Routine maintenance - what am I missing for two siamese cats?

Hi

My two siamese cats are now around 3 years old and are great cats.

They drink the same boiled water I drink, they eat canned food with the occasional dried food when I am out of town. They get washed every couple of months outside winter.

Behavior and health appears normal apart from the occasional vomiting which occurs around once or twice every few months.

Taking them to the vet this weekend for a check up so I'd really appreciate any suggestions or tips on things the cats are missing health wise and what I should do at the vet.

I think I look after them well but they are my first cats so if there is any thing I am missing, please let me know.

Hey there,

I have 2.5 Siamese (the 1/2 is the Himmy).

Sounds like you are doing everything right! Check-ups once a year is kind of important (getting blood work urinalysis). Although if the poo ever smells really rank, you see worms, earmites, they have a sudden behavior change, they've stopped eating and/or drinking, become lethargic - these are things to get them into the vet for.

I do monthly nail clippings - have a vet show you how (or vet tech) as it is verrrry important not to cut into the "pink" which is a nerve ending and if it gets (owch) cut into at all, it will bleed profusely. Be sure to have a little thing of "Kwikstop" available when clipping nails - this will stop the bleeding. First, though, clean off with cold water, then get some Kwikstop mixed with a tiny amount of water on that nail that's bleeding.

I also do monthly ear cleanings. For some reasons my Siamese need double the ear cleanins' (and my Himmy who is 1/2 Siamese, half Persian, that's what makes a Himalayan), they all tend to get their ears dirtier quicker than any other cat.

Make sure you're using porcelein, ceramic or metal feeding dishes as plastic ones collect bacteria very quickly and you'll end up with a case of feline acne (I can tell you how to treat this if you want to keep my name or e-mail or however it works (being pretty darn'd new here myself, lol).

Also, if there is any coughing and no hairball that continues and you check the sound of the breathing and it sounds stressed, this could be asthma, or a very BIG hairball (or a possible blockage).

An easy reference "cat bible" lol is "Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook" by Delbert Carlson D.V.M. and James Giffin, M.D.

For emergency issues, you could enroll in a Red Cross Dog and Cat Certification class. Along with the price of the class comes a book for dogs and for cats (you can take only one if you like) and along with the books comes a DVD you can watch over and over again to keep up with emergency care. Because of this training, it saved my seizure cat's life as I had to give her CPR on the way to emergency because she stopped breathing, twice! It shows all the emergency stuff (3 ways to deal with choking, pad wounds which are always serious, seizures, even the correct way to remove ticks (since they do carry Lyme disease in a lot of cases).

Geez, if I can think of anything else, I'll let ya know. In the interim, if you have any more questions, ask away! :-D

You're a kitty lover, you're a kitty lover!

Warmly,

Julie O'

Originally Posted by baobei

Hi

My two siamese cats are now around 3 years old and are great cats.

They drink the same boiled water I drink, they eat canned food with the occasional dried food when I am out of town. They get washed every couple of months outside winter.

Behavior and health appears normal apart from the occasional vomiting which occurs around once or twice every few months.

Taking them to the vet this weekend for a check up so I'd really appreciate any suggestions or tips on things the cats are missing health wise and what I should do at the vet.

I think I look after them well but they are my first cats so if there is any thing I am missing, please let me know.

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Hi NapWithCats,

Thanks for a great reply.

I live in China and the vets here are pretty basic so there will be nothing indepth like urine analysis. I expect the vet to poke a prod a bit before declaring them healthy. Oh, and push some of their over priced products

I do the nail clipping. Love the look on the cats faces when they try to climb up you after a clipping and end up on their butts.

Don't do ears so that is good point.

I clean their bowls daily but they are plastic so upgradeing to metal (they'll break ceramic) is a good move.

Anything else I'm missing anyone? Vet trip is tomorrow!!!

I was about to ask where you lived that you were boiling water for them.

Sounds like you are doing a great job by them, kudos.

Ni Hau Maa? (Was that right?) )

There are many online Vet Medical supply places to buy from if your Vet will allow it (these places will generally call or fax your vet to get authorization to fill the prescription), and I don't see why you couldn't get cheaper medicine that way (unless there is some international law that I don't know about).

OR, if you have a friend in the U.S., you could ask them to order it, have it sent to their house and they can send it to you. (This is if you will be needing medicine in the future.

IF the vet prescribes anything, ask if he'll authorize your buying your cats' meds from one of the more well-known websites, such as Foster and Smith, Cat Vet Supply (I have websites for each thing I buy because I'm particular). A lot of the medicines are the same (often in their different quantities) of human medicine (not all!!).

Anyways, please feel free to write anytime!!

Give those Siameesees a big cat hug from me and my 10 puddies!!

Xie xie! (lol... correct?)

Julie O'

Thanks Julie and Arlyn. Not bad Chinese Julie

The trip to the vet went well. Vet poked and prodded them, stuck a thermometer up their bums then gave them the ok.

He said they should come back after one vomit free week for two immunizations. My Chinese was too poor to understand which immunizations there were for.

Do 3 year old cats need any kind of immunization? They have not had shots since they were kittens.

If they have not had any immunizations, I would say yes, including Rabies.

Did the vet give them any fluids to re-hydrate them? Vomiting takes a LOT of fluids out of cats and if it's continuous vomit, they most likely need some fluids from being dehydrated. Just wondering if the vet checked that.

Sure hoping they stop vomiting soon! That's always scary (and messy).

kiwo tsuke te!

Julie O'

Originally Posted by baobei

Thanks Julie and Arlyn. Not bad Chinese Julie

The trip to the vet went well. Vet poked and prodded them, stuck a thermometer up their bums then gave them the ok.

He said they should come back after one vomit free week for two immunizations. My Chinese was too poor to understand which immunizations there were for.

Do 3 year old cats need any kind of immunization? They have not had shots since they were kittens.

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