Dr. Stacey On Pet Health

Is Your Cat Unprotected?

Your cat is a creature of curiosity. Unfortunately, sometimes this gets them into serious life-threatening trouble. The fact is, every time they venture outdoors, even for an afternoon once a year for the indoor cat, they come into contact with the neighbourhood feral cat. This is because they are socialites with a huge drive to defend their territory. As a result the howlings that keep us up at night become bites that many times go unseen. Fact is these ‘neighbourhood’ cats they visit can carry viruses like distemper, leukemia virus and feline AIDS (not passed to people).

Rabies is found every year in our bats on Vancouver Island. Has your cat ever brought one home? Most ‘healthy’ bats don’t get caught. Your family is at risk too as rabies is transmitted to people. In 2009 there were 32 reports of people coming in contact with a creature diagnosed with rabies (BC Centre For Disease). Of the 167 2009 exposures BC wide most (47 %) were direct bat contact, CATS (7%) and DOGS (31%).

If your cat has never been vaccinated or their vaccines have lapsed, they may be unprotected. Now with the warm weather, your cat’s risk will increase.

Vaccination is only a part of your cat’s path to health. The other is their annual wellness exam. This is where we’ll check for health concerns that can be quickly avoided. Our cats hide diseases well for long periods of time and so regular checkups are important to find and prevent these hidden sicknesses. Without them how can you know?

Call us today. We’re here to help your family.

Stacey Gastis, Veterinarian
Sunrise Veterinary Clinic
Our family Caring For Yours
www.sunrisevet.ca
250-339-6555

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