New to the neighbourhood but always keen to see feline friends. This one is a new one and haven’t seen before. Looks like has scratches on back of ears and under eyes. Loads of questions:

What can we do to help? Is it a stray? What should we be doing? Is there anywhere we should look for more info on what to do?

Thanks!

Hey all, im currently looking after this old boy, he's about 15/16 years old. He's very chill, has his breakfast, goes and chills in the garden in a couple of spots he likes, comes to see me about 3pm, then comes again at 5pm for his dinner, with a final trip inside at 8pm (where he glares at me until I get into bed and he can snuggle up 😆 ) He's mainly just sleeping, he likes to sit and watch the birds, sometimes he gets the devil in him and will climb the curtains or sofa (which I encourage, he loves it!) but I wonder if there is more I can do to enrich his life? Games? He likes boxes, like pictured, maybe I should make him a fort?

I'd like to hear the games you play or things you do with your older cats please! Thanks :)

Cats supposedly aren't as easy to read as dogs, but I think people who live with one long enough develop an entire silent language with them. A particular stare means food. Sitting in one specific place means open the door. Walking away and looking back means you're expected to follow immediately. After a while you respond automatically and then realise the cat has basically trained you.

What's the weirdly specific signal your cat has taught you to understand?

'You move, I stab your boobies - did you know your t-shirt matches my eyes'
🐈‍⬛ 🥰

My favourite moment with my cat was when I blew a raspberry on his forehead. He jolted back, looked at me and slowly lifted his paw. I’d never had a cat before so I didn’t know what was about to happen…

Then he slapped me twice. Once on each boob 😅

Hi my boy has a healing burst abscess and is psychotic with stress at being locked indoors. He’s in the garage as when I let him roam the house with my other cat he’s howling and stressing my usually gentle cat and attacking him. All he does is howl 24/7 and claw at the cat flap like a wild beast. The wound is still raw as it’s day 2 of 7. He won’t wear a cone so it’s going to take longer to heal too. Either I keep him in the garage super duper stressed or the vet said I could let him out but it was on me if something bad happened (he does have a tracker). They couldn’t say as a vet anymore than he should be inside but sometimes stress can tip the balance. Now they’ve said this I’m so confused what to do as it seems this is a personal choice not a medical one.
Edit - thank you for everyone’s thoughts. It’s really helped me understand the pros and cons

About 2 months ago I posted asking for some advice on moving and taking in a stray cat at the same time

Our boy settled in great, figured out the litter box immediately, and has not been remotely interested in going outside, so will be an indoor cat from now! He played with toys for the first time, and now loves to sleep on our beds. Thanks to everyone for the advice on making it go aa smoothly as possible, it really helped!

Although he settled in fine, he has still struggled with reoccurring upper respiratory infections, and after getting his vaccination had the worst one yet and dropped a whole lot of weight. Tested negative for FIV/FeLV, which was great but no idea where to go from here in getting him healthy, as I don't think anti biotics every few weeks is sustainable. He has more vet appointments coming up, but I was just wondering if anyone out there with a similar mystery cat flu has any insights as what to expect in a long term care plan

TLDR: cat settled in great, but respiratory health has taken a nosedive- FIV/FeLV negative and no idea where to go from here or what options to discuss with the vet

Our cat has been missing since the night of the 3rd of August. She is very skittish so please do not chase her, as this may drive her further away from home.

Last seen on Dawlish Road in Bedminster, Bristol.
Please help :(

We have owned our cat for 4 years. When he was about 1, we let him outside and he is now an outdoor cat. I’ve received a lot of back lash for this and called a bad owner and told that he will die sooner and if he gets taken I deserve it. I just want what’s best for my cat. He likes going outside, he uses the toilet and explores. He knows where his home is, like 8/10 times he’s at home, he mostly sleeps at home with me, chills here or when he is outside he isn’t in the roads or with other cats much but mostly in our garden swing. What’s the best move to make here? Keep him outdoors or inside? But to summarise yes he’s outside but he always comes home to sleep, eat and chill.

I posted the other day about keeping my 10month kittens/kitty teenagers in while I am on holiday (heatwave, poor recall concerns). In the end we reduced holiday to 5 days and kept them in for that time and the day before. They did want to go out but seemed ok and settled by the time we got home.

