As far as plants go, lilies are among the most beautiful. They smell lovely and seem to last forever, making them a fantastic addition to any floral arrangement. Humans adore them and most animals aren’t bothered by them, but for cats, lilies are positively deadly. And it doesn’t take much. A single bite of leaf or lick of pollen can be all it takes to send a cat into irreversible kidney failure. As cat owners, we all need to be aware of how dangerous this common household plant can be, and take the necessary steps to keep our unsuspecting pets safe.

What makes lilies so toxic to cats?

• We don’t know exactly which chemical within the lily is so dangerous, but we do know that ingesting the smallest amount of leaf, stem, flower or even pollen can be deadly.
• Most types of lilies are poisonous, including asian lilies (Lily asiatica), tiger lilies (Lilium tigrinum), stargazer lilies (Lilium orientalis) and Easter lilies (Lilium longiflorum)….

The most common injuries which arise when out and about are things like cut pads, bite wounds, stick injuries and of course road accidents. Many illnesses can also have a fairly sudden onset, sometimes needing an out-of-hours visit to the vets.

Carrying a small first aid kit with you can help with emergencies such as cuts, bites or torn nails. If bleeding is part of the problem, then a temporary bandage applied just until you can get to the surgery can save a lot of mess but could also stop your dog from losing so much blood. A hankie or a sock can be very useful substitutes for a bandage, or anything clean with which you can apply pressure for a few minutes.

However, there is a risk of making matters worse if a bandage is too tight or applied for too long. The circulation may be reduced so much that tissue starts to die, so just use a bandage as a first aid measure until bleeding stops or you can get to your vet’s surgery.

The other thing that can reduce the stress when the unexpected happens is having your pet insured………..

Many people share their homes with more than one cat, and if all the cats get along they can provide everybody with companionship and entertainment. Sadly, however, it isn’t always that way. Cats are relatively solitary creatures by nature and serious problems can arise when more than one cat is asked to share a small living space such as a house and garden. Acquiring the cats at the same time can help, even more so if they are siblings. It also helps to introduce them while they’re young, and it’s often easier to get a male and a female kitty as opposed to two of the same sex. Just like people, newly-introduced cats need some time to get to know each other so don’t expect everybody to get along from day one. If you and your feline family are going through a bit of a rough patch, be it the occasional stare down or full on cat fights, read on…

Yes, it’s true, Christmas is upon us yet again. A time of fluffy white snow, happy children, beautifully wrapped gifts and exceedingly large meals. Or, if you’re a cat owner, a time of missing ornaments, broken baubles, toppled trees, and shredded wrapping paper. The antics of the family cat can be a welcome distraction when the discussion gets a bit too heated around the dinner table, but just as cats enjoy all the new toys there could be some hidden dangers too. Here are some things to think about this holiday season.

The Christmas tree

“What could be better?” says the cat.  “The joys of the outdoors in the warmth of my living room!”  Christmas trees are a cat’s dream come true.  Many cats, especially kittens, find climbing the tree irresistible and will stop at nothing to try to make it to the top.  You can try all sorts of deterrents, including aluminium foil around the base (cats hate walking on it) and keeping a water spray bottle close at hand, but it usually won’t stop them trying at least once.   Many cats also hate the smell of oranges, so some people say keeping orange peels under the tree can help deter climbing……….

I knew it was going to be a rough day when I walked in and saw that three of my ten morning appointments were vomiting cats.  Second only to the chronically itchy dog, vomiting cats can be one of the most frustrating things we have to deal with as vets because there are so many possible reasons why it can happen.  Anything from what the cat had for dinner last night to metabolic diseases that may have been brewing for years could be the cause, and distinguishing between them can take a lot of time, money and effort.  And that’s just for the vet – as the owner of a cat that vomits frequently myself, I understand how unpleasant it is to walk downstairs in the middle of the night and step in a pile of cat sick.  Be it on the new white carpeting or the beat up old sofa, it’s not pretty.  It may be a harmless hairball, but it can also be a sign of serious illness in your cat so it’s definitely worth getting it checked out by your vet.  If you are unlucky enough to have a vomiting cat, here are some things you may want to consider……..

It’s been scorching here in Gloucestershire recently, and while the hot weather has been enjoyed by most of the population, it has not been so welcome for all, particularly for pets who find it difficult to cope with such extremes of temperature. In the surgery recently I’ve seen a few pets suffering from the effects of too much sun – a dog with mild heatstroke, a cat with sunburnt ear tips, and then there was Harry the bunny who was brought in last Friday in a real state…….

Rabbits are particularly prone to a condition called fly strike or myiasis, which happens when flies lay eggs on the rabbit and these develop into larvae (maggots). Usually eggs are laid where the skin is broken or soiled, especially if there is any faecal matter around the anus or any urine soiling of the coat. It can develop into a life-threatening infestation of maggots within a few hours. Particular care needs to be taken if a rabbit has a wound of any kind if the weather is very warm. Obesity increases the risk because an obese rabbit cannot reach to clean itself properly, and diarrhoea also makes soiling and fly strike more likely……………….

In my career both as a vet and in the media I’ve been asked to do some fairly strange things – pulling a guinea pig’s head out of a coconut, dressing up as a 50’s garage mechanic in the Blue Peter pantomime and dancing to The One Show theme tune on the BBC to name but a few – so I wasn’t too surprised when I got a request which involved having my photo taken with a dog bowl, umbrella and a selection of snails and slugs!

The photo shoot – and rather unusual props – was all in aid of a campaign called Be Lungworm Aware which is trying to raise awareness of a very nasty condition that is increasingly affecting dogs called lungworm, or French heartworm…………

Lilies are beautiful flowers, exotic in appearance and heavily scented. They are often included in bouquets and floral arrangements, but cat owners need to know that they are extremely poisonous if eaten, or even if pollen is accidentally swallowed whilst grooming after brushing against a lily.

It is thought that all parts of the lily flower and plant are poisonous to cats if eaten, and the effects are very serious and very fast. Only a very small amount needs to be eaten to cause devastating effects. Unfortunately kittens are most susceptible…………

By Cat Henstridge BVSc MRCVS, The Pet Street Vet
Christmas is one of my favourite times of year, all those presents and decorations, not to mention the yummy food! However, there are problems we see commonly with pets around the holiday season that are directly connected with the festivities and this blog is about recognising and helping to prevent them.
It is tempting, when we are tucking into a fabulous spread for Christmas lunch, to share this with our pets. However, their bodies are less able to cope with unusually rich food than us and nobody wants to be clearing up vomit and diarrhoea on Christmas day.