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UK’S FAVOURITE CAT MAGAZINE FOR OVER 37 YEARS £4.99 OCTOBER 2018 n ISSUE 487

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 44

theinsidetrack
October 2018 l Issue 487
To reach us: Call +44 (0)1903 884988.
Or write to: The Editor, Cat World,
PO Box 2258, PULBOROUGH RH20 9BA
Great Britain
4 MEWS ROUND 50 BIG CAT TREK
email: support@ashdown.co.uk Felines making headlines Adventurers unite for big challenge
Website: www.catworld.co.uk
US office: Ashdown Inc., 68132 250th
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email: usoffice@ashdown.co.uk
10 SENIOR CATS 54 BOARDING HOUSE DIARY
Life in old age Some new residents arrive
Editor: Jill Mundy
email: jill@ashdown.co.uk 12 INDOOR SAFETY 56 AID FOR APRIL
Advertisement sales: Common household hazards Charity help for injured cat
UK office: Maria Fitzgerald
Email: maria@ashdown.co.uk 16 JOINT HEALTH 58 THE PURRING EFFECT
US office: Sara Vix Benefits of supplements Cats purr for more than one reason
Email: sara@ashdown.co.uk
Design: Richard Jennings & 20 A-Z OF LITTER 60 CONFESSIONS OF A CAT LOVER
Wendy Crosthwaite How to choose for your cat Two’s company, three’s a crowd
Subscriptions: 24 ON THE EDGE 62 PASHA & TANNI
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Family growing pains Making the most of things
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Published by ashdown.co.uk. ISSN 0961 - 0944 25 KEEPING MOBILE 63 FUN PAGE
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34 CONSERVATION 68 CATS AND HISTORY
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41 FERAL CATS
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42 TAMING THE WILD
rights worldwide, in all forms and in all media.
Pat finds patience pays off
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44 MEET THE BREED
Ever enchanting Ragdoll

2 C AT W O R L D
afurrywarmwelcome 6

As Autumn arrives, life begins

to slow down a little but not be-
fore a flurry of activity getting
gardens tidied up and patio
furniture stored away until next
year. Spare a thought for any
wandering cats while you are
closing shed and garage doors
as it is easy for them to become trapped.
This time of year usually brings sunshine
and showers, blustery days blowing the
leaves off the trees and a slight nip in the air.
There are still plenty of days to be enjoyed
outside so make the most of them with your
furry friends - it has been such a good sum-
mer that the winter may well pay us back big
time. As usual, we will have plenty of advice
over the coming months for keeping kitties
safe indoors and out.
Safety is a luxury some of our big cats,
from whom our fab felines descend, are not
easily afforded, with an increase in trading for
body parts, loss of natural habitat and illegal
poaching. We have some interesting articles
about conservation this month plus an in-
sight into a challenging mountain trek from
someone who will be taking part dressed as
a lion - yes really! Let’s roar in support of cats
everywhere, big and small…long may they
continue to give us joy and friendship. 12 36
Till next month

Jill & the team

Want to write or report 50
for CW? We’d love to
hear from you. Email
jill@ashdown.co.uk

72 GORDY & ME
All the cats hate me…
74 CATS ON THE COUCH
Toileting troubles explained
77 SAFETY OUTSIDE
‘Look before you lock’ warning
78 KITTY CRAFT
Seasonal crafts for you to make
82 TAIL END
When we needed it most…

C AT W O R L D
3
 THE MEWS
OUR ROVING REPORTERS BRING YOU ALL THE CAT NEWS, GOSSIP, HEALTH AND MORE. EMAIL JILL@ASHDOWN.CO.UK
Seniors
are harder
to rehome
The RSPCA has
revealed that it
can take twice
as long to find a home for a cat
over the age of three than it does
a kitten. They currently have 59
older cats at their national centres
and are urging prospective adop-
ters to choose an older cat.
RSPCA cat welfare expert Sam
Watson said: “We would encour-
age anyone looking to adopt a cat
to consider rehoming an older
model who really needs a sec-
ond chance. Many older cats can
make wonderful, playful and lov-
ing companions but are usually
less intense than kittens. These
seniors can sometimes need a
little more care, medicine and
could require a special diet but
they will make such rewarding
companions.”
Cats like Isaac Newton (pic-
tured), a 17-year-old ginger
and white cat who really enjoys
company, or 16-year-old Gracie
who loves lots of strokes and
snuggles. Both are currently with
the RSPCA.
If you still need convincing, see
our senior cat care features in this
issue.
4 C AT W O R L D
ROUND
Uproar over lion killings
Far from trying to conserve the spe-
cies, it would seem, the South African
Government has recently increased
the number of lions it will allow to be
killed for bone exports to 1500 from
800…a shocking increase.
Cathrine S Nyquist, founder and
managing director at Panthera Africa, than ever to continue our dedicated
commented: “The new decision on work to change this industry and edu-
increasing the export quota of lions cate on the importance of protecting
from 800 to 1500 has shocked us and the lions and Mother Earth. As they say,
just clearly shows that there is an enor- it is the darkest before the dawn, so
mous amount of work still to be done lets hope the sun is soon rising!”
in both spreading awareness as well as The big cat conservation charities
getting people to recognise the lion as really need help and support from the
the King of Africa and a majestic being, public to ensure such disgraceful treat-
not a commodity to exploit for egos ment of these magnificent animals is
and money! We are more determined brought to an end.
SENSE garden
In last month’s magazine we incorrectly said the
SENSE garden article was written by Jill Mundy
when it was in fact written by Sonja K Steiner.
Huge apologies to Sonja. This was such an inter-
esting article. Please support BCWR if you can
- Katie works tirelessly to help the cats in her care
but debts are mounting. www.bcwr-kittens.co.uk
Baggie keeps cool
I thought you might like this picture of Baggie
(left) our Selkirk Rex who was feeling very re-
laxed during the heatwave in July!
Janet Newman, Southampton

Cats tick the box
We already know that
cats love to play or hide
in a cardboard box - they
can have hours of fun.
And just watch them do
the same with your suit-
case when you’re trying
to pack! But they will also
choose to sit in a box
RSPCA Vet joins
Cats Protection
because it makes them it seems, just can’t resist
feel happy and safe. Cats this ‘virtual box’ and
are not lovers of open there are photos galore
spaces. of cats sitting happily in-
The latest feline side a square taped onto
sensation on Twitter is the middle of a floor.
#CatSquare - a square So if you want to make
marked out on the floor kitty feel safe, give her a
with coloured tape. Cats, box.
PAWS FOR
Gumtree change
pet policy
The online classified website
and app, Gumtree, is usually well
known for its ‘free to all’ advertis-
ing policy, making it easy to ad-
vertise any item, including pets.
On 7th August they announced
they had introduced a compulso-
ry paywall in a bid to discourage
the casual trading of animals. Any-
one wishing to place an advert in
their Pets category will now be
required to pay a nominal fee.
Gumtree’s General Manager
Matt Barham said: “For the first
time in our 18-year history, we
have taken the deliberate and
purposeful step to shift away from
our traditional ‘free for all users’
model in the Pets category in a
bid to rid Gumtree of illegal pets
trading.”
Canada’s leading online clas-
sifieds site Kijiji – part of the eBay
classifieds Group, which includes
Gumtree – introduced a similar
paywall policy on a part of their
platform in 2014 which proved
successful in reducing incidents
of abuse.

THOUGHT
Cats Protection has appointed James
Yeates as its new Chief Executive.
James, who is Chief Veterinary Of-
ficer at the RSPCA, will take up his
role at Cats Protection on 1 Novem- ‘Cats are
ber and will lead the cat charity at an
exciting time in its development. rather delicate
Cats Protection currently helps around 200,000 cats
each year and James will lead efforts to expand its
creatures and
rehoming, neutering, education and advocacy work to they are sub-
help many more cats in the future.
As a qualified vet with degrees in Veterinary Sci- ject to a good
Missing Sonny
ence and Bioethics, as well as a PhD, James is experi- many different
enced in ensuring the good welfare of all animals. He This is our cat Sonny. I love how
has been at the RSPCA since 2012 and owns a tor- ailments but this photo reflects his character;
toiseshell cat called Monkey. cheeky, clever and great fun.
Linda Upson, Cats Protection’s Chairman of Trustees
I have never He brought so much love and
said: “I am delighted that we are welcoming James to heard of one laughter into our lives but sadly
Cats Protection. His extensive knowledge of the animal he was killed when hit by a car
welfare sector, coupled with his love of cats, will make who suffered a few weeks ago. Always in our
him a great addition to our existing senior manage- from insomnia.’ memory.
ment team.” Sarah Trout
Joseph Wood Krutch

C AT W O R L D
5

Detecting and treating
Osteoarthritis in cats
Osteoarthritis progresses slowly and gradually so that it
often isn’t noticed until the symptoms are quite severe
but there is plenty you can do to help
BY SARAH CANEY BVSC PHD DSAM(FELINE) MRCVS, RCVS SPECIALIST IN FELINE MEDICINE
O
steoarthritis, com-
monly referred to as
‘arthritis’, is a sig-
nificant cause of pain
and discomfort, resulting in
decreased mobility and a
reduction in quality of life.
Arthritis involves a grad-
ual loss of function in the
synovial joint - these are
joints that allow for move-
ment. Where the bones meet to form
a synovial joint, the bones’ surfaces
are covered with smooth cartilage (a
flexible connective tissue), to cushion
them where they meet to form the
joint. This joint also has a membrane,
surrounding the ends of the bones,
which contains synovial fluid that helps
the joint move smoothly. Most joints
in the body are synovial joints, such
as the shoulders, elbows, hips, knees,
wrists, ankles and even toe joints; all
are susceptible to arthritis.
Arthritis occurs when the cushion-
ing cartilage covering the ends of the
bones gets damaged or wears away,
causing inflammation and pain. Arthri-
tis can be caused by a number of dif-
ferent conditions but primarily, it’s due
to wear and tear and use of those joints
over a long period.
There are some factors, however
that may increase the risk of your cat
developing arthritis. These factors
include things like breed type; some
breeds are genetically predisposed to
having abnormal development of their
6 C AT W O R L D
FELINE HEALTH
joints, most often hip and
knee. Injury or trauma can
also increase the chances
of earlier development of
arthritis and while obe-
sity itself may not cause
arthritis, increased weight
can add unnecessary
stress to joints, accelerat-
ing the debilitating impact
of arthritis.
We know from published studies
that the bony changes, typical of ar-
thritis, are very common. In one study,
90% of cats aged 12 years and over
had radiographic (X-ray) evidence
of joint disease1. More recent studies
have shown radiographic evidence
of arthritis in the limb joints affecting
between 60% and over 90% of cats1.
So clearly a lot of cats out there have
a degree of arthritis, that may not be
obviously affecting their ability to get
around but it does highlight how com-
mon this condition is.
There are many challenges that we
face when it comes to diagnosing and
treating this condition in cats espe-
cially. Cats tend to subtly change their
behaviour to compensate for a lack
of mobility and to hide pain. It is often
only in advanced stages of arthritis that
the owner notices that something is not
right with their pet.
Be a detective
So from an owner’s perspective, un-
derstanding how to spot if your cat has
any signs of arthritis is critical. There
are a few questions that you can ask
yourself while you are watching your
cat go about its normal daily routine.
For example:
l Is your cat just as able to go up and
down stairs, use the cat flap, or jump
onto or off surfaces as it used to?
l Is your cat just as keen and enthusi-
astic to play, to climb trees and fences
and use scratching posts?
l Does your cat still access its high
vantage points or has it started to use
lower, easier-to-access places?
l Is your cat as flexible as it used to
be when grooming itself? If it becomes
painful to turn around and to groom
certain areas of the body, then the coat
can become matted and scruffy or the
cat may groom itself less often.
l Does your cat still enjoy you groom-
ing or stroking it or does it move away/
show displeasure?
l Have you noticed any toilet accidents
due to difficulty getting outside or dif-
ficulty getting into a high-sided litter
tray?
Judging activity in cats can be dif-
ficult because we think it’s normal for
a cat to be sleeping a lot of the day. If,
when you reflect about your cat’s activ-
ity compared to previous years, you
think they are less active, this could be
a sign of arthritis. Other signs to look
out for include a stiff or stilted gait, or
a limp.
The only definite way of diagnosing
arthritis in your cat is by X-ray, how-
 FELINE HEALTH

“Judging activity in cats can be difficult because we think

it’s normal for a cat to be sleeping a lot of the day.”
ever if your cat is showing any signs
that indicate it may have the beginning
of arthritis, your vet or vet nurse will
be able to suggest some options that
will make life easier for your cat and,
where appropriate, help to reduce the
pain associated with OA.
How to help
So what can you do at home to help
your cat?
l Weight control is really important
because being overweight puts more
of a burden on joints.
l Provide a bed that the cat can just
walk on and walk off or some steps up
to your cat’s favourite resting place.
l Raise the food and water bowls to
relieve the pressure on spine and
elbows. You can purchase raised bowls
from pet shops or simply put the feed
bowl on an upturned bowl or a box at
an appropriate level for the cat (ensur-
ing it is secure).
l Make sure that you offer your cat a
litter tray, even if it previously preferred
to go outside to urinate and defecate.
The ideal litter tray has a low access
point, is open, and roomy. Changing
the litter to a soft, sandy clumping type
will be more comfortable for the cat to
stand on and easy to keep clean.
l If your cat is having difficulty getting

C AT W O R L D
7

out of doors through a cat flap, perhaps
you can leave a door open for your cat
at certain times of day or accompany
them outside. But make sure they have
all the things they need inside at all
times, such as food, water and a litter
tray.
l Encourage play and stimulation.
There are all sorts of toys your cat can
play with, some combine feeding with
play such as little puzzle feeders. This
exercise is good for mental function
in older cats and can help delay the
onset of cognitive dysfunction (‘brain
fog’) and improve mobility.
All these are very simple things that
you can do to make life a bit easier for
your arthritic cat. It is also worthwhile
discussing with your vet whether a
specially designed mobility diet or
joint supplements might be helpful.
Whilst environmental modifications
can be of great benefit to our cats,
8 C AT W O R L D
FELINE HEALTH
there are many cats that may still be
in significant discomfort and this is
where anti-inflammatory/pain-relief
medications have a role to play. Some
medications are better than others for
long-term treatment of cats in chronic
arthritic pain and your vet will be the
best person to offer advice and pre-
scribe the most appropriate pain relief.
A combined use of diet and exercise
can also be useful in helping to reduce
the dose of anti-inflammatories/pain
relief medication that may be needed.
So in summary, arthritis in cats is a
very common condition but it can be
hard to spot gradual changes. Try to
look at your cat critically every now
and then, maybe keep a diary to moni-
tor your cats’ enthusiasm to do certain
things, monitor for any changes in your
cat’s agility or behaviour - and if you
spot any changes, don’t hesitate to dis-
cuss them with your vet or vet nurse.
l Sarah Caney is an internationally rec-
ognised specialist in feline medicine
who has worked as a feline-only vet for
more than twenty years. She trained as
a specialist at the University of Bristol
and is one of fourteen recognised
specialists in feline medicine work-
ing within the UK. Sarah has written or
co-written four books published by
her business Vet Professionals, includ-
ing ‘Caring for an elderly cat’. Sarah
conducts online owner surveys and
has published much of her research
results in the Journal of Feline Medi-
cine and Surgery. Her website is www.
vetprofessionals.com
1 ISFM 2018, Arthritis and degenerative joint
disease in cats, viewed 11th May 2018,
icatcare.org/advice/cat-health/arthritis-and-
degenerative-joint-disease-cats
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 SENIOR CAT CARE