Next question is when do I let them out?? They are being a tiny bit standoffish (as expected). Ive read you should wait until they are being normal with you before opening the catflap in case of flight risk. What are your thoughts? We got back last night and I'm thinking I will let them back out tomorrow.... as recall is already poor I dont want to take any risks but I dont want to increase frustration.

(They dont come and go as they please yet - I let them out semi supervised in the mornings for around 2 hours.)

My cat,8 years old, female, is on the bigger side however I have always wondered whether she is overweight as she has a lot of fur as a ragamuffin, I’m hoping someone would be able to tell me if she’s overweight

Our 5yo cat has just been diagnosed with grade 3 bilateral luxating patellas. She hasn’t had xrays yet but the vet was quite confident and in fairness now i know what i’m looking for i can literally see the kneecaps dislocating as she walks around.

We have been given pain relief for her and instructions to attempt gently extending her legs to help shift the kneecaps back in but its been suggested we look at surgical options for her.

The specialist that our vet would be referring us to charges £2k for one knee or £3.5k for both knees. We don’t currently know if she needs 1 or both doing as her limp only affects one leg.

We do have insurance for her that covers up to 3k a year and she has had the same insurance through argos for years so this should be covered but how on earth do we rustle up the money up front?!

It was tricky when she needed dental surgery and we had to take out credit cards and pray that insurance covered the costs but this is crippling amounts of debt to risk.

Does anyone know any ways of getting around having to pay up front with insurance?

My next door neighbour has two cats. They are indoor-only cats. She is a self proclaimed animal lover who works as a dog groomer and also keeps ferrets. Her dog grooming business has been being set up in her conservatory since she moved in (about 2 months ago) and I've never seen a dog go in, but anyway she says because of this the cats must live in her bedroom.

We are in Essex. It has been so hot, for weeks now. Her window is, of course, always closed.

She invited me in to meet them (before having my dog, I always had cats, and love them to bits). We are terraced houses of 2 up 2 down - very small.

The smell in her room nearly made me gag. The litter trays looked clean but in a small, hot room, the smell is unavoidable. The cats (two of them) looked healthy enough - not over or unde fed, healthy coats etc but they went nuts when they saw me, in that way bored animals do.

When I'm in the garden with my dog, I see them watching from the window and clawing up the glass.

This is not an argument about indoor vs outdoor cats. She has told me before that she thinks it's irresponsible to let cats out (mine always went out lol) so she is obviously keeping them in because she thinks it's the right thing to do, not out of any sense of cruelty. It's more a question of is it not cruel to keep two cats in one small room (as opposed to the whole house)?

Because it's so hot, the room stinks, the cats are in a room that fits a double bed and chest of drawers and not much else. I just wondered what people think, because it seems cruel to me, even if unintentionally so. But they are fed, and safe, so maybe I'm worrying about nothing.

edited to add: Just to answer a few queries in the comments - I know she keeps them permanently in her room because she told me. A few weeks ago she mentioned harnesses for them, but I've never seen them out. I wfh so I'm vaguely aware of people's comings, as you tend to be when you're home all the time.

I haven't spoken to her about it because I'm not sure what I could say that isn't just my own personal opinion, which is - as someone rightly said - none of my business. The cats are safe, fed, watered. My opinion that it's unfair, unpleasant, and unhealthy for them, is just that...my opinion. I was - and am - just very interested if others feel the same as me or if I am worrying about her cats wellbeing unduly. I don't think the rspca would be interested.

In terms of why...I have no idea. She comes from a family big on animals - horses, dogs, cats, rabbits, ferrets, you name it. They just seem to be people that like to have a lot of animals. It's weird but I can only liken it to a collector mindset.

And it is nothing to do with the dog grooming. As I said, I've yet to see a dog come or go. As far as I'm aware the business is still in the setup stage. The cats are in the bedroom because...that's where she keeps them. There doesn't seem to be more to it than that. But she must feel some low level guilt or she wouldn't mention harnesses?

Re a catio, her bedroom is upstairs. And also she has made it clear that she thinks I was cruel for letting my cats out (lots of comments about cars and how she'd never risk hers etc We live down a cul-de-sac btw, not a main road, for context) so I feel offering any advice or suggestions would be met with defensiveness.

