Why is my 4-month-old kitten grinding her teeth?
Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties: Hi, I hope you can give me some ideas. We have a 4-month-old Bengal kitten who is bright, energetic, and in the best of health — except, she suddenly started grinding her teeth. Why does she do it? Is it common? (I never heard of it before and have had many cats over the years.) Do you think its symptomatic of something? I took her to the vet today; he checked her over and said she has a raised gland on her left under chin (the side where she grinds) but everything else is fine, teeth & gums, no blockage, appetite, excretions, etc. The vet gave her an anti-inflammatory…
How can I teach a cat where to scratch?
Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties: My kitties have multiple different items they can scratch on: cat trees, scratching boxes, and scratching posts. But Poupée, one of my three cats, will not scratch on any of them, and her nails are getting very long. Sometimes she tries to scratch on the living room carpet, so we’ve tried to get her to use a carpeted scratching post. We’ve tried moving her paws back and forth on it to show her what it’s for, but she doesn’t seem to get it. She recently had to be treated for an ingrown toenail because she doesn’t get her claws worn down by scratching. How can we humans teach a…
Extra: In Maine, 22 abandoned cats rescued by volunteers now need homes
In the small city of Belfast, Maine, a group of cat-loving volunteers has undertaken a massive rescue effort. The discovery of 22 abandoned cats and kittens has driven a group of local cat lovers to trap and rescue these cats, get them veterinary care–which many of them desperately need, since they have infections and other illnesses that come about as a result of neglect and abandonment. Although this may not seem like a big deal if you live in a large city, it’s a huge rescue effort for a community as small as Belfast, particularly since it’s being run solely by volunteers with minimal assistance from animal control. Animal shelters in Belfast and the surrounding…
My house has bedbugs. Are the usual bedbug-killing chemicals safe for cats?
Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties: I live in a large apartment building and have recently discovered that my house has bedbugs. How do I get rid of them without exposing my kitties to harmful toxins? Are the usual chemicals to get rid of bedbugs safe to use if you have cats in the house? Thanks and purrs to you all. ~Adrianna
Check out this great new book!
Our friend and advice-giving colleague Sparkle the Designer Cat has recently published a most excellent book called Dear Sparkle: Advice from One Cat to Another. This isn’t your usual human-written cat book. It’s written by cats and for cats–although humans of exceptional intelligence and wisdom may be able to understand the insights within. With wit and a wisdom, Sparkle shares advice for a talkative Siamese whose human won’t do anything but baby-talk; a cat faced with a ferret roommate; and worst of all, a kitten whose people won’t play with him! We learned our Mama is very well trained. She’s already learned a lot of what Sparkle tells other cats to teach their people. We’re…
My cat was locked in a closet for four days. Should I be worried about her health as a result?
Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties: We got back from vacation Sunday and discovered that one of our cats was inadvertently locked in a closet for 4 days. The cleaning people came; the cat is very shy and hid in the closet, not her usual spot, and they must have closed the door. Since this cat never comes out to see our cat sitter, she didn’t know she was locked in (this cat wouldn’t cry unless she knew we were in the house). She is now eating and drinking normally it seems, and very happy to see us–and I’ve added “check closet” to the cat sitter’s list of things to do. I’m concerned about possible…
