⁠Key Indicators That Your Kitty Is Unwell

There are several key indicators to watch for that might suggest your feline friend isn’t feeling their best. Knowing what to look for can help you catch problems early and keep your kitty as happy and healthy as possible.⁠

There are several key indicators to watch for that may suggest your cat is not feeling well or is in pain

Behavioural Signs

• Lethargy: If your cat is unusually tired, less playful, or hiding more than usual.
• Behavioural Shifts: Uncharacteristic aggression, withdrawal, or increased vocalisation.
• Excessive Grooming or Lack of Grooming: Over-grooming or neglecting grooming can suggest stress, pain, or health concerns.

Appetite and Weight Changes

• Changes in Appetite: A sudden loss of appetite or excessive eating can be a sign of an underlying issue.
• Weight Loss or Weight Gain: Either extreme can be a red flag for conditions like thyroid issues, diabetes, or other metabolic disorders.

Digestive and Litter Box Habits

• Changes in Litter Box Habits: Any changes in urination or defecation habits, such as straining, accidents outside the litter box, or unusually frequent trips.
• Vomiting or diarrhoea: Occasional hairballs are normal, but frequent vomiting or diarrhoea isn’t.

Physical Signs of Pain or Discomfort

• Visible Pain: If your cat is limping, vocalising when touched, or having difficulty moving, they may be in pain.
• Changes in Coat Condition: A dull, dry, or patchy coat could indicate nutritional deficiencies, a skin condition, or other health issues.

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Getting Professional Assistance

Since cats are masters of disguise, regular vet visits become even more important. Our team can often spot things your cat might be trying to hide and take a proactive approach to help nip any issues in the bud. Prevention is always the best medicine!⁠
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As a Gold Standard Accredited Cat Friendly Clinic, we specialise in feline care and keeping your kitty comfortable and stress-free during visits.

The Happy Paws Vet Clinic team in Coombabah are here to help. Get in touch to book a health check up for your kitty-cat.

Now, imagine you’re a kitty cat. You see “the box of doom” (also known as the pet carrier), and before you can escape, your owner scoops you up, pushes you into the carrier, and drives you to the vet.

Now you’re probably feeling a little annoyed – especially if you were lying comfortably in the sun at home and were disturbed for this! But don’t worry, there are things that your hooooman owner can do to help streamline your veterinary visit so that you can be in and out of the clinic as quickly as possible.

Our VET Consultation Top Tips

1. Mention all problems at the time of booking

Our veterinarians often work on a tight schedule performing back-to-back consultations (and sometimes squeezing in emergency cases too). A typical appointment slot gives a vet time to take a recent history of your pet, examine them, briefly discuss potential diagnoses and/or treatment options for a problem, and prescribe the relevant treatment.

If your pet is very unwell or has several issues you would like addressed (e.g. vaccination plus skin problems and a behavioural issue), it’s best to mention this at the time of booking, so that we can book an extended consultation if required. Otherwise, we may have to prioritise some issues and book multiple appointments to address others.

2. Nominate the primary caregiver

When the primary caregiver accompanies the pet to appointments, it helps us to obtain the most accurate history of the pet. For example, what parasite prevention they’re on, any past health issues, diet etc. This information helps us to make the most accurate diagnosis and discuss our findings and answer any questions, as well as provide treatment recommendations. Additionally, nominating a primary caregiver is really important for times when we may require rapid decision-making. For example, consenting to a treatment plan during the consultation or if your pet is undergoing a procedure or hospital stay and their condition changes suddenly, we may require urgent permission to alter their treatment plan. If the primary caregiver cannot attend the consultation but can be available over the phone at the time, we are happy to discuss any findings and treatment plan while they are on speaker phone!

3. Bring samples if appropriate

In some cases of unwellness (e.g. diarrhoea or suspected urinary tract infection), it can assist our analysis if you are able to collect and bring along a fresh faeces or urine sample from your pet.

If required, we can then test these samples on-site to help us make a quick, accurate diagnosis and start the most appropriate treatment.

4. Correct handling of nervous pets

We are here to help if your pet is a nervous nelly and even if they are a little aggressive but please be sure to let our team know beforehand so we can take the appropriate measures in handling your pet extra carefully to minimise their stress levels whilst ensuring everyone’s safety.

It’s also important to make our team aware if your dog prefers some space and is not friendly with other dogs. We will do our best to minimize the situation by having you wait outside until the waiting room is clear.

Depending on your pet’s level of anxiety, we may suggest particular methods of gentle restraint or handling, positive distraction techniques, or even pre-emptive calming sedation.

With these simple measures, you can keep your pet’s vet visits as easy and efficient as possible. The end result for your pet? Happier vet visits, optimal healthcare, and more time at home with their favourite person – you!

Know The Happy Paws Difference

We understand that not everyone has had positive veterinary experiences with their previous clinics.

One of our clinic values is, Going Above & Beyond! We aim to exceed expectations in all that we do with you and your pets. We treat your pets like the valued family members they are.

Your pet deserves the highest standard of care and every single member of your Happy Paws team are committed to ensuring this is exactly what you’ll get each and every time you visit.

