Blog

Posted May 30, 2020 by Dr. Dale Rubenstein. On May 10, 2020, after 39 years as a veterinarian and 34 years at A Cat Clinic, I decided to put away my stethoscope and officially retire from our practice.  I did not intend to do so quite this soon. But with all the restrictions surrounding the […]

Posted April 30, 2020 by Dr. Nikhita De Bernardis. We hope that everyone is staying safe and healthy during these difficult times.  For those of you who are spending more time with your cats, we hope that you are getting to enjoy their company and everyone is adjusting well to new routines.  But in light […]

Posted March 21, 2020 by Dr. Melissa Mustillo. Aurora’s Angels Fund was started in September, 2015 in memory of our beloved hospital cat, Aurora.  The goal of the fund is to help cats in need right here in our community.  Since that time, we have helped many local cats receive the medical care they need, […]

.Posted 9/13/19 by A Cat Clinic. September 28 is World Rabies Day, so we wanted to focus on some important facts about rabies in cats.  When you bring your cat in for an annual check up, chances are we’ve discussed (and probably updated) your cat’s rabies vaccination. Because once a mammal (including humans) exhibits symptoms […]

Posted April 12, 2019 by Dr. Melissa Mustillo. As feline veterinary practitioners, we spend much of our time (and love!) caring for senior cats. Eventually comes the time that a cat is facing a terminal condition. Hospice care for cats is an option if your cat is dealing with a situation where a cure is […]

Posted March 22, 2019 by Dr. Dale Rubenstein. One of the most frequent complaints we get from clients is “My cat won’t use the litter box!”  Often clients think their cat is “being stubborn”, or think their cat is “angry” with them.  But that’s looking at things as if your cat was a two-legged human […]

Posted February 19, 2019 by Dr. Dale Rubenstein. Maybe you see your cat constantly licking her belly. Or maybe you’ve just noticed some scabbing along Tiger’s back when you pet him.  Perhaps your cat’s formerly thick fur coat is suddenly sparse and patchy.  Whatever the signs, over-grooming and hair loss in cats can be frustrating […]

Posted January 25, 2019 by Dr. Dale Rubenstein. In the fall of 2015, we started Aurora’s Angels Fund to honor our late hospital cat, Aurora.   This fund allows us to provide medical care for some of our patients who might otherwise be unable to receive it.  Often the fund provides just enough help for an […]

Posted on December 21, 2018 by Dr. Dale Rubenstein The other day, while observing  our current hospital cat Maingo looking longingly at a staff member who was eating lunch, I started thinking about what he would like as a holiday present.  Fortunately, he does have a good appetite despite the fact that he’s a pretty […]

Posted December 14, 2018 by Dr. Dale Rubenstein. When preparing for a new cat in your house, a good scratching post is as essential as food and water bowls and good litter boxes.  Cats will instinctively scratch with their front claws.  A cat scratching furniture or carpet is not doing it to annoy you.  The […]

Posted on November 16, 2018 by Dr. Dale Rubenstein. Has this ever happened to you?  You bring Tiger in for his annual exam, but when you get home and let him out of his carrier, your other cat Fluffy suddenly hisses, growls and swats at Tiger.  Normally they’re best friends!  And they were just snuggled […]

Posted October 2, 2018 by Dr. Dale Rubenstein. Try searching for “Best Cat Health Websites”, and within seconds Google can provide you with thousands, if not millions, of results.  With so much information and particularly misinformation available online these days, we have a few sites that we generally can recommend without reservation.  They may not […]

Posted September 4, 2018 by Dr. Dale Rubenstein. You may think you’re doing your cat a favor when every time she’s hungry and cries for food, you give her more cat food or a treat.  Or maybe you just keep the bowl full of dry food all the time, so your kitty can eat whenever […]

Posted August 21, 2018 by Dr. Dale Rubenstein. Cat fleas and ticks: Are they just an annoyance?  Or can they cause real health problems?  If my cat never goes outside, do I even need to worry about them? The short answers are No, Yes and Yes.  Fleas and ticks are certainly annoying, and if your […]

Posted on July 20, 2018 by Dr. Dale Rubenstein. Cats are very unique creatures.  Each has his or her own personality, and even that can vary depending on what’s going on around them.  Some cats are calm and laid-back no matter what the situation, but most cats prefer to be in their own environment with […]

