A man in Canada spends three hours a night making rounds of the city, looking after feral cats – and has done so for the last five years! He covers a 25-block area of Edmonton, stopping to feed up to 75 cats! Not only does this take up a large part of his day, it costs over $600 every month to buy supplies, which he finds himself when he hasn’t enough donors!

Of course, monthly supplies are only one of the expenditures for Dennis Benzer; since feral cats have no cat insurance, Benzer spends thousands looking after their wellbeing, including having them sprayed or neutered. When asked why he does it, Benzer explains “Nobody wants to take in a feral cat” and he’s right; the likely fate for most these cats is being put down at the city pound, if they don’t perish on the street.

“All the shelters are already overrun with cats” he claims; a sad but universal truth at the moment. Perhaps if there were more people like Dennis, our world would be a better place for cats… Of course, it might also cause a massive surge in the population of feral cats, which nobody really wants. Nevertheless, it’s an uplifting story!

If cat spraying is becoming a frequent problem for you, there are various methods for preventing it. Today I’ll explain just a few of them. First of all, however, I must ask that you don’t punish your cat for spraying; as frustrating as it is, it is natural behaviour and in most cases the delay between the spraying and punishment will simply serve to confuse the cat.

Also, although castration stops spraying immediately in 80% of male cats, there are other, less drastic measures you should attempt first. For one thing, consider whether there is anything your cat may consider as a threat, which may be causing the behaviour; other cats inside or outside the house, a new baby or even simply moving the furniture around.

If you are having any building work done, try to keep your cat away from it, as this will encourage territorial spraying. Once any building work is done, introduce your cat to the new area slowly and with the use of familiar items to make her feel at home; this will reduce anxiety and the need to mark new territory. Allowing and encouraging your cat to rub against objects in places where spraying has previously taken place may also help reduce the urge to spray again.

Before anything else, have your cat checked out for any medical reasons that may be causing the spraying. Most relevant health problems will be covered by your cat insurance.

The world’s most expensive cat, the Ashera has a price tag of £12,000. British businessman Simon Brodie breeds these cats from the wild African serval, the Asian leopard cat and a type of domestic cat. With striking leopard-like fur, these cats can grow up to 1 meter tall and weigh up to 30 pounds.

I wonder what the cat insurance would be on the Ashera??

Image: SWNS

More pets than ever have been abandoned over the Christmas period, as the recession continues to take its toll on animal welfare in the UK. 60 cats were abandoned in Warwickshire over December whilst, in the south-west, 11 cats were handed over to the RPSCA on Christmas day alone! As fewer and fewer animals are being adopted, many homes are struggling to accommodate all their new arrivals.

Animal charities across the country blame the recession, in particular people’s irresponsible approach to pets when regarding their financial situation. Many people buy cats over Christmas without properly considering the financial implications of owning a pet; cat food, cat insurance and vets bills to name but a few.

In my opinion, this disposable-pet philosophy is yet another indication of a deeper problem with our society – recession or not. Failure to consider the well-being of an animal before personal gimmick-based happiness is simply a side effect of modern culture; even if we could afford to keep the animals, thousands of people would still buy them without putting any thought into it. What we need is change of heart, not a new economy.

Buying a cat isn’t an easy thing to do, but the decisions you make in these first stages are the most important you might ever make for your new cat. Here is some advice for anybody considering buying a cat; be it your first, fifth or fiftieth!

For starters, if you’re not looking for a specific breed, I would highly recommend going to a cat rescue centre; you’ll find a huge variety of cats and you know you’ll be giving one a new, good home. Having said that, there are also rescue centres for certain breeds as well, but they’re not always the easiest things to find.

As the internet continues to boom, many people find or buy their cats online and it’s a brilliant way to find exactly what you’re after! There are a lot of dodgy websites out there though, so be very careful when you’re looking online and it can be hard to find a good breeder’s website. It can also be tricky to find specific breeders in your area; you absolutely must visit the cat before you commit to anything! Be certain to check their papers and, if possible, see their parents as well. Having said all of that; there are hundreds of very good breeders online and it’s a great way of viewing thousands of cats without having to trawl all over the coutry!

When you make your final decision, make sure you take your new cat to the vet immediately for a full check up and also invest in some cat insurance. Having a pet is a huge responsibility but, take your time, find the right cat and you’ll have years of great experiences!

