Comment from Sharon
Time: October 7, 2007, 8:34 pm

I couldn’t find where on the paypal to say this, so I hope you don’t mind me putting it here.

I just wanted to say thank you so much for your website. I’ve only been reading it for a few weeks now (I got my 18 month old kitty in September from a woman with cancer who couldn’t take care of her any more), but your website has been more helpful than anything else I’ve found online. I had never taken care of a cat before and didn’t know how to understand when she was irritable or happy or anything. She kept swatting me when I was petting her and I was getting very discouraged. I thought maybe her health problems (she has deformed ribs and lungs) had ruined her quality of life and nothing I could do would make her happy.

Then I found your site and read about how to understand her body language. It’s only been a couple of weeks and our relationship is amazing now. She cuddles me when I come home from work, she sleeps under the covers with me, and she even lets me bathe and brush her without fussing. She’s so wonderful and I know now how to read her body language and back off when she’s getting over excited.

Thank you so, so much.
~Sharon

Comment from Annette
Time: October 8, 2007, 11:51 am

This is URGENT! I have a big problem. I have two adorable kittens approximately 5 months old. They were diagnosed with feline leukemia when we took them to their first check-up. The vet says they will not survive their shots or spaying. We have brought them up since they were about three weeks old because their mother disappeared one night. Being that they are 5 months old I’m worried that the female will get pregnant from her brother. Is there any type of feline birth control pill or shot we can give to both the female and male? We love these kittens and have gone through so much with them.

Edit: Answered here.

Comment from Carla
Time: October 9, 2007, 1:54 pm

We recentally got a cat. His name is Buddah and we got him in July of this year. He is a large cat, not a purebreed but is probably part Maine Coon from what I have been told. He is just kind of black and gray striped. Anyways we are having some issues with Buddah. First of all, the vet told me to put him on a strict diet. He was twenty-five pounds when we got him. He is only to eat 2/3 of a cup of food, per day. I give that to him but he meows, gets under your feet and nearly trips you on the stairs. I usually listen to him whining pitifully by his food dish and finally give him and give him a little more. Also, the day we got Buddah home, he saw the neighbors cat and got attacked by her. He was scared hiding, and meowling pitifully. Now, more used to our home he runs for the door if I open it, and if the neighbor cat Sassy is anywhere nearby he takes off chasing her. He has now done this twice, and I gave him a stern talking too, and a smack on his bottom, and sent him straight back in the house. If he caught Sassy he could truely hurt her, as she is a tiny eight pounder with no front or back claws. Buddah has no front claws but he does have the back and he is much, much bigger than poor little sixteen year old Sassy. And Buddah is much younger at only two years old. Also, when we first got Buddah he was very gentle with our two year old. Now if Simon gets too rough, Buddah has developed a bad biting habit. I don’t want to get rid of Buddah, everyone even Simon who gets bit a lot, loves him, but I am at my wit’s end with it all, and have contemplated, in my darker moments, of sending Mr. Buddah back to where he came from. What can I do, short of sending him to live with someone else or back to the pound?

Thanks

Edit: Answered here.

Comment from Belinda
Time: October 9, 2007, 6:18 pm

I’ve got a female kitty named Trinity who has recently been licking all the fur off her lower abdomen, tail and legs. I’ve seen this behavior in other cats, and the vet tells me it is nothing serious, maybe just an allergic reaction to something. I have re3cently been feeding her Hills’ Science Diet, which seems to help some, since she no longer looks like (and forgive me for this) a mini poodle with a bad furcut.
Other than the naked belly, she is happy, affectionate and playful, emphasis on the last two, as she has taken to begging for attention when we (my boyfriend and I) stop paying attention to her. The only health issue I know she has is a mild form of either epilepsy or something, since she has tremors when she sleeps. There is one other cat in my houselhold named Tyga, but she has never exhibited this behavior. My father has a long-haired cat named “Fuzzy” who began doing this a couple years ago, but I know he has allergies, since his sinuses run constantly.
Have you come across anything like this before, and if so, have you any advice for Trin and myself?

Edit: Answered here

Comment from Danielle
Time: October 10, 2007, 10:03 am

can I give a cat suppository?

Edit: Answered here.

Comment from Kelly
Time: October 11, 2007, 12:39 pm

My kitty has been diagnosed with asthma. I am giving him prednisone for short time but he is still wheezing. Is there something else I can do for him?

Edit: Answered here.

Comment from Nina
Time: October 11, 2007, 2:05 pm

I have 2 feral kitties which I adopted 4 months ago
( now 10 months). I recently also adopted a stray “louie” who is very sweet but hiss at everything from my other 2 cats to the walls, shoes everything. He hasn’t really shown any signs of aggrestion but he just hiss at everyhting. How can i intergrade louie with the other 2. Any suggestions would help thank you.

Edit: Answered here.

Comment from georgina
Time: October 12, 2007, 1:10 pm

Recently we found 3 abandoned kittens which we’ve adopted how do I tell what sex they are?

Edit: Answered here.

Comment from jamie
Time: October 14, 2007, 10:16 am

hey, i have three ?’s for you……….the first is about my new 4-5 mos old rescue kitten. she cries to be held ALL THE TIME!!! we don’t mind loving her, but we can’t be expected to just hold her all the time. what to do????
next……..same kitten has a sneeze…..no other symptoms of anything…..great appetite for food and water………no runny nose or eyes………any ideas????
third…….my adult cat, 4 yrs, still hissing alot at the kitten and no longer sociable unless we have her by herself with us. won’t even come in the room with the kitten there. they’ve been together for about 2 wks now. help!!!
thanks alot, and have a great day!!

Edit: Answered here.

Comment from Lisa
Time: October 14, 2007, 7:29 pm

Urgent! Hi I have four 6 mo. old kittens I adopted. Their mom was feral (and adopted my son). One of the kittens seems to be sad, sleeping all the time (as of today, and not cat napping). He is not himself. Not playing or eating (still drinking water). He is suddenly not social. I haven’t been able to catch him going potty yet, so I do not know if anything has changed in that regard.

Edit: Answered here

Comment from Lisa
Time: October 14, 2007, 7:33 pm

P.S. He has no other symptoms (such as runny nose, eyes, cough etc.) When He does get up he moves slowly and I have seen him wobbled a little. For the most part all he has done today is sleep.

Comment from originalcat52
Time: October 15, 2007, 5:49 am

About a month ago, one cat (Moe) in a 2-cat household started to eat his wet food by scooping it out of his dish with his paw and licking it off his paw, with no signs of distress or anything. His brother doesn’t do this. The two of them are very much friends, and nobody seems upset, and their food hasn’t been changed or anything - it’s just like Moe decided that this was the way to eat wet food. I have never known a cat (and I’ve known lots of cats) to do this (I suppose one could train a cat to, but this was totally unprovoked). Anyone else ever heard of a cat doing this?

Edit: Answered here.

Comment from Kelly
Time: October 18, 2007, 5:57 pm

Greetings,

I have 2, 6 month old kittens one of whom tested positive for giardia when he was 10 weeks old and subsequently treated 3 times with panacur (due to persistent symptoms despite 4 negative fecals) but he and his brother still have totally evil smelling, runny stools and flatulence to go with it. All of my cats (I have 4) and dog were treated and bathed, blankets washed and the litterboxes changed daily, disinfected etc. throughout the treatment period. It seems like conventional meds aren’t doing the trick for these guys so I’m considering holistics but I’m having a difficult time finding good info on the efficacy of natural remedies for treating giardiasis. Any suggestions?

Other info: I’ve got them on a grain free diet because they have eosinophilic granulomas for which we have yet to discern the triggering agent, they are strictly indoor, and we’ve tried Sci Diet Z/D which just seemed to make the diarrhea worse and the Sci Diet W/D because it has more fiber, but it didn’t help either. They’ve been on baytril and clavamox (for URIs, they were very sickly when I adopted them) …Neither antibiotic cleared up the runs and I gave them probiotics each time the antibiotic treatment ended. Other than the diarrhea, gas and allergies, they seem pretty happy and playful…Just extremely stinky, somewhat itchy and occasionally poop-footed.

Please Help!

Edit: Answered here.

Comment from EekEek
Time: October 19, 2007, 8:08 am

First of all, thank you very much for your site. I recently adopted 2 kittens (brothers born June of this year), and these are the first and only cats I’ve ever had. I’m one of those “I’m-a-dog-person-not-a-cat-person” people, so I know nothing about cats. I’ve learned so much from your site! I’m hoping you can help me with one little issue I’m having. As I said, these two are brothers. EekEek is the more outgoing and adventurous of the two, while Emo is the quiet reserved one. Getting brothers was a God-send, because they take care of and entertain each other. They get along very well, and I have been blessed with no real problems with either one of them. They are not neutered (or is that spayed) yet because of their age. They seem well adjusted, they get along well with each other and with me, and I do not notice any obsessive behavior from either of them. Except for recent behavior from EekEek. They are both Birmans, so they are supposed to have big fluffy tails that they proudly display around. Emo fulfils his duties. EekEek has started chewing on the tip of his tail. He has very effectively chewed the last 1 to 1 1/2 inch of fur completely off of his tail…down to the bone…I mean completely! And he continues to chew on it every chance he gets! Is this a sign of something I need to be concerned about? And how do I stop him from doing this?!?! They are both beautiful cats, and I Love them both no matter what their tails look like. But EekEek looks like he had an accident, and I’d Love to see his tail back in its full glory. HELP!
Thank you in advance,
Furless (and frustrated) in Seattle

Edit: Answered here.

Comment from Barb
Time: October 21, 2007, 3:58 pm

Ok this is probably a stupid question, but what does it mean when a cat winks

I read it somewhere where it means something
Thank you

Edit: Answered here.

