Blog

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?

Whatever it is, some cat will find and want to play with it–and frequently this will get him or her into big trouble! Some are obvious, but others you might never think of. Unfortunately, over the years we’ve seen many examples first-hand of various items cats will eat.

One of the hardest things about owning a cat is that their average life expectancy is mid-teens, some longer and sadly some less. Our cats depend on us to provide them with comfort and maintain quality of life. Euthanasia may be the toughest decision you have to make as a pet owner, but at times it can be the kindest.

We love when your feline family members come to spend time with us. Each of them has a unique personality and their own likes and dislikes. Boarding your cat at A Cat Clinic should be a positive experience for everyone, and we work hard to make sure that happens.

Picasso is a handsome cream-colored short-haired boy, almost 13 years old. He has had problems with painful infections in the past. So, his mom knew what the problem was, but with the recent loss of her spouse and with no family in the United States, she was unable to pay for treatment.

Several weeks ago our much-loved hospital cat, Princess Aurora, lost her battle with kidney and heart failure. Things are definitely not the same around here without her! A very grateful thank you to all our wonderful friends who sent their condolences.

It is with great sadness that the blog we hoped to push off as long as possible is being written, as we had to euthanize our beloved Princess Aurora today. She was in end-stage kidney failure, and trying aggressive treatment for her kidneys was then causing heart failure.

Previously, we gave general tips for traveling with cats, focusing on trips in the car. But what if you are traveling to California? Or moving to Hawaii? While researching this article, we are reminded just how complicated flying with your cat can be.

So you’ve gotten your cat used to riding in the car for short distances; now how about taking your cat on vacation with you? Maybe you’re lucky enough to have a vacation home at the beach or in the mountains, and of course, you don’t want to leave Kitty behind all summer.

Summer is finally here, and that brings travel season. Since you probably wouldn’t be reading this if you didn’t share your life with at least one furry feline, you may be faced with decisions about traveling with your cat. How can I get my cat into a carrier? Should I take my cat with me or leave her at home?

Many of our clients know our hospital cat, Aurora. She’s such a celebrity, she has her own Facebook page! But Aurora hadn’t been feeling well lately, and we were worried she might have a heart problem. So she visited the local cardiology specialists and wrote the following about her experience.

Our last blog post discussed the answer to the question, “Why does my cat talk so much?”, focusing on healthy cats. In those cases, modifying your cat’s environment may be all that’s needed to keep the peace. However, what if your cat is not young and healthy?

Siamese cats are noted for being more vocal than other breeds. Hormonal reasons include estrus (cats “in heat”); cats who vocalize more may be bored, stressed with a change in environment or they may have a medical condition. Sometimes we reinforce attention-seeking behavior when a cat vocalizes and we “answer”.

Aurora just celebrated her 17th birthday, and as so many of you kindly noted, she looks great for her age. In human years, 17 cat years is equal to about age 85, so the fact that her favorite sleeping spot involves hopping up on Dr. Mustillo’s chair (arthritis and all!) is remarkable.

The recent outbreak of measles shows what happens when people stop vaccinating their children. And, measles is more than just a rash: blindness and even death, not to mention in-utero problems can result.