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LINKS: Pet Health & Care

Pet Health & Care - Advice Websites All About Pets: Pet care information service provided by The Blue Cross. A full range of free dog, cat, horse and small pet care leaflets is available to view and download: www.allaboutpets.org.uk AnimalCare.co.uk: An informative site for pet owners and animal lovers, with useful articles and advice on animal care. Information covers care issues for cats, dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs, horses and more: www.animal-care.co.uk Caring For Your Cat: An extremely useful section within the Wood Green Animal Shelters website. Go to their 'Cat Section' which links through to the 'Caring for your Cat' page. Common ailments, behavioural activity, cat care and advice, etc. is all covered. Authoritative and very useful advice about kittens, elderly cats, and most FAQ's about cats of any age: www.woodgreen.org.uk Cat Knowledge Base (Cat KB): A community for cat lovers with a comprehensive discussion forum. Share your cat related knowledge and experience, ask questions, get advice on feline health and behaviour, or search the forum database for the answers to your questions: www.CatKB.com Cats Protection: A wide range of leaflets are available on all aspects of cat care directly from Cats Protection, the oldest cat charity in the UK. Visit their web site, or telephone them on: 08702 099 099: www.cats.org.uk Feline Advisory Bureau: Providing comprehensive expert advice and information on all aspects of cat health and care. Information sheets on a wide range of feline conditions are available via their web site. The site also contains a nationwide list of FAB approved catteries. Tel: 0870 742 2278, Web: www.fabcats.org Felipedia: A reference site for feline diseases: www.felipedia.org ISPCA (Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals): The ISPCA website contains a very useful in-depth 'virtual clinic', as well as information on pet health and care: www.ispca.ie Pawprints and Purrs, Inc. - Cat Health Information: This site has an amazing amount of good solid cat health and behaviour advice. Everything from Arthritis and Aggression to Vaccinations and Vomiting: www.sniksnak.com/cathealth The Pet Care Trust: Supported by the British petcare industry, The Pet Care Trust aims to improve standards of pet keeping by promoting responsible ownership. Membership is open to retailers, manufacturers, wholesalers, groomers, kennels and catteries. The trust provides training courses, support manuals and information leaflets: www.petcare.org.uk Pet Health Care: Professional advice on a wide range of cat and dog health issues. Includes the 'Well Cat Clinic', special care for senior cats, how to give a tablet, a vets directory and lots more: www.pethealthcare.co.uk Vet Help Direct: The equivalent of NHS Direct for animals. Constructed and maintained by UK vets, the service is free to use and helps cat owners to decide how urgently their cat needs to see a vet: www.vethelpdirect.com VetInfo: A comprehensive health information service for cats and dogs. Includes an ‘Ask a Vet Online’ enquiry service: www.vetinfo.com Pet Health & Behaviour Queries - Forums The Cat Chat Forum: Post your query under 'Health & Behaviour' here: www.catchat.org/forum.html Purrs in our Hearts Forum: Plenty of advice and help available: www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk All About Pets: A Pet Forum Community run by the Blue Cross: www.allaboutpets.org.uk VetPro Forum: A non-profit site for Veterinary Surgeons, Vet Nurses and Animal Experts: www.vetpro.co.uk Specific Health Queries - Links A - Z ANTI-FREEZE - Poisoning risk to pets The presence of Ethylene glycol in engine coolant and anti-freeze makes it taste sweet, and as a result thousands of cats and dogs are poisoned each year, often fatally. Symptoms include vomiting, and loss of co-ordination - wobbling or falling over. If you suspect your cat may have ingested anti-freeze get them to a vet immediately, as it can quickly cause kidney failure and liver damage, and is often fatal unless treated quickly. The following campaign is to put pressure on manufacturers of engine coolant and antifreeze to add a bittering agent (denatonium benzoate), to render the coolant and antifreeze unpalatable, or alternatively to stop using Ethylene glycol, and therefore reduce the number of poisonings in children and animals. Pawprints and Purrs, Inc ASBESTOS - Risk to pets Most people are aware that exposure to asbestos can cause a rare cancer in humans (mesothelioma), but many are not aware that this has recently been diagnosed in pets too. The Mesothelioma Cancer Center have created a pets-specific section on their website, which covers how pets can be exposed, what symptoms they may exhibit and how to prevent exposure. www.asbestos.com BLIND PETS - Caring for a blind pet Useful advice on caring for a blind cat or dog: Caring for a blind pet - www.veterinaryvision.com DECLAWING - PLEASE DON'T! Declawing is illegal in many countries including the UK, but is still practiced in the USA and elsewhere. De-clawing is not just like trimming nails, it's more akin to chopping your fingers and toes off at the knuckle! If you need any convincing not to declaw, these are the sites to visit. Links to an overwhelming amount of evidence, articles and veterinary opinions against declawing, and alternative cruelty-free ideas: Solve scratching problems without declawing: www.catscratching.com Amby's