Saying Hello To Your New Kitten

If you’ve made the choice to acquire a new four-legged member of your family, the chances are you’re someone who will want to make the very best choices for your pet. But did you know that making responsible choices as a pet owner starts before your furry friend is first welcomed into your home?

Where you get your pet from is incredibly important. For example, you may have heard of pet ‘farms’ or ‘mills’, where huge numbers of domestic animals are bred to sell to unwitting customers. These breeders often operate with very little regard for the health and wellbeing of the animals in their care. This can lead to animals born with medical issues that are often incurable, as well as being incredibly cruel. Whilst some pet shops are extremely conscientious about where they source animals from, many others still use mills as a cheap and easy option.

This is just one reason why Parkvets are now offering “pre-ownership” appointments for anyone looking to take on the responsibility of owning an animal. Appointments are available at our Longfield, Swanley and main Sidcup Hospital and are completely free of charge. You will meet with a nurse to discuss all the elements of pet ownership, which will allow you to make a more informed decision when you finally acquire your new companion. Topics to discuss include what to look for in a reputable breeder, whether your home is suitable for a particular species or breed of pet, caring for your pet during their early years, diet and exercise requirements. Of course, any specific questions you have about your potential pet will be answered for you.

Pre-ownership appointments can only be booked in our Longfield, Swanley or main Sidcup hospital with a nurse, to book an appointment please call 0208 3008111.

Insuring Your Pet

Even with the best will in the world, sometimes unpredictable things happen. Illnesses are often unexpected, so it’s best to be prepared in case something does happen to your feline friend.

Pet insurance offers you that vital reassurance that no matter what treatment your pet needs, it can be covered. There’s nothing worse than having to weigh up the importance of your pet’s wellbeing against your ability to meet the costs.

You’ll probably find it’s one of the best investments you’ll ever make. To learn more about why insurance is so strongly recommended for your pet, please give us a call on 0208 300 8111.

Neutering Your Pet

Unless you are intending to breed from your pet, getting your companion neutered is usually considered the most responsible thing to do. Neutering involves removing your pet’s reproductive organs so they’re unable to reproduce.  It will also protect your pet from a range of diseases and other conditions as they age.

The neutering procedure is a comparatively simple operation, and in many cases your pet will be home and recovering with you by the end of the day. When you come to collect them after their procedure, one of our team will run through some post-operative care with you. You will also be given pain relief for your pet to keep them comfortable for the next couple of days, until they’re feeling back to their normal self.

For male cats, neutering will prevent them from suffering from diseases of the prostate and testicles, as well as reducing unwanted sexual behaviour such as mounting objects, aggression and urinary marking.

Likewise, for female cats neutering can reduce the risk of ovarian and uterine cancers, as well as problems with the mammary glands. It also removes the risk of accidental pregnancies and will prevent unwanted sexual and hormonal attention from male animals.

For more information about the neutering procedure, or to book your pet’s neutering appointment, please feel free to call us on 0208 300 8111.

Finding Your Pet If They Get Lost

You know as well as we do that cats are renowned for their independence and tendency to wander off on their own little adventures. Unfortunately this means that their likelihood of getting themselves lost is often even higher than normal, but a simple microchip could help reunite you with them if this was ever to happen.

A microchip is a very small piece of technology – roughly the same size as a grain of rice – which is inserted underneath the skin between your cat’s shoulder blades. The chip carries a unique code which can be read using a specialist scanner. When entered into a national database of domestic pets, this code will bring up your contact details and identify you as the owner.

The computerised database can be accessed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This means that no matter when your pet might wander a little too far from home, the relevant animal authorities will be able to scan them and get in touch with you straight away.

The specialist microchip scanners that reveal your pet’s code, and subsequently your contact details, are only held by specific authorities including all veterinary practices, rescue shelters and animal welfare charities such as the RSPCA.

The microchipping procedure is very quick, lasting only a few seconds, and can be carried out almost painlessly. Many pets are not even aware that it has happened. Your pet can be chipped during a routine consultation, or during a surgical procedure if you let us know in advance.

It’s a small price to pay for the knowledge that your pet can be traced and returned to you in the event that they ever go missing. In the unfortunate event that your pet has gone missing, Parkvets will do their very best to help during this difficult time. We will take advantage of social media to help spread the word and keep a log of your pet’s details at all Parkvets practice locations.

For more information about microchipping, or to book an appointment for your pet, please call us on 0208 300 8111.

Saying Goodbye, When The Time Comes

As much as we’d undoubtedly like them to stay around forever, eventually the time will come for you to have to say goodbye to your pet. This is an understandably distressing experience for any owner, and here at Parkvets we have a series of measures in place to help make it as stress-free as possible for you.

Our staff are specially trained through Compassion Understood to help you prepare for your pet’s passing and to plan any arrangements necessary afterwards – all you have to do is let us know what you’d prefer and we’ll take care of the rest for you.

What’s more, we can guarantee that there will always be someone at our hospital for you to talk to if you ever need a little extra support – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – who will be happy to give you as much time as you need.

You can rest assured that we will do our very best to accommodate any particular requests you might have, and will always put your pet’s welfare and your needs first.

For more information about our euthanasia and pet cremation services, please download the PDF file Saying Goodbye. If you have any questions or would like further advice or support from a member of our team, please feel free to call us on 0208 300 8111.