1264. The little boy's blue-eyed cat is naughty

Webpage is;
http://www.bekindtopets.com/cats/201301126male_cat_caterwauls_sprays_toapayohvets.htm

TOA PAYOH VETS toapayohvets.com Date: 26 January, 2013 Focus: Small animals - dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs & rabbits The little boy's blue-eyed cat Dr Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow), MRCVS First written: 22 January, 2013Date: 26 January, 2013 toapayohvets.com Be Kind To Pets Veterinary Education Project 2010-0129 Saturday, January 12, 2013 On Saturdays, I usually consult from 8.30 am to 11 am and then Dr Jason Teo will take over. On this early fine morning, a bubbly Malay lady from Woodlands came with her blue-eyed cat and a little boy. She was a new client. "Why do you come all the way from Woodlands?" I asked as most Singaporean pet owners prefer proximity. "There are clinics nearer to your home." "I want to come here to neuter my cat," she replied. After the usual examination, I said she could come back in one hour to take the cat home as I would operate immediately. "One hour?" the little boy with bright big eyes said aloud. He was most attentive unlike other small boys. I thought he would be 4 years old based on his height. "Yes," I said. "Do you know what is the meaning of 'one hour'?" I asked him. He did not reply. Mum laughed and both of them left. Two hours later, the mum came with him for the cat. "There is some bleeding from the operation site," the mum observed blood stains on the towel, originating from the horizontal scrotal wound. In cats, the scrotal wound is not stitched up, unlike in dogs. "Disgusting," the little boy added. I was surprised that he uttered this word and wondered whether he knew what it meant. "How old is he?" I asked the mother. "He is 6 years old," his mother said. "He is bright and would do well in life if he studies hard." His attentiveness to adult conversations, his power of observations and his English vocabulary is unusual for little boys of his age and that is why I assess this little boy as intelligent. Most little boys tend to be playful and not communicative at the veterinary surgery, in my observations. The cat was left in the surgery till 5 pm when another adult came with 3 more children. Lots of joy and laughter with these young cousins around. "I am the 5th sister," the mum said to me. "This is my 3rd sister." The third sister was slimmer and more serious when compared to the 5th sister. She drove a blue Toyota Alixo car similarly to the one I had rented as my own car had broken down, with the radiator and the piping ruptured. It cost me $85/day to rent this model and my car was in the workshop for 3 days. The blue car reminded me of the blue eyes of this handsome male cat. The cat was no longer bleeding now. Could the bleeding be due to the possibility that I did not ligate the spermatic cord and the blood vessels properly? No, as I usually knot 5 times. The reason was that I made a horizontal cut transversing and incising the two testicles. Blood would have accumulated inside the scrotal sac. Sometimes, I make a vertical incision and incise one testicle at a time and there would possibly be less bleeding as one testicle is incised and ligated at one time. The family took the cat home and in the past 14 days, I had not heard from the owner and this meant that the cat had recovered fully. . As to why this 2-year-old cat was sent for neutering, it was because he was caterwauling. "A stray pregnant female cat waits for him outside the door," 5th sister said. "He is on heat and wants to go out. That is why I want you to neuter him" "Male cats do not stop meowing noisily immediately after neutering," I said. "It takes time for his male hormones to disappear. "This male cat sprayed his urine and (anal sac) oil onto the neighbour's walls and they are so angry! That is why I want to neuter him!". "In any case, why don't you get the pregnant female cat spayed?" "She is my neighbour's cat," 5th sister replied. "When she heard it cost me $195," she did not want to do it. "The cost of neuter is much less," I said to her. "You wanted the e-collar, the vaccination and the de-fleaing spot-on. This added up. The actual cost is around $125 with antibiotics and painkillers and surgery and anaesthesia." The least cost for neuter is the basic surgery, anaesthesia and an injection of pain-killers and antibiotics. This would cost $125. In the earlier years of practice which has now spanned nearly 40 years, I did not give pain-killers and antibiotics as this would be possible with aseptic surgery. I believe in less antibiotics to reduce the incidence of bacterial resistance to antibiotics. The cost would be $75 and there were no post-op infections or problems. However, Singapore cat owners are more caring. One owner was most unhappy and she complained as to why I did not prescribe post-op antibiotics unlike other vets. So, nowadays, to give owners peace of mind, medication post-operation is routinely given. So the cost is higher. More info at: Dogs or Cats To make an appointment: e-mail judy@toapayohvets.com tel: +65 9668-6469, 6254-3326 Toa Payoh Vets Clinical Research

Copyright © Asiahomes All rights reserved. Revised: January 26, 2013 Toa Payoh Vets