Comment from Rita Fellers
Time: October 23, 2007, 12:54 pm

I have a wonderful female spayed tuxedo named Penelope but she makes my working at home very hard. After breakfast she comes into my home office and lies down in front of the keyboard and rests her head on my left forearm. To type I have to rest my right elbow gently on her hip. She then starts purring loudly. I don’t get to type much or she’ll get restless and register her displeasure somehow. This really slows me down.

All I can really do is mouse around a little. Actually I move the keyboard off the keyboard tray and back onto the desk so she can have the keyboard tray to herself.

She’s an indoor-outdoor cat. She has 4 other kitties to play with, including her womb-mate Aphrodite. We live in the country in a house, and there are squirrels, moles, voles, field mice, lizards, and birds to chase. She lives with a very nice, respectful German Shepherd dog too.

But she cries if I try to pick her up and put her aside so I can read my papers and type like a normal person. If I ignore her very long she sits up on her haunches and starts to paw me on the shoulders and cheek. If that doesn’t work, she starts to scratch me. Then if I start to absent-mindedly pet her she’ll bite me to get me to refocus exclusively on her. There’s no compromise with this cat! She must be the center of attention.

If I put her out the front door she runs around to the back door and starts pounding on it. There’s no doubt this wonderful kitty loves me and is usually an affectionate, comical bundle of laughs but I would like her to be more emotionally independent. Any suggestions?

Edit: Answered here.

Comment from josh Stanton
Time: October 23, 2007, 5:51 pm

Why can’t my cat meow? He is able to make a squeak sort of like a newborn kitten?

Edit: Answered here.

Comment from Erin V.
Time: October 23, 2007, 7:25 pm

Help!!! We brought in a ferrel (sp ?) cat about 2 years ago. She has been such a joy to my parents (we don’t exactly get along!! Me and the cat that is!) up until about 4 months ago. She will urinate in the litter pain and occasionally poop in there too (which is cleaned twice a day!!!) However, recently she has been pooping on the same exact spot on wall-to-wall carpet. The spot is dead center between my room and the bathroom where the litter pan is. I’m trying to figure out if she is territorial?! Help!! I cannot take this any longer!!! I know that if I throw the cat out, I’ll be out with her too!! Any suggestions?!

Comment from Alan
Time: October 25, 2007, 11:17 am

My cat has never liked being put in a cage, but previously his displeasure was only announced by loud yeowling. The last 2 times however, he urinated in the cage and out through it, making quite a mess and smell! I will need to transport him again in a couple of weeks, and would greatly appreciate any advice or tips about how to calm him so that this does not happen. The trip time in all cases is only about 15 minutes, but that is still too long!

Edit: Answered here.

Comment from Freya
Time: October 28, 2007, 8:47 pm

This is urgent!!!! My cat cookie is a female, shorthair and is 13 years old. Recently she has not been acting herself, and not eating. We took her to the vet and she had blood tests done. The results came back that she has liver problems. He gave her medicine that she has been taking for two days now.

The problem is that for some reason her right front paw doesn’t seem to be working at all. He did an xray and said their wasn’t any broken bones or anything. He said it could be neurological? She doesn’t seem to be in any pain at the moment. If I touch her paw it is bendy, and when she walks it just bends to the side horribly! What is going on with her? Could this be from her liver? Will she recover?

Comment from Sue Porzio
Time: October 31, 2007, 8:23 am

This is urgent. We are giving our cat new medication for an infection. She foamed at the mouth when we did it. What makes a cat do this and should we be concerned?

Edit: Answered here.

Comment from Hillary Allen
Time: October 31, 2007, 5:06 pm

Four years ago, when my husband and I moved into our house, there was a cat in the area who took a liking to us. Of course she has taken a liking to many folks in the neighborhood, after all she’s a cat. We were told that nobody owns her but lots of people feed her. She has many names. She seems to like us particularly well; she eats at our house every night and in the winter she sleeps in our house every night. She loves being outside and is very happy with the surroundings. We are now moving and I don’t know what to do. It seems cruel to remove her from this loved place, yet I can’t help but feel like I’m abandoning her. She is acting weird now that we’re alomst all packed. She has been unusually clingy and friendly. I would LOVE to take her with us, but my first feeling is to leave her. Now I’m having second thoughts. What would make her happiest?

Comment from katie tortosa
Time: November 2, 2007, 7:43 pm

I would never put money in front of my animal’s health, but I don’t want to over react and rush to the ER just because I’ve never had this happen to a cat before.

My kitten is 3 months old. He jumped up onto the couch and was acting very strange. I ran my hand down his back and when I got about an inch down his tail he started to whine and back away. I then picked him up and placed him on the counter to examine him. I very carefully went down his spine palpitating to see if there was anything out of alignment and I did not feel anything but he cried and pulled away, like I said, an inch down his tail. He is sleeping but cannot seem to get comfortable and when he walked past the table and his tail brushed against the leg, he screamed and ran away.

How long should I wait to take him to the vet?. No one knows what he did, he was only out of our sigh for 5 minutes. This happened 3 hours ago and tomorrow is Saturday. It will be expensive to take him to a vet tomorrow, can it wait until Monday or is it urgent? If it can wait, what signs should I be looking for that would indicate his condition worsening?

Edit: Answered here.

Comment from Solomon
Time: November 5, 2007, 5:39 am

Dear kitty people and kitties

I am 13+ years old (I don’t know exactly) (my name used to be Eubank before my new mum brought me home from a cat shelter where I was ugly and unwanted, now I am loved and wanted but still ugly!). My mummy has written to you before, but I thought I would ask if you have any ideas on why my friend Sable keeps on ambushing me and stopping me from using the comfy places in the house, which we have the run of. She is nearly 5 years old and was the first cat in the house. I only came there in June this year. I have auto immune disorder and keep losing my skin and fur, but I am not too bad really on good but bitter tasting medication. Sable has now stopped me from sitting in front of the gas fire when mummy puts it on for me, and she tries to stop me going upstairs, where I like to drink from the second big bowl of fresh water mummy leaves for us. We eat mainly from our own bowls, but do change over and and eat from each other’s bowl what is left from each meal. Sable also hates me using the 2 covered litter trays and I leave these to her, but mummy has given me 3 ordinary trays around the house and still Sable tries to stop me using these, my OWN trays! She keeps rearranging the grains in the tray and piles it up into a messy mound, when I like the grains nice and flat. I rush out of my basket, rush to one or other of my own trays, I rush to drink and eat and feel I have to rush back to my basket in case Sable pinches it, though mummy has given Sable her own identical basket to mine, which I will use if Sable takes mine. After all, Sable can only be in one basket at a time! Everything, except mummy’s lap, Sable tries to stop me using. However, she does not bite, scratch, hiss or really do anything nasty at me, but she is making me a bit uncertain and jumpy now, and she does like to take my tail in her mouth when I am on mummy’s lap, but she does not actually bite it. Mummy even bought a Feliway diffuser and left it on all the time, but it made little or no difference. With my disorder, I don’t have a great deal of strength and when Sable jumps on me, it often makes me fall over. Do you think Sable is being nasty to me or is she just mischevious? Sable is in excellent health in contrast to me, but I don’t like confrontations and don’t want to strike back, though I have a few times, batted Sable gently with my paw. I LOVE sitting on mummy’s lap and Sable hates being cuddled, so at least it doesn’t appear to be jealousy. What do you think? Will time and patience ease things? I just want to be friends with Sable, who is a very beautiful girl and my mummy says I am her beautiful boy.

Edit: Answered here.

Comment from Caro
Time: November 11, 2007, 11:28 am

We recently adopted a 9-week-old kitten, Pip, from the local humane society.

The other night, I noticed that Pip has dark-brown-colored gunk in his ears (easy to see because he’s a pure white cat!) I’m told that’s a sign of ear mites. It’s not a huge surprise, as Pip came from a litter of barn cats. Although his documentation says he was treated for the pesky buggers already, I’m guessing that he didn’t get follow-up treatments and the mites came back.

His ears don’t seem to bother him at all - there’s no excessive scratching or pawing, just the gunk.

We’ll be taking him to the vet soon for his follow-up vaccines, so any infestation will be confirmed then, but I was curious:

Is there a safe home remedy for ear mites? And are treatments for young kittens different from those for adult cats? We have two other cats who will probably need treatment, too, just to prevent the mites from recurring.

Thank you!

Edit: Answered here.

Comment from Jowanna
Time: November 12, 2007, 3:52 pm

Why is my cat dragging his bum across the floor?

Edit: Answered here.

Comment from Toothie
Time: November 13, 2007, 10:38 pm

I need serious help. My 15 year old Siamese named Mandy. She has decided to refuse to use her litter box. I have had to resort to putting her in the bathroom and only letting her out when supervised. She is pulling her hair out in chuncks and is bleeding. She is also hissing and skreeching at my son, who and not even use his bathroom anymore.
I amat my wits end. I do not like shutting her up all day and I do not want to get rid of her. I would have to have her put to sleep because she does not like people.
What do I do to keep my baby? I need HELP. I do love my cat.

Edit: Answered here.

Comment from Deborah
Time: November 15, 2007, 10:19 pm

I’ve had my cat for 15yrs and never had a problem with him until now. He is an indoor cat that has been declawed and fixed. Recently he has taken up constant yowling and paces the house. I think its because he sees other cats in our yard. To make him stop, I have to force him to lie next to me. That quiets him for a bit, but as soon as he’s away from me he’s back to yowling and pacing to all the windows.

Edit: Answered here.

Comment from Rose Bayley
Time: November 16, 2007, 5:42 pm

Hi. I have a 5-year-old “torbie” (tabby/tortoiseshell) cat and a 3-year-old ginger female. They have been spayed but in the last few months the older one has been hissing and lashing out at the younger one. My younger one cowers away from her. The older one has started to spray around the house in all places and the spray has blood in it. I have three litterboxes which are cleaned every day, and both go outside when they want.