Issues and Alternatives to de-clawing: Declawing Issues & Alternatives Stacks of Links about de-clawing facts: www.dogandcatowners.com/declawing_cats.htm Discussion forum on declawing at the Pif Tails site: www.declawing.co.uk DIABETIC CATS Cats Protection keep a register of people with experience of diabetic cats, who are willing to offer support and advice (non-veterinary) to others with a diabetic cat. If you want a copy of the register, send an A5 stamped addressed envelope (stamped to the value of 50p) to: Helpline, Diabetic Cat Register, Cats Protection, National Cat Centre, Chelwood Gate, Haywards Heath, Sussex, RH17 7TT, or call: 03000 12 12 12 or email: helpline@cats.org.uk FeLV - Feline Leukaemia Our page of information about Feline Leukaemia. What is it? How is it transmitted? Testing and treatment? How effective are vaccinations? Feline Leukaemia Info page F.I.P. - Feline Infectious Peritonitis The latest news on FIP treatment and prevention, a highly informative website by Dr. Diane Addie, lecturer in Veterinary Clinical Virology at the University of Glasgow. www.dr-addie.com F.I.P. - Forums A Discussion Forum for those who have a cat with FIP, or have lost a cat to FIP. www.atfreeforum.com/fip FIV - Feline Immunodeficiency Virus Our page of information about FIV. What is it? How is it transmitted? What about Treatment? Down to earth, factual information about the FIV virus. FIV Information Page FIV - Feline Immunodeficiency Virus Meet other FIV owners in the 'FIV Owners Club' section of our Forum. If you are thinking of adopting an FIV positive cat, or if you are already an FIV Owner, share information and ask questions here: FIV Owners Club (Forum) FIV - Feline Immunodeficiency Virus For a first-paw account of Living with FIV, visit Alfie Cat's website here: www.alfie-cat.co.uk FORUMS - see links at the top of the page GUN ATTACKS on ANIMALS The Gun Control Network campaigns for tighter controls on guns ownership and use in Britain. If your cat has been involved in an airgun incident, their ‘Cat Champion’ can contact you to offer support. To report an incident, or to get practical or legal advice, visit their website. www.gun-control-network.org KIDNEY FAILURE Feline Good - The latest information for pet owners about managing kidney failure in cats. www.felinegood.co.uk/ KITTENS - Hand-Rearing "BottleKatz" is a complete care guide for orphaned kittens. The author has been taking in and hand rearing orphaned kittens for over 20 years and has learned much to greatly increase the number of kittens who reach healthy adulthood. This book contains detailed, very specific answers to the many questions that 'kitten parents' might have: www.lulu.com LEUKAEMIA (FELINE) - See under "FeLV" LITTER TRAY PROBLEMS - See Cat Chat's information page on Inappropriate Toileting: Soiling & Spraying Indoors NEUTERING Why you should neuter your cat - and where to get reduced price neutering: Neutering Information Page NUTRITION Royal Canin: The leading specialists in cat and dog nutrition, with a range of carefully formulated foods for your pet. Their website will enable you to choose the right product for your cat based on age, breed and lifestyle: www.royalcanin.co.uk/my_pet/cat_products.aspx Burns Pet Nutrition: developed by veterinary surgeon, John Burns. A family-run business that produces holistic and natural pet food based on ethical principles. For advice on feeding your cat, call their nutritional helpline - manned by Burns experts, on freephone: 0800 083 66 96 or visit their website: www.burnspet.co.uk/cat/pet_care.asp (Also *free* 'Kitten Information Packs' and a sample of their kitten food can be obtained on freephone: 0800 018 18 90.) PDSA The PDSA (People's Dispensary for Sick Animals) offers free veterinary treatment to pets of those in receipt of certain benefits, through their network of PetAid animal Hospitals and PetAid vets practices across the country. They treat dogs, cats and all 'small furries' such as rabbits, hamsters etc. For details, Tel: 0800 731 2502, or vist their Website: www.pdsa.org.uk Or, locate your nearest PDSA centre here: PetAid Animal Hospitals and vets practices in your area POISONOUS PLANTS - Some house plants can kill cats If your cat tends to chew your houseplants, you need to know which ones are harmful or potentially fatal depending on the quantity ingested. Also, don't forget they will be ingesting any pesticides or fertilizers used on the plants or in the soil. For a list of harmful plants, go to: www.moggies.co.uk/plants.html TICKS - Including Annual 'Tick Prevention Week' Campaigning to raise awareness regarding the dangers of tick bites, and how to reduce the chance of contracting an infection. Correct tick removal is vital in helping prevent disease transmission: www.tickpreventionweek.org VETERINARY ADVICE - See under "Pet Health & Care - Advice Websites" at top of page VETERINARY HELP (low cost) - See under "PDSA" above VETERINARY PRACTICES by area (UK) A complete list of veterinary practices in your area (UK only): www.any-uk-vet.co.uk VETERINARY ADVICE We would always recommend consulting your own veterinary surgeon if your cat is in any discomfort, pain or distress. However, if you have a routine non-urgent question which cannot be answered through any of the links above, you can email our veterinary adviser on: Please note that our adviser is a practising vet, answering queries on Cat Chat's behalf on a voluntary basis, so will not always be able to answer queries on the same day.