Cat Chat Feline Forum

I think it is natural for "black" cats who are really very dark brown to become paler with age. My first cat, Sally, certainly did. Her tabby markings which when she was a kitten were only visible when the sun shone through her fur were noticeable in ordinary light when she was 12-13. Her ...

Julie Misty would have been flattered that you considered him handsome. Apart from his whiskers, he always lost out to Honey on the appearances stakes! I think that Misty went blind gradually so he (and Honey) had time to acclimatize. (Owing to a cataract in his left eye, he had always been one eyed...

I left Misty whilst I was at work all day and he did not come to any harm. I did not let him out whilst I was away, though (which was a bit tough on Honey, who also got confined to the house). He had a magnificent set of whiskers which stuck out 2" in front of his nose, so although there were s...

As long as your two cats are microchipped, you need a Sureflap dual scan microchip cat flap - they cost about £80 I think. Keeps selected cats in as well as keeping intruders out.

My knowledge of coping with a blind cat is a bit rusty, it being 14 years ago that my old Misty went blind as a consequence of kidney failure. Misty coped pretty well, at times it was difficult to realize he was blind. He used his whiskers, hearing, memory and sense of smell to get around the house....

Just seen in "The Cat" summer issue that Simon's Cat has teemed up with CPL to produce "Simon's Cat Logic" (http://bit.ly/cp-simonscat) explaining (as well as humans can be expected to understand) why cats behave as they do. 4 videos in the series so far - entertaining as always ...

Joe - They look absolutely gorgeous. No idea how you can stop Milla mothering Caspar or letting her offspring eat her food! Last time I posted a picture of Tilly on here, I shrank it to 500 x 375 pixels and it loaded inline quite happily. Crewella - I had to look twice at your picture of Rottie and ...

If you can, catch her and take her to your vet to get her scanned for a microchip (this is usually free). If she has one the vets should be able to locate the owner. If she does not, then I would suggest following the advice on what to do with a found cat in the Lost and Found cats advice to be foun...

I think in your situation I would go for the biopsy route as Pickle seems strong enough to cope. It would be terrible if the lumps are treatable and you didn't know it.

Very sad to hear of your loss. It is terrible when our cats die suddenly at a young age. I lost my cat Badger last year and still miss him though it as got better with time.

You could also try a covered litter tray, if he will use it. Useful if he turns out to be one of those little so and so's who waits until you have just gone out!

Surprised you had that mess, Crewella. Don't seem to get that problem with Tilly (though she is long haired, of course). As for applying it I find the plunger affair easier to handle than the Frontline capsule and there is no tell tale snap due to breaking the end off to alert a sleeping cat. Compar...

Glad its all going well, Joe. I'm sure the genetics has a lot of influence on their behavior. Badger and Tilly were (and Tilly still is) ferocious hunters and they cannot have learned that from their parents, grandparents or great grandparents, none of whom have seen a mouse in their lives! Must der...

Fostering would be the best solution, but if all else fails, a cattery may be willing to look after him for a couple of months. Some have large pens suitable for long term tenants. Trouble is June/July is not the best time for finding space in a cattery and cost could be c£1,000.

Yes, I have been using it on Tilly for the lat 10 months. Works OK and is easier to get on.

Sorry to hear about Apollo.
Just a thought, but if you end up having to feed them all different things and different amounts, Sureflap do a microchip controlled pet bowl which might help. Comes expensive though, at £99 a go, so more a last resort!

Yes, Tilly only ate two pouches at dinner time (she usually has three). She has been quite lethargic all afternoon and has only just perked up as the air has got cooler.

Just checked on a packet of Applaws wet; Booktigger and Bobbysgirl are right, it is only a complementary food so should not comprise the majority of Scribble'sdaily diet (Tilly only gets it as a treat). Hills a/d is good food, I've just never been able to persuade my cats to eat it! I found Thrive C...

I think adult cats can be fed kitten food to fatten them up - my old cat Honey was put on kitten food when her intestines started to fail (would agree that it is best to check with the vet first). With regard to needing to feed her more often, is she microchipped? (If she is too frail to be speyed, ...

Several of my cats over the years have done this. At one time I suspected the advice to always leave water down was so they could wash their paws, as they never drank anything! (At least not indoors - could well have drunk raw water from puddles outside.)

My Tilly was also rather lost and dejected when Badger died of cancer last year. I don't know how much this was due to my dejection, her traumatic experiences during the affair (she had to go and give Badger blood for his operation) or not having her big softy champion around. It took her 2 - 3 mont...

Looks similar to the cataract my old cat Misty had. My vet said at the time that operating for cataracts on cats eyes was very difficult (unlike humans) and the chances of success were too low to make it worth doing. This was 18 years ago, so veterinary practice may have improved since then. I would...

Well, I've worked full time and had a cat (sometimes 2) for the past 36 years. Older cats in particular are quite happy to sleep all day and play when you come home. You need to have neighbors or nearby friends who will come round and feed kitty if you are away, but otherwise cats are quite able to ...

Hi. Going by my experience when Tilly broke a tarsal bone in her back leg and what my vets told me and did, I would get your lad to the specialist asp for a scan. My vets told me that you need the greater definition and 3D image that you get from a CT scan when diagnosing some of the problems of cat...

I am no expert on this, but it can take a week for the irritation of the flea bites to disappear. (Certainly does with me when bitten by some horrible insect.)

Well, if we are going into the floosie business, here is Tilly showing her all!

Also surprised they couldn't do vaccinations at same time as defleaing and worming - mine have always had them all at once. Based on my very limited experience (which is now some 18 years old) of getting the confidence of a nervous cat (Misty) I would suggest letting her be on her own for a while un...

Well we had an almighty boom at 3:55pm today - a pair of RAF Typhoons going supersonic from Brize Norton in a high speed dash towards Bath (false alarm, I believe). The bang was apparently heard over much of the south of England, but Brize only being 10 miles away from us it was pretty loud here! Ra...

Sadly, the gardener in question is not fond of cats. She tolerates Tilly for the sake of neighborly relations (and dealing with her rat problem). I had some trouble a few months ago to persuade her (the gardener, that is) that it was not Tilly who was burying poo in her vegetable patch. Only time I'...

Badger and Tilly started their hunting career on New Years day 2011 by depositing a large dead rat on my living room floor. Tilly dumped one last Saturday - fortunately there have not been many in between. The problem appears to be due to nearby gardeners compost heaps, which appear to attract rats....