This spraying did happen once last year; when I took her the vet, he did not investigate this problem. I don’t want to get rid of her. It’s just a pain having to constanly clean the carpets. She sprays in front of us as well behind the TV, sofa, laundry basket, mail, on the floor … basically, anywhere. Please help me!

Edit:Answered here.

Comment from Faye
Time: November 28, 2007, 1:10 pm

Sunday morning my husband went into the laudry room and saw our cat of 13 years sleeping. He called her and then felt her - and she was gone. She had no known problems - has only been to the vet once in her life (for a removal of an infected nail) and has lived indoors all her life. Her eating habits were normal. She had not vommited - there was just clear liquid under her body. Her kitty litter habits were normal. She was such a cute little baby. She was a runt so she always looked like a kitten. When we were in our office she would come in and talk to us. She would many times sit down in front of us to watch what was happening on TV and she would come in and tell us when it was bedtime. One of the cutist thing that she did was when we had a group of 20 over for a meeting a week ago, she came and sat down in front of everyone and looked up and was intently listening to my husband speak. I knew she would not live forever - but why would she die suddenly with no symptoms of illness? She was sweet and we miss her.

Edit: Answered here.

Comment from Danielle
Time: December 3, 2007, 7:25 pm

I have an 8-month old, black and white, short haired cat named Whiskey. He seems to be having a problem with his ears: they are very scaly. He is constantly growing new skin in his ears, but it sheds in little pieces afterwards. Just like a scab that falls off, only to be replaced by another scab. And his ears always feel rather warm.

He has been tested for all the usual stuff like fungus and mites but nothing has been found. We have also changed his food to a hypo-allergic food, but no changes either. Our vet has consulted a skin specialist which has suggested that a biopsy be taken in his ears and sent to the closest vet university for analysis. That procedure is very costly and to be added up to the price of all the other tests done before.

I was wondering if anyone has ever had a cat with scaly, shedding ears before, as nobody around here seems to have seen this kind of problem before.

Edit: Answered here.

Comment from Marguerite gomes
Time: December 7, 2007, 2:00 pm

Help! My 13 yr. old female, Maridette, lost her “sister” in April. their mother, Miguelle, is still with us. “Dette” has developed a constant meowing problem, wants 24/7 attention, keeps us awake late and wakes me up early after husband leaves, She gets plenty of food, stroking, lap, and outdoor fun in warm weather. Why won;t she settle down at night? She could sleep on our bed like Miguelle, but won’t. My husband and I are losing sleep. It’s been over 7 mo. and is worsening.

Edit: Answered here.

Comment from Mary Ann Torres
Time: December 17, 2007, 12:37 pm

I have a male white cat 5 years old & he has urinated on my fiancee 4 times now. I thinks its because I closed the door to the bedroom & he could not get out. He gets on the bed & urinates on my fiancee he has never done it to me. Why do you think he is doing this? Kevin is very good natured & I told him not to get angry with Milo I am responsible for what he did because I closed the door. I took him to the vet a week ago to check if he had a physical problem but he did not.

Comment from Jenny
Time: December 18, 2007, 6:44 pm

URGENT?

I have two cats, both male and altered. They are approximately 4 and 5 years old. I got both of the cats at the same time.

The normally docile cat is mounting the other male cat. The other cat’s rectum looks red and inflamed.

Is it actually possible penetration occurred? Is a vet visit necessary?

Thanks for your time!

Edit: Answered here.

Comment from dana
Time: December 19, 2007, 6:11 am

i have a 12 year old cat i noticed the other day her back left leg is balding and scaly looking i took her to the vet and he doesn know he put her on anitfungal meds just in case now this morning she vomited what looked like dark blood.

Comment from lena blondel
Time: December 20, 2007, 12:36 pm

Hi,
My cat Sysslingen usually lives with me in Montreal, Canada. I am now in Ankara, Turkey, for a month and Sysslingen is boarding with a friend. He has been there for a short week and has started not to use the litter box. My friend has tried the most common solutions (changing the litter box every day, playing with him, etc), but nothing seems to work and she wants to return him as soon as possible. I don’t think he would be happier alone “at home” for three weeks, quite the opposite. I don’t have anyone who could stay with him so my friend is suggesting putting out lots of food and water for him and go over there every four or five days.

Greatful for an answer!
Stressfully yours,
LEna BLondel

Comment from Carole Cooper
Time: December 21, 2007, 7:26 pm

We have a domestic short haired cat, Hughie, we got from the local shelter when he was about 4 months old. He is now 20 months old and he has the most wonderful disposition and is friendly and affectionate. He eats the very best dry food we can find, and occasionally we feed wet food as a treat. He is healthy, energetic and alert. The problem is he gets into EVERYTHING! We had to get rid of all the house plants shortly after we brought him home. We tried pebbles in the soil, foil around the pots, sprayed the plants with awful smelling stuff we got at the pet store…to no avail. So we got rid of the plants. He always gets on counter tops in the kitchen, knocks things off onto the floor, gets on the buffet, breaks glasses, jumps on the dining room table, jumps onto the television set, gets caught in cables, climbs all over the computer printer and pounds on the buttons until he sets it off, etc. When I set the dining room table for dinner, I cover it with another table cloth in case he jumps onto it and when company comes I have to sequester him because he will jump onto the table. He is not interested in the food, just nosey and wants to sniff around. Using a water bottle doesn’t work since he seems to be immune to it. I once put cayenne pepper on the kitchen counter to keep him off, then worried all day that he may have been irritated by it and doubled back home to wipe it off the counter…all to find him perched in the middle of it, wagging his tail. We think our biggest regret is having to get rid of all the house plants, we miss them. And for the last two years we have given up all hope of having a Christmas tree, Christmas decorations, etc. He has his own little “condo” he can sleep in and climb all over, a variety of play toys, balls, etc. He prefers rubber bands, twist ties and balled up pieces of paper. We don’t mind him on the couch, or the bed, the window sills, as a matter of fact I wouldn’t mind him on anything if he wasn’t so clumsy and destructive. Any advice?

Edit: Answered here.

Comment from Lani
Time: December 23, 2007, 1:47 pm

Hello! We’re buddies on LJ and I’ve submitted a few behavior problems to you before (improper urination with no medical reason, excessive grooming etc) and now I have a diet question.

I have three cats, two sisters that just turned 7, and another female that will be turning 4 in Feburary. All three are part Siamese, although a few generations back - the sisters are Tuxedos and the other is solid black.

My question is this: I’ve recently put the older girls on a 7+ diet and have been continuing to feed the 4 year old the previous food, but they tend to graze out of each others bowls to the point that I might as well feed them all the same food. It’s also expensive to keep buying two different kinds of food, when they all wind up eating all of it. Is it okay for the 4 year old to eat the “middle aged” food? She seems to enjoy it and so far has no problems from eating it, but I don’t want her to wind up losing nutrition or getting unbalanced. She’s very active, she’s slender, very talkative and spry. The older girls lean towards “plump”, have their playful-crack moments but for the most part have always been sedentary and somewhat bitchy.

Edit: Answered here.

Comment from Debbie
Time: December 23, 2007, 10:55 pm

My cat of 2 years has started to take his poop from litter box and play with it. He has plenty of toys, what should I do?

Comment from maddie
Time: December 24, 2007, 3:11 am

i have two 6 month old kittens and they have started to scratch around their food bowls like they do at the litter tray,,can you please tell me why this could be? the litter tray is kept completely away from their food.

Comment from Debbie
Time: December 26, 2007, 1:36 pm

I have a 3 month old kitten, my daughter adopted…He has very bad smelling gas, and poop smells bad?
She feeds him Science Diet for Kittens…
Now just starting to have runny stools?

Comment from Debbie
Time: December 27, 2007, 3:42 pm

My 3 month old cat has been having very bad smelling farts and poop? and now he is having runny stools??? What do you thnk is wrong with him???

Comment from Liane
Time: December 28, 2007, 12:30 am

We have two cats, father & son. They have always gotten along well, but lately they have started having really nasty fights. One minute they’re fine, but the next they’re hissing & clawing at each other. Then five minutes later they’ll be sleeping together on the sofa. We noticed this behavior in the fall, a couple months after moving into a new home. We also have a two month old baby in the house. I’ve been watching but haven’t been able to see what’s setting the cats off. A couple of times they’ve been near the baby & my husband & I are really worried that the baby will get caught in the “cross-fire”. I don’t want to get rid of my cats, but if this keeps up we may have to. Do you have any idea what is causing their aggression and/or how we can stop it? Thank you very much.

Comment from Thomas
Time: December 28, 2007, 4:15 pm

My cat is limping.I dont know what is happening because he is drinking a lot but isnt really eating.When he wants to go to sleep,he cant because he cant get comftable.His name is Crackers and he is 10 month old.He eats wet food(whiskers).Please help
Thank you

Comment from Marilyn
Time: December 29, 2007, 1:14 pm

Shadow, my 18 mo old female, went out for her nightly routine and failed to return. That was two days before Christmas, a week ago. I am hoping someone took her in, thinking she was a stray or abandoned. I can’t bear to think anything else. My questions are: How far do cats roam and how long will she remember her home? I got her, a feral, when she was 8 wks. I miss her terribly and so does Benji, my 9 mo old male. They both have been ‘fixed’ so ‘carousing’ is not an issue.

I am 72 years old and she was my first cat ever. It was love at first sight.

Thank you so much for your site.

Comment from Tammy
Time: December 30, 2007, 8:58 pm

I have a 12 yr old male and a 12 yr old female and 3 months ago I took my mothers 6 yr old famale cat in. I had the usual hissing in the beginning but now my male cat is just being so nasty and attacking my mothers cat. It gets bad sometimes. The male cat has always been a little mean even to the 12 yr old famale. The problem is he is disrupting the cats, My 12 yr old famale is pulling her hair out from all the stress. I love my male cat but I can not keep having this problem and it is just way to hard to sepearte them. I know that he is problaly jelous but I do try to keep the attention even. Any suggestion I would appreciate it.
Thank You.

