Why is my deaf cat suddenly so aggressive?
Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties: I have a deaf cat who hasn’t been right since his brother went to the Bridge. Ever since he was a kitten, he used to be very well behaved, but for the last month he has been extremely obstinate: he seems to do things intentionally, like getting on the counter and pawing things off, or picking fights with the other cats. He’s turned in to an uncontrollable mad cat. I’ve taken him to the vet and she said there’s nothing medically wrong with him. He doesn’t respond to the spray bottle anymore, it’s like he’s laughing at me for trying. Though I’ve worked with MANY cats over the years,…
How can I train my cat to stop catching birds?
Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties: How can I train my 9-month-old kitten not to catch or kill birds? He’s killed four birds. The last time I caught him I had to grab him by the hair to make him let go of the bird. How can I stop this? ~Jennie Siouxsie: Well, Jennie, the unfortunate truth is that you’d have about as much luck training your cat not to catch birds as you’d have if you tried to train your cat not to breathe. Hunting is an instinct hard-wired into a cat’s brain. Because we’re obligate carnivores (we have to eat meat to stay healthy) and our wild ancestors survived by catching and killing…
My declawed cat’s claws are growing back deformed. What can be done?
Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties: I adopted my 3-year-old cat, Pepper, last February from the SPCA. Pepper’s former owner had him declawed and now I’ve noticed that he’s got a couple of deformed claws regrowing on each of his front paws. There’s not any redness or swelling that I can see, but he really doesn’t like me messing with his paws. I know this can happen after declawing, but what I’m not sure about is what can be done for him now. He doesn’t appear to be in any pain and he’s acting completely normal — playing, eating, drinking, and getting into mischief. And despite his lack of front claws, he still loves to…
What can I do to prevent my cat from getting diabetes?
Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties: My cat is about a year and a half old. I’m very concerned about diabetes — it seems extremely prevalent, if not inevitable these days in older cats, and it doesn’t just strike the obese. I don’t remember dogs and cats getting it often when I was younger. It has to be the ingredients in cat and dog food. Any thoughts on the best type of food to get for my cat and how to prevent diabetes? ~Piper’s Mom
