Your Cat — November 2017

http://www.yourcat.co.uk

45

CAT CARE

http://www.yourcat.co.uk 45

S

ometimes, despite our

best efforts, we miss

things in our own cats.

Some time ago, I moved

house with my three

cats and followed all the

instructions that I usually

give to my clients.

The most important one,

in my opinion, is to give the

cats time to settle into their

new environment.

Kicia, who is 13 years

old and timid, spent weeks

hiding in the bedroom,

venturing out only when the

house was quiet. Usually she

would use the toilet, eat,

and interact a little bit with

me, then disappear upstairs.

She was not going out and

hunting, but this was not

unexpected under

the circumstances.

Working long hours,

I did not realise that she

gained a lot of weight and

was less mobile. We started

a diet and gently increased

daily exercise, playing with

her in a separate room away

from the other cats, and in

the evenings, we all went on

walks around the fields.

However, something

wasn’t right. I realised

she was struggling when

jumping down, and a little

lame when walking. Close

examination revealed

painful joints.

I was mortified! How

could I miss it in my own

cat, while preaching

daily to my clients about

one of the biggest, most

under-diagnosed welfare

issues, which is feline

osteoarthritis?

Fortunately, Kicia

responded really well to her

pain and anti-inflammatory

medications. We introduced

a joint-specific diet,

plus joint supplements,

containing essential fatty

acids. I also started weekly

acupuncture sessions, which

I can do myself, although

I get the impression that

Kicia is not that pleased!

Studies show that many

cats older than 12 years

have joint changes on

X-rays. Feline osteoarthritis

is still under-diagnosed,

as the most common sign

is reduced activity, which

is often misinterpreted as

normal older-cat behaviour.

There is no excuse for

letting our cats suffer in

silence. Help is out there.

Please listen to your cat! —

Diary of

a feline vet

By resident vet Aga Zoltowksa

CAT CARE

BEHAVIOUR

Q

My eldest cat, Cleo,

always seems to

miaow really loudly

at night when we go to bed.

She’s only recently started

doing it. She’s nearly seven

years old. We would really

like to know why she does it.

Lucy Atkinson,

via Facebook.

KIM ANSWERS:

A

I am sorry to hear

that you have

recently experienced

a few changes in your cat’s

behaviour. Any sudden

changes in behaviour,

especially ones that are out

of character, should not be

ignored. In the first instance,

I would advise you to contact

your vet and arrange for Cleo

to be checked over, as this

change of behaviour may be

a sign of illness or pain.

However, if she receives

a clean bill of health, then

you have to look at her from

a behavioural perspective.

Cats miaow for a whole

variety of reasons, and

this language is developed

exclusively for humans.

Generally, a miaowing

cat wants something,

and whether this is food,

attention, or even access

to a room, a cat can often

miaow until she gets what

she wants!

The best thing to do if Cleo

is miaowing while you are

trying to sleep is to totally

ignore her.

When you first start to

ignore her, she might initially

increase the intensity of

her miaows, but once she

realises that this is in vain, her

attention-seeking behaviour

should start to reduce until

eventually it will be removed

from her behavioural

repertoire.

I hope this helps! —

Why is she

miaowing?

Cats miaow

exclusively

for humans.

Got a

question?

Send it to our experts

by post (address on

page 3), on Facebook,

or via email on catcare@

yourcat.co.uk

Kicia enjoys the

garden.

Not impressed with

acupuncture!

The 13-year-old is

responding to treatment.

40-45 YC Cat Care CS(am)SW.indd 45 29/09/2017 12:23