Comment from lynne broadbent
Time: December 31, 2007, 8:07 pm

i always wonder why my cat sticks out her tongue and complains at same time when being patted..Its like shes complaining and enjoying it at same time

Comment from lynne
Time: January 1, 2008, 10:31 am

2 yr old neutered male cat licking front paws ur slowly going down to a buzz cut, noit doing for long but because fur is being eroded myu friend is wondering what is causing it and what he can put on it to deter mthis behaviour, therer are 3 other cats in the home 2 male and 1 female.

Lynne

Comment from Judy
Time: January 1, 2008, 4:03 pm

I have a newly aquired 1 -2 year old male cat that is neutered. It kind of adopted us. All has been great until yesterday. He now is licking his male part and not being as playful. He has taken to sitting in corners of a room and appears to be in some distress. After reading some of your mail, I take it now that it is not a response to sexual stimuli. He is eating good but calling out more than usual and licking himself. Can you help ?

Comment from Beth
Time: January 4, 2008, 4:02 pm

This is urgent because I have to make a decision today or within the next couple of days because my cat is starving to death. My cat is 13 years old. The past month he started losing weight. I took him to the vet, they did tests, the results did not indicate anything specific. The past two weeks Sparky has virtually stopped eating. He has lost a lot of weight and is so thin it hurts me to touch him. I have tried everything from cat food gravy, to tuna, to broth, etc. He tries to eat, but can’t. I took him back to the vet and the test results came back today. The doctor said there seems to be indications of an intestinal blockage and an infection based on a white cell count. We could try just antibiotics and see what that does. We could operate and try to determine reason for blockage. It could be an object or cancer. The vet did not sound too hopeful since Sparky is 13 years old. I do appreciate the fact that he is not trying to influence me to operate just to get my money. If it’s a blockage that can be removed, I would like to think I did everything possible to save my cat’s life. But, if it’s not possible, I hate to make him go through surgery. I’m having difficulty making this decision. Any opinions or advice for me?

Comment from laurie
Time: January 4, 2008, 9:36 pm

I have a cat that is 15 years old. I had her spayed 12 years ago. Right now, she has been in heat for the past 2 month constantly. She also has been urinating all over the house, mostly on my husband’s things. She has also been drinking allot of water and is constantly hungry. She has never urinated on my husband’s things before. Any suggestions?

Edit: Answered here.

Comment from Sarah
Time: January 8, 2008, 6:19 pm

Hi,
I have a 3 year old cat that constantly sits with with his front paws crossed like. He crosses them like a human would cross their legs.

Is there any meaning to this?

Thanks,

Comment from colleen
Time: January 13, 2008, 5:22 pm

My female cat of 6 years is having severe trouble urinating. I have recently lost two of my jobs and can’t really pay a vetrinary bill. I need to know if there is a clinic in chicago that will accept payments, as I am really worried

Comment from Dani
Time: January 15, 2008, 7:59 pm

I have a 2 year old cat, Pesci. This evening we noticed she’s chipped one of her two front longer teeth. (canines?) She’s not in any distress, in fact she’s been more playful and talkative than ever. (I’m thinking because she’s due to go into heat soon.) She seems fine actually. Do I need to take her into the vet, or is this something I can “wait and see”? What do you suggest? Thanks for your time…..
-Dani

Comment from Teairha
Time: January 21, 2008, 6:41 pm

URGENT! I THINK? Recently we found drops of blood in the bathtub and it has finally been determined that the blood is coming from the family cat, Sensei. Now last night, I did not see any blood. But the previous two nights there was blood in the bathtub. His appetite has been normal. I have noticed no blood from his mouth or in his fur so I surmised that it is coming from his rectum. Should I be concerned now that it seems to have stopped? And what should I do about it now?

Comment from Stefanie
Time: January 23, 2008, 1:01 pm

Bonjour, Most Esteemed and Knowledgable Kitties!

Hi! My name is Figo! I look just like Sinead! My human mom wrote to you a while ago (before I was born) to ask how she could make her little apartment in Belgium safe for me (even though she didn’t know it was for me, because I didn’t exist yet, hee!) Anyway! I love my new home! I’ve been here for a little over four months now, and my people are just great! They buy me all the best food, and lots of toys, and this really beautiful deluxe cat tree with a penthouse where I can just sleep for hours and hours. My cat mom was a stray cat wandering the countryside, and I was born in a barn with my three brothers and one sister, so I feel really really lucky to be a posh city cat. I have a collar and an electronic chip and even my own European /passport/ in case I have to travel anywhere in the EU!

In exchange for all this coolness, I help my human mom do everything around the apartment! I’m all there when she sweeps the floor, does the laundry, and tries to eat her food, and I even keep a close eye on her from the bathroom sink to make sure she brushes her teeth just right. I’ve trained her to carry me around, help me do “big stretches,” and to play Throw with my furry mousies in no time at all!

However, I have this problem. You see, there are times when I go into what my people call “rebellious teenager mode.” I do things that I /know/ to be bad, just to get attention. For example, when my people sit down on the couch to watch a movie instead of paying attention to me, I give a mighty squeak to get their attention, then I leap onto places where I know I’m not supposed to be (like the kitchen table or the countertops.) I stare at my people until they come to shoo me, and then I make a mad victory dash around the apartment because I just have /so/ much energy! I don’t really want to be a bad cat, but sometimes having people irritated at me is better than being ignored, you know? des^$-zaeç) –Okay, that was me trying to type, but I think I’d better let mom do it again. She also wants me to ask you why I pounce on her face every single time she lets me in the bedroom for sleeptime snuggles, no matter how much she tries to tire me out with the Thing on the String in the evening before bed. I end up having to sleep on my own in my cat tree every night! What’s up with that? I’m only 6 months old, maybe I’ll grow out of this craziness, but maybe there are some things mom can do to help. Please help!

Sincerely,
Figo (and Stefanie)

Edit: Answered here.

Comment from Michelle
Time: January 26, 2008, 6:41 pm

Hi, My name is Dashel or Dash for short. I am having a problem with my fur! My owner has been helping my recent skin issue with liquid vitiam E, the only problem, I spilled it and got it all over my tail and backside. Now my normal beautiful fur is greasy and stringy looking. So far my owner has tried giving me a regular bath as well as dawn dish soap….nothing has worked!! Please if anyone has any ideas please let my owner know. By the way this happened 2 days ago and it has NOT gotten better with time.

Many Meows,
Dash (and Michelle)

Edit: Answered here.

Comment from Lisa
Time: January 31, 2008, 11:08 pm

I recently adopted a female leukemia+ cat (i already have a male leukemia+) and the shelter where I got her said she was fixed….now it seems as if she is going into heat and since my male is not fixed this worries me…can they go into heat if they are fixed? I plan on calling the vet in the am but am trying to get advice before then

Comment from Cary
Time: February 3, 2008, 12:45 pm

My 6 year old cat Oliver died in our arms on Jan 31st. It was a normal day and a normal evening. No signs of any issues with Oliver. I gave him a pat on the head, a little kiss, then a couple of treats then off to take care of the rest of the animals. It was not bed time. The evening ritual consist of letting the dogs out then putting them into their rooms. Now I can rest and my boyfriend puts snuggles in to sleep while I watch TV. Our 10 year old cat jumps up to get cozy and in about 10 minutes after that is when Oliver jumps up, gives the other cat a shove and snuggles in. It’s the same every night. If we don’t see this, we go looking to see what the nightly hold up is. So I lay watching TV, boyfriend drifting off, older cat snuggled in, up jumps Oliver then in a flash he lays right now and starts to roll and look like he’s tangled in something. I instantly know that something is wrong, I turn on the like and quickly shake my boyfriend, in the instant Oliver falls to the floor, I yell help him he’s dying. He growls, he gags twice, and then he’s gone. It seemed to last forever but it was all in one minute, he was gone. My boyfriend and laid him on the bed and stand in shock. He yells call the vet. I called the vet and with shaken voice tell him what happened, he tells me how sorry he is and that it was probably a heart attack. With no sleep and disbelieve we made it through the night. Since it was freezing out, we wrapped him up in a towel and placed him in a box with a toy and put him in the garage. My boyfriend took him to the vets so we could later bury his ashes. We had the vet look in his through to be sure he did not choke, because he was grasping for air. He did not. They think his last jump up to be with us for the night, was when a clot may have entered his heart. How does this happen and does this happen? I grew up on a farm with tons of cats, I have never heard of a 6 year old cat dying in just a minute with no symptoms? I can’t help but think there must have been something that I could have done. It’s just going on 3 days without him here and the pain and loss of him doesn’t seem like it will ever leave. He was the highlight of my days and I could never resist his face whenever I was sad or angry. He always made me feel ok, what will I ever do without him?

Comment from Angela
Time: February 6, 2008, 12:39 am

This is urgent! We have an adopted research cat that is around 9 years old and is blind. She has been apart of our family for about 3 years. We just adopted a male kitten who is around 2-3 months old. He is in great shape but his tail had been broken in two places and has healed. We also have a 7 year old 11lb male dog with epilepsy. The male dog and little male kitten has been getting along fine. Our older female cat is not doing well with our new addition to the family. She starts trying to hiss and growl and tries to attack the one time we let them smell each other. We have separted them the whole time and we give each cat/kitten it’s own time running around without the other around. The older cat will walk around the kitten has been put up in the room and will get highly stressed over the kitten smell and there has been occasions where she will attack the small dog thinking it is the kitten. Please help with any advise!

Comment from cote
Time: February 7, 2008, 10:02 am

ive got an old cat who just sleeps all the time. recently it started peeing and pooping every where on the first floor. its never done this befor it always used the litter box on the second floor what if any thing can be done about this?