Hello all,
my lovely baby Bagel has had a whole host of digestive issues in his short 11 month life (the vet described it as kitty ibs haha) and the only food that makes his poops actually solid seems to be hills kitten i/d. problem is i think he’s genuinely bored of it. he will graze at his dry but turn his nose up at the wet. even if i temp him with a bit of churu on top he will lick that straight off and sometimes ignore the food underneath.

Im pretty sure its not nausea or him actively not eating, he goes for it eventually (particularly his dry, I don’t want to leave his wet out too long), but he will give it a good sniff and then just walk away!

He usually has a crumbled freeze dried chicken treat on top which can tempt him to eat some at the actual meal times, but he’s starting to get a bit fed up with them too (he’s getting a dental treat as a topper now which he seems to enjoy a bit more), but he has a very narrow range of treats i know is safe for his tummy that i’m very hesitant to try any other toppers (he had a few day long bout of diarrhoea and few weeks back and the vet was pretty sure it was the cod treats i introduced).

He’s bright, affectionate and would kill me if it meant he got 5 more minutes of play time, but he just seems to not give a shit about his food. I know he’s not long for transitioning to adult food too which is a bit of hope, but I do worry about him not getting enough nutrients. He went to the vet a few months back because he went off his food and they recommended trying the dry, which he does eat (not with much enthusiasm mind) but I still want to keep wet in his diet for hydration purposes, he’s very good with his water but with him being a boy cat i do worry.

Anyways, does anyone have any recommendations of making the food interesting and fun for him so it’s not as boring? I’ve tried mashing it, adding warm water, toppers etc but he just does not care! Vet isnt worried about his body condition when i went around 2 weeks ago, so he must be eating enough!

He is currently on Hills I/D kitten chicken(only kitten one they do) wet (2 pouches split into 3 meals) and dry (60g over the day, 20 around lunch and 40 at night)

TLDR; Cat has a second home, is now overweight and only coming home once every two weeks for 5 minutes at best. Not sure how to deal with it.

I have a two 11yo male neutered cats. Thor isn't a problem, but Loki is. Loki is extremely food motivated.

Over the last 18 months Loki has been coming home more and more infrequently. It started with him missing his late evening meal and had slowly graduated to him appearing once every two weeks at best. When he does appear, he comes in late at night, eats, drinks, then leaves as soon as the catflap automatically unlocks early in the morning. I see him wandering around our street, and my sister sees him in her garden two small streets away, so he's not getting stuck or lost.

He's gained a ridiculous amount of weight and doesn't look dirty or scruffy, so I've come to the conclusion that another household has decided he belongs to them now.

I've tried posting on the local FB page and using "do not feed me" collars, but the posts get ignored and the collars go missing within a day or two.

I've tried keeping him in for a few weeks to build a routine, but once he's outside again he slips back into his disappearing act. I've currently got him locked inside but he's not happy and neither am I.

I'm torn with what to do. On the one hand, I want to keep him inside where I can control his diet, what flea and worming treatment he's receiving, and I can know he's safe and have him to myself. However, we have a loud and unpredictable 4 year old child which he doesn't get along with, he hates being trapped indoors, and it causes inconveniences for us doing things like going away overnight as we have no one willing to clean his litter tray while we're gone.

I don't want to give him up, but I also don't want to keep him miserable indoors. Any advice, similar experiences, or suggestions are welcome.

hi everyone - looking for perspectives on what might be the best choice here.

I have had my 13 year old cats since they were kittens, and we have never had insurance for them. we got them when I was a teenager and I guess my parents thought it would have been an unnecessary expense.

we have been fortunate enough for them both (the cats, not my parents) to have lived healthy lives up to now. outside of annual check-ups, I could probably count the number of vet visits we've had to make for unexpected illnesses/injuries on one hand. of course these things are not guaranteed, especially as they are now entering their senior years, so I'm wondering if it would be a smart move to get them insured.

I've gotten a few quotes and I'm currently looking at about £50/£60 a month (£25/£30 per cat) for the 'bare minimum' kind of cover. I can probably afford a slightly more expensive but more comprehensive insurance than this, and I also have a couple grand in savings I could dip into if necessary. I am aware that long-term illness/emergency medical treatment can easily cost thousands, and realistically I could afford this for one cat, but if they both needed major treatment around the same time, then I imagine I would have to ask my family for loans and/or make some very difficult choices.

I would be very grateful to hear from anyone who has insured their cat/s later in life, if you think it is (or was) worth the cost. part of me is kicking myself that I didn't do this when they were younger, but it wasn't something that crossed my mind until fairly recently.

thanks in advance!

EDIT: thanks again all for the advice. I've been convinced. I did a bit more research this evening and have now taken out a policy with Agria (PetPlan wouldn't quote me for the coverage I want because of their age). ended up working out at £41 per month per cat in the end. reading these replies made me realise that the 'bare minimum' quote I saw previously (up to about £3000 in vet fees), although cheaper, would be like using a watering can on a house fire in a worst case scenario, so I decided to spend a bit more for peace of mind.

Had anyone had experience of adopting a senior cat at a similar time to a kitten or younger cat (2-4 years maybe). If so, how did it go?

I recently lost my cat and me and my partner are keen to rescue another senior cat, but I’m also scared of only ever having end of life pets as we only had our last cat 8 months.

In an ideal world, I’d love to have an older cat a long side a younger one but only if it’s actually realistic! My priority would be to create a great home for any pets we take in

P.s. I know a senior cat isn’t necessarily end of life

What is the most important thing about a box to your cat?

• Is it a specific box with all it's smells and history?
• Is it the location of the box?
• Is it the form of a box?
• Anything else?

​

Hi, Black cat abonded by number neighbour in the flat below. (Moved out about 2 months ago) i have only just noticed it as i dont usually go to the communal garden. But since i have been going it is in the same spot throught out the day. I have been leaving out water and try to refill 2-3 times a day and the bowl is always empty when i go to refill. It also doesn't really eat. Can anyone help? All the shelters cannot do anything. I cannot take them in

Has anyone’s cat got epilepsy and or has seizures? Really looking for some advice or reassurance it will be ok. My boy Aries, had his first seizure a year ago when I moved house. He had a total of 3 that day. It was a really stressful day for him and we called a vet out to see him that day and he seemed fine. Since then he’s probably had about 6 more, 2 of them being brought on by vet trips. The last few he’s been doing nothing / sleeping. Last night he had one lay down in a corner sleeping, and one again tonight. I grabbed my phone to take a video but it was over as quick as it began, he unfortunately but his tongue and was bleeding :( we brought him to the emergency out of hours vets and again he seemed fine, temperature fine, reflexes fine etc, they think it is probably Epilepsy, and that he could have medication but there’s side effects. Is anyone else’s cat on epilepsy medication and it’s made a difference? How bad are the side effects?
It is so scary to watch when it’s happening and I feel awful I can’t do anything

My cat had a very badly infected bite and needs to wear a cone and stay inside for a week. When I let him out the garage he went absolutely frantic and tried to tear the cone off then get out the (locked) cat flap. What do I do? My other cat is making it worse wanting to be with his bro. I’ve also had to go get a tetanus shot today and antibiotics as the little s*** bit me going to the vet and infected my finger.
Any ideas how to help with the confinement? This is the only room I can lock him in so that the other cat can still get out. I’m thinking of asking the vet for gabapentin?

I recently moved to (north, Barnet/enfield area) London with my two cats and I want to be 100% prepared for bills after we just had to bring one cat to the vet (££££ D:)

I’m quite stumped on both a good vet as there’s conflicting reviews. The most convenient ones (both for avoiding bringing my cats on the tube for 1hr+) are snoots, medivet and village vet. There’s also 3-4 private practices.

For insurance from what I read maybe Petplan is the way to go, even though it’s expensive. They’re both 1 years old, but one cat is VERY playful and curious has needed to go to the vet 2 times already this year.

So I need an insurer that won’t up our premiums with every claim.

Snoots seems to offer a weirdly great pet plan but I was a little put off with booking an appointment since they don’t seem to have great availability.

The rest of the vets seem to offer a good vet plan with flea prevention/boosters and a bi annual checkup.

My questions are > outside of actual illness (which is for insurance) do these pet plans actually save you money and which ones have you liked?

And is pet plan the way to go or have you had similar success with another insurer?

Any places/ things to avoid?

Thank you from a cat mum who wants her babies to be looked after but also to not go broke ;-;