If you or someone you know has been putting off a vet visit for fear of the unknown, please tell them to reach out to us, we want to make sure everyone is left feeling 🐾PAWESOME🐾!

Please contact our friendly team in our Coombabah vet clinic if you have any questions about effortless vet visits for your furbaby.

Good dental health (with a regular pet dental care plan) throughout your pet’s life will go a long way towards maintaining their overall health, comfort and quality of life.

Puppy and Kitten Dental Care

Whilst dental health might not be the first thing on your mind when you welcome a new furry friend into the household, it’s essential that your freshly-baked pet has their mouth vet-checked early on.

It is reasonably common for puppies (and sometimes kittens) to have abnormally aligned teeth, also known as malocclusions. Malocclusions can occur due to:

• Naturally “crooked” teeth, or crowded teeth due to one or several baby teeth not falling out before the emergence of their corresponding adult tooth
• A mismatch between the length of the upper and lower jaws, so that the lower jaw is either relatively too long or short compared to the upper

Cosmetic or Something More Serious?

Depending on the severity of their particular issue, affected pets might simply have a harmless cosmetic difference or may suffer from chronic dental problems or pain due to abnormal tooth-on-tooth contact or tooth-on-gum contact (where a misplaced tooth is digging into the palate or gum every time the animal closes its mouth – ouch!).

Vet Dental Assessment and Recommendations

Our vets will assess your pet’s mouth for any existing issues (such as malocclusions or broken teeth from naughty chewing shenanigans) at the time of their vaccinations, but may also recommend re-checks later on in case any baby teeth are abnormally retained.

In some cases, we will recommend an anaesthetic for the strategic extraction of problematic teeth, which are causing your fur-babies pain and discomfort, along with some good pain relief to ensure that your baby wakes up comfortably.

Adult Pet Dental Care

By around seven months old, your pet should have all their adult teeth, so it’s important to put in place a regular routine of dental hygiene maintenance and oral health checks. After all, we want to keep those permanent chompers clean, healthy and comfortable for years to come!

How To Maintain Pet Dental Hygiene

We recommend having a chat with us about the best way to maintain your pet’s dental hygiene long-term. Depending on your pet’s temperament, a good routine might involve a combination of:

• Tooth brushing, which many dogs can be gradually trained to accept, provided they have no pre-existing dental discomfort
• Safe dental chews
• Prescription dental diets
• Water or food additives
• Regular dental scale and polish under anaesthetic

Recommended Habits

It’s a good idea to get into the habit of checking your pet’s teeth at home every few weeks, so you can detect any developing dental disease or other oral lesions as early as possible.

Ideally, this should involve:

1. Smelling your pet’s breath – if it smells unpleasant, it often suggests dental disease (or another health issue)
2. Lifting your pet’s lips – gums should appear “salmon pink” (although they may have normal black pigmented areas too) and teeth should be white. If there is any gum redness (gingivitis) or brown-yellow discolouration of teeth (plaque or tartar), your pet will require a dental scale and polish under general anaesthetic. Performing this early may prevent your pet from having any extractions!
3. Opening your pet’s mouth to check their tongue, gums and palate – any thickenings, wounds or lumps should be vet-checked promptly

Arrange Dental Care For Your Fur-baby

If you have any questions or concerns about your pet’s dental health, ask our knowledgeable vet team – we’re happy to give direction on all things dental!

When searching for your new friend, consider whether you would like to purchase a specific breed of cat or choose one from a local animal rescue centre.

Adopting a cat

Generally, rescue centres will have both kittens and adult “moggies” (i.e. short-haired or long-haired cats with mixed breed genetics), although some smaller rescue groups may rehome particular breeds of cat.

The great thing about adopting a cat from a rescue centre is that you will usually be presented with at least a few individuals to choose from. A good rescue facility will know the temperament and general health status of each cat, meaning that there is more opportunity for you to select an individual cat that you “gel” with. Don’t rule out friendly older cats, who can settle in and become calm, fully-trained household members within a much shorter period compared to a kitten!

Reputable adoption centres will desex cats before rehoming, as well as having their vaccinations and parasite control up to date – meaning less upfront hassle for you.

Buying a cat

If you want a certain breed of cat, in most cases you will have to buy a kitten (or re-home an ex-breeding adult) from a breeder. Before making a purchase, it’s important to do research on the general characteristics of that particular breed, such as the likely temperament, energy levels, grooming requirements and any potential health issues.

For specific cat breed information, we’d recommend checking out the international cat care website. Our friendly team is also happy to provide advice on the temperament and potential health issues of certain cat breeds, and some tips for a stress-free introduction of your new pet into the household.

Once you’ve settled on a particular breed, you should search for a knowledgeable breeder who will raise the kittens within their home, as this will help make your future pet more family-friendly and well-socialised. It also helps if you can meet the parent cats, to ensure they’re healthy and of good temperament.

Long-term cat care

As well as any upfront purchase costs, it’s important to factor in the ongoing costs for the long-term care of your feline companion.

