Cat World Blog

Rain always welcome

Hurrah! Two days of cooler weather and Fred is back indoors a lot more. Last evening he slept on his cushion in the lounge with me and it was lovely just having him around. I bet he'll be in a lot more over the May bank holiday too, because if its a bank holiday then the weather is sure to be bad (no not pessimistic - just experienced!). Soon enough the sun will be out again and he'll be off - treating the place like a hotel. Love him!

The One Show

Did you see Joe Inglis on The One Show last night ("One, O-nne, Onnne")? You see, it's true about male cats holding in their wee in cold weather and getting urinary tract infections (if they are outdoor pee'ers that is). Despite my putting two litter trays out for Fred during the heavy snow, he always chose to tiptoe his way through the snow rather than use his tray. I guess he had found a reasonable spot to pee that wasn't too frozen. Funny isn't it, you just can't make cats do what they don't want to, even when it is to help them! Stubborn little individuals - that's why I love 'em!

Snow good y'know

Rain stopped play today, or rather, snow stopped play. We had a layer of snow last night and it's still here this morning. With flakes in the air, more snow forecast and temperatures at zero, it seems the sensible thing to do is stay here and work from my home office.
How do your cats get on with snow? Fred doesn't like it much. I can see where he has been by the pawprints. Despite having a litter tray in the house, he NEVER uses it. Instead he prefers to go outside and brave the icicles! Cats can get cystitis and urinary problems from holding it in because they don't want to go out in bad weather for a pee. If your cat hasn't got a litter tray, it might be a good idea to get them one for bad weather conditions. They might just be glad of it and it will save you a big vet's bill!

Cats and heatstroke

Hello all, what lovely weather we're having. Four sunny days in a row must be a record...hopefully not the last of our summer! Apparently we are in for a good summer this year, which leads me to point out what may seem basic - protect your cat against heatstroke. Every year we hear reports of owners who have left their dog in a hot car without enough ventilation with fatal consequences and I am afraid to say that cats also suffer in the heat. Black cats in particular will suffer because the heat is drawn to black as we know. The thing to do is make sure that your cat has plenty of shaded areas to retreat to outside and place some dishes of fresh water in cool spots around the garden too. If you have an indoor cat then you must make sure that they have ventilation and cool spots. Ditto a fresh water supply. It is harder for an indoor cat to cool down as they can not wander off and find their own shade like an outdoor cat can, so you may need to be kind about allowing them access to cool areas of the home where they might not otherwise be allowed. If all else fails, invest in a ceiling fan that you can leave on, but be careful with standing fans as they tend to fall over and curious little paws can easily poke through the grill. Sunny weather is hard when you're in a permanent fur coat!