sometimes they will become lonely and bored if owners don’t  spend enough time with them. To minimize the chance of your cat feeling this way, you may want to consider getting another cat. And to minimize the chance of that cat getting lonely, you may want to get yet another cat…and the cycle continues. Here are some tips you might find useful for multiple cat households.

Consider your current cat’s personality before getting another cat. An energetic and active cat is more likely to accept a new kitten while a quiet, more reclusive cat may prefer an adult cat. Be sure to neuter or spay your kitten as soon as they reach the age suggested by your veterinarian. We prefer to spay or neuter young pets at four months of age. This helps reduce hormonal aggression and territorial marking.

If your cats exhibit personality conflicts, you can reduce the tension between family felines by making sure each cat has enough personal space and their own toys to fulfill their needs. Make sure you have at least one litter box per cat plus one extra, and that they are easy to get to. To avoid conflicts between cats, consider placing litter boxes in different locations throughout the house to avoid the exclusion of one cat from another cat’s territory.

Be sure to keep plenty of clean, fresh water available for your cats at all times. Keeping bowls in multiple locations throughout the house might be a good idea. Keep scratching posts and beds in several locations to accommodate all the cats in your household.

We also recommend a product called Feliway. It uses calming pheromones to reduce instinctive urges to mark and scratch. Pheromones are naturally secreted when cats rub objects with the side of their face. These pheromones are later recognized by the cat and produce feelings of familiarity and comfort. Feliway spray entices your cat to rub his face on treated objects, depositing his own facial pheromones on the object so that it becomes a place he is unlikely to urine mark.

May 3^rd was a very hard day for my family. We had to say goodbye to Rusty, our 8 year old Labrador who had suffered from a cancerous growth in his nose. He was diagnosed with cancer months before and we were expecting that this day would come, but it didn’t make the pain of having to let him go any easier.

It is always hard to know when to euthanize your pet, even when they’ve had a happy and long life. When deciding to put Rusty to sleep we looked at his quality of life even though he wasn’t very old. Here are some of the things we considered:

• Is your pet still eating?
• Does your pet like interaction with people or other pets?
• Are they in pain?
• Is your pet still going to the bathroom outside?
• Can their medical problems still be managed?

When the answer to most of these questions was no, it was time for us to euthanize Rusty and let him go peacefully. You and your family know your pet best, and only you can decide when the time is right. If you are struggling with the decision to euthanize your pet a veterinarian can help guide you and help evaluate your pet’s quality of life.

It was very hard for our family to let Rusty go even though it was time, and he was suffering. I don’t think it is ever easy to euthanize your pet, but it is a peaceful option, and better then letting them suffer.

Rusty died as he had lived, in our best care, in our hearts, and surrounded by those that loved him. We will miss you Rusty, we will never forget you.

December 15, 2007 was a very special day for many pets whose picture was taken with Santa Claus at Stockton Hill Animal Hospital. In addition to the pictures, a raffle was held in which the winner received donated services also from SHAH. A donation of almost $300 was given to benefit the non-profit organization, Mutt Matchers & Friends.

If you are reading this, you can see, we are proceeding with the changes we promised regarding our website!  Our purpose in making this change is to provide you, our friends, clients, and customers, with a more meaningful and useful website with content that is updated more often!  Please bear with us as we make this transition!

We couldn’t be more excited to share yet another wonderful year with you! This is our 25th anniversary and we are looking forward to a year of renewal, transition and improvement! What does this mean for you, our clients and patients? It means you can look forward to new services, better customer service than ever before, and better hours! That is right! Beginning Jan 8, 2008 we are changing our hours to Mon-Thu 7:30AM - 7:00PM - Fri 7:30AM - 6:00PM. We are staying open later for your convenience and to ensure you have the time to bring your pet after normal work hours!