As well as a high quality, balanced diet, they will require:

• Regular parasite control (worming, fleas and ticks) and vaccinations, particularly if they will ever be going outdoors or into boarding
• Routine veterinary health checks, as well as additional care for any injuries or illnesses
• Desexing (if your cat has not already been desexed)
• Ongoing dental hygiene, including home care and veterinary cleans

Indoor cats will also require the provision of “cat furniture” to allow normal jumping, climbing and scratching activities, and often regular claw clipping too.

If you have any health or behaviour questions about your future feline family member, ask our team for further advice. We’ll have you “feline” informed in no time!

This is because cats, not being pack animals, won’t always seek social support as a dog would, and instead may mask feelings of stress to avoid appearing “vulnerable”.

What are the potential symptoms of anxiety in a cat?

In more introverted cats, anxiety symptoms can be quite passive and may simply involve the cat seeming a bit quieter, hiding more or eating less.

Some cats may show more overt signs of distress, such as overgrooming (creating bald, irritated skin patches), toileting inappropriately around the house or becoming hypervigilant and “jumpy”.

Unfortunately, a significant state of stress can also affect a cat’s immune system, and may potentially trigger other health issues, such as:

• Feline idiopathic cystitis – painful urinary tract inflammation that causes symptoms similar to that of a UTI
• Recurrent “cat flu” symptoms, involving eye or mouth ulcers, conjunctivitis or nasal discharge
• Gut upset – seen as vomiting and/or diarrhoea, particularly in cats who already had sensitive guts
• Obesity, which increases the risk of conditions such as diabetes

What are some common causes of anxiety in cats?

In some cases of cat anxiety, there is an obvious stress factor associated, such as building work, the introduction of a new pet, housemate or baby to the household, or the loss of a beloved human or animal companion.

However, cats can be quite sensitive to changes in their social environment, and can potentially have anxiety triggered by more subtle factors, such as human emotional upset within their household, or changes in routine.

A very common reason for stress in cats is aggression between them and another cat within the household or neighbourhood. This does not always involve obvious hissing or fighting, and can sometimes just be seen more subtly as two cats glaring at each other in an unfriendly manner, or blocking each other’s access to litter, resting or feeding facilities!

What should I do if my cat seems anxious?

If your cat is showing any behavioural changes suggestive of anxiety, it’s best to book an appointment with our vets for further assessment, so we can confirm the problem and look for any potential associated medical issues.

In many cases, we will recommend environmental interventions to help reduce your cat’s anxiety, such as:

• • Supporting your cat in “avoiding” the stressful factor – ensuring each cat in the household has access to their own litter tray (plus an extra one), as well as a separate food and water bowl, and several comfortable, private hiding spots in quiet or elevated locations to retreat to if required
  • Trialling the usage of calming pheromone products, such as Feliway
  • Frequently offering (but not forcing!) gentle, pleasant interactions with your cat, such as grooming, playing with interactive toys, or petting

If your cat is very anxious, we may also discuss the usage of an anti-anxiety medication to help them recover.

With appropriate, understanding management, we can help your concerned cat to feel content and paw-sitive again once more!

Here are a few essential things to consider when it comes to caring for an ageing feline:

1. Ageing pets need more regular vet check-ups.

Cats are experts at hiding pain and keeping to themselves if they feel unwell. It is common for a cat suffering from painful arthritis, insidious dental disease or chronic kidney disease to sleep a bit more or potentially be a bit picky with their food. Because of this, we like to see your elderly cat for regular health checks.

Blood and urine testing, as well as blood pressure checks, are also crucial for our ageing feline friends. We can get a lot of information about the health of your cat from these diagnostic procedures and diagnose diseases such as hypertension and kidney disease.

2. Keep a close eye on habits.

Knowing what is normal for your elderly cat in terms of eating, drinking, toileting, and sleeping is an excellent way to pick up on any changes early. Some older cats may have reduced appetite due to diminished smell and taste, but a lack of appetite can also be a symptom of diseases or pain. Conversely, an increased appetite may also be a symptom of diseases such as hyperthyroidism.

Older cats may be less inclined to want to toilet outside, especially if it’s cold or if they have arthritis. It’s a good idea to provide multiple litter trays, in different areas of the house. This way you can also keep an eye on elimination habits and look for blood in the urine or changes in faecal consistency, also another indicator of disease.

3. Grooming and claw trimming is essential.

Geriatric cats are generally not as good at grooming themselves as they might have once been in their younger years. This may be due to sore joints or secondary to conditions such as dementia (a common condition in dogs that is now better recognised in cats).

You may need to regularly brush your elderly cat with a soft brush and gently tease out any mats. This is also an excellent time to check for any lumps or bumps, skin irritations or other changes that could indicate illness. You should arrange a check-up with us if you find anything unusual. Long-haired cats may be susceptible to severe matting – avoid attempting to cut these out yourself and ask us for help instead.

You should check your elderly cat’s nails twice a week. It is common for older cats to get overgrown nails, which can get stuck in carpet and furniture and even grow into their footpads. Ask us for more information on how to trim your cat’s claws, or call us if you would like to book in a nail trim.

We are always here to give you the best advice when it comes to the care of your geriatric pet, so please get in touch with us if you have any concerns.