Frequently Asked Questions!
What is pet insurance and how does it work?
Pet insurance is medical insurance for your pet, just like you would have for yourself! Generally, once your deductable is met for a year, pet insurances will cover 70%, 80%, or 90% of unexpected medial bills for your pet. Your deductable and reimbursement rate is usually chosen by you when you’re customizing your pets plan. Pet insurances require that you pay your veterinarian up front, and they will reimburse you once you submit a claim for your visit. Some pet insurances offer coverage for both emergency and routine care, but since plans are usually very customizable, they would offer you a plan that best suits your needs. Some common pet insurance companies are TruPanion, Healthy Paws, PetsBest, VPI, and ASPCA.
Is there a certain type of litterbox set-up that is recommended?
Absolutely! Cats are very particular creatures, and studies upon studies have been done in an attempt to prove what type of set-up cats prefer! Studies have shown that cats prefer large, non-covered boxes that are filled at least three inches deep with non-scented clumping litter, specifically Tidy Cats. The rule of thumb is that you are supposed to have a litterbox per cat, plus one (i.e.: if you have two cats, you should have three litterboxes). It is preferable that a litterbox is in a large, open area, rather than in a small area such as a bathroom or closet.
What is the best kind of food to feed my cat?
Cats are an obligate carnivore, which means that they are biologically engineered to eat exclusively meat. Any of the grains/grasses/fruits/etc. that they receive in their natural diet is ingested from their prey. We consider an ideal meal for a cat to be a mouse, which we can most naturally mimic by feeding our house kitties a grain-free, canned food only diet. Canned food is 70% water, so it helps fill our house cats up without all the additional calories that are found in dry diets. There is a common misconception that canned diets cause dental disease, however, dental disease is actually caused from the heavy carbohydrate load that is found in dry foods. The carbohydrates in these diets break down into sugars, thus, cause dental disease.
We just adopted a new cat. How can we introduce him/her to our current cat?
First and foremost before any introductions are done, make sure your new kitty has a checkup at your veterinarian, even if you adopted the cat from a shelter that had him/her fully vetted. It’s important to rule out that your new kitty has any contagious conditions before letting him/her meet your current kitty. The slower the introduction, the better! Keep your new kitty in his/her own room with the door closed and “swap scents” (give your new kitty a blanket that your current kitty sleeps on, etc.). Switch the kitties out and let them become comfortable in their spaces with new scents from both kitties. Be patient and allow them lots of time to adjust, especially if you’re introducing two adults. There are also some products that help reduce stress during a transition as such, like Composure, Feliway diffusers, and other pheromone products!
My cat is in need of an emergency vet visit and I’m short on funds. What can I do?
We are proud providers of CareCredit, which is essentially a line of credit that will pay us for our services when they’re rendered, and allows you to pay them back interest free over a six month time period as long as the purchase you are making is over $200.00. Many places are providers of CareCredit, including many dentist offices, ophthalmologists, chiropractors, and pharmacies! This line of credit has a high approval rate because it is meant to help those who may be building credit back up, or for those who have a lack of credit. If approved, you can use your line of credit the same day as long as we have your approval code and account number! If interested, please check them out at CareCredit.com. Aside from CareCredit, we do not offer any payment plans at this time, and payment is due at the time services are rendered.