Cat Chat Feline Forum

Permethrin in particular, which is extremely common in dog shampoos, is toxic to cats. Even just being in contact with a dog that has been treated with it has been known to poison cats.

At least it was in the tray - Pippin spent last week leaving small but unpleasant surprises in all sorts of unexpected places! (Poppy, on 1/4 Metrobactin every 60 hours and 1/3-1/2 sachet of Pro-Kolin powder a day has now been good for 9 weeks. Keeping everything crossed it lasts through a trip to b...

Sounds like the culmination of a bloody difficult year... Commiserations, it is a really difficult condition to manage.

If the vet can find no reason I would suspect diet or stress. Do you know of any changes in food between the different placements? Stress could be more difficult to resolve - you know she is safe, comfortable, fed, etc, but she does not. A new place, new people, confinement, other cats beyond the do...

I think that is very wise. Unless you have very unfeeling neighbours no one is going to shop you if a new cat appears in a few months time if you do decide a second cat in the home is a good idea, and meanwhile you and Billy can have some time together finding out about life in these new circumstanc...

I am so sorry - such a shock to lose her so suddenly. They can be so good at hiding the signs of illness, and she spared you the weeks of anxiety and the grief of making the decision to let her go. I agree that there is little point in a post mortem - not knowing is hard, but if even had you known a...

I'm so glad she is recovering quickly It is very possible that stress meant she could not fight the giardia: "Many cats who become infected with giardia are asymptomatic, meaning they don't show any signs of illness. Kittens, old cats and cats who are stressed, have a weakened immune system or ...

Good to hear from you - it has been a strange year indeed. The animals have enjoyed it though - me home all the time and more than happy to take them out for walks and concentrate on feeding and playing and cuddling, few visitors so very little upsetting house blitzing, no boring shopping trips...! ...

My two cats learned early that Good Cats Get Biscuits, and their recall is still pretty impressive, especially Tilly's. Pippin tends to be fast asleep somewhere and not hear, but Tilly can usually be relied upon to show herself within a few minutes as long as she is not shut in somewhere. It is a re...

I have a flap replacing a small window in the hall - it is set into a wooden panel, avoiding the need to fit it into glass, and making it easy to reglaze the window in due course. Added advantage of being out of reach of my very small dogs, so no danger of them disappearing through it! It worked wel...

I'm not sure how the urine leakage could have been diagnosed earlier - it would not show up on x-rays, and possibly not on scans. And to repair that, and then his hip, would probably not have been survivable in any case. We all go round the loops of if-only and what-if, and trying to find reasons an...

It will depend upon which country you are travelling to/through, and how you are travelling. Look at the relevant government websites for details of regulations on importing live animals, and if you are flying study which airlines will let you take a cat in the cabin with you, and the size and type ...

Good to hear he is feeling better, although if he has hyperthyroidism he will need to be on medication for life, unless you choose a permanent cure like radio-iodine therapy or surgical removal of the thyroid glands. Shaving is the best way of removing mats painlessly - it would be worth investing i...

I know that stomach churning anxiety only too well. She is in the best and safest place, surrounded by people who know what they are doing, and are focussed on making her as comfortable as possible while finding out what is wrong - hold on to that.

A urine infection could explain her symptoms, and is highly treatable - don't jump to worst case thinking just yet. I am a great believer in peace-of-mind vet visits if you can afford it - most things are more easily treated if caught early, and if there is nothing very wrong I feel it is worth the ...

If he needs more fluids I have found weak chicken broth is a good way to get mine to drink more, and they will often eat the cooked chicken when all else fails. Just chicken, no salt or seasonings, in enough water to cover, simmered till well done. Antibiotics can take several days to take effect bu...

I wouldn't try to feed him - wait until the vet has seen him. Is he showing any signs of poisoning other than d&v? Salivating? Walking strangely? Lethargy? I would make a list of everything he could possibly have ingested and any symptoms to give to the vet, and phone ahead to let them know you ...

Excellent advice from Mollycat. By the time your cat is that badly affected your house is very probably infested with fleas at all stages of development - eggs, larvae, pupae and adults. You will need to treat the cat and the house - especially any soft furnishings and floor cracks, etc. The best tr...

I am so sorry - I can imagine how raw the pain still is, and how everything conspires to make it worse. Try not to blame your husband - he made the decision that you would have made yourself had you had the time and space to think clearly, and his rational approach saved Ruby further suffering. I kn...

I'm so glad to hear things are improving - sounds as if he is well on his way to being a happy, confident, companionable cat.

I met one camper van owner who travelled with his cat. He ended up leaving her behind in a local car park when she refused to be caught. I had his name and address, and when I later managed to catch her (at the cost of a subsequent visit to the GP for jabs and bandaging) I dropped off the cat at a l...

That's excellent news about her eating. As Kay says, a second tray may help with the pooing, or it may just have been a one off. The most important thing is that she is beginning to feel safe and settled with you.

Is she actually breaking the skin when she bites? I would expect the haired kitten to still be young enough to modify her play style - she has learned from her litter siblings how much pressure is acceptable before play stops, and is now learning again from her hairless housemate. The big test for m...

I think you may need to wait another few days for the ABs to take effect, or, of course, it may be a virus. Is she eating and drinking well? Kittens have tiny stomachs, so a small meal several times a day is best. As long as she is eating and drinking, and there are no signs of dehydration (look onl...

I would try some cooked plain chicken, tuna, and perhaps that wonder of wonders, Lik-e-Lix. A very little on separate flat saucers, close to her safe place but as far as possible from her tray. Plus, of course, leaving some of her usual food down. If you are certain she has not eaten I would phone t...

I am now all tearful!

I have both cats and dogs, but the dogs are tiny (papillon and toy poodle) so at the other end of the scale to your planned Bernese. The cats were adults when I got my first pup - they were very dog savvy as several of my neighbours had friendly dogs of various sizes, and the puppy was too small to ...

I have to admit to stopping annual boosters when the cats stopped going into boarding. By then they were 0ver 8, and my feeling was they probably had lifetime immunity to all the serious things. My vet murmured about one vaccination - can't remember which - but accepted the decision. We live in the ...

I have done it in the past, both on holiday and backwards and forwards between my own house and my parents'. It can work if your cat is very attached to you, and used to travelling and settling, but there is always a risk of them panicking and getting lost. I took great care to familiarise them with...

I would try play and a scattering of treats with the radio on and the volume turned very low. Once she realises the sounds are not "real" turn the volume up gradually, always making sure she is the one to choose whether to be around or not.