How can I get my cat to tolerate trips to the vet?
Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties: I have trouble taking my cat to the vet. She runs from me and then when I catch her to put her in the carrier, she gets all her claws out and lets me have it. Help! Is there an easier way to do this? Also, once she’s locked in the carrier, she pees and poops all over herself. Makes for a nice visit to the vet. ~ Syndie Siouxsie: Well, Syndie, most of us cats don’t like the carrier... Read More
My “scaredy cat” won’t let me trim her claws. Help!
Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties: I adopted an adorable tabby from the shelter 3 months ago. She is afraid of everything and spends much of her time in hiding. I can pet her but I can’t hold her. She won’t trust me. Here’s the problem. Her claws are getting very long and they must get trimmed. I can’t do this , if I try to hold her she gets mad and wants to claw me. I can’t get her to the vet because I can’t get... Read More
How many cats is too many?
Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties: I live in Texas, in a city where you can only have three cats and three dogs. I have more, and I love every one of them. They all have their shots and are spayed or neutered. I had 15 cats, but I have already given up four; two of them have found new homes. I now have eight at home and three at a friend’s house. We would like to rent a place in the country where no one cares about how... Read More
Can my cats sense that I’m about to go into labor?
Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties: I have two cats, an 8-year-old female and an 8-month-old male. I am pregnant and due in less than 2 weeks. Since I’ve become pregnant, my female cat tended to avoid me; it got a little worse when we got the male. They’ve since gotten used to each other. The male kitten play fights a lot with the female, but in the past week the male kitten has started acting out with me. Shortly after... Read More
How can I get my cat to stop peeing outside the litter box?
Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties: I have two male cats that grew up together since they were tiny. They are both neutered but one, Loki, seems to be more stressed out than the other. We brought Loki to the vet because he was standing in the litter box while peeing and pees against a wall (almost every day). They did find very small crystals in his urinary tract but she thought the behavior was stress-related. So we tried... Read More
Is it OK to give my cat Zoloft?
Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties: I enjoy your person’s Catster tips very much. I have a 6-year-old female Abyssinian. She is spayed and lives indoors with two male cats. We moved from Kansas to Arizona in 2006. About three months later she began to groom herself excessively, especially on the tummy, where all the fur is gone except for peach fuzz. I feel it is from stress as we moved several times the first three months... Read More
Why is my aloof cat suddenly all snuggly?
Before we begin today’s column, we want to let you know about a new Paws and Effect feature. We’re going to start answering letters that only need short answers on our Facebook page! If you’re on Facebook, become a fan of Paws and Effect and our posts will appear on your wall. (If you’re not on Facebook, you’ll still be able to see the content of our page, so don’t be shy.) Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable... Read More
