Miscellaneous   

 

If you would like to be contacted by e-mail for special information, newsletters, and other Cat's Meow (only) information, please email:catsmeowvets AT swbell DOT net (sorry, have had a lot of spam from web crawlers!!!)  We will NOT share this list with anyone else.

 

 

Donations: Before you throw out those bath towels or baby blankets, please think of our kitties.  We use towels and blankets for the cats to keep warm during and after surgery.  If you have extra cat items that you no longer use, we can probably put them to use.  Also, for those of you with access to medical supplies that are being thrown away, we appreciate donations of that kind for various minor procedures.  Thank you for thinking of the kitties!

Medications: Because we treat cats only and cats are notorious for being difficult to medicate, we work closely with a veterinary compounding pharmacy to formulate alternative routes of medication.  Many medications can be made into chews (treats with medication in them flavored like seafood, chicken, etc.), liquids flavored with tuna and other flavors, capsules that could be opened and sprinkled onto canned food, and even transdermal gels (similar to nicotine patches, where the medication absorbs through the skin to get into the system). 

Prescription foods and medications for non-patients: Because of legalities, we are unable to prescribe or sell medications or prescription diets for patients we have not seen (this pertains to patients we have not seen in the past 12 months).  Here is a link to a page with the laws: Policy regarding sale of prescription foods or medication to non-clients

To open the following files, if it asks for a password, just click cancel.

Any problems?  Report to: catsmeowvets at swbell dot net

 

Don't have time for an appointment?  Many of our clients leave their pets with us on the way to work and pick them up at lunch or on their way home after work.  If you would like to do this instead of an appointment or if your cat is sick and you can't make an appointment, just let us know.  We'll have you fill out a Sick Drop-off Questionnaire or a Healthy Drop-off Questionnaire when you arrive or you can print one, fill it out, and have it ready.

Boarding your cat soon?  You may fill out our boarding form (pdf) ahead of time so that the paperwork will already be finished when you are dropping kitty off (just make sure you have a reservation and please let our receptionist know that you have downloaded a form already.)

FORMS!!! (pdf form):  If you are a new client, you may print and fill out an information sheet about you before your visit.  If you have a new cat (or a cat that is a new patient to us), please fill out a patient information sheet.  By downloading these, you can fill them out in your own time and not have to arrive as early for your appointment.  You may even fax the completed form(s) to us at (817) 263-5290 or e-mail to thecatsmeowveterinaryhospital at yahoo dot com and receive $5 off your first visit (if we receive your forms at least 24 hours prior to your appointment).

Housesoiling Problems?  We'll be glad to talk with you about it-the longer it continues, the more difficult it is to fix.  Please call to schedule an appointment.  To save yourself some time, you can print our Housesoiling Questionnaire and fill it out before you arrive.  There are numerous sources on the internet.  Here's one link to info about feline inappropriate elimination.  If the suggestions do not help, we will be happy to consult with you about some different things to try and perhaps even behavioral modification drugs.

Think you've found an abandoned kitten?  What do you do?  How do you take care of it?  Click here for advise from Alley Cat Allies.

Need help remembering your cat's medication or parasite preventatives?  Here's a website that will remind you when to give medications and when to order refills: remindmypet.com

Moving? Here's a website to help you find a cat-friendly hospital near you: http://members.verizon.net/~vze2r6qt/supplies/catsonly.htm#top

The following is a scanned image of outdoor cat shelter ideas one of our clients gave to us:

 

In addition to providing shelter for feral (wild) cats, many people choose to have them altered to prevent further reproduction.  Catching feral cats is not always easy.  Here is a link for humanely trapping cats: http://www.alleycat.org/pdf/humane.pdf

 

CAT BURGLAR: Holly the cat sits in the shadow of some of the boots, shoes, slippers and trainers she has collected from her Manurewa neighbourhood.
MIKE KNOTT/Manukau Courier

 


 

Holly's a puss in boots

13 May 2003

By SARAH ALLELY

When night falls in Manurewa Holly starts on her quest, prowling through suburban streets to prey on trusting residents.

Holly stockpiles her loot at the back door of her home in The Gardens. But if she's disturbed on her journey, she simply drops her goods in the street.

This petite and friendly female doesn't look like the stealing type. But this feline tabby has a shoe fetish rivalled by few others.

This cool cat even goes the extra mile to ensure she gets matching pairs. She will determinedly retrace her steps to pick up the second shoe.

Kay McKillion thought she was targeted by thieves when the seventh pair of shoes disappeared from her Norman Close doorstep. Mrs McKillion called the police to complain.

"Every time someone walked past my house I would go out and see if they were wearing my shoes," she says.

The mystery was solved when a neighbour told her about Holly and Mrs McKillion was directed to the house in Charles Prevost Drive, where boxes of shoes lie waiting to be claimed.

Holly's owner, James, doesn't know what to do with his cat burglar, who collects three pairs of shoes in an average night's work.

"She's not dangerous, she's not wild, she doesn't scratch. This is all she does."

But James believes Holly knows she's up to no good, because she only steals when no one's looking.

She has been caught with stolen goods in her mouth only twice by her owner, once when walking the streets and a second time while attempting to jump a two metre fence.

"We try and keep her inside at night, but she's quite clever."

James and his family moved from Weymouth last year, where Holly's habit was even worse.

"After six months we'd be putting out bags of shoes. A lot of people in Weymouth would have lost a lot of shoes and then it would have suddenly stopped when we moved!"

He says some shoes are able to be returned to their rightful owners as Holly's antics became known around her neighbourhood.

One neighbour clocked the cat stockpiling shoes by a tall fence at the end of his garden and circulated a flyer informing shoeless neighbours.

The seven-year-old cat started collecting shoes after she was spayed three years ago and James wonders if there's some connection.

Steve Merchant, of the Manukau Veterinary Group, says cats have a nesting instinct which often drives them to steal and take their goods to bed with them.

"I don't think cats know they are doing it, it's probably a subconscious urge," Mr Merchant says.

In his experience, cat burglars are females who usually hoard soft items like gloves, jerseys and slippers not shoes.

Mr Merchant says Holly could be collecting shoes to replace kittens, but says people often mistakenly blame changes in their cats on spaying.

"A lot of older unspayed cats are quite stressed and getting them de-sexed releases them from all that, so they can just enjoy life and do things they wouldn't normally have time for, like playing and stealing."

Holly's owners would like to return the stolen shoes to their owners, so if you live in The Gardens and have lost some shoes, phone: 266-8585.

 

 

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The Cat's Meow Veterinary Hospital

4948 Overton Ridge Blvd.

Ft. Worth, TX 76132

(817) 263-5287

(817) 263-5290 fax

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