Posted on May 1, 2018 by Dr. Nikhita De Bernardis. Does your cat have a chronic problem, such as arthritis, kidney disease, or a skin problem that just never goes away?  If so, here’s something you might not have thought about.  Feline acupuncture can help with a variety of medical issues that traditional medicine can’t […]

Posted on April 24, 2018 by Dr. Nikhita De Bernardis. Cat behavioral issues can be very frustrating to live with.  But did you know that understanding animal behavior is included as part of our veterinary training?  Let’s talk about how we can help if you are having some behavioral problems with your cat. What kinds […]

Posted on March 13, 2018 by Dr. Dale Rubenstein. Does your cat look forward to getting in the car and coming to see us? Most cats, over the age of about 3 months, do not. Which very often means you don’t look forward to a trip to the vet’s either.  Don’t worry, we don’t take […]

Posted on February 16, 2018 by Dr. Melissa Mustillo. February is dental health month and we like to draw attention to periodontal disease in cats.  This is an extremely common condition – did you know that more than 50% of cats over 3 years of age have periodontal disease?  Periodontal disease is the accumulation of […]

Posted on January 26, 2018 by Dr. Dale Rubenstein. Cats, like most of us, really aren’t big on change. They have their routine and change is confusing. So when we have to medicate cats or change diet for a health condition, you want to make sure you understand the vet’s recommendations for your cat’s care.  […]

Posted on January 12, 2018 by Dr. Dale Rubenstein and Dr. Melissa Mustillo Feline abdominal ultrasound.  What is it?  Why did my vet recommend it?  What does it involve?  Let’s consider this. Sometimes cats just don’t feel well.  Maybe the cause is obvious, such as an injury or fight wound abscess.  More often it’s not, […]

Posted on December 15, 2018 by Dr. Dale Rubenstein. Cats destroying furniture.  It’s a common complaint.  But think of this from your cat’s point of view, and you might find some reasonable solutions. Cats love to climb. They like being up high and it’s instinctive for them to use their claws to climb whatever is […]

Posted on November 14, 2017 by Dr. Dale Rubenstein. Elena is a beautiful stray who wandered into one of our client’s lives and has become a part of their family, if only on her own terms. Our best guess is that she’s about 8 years old, but no one knows for sure. Recently she suffered […]

Posted on October 20, 2017 by Dr. Dale Rubenstein. As cat owners, we all ask ourselves: is this a true emergency or can my cat wait until tomorrow? Last time we discussed some things to consider when trying to decide, “Is my cat sick?” Today we’ll give you ten general guidelines to help you decide […]

Posted on September 29, 2017 by Dr. Dale Rubenstein. Natural disasters have been happening all around the world recently.  We wrote about preparing your cat for disaster in a recent post.  But what about plain old emergencies with your cat?  “Is my cat sick?” is a question we get all the time.  When should you […]

Posted on September 1, 2017 by Dr. Dale Rubenstein. Hurricane Harvey caused tremendous damage to the eastern parts of Texas and the gulf coast, and now Hurricane Irma is gathering steam before heading towards the U.S. While we all hope never to hear about 50” of rain again, Harvey and its effects are a reminder […]

Posted August 15, 2017 by Dr. Dale Rubenstein August 22, 2017 is National Take Your Cat to the Vet Day.  While many of our wonderful clients  know this already, not everyone knows the importance of scheduling regular wellness check-ups for cats. Here are some good reasons why you should make sure to schedule your cat’s […]

Posted on August 1, 2017 by Dr. Nikhita De Bernardis We want to introduce you to A Cat Clinic’s new Instagram account!  We know that Instagram is popular with many of our clients, and some of our patients even have their own Instagram accounts. For those of our clients less familiar with this social media […]

Posted on May 31, 2017 by Dr. Dale Rubenstein Tick control for cats has always been a tricky problem. Cats are such sensitive creatures, and most of the products that have been developed for dogs are either toxic to cats or don’t work very well.  But a new product has just come on the market […]

Posted May 24, 2017 by Dr. Melissa Mustillo. Did you know that your indoor cat can develop intestinal parasites? The risk of gastrointestinal parasites in cats increases if you let your cat sit on a patio, deck, porch, or spend a few minutes enjoying some time in the grass. Your cat loves to dig in […]

Posted 5/16/17 by Dr. Dale Rubenstein Pancreatitis in cats can be a very serious disease.  Any time a cat won’t eat for more than a day, it’s significant.  And if your belly hurts and your feel constantly nauseous, you’re probably not going to eat.  Pancreatitis is a painful condition that if left untreated, can have […]

