From a runaway rabbit to a hissing cat – 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) OUR rabbit, Derek, constantly digs out of his run. We’ve tried everything but he’s so persistent.
Can you recommend anything to stop his Houdini tricks? We want him to have as much space as possible as he’s a happy pet.
James Carter, Brighton
A) The best option is to fix a solid wire floor to Derek’s run — which allows the grass in for him to nibble, but means he can’t dig out.
It’s important to use a heavy gauge wire or mesh that has rounded edges, and is not harsh on his feet. Also, make sure there are no sharp edges from the side of the mesh or wire. Rabbits will always dig.
Q) Please can you advise why my seven-year-old cat Willow hisses and growls at my other two female cats, Pippin, five, and three-year-old Bea.
She often attacks them for no reason. It happens mostly inside, but they have a catio. I thought it would resolve itself, but this has been going on for three years.
Tracy Barnard, Warrington, Cheshire
A) Maybe she just doesn’t like them or enjoy them in her space. It’s more common than people think. Cats are quite a solitary species.
Stress and aggression can be a real problem in multi-cat households, and is totally dependent on the cats’ relationship dynamics. This sounds heavily ingrained, and is likely to be quite stressful for all concerned.
There’s not likely to be an easy fix. As harsh as this sounds, I would be inclined to look into rehoming Willow, or Pippin and Bea together if they get along fine. It’s far from ideal to have the three together with violent attacks on the cards for evermore.
Q) Blu, our Border terrier, is 16 years old and has started getting warts on his body.
I’d like to know whether we should remove them or leave them as they are. They don’t seem to bother him.
Lyndsey Large, Silsden, West Yorks
A) My terrier, Suki, lived to the grand old age of 17 and became very warty. Most of them we left alone, but kept an eye on.
If they got a little greasy or crusty, we washed them gently. Once, one of them got snagged on something and bled. We had that one removed by our family vet at the time.
If you’ve had them checked and your vet agrees they are just warts, it is not necessary to remove them. If any are growing rapidly, becoming more irregular in shape or bleeding, I would be a little more wary and I recommend getting them removed.
Q) Our beautiful, healthy, 11-year-old cat Tilly recently went out one evening for a couple of hours.
She came back at midnight, as was usual for her, but seemed slightly woozy, vomited twice, went to sleep and never woke up again.
She had her boosters two weeks before. Tilly was well loved and cared for. Have you any thoughts on this, as we fear she may have been poisoned?
Betty Quinn, Dagenham, Essex
A) That’s very sad. Poor Tilly. I’m sorry to hear this.
I don’t think it has anything to do with the boosters, if that helps.
She could have had an underlying heart condition, which isn’t always detected. I see where you are coming from with poison, considering she vomited, but you would usually see a cat go downhill slowly after ingesting most poisonous substances.
It may be one of those unexplainable things, that it was her time. At least she went peacefully in her sleep.
Star of the week
CATS Mason and Lorenzo owe their lives to dog Madison, who adopted them as kittens on the streets of Romania.
Madison, also a stray, took them under her wing when their mum was poisoned, feeding them scraps and keeping them safe.
Then Lola’s Sanctuary, a West Sussex-based animal charity, brought the trio to the UK.
Founder Poonam Doshi says: “This was an unconventional furry family. All three were nervous but, with time, they began to thrive.”
Sadly, Madison died three years after the move – but Mason and Lorenzo, now aged five, are best buddies with the doggy residents at the rescue in Crawley.
Volunteer Ashleigh Webber explains: “We have facilities to home cats and dogs together.”
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PETS TAKE LEAD ON OWNERS’ LOVE MATCH
SINGLE pet owners often get a furry friend to help them pick a partner, a study has revealed.
As many as 22 per cent trust their cat or dog’s instinct to tell them if their beau is a keeper, DNA testing service Wisdom Panel found after 1,656 owners were polled.
And before deciding if they should call time on a relationship, 47 per cent would give their pet and other half time to try to “work things out” .
Meanwhile, more than 15 per cent have shown their lover the door because their moggy or pooch didn’t get along with them.
Clinical animal behaviourist Karen Wild said: “That so many Brits are embracing the influence pets have in their lives – from relationships to friendships, and even which social events we attend without them – shows just how deep that bond has become.
“Our pets depend on us to lead happy, healthy lives.
“So it’s good people are saying they put their dogs and cats at the forefront when it comes to lifestyle and relationships, too.
“Pets shape the lives of their owners in ways we could never have imagined.”
To read more, check out wisdompanel.com.