SNIP Central

Happy World Veterinary Day!

🐾 Winter Warmth or Kitten Season? 🐾
We noticed a surprising trend at our spay/neuter clinic this week: every single female cat we saw was in heat. While we usually expect a bit of a "winter break" from feline reproductive cycles, the unseasonably warm weather this month has sent a confusing signal to our local cats. Their bodies think spring has already arrived, which means heat cycles are still in full swing!

📢 Our Advice: Don't Wait!
Even if you think your cat is safe indoors or that the winter chill will keep "kitten season" at bay, the best time to spay is now. Let’s get ahead of the spring rush and keep our community's cat population healthy and manageable.

Spaying your cat is the most effective way to ensure a happy, healthy life for your pet.

Here's a picture we couldn't help to share showing the size difference of some of our patients. Kittens as young as 8 weeks/2 lbs are able to have surgery, so don't let size deter you.

Keep your pets safe this spooky season 🎃

Spooky season has arrived! Here are some tips to help keep your pet safe during the Halloween festivities:

Halloween Treats Are Not for Pets 🍬🍫
* Keep holiday treats and candies out of your pet's reach.
* Unsweetened, dark, bittersweet and baking chocolate can be toxic to pets. If your dog eats chocolate, call your veterinarian or an animal poison control center, as treatment may need to be rendered immediately. Symptoms of toxicity include excitement, nervousness, trembling, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive thirst or urination, muscle spasms and seizures.
* Keep gum, candy or breath mints containing the sweetener xylitol away from your pets. When a pet eats even a small amount of xylitol, it causes a surge of insulin, and the animal's blood sugar may drop quickly and dangerously.

Decorations Are Potential Tricks 🕸🎃
* Halloween decorations such as fake cobwebs should be kept out of reach of pets.
* Glow sticks can be hazardous if chewed or ingested, causing mouth pain and irritation, as well as profuse drooling and foaming at the mouth.
* Light strands, loose wires and electric cords can be a serious hazard to your pet, especially puppies, who may chew them.
* Never leave candles, such as those in jack-o-lanterns, unattended—especially around puppies and kittens.
* Never allow your pets to eat a leftover jack-o-lantern, as a rotted, moldy pumpkin can make them seriously ill.

Look at these perfect, tiny little arms! We see such a variety of kitties coming through our doors and each one makes us smile a little bigger. Why, you ask? Because we know that each cat coming in means less cats contributing to the pet overpopulation crisis. We spayed and neutered over 100 cats with our Snip 'Em September event going on this month. That's over 100 cats no longer able to reproduce and 100 reasons to smile bigger. Thank you again to our amazing sponsor 😊