Edit: Answered here.

Comment from kristen
Time: February 9, 2008, 9:48 pm

My 14 year indoor old female cat is diabetic and I give her insulin injections and she is on a prescription diet. Today I noticed her one eye was oozing. When I wiped her eye the tissue had a redish/brownish color. I gave her some Vetropolycin oinment but should I be concerned that it is more than an infection since the liquid is not clear?

Comment from Rebecca
Time: February 12, 2008, 1:08 am

I have a almost one year old cat who is very mean she just sits in the bathroom all day and doesn’t give much attention. This is normal for her as her previous owner abused her, so we just give her love when she wants it which is very rare lol! my question is one day i was meowing high pitch like a kitten would to one of my other cats playing and meka came out and started cuddling with me and purring and wouldn’t leave my side does this mean she wants to be a mommy please help!

Comment from donna
Time: February 15, 2008, 7:54 am

My 6 yr old Tabby has gone through a 360 degree transformation. When we first got her, she was a shy little kitty. Never played with the other cats, always hid - actually would stalk the new cats in the house. Within this past year, we had a bit of a urination problem with her and the vet had given me antibotics and told me to keep her locked up for 10 days.. The spot on her leg where he shaved to get blood, the fur never grew back and her fur is now very oily looking. It’s not greasy - but feels that way.. She has also gone through a personality change. She is no longer the hiding cat - she is out and is constantly talking to me.. Where you cound never come near you before, she will actually lay down on me now.. Jane’s eyes are very clear as is her nose and ears. She loves to eat her treats and loves to drink water from the faucet. Her purr is so loud.. I know she’s healthy but her fur makes her look sick. What would cause her fur to look and feel this way?

Comment from Virginia
Time: February 16, 2008, 5:56 pm

My cat is constantly meowing! When I walk in the door she starts and doesn’t stop until I pet her or feed her, then ten minuets later she’s at it again. Often she’ll continue to linger around the food bowl and meow when she just ate. I have no objection to petting her, I just wish she wouldn’t wake the neighbors to tell me, and I can’t feed her as much as she seems to want. I have another cat that doesn’t meow much at all. It all seems like a cry for attention, what should I do?

Comment from Paulo
Time: February 21, 2008, 4:00 pm

I need to ask this question. I’m a cat lover, and I’ve had cats all my life….
I have a new one with almost 2 years. It’s an european with stripes like a “tiger” hehehehe! And the question is… everytime I spray air freshner my cat always meows and get very upset…. It’s kind of funny… Does anybody can tell me why does he do that? Why does the air freshner anoys him? Is it bad for his health? Please help me out here.
Thanks and take care.

Comment from Maximilian Mauritz
Time: March 9, 2008, 2:10 pm

URGENT!

I recently got 2 cats, and the female (she is quite big, but her age unknown by us atleast) is constantly meowing. She appears to be fine, she eats normally and when you stroke her she is okay but she constantly meows, it is like a howling, she does it throughout the whole night, we are having trouble sleeping and we do not know what to do!
Is there any logical answer for why she does this? Please help, I am very worried about her.

Comment from rach
Time: March 11, 2008, 1:46 am

why do cats rub there nose on your face? does it mean they are being affectionate?

Comment from Trev
Time: March 13, 2008, 4:58 am

My Cat died and I do not know why.

A couple of months ago, she had a scab/lump on her noises that did not clear up. The vet did a Biopsys but did not show anything. They tried various pills, creams and even steriods but it did not clear up. Within the last few weeks the cat lost her desire to eat much, the vet said she had bad teeth that needed removing. Then without notice she had problems standing on her back legs, and then could not stand at all. Went into vets again last week and then just died. The vet cannot tell me what caused her to die and I am devatsted wondering why and what I could have done different. We have spent alot with vets bills ovet the last few weeks but that is not the issue, I just would like try and understand what has caused this and the vet does not know

Comment from Joan
Time: March 16, 2008, 2:07 am

Our baby (TUX) is about 12 years old and gets along very well except for one thing. She has severe dander.I have not been able to control it. I brush & brush,,enhance her food, use softing& cleaning spray, etc, but nothing helps. Any suggestions/ Thank you Joan from WV

Comment from fran
Time: March 17, 2008, 9:30 am

if i get my female cat fixed ,part of a long time breeding pair ,will the male and her still get along ,not fixing the male .is this going to be a problem for my two , thay are companions ,and are a good pair ,i don’t want them to not get along ,if i get one of them fixed?

Comment from Mary
Time: March 20, 2008, 1:51 pm

I have a 17 year male cat. He has in the past year started wanting food ALL the time. He eats only canned food because he has just a few teeth left. I can feed him and then 20-30 minutes later he wants more food. He acts really desperate about it too. He will meow very loudly and spin around in circles and smack my feet when I walk by. I keep his food covered in the firdge, so he rarely leaves the kitchen. In fact he pretty much stays in front of the fridge all day. He will even wake me up in the middle of the night pawing my face untill I either feed him or shut the door(which he just stratches all night). I have bought worm medicine and followed the instuctions. But I dont think that was the problem. Is he losing his memory? Can he not remember when he ate? Is this because he is old?

Comment from liz
Time: March 20, 2008, 8:49 pm

um one of the nieborhood cats is pregnant
and i want one of its kittens what should i know b4 hand so i dont endanger my cat i already have and love
(his name is jellybelly ^^)

Comment from liz
Time: March 20, 2008, 8:54 pm

Oh and i have another ?
tho this one is more urgent
every time i open the door my cat (jellybelly)
runs out and he is constantly looking outside
he loves us to death and does the slow blink needs,and purs, and gives me love bites on my hand all the time
but if he loves us so much why does he want to go out?
PS hes an inside cat, hes too sweet to be an outside cat

Comment from Suzanne
Time: March 24, 2008, 5:26 pm

We have an almost 6 yr old male cat.. Most of the time he is a
great cat. However, He wakes up at different times in the morning usually always before 6:00am. He was sleeping in my son’s bedroom but tends to scratch on the door to be let out..This wakes me up. We’ve tried squirting him with water,
putting up a baby gate nothing helps. We are ready to give him up. Any suggestions??

Comment from Rebecca
Time: March 26, 2008, 5:27 am

Our 5 year old oriental shorthair Omar, whom we love to death, is making the whole family crazy by meowing and waking everyone at night. He is neutered, never been outside, and healthy(god bless). He just hops out of bed at 12:30 am, or 2, or 4 and sits in the hall and yells. I get no sleep. Hard to ignore him and if I try to close him up in the basement, well - he yells louder. Any ideas??

Comment from Amy
Time: March 26, 2008, 6:09 pm

Today I can home shortly before lunch to find our 6 1/2 old persian had passed. My daughter came in the house and picked him right up wanting to see him, but he was gone. We are so devastated…He showed no signs of illness this morning or anytime recently. When I found him, his pupils were dialted and he was drooling. But he was still warm…I guess I am looking for answers since I don’t know what happened to him. The hospital said that there wasn’t anything they could obviously do. He was the perfect cat, we have another Persian who is quite sad today too. Just wondering if there are any suggestions….I

Comment from Linda
Time: March 29, 2008, 10:52 am

Hi. I have a young cat who is around one year old. She has been spayed already. Just over the last couple of days she has been acting strangely. She is eating and drinking although not quite as much as before. She is meowing a lot and following me around every day. Usually when she does that she is hungry, but when I offer her food and drink she just walks past her bowl and keeps meowing high pitched and she does this a lot in the early morning and throughout the daytime. Then in the afternoon she settles down and acts like her normal self. She is eating and drinking her water so I don’t think it is real serious, but I am concerned and her meowing and scratching and running all around frenetically is getting pretty annoying but I don’t want anything to be wrong with her. Thanks.

Comment from KAREN DENISE SAMPLES
Time: March 31, 2008, 10:18 pm

The cat has a cyst or a boil on the skin and it has pus coming out, what is this?

Comment from Kate
Time: April 8, 2008, 10:33 pm

Hello. We have 3 cats, all domestic short hairs. 2 boys (Ferris and Paco) and 1 girl, Cuddles. Ferris and Paco are ganging up on poor Cuddles and we don’t know what to do. Ferris and Cuddles are about 5 yrs old and have always just tolerated each other. We recently got Paco, as a kitten, in the fall. Recently, the boys have been chasing Cuddles and making things rough for her. It’s gotten so bad that she doesn’t want to leave her bed in the bedroom for fear they’ll chase her. This prevents her from eating and using the litterbox. We must carry her to the food and guard her while she eats but she’s still obviously nervous and looking over her shoulder. She has NEVER urinated or had a bowel movement outside the litter box in all the time we’ve had her, but last night she urinated on a cushion near her little bed. We’re sure it’s because she was too scared to go to the litter box. What do we do? We reprimand the boys when they’re aggressive and give them all lots of attention and love. We don’t want her to feel trapped and scared like this.

Comment from Tony
Time: April 11, 2008, 6:01 am

I got an 8 month old cat from a shelter 3 weeks ago. As soon as I got her home I had to take her back for an upper respritory infection. I gave her all her medicine and the symptoms are gone other than a sneeze and sniffle from time to time. She is adjusting pretty well to my apartment and loves the scratching post I got her. When I come home from work she comes up and rubs agaisnt me and purrs and never minds being picked up.

The only concern I have is she is scared of being in my bedroom. She will never sleep by me and when I have put her on the bed and pet her she has a fearful look in her eye and within seconds usually sprints out of the room and hides in a spot she first would go to when she got here. There are times I’ll come home and she runs out from under the bed so I know she will go in there but I am a little worried about this fear of my room. Nothing has ever happened to her in the room and in fact 2 of the first 4 nights I had her she did sleep next to me all night long. Since then she will only sleep on the couch or living room chairs.

This cat is probably the most sweet cat and nonaggressive cat I have had (I have had 3 other cats as a kid and adult).