Keeping cats looking

good and living well
As our cats approach their senior years, changes to their
health and daily routine are inevitable that but with the
appropriate care, many can live well into their teens

BY DR LINDA SIMON, MVB, MRCVS

A
s cats get older it is inevitable
that they will begin to suffer with
certain health issues, many of
which will mean that they need
more care and attention than they ever
did before. A cat can be considered
‘senior’ when they are about 11-14
years old, with cats over the age of 15
classified as ‘geriatric’.
The process of ageing can take
a big toll on a cat, just like it can on
people. Their hearing, sense of smell
and eyesight worsen, often meaning
that we need to modify our homes for
them. Their routine should be kept as
consistent as possible and the house-
hold furniture should not be moved
around too much. Food and water
bowls should be kept in the same
place and filled up at the same time
each day.
Many cats become fussy with their
food as they get older but try warm-
ing it up to help release the aromas; a
handy trick that can increase the appe-
tite of a cat with a poor sense of smell.
Osteoarthritis is incredibly common
in elderly cats, with one prominent
study claiming that over 90% of teen-
age cats have some degree of arthritis.
Stiff joints make it more difficult to stay
balanced when jumping and to run
away from trouble quickly. This tends
to mean that an older cat stays closer
to the house or stops going outside al-
together. They can find it tricky to use
litter trays as they used to and many
owners find that they need to purchase
trays with lower lips and move trays
to more accessible locations that are
lower down and downstairs.
Similarly, with sore backs and hips,
cats find it increasingly difficult to
groom as they used to. Their fur may
become matted, so in order to prevent
this, they should be groomed gently
with a brush on a daily basis. Ar-
thritic kitties may begin to ‘heat seek’
- searching for the warmest part of the
home to help ease any aching joints.
Heated cat beds can be a great help,
and many modern pet beds are also
designed with thick, padded foam;
similar to an orthopaedic mattress for
humans. It’s always worth discussing
degenerating mobility with your vet
as a high number of our feline friends
will benefit from joint supplements and
pain relief medication.
As cats spend more time indoors,
their claws can become overgrown.
Elderly cats tend to have very thick
claws and these can curl around and
grow into their pads if not trimmed
regularly. Claw clipping should be
introduced early in a cat’s life to ensure
that they will tolerate this ‘alien’ proce-
dure.
On top of the natural deterioration
that occurs over time, certain diseases
become more prevalent with age,
including chronic kidney disease,
hyperthyroidism and some cancers.
Once cats reach their teenage years, a
veterinary check-up every six months
is advised. Their weight and muscle
mass can be recorded and it may
be a good idea to have their blood
and urine sampled at the same time.
Kidney disease can now be detected
earlier than ever via a new blood test
that checks for a biomarker called
‘SDMA’. If picked up early, we can im-
prove an affected kitty’s quality of life
and increase their life span by modify-
ing their diet and via the use of certain
medications and diet supplements.
During these old age check-ups,
many clinics will now also offer a blood
pressure check. Assessing a cat’s
blood pressure regularly is important
because cats with hypertension may
not show any symptoms at all. Daily
tablets can reduce blood pressure
to normal levels. This is so important
because uncontrolled high blood pres-
sure can lead to a number of prob-
lems, including sudden blindness and
seizures.
While our senior cats may need a
little extra TLC than before and will
likely start visiting the vet more often,
most felines can live well into their
teens while still enjoying a very good
quality of life.

“The process of ageing can take a big toll on a cat, just like it can on people.”
10 C AT W O R L D
SENIOR CAT CARE

C AT W O R L D
11

Not all hazards for
cats are outside
When we think of cats getting injured or maybe poisoned,
we often imagine accidents outside but there are potential
dangers in our own homes that we should be aware of
C
ats have nine lives for a rea-
son…we regularly read stories
of flighty felines that have put
themselves in a dangerous
position and need to be rescued. They
just seem to have a knack of finding
trouble and certainly keep our animal
rescue services and veterinary sur-
geons busy all year round.
It’s been a wonderful summer
here in the UK but it won’t be long
before our thoughts turn to autumn,
darker evenings and our feline friends
spending a little more time indoors. Of
course, we love their company! What
we don’t want is for them to hurt them-
selves or become ill while spending
time in the house.
Some cats are kept as indoor pets
all the time, rarely having any ac-
cess to the outdoors. This is often a
conscious decision by the owner to
reduce the risks of the cat ending up
in a serious situation away from their
home. Security and safety are impor-
tant to all cat owners and kittens in
particular are very inquisitive, poking
their tiny noses and paws into all sorts
of places. So here are some of the
potential indoor hazards and ways in
which we can prevent them.
Washing machines
When the weather outside is fright-
ful, the open door to a warm washing
machine, recently emptied or lined
with warm, clean items, can be an in-
viting place for a snooze. Always make
12 C AT W O R L D
INDOOR SAFETY
BY CORINNE MANSFIELD
sure you close the doors of washing
machines and tumble dryers and
check inside them before filling with
clothes and switching on. Cats have
been known to go through a wash cy-
cle and survive but no-one would ever
want their cat to suffer such trauma.
Oven-top hobs
Ideally, cats shouldn’t be allowed to
wander on kitchen work surfaces for
hygiene reasons. However, a cat will
usually go where a cat wants to go and
we can’t always be at home with them
24/7 so if you have been using the
hob, close the kitchen door to make
sure your cat doesn’t have the oppor-
tunity to take a jump up and discover
just how painful burnt paws can be.
Irons and other electrical items
Don’t wander off and leave your iron
and board unattended while the iron is
warming up. Take care to store the flex
safely as a cat’s inquisitive paw may
give it a tug. Even when cold, it could
inflict some hefty injuries.
It is possible to purchase an iron
plate cover for just a few pounds that
will allow you to store the iron away
while it cools.
There are several options to keep
flexes and wires on electrical equip-
ment, including televisions, neatly
coiled out of sight, including cable ties,
reels, tubes and cases. Not only are
long wires tempting to play with but a
young kitten may also chew them.
Detergents etc.
While most cats are fussy about
what passes their lips and so are un-
likely to drink any cleaning fluids, it is
wise to be cautious. If a bottle leaked
or a top was loose and the bottle got
knocked over, the cat could tread in
the fluid then ingest some of it during
the process of grooming himself.
Always make sure lids are replaced
tightly and keep anything like clean-
ers, bleach, disinfectant and tablets for
washing machines and dishwashers in
a secure cupboard.
Sewing items
Whether you sew as a hobby or just
have a basic repair kit, needles and
thread left lying around may get stuck
in a paw or could be swallowed which
can lead to threads getting wrapped
around the cat’s tongue. Keep such
items in a secure box.
Christmas decorations
Although we won’t be getting these
out for a while, some stores start sell-
ing Christmas decorations almost as
soon as the children go back to school
after the summer! If you are tempted
to make a few early purchases, put
them away in a box where your cat is
unable to reach them until you start to
decorate your house. Tinsel in particu-
lar is often a major cause for concern,
as if ingested it can become tangled in
the cat’s intestines and may need to be
surgically removed.
 INDOOR SAFETY

“Always make sure you close the doors of

washing machines and tumble dryers.”

C AT W O R L D
13

“If you live in a flat or have several storeys
to your home, it would be advisable to not
have windows opened wide.”
Dangling baubles and flickering
lights may be too entertaining for a
young kitten to resist!
Windows and balconies
Most cats are adept climbers and
will cope with getting in or out of an
upstairs window if you have a high
fence, porch or flat roof that allows ac-
cess up to bedroom height. However, if
you live in a flat or have several storeys
to your home, it would be advisable
to not have windows opened wide.
14 C AT W O R L D
INDOOR SAFETY
That being said, this would have been
unbearable during our heatwave this
summer. Window screens can be
purchased that fix securely to your
window frames, allowing the windows
to be opened so fresh air can come in
but making it impossible for a cat to
get out. Balconies can be made safer
too with cat-proof mesh…there are a
few companies that will measure up,
supply an install this for you.
Kittens are probably the most curi-
ous of felines but cats of any age can
take flight if thy find themselves in a
situation that frightens them or causes
stress. Indoors, this could be a stranger
who comes to visit, young boisterous
children if they are not used to them,
workmen, decorators, etc. If you have
plenty of spaces around your home
where your cat can feel safe, like a cat
tower with high platforms, or the top of
a wardrobe, your cat is more likely to
head there when he feels threatened
and hopefully less likely to jump out
of windows, onto worktops and hobs
or anywhere else that danger may be
lurking.
With a little forethought and organi-
sation, you can make your home as
safe as possible for your loved ones.
Case in point
Nicole Stevens, from Hitchin, Hert-
fordshire, has two young kittens, Kara
and Marley. On Wednesday July 25th,
she woke up to discover that Kara had
fallen out of her daughter’s bedroom
window on the second floor. Although
she was rushed to the vets, sadly Kara
died the following day.
Nicole said: “I would like to help
get the message out there that this can
happen. We had never seen the kittens
go near the window before but when
I got up this morning, poor Kara was
outside and was dragging her back
legs. I am shocked that an accident
like this can happen and other owners
need to be aware that their cats can fall
from any open window.”
While it is generally thought that cats
can right themselves if they fall from
a height, this young kitten was clearly
injured as a result of the fall and it had
the worst possible consequences.
Caroline Allen, RSPCA London vet-
erinary director, said: “In the summer
months we do seem to see an increase
in the number of cats being brought
into us which have fallen from a bal-
cony or window.
“It is unfortunately a relatively com-
mon condition that vets see during
warm weather. It’s possible that when
distracted or playing cats may fall from
open windows and balconies from
many floors up, which can cause seri-
ous injury and even death.”
 PROFESSIONAL
PARTNERS

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 HEALTH
Taking supplements
for joint health
Joint problems are more common nowadays in
our pets than they are us, with both young and
older cats being affected
BY DAWN PRIME, ANA AND AWARD WINNING RSQP
i
f your cat does get a joint problem
it can significantly affect their day
to day life and to maintain good
joint health is a lifetime commit-
ment. So how do we do this? Well, first-
ly, it is important to give our cats the
right joint supplement, containing the
right ingredients, in the right composi-
tion that the cat will effectively absorb,
getting the full benefit from the sup-
plements which will help to support
the joints – sounds easy doesn’t it?
Well let’s try and understand it.
A joint supplement is a neutraceuti-
cal - neutraceuticals are substances
that are required for the normal body
structure and function. Neutraceuti-
cals are given orally in a purified form
which can help improve the health
and the well-being of the cat. How-
ever it’s important to remember that
it’s not medication but a feed supple-
ment which is designed to support the
healthy function of a joint. Look at your
cat now, and imagine that inside the
cat’s joint, the bone surface is covered
with a thin layer of smooth cartilage
which is lubricated with a small amount
of joint fluid. This joint fluid allows the
bones to glide quite freely over one
another with minimum friction.
The most common joint problem is
arthritis - this is normally seen in older
cats but it can develop in younger cats
too. Cats that have got arthritis can suf-
fer discomfort, as the cartilage within
the joint becomes less smooth and this
results in the bones rubbing together
16 C AT W O R L D
(friction). This increase in friction can
be caused after ligament damage,
damage to the cartilage/abnormal
cartilage development or by a trauma
such as a fracture – this is similar to
the discomfort that we humans experi-
ence.
Another important factor to healthy
joints is synovial fluid - this lubricates
(feeds) the joint, a bit like oil does on
a bicycle. When the joint becomes
inflamed, then the synovial fluid be-
comes less effective, which in turn re-
duces its feeding of the joint, causing
stiffness and pain. In response to this
pain the cat’s body tries to stabilise
the joint by building new bone around Why do we give joint
it - leading to the cat suffering from supplements?
further pain and stiffness. Well, giving a cat joint supplements
Some signs are obvious but some- can help maintain healthy joints by
times signs of joint problems are more stimulating the cartilage. These sup-
subtle. plements, containing different ingredi-
l Signs to look out for include: ents, also help support the joint.
l Limping Glucosamine is one of the main sub-
l General stiffness stances involved in the joint cartilage,
l The cat has difficulty getting up and with its main action being to stimulate
jumping the formation of new cartilage and
l General changes in behaviour help promote the production of col-
l Licking a limb or joint - this could be lagen in the cartilage – with glucosa-
a sign of the cat being in pain mine hydrochloride being the purest
l Sleeping more form of supplement, giving the cat the
l Restlessness, as the cat cannot get greatest benefit. Glucosamine also has
comfortable in one position a mild anti-inflammatory effect with
These are the obvious tell-tale signs many companies pairing glucosamine
but if there’s another symptom that’s with chondroitin, as the two substances
not on the list and you are worried, have complementary benefits.
then please go to your veterinary Chondroitin adds the elasticity
surgeon. element to the joints and gives the car-

