What is the best care for your pet?

I lost two of my beloved cats within three weeks of each other. The first, Tink, I found dead on the kitchen floor when I awoke one morning. Then at Easter my gorgeous Tabby cat Tim passed away after an illness. Two tragic deaths, two lots of heartache. But could I have helped them more than I did? Or did something I do bring their deaths on earlier?

I worked in a veterinary surgery for almost five years and learnt a lot about pet care in my time there. But I also learnt that sometimes veterinary treatment isn't the best way to go. There are a lot of things that you can do at home to treat your animals without resorting to expensive veterinary treatment.

Take cat abscesses for example. For most cats the easiest way to treat them is to open the wound to let the pus drain out (normally removing the scab or hair surrounding the bite will suffice. Keep it clean and open - you may have to remove the scab frequently, and make sure your cat is not showing signs of blood poisoning (not wanting to eat, being lethargic, showing obvious signs of distress) and make sure that the abscess is draining. Your cat will recover on it's own without the need for a distressing journey to the vet or for antibiotics.

Be sensible. There are some times when you know you will need a vet. But the next time your animal is off colour or has an injury you can stop and ask yourself if you would be able to treat them at home first. There are huge amounts of animal manuals on the market these days with good information for basic pet first aid. And if you are feeling very adventurous you could read one that will let you get a more 'hands on' approach to your animals health.

I feel that the medication Tim received actually shortened the time we had left together rather than helping him. Perhaps if I had the chance to go back I would do things differently and would not be suffering the guilt and sadness I feel now.