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Advice from the expert: Dr. Howard Baker of TLC Pet Medical Center in W. Hollywood offers cat tips
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Dr. Howard Baker and patient at TLC Pet Medical Center in W. Hollywood.
Dr. Howard Baker has been a veterinarian for 22 years, 10 of them with TLC Pet Medical Center in West Hollywood, where he currently serves as Medical Director. Dr. Baker received his DVM Phi Beta Kappa from Colorado State University in 1987 and has since practiced veterinary medicine in a variety of settings, including feline-only care. Dr. Baker practices traditional veterinary medicine as well as making use of eastern practices such as acupuncture. Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Baker to learn how cat owners can take better care of their feline friends and work more effectively with their veterinarians.
What I most wanted to know from Dr. Baker was the most preventable reasons why he sees cats in his practice. Dr. Baker said emphatically and unequivocally that the number one thing cat owners can do to prevent unnecessary trips to the vet is to keep their cats indoors. (For more info and tips on keeping your cat safe indoors, see the Humane Society of the United States' Keep Your Cat Safe at Home: The Safe Cats Campaign). Allowing cats outdoors exposes them to infections and injuries from cars and other animals, as well as other hazards. On the flip side, I asked him what symptoms cat owners are most likely to ignore when they should be bringing their felines into the clinic. Dr. Baker responded that people need to bring their cats to see their vet whenever they notice changes in their cat’s weight, appetite, water intake, litter usage or behavior. Dr. Baker noted that it’s not as easy to tell when cats need to be taken to the vet as it is with dogs, who are more likely to eat and eliminate while their owners are present. He points out that cats are also more reclusive then dogs, so people with cats may not interact with their cats as frequently, even though, as Dr. Baker noted, cuddling a cat is one of the reasons we have them in the first place. Dr. Baker that added that reclusiveness itself may be a symptom of feline illness, especially if the cat is normally more friendly and affectionate. He said that people may often attribute a sick cat’s lack of interaction with them as ordinary reclusiveness, and stressed that people with cats would do well to interact with their animals on a frequent basis, not only for the cats’ health, but because any significant change in a cat’s habits or physical attributes can be a symptom of disease.
When I asked Dr. Baker if there were any common reasons why people bring their cats to the vet when they don’t need to, he responded that the only reason he could really think of was people bringing their cats in for perceived neurological problems when, in fact, their unsprayed or unneutered cat is in heat. What may appear to be a seizure or irrational behavior is often normal behavior for a cat that wants to breed. Dr. Baker did not need to point out that the obvious solution is for people to spay and neuter their pets, but he did stress that anyone who thinks that his or her companion animal may be ill should err on the side of bringing the animal in to the vet for an exam. He said that the $50 or so that it cost to have a cat examined by a veterinarian can be far less costly than treating a disease that is not properly diagnosed in its initial stages. He noted that a good veterinarian works with pet owners as a partner in their companion animals’ health, and takes into account the needs of both the animal and its owner, including economic needs, when prescribing treatments, discussing nutrition and running tests. If a pet owner is feeling financially pressed, Dr. Baker may run fewer tests than he would normally recommend if he can do it without compromising the animal’s health.
I asked Dr. Baker how a cat owner should go about choosing a veterinarian. Dr. Baker praised the quality of veterinary care in the Los Angeles area generally, and said that the best way to choose a veterinarian is talk to friends and neighbors and ask them about their experiences with their vets. He said that personal recommendations are generally more useful than web reviews, as people are more likely to vent online about a bad experience or a bill they think is too high than they are to praise good care. He emphasized again that a good vet is one who works as a partner in an animal’s care and takes into account the needs and preferences of his or her human clients as well. When asked how TLC differs from other veterinary clinics, he pointed to TLC’s 24-hour emergency care and the number of clients that TLC has served since it opened.
Dr. Baker and I then discussed feline nutrition, as one of the most difficult decisions facing any cat owner is what to feed her cat. Dr. Baker pointed out that that feline diet may be dictated by a cat’s special medical or other issues, including age and weight, and that every animal’s nutritional needs vary. The one diet, however, that he says virtually no vet would recommend is a raw food diet. He said that no matter how carefully a raw food diet is prepared, there is simply too much risk of bacterial infections such as salmonella. For an otherwise young, healthy cat, however, Dr. Baker feels that it really doesn’t matter whether the animal eats wet or dry food, as long as it is nutritionally complete. Whatever the cat likes and is easiest for the cat’s human companion is a good choice. The only time the wet versus dry question really matters is for male cats with lower urinary tract problems, in which case he recommends wet food for its higher water content, which may help reduce the risk of crystals in the cat’s urinary tract. As for the amount of food to feed your cat, Dr. Baker recommends starting with the manufacturer’s recommendations as stated on the bag or can, and adjusting based on your cat’s activity level, weight and medical condition. To determine whether your cat is a healthy weight, Dr. Baker says you can use the “rib test”: on a cat that is a healthy weight, you can count the cat’s ribs by feel. If a cat is overweight it will be difficult to feel her ribs, and if you can see her ribs, she is underweight. You can also look at your cat to see if her body makes a more-or-less straight line from head to tail – if there are noticeable bulges to the sides, you may have an overweight cat. (For more tips on cat weight management, see The fat cat and the absentee pet parent.)
Finally, given Dr. Baker’s obvious love and compassion for animals, I wondered if in his practice he ever treats cats that scare him, to which he responded with an emphatic “yes.” While most cats can be safely treated by veterinary staff, some cats are so aggressive that they require sedation before they can be examined or treated. In less extreme cases, TLC staff will cover a cat with a wet towel. Dr. Baker suggests that cats may find the extra weight calming, and says that this is a method you can try at home if you need to medicate an uncooperative cat and don’t have a second person available to help.
Thanks to Dr. Baker for sharing his time, expertise and compassion. He definitely embodies TLC’s mission statement:
People and pets share a special bond; pets love unconditionally and enhance the lives of those fortunate enough to enjoy their companionship. Our goal is to honor this special bond by providing the highest quality of medical care in an environment that is loving and nurturing. At TLC, We Care!
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