“The most common joint problem is arthritis - this is normally
seen in older cats but it can develop in younger cats too.”
tilage in the joint its shock absorbing
properties. The action of chondroitin
perfectly complements the actions of
glucosamine and the result is a healthy
joint.
Other ingredients that can be found
in joint supplements include:
Green lipped muscle. This contains
a large number of active substances
which can help relieve stiffness and
can improve joint mobility.
Joint supplements can also contain
omega-3 fatty acids, similar to those
found in human supplements; these
can aid in an anti-inflammatory action
to help soothe stiff joints.
HEALTH
Vitamin E can be added in the
joint supplement as this supports the
normal structure of the joint’s carti-
lage. Zinc has the properties to heal
the body and is also required for the
production of collagen; as I’ve already
explained, collagen is the main sup-
portive protein found in the cartilage,
ligaments and tendons in the joint.
So what do we need to look out for?
Firstly they are available pretty much
everywhere and come in many differ-
ent forms, like a chewable tablet, liquid
or as a powder in a capsule. These can
be given as a treat, be mixed with food
or ingested directly into the cat’s mouth.
Remember, it is most important that
we follow the recommended strength
and give the correct dosage - as some
joint supplements need a loading dose
to ensure that the active ingredient
reaches a beneficial level in the cat’s
system - before the cat goes down to a
maintenance dose for long term use.
As owners it is important that if we
have any concerns about our cat’s
joints then we seek veterinary advice.
Sadly, joint problems like arthritis are
unable to be reversed; however the
discomfort that the cat feels can be
managed and they can continue to
lead a good quality of life.
C AT W O R L D
17
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18 C AT W O R L D
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C AT W O R L D
19
 A-Z OF LITTER
We’ve come a long way
from soil and newspaper
With so much choice when it comes to cat litter, what type
you choose for your cat can depend on several different
factors and you may need to reach a compromise
O
nce upon a time, litter trays were
lined with newspaper and soil.
Over the years there have been
more and more different cat
litters introduced to the market so that
it can be quite baffling. Factors such
as where you live, whether or not you
drive, your budget and personal pref-
erence will all need to be considered
but at the end of the day, your cat may
well have the deciding vote.
A - Availability
Once a cat is happy with a type of
litter it won’t be too happy to change
so make sure that the litter you choose
is readily available to you and not
about to be taken off the shelves.
B - Bacteria
It is very important to wear rubber
20 C AT W O R L D
BY MANDY WILLETT
gloves when cleaning the litter tray as
several bacteria present in cat faeces
can be harmful to humans, particularly
those with weakened immune systems
or pregnant women.
C - Clumping
A litter that forms into clumps when
wet is the easiest type of litter to
manage but it can also cling to a cat’s
paws, meaning it gets transferred on
to your floors. It also gives off a dust
that could be breathed in by pets and
humans alike - something to be wary
of for anyone with breathing problems.
D - Disposal
How easy a litter is to dispose
of should be carefully considered
as some can be quite heavy when
dirty. Litters are available that can be
flushed down the toilet and this may
suit your lifestyle better.
E - Environment
We are all so aware of the
effects of global warming these
days and manufacturers have re-
invented some products to be
more environmentally friendly.
Biodegradable litters can be
made from a variety of products
and can be either recycled or
composted when used.
F - Fur
The light and dusty types of cat
litter are prone to clinging to a cat’s
fur and may end up anywhere in your
home. If you have a long-haired cat,
you may prefer to stick with a heavier
type of litter that won’t be carried far
from the tray.
G - Gel
Favoured by some and hated by
others, silica gel litter can be more
convenient for owners as it lasts longer
than most other litters before it needs
changing, although it does need stir-
ring to prevent pools of urine forming.
Cats, however, can find the crystals
uncomfortable on their paws and may
refuse to use the tray as a result.
H - Hygiene
Hygiene is of course very important
for you and your cat. Cats do not like
to use a soiled tray so make sure solid
waste is removed daily and the litter is
replaced with a fresh supply and the
tray cleaned out on a regular basis.
I - Internet
The internet has made comparing
goods of a similar type before placing
an order much easier. You may want

to look online at some of the various
options, read about the products and
consumer reviews before making your
decision about which litter or tray to
buy. Do remember though that just be-
cause numerous other cats preferred
‘Wonderlitter’, your cat may not like it
at all and there will still be an element
of trial required before settling on your
final choice.
J - Judgement
No matter what your personal choice
of litter is, if your cat does not approve,
he won’t be keen to use his tray and
may end up using somewhere in your
home instead. For this reason, try a
sample first if you can to make sure
you don’t waste money on a huge bag
of litter, only to discover your cat won’t
tolerate it. And once your cat has made
his judgement, try to stick with that type
of litter if you can to avoid any stress.
K - Kittens
If you are acquiring a kitten, make
sure the tray you buy will be easy for
her to get into. If you are buying from
a breeder, ask about the type of litter
A-Z OF LITTER
she has been using so that you can
hopefully use the same at home. Any-
thing familiar to the kitten will help her
to settle in with you more easily.
L - Location
Where you site the litter tray may
also require an element of compro-
mise. It will need to be positioned
somewhere that is easily accessible
to your cat but still offering him some
privacy. While many people choose
the kitchen because it is an easy floor
to keep clean. it is not the most hy-
gienic option. Nervous cats may prefer
to be well away from noisy or busy
thoroughfares too. If your cat is elderly
or ill, you will probably need to have
a litter tray in more than one location
around the house.
M - Mats
If you choose one of the dustier
litters or your cat is particularly prone
to making a mess around the tray,
you may wish to place a special mat
underneath to prevent the mess being
tracked away from the tray. This can
also be useful if you are placing the
tray on carpet as it will make it easier
to keep the area around the tray clean.
N - No clumps
Non-clumping cat litter absorbs
urine without clumping. It is not pos-
sible to scoop out the soiled litter on a
regular basis as it holds the urine until
the tray is cleaned out which means it
can be more smelly than other types
of litter. It does tend to be less likely
to cling to paws and fur though so you
may prefer it for this reason.
O - Odour
Any unpleasant odours from the
litter tray will bother you and your
cat so make sure litter is changed
frequently to prevent the build up of
unpleasant smells. Don’t be tempted
to try to disguise any nasty niffs with a
room deodoriser as these can be quite
harmful to cats.
P - Problems
One of the advantages of your cat
using a litter tray indoors is that it can
be easier for you to detect signs of ill
health. It will be obvious if your cat has
C AT W O R L D
21

Quick guide to litter
Biodegradable - usually made
from plant material such as wheat,
barley, wood shavings, peanut
shells, straw or recycled paper.
Available in clumping and non-
clumping varieties and may be
composted at home.
Clay - made from 100% natural
clay, this type of litter is very
absorbent and has been available
for many years. It is easy for the
cat to bury faeces and soiled litter
can be removed by the owner
with a slotted scoop.
Can be dusty and tracked
around the house on paws. Bags
can be heavy to carry.
Clumping - made from a clay
base that clumps together to form
‘balls’ when wet, the clumps are
easy to remove from the tray.
Can also track around the
house on paws although some
brands may be better than others.
Crystal - non-clumping
silicone-based pellets absorb
urine, moisture in the faeces and
related smells. More expensive
but generally, less litter is re-
quired in the tray. Colour change
or pools of urine indicate when
the litter needs replacing. Some
cats dislike the feel of this litter so
won’t use their tray.
Recycled paper - One of
the most popular biodegrad-
able litters. Large pellets don’t
get caught in paws so there isn’t
much risk of tracking. Very absor-
bent, dust free and as it is made
from recycled paper, it is kinder
to the environment.
22 C AT W O R L D
A-Z OF LITTER
an upset stomach for example or pos-
sibly something more serious if you
notice blood in the tray - in which case
you should consult your vet straight
away.
R - Recycling
Some types of litter are made from
recycled paper. Easy to dispose of
down the toilet, these eco-friendly
litters are becoming more popular as
they are less harmful to the environ-
ment than those that stay in landfill
sites for decades to come.
S - Self-cleaning
Consisting of a mechanised scoop
that removes soiled litter from the tray
by sliding it off to a compartment at
the side, self-cleaning trays can be
convenient if you want to avoid direct
contact with the litter yourself. How-
ever, they can be noisy which may put
your cat off using one and they do still
require cleaning out regularly to pre-
vent odours and bacteria building up.
T - Transport
It is usually cheaper to buy cat litter
in larger packs but if you don’t have
a car, this will be less convenient and
you may need to choose a slightly less
preferable or affordable cat litter just
because it is easier for you to transport
it home. Of course there is the facility
these days to order from a supermar-
ket and have them deliver it to your
door but you will have to pay a deliv-
ery charge.
U - Undercover
Cats that like to have a little more
privacy than an open litter tray offers
could be happier with a covered tray.
Litter boxes mean the cat is completely
enclosed when he is using it and there
is much less chance that any loose
litter will be kicked outside of the tray.
Choose carefully if you have a large
cat as litter boxes tend not to
allow much room for move-
ment inside.
V - Variety
There are so many litters
available that there is bound
to be one that suits your cat and your
home. Use our handy check list to
consider which types could be most
appropriate and then give them a try.
W - Wood
Wood litter often releases a pleasing
pine scent - but this may not be pleas-
ant for the cat. It can also disintegrate
when wet to become sawdust which
then clings easily to a cat’s paws and
fur, meaning more mess for you to
clear up after your cat has used his tray.
X - X-pert advice
If you notice your cat’s toileting hab-
its change suddenly, he starts avoiding
his tray and using other parts of the
house instead or you are concerned
with how often, how much he is urinat-
ing or the consistency of the stools,
you should consult your vet for advice
as it could be an indicator of a medical
or behavioural problem that requires
further investigation.
Y - Your home
Do consider your own needs and
preferences when choosing a litter. If
you have trouble lifting, then a heavy
litter may not be suitable; if you are
busy most of the time, clearing up lots
of mess around the tray or the rest of
the house could make you unhappy.
Z - Zero
Hopefully you will find a litter that
suits you and your cat, leading to zero
mess and zero stress
for both of you.

PETTEX HAVE IT COVERED
W
hen choosing cat litter,
there are many varieties
available to suit even the
most discerning felines - here are a
few examples from Pettex who supply
many pet stores and retailers around
the UK.
PAMPUSS Woodpellet Cat Litter:
unique recycled, pine-fresh wood pel-
lets that are highly absorbent, light to
handle and easy to dispose of.
Pettex Paper Cat Litter: ultra-light,
ultra-absorbent paper granules, manu-
factured exclusively from recycled
materials make this paper-based cat
litter environmentally friendly.
Pettex Silica Cat Litter: A revolu-
tionary product that, after absorbing
liquid, remains dry to the touch as well
as neutralising odours.
CLEAN PAWS Cat Litter: A high
quality, 100% natural, super-clumping
LITTER
micro granule cat litter that is longer sive range of cat litters and acces-
lasting than most other litters. sories. Readily available throughout
SO-KLEEN Heavyweight Grey the UK at small independent shops
Cat Litter: If you’re on a tight budget, through to large pet stores and retail-
this is ideal for the price-conscious ers, the products can also be found
consumer, with effective clumping and online from a number of designated
odour control, it is suited to the higher sellers - see www.pettex.co.uk for
volume user. more details.
Pettex Premium Grey Cat Litter:
The Pettex original formula benefits
from a unique serving system that
boosts the already excellent clumping
powers. All fines and dust are removed
prior to packing to ensure consist-
ent, top quality granules. Free from
additives with the ability to minimise
bacterial activity, Premium Grey is fully
biodegradable.
l Pettex are one of the UK’s largest
manufacturers and suppliers of pet
products, including their comprehen-
C AT W O R L D
23
 ON THE EDGE
THE ADVENTURES OF TWENTY-SOMETHING CAT LOVER KATY EDGE
Putting all our Megs in one basket - when we became kitten fosterers
we didn’t really consider failure but…we have failed
I
t’s official – we’re failed
fosterers. By which I
mean that Foster Kitten
Number 17 won’t be going
back to the rescue centre.
By which I meeeeean …
that we signed the adop-
tion papers this Tuesday
and Meg is now part of the
family!!! Whoop whoop!
Of course, we’re not
REALLY failed fosterers
because we’re still going
to foster. I’ve got the kitten
room cleaned, hoovered
and ready to go (litter
trays: scrubbed, bowls:
disinfected, newspaper
stocks: replenished, walls:
wiped of poo splatters –
wait, what?). We still want
to help tiny orphaned kit-
tehs. We just happen to be
24 C AT W O R L D
a slightly larger-than-last-
time foster home.
It’s odd, though – you’d
think we’d be used to
kittens, what with the 16
others we’ve had over
the past year, but having
‘foster kittens in a room’
is very different to hav-
ing ‘resident kitten in a
house’. Our previous
charges have socialised
with our other pets on
occasion, once we were
sure they were healthy but
they’ve been very much
based upstairs; we only
really had to kitten-proof
one room, rather than the
whole house. Note to self:
a room that is Golden
Retriever-proofed is not
necessarily kitten-proofed.
Meg certainly seems to
have detected the subtle
power shift, and nothing is
safe – countertops, toilets,
the hob. I’d forgotten what
a death-trap household
appliances can be to a
small fuzzball. I have to
make sure Meg’s out of
the way before I turn on
the roaring suction pit, I
mean the vacuum cleaner,
and she hasn’t accidentally
climbed into the churning
water chamber of doom,
uh, dishwasher.
Still, it’s wonderful to
have a tabby about the
place again. (Widget may
kid himself he’s a ginger
tabby, I mean red tabby,
but he only makes a half-
hearted effort at it.) Those
of you who remember
our beloved brown tabby
Squee will understand
why this makes Meg that
extra bit more special.
And she has her own lit-
tle quirks, too. Luckily her
runny eye has cleared up
but she was born with an
overbite that’s particularly
noticeable when she looks
up. We think it may partly
explain why she was so
difficult to wean and this
– together with a horren-
dous two-week spell of
explosions from both ends
*shudder* – seems to
have made her a smaller-
than-average cat.
What she lacks in size,
though, she more than
makes up for in personal-
ity. She’s into everything
but she checks up on you.
She sleeps under the sofa.
She climbs more than she
jumps. She makes this
weird half-mew, half-purr.
She bats noses. And she
does this hilarious low
slink where her legs scut-
tle but her back seems to
flow along – making her
look like a feline millipede.
Yes, we may have failed
as fosterers - but I think
we’ve definitely won in
the ‘awesome cat’ stakes.
We just have to agree
what Meg is short for – my
theory is that she’s named
after Megara in Hercules
(strictly the Disney ver-
sion), whereas my boy-
friend is more keen on
Megatron or Megalodon…
*facepalm*

Managing mobility
in senior cats
Older cats can remain active for many years but care
should be taken to monitor them and look for signs
that they are struggling with their mobility
C
ats who are reaching their sen-
ior years can be just as playful,
loving and affectionate as they
have been for their whole lives,
continuing to offer loyal companion-
ship every day. However, as with
humans, life can slow down our older
cats, especially if they are experi-
encing stiff joints. To help cat owners
support their feline friends, Lintbells,
manufacturers of premium natural pet
supplement YuMOVE Cat, have put to-
gether a useful guide to spot the signs
of joint stiffness and identify what you
can do to help.
(If you remain concerned about the
mobility of your elderly cat, always
consult your vet to make sure there
isn’t a further underlying problem)
Spotting the signs
Learning to understand your cat’s
body language is key to identifying
any changes or anomalies to their
usual movement or behaviour.
There are a number of
areas to check as an
owner to make sure you
identify the signs early:
Sleep We know that
cats love their sleep but
if you start to notice that
they are sleeping more
than usual, this could be
due to joint stiffness
Irritability Your feline
friend is normally full of
love and affection but you
SENIOR MOBILITY
notice they are starting to become
more irritable and short tempered
Reluctance to jump One of the
more obvious things to look out for
in your cat is a reluctance to jump up
and down. They may usually be very
quick on their paws and enjoy explor-
ing hard to reach areas, inside and out
Scruffy coat One of the more easily
missed signs is a scruffy coat, as this
can mean your cat is unable to groom
itself as often as it requires it.
How you can help
There’s no need to worry if you
have spotted any of these, as there are
several ways you can help to support
your cat to ensure they lead a happy
and healthy life:
Changing the environment Pro-
vide food in several areas or floors of
the house, placing bowls both down-
stairs and upstairs. Also, where pos-
sible, raise the food to avoid your cat
straining their neck. Do ensure
they have easy access to a
large litter tray in case they
can’t make it outside and
to avoid accidents around
the house.
If your furry friend can’t
use the cat flap anymore,
you need to make sure
they have another way of
accessing outside. This
may mean monitoring
them more than usual and
opening the door to let
them out when needed. If you work
throughout the day, you could ask a
neighbour to pop round. Also make
sure there is enough food, water and
toys to keep your cat entertained if
you are out, as well as providing warm
comfortable bedding.
Weight and exercise management
Make sure to closely monitor your
cat’s weight. Where possible try to
make sure they are still getting enough
exercise, within their limits. Encourage
them to go outside and walk around
or enjoy some play time with them
inside the house. It’s of course impor-
tant to make sure they are comfortable
throughout and don’t push them too far.
Grooming As your cat may not be
able to groom themselves as much, try
to help with this where possible. Make
sure they are kept clean by bathing
when necessary and keep their coat in
a good condition by using high quality
shampoos and brushing regularly.
Supplements Another way you can
support the mobility in your senior cat
is to consider using a premium sup-
plement such as YuMOVE Cat. This is
a triple-action joint supplement made
specifically for cats who are stiff or
getting older. The high-strength ingre-
dients support joint structure, promote
mobility and aid stiff joints.
l For more information about Lintbells
please visit www.lintbells.co.uk or to
speak to a member of the vet team
please call 01462 416866.
C AT W O R L D
25
“Make life rosy for black cats too”
Lindee Lu USE.qxp_Layout 1 27/03/2018 11:41 Page 47

