Tag Archives: cat

Cat heart disease – veterinary ultrasound scan

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Cats can develop heart disease called cardiomyopathy. The most common form is caused by a thickening of the heart muscle (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy).

Unfortunately cats often hide this problem very well, and may show no symptoms until seriously ill.  Your vet may be able to hear a heart murmur or irregular rhythm, which could indicate a problem.  It is important to have regular check ups (at least yearly) so that your vet can check for problems like this. The best way to diagnose this disease is by ultrasound scan.

This video shows a normal cat heart on ultrasound scan. You can see the moving heart valves (mitral valves) of the left side of the heart towards the bottom of the picture. These  valves are between the top chamber called the atrium and the bottom chamber called the ventricles.

Cat nail clipping

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Cat nail clipping is possible at home, as long as you have a little knowledge.

  • First of all what type of nail clippers should you use ?

nail clipper

These nail clippers are the type that i use most commonly in practice, but there are smaller variations on this design that also work well. The type of clippers that i would avoid are the “guillotine” type.

  • How do i clip the nails ?

This is ideally a two person task, and is easier performed on a table at about waist height.  While one person holds your cat still, you can the hold a paw and clip the tips of each nail.  If you look at the diagram below you will see an area of the claw marked with dotted lines called the ungual process. This is the sensitive part of the nail that contains sensory nerve endings and a blood supply (also called the quick), and should NOT be cut.

anatomy of cat claw

When you look at the claw from the side, often the tip of the nail is much finer, and it then thickens as you move towards the base. This thicker region contains the blood vessel and should be avoided.

So if you can see the fine tip of the nail this is the part to be clipped.

  • How often should i clip my cats nails?

If your cat goes outside,  or uses a scratching post you may never need to clip your cat’s nails. However the nails can  grow quickly just like our own nails , and so can be clipped whenever the sharp points have regrown.  If in doubt clipping every 3 months should be fine.