Cat Chat Feline Forum

I wouldn’t know. However, if the vet thinks it’s a possibility, I’d advise reading up on Bengals, so you are aware of any social needs or possible health issues specific to the breed. I once had a cat that a vet suggested might be Burmese. It didn’t matter to me because I loved him regardless but I ...

I don’t have any need for the meds but this is just to say I’m sorry you lost your cat and it’s good of you to think of others by making this offer.

Oh, that is so sad! Bless him. I live in a very, very rural area and some of the local rescues will sometimes home cats like that to isolated farms.

In my experience it is impossible to keep a cat that has previously been an outdoor cat inside 24/7. However, I have been able to make keeping them in at night work. There is complaining of course and the cat flap has to be barricaded to stop them breaking out but I’ve found that they do settle to t...

I have concerns about wildlife too but I take the following precautions to minimise the amount of birds caught and killed by my cat as follows; 1. I only let him out during daylight hours. From dusk until dawn he stays inside. Cats do most of their hunting in the twilight hours and at night so that ...

This sounds similar to my cat. I’m not sure if it’s affection, playing or frustration or whether he does it for all three. He sometimes does it when I’m playing with him, stroking or brushing him, usually whilst purring. If I then try to move my hand away he will grab it with both paws and bite agai...

I am so sorry, it is hard, I know, but I think Arthur was very lucky to have had such a caring owner in you. I hope you can take some comfort in knowing that you did the best you could for him. It was obvious from your posts that you loved him very much and had his best interests at heart. Take care...

Some breeds of pedigree cat do need to have company but most cats will acclimatise to being left on their own as long as it is done gradually so there isn’t a sudden shift in their routine. As you plan to work only part-time, rather than full-time I should imagine you won’t be leaving her alone for ...

Are you in the UK? If so you could report the issue to the RSPCA. I’d advise against speaking to the owners if you don’t know them very well. In my view it is unlikely they will change how they treat the cat on the unsolicited advice of a random stranger and you may bring an avalanche of unpleasantn...

Hello everyone. Can you offer any suggestions to solve a little problem I have? As regular visitors to the forum will know, my cat Harvey has atopic dermatitis. He was taking Apoquel but it stopped working a couple of months ago (apparently that can happen) and he was switched back onto steroids. Th...

I think you’ve made a good decision. Please let us know what the biopsy shows, I’d be really interested to know. Thanks.

Harvey’s the best cat in the world because he seems to think I’m the best cat-parent in the world and is always so excited to see me when I come home (even if I’ve only been out for 10 minutes!). He follows me round the house looking up at me adoringly and it’s so nice to be appreciated. That last p...

Well, his tongue is going to stay sore and possibly get worse without treatment so I don’t see the logic in avoiding a biopsy because it will cause a sore tongue. Also, the vet’s in a bind because he/she can’t be sure of the correct treatment if he/she doesn’t know what’s going on. She/he can blindl...

Hi Karen, Well, if it’s been there for a while and isn’t getting better, he really needs to see a vet as it could be cancerous. If it is there are things they can do to stop it spreading, so it’s not hopeless but he really will need veterinary treatment if it is cancer. If you are short on funds are...

I had problems with this and contacted the forum administrator who sent me a link to a free photo resizer so I could make the file size of the photo smaller. I don’t remember the one she sent me but if you Google “compress or resize photo” you’ll find something similar I’m sure. If you are still str...

You’re very welcome. If there are further developments do let us know, especially if a firm diagnosis is finally made as it is useful learning for all of us and may be helpful for other forum users with similar issues. Good luck with everything x

I’m really sorry he is so unwell. I hope the vet gets to the bottom of it soon xx

PS:- Regarding what I said about the steroids in my last post, in case it causes confusion - I’m not suggesting the vet gives a higher dose of steroids as this would aggravate his cat flu and he shouldn’t really be on steroids at all during a cat flu flare up but if he was only given a very low dose...

Well it sounds like it’s probably too complex an issue to be solved by non-veterinarian’s on a forum I’m afraid but the distribution of the fur loss, inside legs, belly etc that you describe in your most recent post does sound more like stress than arthritis, although of course he could have both an...

It’s so hard. Choosing the right brush for his coat is a must. I used to recommend the ‘zoom groom’ for every cat which is a rubber brush and gives the cat a nice massage, as well as clearing lots of fur. Most cats I have known come to love it. However, my last cat had a really, really dense coat an...

You’d have to do it wearing full PPE, like hospital staff wear when treating COVID patients

Aww poor boy. Is he Ok with being brushed? That might help him with his coat until his tongue is better. Loose fur, dirt and oil will be building up while he’s unable to wash properly and that might make him a bit itchy and uncomfortable. He might enjoy a grooming session with a nice brush instead.

Oh my goodness! I’ve never seen a skunk except in a cartoon, so thanks for that. How about trapping the skunk first and keeping him hostage until you’ve caught Artee, then releasing him? I don’t know the wisdom of that advice so may be run it by someone at a wildlife centre first but it’s just a tho...

I’m not a vet but I’m a bit confused. I can see the logic to avoiding using steroids and metacam together because both can cause stomach ulcers so used together they increase the risk of that but if the vet is worrying about the use of a drug because of adverse effects, why isn’t he/she worrying abo...

Hi, yes - the biting could mean pain. It’s difficult to be sure though. You could ask the vet about prescribing metacam, which is a type of drug similar to nurofen, to see if it helps. If he has runny eyes he probably has conjunctivitis related to his cat flu and the metacam might help with pain and...

Hhmmm. Well, as we’ve already established, skunks are not our forte here in the uk but I’ve just done a quick internet search and it seems skunk spray can do more than just make your cat stink. If the spray got in his eyes it could have blinded him (usually temporarily so don’t panic) but even if bl...

It sounds like a difficult situation. I hope Mr skunk becomes less bothersome and you manage to catch Artee ok. Good luck with it all.

This enquiry reminds me of the American neighbours I had when I lived in a flat some years ago. I caught the polydactyl cat I had at the time jumping off the roof terrace onto the ledge of the first floor neighbours window below, which was open but luckily not wide enough for him to get in. I went d...

Only about 15-20% of pure ginger cats are female. This is because the ginger colour is X linked and dominant. That means males only need to inherit one ‘ginger gene’ to be born ginger as they only have one X chromosome so only one parent needs to be either ginger, ginger and white or tortoiseshell. ...

My cat is on Purina hypoallergenic food. The vet reckons this brand is the only really palatable hydrolysed food on the market and most cats won’t eat the other brands out there. I do think Harvey is better on it. He has skin issues rather than vomiting but he seems less itchy since I switched to it...