ETSY
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C AT W O R L D
27

Struggling to deal
with the lion crisis
The number of lions in South Africa has rapidly declined,
with illegal trade in body parts a big part of the problem
yet the government refuse to ban the trade
t
he lion is synonymous with South
Africa, yet the species has un-
dergone a catastrophic decline
in recent years. According to
the IUCN, wild lion populations have
plunged in Africa by 43% since 1993,
to only 20,000 in 2014. Habitat loss and
the reduction of the lions’ wild prey by
the bush meat trade have forced these
animals into dangerous contact with
humans and their livestock, causing
friction between the species. Yet lions
now face an even bigger threat. Dur-
ing the past three years, increasing
numbers of captive lions have been
killed and mutilated for their claws
and teeth, likely to satisfy the huge
demand from China and Southeast
28 C AT W O R L D
BIG CATS
BY CARLA GREENWOOD
Asia, who use the parts for pendants,
amulets and traditional medicines.
The bone trade
Antique and craft markets scatter
the outskirts of Beijing, selling every-
thing from ceramic statues to classic
style furniture. Among the many stalls,
you will find vendors selling jewellery;
pendants made from bear and wolf
teeth, tiger canines decorated in silver
or engraved and big cat claws sold as
ornaments.
Tiger parts are very much sought
after across China and Southeast Asia
but with the tiger now listed as endan-
gered, traders are finding new ways
to keep up with demand. In May 2016,
a suspect was arrested in Vietnam
with 680 tiger claws brought into the
country from Laos; however, after
DNA testing it was later discovered
that the claws were actually sourced
from lions. Debbie Banks, leader of
the Tiger campaign launched by the
Environmental Investigation Agency,
says: “The Demand for ‘tiger’ claws
and teeth used as expensive jewel-
lery and charms is huge in China and
South-East Asia. It’s totally out of con-
trol and Africa’s lions, wild and captive,
are entering that market. Without DNA
testing, it would be impossible for law
enforcement and consumers to dif-
ferentiate between lion and tiger bone,
teeth and claws.”
South Africa has been selling lion
bones to Asia for the past few years,
sourced from both wild and captive
lions, and the country now dominates
the lion bone market. According to the
CITES database, South Africa sold over
2000 complete lion skeletons to Laos
between 2009 and 2015. This excludes
the 2300 bones and 40 skulls sold
separately as ‘incomplete skeletons’.
In 2016, conservationists called for
a total ban on the exports of African
lions but this was rejected by South
Africa and others. The compromise
Above: Paul Funston with lion guardian
David Nchinda. Picture: Lovemore Sibanda.
Left:Panthera scientist Paul Funston with
Longshields and Cattle Corral.
Picture: Panthera.
 BIG CATS

Above: Lion and cub. Picture: Paul Funston -

Panthera.
Right: Male lion. Picture: Paul Funston -
Panthera.

made by South Africa was that it would

stop the exporting of body parts from
wild African lions and instead set an-
nual quotas for the number of captive-
bred lions they would export. South Af-
rican lions are listed under Appendix
II which means that their products can
be traded internationally but only if the
trade is not detrimental to the survival
of the species in the wild.
According to the Department of En-
vironmental Affairs, the sale of captive-
bred lions will reduce the demand for
wild lion parts from a growing market
for exotic products such as tiger bone
wine. The worry is that if the supply
from captive breeding facilities is re-
stricted further, then dealers may seek
alternative sources, either through ille-
gal access to stock piles or by poach-
ing both captive-bred and wild lions.

C AT W O R L D
29

The poaching threat
Despite the regulations put in place,
poaching is still a big problem in South
Africa. In fact, many conservation or-
ganisations believe that the legal trade
in lion bones, teeth, claws and other
body parts from South Africa may have
actually stimulated the recent spike in
illegal killings of lions for body parts.
In June this year, six lions were killed at
30 C AT W O R L D
the Mystic Monkeys & Feathers Wild-
life Park, just north of Pretoria, South
Africa. The victims, four fully grown
adults and two six-month-old cubs,
were poisoned and found with their
heads and paws removed, presumably
by thieves hoping to sell their body
parts on the black market. In fact, be-
tween April and July this year, at least
15 lions have been poisoned in preda-
Above: Lion cubs. Picture: Paul Funston -
Panthera.
Left: Panthera scientist Xia Stevens with lion
skin. Picture: Panthera.
tor parks across the country, although
conservationists believe the actual
number could be much higher.
According to the EIA, a new global
commitment is needed to save all big
cats that are threatened by trade in
their body parts. Debbie Banks says:
“This has to start with a declaration
of zero tolerance from presidents and
prime ministers, primarily of big cat
consumer countries such as China and
Vietnam. Laws and regulations then
need to be strengthened to prohibit
domestic trade in parts and deriva-
tives of big cats, and stockpiles of parts
should be destroyed. Working with
behaviour change experts, govern-
ments and donors then need to launch
new campaigns to target the consum-
ers, while those governments that allow
big cat ‘farming’ must stop any further
breeding and work with experts to
come up with time-bound phase-out
plans.”
Project Leonardo
There is no doubt that lions, as well
Above: China Badaling Safari Park.
Copyright EIA.
Right: Botswana African Lion.
Copyright EIA.

as other big cats, are under threat and

something needs to be done before
we lose these magnificent animals all
together. Many of the areas set aside
to protect lions and other wildlife are
now occupied by people and even
well-protected parks have human
populations living on their bounda-
ries. In these areas, human-lion conflict
and lion population decline are at their
greatest.
Project Leonardo, set up by Pan-
thera, the global wild cat conservation
organisation, is the first conservation
plan that covers the entire African
range of the lion. Through the project,
Panthera seek to ensure the long-
term survival of lions across Africa by Panthera takes conservation action, or habitat conversion to agriculture. Pan-
increasing the total lion population by at sites where partners do so. Un- thera has been successful at mitigat-
50% over the next 15 years, to at least equivocally, illegal killing is the biggest ing human-lion conflict at a number of
30,000 individuals. Dr. Paul Funston, threat to lions in Africa and requires sites and is developing its expertise
Lion Program Senior Director for interventions including anti-poaching and experience at anti-poaching and
Panthera, says: “Project Leonardo has and anti-trafficking, and engagement anti-trafficking at six main sites, and
morphed into a lion conservation strat- of rural African communities in wildlife through partners at other sites.”
egy where Panthera attempts to simul- use policies and initiatives.
taneously address the suite of threats “The next largest threat to lions is l To learn more about Project Leon-
lions face at a select set of sites where human-lion conflict and associated ardo, visit www.panthera.org

C AT W O R L D
31

HELPING SENIOR CATS - NATURALLY
C
ats, in general, must be one of
the most taken-for-granted of
domestic pets. We fuss over
our dogs, our rabbits, our chickens and
other animals, whilst our cats come and
go and we take their innate good health
as a given. Cats do however suffer from
a number of common complaints, some
of which are accentuated by our desire
to impose on our domestic pets a
lifestyle that fits in closely with our own,
often without a great deal of thought as
to their true needs.
Cats are very adaptable and will
thrive in a variety of environments,
from feral cats who spend their entire
self-sufficient lives outdoors, to house
cats who are dependent for their every
need on their human companions.
Somewhere between the two are the
majority of domestic cats who rely on
their owners for their food and safe
housing. A cat’s needs are relatively
simple in that they need somewhere
comfortable and secure to sleep (and
ideally somewhere also to hide), some-
where to ‘toilet’, freedom to hunt and a
suitable diet. However it is in attempt-
ing to fulfil these needs that we some-
times create health and behavioural
problems for our cats. If you suspect
your cat is unwell then your first port
of call should be your veterinary
32 C AT W O R L D
MEDICAL MYSTERY
surgeon; however for prevention and
support of common health issues then
herbal feed supplements are a useful
and cost-effective tool.
There is one thing from which there
is no escape – for cats or humans –
and that is old age! It’s impossible to
keep our cats eternally young but it is
possible to provide support for them in
the form of feed supplements that can
help manage the symptoms of advanc-
ing years.
Cats, due to their innate desire to
hunt, are always at risk of some sort of
digestive upset but as cats age, some-
times their digestive systems become
less efficient. Herbs can play an effec-
tive part in helping manage chronic
digestive conditions, whether it’s to
resolve a temporary upset tummy
or to help maintain normal digestive
function. Herbs such as Slippery elm
with its demulcent and healing actions,
Liquorice with its anti-inflammatory
actions, and Echinacea to support an
effective immune system should fea-
ture in an effective digestive support
supplement.
Older cats, like all animals in the
‘autumn’ of their years, often suffer
from reduced mobility, generally due
to arthritic changes in their joints and
muscle stiffness. This will often result
in cats moving around less and having
difficulty jumping up and down from
raised beds. In some instances, in multi
pet households, it can result in anxiety
if the cat feels vulnerable and unable to
‘escape’ from other cats or dogs with
which it shares its living space.
Herbs such as Wild Yam, with its
anti-inflammatory properties, Cleavers
and Dandelion root as effective lym-
phatic stimulants, can all be used very
effectively to ensure optimum circula-
tion, mobility and an efficient lymphatic
system. As we’ve said, you can’t turn
back the clock but there is much you
can do with natural supplements to
help your cat age gracefully and com-
fortably, so look for these ingredients
in products to help mobility in senior
cats.
When buying supplements for your
pet make sure they are from a repu-
table manufacturer who can provide
palatable, tried-and-tested products
with researched formulations. They
should also be able to provide expert
advice either from literature, retail staff
or direct via an expert Helpline. Label-
ling, including ingredients and dosage,
should be very clear. Follow recom-
mended dosages carefully and if in any
doubt about your cat’s health, contact
your vet.
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C AT W O R L D
33

Asiatic cheetah on th
Fewer than fifty of the critically endangered Asiatic cheetah
are thought to be left in the wild, all of them in Iran
S
cientists fear that without ur-
gent intervention there is little
chance of saving one of the
planet’s most distinctive and
graceful hunters. Conservationists
have warned that the Asiatic cheetah
is on the threshold of extinction fol-
lowing a UN decision to pull funding
from conservation efforts to protect
it. With lack of funding, this means
extinction for these carnivores.
The Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx
jubatus venaticus), also known as
the Iranian cheetah, is a Critically
Endangered cheetah subspecies
surviving today only in Iran, mostly
in protected areas. Historically, they
were also recorded across southwest
and central Asia but can now only be
found in Iran.
The cheetah thrives in open lands,
small plains, semi-desert areas and
other open habitats where prey is
available. The Asiatic Cheetah also
seems to survive in the dry open
Baluchistan province of Pakistan
where adequate prey is available.
Females, unlike males, do not estab-
lish a territory.
Characteristics
The Asiatic cheetah is slightly
smaller and paler than its Afri-
can cousin. It has a fawn-coloured
coat with black spots on its
head and neck, and distinctive
black tear marks running from
the corner of each eye down
the side of its nose. It can weigh
34 C AT W O R L D
WILD CATS
BY YOLANDA WESSELS
from 34 to 54 kg, but the male is
slightly larger than the female.
The Asiatic cheetah preys on
medium-sized herbivores includ-
ing chinkara, goitered gazelle, wild
sheep, wild goat and cape hare.
They live in a wide range of habitats,
such as isolated, rocky hills near the
plains on which antelopes live but
prefer areas close to water sources.
Threats
The cheetah’s habitat is under
threat from desertification, increasing
agriculture, residential settlements
and declining prey, caused by hunting
and degradation in pastures by over-
grazing from introduced livestock.
Due to increased farming, numbers
were greatly reduced in the 19th
and 20th centuries. They are often
hunted and killed by local sheep and
goat herders, because cheetahs will
occasionally kill and eat one of their
animals. Several herders have killed
cheetahs for trophies, trade and fun.
The increase of farmers leads
to prey being pushed out as herd-
ers enter game reserves with their
herds. The cheetah is affected by
loss of prey as a result of antelope
hunting and overgrazing from in-
troduced livestock. The animals are
known to roam over considerable
areas of Iran and cross highways,
where they are run over and killed
despite signs being erected along
the sides of roads. The opening up
of new mining operations has also
restricted their territories. This also
leads to reduced prey and contrib-
utes to the decline of the cheetah
population as breeding success
depends on availability of prey.
Conservation
The Asiatic cheetah has been
listed as Critically Endangered on
the IUCN Red List since 1996. With-
out proper conservation efforts, the
chances are looking very slim for
these majestic felines to graze earth
for future generations to come. In
recent years several measures have
been introduced to help raise aware-
ness of the cheetah’s plight. Still con-
servationists are concerned that time
is running out for Iran’s cheetahs.
In 2014, the Iranian national foot-
ball team announced that their World
Cup and Asian Cup kits would be
printed with pictures of the Asiatic
cheetah. In addition, a crowd fund-
ing conservation project was set up
and 31 August was declared National
Cheetah Day. Despite this, the ani-
mal’s decline has continued.
Implementing measures to protect
these last vestiges of cheetah terri-
tory has proved extremely difficult.
Iran has faced heavy international
economic sanctions since 1980 and
international agencies have been
encountering a lot of problems trans-
ferring money into the country for
many years. This problem has been
compounded by cuts made by the
Iranian government to the budget of

he brink of extinction
Photo: by Behnam Ghorbani. Creative Commons (CC)
The cheetah is affected by loss of prey as a result of antelope
hunting and overgrazing from introduced livestock.
its Department of the Environment,
which has responsibility for protect-
ing the country’s threatened animals
and conservations efforts are to be
run by Iran single-handedly.
A training course for herders was
initiated to train this significant target
group which generally confuses
the cheetah with other similar-sized
carnivores, including wolf, leopard,
striped hyena, caracal and wild cat.
On the basis of the results of conflict
assessment, a specific Herders Train-
ing Course was developed in 2007,
in which they learned how to identify
the cheetah as well as other carni-
WILD CATS
vores, since these were the main
causes for livestock kills.
Another incentive in the region is
the formation of young core groups
of Cheetah Friends, who after a
short instructive course, are able to
educate people, organise cheetah
events and become an informational
instance in cheetah matters for a
number of villages. Young people
have expressed growing interest in
the issue of cheetah and other wild-
life conservation.
Iran coordinates its governmental
conservation work through a cheetah
project. The cheetah inspired many
young conservationists to build their
career in saving animals, making Iran
the most productive country across
the Middle East in terms of published
papers in biodiversity conservation
peer-reviewed journals. Iranian gov-
ernment remains highly committed
to save the cheetahs.
Help from international agen-
cies is needed to help the country’s
conservationists as soon as possible.
The cheetah is, and will be, a con-
servation-dependent animal. Unless
something is done within the next
couple of years, it will be impossible
to save the Asiatic cheetah.
C AT W O R L D
35

