Cat Rabies Shot demonstrated by Steward.
I am Dr Churan from The Animal Clinic of South Elgin. This is my assistant Jenny and this is our clinic pet Stewart. He looks like a rag doll cat but he is actually a stray out of a barn and he does not have any known parentage; but, he has many of the characteristics of a rag doll Siamese mix. What we are going to talk about today is the importance of cat rabies shots and annual physical exams for all ages of felines. Stewart is a young feline. He is about four years old. Even young felines should have annual physical exams because we want to catch any problems before they become big problems. So annually we would like to give them cat rabies shots, which is required by law even if your cat is an indoor-cat only. We also recommend distemper shots, which has four different components and depending on your cat’s lifestyle we do have some other vaccinations which may be appropriate.
When new clients register online, we also ask about spay neuter and declaw.
Cat Rabies Shots include a physical exam.
We do a physical exam before the cat rabies shots, we want to start with the front. We are looking at his face. We want to check his eyes for any abnormal discharges and we want his pupils to be of the same size. We do not want to see any discharges from his nose or his ears. Abnormal discharges are a sign of illness. We look at their ears using an otoscope which is similar to the otoscope used on people. Basically when we use an otoscope in the cat’s ears we are looking deeper for perhaps ear mites, ear infections or any foreign bodies that got into your cat’s ears. Obviously, this could cause discomfort or infection to your cat. The nose should be clear of any discharge. We want to look at their face and it should be a nice clean face without sores or wounds. We want to look at their teeth and pick at their gums. We are looking for abnormal tartar buildup, foreign bodies, sores, wounds or masses which could be oral tumors. Just like people, we want to check their lymph nodes around the jaw and feel for abnormalities.
Cat Rabies Shots include ideal body weight analysis.
We place our hands down on the body and we want to feel normal body weight. Stewart is a happy eater. He enjoys eating and we enjoy preventing him from overeating. It is a constant dilemma for both of us. Sometimes he wins and sometimes we do. It is especially difficult for a multiple-cat household that has both skinny cats that you are trying to fatten up and fat ones that you try to discourage from overeating; but, just like people having an ideal body weight is always beneficial to health. We also want to look at the skin and coat. We want to make sure they are not too dry. Sometimes during winter their skin gets too dry just like people. In this case a supplement could remedy the condition.
Cat Rabies Shots include checks for parasites.
We also want to check for parasites. Even indoor cats only are known to get them because fleas can get on peoples’ clothing or shoes and sometimes on dogs that come in and out of the house. So even though the cat is indoor-only, parasites could come into the house and attach themselves to the cat. In checking their abdomen we do a gentle palpation, feeling for anything abnormal. In female cats we feel along the breast line. We want to make sure that there is no swelling or abnormal masses. Then we go to the tail. Touching the tail should not be painful. Then, we check the rear end area for any discharge, parasites or sores. After completing the external palpation, we check the heart and lungs using a stethoscope. We want to make sure both sound normal. Stewart is being good and cooperative today. Stewart is on a monthly parasite prevention program. Stewart is a clinic cat and with many other pets coming and going, being preventative with parasites is always important. It is always better to prevent problems than to wait for problems to develop and then try to get rid of them. Because of the environment he lives in prevention of parasites is important for Stewart and this is what we do for him. This is what we recommend for everyone’s cat in addition to annual cat rabies shots.
Get a quote for Cat Rabies Shots at www.SouthElginVet.com YouTube Link
Youtube Title: Kitten Cat Rabies Shots by South Elgin IL Veterinarian
Cat Rabies shots are required by law. If your cat even breaks a person’s skin, you can have much bigger legal problems if your cat does not have pet vaccinations.
Youtube Title: Kitten Cat Rabies Shots by South Elgin IL Veterinarian
Cat Rabies shots are required by law. If your cat even breaks a person’s skin, you can have much bigger legal problems if your cat does not have pet vaccinations.
