Thanksgiving Food Exchange and Secret Cats

Thanksgiving Food Exchange:
You Help People – We Help Pets

By Jamie Hutton, DVM, (All Creatures Veterinary Center)

The Thanksgiving Food Exchange is a food drive with a twist we hold each November.  We collect human food from our wonderful clients and friends.  The cans of corn, jars of peanut butter and boxes of cereal are weighed on the pet scale in our lobby and we keep a chart showing the weight of all the donations.  We give all that human food to Metrocrest Social Services in Carrollton.  Last year it was over 800 lbs. Then in December, All Creatures donates an equal amount of Hill’s® Pet Food to Operation Kindness – the no-kill animal shelter in Carrollton.  We are going to continue the Food Exchange this year and our goal is to collect and donate 1000 lbs. of food. So if your family was planning a food donation around Thanksgiving, bring it to All Creatures and it will be worth double by helping feed the cats and dogs at Operation Kindness.

A list of commonly needed items from Metrocrest’s web site: Peanut butter, Canned fruit, Mac & Cheese, Flavored rice & pasta “helpers” & “ronis”, Breakfast Cereal.

Do You Have a Secret Cat?
The other day one of our favorite clients caught me completely by surprise when she brought in her cat. I was surprised because I had no idea she had a cat. I had only met her dog. Cats now outnumber dogs as pets in the U.S. - 82 million to 72 million - but very few cats ever have a health checkup. That’s kind of sad for all those secret cats. Cats are masters at hiding illness, so usually sickness or disease has to be severe before their human notices. One thing you can do if you have a cat is to learn to watch for subtle signs of sickness. You can find a good tutorial at http://www.healthycatsforlife.com/. The best thing you can do for your cat is get a regular wellness checkup. We are making that easier this month, by offering an opportunity to get $10 Off added services like vaccines and Early Detection blood tests when you bring in your cat for a Wellness exam ($49.90) and fill out our Feline Wellness Checklist.   So now is a really great time to surprise us with that family member we never met - your cat.

All Creatures Veterinary Center
2525 E Hebron Pkwy.
Carrollton, Texas 75010
972-307-7400
allcreaturesonline.com