J
uly 25th 2018, another milestone
year for Willow. Seven years
- yes, seven years - since his
diagnosis of lymphoma and the
18 months of treatment that followed
seems like a distant memory.
This cat, who was once a stray
roaming the streets looking for scraps
of food, has now adorned the front
cover of Cat World magazine, as well
as appearing in numerous articles
since 2012 and last year he was made
the first cat brand ambassador for Na-
tures Menu cat food. What an achieve-
ment for a ‘bog standard moggie’, as
his vet very eloquently described him!
Cat World readers have got to know
Willow quite well over the years and
there is no doubt his life revolves
around food, cuddles, sleeping and
walks in the garden; I strongly suspect
food comes top of the list!
As time has gone on, Willow has
without a doubt got more vocal, es-
pecially where meal times are con-
cerned. When his first feed of the day
is due, he runs down the stairs meow-
ing as he goes, in eager anticipation
of his first meal. That does keep him
quiet until his next meal is due. It is
comical the way he sits in front of the
food cupboard and runs back and
forth from his food bowl as if ‘just to
remind me’ and if I do not get his din-
ner quickly enough, his meows sound
like the cat Charley from the 1970’s
campaign ‘Don’t talk to strangers’!
We had some lovely warm weather
36 C AT W O R L D
CELEBRATION
Willow reaches another
amazing milestone
Regular readers of Cat World will have been following
Willow’s remarkable progress since being diagnosed with
feline lymphoma and he is still defying all the odds
BY SONJA K STEINER
in May and I am wondering whether
the change of temperature from cold
to very warm had any bearing on Wil-
low’s frequent trips to the litter tray, re-
sulting in nights of broken sleep. I was
relieved that he continued to have his
normal appetite although I did put him
on the blander flavours of the Natures
Menu brand.
As the weekend approached so did
the anxiety; what would happen if I
needed an out of hours vet.? Especial-
ly one who I don’t know. So, to alleviate
my stress levels, my friends Amy (a
qualified veterinary nurse) and Rob
Reid, (a veterinary surgeon), were on
hand for any advice, even though they
were on their way to Scotland. In case
I needed an out of hours vet over the
weekend, Rob had briefed his col-
league about Willow and his history.
Thankfully this was not needed as he
remained stable over the weekend
but it was reassuring to know I had a
back-up plan.
We ended up missing the majority
of the Royal Wedding as we headed to
the veterinary pharmacy to get Willow
some more Pro-kolin paste. Just to be
on the safe side I took him to the vets
on Monday to get him checked out
and after a thorough examination noth-
ing untoward was found so I had to
continue with the paste and probiotics.
Thankfully, after a few days it settled
but I was advised to worm him. The
first attempt failed as Willow spotted
the strange tasting wormer in his food
and no matter how I tried to disguise
it, he was having none of it. There was
only one solution and that was to use
a pill popper but it would need two
of us, so it was my friend Amy who
once again came to the rescue. She
got it down in seconds flat, with a
bewildered Willow wondering what
on earth had just happened! Later
that evening and after his Reiki, Wil-
low jumped down from chair. As he
was walking into the hall he looked
awkward, rather ataxic. I checked his
vital signs, respiratory rate, heart rate,
eyes - all fine but still he was ataxic
so in a panic I rang Amy and told her
about Willow. She asked Rob for some
advice. We suspect he could have
jumped awkwardly from the chair and
thankfully the effects did not last long;
he was back to normal by bedtime,
such a relief. I was so grateful to Amy
and Rob for their support. Phew panic
over!!
We have certainly had some inter-
esting weather in 2018, from the ‘beast
from the east’ to the endless rain in
spring and finally, for the first time in
years, it actually feels like we have had
a proper summer, except it has been
a tad too hot! Even at Willow’s first feed
some days it has been simply too hot
for him to go outside. Having a south
facing garden, we have no shade until
after 3.30pm and there have been
many days where it has been like
walking into an oven - not ideal for
a cat with lots of fur. Like many cats,

Willow would have no concept that lan-
guishing in the sun could lead to heat
stroke and dehydration. In this heat it is
amazing how quickly this can happen,
so I have only let him go outside when
it has been much cooler, plus every
meal time I have added a little bit of
extra water. Even in the evenings the
temperature has been hot and muggy,
with Willow flaked out near the window
or the fan.
When I say “Willow would you like
to go into the garden?” he runs and
sits at the back door waiting for his
harness to go on. His excitement is
clear to see as he runs down the steps
to the bottom of the garden, with me
lagging behind with eight lead ropes,
to eat from his grass bush and visit his
favourite scratch post (well it saves the
www.naturesmenu.co.uk
CELEBRATION
carpet doesn’t it!!) before he lies down
and suns himself whilst keeping a
beady eye on the resident wildlife that
fly nearby.
Willow was in his element last week
with the monthly visit from the win-
dow cleaner. He was already sat by
the window watching the birds when
all of a sudden, this brush came out
of nowhere. Willow was making his
meow normally reserved for the birds
and was jumping up and down at the
window, pawing at the brush in an at-
tempt to get to it, which of course he
could not as it was the other side of the
window but it was so amusing to watch
and this time I managed to capture it
on video. Priceless.
Last week was my birthday and
when I woke, Willow placed his paw on
my face and then gently squeezed my
finger with his paw, followed by end-
less head nudges and cuddles. What a
lovely way to start my birthday! When
I say I love you, he meows and gives
me another head nudge, he just knows
what I am saying. When he is sitting
on what is now known as ‘his chair’, he
gives me a high five before I have to
give him some gentle persuasion to
share or when he climbs onto the chair,
I get a high five before he jumps up.
Willow is the most remarkable cat in
so many ways and I am so grateful to
Mark Buxton BVetMed, MRCVS, his vet
from Vets4Pets and Tim Couzens BVet-
Med, MRCVS, VetFHom, CertVetAc, his
holistic vet from the Holistic Veterinary
Medicine centre for all their support
over the years.
C AT W O R L D
37

New US welfare bill
will protect big cats
In a bid to prove the keeping of big cats as pets is cruel
not cool, new legislation in the US has been welcomed
by animal welfare organisations country-wide
BY CARLA GREENWOOD. PHOTOS COURTESY OF BIG CAT RESCUE
i
n June this year, animal welfare
organisations across the US cel-
ebrated the introduction of the Big
Cat Public Safety Act (BCPSA) in
the United States Senate. Lions, tigers
and other exotic felines are commonly
kept as pets or used as photo props
and roadside zoo spectacles across
the U.S. However, in recent years there
has been a shift in perspective and
concern is now being raised over the
welfare of these animals. Championed
by Senator Richard Blumenthal of Con-
necticut, the Big Cat Public Safety Act
would ensure that unqualified indi-
viduals are prohibited from obtaining
and keeping dangerous big cats and
would restrict direct contact between
the public and these animals.
A growing concern
Recent headlines have documented
public outrage at the inhumane dis-
play of a tiger at a high school prom
and alarm as federal agents discov-
ered a tiger cub stuffed in a duffel
bag. Although these are disturbing
headlines, they do show the growing
concern over animal welfare across
America. An estimated 10,000-20,000
big cats are currently owned as pets
or kept in ill-equipped roadside zoos
across the US. However, exact num-
bers are a mystery as there are no
effective federal laws to regulate the
possession of big cats; instead it is up
to state and local laws to control the
problem.
38 C AT W O R L D
BIG CATS
Susan Bass, Director of Public
Relations for Big Cat Rescue, who are
part of the coalition of animal welfare
organisations that support the Big Cat
Public Safety Act, says: “States vary
greatly in their laws to protect captive
big cats. A few states still have zero
protections for big cats and about
30 states have laws that technically
make it illegal to own big cats as pets
but there is a loophole that allows a
person to purchase a USDA exhibitor
license and circumvent the law. The
cost is $40-300, depending on number
of animals. It is very easy to obtain
and almost impossible to have taken
away. The Big Cat Public Safety Act is
a federal bill that will finally create one
law for all 50 states to protect big cats
by ending the private ownership of big
cats, ban most captive breeding of big
cats and ban the public from having
direct contact with cubs.”
Big cats are wild animals and they
suffer when people attempt to keep
them as backyard pets. They are often
purchased as babies but by the time
they are fully grown, they are too dif-
ficult for private owners to manage. As
a result, they are frequently left in sub-
standard conditions and are deprived
of basic welfare needs.
Roadside zoos often separate cubs
from their mothers so they can charge
the public money to pet and play with
them. However, this practice can lead
to psychological and physical harm,
as it interrupts the mother-cub bond-
ing process. Despite their small size,
cubs are also capable of causing
harm to the public who come to see
them. Once the cubs become too big
to be handled, they often end up in the
exotic pet trade, kept in sub-standard
zoos or euthanised and sold for parts.
Most of the people who take on
these animals simply don’t understand
how to handle them so the cats often
become destructive and dangerous
as they grow bigger. According to the
Animal Welfare Institute, there have
been at least 365 dangerous incidents
involving captive big cats since 1990;
19 adults and four children have been
killed, while numerous others have
been mauled, with injuries including
loss of limbs. To make the situation
worse, some owners release their
‘pets’ into the wild or some escape
their enclosures. Either event can
quickly damage local ecosystems as
well as cause serious safety risks for
local people.
 BIG CATS

The Big Cat Public Safety Act

If enacted, Big Cat Public Safety
Act (BCPSA) would amend the Cap-
tive Wildlife Safety Act to prohibit any
person from breeding or possess-
ing lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs,
jaguars, cougars or any hybrid of these
species in the exotic pet trade. The
BCPSA would close the loopholes pre-
sent in the current laws, whilst provid-
ing exemptions for qualified wildlife
sanctuaries and exhibitors licensed
by the U.S. Department of Agriculture
that meet basic standards intended to
protect the public and animals. The
introduction of this bill may also have a
positive effect on conservation efforts
outside of the US.
Kate Dylewsky, Senior Policy Advi- have demonstrated that an illegal trade demand for these items, thereby actu-
sor for the Animal Welfare Institute in big cat parts, including skins and ally increasing the demand as people
in Washington, D.C, says: “Private bones, does exist in the U.S., making increasingly come to desire big cat
possession and breeding of big cats it highly likely that parts from big cats parts as status symbols or medicinal
contributes to illegal international wild- bred in the U.S. are being funnelled items.
life trafficking. Undercover operations into this trade. A supply like this from “Furthermore, not having a ban on
by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service the U.S. would feed the international private big cat ownership in the U.S.