Also she will not eat treats or tuna or canned cat food which is unique to me. She only eats dry cat food which is healthy and she drinks plenty of water and uses the littermaid box I got her. She also doesn’t really play with any toys such as balls or haning toys.

I really like this cat but need to know why she does these things. Is it something I am doing or not doing or is she still nervous about a new home.

I know she was given to the shelter becasue her previous owner had too many animals and had to give this cat up.

Please Please help me understand my new furry friend.

Comment from Tony
Time: April 12, 2008, 7:42 am

Do you know if the Ionic Breeze from Sharper Image makes a cat uncomfortable? I have two small ones in my bedroom and my cat will not go in the room at all. I think because I have two in one room the smell emitted is making her afraid or uncomfortable. In fact if I place her in the room she immediately wants to sprint out of the room. Now I do have a larger Air purifier in the living room of my apartment and she always hangs in this part of the apartment without a problem. I am just curious because I know a cats sense of smell is pretty powerful.

Comment from Caren Fansler
Time: April 16, 2008, 11:31 am

what could be wrong with my cat if she drinks a lot of water, walkes on her haunches and has sores around her head and anus

Edit: Answered here.

Comment from Maureen
Time: April 16, 2008, 11:52 am

Hi all,

I need some advice.

I am going away in July for three weeks. I have two cats. I’m trying to determine the best option for kitty care. I’ve never gone away for so long.

Options I’m considering:

1. Bring my cats to my sister’s house. She has two cats of her own. They’d have to get used to two other cats. Strange enviroment.

2. Keep the cats in my home but hire a pet sitter to come in twice a day for feeding and such. They would be alone at night and most of the day but would have the necessary care.

3. See if I can find a house sitter to stay at my place and also take care of the cats. That way, they aren’t home alone at night.

Thoughts?

Thank you.

Comment from Ashlea
Time: April 16, 2008, 2:07 pm

My cat is nearly a year old, and whenever she sits on any ones lap she gives off an odour which is revolting and smells like poo.
Whats is this and is there any way to get rid of it?
x x

Comment from Alana
Time: April 21, 2008, 11:03 am

Thanks to a previous entry, I have pretty much determined that my baby (cat) has a UTI. However, taking him to the vet is beyond traumatic for both of us. My vet recommended a tranquilizer, but I’d like to steer clear of that if at all possible. He then said to bring in a sample for testing, which I agreed to…but after a little experiment, i realized that my vet posed me a greater challange than I had initially thought. How can I collect a sample, preferrebly without upsetting my already slightly disturbed kittie?

Comment from Adriana
Time: April 23, 2008, 7:29 am

My 1 and a half year old fixed male tabby will not stop crying at night. I did recently move, but he had this problem since he was a kitten (i got him at 8 weeks old). He was a crier from an early age, and I used to pick him up and pet him when he cried, so he learned how to seek attention. But he only cries at night now…starting around 4:30 am and does not stop until I get out of bed for work around 7. I am up all night with him because I cannot sleep through his cries, but I ignore him. I have recently gotten a pheromone plug-in which made him very sluggish, but he still managed to wake up at 4:30 like usual to cry. What can I do??? I am afraid I will never sleep a sound night again!

Comment from Kate
Time: April 27, 2008, 6:03 pm

I’m sorry if you’ve had to answer this before, but I’ve had a look all over and can’t seem to find an answer anywhere.

My cat Mia is just over a year and a half old, short-haired, and the most gorgeous little thing you’ve ever seen! I’m at my wits end, though. You see, almost every time she uses the litter tray, she follows it up by wiping her backside on the floor! This always leaves a nasty brown smear; not the nicest thing to have to clear up when I get in. She occasionally will chirrup (as she does when she’s playing with me or our other two) and race off to do it downstairs, or if not that she’ll walk away from the tray as normal and do it on the landing carpet. If I can catch her in time, I clean her up before she gets chance to do it, but she’s a fast little madam! She never does it any other time though…only when she’s used the tray!

She never used to do this, it’s only really been the last six months. The only thing I can think that changed in that time was the food we gave her as she moved from kitten food to adult, do you think I should try her on something else?

I’ve seen mention of the anal glands, but I’ve had as close of a look as she’ll let me and they don’t appear swollen, but is it worth a trip to the vets anyway?

I’m supposed to be moving in with a friend in a couple of months, and I don’t want her soiling his new carpets if it can be helped! Not only that, it can’t be very nice for her, our carpets are pretty rough and I know I wouldn’t want to have to use them like that!

Comment from Alexis
Time: April 27, 2008, 6:57 pm

I’m hoping you can help with with this behavior problem. I have a 8 month old kitten who seems to be crazy. At times throughout the day he will just attack me by biting my feet, arms, or tying to attack my face. We can be cuddeling or playing, or he could be all the way accross the room and he will just suddenly come at me. He does this whether or not I have friends over. I have had him vaccinated and neuterd, and I also play with him for a while for a few times throughout the day. I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong. He has been this way ever since we brought him home at 8 weeks old, but it has gotten much worse. When he was small it didn’t hurt very much, so I used to wrestle with him while playing. What can I do to stop him from attacking me now? I have tried spanking his butt with a newspaper but that doesn’t seem to be working.

Comment from Richard
Time: April 28, 2008, 2:58 pm

I have a beautiful cat who is now 15 years old. He has always been in perfect health but over the last couple of weeks he has lost weight and coughs a lot.

Why is this?

Comment from LIZ
Time: May 2, 2008, 1:25 pm

My cat died in labor, what could have caused this. She was about 1 year old and was ready to give birth. She was already bleeding and we put her in a nice little bed. She was an outside cat though and as soon as we left her alone she jumped over the fence. She was gone for two days and we figured she had her kitties and she was just taking care of them. But when we went to look for her we found her dead. We aren’t sure what killed her. Whether it was the fence jumping or the birth pains. We are very sad over all of this. Do you have an idea of what might have happened?

Edit: Answered here.

Comment from modsie
Time: May 3, 2008, 10:31 pm

Hi,

Short question: my cat is less affectionate after getting spayed. She won’t come sit in my lap anymore. She is just interested in playing and coming for petting but won’t sit in my lap.

Long story:
I took her as a foster cat in March. She was pregnant cat and had 5 adorable kittens. Unfortunately over the next 5 weeks all of them died because of upper respiratory problems that never went away despite antibiotics etc. The mom cat seems very young, less than one year, and didn’t react much to the death of the kittens. I’ve still kept her because she’s so cute. She is very energetic and was affectionate. Since she got spayed she’s not as affectionate…which is opposite of what I expected! She used to come sit in my lap but now she’ll only come when she wants to take a nap late at night. Are there any explanations for this? Is there anything I can do?

Comment from Sade
Time: May 10, 2008, 11:03 am

Help Please!
My two eight month brother cats, are usually very loving and clean each other. Now I noticed his little brother wont stop crying at night on our bed, and then I caught is brother gribbed teeth slightly in side of his neck, trying to mount his brother? The little brother had tears and was crying! I pulled his brother off him, but then he kept this up all night! I am scared can my cat actually hurt and try to mate with him? I never thought this possible..PLEASE HELP ME!! THXS!

Edit: Answered here.

Comment from Michelle
Time: May 10, 2008, 3:53 pm

Hi,

I read with interest your comments on the 13 year old cat that died suddenly….. Last October (07) I let my 4 year old deaf white cat, Willard, out for a run early in the morning (less traffic that time of day!). He came back in about 5 minutes later (he never went out for long) but I had gone back to bed. I heard my 6 month old kitten tearing around with him and then a hiss but I assumed that the kitten had got a bit carried away as usual (they actually got on very well and my Willard would wash and cuddle the kitten). I went back to sleep thinking no more of it and then woke up two hours later to find my beautiful, 4 year old, blue eyed boy laid out on the floor as he would frequently - as I walked past him he didn’t move which was unusual so I bent down to stroke him and he was cold and stiff - his little pink nose had already started to turn purple. I decided not to have a post mortem (or the cat equivalent) carried out as I was so horrendously distraught and by the time I realised that I needed to know why my boy had died it was too late to dig him up and find out. (I’m still struggling to come to terms with his loss and was originally visiting my docotr for help - please take some advice and don’t be embarrassed to ask for help or admit that you are grieving for a much loved pet - I lost over a stone in weight, would cry at the drop of a hat, or lose my temper without provocation…. My doctor said I was suffering from severe bereavement symptoms and that you can not predict which loss in your life will trigger the most emotional response - any loss that leaves you feeling bewildered, crushed and unable to cope requires proper help and you shouldn’t be afraid to ask for it!). Anyway - my beautiful cat is gone - he was really my soul mate in cat form… I have many other pets, a loving husband and a large family but this cat was so special - he loved me as much as I loved him…. he was like having a white shadow… I taught him some kitty sign language - I spent hours & hours getting him to respond to varying hand signals and nods of my head, there’s something incredibly special about having your cat respond to you without uttering a word… Sorry, I’m rambling on…. basically there was not a clue of anything being wrong with him. In January 2007 he had developed a twitch when laying down that was so profound it was easy to see on a mobile phone video clip so my vet recommended that a series of tests be carried out - my insurance company agreed to pay and so we took him to a specialist centre - he had elctro muscle tests, neuroloical tests, blood tests, a spinal tap, every scan known to man and nothing was found. On getting him home he was still dopey from the drugs they had given him and he fell off our bed…. the twitching never happened again after that so the vets put it down to a trapped nerve. The night before his death he was running around as normal, he used a litter tray and his toilet habits were perfectly normal, he had not been sick, nor had he lost his appetite (he was fully vaccinated and had regular check ups at the vets) - when I found him he looked perfectly normal (no injuries, no blood, no vomit, no foaming of the mouth, etc), it was just as though he was asleep. The only strange habit he had that I have since found out might be a warning sign of a heart problem is that he would lay flat on his chest (rib cage) with his front legs splayed out either side - he would be particularly happy and sleep in this position on the edge of anything that he could drop his front legs either side of. I’m not sure if this is true that it can be an early warning of heart problems but it’s all I can think of that was unusual about him. Anyway, I’m writing partly to see if anyone else has lost a cat this young and this suddenly with no external signs of illness or injury and knows what the cause was….. the other half of me is writing this because I need to - I have a desire to tell the world that my Willard was special and I loved him and also to let people know that grieving for your pet makes you nothing but a normal loving human! We have now got two new additions to our family, 2 adorable brother kittens - they wont replace my Willard but they keep me well occupied and they’re very loving! Life goes on….