A missing cat from Midlothian, Scotland has been found 478 miles south of his home – in Woodlands Veterinary Surgery, Plymouth! Owner Linda Jansen declares she has no idea how Sampson got so far from home, but likes to believe he walked -“Forget the Proclaimers, my cat really did walk 500 miles.” However he managed it, the Janson family is delighted to have him back, after Eagle Couriers shipped him back home for free; “I don’t suppose we’ll ever find out how the animal ended up on the south coast of England” said Director Fiona Deas, “but we can make sure it gets home safely”.

I’m not sure of Sampson’s breed, but if his namesake if anything to go by he must be a longhaired cat! From an owner’s point of view, it is very interesting to know that Sampson was found thanks to the microchip in his neck. I for one think the Jansens should have their cat insurance policy reviewed and the price lowered – clearly Sampson is a hardy individual!
 

Nobody should take on a cat without fully intending to look after it – no matter what the price. Sadly, with the price of pet health care ever rising, more cats and being put up for adoption and less owners say they are willing to pay up for emergency surgery and expensive treatment. Given the current economic climate, it’s understandable that people aren’t keen to see their finances thrown out of whack by a big vet bill, but surely this is all part of the responsibility of having a pet?

Either way, having to choose between the health of your pet and the stability of your bank account is something not cat owner wants to do. When it comes to life-saving surgery, a bill of hundreds if not thousands of pounds could be on the agenda – which 85% of cat owners said they wouldn’t pay if they exceeded £1500. By contrast, cat insurance that covers you pet for up to £1500 can be found from as little as £4.88 per month! At just over £1 per week, protecting your cat and your bank account doesn’t have to cost a fortune.

There are many causes of ear disease and hence many treatments.  In this post I explain a few of the causes and their appropriate treatments.

Bacteria and Yeast:

There are many different kinds of bacteria and yeast that can cause ear infections and hence the ear has evolved to have excellent defences against them.  However, variations in the ear environment – caused by moisture, for example – can provide a breeding ground for bacteria and yeast, allowing them to multiply and overcome the ear’s natural defences.

Regular ear cleaning helps combat both bacterial and yeast infections, though normally a course of antibiotics or antifungals will be required as well, to prevent the infection spreading deeper in the ear.

Allergies:

Allergies change the ear environment, increasing the chances of bacteria and yeast infections.  However, simply treating the infection is not enough in cases when the problem is cause by allergies in the first place.  Allergy testing is recommended to discern the best treatment.

Normal treatment of allergies in cats involves regular ear cleaning combined with antihistamines and fatty acid supplements.

Parasites:

Ear mites are a very common cause of ear problems in cats that can be detected by debris of a dark, crumbly material in the ear.  If a cat is hypersensitive to mites, the itching caused by the parasite can be so intense that the cat may actually damage their ear by scratching so much! 

Once again, regular ear cleaning is recommended, though this time a mediation will be required to kill the mites.  

As should be obvious from the above information; it is essential to keep your cat’s ears clean!

Ear disease, especially of the outer ear (otitis externa), is one of the most common conditions in pets and is estimated to be responsible for up to 6% of feline hospitalisations. The main reason for this is that ear disease can have a variety of causes, including hereditary conditions, allergies, parasites and microorganisms, objects stuck in the ear, trauma and the environment within the ear itself.

Due to the various causes of ear disease, careful diagnosis is required to ascertain the correct treatment. This will include a through physical examination, as well as inspection of the ear canal and taking swabs of the ear. Depending on the cause of the problem, treatments include antibiotics for bacterial infection, antifungals for yeast infections and glucocorticoids to reduce inflammation. When it is a systemic disease that is causing the ear infection, the treatment will have to involve the entire cat rather than just the ear.

Signs of Ear Disease Include:

• Ear odour
• Scratching of ears
• Discharge from ears
• Redness of ear canal
• Shaking or tilting of head
• Pain around the ears

Cats eating mice is just about as old an image as you can get; after all, the mouse is the natural prey for any breed of cat. However, when you consider the size of a mouse, doesn’t it seem that a cat might have to eat a fair amount of them on a daily basis to get enough food? The truth is that a mouse only provides about 10% of the daily energy that a cat requires, so – in the wild – cats need to catch quite a lot of prey every day!

However, despite having evolved eating small meals multiple times a day; it is common practise for most cat owners to feed their pet fairly large meals twice a day instead. Yet feeding studies into felines have shown that, when given a choice, cats prefer to eat up to 20 times in 24 hours!

Some cats will happily nibble away at food left out twice a day, but others seem to make it a personal mission to scoff it all down – whether they want to or not! For this reason it is advisable, if you have the time available, to try catering for your cat’s natural tendency towards small meals. Although pet insurance companies are yet to take “feeding habits” into account when you apply, small meals will actually help keep your cat slim, healthy and full of energy.