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Health & Fitness

It's All About The Cat!

Do you have a cat? They enrich our lives, but are greatly misunderstood. Even by those of us who love them. Read on to learn more about the current concerns in cat care.

    The cat is a wonderful creature and companion. 

    There is a wonderful lady cat that lives at LaGrange Park Cat Clinic.  Her name is Parker and she is a very assured, confident, controlling gal. 

    Staff members have multiple cats that they live with.  All certainly communicate with us about their wants and needs.  They provide us with enjoyment by their antics and allow us a way to relate to our clients. 

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   Overall, cats provide many benefits of association and thirty-three percent of all households in the United States experience them.  These benefits range from being bark-free and self-grooming to their athleticism and intelligence.

   Cats also provide health benefits, such as the one reported by the Minnesota Stroke Institute (http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2009/08.20090811a.html) which showed that owning a cat made their owners 40 percent less likely to have cardiac-related deaths.  Owners of dogs without any cats in the household do not enjoy this benefit.

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    Since 1990, the number of owned cats has been greater than the number of owned dogs.  Unfortunately, the amount of veterinary care that cats get is only a third of what dogs get.  Even then each cat that is seen by a veterinarian averages $81 in health care per year versus $200 for each dog. 

   Because cats seem so independent, their owners frequently feel that they do not need to be seen by a vet unless they are sick.  Then there is also the issue of getting them to the veterinary clinic.  This is a whole topic of itself.

   Cats, like dogs need to have a health examination every year.  Like dogs, they need to be on monthly medications to prevent fleas, intestinal parasites, and heart worms.

   When they get older, they need to be screened for various diseases like kidney disease and diabetes.  Regular health exams and blood screens help the humans in the cat’s life keep it healthy and treat conditions so that the quality of life stays high and the human-animal bond is preserved.  When that bond is broken, most cats end up in a shelter.

    Animal care and control facilities nationwide agree that the cat is the most numerous species given up to shelters and that for every four cats that come in, only one finds a permanent home.  Studies of shelter adoptions have shown that a cat is more likely to remain in the new home if it visits the veterinarian within 7 days of adoption for a health exam.  Perhaps this is due to the adopter making a commitment to the cat and the bond that develops.


     The Parker at LaGrange Park Cats Clinic is lucky.  She was a stray who was adopted out once and returned to the shelter because of her strong personality.  She needed some one to understand and commit to her, we understood.  Now this lady has  claimed the clinic and reminds us daily that it’s all about the cat!

Dr. Pam Cuevas practices at LaGrange Park Cat Clinic 3075 S. Wolf Rd. (In the Westbrook Shopping Center 31st & Wolf Rd, Westchester, IL) MTThF 8am-6pm and Wed 8am-7pm.
708-562-CATS (2287)

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