This week, we're giving Mama a break from writing a whole column, because she spent the last 24 hours posting answers to your letters in our LiveJournal blog for Blogathon 2006!. Because she really needs to sleep now, we've asked her to post a few of the letters we answered. We've been raising funds for Noah's Wish, an organization dedicated to rescuing animals affected by natural disasters. You can still support our Blogathon and Noah's Wish by making a pledge here, until Aug. 1. All money you donate will go directly through Blogathon to Noah's Wish. So, here we go!

Can incompatible cats learn to be good traveling companions?

I understand that some cats will just never be friends. We recently adopted a second cat, much against our wishes but we couldn't resist. I was very careful about bringing the two together, doing everything "by the book". The new kitty is a lump of love and would love to be buddies with our slightly older kitty, Kohav. She has never been around cats, so she's not taking this well. She hisses and spits at him whenever he gets "too close." Yet, she instigates many of their rough-housing romps. Because we travel a lot and will be taking them on airplane trips soon (Kohav is a veteran traveler), the two will be in very close proximity during the trips. Is there any way to get them to be "nice" when they are close? I'd hate to have one lump cat and one spitting, hissing furry on an 18 hour flight. We don't need them to become best friends, but I want to get past this.

Probably the best thing to do would be to make sure that each cat has his or her own carrier--which we're sure you've already done. If each cat is in his or her own carrier, they won't do much hissing and spitting because a) they'll each have their own safe space, and b) air travel will probably be such a new experience for your new kitty that she'll be too busy processing the whole experience to worry much about fighting with Kohav.

We'd recommend that you take both cats on travel "practice runs" together in your car, so they can get used to being in their carriers, in close proximity. Put them both in the back seat and drive around for, say, 10 or 15 minutes, and see how they do. This will give you some idea how well (or poorly) your new cat will cope with traveling, too. We think Kohav will actually help your new cat to be less nervous about being in the airplane.

But we also recommend that you get some Bach Rescue Remedy, a flower essence that helps humans and cats deal with trauma, and give the new arrival a dose of it just before you put her in her carrier on the day you fly out. To give a cat Rescue Remedy, simply put two drops on your fingertip and stroke the liquid into the fur on the top of her head. Mama's used Rescue Remedy on us, and it really does work well. Rescue Remedy is available in health food stores and in some vitamin/supplement stores. In England, Rescue Remedy (and homeopathic remedies, and all sorts of other cool stuff) are available in drugstores. Rescue Remedy (and other Bach Flower Essences) can also be purchased online.

(FYI, a response to this post led us to a really informative column on how to deal with domestic and international travel with your cat. We recommend this link highly!)

How can I help my traumatized cat?

I'm wondering about my cat. Recently she was missing for 1 1/2 days. Since she's come back she has become reluctant to go out anymore. I'm imagining something scared her while she was missing and she probably got somewhere -- up a tree or in a hiding spot that the scary thing couldn't get to -- and she wouldn't come out or down until she was getting really hungry. I guess what is really bothering me about the whole issue is that she seems depressed and lethargic. Can I help her in any way? She doesn't seem physically hurt but she doesn't want us to hold and cuddle her. Thanks for any advice you can give. ~Lynne

Sinéad writes: It's very common for cats to get a huge scare when they get outside, especially if they're indoor-only cats. I myself was stuck outside for more than 24 hours once (I slipped out through an open door and went exploring, then I got lost and scared) and I remember the relief I felt when I finally heard Mama's voice! I didn't get off the bed for days (well, except to eat and do my business, of course) after I got back inside!

Here's what Mama did when she found me and brought me back in. First, she gave me some Bach Rescue Remedy, a flower essence that helps people and kitties cope with trauma. She put two drops of the remedy on her finger and then stroked it into my scalp, so I got petties as well as Rescue Remedy. She did that in the morning and evening for two days, and I was feeling a lot better by then. Mama also talked to me gently and didn't try to pick me up when I didn't want to be held.

Mostly I just needed time to get over my scare. The other thing you should do, Lynne, is take your cat to the vet for a checkup, just to make sure she didn't get hurt while she was out. We cats hide our pain--that is, we don't limp or cry out if we're hurting--but hiding, depression and lethargy can be symptoms of an injury or an illness brewing. So definitely call the vet and have him or her take a look at your kitty. I'm sure your cat will be OK in the long run. All you need to do is get her checked out and be extra-gentle with her. Give her some Rescue Remedy to help her over the trauma, and she'll make her recovery in time.

My cat's paws smell like he's been digging up corpses!

Our 1-year-old male cat has developed smelly paws over the last few days - just the front paws. It smells like carrion, and we don't know what it could be. We live on 3 acres and he is outside all night, and inside all day (he sleeps on our bed). I can't stand the smell, it makes me nauseous. He doesn't appear to be limping or have any swelling, and it is definitely in both front paws. Could he be digging in some carrion with his front paws, or is there some fungal condition that could cause it? ~Martha

Well, Martha, we think that if your cat's paws smell that bad all day long, it's quite possible that there's some underlying disease process. We cats don't typically eat carrion or go digging in carrion; the only cat who would eat something that's been dead for days is a cat who's absolutely starving! We prefer our meat freshly killed, not seasoned by days of decay (as those uncouth canines seem to like). Your cat might have an ingrown claw that has caused infection in one of his paw pads or the nail bed. This could happen either if a claw was ripped out in a fight or an accident and then grew back wrong, or if kitty's nails grew too long and began growing into his pads. If this were the case, you might not notice swelling because the pus would drain out fairly regularly.

Infectious or necrotic tissue is generally a source of that rotting-meat smell. We recommend that you take your kitty to the vet for an examination. The vet will be able to determine what's causing your cat's stinky paws, whether it's an infection or a fungal problem, and then treat his condition so you don't have to deal with nasty paws anymore!

If you want to read some more of our letters (and see some very cute pictures) go check out the Paws and Effect blog on LiveJournal. And feel free to make a donation to help us help Noah's Wish.

Got a question? Need some advice? E-mail us at advice@paws-and-effect.com. None of the material in this column is meant to be a substitute for regular veterinary care.