What is a Cat Clinic?
A cat clinic is a veterinary clinic that goes the extra mile for their feline patients. From the moment of making an appointment, our staff will advice you on tips and tricks to reduce your cat’s stress and anxiety when visiting the clinic. The clinic itself has undergone adaptations to ensure a cat’s contentment while visiting or staying with us. For example, in our cat clinic, we use towels sprayed with Feliway to help calm your cat.
Prices of Cat Vets in Singapore
A general consultation can cost between $35-$45.
This includes a thorough physical examination where:
- The eyes and ears are first examined.
- The overall coat of your cat is checked to evaluate for any obvious signs of skin problems.
- The chest is examined for any abnormal heart and lung sounds.
- Following which, the abdomen is felt for any abnormalities.
Most cats allow us to proceed in that order. Sometimes, after an initial examination, further checks are warranted and this will include additional costs. These may include blood tests, x-rays to be taken or urine and fecal examination.
Cat Clinics Near Me
There are only 3 clinics in Singapore that are recognised to be cat friendly internationally by the International Society of Feline Medicine. They are the Cat Clinic, Amber Vet and Oasis Vet.
Oasis Vet is located centrally, close to Thomson Plaza.
Are All Vet Clinics Cat Clinics?
No, they are not. Cats are often examined or medicated like dogs. However, they are very different. Stress is a huge factor in a cat falling sick. That is why, at Oasis Vet we strive to decrease your cat’s stress level from the moment an appointment is made. Our staff are trained on how to handle cats. We NEVER scruff (grab them by the neck) cats. While it makes cat handling easier, it causes them to be frightened and they associate the visit with a negative experience. They then retaliate by scratching or biting. Our veterinarian has also undertaken further training in feline medicine and is very knowledgeable in cats.
Feline Vaccinations
Cats need to be vaccinated as kittens from the age of 6-8 weeks old as this is when the antibodies obtained from the mother start to wane and they no longer have immunity against infectious diseases like feline panleukopenia (FPV), feline herpesvirus-I(FHV-1) and feline calicivirus (FCV). They require booster vaccines every 3-4 weeks old until they have reached 14-16 weeks of age. They then need another vaccination 12 months after the first course. After which, for low-risk cats, vaccination every 3 years is sufficient. Low-risk cats refer to cats that are purely indoors and do not go into catteries. For cats that visit a boarding cattery often, live in a multi-cat household or where owners foster cats often, annual vaccination is recommended. In Singapore, the core vaccine includes Chlamydia and to ensure cats are effectively immunised against this, yearly vaccinations can be considered.
Procedures
Cats routinely undergo procedures such as spays and neuters. This is done to reduce unwanted pregnancies as they start to get sexually active at about 5 months of age. Male cats undergo castration while female cats undergo spaying. Castration removes the testicles in male cats while spaying removes the ovaries and uterus in female cats.
Castration in male cats reduce territorial behaviours such as urine spraying and inappropriate urination and defecation. While spaying female cats before they are sexually active reduces the risk of breast cancer and eliminates uterine related diseases.
Dental scaling and polishing are frequently carried out procedures for cats. This is recommended to be done yearly to maintain oral health. Dental scaling in cats is performed under general anaesthesia to minimise stress and discomfort to them. The benefits of performing this under anaesthesia is that tartar underneath the gumline can be removed (this is usually not visible during a regular examination) and the back of the mouth can be inspected for any ulcers or growths.
Allergies
Cats often suffer from allergies. These are commonly caused by external parasites such as fleas, mites and ticks. Other common causes include food and environmental allergies. Most owners find it difficult to tell if their cat is itchy. Some signs include increase shedding and grooming excessively. Vomiting and diarrhoea are some signs of food allergies as well. Environmental allergies are a common cause of skin problems in Singapore. Unfortunately, unlike dogs, there are no available tests to definitively diagnose environmental allergies. Some common allergens include flea saliva, pollen, dust mites and fungal spores.
Medical Assessment
While a physical examination is helpful to highlight common problems your cat might have, a blood test is invaluable in giving us more information about your cat’s health. Organ diseases like kidney and liver disease can be diagnosed from a blood test. Screening tests yearly can be effective in early diagnosis of medical problems before your cat starts to shows symptoms.
Common Diseases in Cats
Chronic Kidney Disease
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common disease affecting cats above 7 years old. Around 20-50% of cats above 15 years old will be affected by CKD. The kidneys are important in regulating salts and fluid in the body. They are also involved in regulating the blood pressure in the body. CKD is progressive and rate of decline can vary in different cats. While there is no cure, therapy is aimed at providing support to increase quality of life and slowing down rate of progression of disease.
Cat Flu
Cat flu is caused by a variety of viruses and bacteria. The symptoms generally range from a runny nose, sneezing to more nasty ones like mouth ulcers and a decreased appetite. Cat flu is usually contagious and spread from one cat to another. Stress affecting a cat’s immune system also increases risk of cats succumbing to flu. Vaccination greatly reduces the risk of cat flu in multi-cat households. Proper hygiene and good husbandry can minimise spread of disease.
Vet Biography
Dr Sandhya Nair, BVSc (Melbourne)
Special Interest: Ophthalmology, Feline Medicine
Having had an early interest in medicine and healthcare, Dr Sandhya Nair decided that veterinary medicine was the perfect choice that allowed her to combine a love for animals with her interests. She graduated from the University of Melbourne in 2010 and has been working in Singapore ever since. She completed the Postgraduate Ophthalmology program with the University of Sydney in 2013. Dr Sandhya has a special interest in Internal Medicine and Ophthalmology. She finds that with early diagnosis of eye conditions, vision could be preserved resulting in a happy pet with a greater quality of life. Being a firm believer in continuing education, Dr Sandhya is currently doing her Postgraduate studies in Feline Medicine. She believes that cats are very unique animals and as such treating them requires good knowledge and deeper understanding of them.
Dr Sandhya enjoys interacting with clients and is most contented seeing her patient’s health improve, more so if she could motivate her clients to play an active role in the process. With the life expectancy of pets increasing, she hopes to enhance their quality of life in the sunset years with good geriatric care.