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đŸ± Kitty News You Can Use
It takes a village to save a cat...
We are proud to feature the amazing Westport, CT volunteer organization T.A.I.L.S this month! This passionate group of volunteers is dedicated to moving us towards a “zero-kill” world and played an integral role in our Patients of the Month and Medical Mystery this month, and we couldn’t be happier to be working with such a committed organization.

To make sure as few kitties go homeless as possible, they work closely with organizations that provide low-cost options for spaying and neutering, hold regular adoption events, and run a fostering program with short, medium, and long-term fostering options. We are proud to be one of their go to veterinary hospitals!

You can participate in the amazing work by raising awareness, donating, volunteering, or participating in the fostering program. Fill out an application here !

Check out how they found and brought a critically injured kitten to us in this month's Medical Mystery below!
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For info about T.A.I.L.S adoptions - check out their Facebook page !
Black Cat PSA This Halloween
October brings us Halloween fun, a spooky and sweet time filled with lots of iconic imagery--grinning pumpkins, bats, ghosts...and black cats. The idea of black cats being bad luck is obviously a long-outdated myth, but that doesn’t keep these raven-coated kitties from having a tough go of getting adopted, especially around Halloween. Black cats have the lowest adoption rates and the highest rate of euthanasia of all our feline friends--but that’s not the only problems they face around Halloween.

For many years, animal shelters have refused to adopt out black cats on or right before Halloween out of fear they will be tortured or sacrificed--shelters even try to avoid adopting a cat as someone’s Halloween costume accessory, like rabbits around Easter, only to have them poorly cared for when the holiday passes. However, no matter the season, if you’re looking for a furry friend, don’t write them off just because of the shade of their fur. Participate in an a fostering program like one offered by T.A.I.L.S., or one of CT’s many great no-kill shelters to give a kitty of any color a loving home!
Call Us About Your Cat's Preventative Care
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The Story of Dexter the Peg Leg Cat

Dexter came to us through TAILSÂź. He was a five month old kitten that they trapped to be neutered and released back into his environment. As you will read below in this month's Medical Mystery, this adorable orange fur ball had a horrific injury. Typically an amputation would be performed, but we wanted to try to save the leg.

Dexter, also known affectionately as Peg Leg, has now found a home with a young woman who has been giving him lots of TLC throughout his medical journey. He has an adorable little brother named Severus, a black kitten who was also rescued after being abandoned at a couple weeks old. She choose him due to the fact that black cats are hard to adopt. They are the best of kitty buddies!
Medical Mystery of the Month

Saving Dexter's Leg - Never Give Up!

The diagnosis was serious
We never really know how friendly, or not, the cats are when TAILS brings them to us, but when we opened Dexter’s cage, we found a frightened, but-able-to-be-handled, orange male kitten that we thought had the potential to become adopted. We also noticed that he had a significant injury on one of his back legs.

About 50% of his skin had been pulled off in an unknown injury. The mystery, in this case, was how we were going to treat such a significant defect!

Initial treatment
Our first attempt to help Dexter was weekly changes of dressing and bandaging, all under anesthesia because if he were awake, it would have been too painful. As time went by, he developed multiple infections due to the vulnerability of the exposed tissue. But for months, the bandaging helped to protect the tender tissue while new skin grew inward from all sides... and we were hopeful.

A bump in Dexter’s road to recovery
Unfortunately, at some point, the healing growth slowed down significantly and we needed another strategy...
Patients of the Month
On a recent fine Thursday, we met five adorable cats that TAILS brought in for spaying/neutering and medical care. There were four females and one male of various ages. We are always happy to provide this important service.

Why Does My Cat... ?
...knead things?

When kittens are born, one of their first instincts is to press on their mother’s mammary glands while drinking her milk in order to stimulate her body to produce more, and this kneading instinct stays with cats even after they grow up. Adult cats do this when they associate a soft surface, like a couch, pillow, or your body, with the comforts of their mother. Many animal behaviorists think cats do this when they’re feeling happy and content, or to self-soothe and relieve stress.

Want to submit a question for a future newsletter? Email your question to contact@aristokatzvet.com and include "Why Does My Cat" in the subject line.
Claws & Paws Punch Card: Does the thought of trimming your cats claws give you nightmares? If it makes you anxious, your cat can sense it. Let go of the stress and bring your cat to the Aristokatz nail salon. Every five visits = complimentary claw trim! Schedule your first kitty manicure and pick up your punch card.

For an entertaining and lively discussion on trimming cat claws, check out this Facebook post .

ReFUR a Friend: Know someone who just adopted a cat? Have a friend looking for a new vet? Refer them to Aristokatz, and you'll both get $20 off a service! Click here for our referral form.
Aristokatz Vet Hospital | 203-690-1099 | contact@aristokatzvet.com | aristokatzvet.com