Posted on May 15, 2017 by Dr. Dale Rubenstein Dr. Nikhita De Bernardis joined Dr. Mustillo and myself today!  We are so excited to welcome her to our A Cat Clinic family here in Germantown, MD and know you are anxious to meet her as well. So here’s a little introduction. Dr. De Bernardis learned […]

Posted April 25, 2017 by Dr. Dale Rubenstein Sometimes we sound like a broken record, repeating the same advice to anyone who will listen.  But some things are worth hearing over and over.  “Microchip your cat” is one of those topics we just can’t talk about enough. Every April, I think about our patient named […]

Posted April 11, 2017 by Dr. Melissa Mustillo We love our cats and want to take the very best care of them.  And we know what we feed them is important.  So what about grain-free cat foods?  The ads on television would make you believe that if you’re feeding your cat a diet that contains […]

Posted on March 24, 2017 by Dr. Dale Rubenstein We want to thank our generous donors to Aurora’s Angels Fund, a fund in memory of our beloved former hospital cat. Helping cats in need in our community is something that is very important to us.  These funds enable us to provide services for cats in […]

This time of year we pet owners are thinking about what to get for our cats as a holiday gift. What kind of toy would they like? And while pondering that question, I started thinking about cat vision and what my cat sees when she’s chasing a ball or getting ready to pounce on the mink teaser toy she has (or my toes, for that matter).

If you have an all black feline friend, you probably should be cautious about letting him or her roam outside on October 31. Black cats and Halloween have a history that is not always a happy one. In Puritanical New England, the Pilgrims thought that black cats had a close relationship with witches.

If you have more than one cat in your home, you may face one of several common problems. Maybe one cat is thin but the other is overweight. Or, one has bladder problems (crystals in the urine) requiring a special diet and the other cat has food allergies and can’t eat the urinary diet.

This will surprise no one that all of us at A Cat Clinic want to help every cat we see. That is how we end up “adopting” a hospital cat: Jasmine several years ago, then our beloved and late Aurora, and most recently we kept Raven until she could find her wonderful forever home.

Way back in July of last year, we wrote Part I of our post about air travel with your cat. Things got us sidetracked, but now we’re ready to finish our travel series. International travel with cats is often a complicated process that takes much planning and preparation.

August 15 is National Check the Chip Day. What does this mean? It’s a reminder to make sure your cat has a microchip (or to make an appointment to get one). Just as important if your cat has already been “chipped” is to check that your information is up-to-date.

Last summer we did an article on traveling with your cat in a car, which included a little bit about getting your cat used to the carrier. But as this is the first (and often limiting) step towards smooth travels, it seems useful to pass along some additional tips.

It may not sound appealing to you or I, but to your kitten, a loose or dangling electric cord is a fun and exciting toy to play with. Chewing on toys is part of the action for young cats, but cats chewing electric cords is not something we want to encourage!

You just got a new kitten. You see a brochure about Pet Health Insurance, and wonder if you should get it. But you expect to have many healthy years of kitty fun, and as time goes on you just kind of forget about insurance. Your cat is young, you don’t need it now.

This June, we celebrate our 30th anniversary! Some of our wonderful clients have been with us since the very beginning, but for those who are newer to our family, here’s a little background on our history.

Does your cat get so anxious when you come for a veterinary visit that you almost don’t want to come at all? Does he or she howl all the way over here or get angry during the exam? We completely understand how this can make you upset as well.

Urinary problems are very common in cats. We see cases in one form or another almost weekly. While bladder stones in cats are not the most common form of urinary disease we see, they are something we always need to watch for.

Sometimes we get caught up in the day-to-day rush of taking care of patients, but we wanted to take a moment to thank our wonderful A Cat Clinic families who have generously donated to our Aurora’s Angels Fund.

Cats’ five senses are the same as humans: sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste, but there are obvious differences both in anatomy (we can’t swivel our ears to locate the direction of sound) and function (we can’t see a mouse scurrying across the floor in the dark–thankfully!).

While watching the weather on the local news the other night, the weatherman mentioned the pollen counts for grasses and trees. And it’s only the beginning of March! So even though there may still be snow on the ground where you live (and we just had another dusting here last night), spring–and it’s associated allergy season–is coming. What does this mean to your cat?