Inflammation of the bladder (cystitis) is a relatively common problem in the cat. Symptoms include frequent urination, or repeated attempts at urination with passage of only small amounts, plus difficulty and pain on urination, and blood in the urine. Other signs include urination in places other than the litter box (often the bath or… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Behaviour
101 Kitties
By Dr Pete Irons Avoiding the feline family frenzy Like the Magical Mr. Mistopheles of Andrew Lloyd Webber fame, cats are legendary for their ability to produce kittens much to the dismay of the owner. Many people don’t notice or recognise the tell-tale signs of sexual activity until five or six weeks later when the queen… Continue Reading
Help, My cat is lost!
By Identipet Cats are very home-bound and stay within a well-demarcated territory, hence the extremely vocal cat encounters that usually happen on the perimeters of these boundaries – especially in spring and summer when the seasonally poly-oestrus, intact queens come on heat…But once cats go out of their territory, they easily become lost. This happens especially… Continue Reading
Catnip and your cat!
by Dr Marianne de Vries Gimme Sum More o’ Dat Good Stuff! Have you ever looked at a cat basking in the late afternoon sun as the rest of the world frantically scrambles around to finish work? You just know that, come dinnertime, that cat would not have raised a paw to help with… Continue Reading
The Toy Run: Picking The Best Toy For Your Cat
by Dr Marianne de Vries We’ve all been there. Your best friend’s cat has been the talk of the party because it looks just so adorable chasing its little fur mouse all over the lounge in front of everyone, so you rush out and buy one for the feline in your life – almost the… Continue Reading
The Feline Facts of Life
by Dr Pete IronsWives have an uncanny knack of being right, as shown by my wife’s instantaneous words of wisdom on the topic of cat reproduction: “When you want them to breed they don’t and when you don’t they do”. As a reproduction specialist I consult in situations where highly bred purebreds are not producing the… Continue Reading
The Mysteriously Miserable Cat
Why was Missy not cheerful and upbeat like the other cats? She’s got a loving home, and yet she’s miserable. The client: Mrs. Lorna MacLeod, a retired high-school teacher with infinite patience. The patient: Missy, a 12-year-old spayed female Domestic Shorthair cat. The background: Missy was adopted as a 9-year-old adult, and went from… Continue Reading
Cat’s life expectancy
Cats May Have Nine Lives … But How Long Do They Live? It’s interesting to note that, nowadays, cats live longer than they ever have. Just 20 years ago the life expectancy of a cat was four to six years; today cats could live for 15 years or more. Life expectancy in cats depends on… Continue Reading