C AT W O R L D
39

weakens our international negotiating
power on wildlife issues. Other nations,
such as China, will not entertain sug-
gestions for shutting down tiger farms
as long as the U.S. does not address
the big cat problem within its own
borders.”
As of July this year, the Big Cat
Public Safety Act has gained 138
co-sponsors and received support
from a number of animal welfare or-
ganisations including Born Free USA,
The Animal Welfare Institute and the
International Fund for Animal Wel-
fare. It has also received endorsements
from first responders like the National
Sheriffs’ Association and the National
Animal Control Association, as well as
a number of AZA accredited zoos. The
critical next step is to get a hearing in
the House and Senate.
Education is key
For 34 years American publication
Animal Finders Guide printed clas-
sified ads for sellers and buyers of
exotic animals and its owner ranted
incessantly against animal welfare
regulations. The number of ads has
slowly dwindled in recent years, then
40 C AT W O R L D
BIG CATS
the January 2018 issue was accompa-
nied by a letter saying the magazine
was finally shutting down.
It can sometimes be difficult for us
to see the progress that has already
been made when unsettling stories of
the abuse of big cats still plague the
news. However, there are a number
of examples, like the one above, that
demonstrate the accelerating trend
in awareness of the mistreatment of
exotic animals. By continually spread-
ing the word and supporting animal
welfare organisations, we can expect
further success. Susan Bass says:
“We are encouraged that the media
is finally reporting on the inhumane
treatment of captive big cats. This is a
recent development in just the last five
years or so. Before that, almost every
article about big cats was glamoris-
ing the abuse rather than exposing
it. The public is finally awakening to
the realisation that big cats should not
be kept as pets, forced to perform
unnatural acts in circuses or exploited
as photo props and for selfies. Now we
see, when a celebrity visits a psuedo-
sanctuary and is photographed hold-
ing a tiger cub, there is an outcry from
the public; they understand more and
more each year that it’s cruel, not cool
to exploit big cats as entertainment.
“Education is and has been the key.
At Big Cat Rescue we give guided
educational tours of our sanctuary
in order to educate the public at a
grassroots level about the issues facing
captive and wild big cats. We also use
our substantial social media platforms
to educate millions around the world
about the issues. And it’s working.”
 SLOWLY DOES IT WHEN DEALING WITH FERALS
If you discover a group of feral cats, taking them in is not an option so
here is what you can do to ensure their health and wellbeing
i
f you notice a feral cat living near-
by, they are probably not alone. In
fact you can be fairly sure there
are other cats living with them that
you don’t see because feral cats, as
opposed to stray cats, tend to be more
timid.
This is really the difference be-
tween a feral group and a lone stray
cat. Feral cats are usually not appro-
priate to be rehomed so removing
them would often result in euthana-
sia. Most major animal groups today
recommend feral cat management
over removing cats as the most effec-
tive and humane way to reduce their
numbers. Here’s how it works:
Location
If we assume there is nobody else
caring or looking out for these cats
and you would like to step into this
role, first of all - leave the cats where
they are. They have made a home
there and adapted to it. All you need
to do is make small steps to improving
their quality of life.
Regular food intake is welcome to
BY BARBARA MASON
most animal life and feral cats are no
exception. Begin feeding meals by
leaving food and water out for about
half an hour then taking away the
excess.
Food
Pick a convenient time, ideally
in the daylight. It’s important to be
dependable and consistent. If you’re
unavailable, have someone stand in
for you.
Feeding in this way is a manage-
ment tool in as much that, over time,
you will meet the entire colony and
can monitor them for kittens and new-
comers, which is vital to the care and
ultimate containment of the group.
Once the group trusts that an
amount of food is available through
you, you may be able to talk to your
vet about the possibility of putting
medication in the food to eliminate
worms, fleas and other parasites.
Shelter
In the winter months you will also
want to make sure they have adequate
shelter, such as under a porch, a dog
house filled with straw or an acces-
sible shed or other outbuilding. Cats
grow heavy winter coats just like
other wildlife but, unlike other wildlife,
they have no house/den building skills
and can die from hypothermia if they
get wet and cannot dry off.
Breeding
Once you have the colony man-
aged, it is time to trap the cats and
get them spayed or neutered. This
limits the colony size and keeps the
cats healthier. Intact tom cats fight and
their injuries eventually catch up with
them and females become emaciated
from repetitive pregnancies. If kittens
are born before the colony is com-
pletely neutered, you can either leave
them to sterilise when they are a few
months old or, preferably, pull them at
a very early age (under 10 weeks) to
become socialised and rehomed.
Managed feral cats can live for over
10 years so it is a big commitment but
caring for them can be very reward-
ing - for both you and the cats!
C AT W O R L D
41
Taming the wild and
The cats that have been abandoned and left to fend for themselves are often written off
by many people but not Pat…she relishes the challenge of getting to know them better
L
ong before I became in-
volved in animal rescue, I
trained as a mature student
to be a teacher. I found myself in a
classroom on the roughest of es-
tates facing 36 youngsters not at all
anxious to learn anything.
This was the kind of place where
everyone had given up trying - the
parents, the teachers and the chil-
dren themselves. I was warned on
the first day that two of these seven-
year-olds were beyond redemption
and I wondered what was in store. I
had children of my own but this was
different.
There followed six of the happi-
est months of my entire teaching
years and necessity taught me how
to deal with the really difficult ones.
Needless to say this factor remained
on my CV and future head teach-
ers made sure I had their problem
pupils. And I didn’t mind!
Perhaps it was this introduction
to handling awkward situations that
gave me my empathy with, firstly
the children, later with offenders on
community service, no-hopers - in
their own minds - in prison and then
on to animals. I found I enjoyed the
challenge and the rewards in steer-
ing them to more hopeful frames of
mind were enormous.
And so it was with feral cats and
domestics who had gone wild;
these became my favourites. As it
happened, my very first cat in care
was Lucy, a really wild, pregnant
feral. I learnt such a lot from Lucy
who had her kittens, litter trained
them, fed them and taught them the
ways of the world before they were
42 C AT W O R L D
rehomed. During this time she also
taught me how to approach her and
eventually to hold her and stroke
her without damage from flailing
claws. She was the first of many.
I was called to a building site in
one of the many colleges in Ox-
ford, where I was living at the time.
Apparently a cat had gone for the
foreman and they wanted it re-
moved, along with its four kittens.
Cats abound within the university as
students frequently take them on as
kittens when they start their courses
then leave them behind, either with
casual people who vow to care for
them but get fed up with it or the
cats are simply left to their own
devices and run wild.
The cat in question on this occa-
sion was a huge fluffy tabby, ex-
tremely handsome and, as it turned
out, a male. The kittens were obvi-
ously not his but he was looking out
for them and I managed to catch
them all and take them home. Even-
tually christened Oliver, this chap
was magnificent and quickly tamed
down. He and the kittens all readily
found homes and I moved on to the
next lot.
Probably the wildest I ever had
was Pushkin. Living with a number
of relatives under a terrapin on the
same estate where I taught my first
class, I was not surprised he was
wild, given his environment. For
three years he resisted all attempts
at friendship and this was the long-
est it had ever taken me to bring a
cat round.
Eventually he was taken very
ill and couldn’t have cared less
whether he was touched or not.
Moved into the bathroom, the only
room available without other cats
and always my last-ditch stand, he
was made comfortable and left
to sleep quietly. Despite being at
death’s door, he finally staggered to
his feet and peered out.
Gradually he got stronger and
ventured down the stairs where he
would sit watching, later nipping
back to ‘his’ bathroom. One night
he slid down the stairs at mealtime.
Overcome by the smell of our din-
ners, he jumped onto the arm of
John’s chair, walked along the back,
over his shoulder and right onto his
plate. Picking up a potato, he then
proceeded across John’s lap and
away over the other end of the set-
tee with his treasure.
I have had many calls about cats
going in through other people’s cat
flaps, stealing their animal’s food
and sometimes roughing them up.
Inevitably they are domestics either
abandoned or lost who have got
desperately hungry. Rescued, fed
and neutered, they become gentle
again and find no problem settling
into a new home.
Lacey was living in an appalling
shed on a building site with three
beautiful kittens. When they all
came out after dark to play with the
autumn leaves, I managed to trap
them all at once, which was a bonus.
Two of the kittens found homes
together and I kept Lacey, together
with D’Arcy, and they both trav-
elled down to Wales when I moved,
though sadly they are no longer
with me.
nd wonderful
Lacey was so loving, with no
hint that she had once been totally
wild. I have heard people swear
that feral cats can’t be tamed. This
is not true, as many folk who had
adopted these cats from me can
prove. I also have some wonderful
photos of cats lounging on rugs,
backs of settees and beds, all of
which were holy terrors on their
arrival at chez Clements.
I still love the problem ones
and have just completed a ‘pro-
gramme’ with a large cat who
started out watching activities
here from three fields away and
who, over the months, has crept
nearer and nearer and now feeds
with my cats and enjoys being
stroked at the same time.
Flute is a large black-and-
white male who clearly enjoys the
company he finds here, although
he has a home on a farm some
distance away.

C AT W O R L D
43

Powerful and majest
Ragdoll is gentle gia
Since Ragdolls arrived in the UK three decades ago, they have become one of the most
popular breeds which, given their placid temperament and good looks, is no surprise
BY JILL MUNDY (WITH MANY THANKS TO THE BRITISH RAGDOLL CAT CLUB)
T
hese colourpointed cats with
endearingly sweet expres-
sions will tug at the heart-
strings of any cat lover. Ragdolls are
large, powerful cats with an elegant
appearance and will make devoted
family pets.
The first Ragdolls in the UK arrived
in 1981 but the breed’s beginnings
were a decade or two earlier in the
USA. It is believed that they may have
evolved as the result of an accident
that befell a semi-feral cat.
In the 1960s, Ann Baker of Califor-
nia was breeding experimental Per-
sians while also working at a laundro-
mat. There were many semi-feral cats
roaming around her place of work,
one of which was an ‘angora-type’
white cat called Josephine.
Mrs Pennels, who owned the
laundromat, nursed Josephine back
to health after she was hit by a car
and Ann believed this accounted for
Josephine’s relaxed attitude towards
humans. This same attitude seemed
to be passed down to the litters
of kittens Josephine subsequently
produced, who were large and docile
with soft fur that didn’t mat. She had
several kittens before she was sadly
put to sleep, having become a nui-
sance to the Pennels’ dog.
Fortunately Ann had managed to
44 C AT W O R L D
BREED PROFILE
acquire three of Josephine’s kittens
she believed were suitable to breed
from and began line breeding. The
eventual result was the breed she
named Ragdoll.
The breeding programme was
strict and produced colourpointed,
pitted and bicolour patterns from the
three original cats, Daddy Warlocks,
Guiana and Buckwheat, and their
offspring.
Registering body the International
Ragdoll Cat Association (IRCA) was
set up by Ann in 1971 and in 1975
she patented the Ragdoll name. She
also franchised breeding stock under
very strict contracts.
Fast forward to 1981 and two
breeders, Lulu Rowley and Pat Brown-
sell, imported 12 Ragdolls from US
breeders Laura and Denny Dayton
of Blossom Time Ragdolls. Breeding
then began to establish a ‘home-
grown’ line of British Ragdolls.
Cats bred purely from the 12 origi-
nal imported cats, in the original col-
ours of seal blue, chocolate and lilac,
are commonly known worldwide as
‘Old English’ Traditional Ragdolls and
are still celebrated for the look and
temperament of the first imported
cats and further back, Ann Baker’s
foundation Ragdoll cats.
As the 1980s drew to an end, fur-
ther early American Ragdoll imports
arrived in the UK. These had the
original recognised colours and are
universally known as Older Ameri-
can Traditional lines. Red and Tabby
series Ragdolls were imported in the
mid to late 90s, adding more vari-
ation of colour to the
breed in the UK.
Temperament
The Ragdoll tempera-
ment is probably the breed’s most
popular characteristic. Large, placid
and relatively undemanding, they are
tolerant to most situations but, due
to their trusting nature, are definitely
indoor cats as they are not streetwise
by nature.
Kittens are lively, inquisitive and full
of fun. As they mature, they become
completely devoted to their owners
and make the perfect house pet; they
are keen to play so are very good
with children. A once-held belief that
Ragdolls feel no pain has thankfully
been wiped out by the concentrated
efforts by breed clubs around the
world to educate the public about
these wonderful cats.
Appearance
Ragdolls are ‘pointed’ cats in the
three recognised patterns of Colour-

stic
ant
pointed, Mitted and Bicolour in the
colours of seal, blue, chocolate, lilac,
red, cream, tortie and tabby. Choco-
late and lilac are now being bred my
more breeders in the UK following a
recognised outbreed programme.
Ragdolls have a silky, semi-long-
haired coat, with ruff, knickerbockers
and plumed tail. Their sweet expres-
sion and captivating blue eyes only
add to their charm. They give an
overall impression of elegance, power
and strength - especially the males,
who can reach a weight of 20lbs or
BREED PROFILE
more; females are equally stunning
but generally much smaller.
A Ragdoll should have a body of
good length with a long tail, strong
bone structure and large, round
tufted paws to support the frame.
The head silhouette shows a broad,
flat plane across a wide ear, set with
good width of cheekbone, tapering
down to a softly curved muzzle which
depicts the famous Ragdoll smile on
profile. A gently curved ‘retrousee’
nose completes the charming ap-
pearance of the Ragdoll cat.
Grooming
Weekly grooming and mainte-
nance is required to keep the long,
dense coat soft, silky and tangle and
stain-free, especially the white fur
of the mitted and bicolour varieties.
Excess dead hair, especially dur-
ing moulting, can cause potentially
harmful hairballs if the Ragdoll is not
groomed on a weekly basis.
Although nowhere near as de-
manding as a Persian, a thorough
combing weekly with a wide-toothed
comb is recommended.
C AT W O R L D
45
 BREED PROFILE

Far left: Imperial Grand Champion

Magisragis Piggy Malone - The British
Ragdoll Cat Club Ragdoll of the year for
2017. Sunbathing!
Left: Imperial Grand Champion
Ragzndreams Perfect Match - Overall Best
in Show at the Celtic Longhair/Semi longhair
show, January 2018.
Top: Champion Emerisle Pixies Puzzle -
Overall Best in Show at The British Ragdoll
Cat Club Show, April 2018.
Above: Grand Premier Karamearags Esme’s
Diamond - Overall Best in Show at the
Cambria Cat Club Show. Also competed
against Best in Show of the Bristol and District
show to win Best of the Best, June 2018. This is
the first time a Ragdoll has done this.

46 C AT W O R L D
 ADVERTISING
It’s about looking good
The forward thinking friendly cat club for anyone
with an interest in the Ragdoll breed.
Own a breeding cat, a show cat, a pet or just have
an interest? Join our club and make friends with
like minded people.

For a membership application form go to www.prbcc.co.uk

and click about us, or contact our membership secretary
Patricia Wyatt on 07905700965; alternatively
e-mail Kyetsipat@hotmail.co.uk

If you are looking to create a good impression with the readers of Cat
World, whether it be to promote a food range, toys or equipment,
call Maria on 07730 622416 or email: maria@ashdown.co.uk

The British Ragdoll Cat Club

Mitted • Bicolour • Colourpointed
(Founded 1987)
Members of the GCCF

Founded in 1987, The British Ragdoll Cat Club is the largest

Ragdoll Cat Club in the UK and formed the Ragdoll BAC.
We are a very friendly and active club which caters for everyone who
has an interest in Ragdoll cats, from the potential pet owner,
to the show scene, to the most professional breeder.
For a reputable breeder list and a regularly updated kitten list please
visit the TBRCC website www.tbrcc.co.uk.

The Club operates a rescue and re-home service. If you are interested
in re-homing a Ragdoll or can help in any way please contact Anne
on 01677 425929 or see the website for more details.
To join our friendly club or for further information please contact:
Anne Bradley 01677 425929 or Margaret Lynch 0161 2488940 (evenings only).
You can also find us on Facebook! WWW.TBRCC.CO.UK

C AT W O R L D
47

Anyone intending to show their
‘Raggy’ should take special care not
to allow grease to build up in the fur
and prevent staining, especially on
those white paws! Bathing is therefore
recommended for cats competing on
the show bench.
As with all cats, claws should be
checked and clipped every week or
so and the ears examined and kept
clean.
A scratching post is an essential
item and will help prevent damage to
furnishings.
Colours
Only four colours were originally
included in the standard - seal, blue,
chocolate and lilac, all solid pointed.
Seals and blues have always been the
48 C AT W O R L D
BREED PROFILE
Above: UK & Imperial Grand Premier Denena Lily Le-Lou - Overall Best in Show
at the Colourpoint Society of Great Britain Show, March 2018.
most popular but chocolates and lilacs
are more commonly seen than they
once were.
Since then, red and cream, tabbies
and tortoiseshells have been intro-
duced. Ragdolls come in four colour
divisions: Solid Point, Tortie Point,
Tabby Point and Tortie Tabby Point.
Solid Point colours
Seal - matching deep seal brown
points with a contrasting beige body
colour.
Blue - grey-blue points with a
bluish-white body colour.
Chocolate - milk chocolate brown
matching points with an ivory coloured
body.
Lilac - pinkish-grey points and a
magnolia body colour. (Lilac is some-
times known as ‘frost’ in the USA)
Red - Points may be any shade of
red but although they may match in
tone, the legs and feet are often a light-
er shade. Body colour is pale cream.
(Red is often called ‘flame’ in the US)
Cream - Cream points may match
in tone but, like red, legs and feet will
often be paler. Body colour is off-white.
Tortie point
A mix of the four traditional solid
colours with red and/or cream. Breed-
ers aim for the ‘broken’ tortoiseshell
effect in order to meet the show stand-
ards, although large areas of red or
cream may show a few bars or stripes.
Tabby point
Must show distinct markings for
showing - a clearly defined ‘M’ on the
forehead, spectacle markings around
the eyes, broken stripes or rings on the
legs and rings on the tail with that all-
important solid coloured tail tip. Tabby
pointed colours include Seal Tabby
Point, Blue Tabby Point, Chocolate Tab-
by Point, Lilac Tabby Point and Cream
Tabby Point, giving points in Seal Tortie
Tabby and Lilac Tortie Tabby.
Showing
Following the arrival of the first Rag-
dolls in the UK in 1981, it took some