Comment from Amanda Beaken
Time: May 13, 2008, 7:33 pm

I am planning on getting a cat for my apartment but my boyfriend and I cant decide on a male or a female. He thinks males are nicer and calmer. Is that true? I realize this is not urgent but please try to email me back on this.

Edit: Answered here.

Comment from sam
Time: May 18, 2008, 6:44 pm

I have a 14-year-old male cat. He’s in great shape, still eating and active, but his teeth are bad. He’s definitely got gingivitis: reddening around the gum line around his teeth. His back teeth are gross, they don’t even look like teeth anymore. I’m hoping he’ll lose those teeth at the top on both sides. I know they’re bothering him and I can’t afford to take him to the vet. The vet quoted me $1,000 to get his teeth fixed. I want to keep my little buddy comfortable. Is there a holistic antibiotic or something else I can do for him?

Edit: Answered here.

Comment from Katy
Time: May 19, 2008, 2:22 pm

Urgent-My 1 1/2 year old male cat (Cole) has been showing signs of discomfort in his front paw. A few weeks ago, I came home from work and he was limping. When I picked him up, he meowed, as if in pain. I took him to the vet, but she did not feel anything out of the ordinary. We did not do an X-ray for a couple of reasons:

A. The vet did not seem that concerned

B. I couldn’t afford it

She did say that if continues to limp, to bring him back in. It’s been about 3 weeks, and I don’t notice him limping anymore, but when he’s sitting, he hold his paw up. He also still cries when anyone picks him up. I’ve heard from a friend that a lot of cats do develop some condition in their paws. I can’t remember the name of it, but the symptoms were similar. I would really appreciate any insight, even if you just tell me I should get him to the vet. Thanks

Comment from MIKEL
Time: May 20, 2008, 3:40 pm

Hi, I have two cats I got from shelters and had them both (females) fixed at mobile spay and neyter clinics run by the ASPCA .One of them stilll goes into heat sometimes . Should I have her fixed again ?

Comment from Magda chrysaphiades
Time: May 25, 2008, 1:52 am

I have a female cat, Daisy who is 5 years old. She has always been very healthy. sleeps indoors, and goes around in the garden, not away from home. Daisy has recently developed tremors in her front legs. sometimes when its quite bad, her head also shakes. She is not eating much, and has now become very fussy about what she eats. Refuses all cat food, and am now feeding her tuna, which she likes. Please help am very worried about her. Her vet seems to think its a form of human Parkinson’s? but wanted to put her on medication which she would have to take for all her life. I am worry about the side effects of this medication, as it will be steroids.

Edit: Answered here.

Comment from Sam
Time: May 26, 2008, 12:21 am

My 14-year-old, neutered, male cat was diagnosed with pancreatitis and two other stomach ailments about one year ago. We went through surgery, feeding tubes, and three months of steroids. He is on Pepcid and Reglan on a daily basis. The vet wanted him on steroids for the rest of his life, and I recently relented. He has been back on steroids for three days. However, his personality has changed. I have been thinking about it, and I remember his personality changed before. He no longer sleeps with us; he does not socialize or play. The first time he was put on the steroids, he needed to be put on the steroids, so I overlooked the side effects. However, he did not “need” them this time, in my view, but I am not the vet. I am having a difficult time with the altered personality. Does anyone know if he will adjust to the steroids and he will return to his usual self? The dose will be adjusted downward in a month and adjusted one more time the following month. After that, he will be on a half a pill every other day for the rest of his life. While I adore my vet, and have literally trusted her with my baby’s life, I guess I want someone else’s opinion regarding this one issue. Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Comment from Sarah
Time: May 28, 2008, 1:35 pm

Help! I have a new kitten who was 5 weeks old when we got him. He was still mouthing and starting to chew a little. He went through all the typical kitten things…pounching, stalking, etc… Now he is almost 10 weeks old and he has starting really biting when he stalks. And it is only me that he bites! I keep trying to tell myself that it is just a phase. He is purring when he is doing it and after a few minutes he stops and starts licking me but he is just biting so hard that it hurts. The last straw was last night, he was licking my face and when I tried to shue him away, he bit my face. I know a lot of it is probably just instinctual but short of bathing myself in bitter apple spray or the like, what can I do to get him to stop the painful biting? Thanks for your suggestions!

Comment from Marj
Time: June 1, 2008, 11:32 am

My cat has scally skin on her back that comes out in big patched when I scratch her back. I comb it to get it out of her fur there is so much. I thought it was cat dander and it very well might be, but is has gotten bad to where she does this funny thing with her toungue and sometimes even licks my hand when I scratch her back. Has anyone used anything natural to combat this flaky scally skin problem on a their cat? I prefer to use natural products on her, she is 11 years old. Thank you for your time and comments.

Comment from Robin
Time: June 1, 2008, 11:41 pm

I have a 4 month kitten who hasn’t eaten in a day and a half. I put an Airwick Harvest Spice air freshner in his room the day he stopped eating. Is there a connection?

Comment from me
Time: June 4, 2008, 10:09 am

We have had our 2 cats (Kitty & Catty) for 5 years, and we have an infant daughter. Both are happy, well-groomed cats with tails constantly up in the air and purrs constantly coming from them. They are fed high-quality food and get vet care whenever it is needed.

I have a health problem which makes caring for myself extremely difficult, let alone my child - thus, I do have help at home. Between me and the help, we can just barely manage taking care of me, the baby, and household duties. (Before this problem started, I had no issues with dividing time between the baby and the cats.) My partner spends most of his day working out of the home. Thus, the cats do not get much playtime and cuddle-time.

Catty doesn’t seem to be affected by this and prefers to have lots of alone time, but Kitty clearly misses me. It’s obvious that he is starved for my attention. I set aside as much time as I can to devote to playing and cuddling with him, but it’s not nearly as much as he wants. He does often cry and beg for attention, despite showing other signs of happiness (the purring and keeping well-groomed and having “happy tail”). We love our cats tremendously, and they have been a huge part of our lives. Kitty and Baby love each other, and we are excited to watch that relationship grow. We feel that once this bump in the road passes, everything will be fine, but we have no clue whether it will be months or years until that happens.

I feel a lot of guilt about this. Is it right to just put Kitty on “hold” until I have the time, energy, and ability to provide for his needs? I can’t even say when that would be, as my health issue is uncertain - and if it clears up, we want to have another child, which obviously would mean less time for Kitty. Is it selfish to hold on to my cats when I can barely take care of myself and my baby? Would it be better to send them to a loving home where Kitty could get the human attention he so desperately craves *now* rather than having to wait around? Does the fact that I’ve considered this make me a bad cat mom? Or, does it make me a bad cat mom that I haven’t done it yet - or that I am having this problem in the first place? Is it ever right to re-home your cats, even though you pledged to give them a forever home? Is it wrong to let your cat wait around, desperate for your affection, when there is only so much you can give and you have no prediction for when things will improve? Help!

Comment from Jane
Time: June 4, 2008, 11:40 pm

I have a cat named nickel. She had a hysterectomy in Feb. and almost didn’t make it. She did and came home to me. She likes to spend time in the backyard with my two dogs and another kitten. (They all love each other) I noticed her fur started turning black. I haven’t really noticed any signs of her being sick. I was wondering why her fur would turn black? Also I am concerned that maybe I missed something with this because now she is gone and she never leaves. It has been two days. Could she have been sick? I am beside myself with worry and my daughters are upset also. Please let me know what you think. Thank you.

Comment from Erica
Time: June 6, 2008, 4:18 pm

I have a 10 year old female cat, who within the last year or so, has begun waking up in the middle of the day crying. I go to her, in the bedroom, or wherever she might be, and she stops crying, and looks at me, almost confused. I pet her for a few moments, she purrs, and then goes back to sleep. It’s almost as if she’s having a bad dream, however, I know that’s not the case. I’m really worried that something could be internally wrong with her, and she’s in pain. But, she doesn’t do it at night, and if she sleeps in the living room during the day, she doesn’t do it. Could it be some sort of separation anxiety, or something worse? We also have a male cat–her brother–who doesn’t seem to offer her any sort of comfort (they don’t get along that great), and she’s very independent. I’m taking her to the vet, however, I was hoping for some advice before I go. Thank you.

Comment from Jennifer
Time: June 13, 2008, 11:32 am

Hello! I’m in desperate need of advice before I go crazy!
I have a mature female cat (if she were human she’d probably be in menopause now), who displays heat-like behaviour all the time. Literally, ALL the time when she’s awake and active.
The problem is this: she’s been spayed twice, and she’s been in heat for the better part of two years. When I got her, I assumed she hadn’t been fixed yet, as she was in heat constantly, for months at a time with maybe a week-long break before she went back into heat again. So we had the operation done, only to be told that “she has no uterus, and believe us, we do these operations hundreds of times a month, we know what we’re looking for”, and they searched around in there for a good long time until the vets were uncomfortable looking around anymore. We were all pretty stunned, to say the least.
Belle yowls, howls, rolls around on the floor arching her back, displays her nether regions (and has some leakage in that area, as well), and it’s driving us (and my poor other cat, another spayed female) NUTS. My vets have mentioned that perhaps a tiny piece of ovarian tissue may have been left behind (from two spayings? wow) and may be enough to send her into heat, but she’s never OUT of it, and it’s been almost four months since the last time she’s been in “normal”mode. Heat has actually become the norm with her.
Other than that issue, she’s a healthy cat, and I am afraid of putting her through another procedure, as she’s operated on twice already. What can I do? What tests are available? I’ve heard of “stud” cats, but I know of nobody with an intact male cat, “shooting blanks”, as it were, nor even if the two would get along at all. Is it a chemical imbalance?
Phew! Any advice would be hugely, immensely appreciated!

