Meet the patients
Having been in existence since 1995, we've become very bonded to lots of our patients as we've seen them right through from being tiny kittens to very old ladies and gents. We thought you might want to see some of the patients who come through our doors. If any of our clients have a picture of their cat which they would like to add to this webpage, we would be delighted to include it.
Meet “Kiri”. This 14 year old lady first came to The Cat Clinic in Oct 2011. She had been brought over from the USA 2 months previously with a history of kidney infections, fatty liver disease, crystals in her urine, and a significant heart... murmur. You might have though that was enough for one cat but Kiri decided to add to her list.
Over the next few months Kiri started to lose weight, developed a fine tremor, and unusual behaviour after eating. Investigation revealed the problem was one where digested food entering the bloodstream effectively bypassed the liver, bringing about all the signs. We put Kiri onto appropriate medications, supplements and special foods round the clock. Kiri was very picky with food, and quite sickly at times, and her owners tried everything including trying to produce a pavlovian response with a bell – which seemed quite successful to keep her comfortable & maintaining nutrition.
She battled for some months until in July 2012 she suffered a severe episode of abnormal brain function with seizures, resulting in blindness and a worrying weekend in the emergency clinic for her owners. Again Kiri’s owners nursed her through it and a few weeks later she got her sight back.
In October 2012 she developed a urinary tract infection and lost 1kg in weight, but still she battled on!
Martha saw Kiri recently for a check last week and she is back to her ideal weight, full of energy, and a very happy, purry 14yr old cat – one you would never know had ever had anything wrong with her.
We're very sure that there is no way Kiri would still be with us without the diligent, loving attention to detail of her treatment regime from her owners. They are both scientists and as well as obviously being very worried, have been fascinated by Kiri’s never ending list of illnesses, and her amazing ability to recover from them.
One of the photos shows the soft spot Kiri has for a cheek tickle, which instantly makes her roll onto her side and rub her head along your hand for more! The other shows the chilled pose she adopts in the waiting room before her appointments. Kiri is unfazeable!
Kiri looking very relaxed
Meet Loki, one of our regulars at The Cat Clinic. Loki is a 14 year old Siamese who has overcome many trials and tribulations in the last year or two. He’s a small cat but with a huge personality. We can often hear him coming from down the street in that typical Siamese way!
Last July he became very lethargic and inappetant. On examination his right kidney was enormous and irregular - a certain t...ype of cancer was unfortunately at the top of our list. His owner was understandably a bit overwhelmed by this so went away to think about the limited options. She came back and decided to give Loki what we thought would be a last chance by treating him with anti-cancer therapy. A few days after treatment started, the kidney was completely back to its normal size. He was quite under the weather for the first few days, and he didn’t have the full treatment we would normally recommend but his kidneys have remained normal, and blood tests comfirm functioning well. Fightback number one.
In April this year he was attacked by a dog and was in a very sorry state, but bounced back in true Loki style. Fightback number two.
In June he stopped eating again, but as it turned out, all he needed was a dental and he was back to his noisy self. Fightback number three.
In September, Loki developed a mass in his rectum which resulted in a rectal prolapse one weekend. The staff at the out of hours emergency service understandably gave a very grave prognosis as he was again appearing in quite a sorry state. Loki’s owner knew he was made of tougher stuff and requested that the prolapse was replaced. Following a month of cancer treatment with us (this time with no side effects) there is no sign of the mass, and his owner feels that yet again Loki is back to his old self. Fightback number four.
Loki has been through such a lot but he is very loving, including with us at the clinic and a very special boy. His owner was very keen to share his story on our facebook page as she felt it might be inspirational to others. He’s certainly inspirational to us.
Last July he became very lethargic and inappetant. On examination his right kidney was enormous and irregular - a certain t...ype of cancer was unfortunately at the top of our list. His owner was understandably a bit overwhelmed by this so went away to think about the limited options. She came back and decided to give Loki what we thought would be a last chance by treating him with anti-cancer therapy. A few days after treatment started, the kidney was completely back to its normal size. He was quite under the weather for the first few days, and he didn’t have the full treatment we would normally recommend but his kidneys have remained normal, and blood tests comfirm functioning well. Fightback number one.
In April this year he was attacked by a dog and was in a very sorry state, but bounced back in true Loki style. Fightback number two.
In June he stopped eating again, but as it turned out, all he needed was a dental and he was back to his noisy self. Fightback number three.
In September, Loki developed a mass in his rectum which resulted in a rectal prolapse one weekend. The staff at the out of hours emergency service understandably gave a very grave prognosis as he was again appearing in quite a sorry state. Loki’s owner knew he was made of tougher stuff and requested that the prolapse was replaced. Following a month of cancer treatment with us (this time with no side effects) there is no sign of the mass, and his owner feels that yet again Loki is back to his old self. Fightback number four.
Loki has been through such a lot but he is very loving, including with us at the clinic and a very special boy. His owner was very keen to share his story on our facebook page as she felt it might be inspirational to others. He’s certainly inspirational to us.
Meet Harvey Nichols who came to us recently as he had a bit of a problem with his ear. His owner reports "he has been wonderful with his ear drops, here he is inside the leg of my onesie getting his ear drops in and he doesn't even move - dream patient! "
We can't recall the textbooks recommending a onesie as a form of patient restraint but it sure looks effective!
We can't recall the textbooks recommending a onesie as a form of patient restraint but it sure looks effective!
Miss Lulubelle Jamieson was one of our longstanding patients. An inveterate traveller, she was most recently resident in Cornwall. We got the very sad news from Miss Lulubelle's owner that she had come to the end of her days and had to be put to sleep. The owners sent us a copy of the most beautiful obituary and very kindly allowed us to share it with you. The emotions will be very familiar to most cat owners. Hankies are likely to be required but the sad tears will be mixed with as many happy tears. Goodbye Miss Lulubelle Jamieson.
Archie (female!) demonstrates the comfort of our weighing scales when she last visited the clinic!
We thought you might like to see how relaxed some of our patients are when they visit the clinic. Dave, Charlie & Poppy (L to R) came in for their booster vaccinations and showed their approval of our new consult room. They all jumped onto the table spontaneously and made themselves right at home. We particularly like Charlie's very chilled pose!
Meet Lucky. Why the name? His 3 tabby sisters had all been born naturally but the wee white faced boy was stuck. We admitted mum to The Cat Clinic to undergo a caesarean section. It took quite a bit of work to get Lucky breathing but we had a successful outcome. At the last progress report we were delighted to hear he was thriving and had settled in his new home.
This handsome lad is Boris. We asked our clients to send in pictures of their cats for us to use on our booster reminder cards. Boris was the "poster boy" for our July reminder cards!
The lovely Josie demonstrating a fine set of teeth! We're agreed this picture is the perfect illustration for any articles we do about cat dentistry!