The Paws and Effect Holiday Gift Guide
It’s that time of the year again, and we have scoured the internet to provide you with a sampling of lovely gifts for cats and their people! Siouxsie: Personally, I think all cats should have an endless supply of cheezburgers, turkeys, fishes, chickens, steaks, and ice creams! Thomas: We all know that cats love human food, but that’s not what this column is all about, Siouxsie. Dahlia: And as much as we love people food, it’s really not healthy to feed us people food. Although an occasional treat can’t hurt … Siouxsie: Okay, okay! But we’re going to start with gifts for cats first, because I say so!
My cat’s fur is all greasy and his breath smells bad. What’s going on?
Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties: About two weeks ago, my cat, who is about 4 years of age, started losing lots of weight, his breath started smelling horrible (like he just ate poop) and his fur turned greasy and smelly. When he sleeps with me at night on my pillow I’ll wake up to my hair smelling like his and being just as grease-filled. He hesitates when he tries to eat, and when he tries it seems to be hard for him chew, so he just doesn’t. I’ve gave him wet food and he seems to be able to eat it, but I can’t have him live on it for budget reasons. Before he…
How can I get my cat to use a rabbit drinking bottle?
Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties: How can I get my cat to drink from a drinking bottle — like the ones they use for hamsters , but bigger? I bought one because my cat likes to drink from the tap, but he won’t use it. ~Hanna Siouxsie: Well, Hanna, I have to tell you that you just won the Most Unique Question About Cat Training award for the year! Sorry, there’s no big prize, but we will give you lots of headbonks and kisses! Thomas: Our first instinct was to answer, “good luck with that.” But apparently, cats can and do learn how to drink from gravity-fed bottles.
Cats In Heat: Two Answers to Two Questions
Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties: I have a 14-month-old Siamese, that first came into season in May of this year, and called every three weeks until September. She has now stopped calling. Will she now not come into season again until next spring? ~Catherine Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties: My cat is 1 year old. She is going in to heat. Is there anything I could give her to help with this? ~Windigo
My kitten was attacked by a dog and she’s really sick. What should I do?
Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties: My 5-month-old kitten, Sofie, was attacked by a big dog. It happened yesterday afternoon. She’s breathing and is alive, but she’s not moving. It’s like she’s in a coma. She’s just a little farm kitten but I love her. What should I do? ~Mitchell Siouxsie: We sent this reader an e-mail as soon as we got this, because the only answer is to get that cat to a veterinarian right away. But this letter does give us an opportunity for us to make some important points about what we can and cannot offer our readers.
