Summer 2014 
Mews & News
Riverside Cat Hospital
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Clinic Hours 
 
Monday 8am-7pm
Tuesday thru Friday 8am-5pm
Closed weekends

Boarding pick-ups on Sunday at 5pm by special arrangement

Welcome!
Sara
We are pleased to welcome our newest team member, Sara! Sara came on board a couple of months ago and many of you have already met her.

Sara is a 2004 graduate of the MSU veterinary technician program, and has 14 years of experience in the veterinary field.

We are excited to have her on board and we know that she is looking forward to working with all of you and your pets.

Did you know that our clinic is on social media?

Like us on Facebook     Follow us on Twitter

 

We use it to post interesting links or articles, as well as news updates regarding food recalls or other important information. We also love to see what our patients are up to at home, so you are welcome to post pictures of your cat there as well. Click on the Facebook or Twitter icons above to visit our page.
Save the Date!
Downtown Okemos  
The 6th annual Celebrate Downtown Okemos event is scheduled for Saturday, June 14 from 2-9 pm in downtown Okemos, near the corner of Okemos and Hamilton Roads. Stop by for music, food, crafts, and children's activities! Visit the Facebook page for more information.
Join Our Mailing List
Wellness Packages
Take the financial worry out of your cat's veterinary care! 

Riverside Cat Hospital offers Wellness Packages designed to make caring for your cat easy!

Wellness Packages are offered in 3 levels for different life stages. Each package level includes "wellness" exams at recommended intervals, all recommended vaccines, fecal testing for parasites, and unlimited nail trims at no additional charge. Kitten Wellness Packages also include feline leukemia testing and the complete series of kitten visits and vaccine boosters. Senior packages include senior screening bloodwork, or thyroid or kidney bloodwork for senior patients with thyroid or kidney disease.

In addition to all of the wellness care listed above, cats with our wellness packages are also entitled to free, unlimited visits with no additional physical exam charges. So you don't have to worry about exam charges for unexpected vet visits if your cat gets sick.

Visit our website to learn more, or call and ask about a wellness package for your cat today!
Contact Us
www.RiversideCatHospital.com

phone: 517-347-2287

4632 Okemos Rd.
Okemos, MI 48864
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We are now a certified Cat Friendly Practice!
 
We are pleased to announce that our practice has attained Gold Level certification as a Cat Friendly Practice, a program developed by the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) to enhance and improve feline veterinary care.
Cat Friendly Practice
Practices applying for certification in the Cat Friendly Practice Program must meet a comprehensive list of performance criteria to ensure that the facilities, equipment, doctors, and staff are fully trained and well equipped to provide cats with the most up-to-date medical care in a calming environment.

Staff members must undergo regular training to ensure that they are familiar with cat friendly handling techniques. This allows the veterinary team to provide the care your cat needs while at the same time reduce the stress associated with a veterinary visit. Staff members are educated on how to interpret cats' body language and ways to help cats feel calmer during their visit.

Cat Friendly Certification encompasses 10 basic checklist areas:
  • The veterinary facility and waiting area
  • Feline handling and client interaction
  • The examination room and comprehensive medical records 
  • Hospital wards and hospital facilities, including ways to reduce stress for hospitalized patients
  • Pain management, surgery, and anesthesia standards
  • Surgical equipment  and advanced dentistryCat Friendly Practice 
  • Diagnostic imaging and lab facilities
  • Staff training and continuing education
  • Staff, patient, and client health and safety
  • Preventative care by life stages

Attaining Cat Friendly Practice Gold Level certification helps to ensure that our practice will continue to offer progressive and comprehensive veterinary care for our feline patients, while taking steps to reduce the stress and anxiety that many of our feline patients experience at the vet.

 

Since its inception in 2012, only 7 other veterinary clinics in Michigan have achieved Gold Level certification in the Cat Friendly Practice program, and we are the first in the greater Lansing area. We are very proud to have achieved this goal, and we invite you to learn more about the Cat Friendly Practice program at the American Association of Feline Practitioners website. 

 Summer is here and it's time for fleas!
 
Fun facts about fleas!
  • Fleas have been around for about 100 million years. There are about 2000 species of fleas today.
  • Fleas do not have wings. They get around by using theirpowerful hind legs to jump.
  • Fleas can jump over 200 times the length of their bodies.
    flea
    flea close-up
  • Adult fleas feed on their hosts' blood, while flea larvae feed on skin, hair and the waste of adult fleas.
  • A single adult flea can lay 40-50 eggs per day.
  • Flea pupae can remain dormant indoors for 8 months. Treating your pet for fleas will kill adult fleas, but if you don't also treat the home environment, you're ignoring a large part of the problem. Only about 5% of the flea population in any given household consists of adult fleas.
  • More than 3/4 of the flea life cycle takes place somewhere other than on the host animal.
  • It is not uncommon to find fleas on strictly indoor cats. Fleas can "hitchhike" indoors on people, clothing, and other pets.

Visit the Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) flea information page to learn more. 

Protect your pet against fleas this summer! Ask us about flea protection for your cats.
Ask Izzy 
 
Dear Izzy, 

My cat likes to spend a lot of time in the sun. Do I need to worry about sunblock for him this summer?

 
Izzy says,
 
Since cats are generally covered in fur, we don't usually need extra protection from the sun. However, white cats or cats with extremely light pigment are somewhat vulnerable to the sun's strong summer rays. Cats with hair loss or hairless cats (like the Sphynx!) are also at risk. Areas where problems are often seen include the ears, face, and nose. For cats, it is probably best to use a sunscreen made for cats to avoid problems caused by ingestion. Cats tend to do a lot of grooming and will inevitably lick off some of the sunscreen that you apply. Sunscreens containing octyl salicylate or zinc should be avoided.
 
For more information, check out these links:



Signed,
Izzy
The Last Word      

 

Have you ever called the doctor with a question, only to have to wait hours or even until the next day for an answer? We don't like having to make you wait, but sometimes our time is taken up by urgent cases or we may be in surgery.
 
Email is often a quick and convenient way to contact us, and we are sometimes able to respond more quickly via email than by telephone. You can email your questions, comments, or even updates on your pet's progress. 
 
Have an urgent question on the weekend? Not sure if you should take your pet in to urgent care or emergency? We can often help you out there too. We try to respond to emails quickly, even on the weekend. However, if you don't receive a reply to your question, that may mean that we don't have immediate access to email or a computer. If your cat is sick, you should seek care right away, rather than waiting for a response.
 
You can send us email through our website, or directly to the.cat.vet@gmail.com.
 
Sincerely, 
 
 Dr. Kerry Lewis
 Riverside Cat Hospital