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It has come to our attention that many cat owners thought that we only provide services of highly complex nature such as looking after cats with multiple and advanced problems.

Whilst we do indeed see many patients that require management of tricky illness and may required extensive investigations, we do also take care of the routine needs of our feline friends. In fact it is a pleasure to walk through all the life stages with you and your special feline family member, and to be able to support you through problems and celebrate milestones together. 

Annual Vaccinations and health examination: As part of routine procedures we perform routine annual examinations and vaccinations or serum titre testing. During this time we can help assess any problems that may have surfaced since last visit. A thorough examination and discussion of symptoms or concerns may often help identify and allow us to address a potential problem before any significant illness has occurred.

Desexings: We also perform routine desexings of male and female kittens, usually recommended between the age of 3 to 6 months. Below is a description of what is involved for desexing procedures in cats.

Spey:  For female cats, the procedure is more complex with intra-abdominal surgery required to remove both ovaries and uterus. The abdomen is usually closed with dissolvable internal sutures. The procedure involves a full anaesthetic and surgery in a sterile theatre. Recovery is usually quite rapid, however cats must be rested for a period of 10-14 days. Desexing your girl means she is no longer will come in season, is unable to have unwanted kittens, and the risk of uterine infection or uterine cancer is eliminated. In addition, the risk of mammary cancer is much reduced.

Castration: For male cats, the procedure is simpler. An incision is made over each scrotum and each testicle is removed, with vessels and spermatic cord ligated. The incisions are either left open to heal or closed with tissue glue. Recovery is usually very rapid, and boys should be rested ideally for a period of 1-2 weeks post surgery. Castrating your boy means he will not be able to father unwanted kittens, is less likely to go wandering in search for a girl and go missing or become injured in the process. He is less likely to fight with other cats and receive cat bite abscesses, and will be less likely to spray urine to mark his territory. The risk of testicular cancer is virtually eliminated.

Extra Care at Perth Cat Hospital: At Perth Cat Hospital we take some extra precautions and steps to make the anaesthesia and surgery safer and more comfortable for our feline patients. Below is a description of how we try to perform the procedure according to best practice, and make your cat’s hospital stay as smooth as possible.

• Lower stress: Lower stress experienced does not only make the hospital stay more comfortable, it also contributes to a reduced anaesthetic risk and better wound healing.  Our hospital has the ISFM Gold Level Cat friendly accreditation. This means our practice is highly feline focused from our facility, equipment and procedures, to our dedicated, highly trained cat loving team. We apply low stress handling techniques, minimise background noise and provide snugly set up quiet bedding and cages. Sedation is used prior to handling if a patient is particularly stressed.
• Intravenous catheter: An intravenous catheter is placed prior to the anaesthetic, to allow any medications to be given intravenously as required. This is especially important to help administer balanced anaesthesia and any emergency medication should they be necessary. In addition, intravenous fluids can be readily administered if required.
• Premedication and anaesthetics: All cats are pre-medicated with a pain relief and sedative. The anaesthetics are tailored according to age and if any pre-existing condition is present.
• Pre-oxygenation: All cats are pre-oxygenated with a specially designed mask for several minutes prior to the anaesthetic. This helps to maintain good oxygenation especially during the transition of induction of anaesthesia. Oxygen is continued to be provided throughout the surgery and in recovery as required also.
• Gas anaesthesia: An intravenous anaesthetic is given and the anaesthetic is maintained with isofluorane gas and oxygen. Gas anaesthesia can be safely adjusted according to anaesthetic depth. We also use balanced anaesthesia, which means we adjust the anaesthetic with various anaesthetic agents as required.
• V-Gel device. We use specialised V-Gel devices to maintain the airway in cats for desexing procedures. This device has been especially made to suit cats, with the added benefit of being more comfortable for a cat’s throat, and completely sterile for each patient.
• Heated Table and Bair Hugger warming device: It is of utmost importance to keep cats warm during procedures under anaesthesia. Due to their small body size, cats are particularly prone to hypothermia. Hypothermia is deleterious to blood pressure, heart function, oxygenation, wound healing, and recovery from anaesthetic. We use warmed disinfectants for skin preparation, have warmed surgery tables, and each patient is warmed by a Bair hugger during the procedure and recovery. A Bair hugger is a device where warm air is blown into a pillow like blanket placed over or under the patient. This is currently the most effective way to maintain body temperature. Once awake, the patient is able to rest on a warm heat pad in the recovery cage until ready to go home. Cats love being warm, in fact their preferred surrounding temperature is 30-38 degrees, so they love to wake up and rest on a warm surface.
• Advanced monitoring equipment: Each patient is constantly monitored by a Surgivet monitor. This comprehensive monitor measures blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, blood oxygenation (pulse oximetry), carbon dioxide levels (capnography) and ECG (electrocardiogram).
• Sterile surgery theatre: Procedures involving abdominal surgery such as desexing of female cats are done in a dedicated sterile surgery suite. This is important to maintain a sterile surgical field.
• Dedicated veterinary nurse monitoring: We allocate a qualified nurse to closely monitor the patient from induction of the anaesthetic to complete recovery of the patient. Importantly, monitoring by our nurses continues for several hours post recovery, which is reported to be the time of highest risk post anaesthetic.
• Pain relief: Studies have shown that patients that receive pain relief before pain occurs, and maintain adequate pain relief as needed, will have less pain during their recovery. Adequate pain relief is not only important for patient comfort, but may also be associated with better wound healing. We administer opiate pain relief as part of the premedication and again in the post-operative period. Once recovered and eating, more pain relief is administered with food. All patients are sent home with pain relief post surgery.
• Feeding once awake: As soon as our patients have recovered from anaesthetic, they are encouraged to have a small meal. This can also help recovery, as prolonged fasting is not ideal in a surgical patient.

How to book for a consultation or procedure: If you would like to book your cat with us for a consultation or procedure, you can telephone us directly on (08) 6489 2222, or you can use our online booking system. If you have any questions at all please do not hesitate to contact us as we are happy to discuss any concerns you may have about your cat at any time.

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