From a thumping rabbit to fighting cats – your pet queries answered

HE is on a mission to help our pets  . . . and is here to answer YOUR questions.

Sean, who is the head vet at tailored pet food firm tails.com, has helped with owners’ queries for ten years.

He says: “If your pet is acting funny or is under the weather, or you want to know about nutrition or exercise, just ask. I can help keep pets happy and healthy.”

Q) MY rabbit Ginge bangs his back legs, like Thumper the rabbit from Disney’s Bambi movie.

He does it when he sees me or is happy about something. Is that a ­normal thing to do or is he a bit of a weirdo?

Emma Bryant, Plymouth

A) Perfectly normal rabbit behaviour. In the wild, it tends to be an alarm signal, alerting others in the warren to danger nearby.

That could be a predator or a strange ­rabbit that’s unknown to the colony.

It’s a social behaviour that leads to cohesion and safety, so perhaps Ginge is using it in his domestic setting to say: “I’m excited to see you friend”.

Whenever I hear of a single rabbit pet, I feel I must mention that they are a highly social species.

So if Ginge doesn’t currently have another rabbit friend I urge you to get him one. Rabbit rescues can help with the bonding process.

Q) MOOSE, my Beagle Boxer cross, is very flatulent.

He eats a mixture of wet and dry supermarket food.

I admit he has a penchant for a snack of pork pie if I’m eating one. How can I stop him being so windy?

Andrew Woodhouse, Sheffield

A) Haha, what a conundrum!

Beagles are basically a stomach on legs and one of the breeds most prone to obesity.

Just like Labradors, they will eat almost anything.

So flatulence is often par for the course.

I would recommend against pork pies, as they are highly calorific, and unlikely to help Moose’s gut health.

Fibre content of the food can have a bearing on flatulence, as can ingredients he is intolerant or allergic to.

So try him on a hypoallergenic diet, or look to adjust his fibre levels. Pre- and probiotics can help.

There are also diets formulated for sensitive digestion.

Drop us a line on hello@tails.com and we will be able to come up with a suitable tailor-made recipe for Moose that leads to a more pleasant odour at home.

Q) ONE minute my two Burmese cats are wrapped around one another, the next they are ­having a major fight.

Raffles and Reilly are 12-year-old brothers and were always chilled and loving house cats.

This all started when my husband passed away at the end of last year.

They were also put on a diet by the vet and are now their target weight.

Ever since, they have been constantly demanding food and stealing any they can get to.

The fights are nasty — all hell breaks loose.

I have sprayed them with water and put one in the bathroom to break aggression.

I have Feliway Optimum plug-ins throughout the house, a cat therapist visited and used Bach Flower Remedies but neither has helped.

I am at my wits’ end.

Nancy Rowe, Gosport, Hampshire

A) Firstly, I’m sorry to hear about your husband passing.

Like dogs, cats will react to the loss of an owner with sadness, withdrawal and sometimes even depression-like symptoms.

I’m at a loss to explain why fighting has become an issue here but wading in with further negative action will only add to the conflict.

So don’t spray them, raise your voice or even react to the behaviour.

The reduced access to food can also be a trigger.

Cats, even siblings, will subtly compete for resources like food, shelter and vantage points.

So make sure they have plenty of options to get away from each other to feed, toilet and rest.

It might be time to get a qualified animal behaviourist in to observe them and advise on their triggers.

Star of the week

GREMLIN the Shih Tzu had fur so matted he couldn’t see.

Now his future looks bright in a loving new home after his rescue by UK charity Blue Cross.

Staff had struggled to tell the two-year-old’s gender or breed because his fur was so overgrown.

But after a haircut and some TLC, he is a different dog.

Amanda Rumball at Blue Cross, said: “Poor Gremlin was in such a sorry state.

“We treated him at our animal hospital in central London before transferring him to our rehoming centre in Burford, West Oxfordshire.”

Now Gremlin has adoring owners in accounts manager Nina, 50, and tech adviser Gerry Stock, 54, in Luton, Bedfordshire. See bluecross.org.uk.

Kind cat lovers call for law change

AN ARMY of animal lovers are saving pets 24/7 on Britain’s streets.

Gizmo’s Legacy, set up by Helena Abrahams, has more than 1,500 volunteers searching for strays and collecting and identifying pets who have sadly died.

Helena, 53, from Bury, Greater Manchester, founded the group in 2016.

She says: “People call us the 4th emergency service.

“Animals are being dumped because owners can no longer afford to keep them.”

Gizmo’s Legacy gets hundreds of calls daily.

It is named after Helena’s cat Gizmo, who was hit by a car and disposed of, with no attempt to contact Helena.

Last year it became law that cats must be microchipped.

Helena is campaigning for a change in the law for all cats killed on roads to be checked for microchips so they can be reunited with their owners before they are cremated.

She says: “Gizmo was run over then put to sleep without anybody contacting me.

“So now I campaign for others not to go through the same heartbreak.

“Our charity collects pets killed on the road and takes them to a vet where they are kept for seven days before cremation in case any owners appear.”

See gizmoslegacy.co.uk.