Comment from Tammy
Time: June 17, 2008, 3:18 am

I live in a small apartment with my cat. I know she gets bored when I’m at work and even when I’m at home. If I’m gone she’ll knock stuff over or knock something small of mine on the floor and “hide” it from me. (usually under the couch) When I’m at home she walks around and meows alot. What can I do for her to keep her from being so bored? I always keep my blinds up so she can watch out the windows, she has toys…but doesn’t really play with them much or they end up somewhere and I can’t find them. I don’t wanna get another cat because of my living arangements. So what else is there for me to do? Shes an older cat also, so I’m guessing thats why she doesn’t play with toys much. I’ve even tried spraying them with liquid cat nip. She just rolls around on them for a while and thats it. I don’t let her outside because I live very close to the road and I had her front paws declawed a long time ago. Please help.

Comment from Mark T
Time: June 20, 2008, 9:39 pm

I need to know if anyone has experienced this….two weeks ago, I noticed my cat wasn’t eating his treats, etc and not using the box….I called the EVS (urgent care for companions)…and was told after an overnight stay to take him to my vet for continued care, etc…did that twice…don’t get me wrong….I would jump for moon for my cat….the one test they did showed no signs of a hyper thyroid so my vet (and I really) respect him thinks my cat has cancer or on a good note acute pancreatitis…..anti-biotic for that….it has been a stuggle to get him to eat…but I think I found something…he seems, happpy, less lethargig…

Now for my question…..I just found out, that prior to my son getting sick….I had some friends over and he told me recently, he spilled a beer…..he cleaned up…so now…..would a little bit of alchohol shut down my cat?

Comment from jennifer
Time: June 21, 2008, 6:19 pm

today the 22nd june 2008 my heart is still breaking.. on thurs 19th june my 2 1/2 yr old gorgeous boy died.. he was crying at the door… I did not let him in as usual.. I said.. yes I know you are hungry I ran out of food last night..I will get you some that was at 8.am at 8.40 I went to the shop.. at 8.50 my husband rang to say.. come home.. one of your cats is dead.. as soon as I walked into the house I knew it was my beautiful Harley..
I haver four cats.. a 15 yr old hand me down.. whom I have had 7 yrs.. she lives in my bedroom, literally she is gorgeous.. Harleys mum who is 3 1/2 who lives in and out the house, Latte who is Harleys love buddy.. they kissed and hugged endlessly, he too is 2 1/2 yrs old he was given to me.. all my cats live in the house and in the lovely patio I have created, with 7foot fences.. they do not wander they are all just happy to hang out….

anyway.. I said through the door whilst he was crying , yes I know you are hungry,, I will be back soon.. well within 15 minutes he was dead.. I am seriously heart broken.. if I was swimming he lay near the pool to be wet.. If I was in the garden with the hose he wanted to be wet.. he jumped in the shower with me.. he bathed with the dogs.. he licked the two dogs every single morning.. every single night my cats were locked up tight in the laundry.. food, water.. warm beds.. many warm beds all around the place.. so WHY DID MY BEAUTIFUL BOY DIE.. WHY SO SUDDENLY..?? I HAVE NO IDEA CAN SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ??

THANKYOU.. jENNIFER

Comment from jennifer
Time: June 21, 2008, 3:30 am

P.S. I feel so very guilty.. why didn’t I let him in.. why did I hear him cry and say.. yes, yes Harley I am going to get food.. why.. I feel so bad. I feel.. like I should be dead because I neglected his cries.. why did he die????

Edit: We sent this reader a personal e-mail.

Comment from jennifer
Time: June 21, 2008, 6:41 pm

Australia
2 Posts

Posted - 22 Jun 2008 : 06:53:09 Show Profile Email Poster Edit Topic Reply with Quote Delete Topic
I am totally heartbroken.. On thurs morn the 19th june 08.. at about 7am I let my cats out of the laundry.. I have 4..
Jones, 15 yr old cross russian blue, who literally lives in my room and has the ensuite as her own.. she we have had for 7 yrs.. she was unwanted.. a gorgeous old Dame I call her.she gets stressed and spits at the other cats so I isolate her a little.. they often though all sleep on my bed, so it is not unusual to see four corners taken up with four cats.. it looks kinda cool..

I have Maizie, a 3 1/2 yr bengal cross, she is always at the vet, bleeding, unwell.. she is presently on anitbiotics..

Latte’ a mischievous and adorable Himalayan, who is 2 1/2

and my beautiful Harley.. Harley is Maizies baby.. he is 2 1/2.. the three younger cats sleep in the laundry at night..
there are many soft, cosy beds in there as well as the patio, I have put up 7 foot fences.. they never leave the yard.. three yards for them to prowl around.. the pool, the patio and the other big yard where the dogs wander in and out.. they love the dogs and they them..

Each morning.. Harley licks Toby, they were born days apart.. and cuddles to Tobys mum.. each summer Harley would lay by the pool to be wet and when I was working in the garden he would want to be hosed down, when washing the dogs, he would take his turn at being washed.. just standing there.. He was my beautiful boy..

Don’t get me wrong, I love all my cats but Harley.. Harley was my favourite.. he was so unique..

Latte’ and Harley became love buddies within days of me bringing Latte’ home at five weeks.. They were both neutered.. They hugged, tumbled, kissed and groomed each other for literally hours and would sleep tight together each and every single day..

It was a beautiful thing to see, and all my family and friends had never seen it..

My husband not a cat person ended up really taking to our beautiful boys as we called them.. even to the point of them being allowed to sit on his lap.. he loves them all now..

On thurs, the 19th june.. I let the cats out opened cat door and Harley stood at the glass sliding door, I was in the kitchen looking at him, he was in patio.. he was crying,I did not let him in.. my husband was angry, he just lost his job, I had urgent call to get to hosp..so i thought .. I won’t ignite the situation with letting a crying cat inside..although they always came in and out.. I was making breakfast and organizing myself,, I was summoned to hosp. urgently..on the day before, so had to prepare for my 3 hr journey.. I said to him.. I know you are hungry.. I ran out of food the previous night.. I am going to the shop in just a minute.. this was at 8.20am.. at 8.40am I went to the shop.. at 8.55am my husband rang, .. Stop what you are doing, get home.. and hung up.. I rang back.. He yelled at me.. why are you ringing,,just get here,, one of your cats is dead.. My heart stopped and I knew, I just knew it was Harley..as I walked in the door.. I said,, it is Harley isn’t it.. and as I said where is he.. there he was.. right near where he was crying,,, laying on his side… dead.. I picked him up.. and screamed.. and screamed.. and cuddled him. I cried .. his eyes were wide open as was his mouth open.. I screamed the house down..

I wrapped him in a sheet, put him in a basket and took him to the vet.. grabbed my daughter from work experience.. as it was afterall her cat.. but she never even fed him I don’t think.. she is a teenager..

I sobbed my heart out.. at the vets.. he said.. I believe he died of aneamia.. leukeamia.. I said what..??? he said.. his mouth is white.. the veins leading to his tongue are white. He has had aneamia.. I said how can that kill him so quickly.. he said it hasn’t he has been sick for awhile..

I feel so guilty that I did not let him in.. he was crying.. crying and I was too busy.. I said good morning to them all as I opened the cat door, but I did not even pat him that morning, organising myself for hosp etc.. and let him out.. he could have come inside through the cat door in the laundry but was crying at the glass door and I did not respond in his hour of need.. I have not stopped crying.. as I was going under the aneasthetic I was sobbing.. I let this beautiful boy down, I neglected him when he needed me.. I am so, so sad..

can anyone, anyone tell me what else he could have died of.. wouldn’t he have been sick? wouldn’t he have had signs?

I am at a loss..

He was out of all four cats my absolute, most gorgeous beautiful, tiger.. He was a tiger.. he was champagne colour with stripes, white under belly with spots.. and the softest, softest fur,, his nose was broad and flat and gorgeous.. he was truly unique.. I have had cats all of my life.. I am not young.. and he was the most unique cat I have ever known..

Please can someone say something..

when I would sit at the computer he would lay behind me and nibble my back.. he would walk into the shower if you were in it..

My daughter was given Maizie for a birthday present and she said.. Mum, the first baby born will be a boy and can I name him Harley and keep him.. I said yes.. we watched him being born.. and I was not there when he passed away so cruelly.. and so coldly he was laying on the cold patio tiles I had laid to make that area nicer for all my animals.. it was horrible pebble crete and I hated it for them..So I tiled it.. My husband was aghast..

why wasn’t I there.. fifteen minutes.. I was gone fifteen minutes..

WHY??

Edit: We sent this reader a personal e-mail.

Comment from Terri
Time: June 22, 2008, 1:25 am

This is very urgent, I found a kitten about 5-6 weeks old. She apparently was dumped and has not eaten in quite some time. We have taken her in along with our 5 other cats (who are not happy with us). We do not have the money to take her to the vet. She is eating and drinking, but her stools are loose and she is weak. What we would like to know is, what else we can do to help in her recovery. We have named her Phoebe. She is adorable and loving. And we cannot understand how someone could do that to one of God’s animals. But we are here to be adopted by her. We would appreciate any advice possible. Thank you and God Bless you and the cats on this site.

Edit: Answered here.

Comment from Linda Chase
Time: