42 Your Cat November 2017Q
Q
BEHAVIOUR
Medea keeps weeing
on the sofa. What’s the
best way to clean it?
Fran Jacobs, via Facebook.ANITA ANSWERS:
A
Cats have different quirks, and one of them is licking their paws to drink water off
them. This may be because they do not like the shape or size of their water bowl,
especially if their sensitive whiskers are hitting the sides, or just because that’s what
they like to do. It’s nothing to worry about,
but you could change the water
bowl to a larger size, or even
buy your cat a fun water
fountain and see what
happens. Watching a cat
drink from dipping his paws
in his water bowl always
looks rather cute to me. —Cats may sometimes play with
their food and water!Why does my cat drink
water from his paw?
Mel Casto Gordon, via Facebook.KIM ANSWERS:
A
Cats are usually very diligent and
fastidiously clean when it comes
to their toileting habits, so the fact
Medea has decided to urinate outside of
her litter tray may indicate a behavioural
or medical issue. In the first instance,
I would advise you to get Medea checked
out by your vet to make sure that there is
no underlying medical condition.
If she gets the all-clear, you should look
at her current litter tray set-up; problems
could relate to the design, type of litter,
and/or location of the litter trays.
The usual recommended ratio is one
litter tray per cat, plus one extra, so in
a three-cat household, this would mean
four litter trays. Cats are private animals,
especially when it comes to toileting,
so position the litter trays in differentlocations of the house, away from
windows and busy or noisy places.
Litter tray hygiene is crucially important
to encourage use. Cats can be very
particular when it comes to using a litter
tray, so try to be meticulous and clean the
tray on a more frequent basis.
It’s very important to thoroughly clean
any areas on the sofa on which she has
urinated by using a 10 per cent solution
biological detergent to prevent further
marking. It would also be useful to make
the problem areas incompatible with
toileting by providing a bowl of dried
biscuits in the affected area — a cat
would generally not urinate in a perceived
feeding area.
Hopefully this will help Medea to
re-establish appropriate toileting habits. —ti fth h fOwnership
worries
Q
We recently adopted
a stray cat. She is happy
and we adore her. Our vet
found a tattoo in her ear, but it
was too old to read, so we had her
chipped. If the original owner ever
came forward, who would be the
legal owner?
Susie Suggs, via email.
TREVOR ANSWERS:A
Cats used to be regarded
as free spirits and couldn’t
be owned. However, times
have changed and they can now be
regarded as chattels in the same
way as dogs — although a cat is
more likely to decide for himself
where he wants to live, even if he
has an owner.
If the original owner comes
forward and proves ownership, and
you don’t voluntarily return her,
they may bring a civil claim against
you for the cat’s return. At court,
the judge will have discretion on
whether to make the order. —What is the
best flea
treatment?
Michelle Pilling, via email.
AGA ANSWERS:A
I believe each cat
should be treated as
an individual, and flea
treatment protocol should
be designed depending on
the needs of the cat and
the environment he lives in.
Obviously, most vets have
a preferred choice, and
commonly that is based on
personal opinion, as well as
evidence behind the product.
All products will have some
potential side effects, and your
vet can advise on the risks.
I realise that sometimes price
is an important factor — we all
live in the real world. In those
cases, I discuss with my clients
which of the products they
are thinking of buying is worth
spending their money on. —BEHAVIOUR
LEGAL
VETERINARY
Clean out your cat’s litter
tray as often as possible.40-45 YC Cat Care CS(am)SW.indd 42 29/09/2017 12:19