Posted by Sue, on May 18th, 2012
Having only ever been owned by very independent, outdoor cats, I have never really given much thought to walking a cat with a collar or harness and lead. However, I recently received some advertising for what looked like a very practical cat harness and I found myself thinking about the practicalities of actually using it.
In my recent article, indoor cat or born to be wild, I discussed the growing trend for people to keep cats permanently indoors, and examined the justifications for doing so. Although I didn’t reach a firm conclusion for myself as to whether or not I would ever consider keeping an indoor cat, I did come to appreciate the reasons others do and, if you do, then I can also see huge justification for teaching the cat to walk on a leash so that you can safely explore a little of the outside world together too.
After some research I found this very comprehensive and seemingly practical guide on how to go about successfully training your cat to walk on a leash: Leash training your cat
The article makes what seems to me to be a very valid point about taking your time and showing endless patience – with a timely reminder that if you do enter into a battle of wills with any cat, you are almost certainly going to lose… I think maybe my dog has definitely got some cat in him somewhere!
It also makes a very good case for using a harness or a walking jacket rather than a collar to ensure your cat is not being pulled around the throat. We have come up with a couple of options for you to consider:
   
If you do decide to train your cat to go walkies, or you already have a cat who puts Fido to shame on the leash, please get in touch and tell us your stories.
Posted by Sue, on May 4th, 2012
We’ve all had it drummed into us how important it is to self-check various parts of our anatomy regularly and to report any strange lumps or bumps to our doctor. Well, it’s equally important for us to keep an eye out for potential problems with our pets too.
Just like us, there are all sorts of things that can cause lumps and bumps in our cats and dogs and also some things that we can easily mistake for a lump such as a tick or even a mass of tangled hair or fur. Also, just like us, if you do discover a lump, it is usually something quite simple and easily dealt with, so don’t always assume the worst! Most lumps will be caused by cysts, allergic reactions, benign tumours, or possibly an infection from a cut or a bite or even a grass seed embedded under the skin:
What pet owners should know about lumps
Of course, the golden rule is better safe than sorry so, if you do find an unidentifiable lump on your pet that is bleeding/weeping, obviously painful to the touch and/or which is noticeably increasing in size, and you are not sure what is causing it, pop along to your vet and have it checked out.
Posted by Lou, on April 30th, 2012
With all this torrential rain we’ve been having, resulting in an increase in the number of slugs and snails, we wanted to remind you all of the dangers of Lungworm. Lungworm Angiostrongylus vasorum (also known as French Heartworm) can cause major problems in dogs, and, left untreated can even be fatal. Take five minutes to look at the attached link and make sure your dog stays safe.
Lungworm
Lungworm can also affect cats. Visit the link below for further information:
Feline Lungworm
Posted by Lou, on April 23rd, 2012
 Adult cat's teeth A few weeks ago I wrote an article on puppy’s teeth, so it would only be right to post something on cats teeth … after all, kittens also have a full set of pin-like teeth (and pin-like claws to double the blow to their unsuspecting owners!)
Kittens have 26 teeth which break through their gums at between 2 and 4 weeks of age.
At around three to four months old, 30 teeth (12 less than dogs) adult teeth start to come through, replacing the ‘temporary’ kitten teeth; 16 on the top and 14 on the bottom.
When I wrote my dogs’ teeth article, I said that I was shocked at first by the amount of blood there appeared to be when my puppy was teething, however with cats I found this to be quite the opposite. We have two cats which we’ve had from kittens, and I never noticed any blood when they were teething.
Also, unlike dogs, kittens don’t tend to chew or drool when teething, although their appetite can be affected. However, there are a number of products on the market to help sooth kittens’ teeth during this time. See our link to the Amazon pet shop for details on a number of teething products available: Teething Toys for Cats
Once those adult teeth have come through, similarly to people, cats can suffer from a number of issues with their teeth, such as retained baby teeth, gingivitis and tooth decay so it is important to regularly check your pets’ mouth. Shockingly, studies show that around 70% of cats start to show signs of gum disease by the age of three, so it is just as important that owners look after their cats teeth like they would their own, and many vets recommend getting cats used to having their teeth brushed from a very early age. Similarly to dogs, there are also a number of dental products available on the market to help maintain healthy teeth, and of course feeding a mostly dry diet will also help (always ensure that plenty of fresh drinking water is available at all times).
Did you know …? That the first symptom of a cat having a fractured upper canine tooth may be sneezing?
Did you know …? That symptoms of gum disease include yellow and brown build-up of tartar along the gum line, red inflamed gums, and persistent bad breath.