time for the breed to achieve recogni-
tion under GCCF rulings. A small and
dedicated group of breeders worked
tirelessly to attract Governing Coun-
cil’s interest and by the late 1980s, it
eventually became possible to exhibit
Ragdolls at GCCF shows, leading to
the breed being granted Preliminary
Recognition in 1990. The Bicolour rose
to Provisional Status in 1996, with the
Colourpointeds and Mitteds following
in 1998.
Twenty years later, in June 2001, the
UK celebrated the Ragdoll breed, in
all three patterns and the original four
colours, as being fully recognised at
GCCF Championship level, with Red
and Tabby Series Ragdolls following
in June 2003 - they had achieved their
goal! Many outstanding Ragdolls have
been shown and will be remembered
in the archives of Ragdoll history,
alongside the diligent work of the
breeders and owners both past and
present who have helped to elevate
the breed to the position it holds today.
Standard of Points
Overall impression is that of a large,
powerful, imposing cat, distinctively
BREED PROFILE
marked and with striking appearance.
Rag doll cats should be relaxed in tem-
perament, gentle and easy to handle.
Head: Broad head with flat plane,
not domed and with width between
the ears. Cheeks well developed, with
a rounded, well developed muzzle
and firm chin with level bite. The nose
should be of medium length with a
gentle dip and slightly retrousee tip.
Ears: Medium in size, set wide with
a slight tilt forward. They should be
well furnished and rounded at the tip.
Eyes: Large, well opened slightly
oblique and set well apart. Blue in col-
our - the deeper the blue, the better.
Body: Long and muscular. Short
neck, heavy set. Broad chest.
Legs & paws: Medium in length and
of substantial bone. Paws large, round,
firm and tufted.
Tail: Long, bushy, slightly tapered to-
wards the tip and should at least reach
the shoulder and be in proportion to
the body.
Coat: Silky texture, dense and medi-
um in length. A ruff and knickerbockers
are preferred on mature cats. A short
coat in the summer is acceptable.
As cats may not reach full maturity
until 3-4 years of age, some degree
of body shading is to be expected, as
long as there is still clear contrast be-
tween body and points. The slow road
to maturity is well worth the wait, how-
ever, and rather like the ugly duckling
becomes a graceful swan, the Ragdoll
cat becomes more enchanting with
age. You may just fall in love so much
that one Ragdoll will never be enough!
Ragdoll patterns explained
Colourpointed: Colourpointed has
deep matching points on its mask,
ears, legs and tail, showing a softer hue
on its body with no white colouring
whatsoever.
Mitted: Mitted is similarly marked
but with white chin, possible white
nose blaze, white ruff and underbody,
white mittens to the front paws with
white socks up to the line of the hock
or beyond on the hind legs.
Bicolour: Bicolour shows a striking
white inverted ‘V’ to the mask, white
ruff and underbody with clear white
legs. A soft muted coloured saddle,
often broken by white patches. Tail
colour matching the ears and mask
points.
C AT W O R L D
49

Going head over heels
for Big Cat conservation
Plans are well underway for three intrepid adventurers and
the ‘Trek for Big Cats’ so we caught up with one of them,
wildlife photographer Gareth James Legg, for an inside story
BY JILL MUNDY
S
omething a little unusual could
be seen in the Scottish country-
side recently as the Trek for Big
Cats team prepare for their epic
challenge in aid of Born Free - a new
lion mascot was spotted!
The team start their unique chal-
lenge to conquer both Everest Base
Camp and Kilimanjaro in November
and Gareth James Legg, Tracey Bruton
and Timothy Jansen Van Vuuren are
proud to unveil their custom-built lion
mascot.
Trek for Big Cats is the brainchild
of South African-born Gareth. Af-
ter spending many years as a safari
guide, his passion for the big cats and
their environments led him to this next
chapter in his conservation journey.
Concerned by declining big cat popu-
lations due to hunting and habitat loss,
Gareth was inspired to take action and
raise money for UK-based internation-
al wildlife charity Born Free.
Gareth, who now lives in Edinburgh,
says: “It was only when I put the lion
mascot on for the first time that the
reality and enormity of this special
expedition really sank in. I am even
more determined now, with the help of
the mascots and my incredible team
members Tracey Bruton and Tim Van
Vuuren, to be the voice for the voice-
less - our endangered and iconic big
cats and their environments.
“Most of my training has been in
the hills and braids of Morningside so
look out for the big male lion mascot!
50 C AT W O R L D
BIG TREK CONVERSATION
Don’t be scared to come and say hi
and help pledge your paw print to the
conservation of big cats and their wild
habitats.”
The lion, which is yet to be named,
is the first of the mascots to be final-
ised, and will be worn by the project’s
founder, Gareth during Trek for Big
Cats’ epic journey.
Gareth’s lion will shortly be joined
by a leopard, to be worn by environ-
mentalist and Field Guide Tracey and
a tiger, worn by film maker and ranger
Timothy. The fantastic costumes have
all been designed and made here in
the UK.
I was lucky enough to have the
chance to ask Gareth about his pas-
sion for conservation and the Trek he
will soon be embarking on:
CW: How long has it taken to plan
the Trek for Big Cats?
Gareth: Well this has been a lifelong
dream and a concept I have worked
on for years to be able to give back to
conservation; the actual Trek For Big
Cats expedition and planning is now
running into almost a year of planning
and still daily we improve on the ex-
pedition concept to ensure we can
help create a massive global reach
and awareness around the plight of the
world’s iconic big cats and their envi-
ronments.
CW: There are three of you taking
part - all passionate about animal
conservation. Have you attempted
anything like this before?
Gareth: We are all from a back-
ground of working in the bush, often
in remote areas, and having grown up
being involved with scouts and spend-
ing most of our free time outdoors, we
like to think we will be able to handle
the extreme trekking conditions and
will be a little more resilient on the
trail. There is not much one can do
to prepare yourself for high altitude
sickness - it can affect anyone at any
stage of the trek. We are however put-
ting health and safety at the forefront of
this expedition and will be taking ad-
vice from the professional and highly
qualified sherpas with regard to this.
 BIG TREK CONVERSATION

CW: You were a safari guide for a

number of years so you have been
fairly ‘up close and personal’ with
such amazing wildlife - how much
has that influenced your participa-
tion in this project?
Gareth: It has played a massive
role in inspiring me to do something
of this nature, as well as a passion for
the African wildlife and bush which
was instilled in me from the early age
of five by my parents. I have been
very privileged to have spent many
years photographing and exposed to
these majestic and beautiful Big Cats
and have been guided by these Big
Cats to stand up and be a voice for
the the voiceless; they need our help
- time is running out, not just for the
Big Cats but for the environments they
call home. Our home…!!!

CW: What sort of training have you

all been doing?
Gareth: Most of the train-
ing has been just lots of walking mixed

C AT W O R L D
51

with some general cardio, Pilates,
core strength and a lot of mental
preparation to ensure that we are not
just physically prepared but also men-
tally and emotionally prepared for
all eventualities for this adventure.
Meditation has proved to be most
helpful, and spending large parts of
the training outdoors using the healing
and nurturing affects that only nature
can supply.
CW: How much more difficult will it
be trekking in a lion costume? What
particular problems may this cause
or may have to be overcome?
Gareth: The mascots each weigh
around 7kg, so almost 14 pounds.
The material they have used is
very thick so making the mascots po-
tentially very warm and on top of that,
the headpieces have a limited view
with no peripheral line of sight; this all
makes the mascots very challenging
to wear on an already challenging trek,
with altitude sickness plus rocky and
52 C AT W O R L D
sometimes technical areas to navigate
and very narrow trails at very high al-
titudes.
CW: I believe the general public in
various countries around the world
will want to join the stand to stop tro-
phy hunting, for instance, and other
threats to the lives of big cats around
the world. Where can people find out
about support events if they want to
take part?
Gareth: There are currently numer-
ous petitions being shared on social
media. We want to create aware-
ness and give people a call to action
and possibly solutions. Some of these
are lobbying to local governments and
putting pressure to ban trophy hunting,
canned lion hunting and the export
and import of animal parts for com-
mercial use. We will be helping to pro-
mote any online petitions via our social
media and sharing ways people can
get more involved with big cat conser-
vation globally.
CW: How can we follow you as the
treks progress?
Gareth: Our website is www.trek-
forbigcats.com and Facebook page
www.facebook.com/trekforbigcats We
also have twitter and Instagram pages
- people can follow us on www.twitter.
com/trekforbigcats and www.insta-
gram.com/trek_for_big_cats
We are hoping to do daily video
blogs of the cats’ activities as well as
the daily advocacies on big cat con-
servation via all the above platforms.
CW: Is there anything you will be
taking with you that might be a bit
unusual (a lucky mascot, photo, etc.)
Gareth: We will be carrying a
very special book called ‘The book
of Samson’ written by a dear friend of
Trek For Big Cats, Linda Park, a mas-
sive conservationist and campaign-
er for big cats. The book has given us
huge guidance and great support do-
ing our preparation and is a highly
recommended read.
CW: Thank you so much for your
time Gareth and giving us an insight
into what will be an exciting adventure.
I, for one, will be following with inter-
est and wish you all a safe journey on
behalf of all Cat World readers who, I
am sure, will be giving you their sup-
port too.
SHOW DATES
GCCF
SEPTEMBER
SEPTEMBER 01
Siamese Cat Club
Perdiswell Leisure Centre, Bilford
Road, Worcester WR3 8DX
Tonkinese Cat Club
Perdiswell Leisure Centre, Bilford
Road, Worcester WR3 8DX
Wyvern Cat Club
Perdiswell Leisure Centre, Bilford
Road, Worcester WR3 8DX
SEPTEMBER 08
Somerset Cat Club
Thornbury Leisure Centre,
Alveston Hill, Thornbury,
South Gloucestershire BS35 3JB
West Country Cat Club
Thornbury Leisure Centre,
Alveston Hill, Thornbury,
South Gloucestershire BS35 3JB
SEPTEMBER 15
Erin Cat Club
Sixmile Leisure Centre,
Ballynure Road, Ballyclare,
County Antrim BT39 9YU
SEPTEMBER 16
Cork Cat Club (GCCFI)
Social Mhuire Gan Smal, 1 Shean
Lower, Blarney, Co. Cork, Ireland
SEPTEMBER 22
North West Cat Club
Leigh Indoor Sports Centre,
Sale Way, Leigh Sports Village,
Leigh WN7 4JY
CLUB EVENTS FOR YOU DIARY
South Western Counties Cat Club
Wellsprings Leisure Centre,
Chidden Road, Taunton,
Somerset TA2 7QP
OCTOBER
OCTOBER 06
White Persian Cat Club
Bracknell Leisure Centre, Bagshot
Road, Bracknell, Berks. RG12 9SE
Havana & Oriental Lilac Cat Club
Wistaston Memorial Hall, 75 Church
Lane, Crewe, Cheshire CW2 8EZ
Korat & Thai Cat Association
Bugbrooke Community Centre,
Camp Close, Bubrooke,
Northampton NN7 3RW
Russian Blue Breeders Association
Bugbrooke Community Centre,
Camp Close, Bubrooke,
Northampton NN7 3RW
Longhaired, Semi Longhaired
and All Breed Cat Club
Bracknell Leisure Centre, Bagshot
Road, Bracknell, Berks. RG12 9SE
Maine Coon Breed Society
Bracknell Leisure Centre, Bagshot
Road, Bracknell, Berks. RG12 9SE
Norsk Skogkatt Society
Bracknell Leisure Centre, Bagshot
Road, Bracknell, Berks. RG12 9SE
Seal and Blue Point
Birman Cat Club
Bracknell Leisure Centre, Bagshot
Road, Bracknell, Berks. RG12 9SE
Turkish Van Cat Club
Bracknell Leisure Centre, Bagshot
Road, Bracknell, Berks. RG12 9SE
Tabby Cat Club
Sports Connexion Leisure Club &
Venue, Leamington Road,
Coventry, CV8 3FL
Egyptian Mau Club
Sports Connexion Leisure Club &
Venue, Leamington Road,
Coventry, CV8 3FL
OCTOBER 13
Caledonian Long Haired Cat Club
Academy Sports Centre, Arboretum
Road, Edinburgh EH3 5PL
Edinburgh & East of Scotland
Cat Club
Academy Sports centre, Arboretum
Road, Edinburgh EH3 5PL
TICA UK
SEPTEMBER 22-23
NaturallyTICA and Felinology
(EW Regional), Walton-on-Thames
OCTOBER 06-07
LondonCats, Manchester
C AT W O R L D
 BOARDING
THE

HOUSE DIARY
There are so many cats to care for, each one with its own personality and
charm but the priorities for all of them are food, comfort and sleep

BY DOMINIQUE URQUHART

i
have been looking
after Olivia Fernan-
dez- Hanna, or ‘Oli
from the block’ as we
like to call her, for just
over a year now, visiting
her at her home when her
doting parents make short
trips away and boarding
her with us when they
are away for longer. On
this occasion this sassy
tuxedo cat, adopted from
the Bronx, New York with
oodles of attitude and a
gently persuasive nature,
is lodging with us.
Oli from the block
Mornings she is up
at just past 5am and she
takes turns waking up my-
self and my partner John,
circling us like prey before
making her move. Starting
with me, she sits in front
of my snoozing head on a
small corner of the mat-
tress and gently taps my
nose with her paw. I open
one eye and she narrows
hers, looking at me before
letting out a plaintive mew.
Hopping off of the bed,
she runs hopefully towards
the kitchen.
I close my eyes and
a few minutes later I am
awake again when Oli
jumps from the window
ledge and lands on John’s
back. John wakes with a
start as she walks around
us, her little paws gen-
tly shaking the mattress.
Luckily she has already
worked her significant
charm on John - Oli from
the block is a number
one flirt. She follows John
about as he does odd jobs
around the apartment,
gazing up at him with
twinkly eyes full of admira-
tion and sitting on his lap
whenever he pauses for a
rest. John is smitten. But he
is not getting up at 5.30 am
to give her breakfast so
here she is tapping on my
nose with her paw again.
When she realises she
is not getting a response,
she sits on top of John
and starts her cleaning
ritual and the bed rocks
under her efforts. When
my alarm sounds at 6 am
she lands in front of my
face and bounces off of the
bed and into the hallway.
I follow her sleepily as
she waggles her bottom
and heads to the kitchen
for breakfast. Later, as
John and I drink tea and
chat in bed, Oli, breakfast
finished, hops up and
settles in between us, her
face pointing towards John
and her bottom towards
me. Every time I talk she
flaps her tail so it lands in
my mouth, filling it with fur
and shutting me up as she
continues to gaze lovingly
at John.

Sassy
Sassy, a tiny, fluffy grey
Munchkin cat that looks

54 C AT W O R L D JUNE 2016
like a cat version of a
sausage dog, arrives and Bibi
trots confidently out of
her basket. Her tail stands
straight, arching over her
back as she explores my
apartment, running from
one object to another. She
is a seasoned traveller just
over from Paris and has
no qualms about meet-
ing new people or going
to new places. With short
legs and a medium length
coat that falls to her paws
she looks as though she
is floating when she walks
and like a bullet as she
gathers speed.
She jumps onto the sofa
for a better view out of the Sassy is not on the balcony the sensations of looking her home daily while her
window and before long watching the world go by, at the world from a new owners are away and she
Sassy is exploring the bal- she will hop onto the sofa height. follows me, wrapping her
cony and rolling excitedly next to me, falling into an body around my legs as I
on the slate tiles. There she easy sleep. Bibi prepare her breakfast. She
stays for a few minutes, Sassy loves the morning Bibi, an exotic shorthair, is not hugely interested in
her paws in the air, gently and I wake to find her on is a small cat, mostly black food and is happier when
rocking and contemplating the window ledge chat- with random white patch- I have sat down on the
the world. She rolls back ting to the birds. She is an es. She has a completely floor and she can bury her
to an upright position and extremely gentle cat and is flat, round face with huge cheeks in the palms of my
looks around, her small happy to be carried from yellow almond eyes and hand. Standing on the tips
stature making the grasses window to window. Lean- whiskers that are curled of her paws, Bibi points
and ferns look like a tropi- ing her head against mine, in the style of Hercule her face upwards and
cal jungle. In the evening, if she stares out, enjoying Poirot. I am visiting Bibi in pushes it into my palm, her
tale swirling in excitement
Sassy like a snake behind her.
Bibi purrs like a refrig-
erator, revelling in the
attention and her almond
eyes glisten with pleasure.
Eventually Bibi collapses,
exhausted, and melts into
my side, her eyes closed
and whiskers curled into a
smile beside me.

