Cat Tips

• ANIMAL CARE CLINIC TIPS

  Why does my cat pull his hair out at night?

  

  Posted 10:28 AM 7/1/2011 by Bonnie Markoff, DVM, ABVP Animal Care Clinic, San Luis Obispo

  Q: Why does my cat pull his hair out at night. He is clean and brushed, but every morning he has plucked out some hair.

  A: This one is going to require a trip to the vet. The most common causes of this are fleas (which you may never see on your cat), inhaled allergies like hayfever, and (More)

  
  

• ANIMAL CARE CLINIC TIPS

  The Importance of Spaying Before First Heat

  

  Posted 3:32 PM 6/6/2011 by Bonnie Markoff, DVM, ABVP Animal Care Clinic, San Luis Obispo

  The first heat cycle in a dog is usually at 5-8 months of age, but can be as early as 4 months in some cases.

  Dogs then cycle about 1-2 times a year. They have a very different cycle than people do.

  The vast majority of veterinarians recommend spaying dogs and cats before they ever (More)

  
  

• ANIMAL CARE CLINIC TIPS

  Chronic Diarrhea

  

  Posted 1:31 PM 3/2/2011 by Bonnie Markoff, DVM, ABVP

  No one likes having diarrhea. Luckily, for all of us, most cases of diarrhea are short-lived and resolve themselves within a day or two. I'm not sure if there is anything in veterinary medicine more frustrating than chronic, or long-term, diarrhea.

  Whenever a dog or cat presents to Animal (More)

  
  

• ANIMAL CARE CLINIC TIPS

  When Cats Miss the Mark (the Box)

  

  Posted 11:35 AM 3/2/2011 by Bonnie Markoff, DVM, ABVP

  One of the most common veterinary behavior problems we hear about at Animal Care Clinic is a cat who fails to use the litterbox. This most commonly manifests itself as urinating in inappropriate places, but sometimes in involves feces. There is no doubt as to why this is an extremely upsetting (More)

  
  

• ANIMAL CARE CLINIC TIPS

  Feeding Pets

  

  Posted 10:38 AM 1/13/2011 by Bonnie Markoff, DVM, ABVP

  Many clients at Animal Care Clinic ask about how to feed their pets - free choice or meals. Veterinarians disagree to some extent as which is better, and there are medical benefits to both systems.Many owners find it convenient to leave food out all the time for their animals, especially cats. (More)

  
  

• ANIMAL CARE CLINIC TIPS

  Caring For Feral Cats

  

  Posted 9:36 AM 1/5/2011 by Bonnie Markoff, DVM

  Janice has asked about a feral cat named Heckel who has something wrong with her lower jaw.

  Caring for feral or "wild" cats can be extremely frustrating. We find cat colonies developing in many areas in our county. Quite often, a good samaritan feeds the cats, but usually the cats will not (More)

  
  

• ANIMAL CARE CLINIC TIPS

  Basic Manners

  

  Posted 9:38 AM 12/29/2010 by Bonnie Markoff, DVM. Animal Care Clinic

  We have had several questions related to pet behavior on our KSBY Local Experts page. Pet owners have concerns about barking, biting, scratching, jumping, destructive behavior, animals getting into things, basic training and boundary training.

  Most of these problems stem from trying to (More)

  
  

• ANIMAL CARE CLINIC TIPS

  Battling matted fur

  

  Posted 10:46 AM 12/17/2010 by Bonnie Markoff, DVM of Animal Care Clinic SLO

  Thank you, Shawna for your question about grooming Persian cats. This can be a big problem for many cat owners! The fine hair of a Persian easily clumps together to form matts - those Rastafarian type clumps of fur that cannot be broken up with a brush.

  Matts can be very painful and even (More)

  
  

• ANIMAL CARE CLINIC TIPS

  Itch, Scratch, Lick and Chew!

  

  Posted 4:19 PM 12/8/2010 by Bonnie Markoff, DVM

  Both Rachel and Jennie have asked about itchy pets recently.

  Rachel has three Pugs that are so itchy that they scoot, chase their tails and are even aggressive towards each other.

  Jennie's kitty, Dobbie, has dandruff and is itchy enough that it seems to hurt when she scratches his (More)

  
  

• ANIMAL CARE CLINIC TIPS

  Oxygen therapy for pets

  

  Posted 5:33 PM 10/25/2010 by Bonnie Markoff, DVM

  Cindy has asked if oxygen treatment may have contributed to the death of her kitty who had suffered chest trauma. This is a very interesting question that cannot be answered completely without more information, but I can address the use of oxygen in trauma cases.

  Oxygen and fluids are (More)

  
  

• ANIMAL CARE CLINIC TIPS

  Does size matter?

  

  Posted 11:39 AM 9/8/2010 by Bonnie Markoff, DVM

  Emma has asked about her 1 year old cat/kitten who seems healthy but only weighs 3-4 pounds. Please accept my apologies for the delay in answering your question, Emma - I was in Mongolia where, oddly enough, this very subject came up at the small animal where I advise. It seems there are a number (More)

  
  

• ANIMAL CARE CLINIC TIPS

  Ask the Expert: How do I get that skunk smell out?

  

  Posted 10:31 AM 7/29/2010 by Dr. Bonnie Markoff

  Dear Terri,

  Sorry for the delay in getting this answer to you. We recommend:

  • 1 quart peroxide
  • ¼ cup baking soda 
  • 2 tablespoons liquid dishwashing soap (like Dawn)

  Mix together (may need a bigger batch for a bigger dog) and apply all (More)