Welcome to our “Ask Dr. Paola” collection, the place each Monday we convey skilled recommendation straight from Dr. Paola Cuevas (MVZ) to assist our readers higher perceive their cat’s well being and well-being. Whether or not you are a brand new pet dad or mum or a seasoned cat lover, Dr. Paola is right here to supply solutions to your most urgent questions. From vitamin suggestions and preventive care to troubleshooting frequent behavioral points, Dr. Paola is able to provide insights that can hold your kitty joyful, wholesome, and feline effective. Keep tuned for skilled steerage on a spread of matters that matter most to you and your cat, so you can also make knowledgeable choices and supply the very best care in your furry companion.
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HELP! Can I Sedate Feral Kittens?
“Pricey Dr Paola, A cat has had 4 kittens in our barn. Can I get a sedative so I can pay money for them for a go to to the vet? They do not wish to come to us, though we feed them. We are going to hold them, however must get them spayed or castrated. Thanks!” – Barbara
Pricey Barbara, I would like to keep away from sedating them, though it might appear to be the only answer. Giving medicine to a cat you can’t safely deal with often means hiding it in meals, which creates a number of issues. You can’t precisely management the dose with out realizing the cat’s weight; you can’t be sure which cat receives the medicine, and {a partially} sedated cat should have the ability to wander away earlier than the medicine takes full impact. In a barn, a wobbly or disoriented cat might simply cover underneath equipment, climb right into a hayloft, or injure itself. A humane cat entice is a a lot safer and extra dependable possibility for cats that aren’t but comfy being dealt with. Since they already affiliate you with meals, you might have an vital benefit. A humane field entice could be positioned the place they usually eat and baited with one thing notably interesting, comparable to tuna or sardines. As soon as a cat is safely secured inside, protecting the entice with a towel may help scale back visible stimulation and hold them calmer throughout transport. Many shelters, humane societies, and low-cost spay/neuter applications lend humane traps, so it’s value asking domestically earlier than buying one. For the kittens, their age makes a distinction. If they’re nonetheless fairly younger, particularly underneath about eight weeks, they could turn out to be accustomed to light dealing with extra simply with persistence and quiet, optimistic interactions. If they’re already avoiding individuals and behaving like impartial out of doors cats, trapping is the safer selection. Many veterinarians can safely sterilize wholesome kittens as soon as they attain roughly two kilos, relying on the clinic’s protocols and the kitten’s well being. I might make getting the mom spayed the primary precedence, since this prevents one other litter and helps break the cycle of replica. Then the kittens could be examined, vaccinated, and sterilized when they’re appropriately sized. You will have already accomplished one thing very useful by establishing a predictable feeding routine. Now that routine could make the trapping course of a lot simpler and fewer anxious for everybody concerned. Good luck! – Dr. Paola
