Cat Chat Feline Forum

I've had several cats who do this, so resorted to using a non-stipping bowl. Even so, I quite often find Lily's bowl dragged half way across the floor, and she often dips her paw in before drinking - I think to check the water level so she doesn't dunk her nose in too far!

If he's shredding the carpet, and it's in the interests of sparing the soft furnishings that you cave in, get a length of that transparent carpet protector strip, lay it so that it's on both sides of the doorway but a bit wider than the door opening. Cut it very closely (that's important) to the pro...

The grass is always greener.... Hope they come through with the goods for Boris's next scan. Pleased to hear he's still doing well, and getting the hang of commuting!

So long as you follow the intro process carefully, they stand as good a chance as any of getting on. You'll just have to play it by ear really, but don't rush it. It's always a bit of a risk though - you can't always guarantee they're going to be best buddies. Try the tips on these links: http://www...

Some cats adapt well to being indoor cats, but for others it's much harder; my Mo would have been a nightmare as a house cat, as he was so active, but Lily is perfectly content not to go out. I think firstly you need to make your balcony cat proof, since if she gets out this way, there is a great ri...

A few years ago we canvassed our local MP on a neighbourhood issue, and we were all due to meet him in the pub to bend his ear. He rang me in advance for a quick briefing, so there's me, getting all excited talking to a real live prominent MP for the first time. Half way through the conversation Lil...

They've been through lot of upheaval in their lives, and they're still very young. Sometimes we underestimate the effect this has on them. Have you been decorating/moving furniture etc? Little things like this can set them off, specially if it brings new smells and new noises to the house. It might ...

Hi, I do sympathise, it's a real mixed blessing being woken up by two joyful kittens, but boy do you miss the sleep! There aren't many solutions to this I'm afraid, but this might help. Try wearing them out before you go to bed with some realliy energetic play. Da Bird is great for this, as are lase...

I know in male cats it takes a while for the hormone levels to settle down after neutering, but not sure if it's the same for females.

What a terribly sad tale of a very special and determined cat and a very loving owner. We live in a dangerous world, and we can't be there to protect our little ones 24/7, but your friend did all they possibly could to help Zoe recover from her accident. Sadly she was too badly injured, but she was ...

What a lovely thread! Great pictures. Yaay H getting in on the act! When I'm working from home, Lily often waits till I'm on the phone to get up and bring me a toy - accompanied by the most blood curdling, deafening, wailing, which can be difficult to explain to clients.....

It's also possible he has fleas? Mo used to be a bit neurotic like this and worse behaved than usual sometimes, and eventually I realised it was a sign he had fleas. He'd return to normal once he'd been treated.

Just keep doing it till it does. Meanwhile, flea treat the house and the cat, so that when the adults do emerge, they die before they can reproduce again.

This sounds really distressing. Crewella's advice may be helpful, so do have a look at that, but otherwise I would have another word with your vet over the phone, or ask whether there's a specialist who could give a second opinion if he can't think of anything that might be causing these symptoms ot...

You and me both Mark!

Not extreme at all Suzy. Sadly one of my neighbour's cats caught a newly arrived swallow the other day. It's very unusual for them to be on the ground, so I can only assume it was exhausted from it's flight from Africa, and wasn't concentrating. Very sad, such a beautiful bird, to travel so far and ...

Lovely to hear he's finally coming round. I hope the progress with his socialisation with your girls continues to go well. Another happy ending!

I always free feed my cats, and not one of them has ever ended up overweight. I usually feed them twice a day with wet food but have some dry food down at all times for them to pick at between meals. Cats often have slightly different feeding patterns - Mmitz was a wolfer, whereas Lily is a grazer a...

It's sometimes hard to get inside a cat's head to work out what's troubling them, but something obviously is. Until you can work out what's upset them, I would suggest you keep them out of your bedroom so that they get back into the habit of using their litter tray again. Make sure you keep the tray...

While the water spray can be a useful training aid in some circumstances, your cat is stressed enough as it is, and spraying her will only make things worse. It certainly won't deter her from behaviour she really can't help at the moment, particularly if it's caused by infection. She's not doing thi...

Hi and welcome to CatChat. I certainly do relate to this. I adopted a "ready made" pair when they were age 8 and 10, but to be honest the 10 year old, Lily, never really coped with Mitz. Sadly we lost him to cancer a while ago, when he was 12 and Lily 14, but much as I would love another c...

I agree, this sounds very much like an infection to me, particularly as it started so soon after the op. Get a second opinion from your vet. Chasing her off etc will only make her worse, as it will stress her, which can contribute to cystitis. Do get her to the vet soon, this sounds miserable for he...

One more tip to help a blind cat, Mitz was always bumping into the edge of doors, as he couldn't tell if they were left partly open, particularly in the hall where the door opened outwards from the kitchen, so we always kept that door fixed fully open, and the door to his litter tray area was always...

Yes, that is Lily in my avatar. It makes her look huge, but actually she's a tiny scrap of a thing, and very frail, but she's happy as she demands very little from life, just somewhere safe and warm and a lap to sit on. Lily has loads of medical conditions, hyperthyroidism, dodgy kidneys, high blood...

I'm sorry to hear the kidney damage is permanent, it is one of those organs that doesn't heal well. But as you say, she's with you, she's feeling well, and she's eating again, so that's all positive. Lily's been on daily medication for years, and I just hide them in a bit of Webbox (meaty treats fro...

Oooh, poor Boris, that does sound painful. But it does sound like a very probable cause of his pain, and what a relief that it's not something more sinister. It may be difficult to treat, but pureeing his food sounds like it will be a big help in the absence of any treatments. At least he's eating p...

This all sounds really positive, well done getting her through such an awful crisis! Hope the vet visit goes ok - let us know how you get on.

That sounds like a good plan. Be careful with the bags though, make sure they're not the type that can get tangled round her neck (specially ones with handles). If leaving plastic carrier bags out, break the handles first to be on the safe side.

Wow, he is absolutely gorgeous! I do love black cats. He's the dead spit of Mo, who was the love of my life and a complete handful. He was originally called Jet in the rescue centre. I soon found out this was not just because of his colour, he was jet propelled! By the look of him Comet has earned h...

Hi Madelief, just another thought, as she is having to contend with your dog indoors, where you say there is a mutual relationship of fear, and is generally nervous of people, it might help if you spend as much quiet one to one time with her as possible, to help build her confidence and to establish...