Cat Chat Feline Forum

I can't claim to have tried it (although I've tried most others) but it is quite a well known brand. Cats vary so much on what they will eat, why not just get a small pack & try it? Mine have a variety of foods, wet & dry, which I swap around so they don't get bored - & I also overcome ...

I recommend chipping the cats, too. It means they will always be registered to you & gives you the option of acquiring chip-operated cat flaps & feeders. You do NOT need an internet connection to operate microchip programmable flaps & feeders. There are some of these that operate with sp...

Re garlic: one would hope so but I've just realised ASDA have brought out a low sugar ice-cream, sweetened with XYLITOL of all things. Xylitol is lethal to dogs, even in small quantities. The situation with cats is not clear - some say it is dangerous, some say it is OK. I don't know why Xylitol whe...

The experts recommend keeping any new addition to a cat household separately & introducing cats carefully, slowly & under supervision. I think this is probably the best way to go to avoid long-term behavioural problems with both the kitten & the adult. When things have not gone right aft...

It's very good for his teeth! My senior female, very sickly as a kitten, would not eat wet food at all. Now, she will eat (occasionally) the cat pate sold by Purina Gourmet, providing it is made into a soup with a bit of water. There can be a problem with males but I think it is mostly young males ...

For elderly, sick or just plain luxury loving cats, I go for the electric cat underblanket*. At £20-£30 these are not that expensive & so low voltage they cost little to run. I think it would be worth searching eBay. They go under another blanket & have a reinforced absolutely claw-proof co...

If your cat is not losing weight & you are weighing or measuring the dried food correctly, then is the ingrate being fed elsewhere? The other thing is - don't make the mistake I did in my early cat days by looking at those food allowances & not realising they are per day & not per meal ...

It is possible to buy, online, small packets of dried food (fine so long as your cat drinks well) nowadays. Have a look around at the offerings of the big mail order sellers because the days of all GIANT packs is largely over. Trying small packs gives the opportunity to give the cat a trial run. Mi...

I did & do feel truly sorry for both cat & owner, Mollycat - as, in fact, I said. The first thing I said, actually. However, this is an open forum with many readers. I do know of more than one person who has bought from the same source after problems (which are not necessarily connected to l...

This is absolutely awful for you. I think the advice given is good. However, a word of warning on "breeds". Without going deeply into the genetic causes, quite often such animals are inbred i.e. bred from close relatives. This is awful news for the kittens, who are likely to have genetic p...

Well, of course. You forget: it is her bedroom. Drape some loose clothes on the headboard. Cats hate things that are unsafe underpaw. She'll just decide to sleep elsewhere.

Most cats have a wash & brush-up period before settling down to sleep - just as we do.

I haven't read all the other comments but, frankly, I'd stop my visits to the flea infested household! You could wear a good insect repellant. Spray yourself & your clothes, particular feet & waist. It will be an almost impossible battle though. Maybe I'd drop a note in saying you just can't...

Mollycat makes good points! Also, cats do go through different phases in their behaviour, as they mature, so that might be part of the explanation. I suspect the noises are unpleasant. It is possible for cats to hear frequencies that we cannot, which can be very unpleasant for them. Loud doorbells a...

Firstly, there is a re-set button somewhere (read the instructions carefully) so I would start with that. Secondly - did you program the flap before installing it? Perhaps that is what you are trying to do. When I programmed the one I have just installed (actually a PetSafe) I got them close enough ...

I tried cat collars of all sorts when I first had cats. After spending a small fortune on them (clever cats get rid of nasty collar when human not looking) I gave up. They are all chipped, so ownership cannot be in doubt. I agree: don't use a non-safety collar. They can be lethal.

Mmm yes! Over time there have been numerous misidentifications of black cats as Pumas. I was at a conference of biological people once, when a warden showed his photos to corroborate the feral Puma much in the press at the time. It was an absolutely standard little short-haired black kitty :roll: ...

It does sound as if that toy is, in fact, a cat toy & stuffed with catnip. Catnip is a cat drug & the rear leg kicking is typical of a cat which has catnip in its toy. It isn't a substance I use as a cat's reaction to it is genetically based & I find it hard to watch a cat absolutely hig...

I agree with others: not a Siamese but probably with some in her heritage somewhere. However, a vet visit is a necessity & might be urgent. Do get her there now for the sake of her future.

Newly rehomed cats often do have digestive problems through stress. She doesn't sound house-trained, so ensure she knows where her litterbox is. I wouldn't attempt to let her out until you've had her at least 3 weeks: this is standard rehoming advice & gives the cat a chance to settle down &...

This does need a vet's attention & as a matter of urgency. Do take the little one.

Well, you've added & it sounds like a good choice. It also sounds as if you need to get some of the chip sensitive feeders. They aren't cheap but it is the only way I managed to avoid the starve/bulge combination with my trio (all various types of adopted.) The feeders are battery operated &...

Oh dear, this does not sound good. I don't mean to pry but is there a really good reason for them to be outside? I'm not surprised one has disappeared, really. I hope it was the feline re-homing instinct rather than tragedy. You might need to think about rehoming the remaining cat, I think, as it is...

I can't actually help with the drug but do you have a cat electric blanket? These are little cat-sized things that go in the cat bed & heat just to warm & have been very much appreciated by elderly cats (&, in fact, the not so elderly) - they are readily available online. Try eBay or Ama...

Try the CAB as a starting point. I'd agree that if the ownership of the property remains the same, then writing to the owner directly, explaining the situation & pointing out that you have pre-existing permission (not to mention a pre-existing cat) might work. The same, really, if there is a new...

The usual suggestion for constipated cats is a wet diet, rather than dry, & plenty of fluid. One of my cats used to love dried food made with a sort of gravy, obtained by adding lukewarm water to the food & swishing it around a bit. If she's already on a wet diet, add some more water to it. ...

Ummm - it isn't normal for cat faeces to smell much different from any faeces. I can't help wondering if the cat is OK medically? I assume he is a neutered male, because, if not, he will be smelly & a great problem. Un-neutered males wander & create homeless kittens. I have recently changed ...

Sorry about the constipated kitty! I didn't know lactulose was OK for cats. It draws so much water into the bowel it must make them pretty thirsty. Just wanted to say (as someone else has found) that this is perfect for administering medicine. Both Metacam (for the one with the Poor Paws) & Liqu...

As long as you get something to bridge the gap (so the cat doesn't end up covered in bits of wall detritus or, worse, wiggles away up the cavity) I think you should be able to improvise. I'd try it all all out before creating entranceways, to make sure the door can open freely both ways (& both ...

Don't forget the late Terry Prachet's advice - make it short and something you don't mind yelling round the neighborhood whilst banging the dinner gong. (Note to Badger's shade - yes, that was you!) Quite. I named my adoptive stray (i.e. I was adopted by him) Aspidistra (which is where I found him,...