Posted by Sue, on April 16th, 2012
 Feral is the word used to describe a cat that was once domesticated, or whose ancestors were once domesticated, but which has reverted to living rough. Perhaps because cats were one of the last animals to be domesticated by man, and some say they have only ever been partly domesticated anyway, cats seem to adapt quite easily to living in the wild.
There are an estimated 2 million plus strays and feral cats in the UK, although the true figure may be much higher. Feral cats live and roam in both towns and countryside, although feral colonies in towns are more likely to be found in factories, hospitals, derelict ground and around hotels rather than in areas of high housing. The cats usually have a communal meeting area such as a patch of open ground and these areas are non-territorial and are sometimes also a place where food can be found. However, in most towns and cities, there is a far higher population of feral cats than the available food will support so, if it were not for kindly humans who often regularly feed feral cat colonies, the cats would find food very scarce. Sadly, the average lifespan of feral cats is only a few years as most succumb at an early age to disease, exposure to the elements and/or a lack of food.
To what degree a feral cat is truly wild depends on several factors. Young kittens are more likely to accept being socialised and successfully re-introduced to domestic life than a feral adult, especially if the kittens are born to a mother who was herself formerly domesticated. The extent of daily human contact also plays an important role in determining how wild a cat will be. If the cats have regular interaction with people, such as in a community garden, they will tend to be more approachable than if they live in a derelict property where people rarely venture. It’s important to recognise, however, that if a cat is truly feral, then the kindest choice might be to allow it to continue to live outdoors. Trying to domesticate a feral cat, however well-meaning, is a bit like trying to domesticate a fox or a squirrel, and can often result in removing the cat from the only life it knows and understands in order to force it to live in constant fear and confusion.
For many years people have sought to rid themselves of feral cat colonies by trapping and destroying the cats. More recently, however, it has been realised that control through an understanding of the feral cat’s way of life is a more acceptable solution. If, instead of trapping and killing the cats, a proportion of them are neutered, vaccinated and then returned to the colony, the size of that colony is controlled without the need to destroy all the cats. Here in Berkshire, one charity, C.L.A.W.S. is taking an unusual approach in re-homing complete feral cat colonies with humans that run small-holdings, catteries, kennels etc and can take advantage of the benefits of having their feed stores protected from mice and rats in return for providing a safe haven and regular meals for the cats. If this is something you would be interested in participating in, why not check out their website for further details? C.L.A.W.S feral cats
Posted by Sue, on April 13th, 2012
Here we are at the start of, hopefully, yet another lovely Spring and, once again, we need to be on our guard against parasites such as fleas and ticks. I was actually quite surprised to see a long piece about ticks on the BBC news last week:BBC News – The Great Outdoors
I say surprised because, although we do have ticks in the UK, we don’t seem to have had the same issues with them in the past as in other countries, such as the USA. However, according to this report, not only are ticks on the rise here, but also cases of Lyme Disease transmitted by tick bites have been increasing too. Both humans and dogs can get this illness, which can be difficult to diagnose, extremely debilitating and very hard to cure, so it is not something to be taken lightly. Tick-borne disease in cats used to be less common, but cats can get both Lyme disease and Anaplasmosis from tick bites too so, with a rise in tick numbers, they will also be at greater risk.
Last year I also mentioned my worries about concern over the safety of some products used to protect our pets from ticks and fleas. Many contain pesticides, and evidence is mounting to suggest serious long term health risks can be attributed to their use on animals. Reading some of the horrifying stories about pets that have suffered serious side-effects from the application of tick and flea treatments, my immediate reaction is that I don’t want to use any of them on my dog. However, especially now, with new warnings about tick numbers in the UK, I don’t want to take any chances with Lyme Disease either.
If you have an opinion on this topic, or a story about either adverse reactions to treatments or illness caused by these parasites, we would love to hear from you. Also, if you know of any ‘chemical free’ or natural treatments that actually work, please do share these with us.
Tick Removal - Here is a useful tip I was taught by a veterinary nurse friend of mine a few years ago to remove a tick from your pet:
Place a metal pet comb flat against the animal’s skin and slide it gently under the tick until the tick is caught between two teeth of the comb. Carefully rotate the comb anti-clockwise and, after a couple of twists, the tick will be ‘unwound’ and fall off.
Dispose of the tick carefully! If you want to really play safe, you can place it in a sealed jar with some alcohol. Should your pet then become ill from the bite, you will have the culprit on hand to give to your vet.
It is also possible to purchase a tick removal tool that is used in much the same way as the comb, but has a shaped handle that makes it even easier to do:
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