THE CAT FACTS:

The Notting Hill Cat Company
Pampering Your Pets While You Are Away
email: nottinghillcatcompany@gmail.com
web: www.nottinghillcatcompany.com
call: 0781 354 7461

J U LY 2 0 1 6 C AT W O R L D
55

Poorly eyes won’t stop these
cats looking for love
Two cats, both with eye problems, were taken into different
charities and after recovering well were now looking for a
happy ever after home with a caring owner
C
ats can be very adaptable to dis-
abilities or compromise. After
the heartbreak of suffering an
illness or injury, not to mention
losing loved ones, they can be remark-
ably resilient. Here are two stories
of cats who have very different eye
problems, both needing a loving new
home.
April
On 13th April 2018, Keighley Cat
Care managed to trap and collect a
heavily pregnant stray cat with a very
poorly eye. The cat, named April, was
immediately taken to the vets to be ex-
amined but, whilst waiting to be seen,
tiny squeaks could be heard coming
from the covered trap. April had given
birth!
Her eye was in a horrendous state
and required surgery but this was
56 C AT W O R L D
STRAY CATS
BY MANDY WILLETT
postponed for the welfare of her
kittens. One kitten was born with a
severely cleft palate and sadly died
within hours. April and her two remain-
ing kittens were kept at the surgery
overnight but were allowed to be tak-
en to the Rescue in Keighley, Bradford
the next day. She had been prescribed
an eye cream to be applied daily while
she was nursing her two kittens.
The three of them seemed other-
wise very healthy but on 19th April,
one of the kittens died in his sleep.
Staff were heartbroken and then the
following day, April’s eye became
critical so she had to be admitted for
emergency surgery. Her kitten went
with her and the surgery went well.
Just five days after she came home, the
surviving kitten became very unwell
and was taken to the vets. Sadly she
also died, despite the best attempts to
save her.
April went back to Keighley Cat
Care but she was clearly missing her
kittens, which was very upsetting. She
was exhausted, understandably, as in
just a week and a half she had been
through several distressing events.
With all the love and care shown by
the rescue centre, her lovely personal-
ity began to emerge. However, she
was terrified of the other cats at the
rescue. After a lot of deliberation, April
was taken to Battersea Dogs and Cats
Home, who have taken in many cats
from the Keighley rescue, with a very
successful rehoming rate.
Thankfully in June this year, April’s
tragic story finally had a happy end-
ing - and a new beginning, as she was
adopted. A donation from Wetnose
Animal Aid helped Keighley Cat Care
do all they could to secure a new and
enjoyable future for April.
Please consider helping the smaller
animal charities to help save the lives
of so many other unfortunate cats and
other animals who find themselves in
their care.
Igloo
A stray cat found wandering the
streets of North West London was
taken to animal welfare charity May-
hew by a concerned member of the
public. The one-year-old black feline
was named Igloo and on arrival she
was given a thorough health check.
Mayhew Vet, Dr Emma Robinson,

said: “When Igloo was first brought
in we noticed she had dried eye
discharge and mild conjunctivitis in
both eyes. Although they were initially
improving with topical eye treatment,
the eye discharge continued.
“We suspected that this may be due
to a blockage of the tear ducts, mean-
ing that the tears do not drain from the
eye as they normally would and end
up running down the face.
“Blockage can be due to abnormali-
ties of the ducts from birth or due to
damage from a virus. We were able
to flush the left tear duct under an-
aesthetic, allowing drainage from that
duct. Unfortunately the right tear duct
is permanently altered, meaning that
she will always have a mild discharge
from the right eye. This does not cause
her discomfort but just means the area
around the eye needs to be cleaned
and dried daily.”
After receiving medical attention
and care from Mayhew’s Vet team,
including vaccinations and neutering,
Igloo was put into the care of fosterer
Tessa, who said: “Igloo has been a joy
to look after. She loves to play, scamp-
ering down the hallway to hide just out
of sight, inviting me to follow for games
with her ribbons, shoelaces and feath-
ers. She is the sweetest friend and her
clear happiness when she is feeling
loved is a wonderful thing to share.
Igloo doesn’t miaow but she’s very
expressive with her variety of enchant-
ing little noises.”
Sadly Igloo wasn’t microchipped
and no-one came forward to collect
her so she is now looking for someone
to offer her a loving forever home. De-
tails of all cats in the charity’s care can
be found on the Mayhew website.
YEAR ROUND HEALTH
Casper overcomes severe
flea infestation
C
asper was rescued from a
home at just six weeks old, in
September 2016, and it was
touch and go as to whether
he would survive. He was riddled
with fleas and was really unwell.
MSD Animal Health is now shar-
ing Casper’s story as part of its Big
Flea Project - an initiative to raise
awareness about the dangers of
fleas and encourage pet owners to
keep pets protected.
Casper was taken to The Vet-
erinary Health Centre in Lytham,
Lancashire where practice owner
and vet, Siuna Reid, described the
case as the worst she had seen in
her 26-year career.
Poor little Casper was whim-
pering in distress as the parasites
crawled all over his face. The fleas
had sucked so much of Casper’s
blood he was anaemic; his blood
sugar and packed cell volume
(PCV) levels were so low he was
dipping in and out of consciousness.
Casper was given emergency
life-saving treatment and everyone
hoped for the best.
Eighteen months on, Casper
now lives with the receptionist who
checked him into the practice and
is happy in his forever home.
Siuna Reid said: “I vividly re-
member treating Casper. He was
brought in by the RSPCA one
evening after he was rescued from
a house. There was a point where
it looked like we would have to put
Casper down but I wanted to do my
best to stop that from happening.
His PCV levels were not condu-
cive with life. We had to give him a
protein fluid. It took around three or
four days before Casper’s condition
was no longer life-threatening.”
Casper was finally discharged
on 9th October 2016 - 19 days after
he was admitted. He was adopted
by the practice receptionist, Helen,
who fell in love with the black and
white moggy during his stay in the
practice.
Helen said: .“Casper is now a fit
and healthy young cat and happy in
his new home. I had lost my seven-
teen year old cat about four months
previously and was still missing her
dreadfully when the RSPCA brought
the tiny collapsed kitten into the
practice.
“I had never seen as many
fleas on an animal before and was
shocked that he could actually die
from the infestation. Over the next
few days he battled on and I sat
with him, grooming out the flea dirt.
His fantastic little character be-
gan to make its way into my heart.
Casper is now a much loved mem-
ber of the family and I’ll make sure
he never has another flea again!”
Big Flea Project vet, Hannah
Newbury, from MSD Animal Health
said: “Casper’s story is truly shock-
ing and highlights the dangers fleas
and other parasites can have. Flea
infestations can occur in this way
when we forget to treat our pets.
At least 12 weeks’ continuous flea
treatment is needed to break the
flea life cycle, so it’s really important
for pet owners to keep on top of the
treatment process and to treat their
pets year round.”
C AT W O R L D
57

M
ost cat owners love to hear the
contented sound of their cats
purring. Not only is it relaxing
to listen to but it also usually
demonstrates that your cat is happy
and feels safe and secure. Personally,
I find the sound very soothing and
it reassures me that my cats are at
ease. Tibbles, for instance, produces
loud vibrating purrs which sound
like a mini motor bike and Mia also
has a fairly loud purr which is reas-
suring to hear because she is a very
nervous and jumpy cat who still, after
four years with me, does not like to
be picked up or cuddled. Therefore,
when Mia purrs it tells me that she is at
that moment in time content, although
admittedly she can quickly change
from purring to producing a resound-
ing hiss if she has had enough strok-
ing, showing that purrs can sometimes
be misleading. Meanwhile, Toby purrs
so quietly that it is very difficult to hear
and quite often I resort to feeling un-
der his chin to actually ascertain that
he is indeed purring.
However, having read up a little
about why and how cats purr, I came
across some very interesting informa-
tion. For instance, purring is not just
a way that a cat expresses pleasure
but also a way that a cat self-soothes.
Therefore, an injured cat who is in
pain, will often purr to help it cope
with the pain and to lessen the impact
of the pain upon it. Furthermore, purr-
ing may also form part of the healing
58 C AT W O R L D
UNDERSTANDING PURRING
Manipulative moggies -
cats and purring
It is the wish of most cat owners that their feline friend will
curl up on their lap, purring contentedly - but happiness is
only one reason why cats purr
BY LORRAINE SCHOFIELD
process because purring creates
vibrations within the body which help
to heal wounds and bones as well as
decreasing swelling. This I found fasci-
nating as it shows that cats really are in
tune with their bodies and understand
the link between body and mind in
generating a sense of wellbeing.
Cats also use purring as a means of
communication as kittens will purr to
demonstrate to their mothers that all is
well whereas the mother cat will use
purring as a lullaby in order to com-
fort and and soothe her kittens. Kittens
are born deaf and blind but can feel
vibrations which means that purring is
a vital way in which the mother com-
municates with her offspring. Further-
more, during labour, purring helps the
mother cat to deal with pain and pro-
duces endorphins to help soothe her.
However, one piece of research
in relation to purring that I found the
most interesting was the fact that cats
are capable of producing a manipu-
lative purr which combines purring
with a cry in order to persuade their
owners to get up out of bed and feed
them! According to researchers at the
University of Sussex, cats have adapt-
ed their purring so that they have
incorporated a sound which sounds
very much like a baby crying into
their early morning purring routines.
Thus, when faced with this persistent
and manipulative purr, humans find it
hard to ignore, just as a crying baby
demands immediate attention. In fact,
interestingly, even non-cat owners
were able to differentiate between the
more urgent and persistent purrs and
regular purrs showing that cats have
really mastered the art of getting what
they want!
From personal experience, Tib-
bles, my senior puss of 16, has really
mastered the art of the manipulative
purr as every morning he wakes me
without fail by climbing onto my pillow
and purring and mewing loudly, as
well as licking my face until it has the
desired effect and I reluctantly get out
of bed. More often than not, if it is early,
I will go back to bed afterwards fol-
lowing which Tibbles is usually quite
content to join me now that he has a
full stomach!
Nevertheless, although Tibbles

is obviously skilled at manipulating
me, according to the research at the
University of Sussex, the fact that a cat
does so serves to prove that there is a
strong one-to-one relationship in place
between the cat and its owner. Cer-
tainly having had Tibbles from a kitten
for 16 years, I definitely agree that we
have a very close bond, although Tib-
bles definitely has the upper hand in
the relationship.
Purring however, is not just good
for the cat but is also beneficial for its
owners as it is not only soothing for
humans but also helps to lower stress
levels. Stroking a purring cat can help
to lower blood pressure and help us to
relax and this is one of the reasons that
I am such an avid cat fan. Cats know
instinctively how to relax and although
unfortunately none of my cats are lap
cats, Tibbles loves to settle down next
to me on the sofa of an evening and
the sound of his loud resounding purr
UNDERSTANDING PURRING
is not only comforting but also serves
to remind me that he is content and
happy to be sat alongside me.
Toby and Mia are both rather timid
cats who like their own personal space,
although Mia is rather partial to a
tummy tickle and will purr loudly if she
gets her way, showing the importance
of purring in order for our cats to com-
municate effectively to us how they are
feeling. Toby is still a work in progress
with regard to purring but seems to
prefer to meow very loudly in order
to make his presence felt, especially
when he is demanding some of his
favourite cat treats. Perhaps Toby has
not yet mastered the art of the ma-
nipulative purr but as his frequent loud
meows have the same desired effect
with regard to treats, he has no need
yet of the manipulative purr.
Interestingly, not all big cats purr.
Any that roar do not actually purr.
Therefore, lions do not purr whereas
cheetahs and bobcats certainly do.
Apparently, cats that do purr have
a hard hyoid bone located in their
throats whereas those that do not, such
as lions, have a more elastic hyoid
bone which, while allowing them to
roar, prevents them from being able to
purr. This serves to show that all cats,
including big cats, have adapted ac-
cording to their circumstances, so that
if it suits their needs they will develop
the ability to purr.
Ultimately, cats purr for a variety of
reasons; manipulating their owners is
certainly one of them and it most defi-
nitely comes in very useful at breakfast
time! Nevertheless, although we cat
lovers know that they are wily crea-
tures, being much smarter than they
actually appear, if you are anything like
me at all, you will recognise there is
something so irresistible and beguiling
about a cat’s purr that it is quite impos-
sible to ignore it and not respond to it.
C AT W O R L D
59
 CONFESSIONS
of a CAT LOVER
P
arsley has got a
boyfriend. This is not
easy to take. I mean,
neither of my cats has
ever expressed any interest
in male cats before. Not a
sniff – literal or metaphori-
cal. But that has clearly
changed.
Maybe it was the warm-
er weather that prompted
it. I should have suspected
something like this was
happening when Pars-
ley went walkabout. This,
you should understand, is
highly unusual. She is not a
wanderer. When she goes
out, she tends to sit on the
patio. If she’s feeling adven-
turous, she’ll saunter down
to the table at the end of the
garden. Very occasionally
she’ll go as far as the alleys
that surround the house.
We always joke that the
neighbours’ gardens are
Wales, Scotland and Ireland
60 C AT W O R L D
LOVE IS IN THE AIR FOR PARSLEY IT SEEMS BUT NUTMEG
AND TIM - ESPECIALLY TIM - ARE NOT AMUSED
respectively in her head.
And anything beyond that is
abroad.
Anyway, wherever she
went, she disappeared. Ad-
mittedly it wasn’t a full-on
week-long disappearance
– one that involved posters
on lampposts and calls to
the emergency services
(by which I mean local vets
and rescue centres). But
this most definitely consti-
tuted a disappearance as
far as Parsley was con-
cerned.
She went out the back
door at 8am. She sat on
the patio (as usual). She
sat on the garden table (as
usual). Half an hour later
I looked out – OK, I may
have checked – and she
was gone. No sign at 10am
or 11am or noon, either.
No sign all afternoon. No
sign at six o’clock. By nine
o’clock that evening it was
official: I was worried.
We should have known
there was a male cat in-
volved but we didn’t twig at
that stage. We discussed all
sorts of other theories. That
she’d got shut in a neigh-
bour’s shed or garage. That
she’d gone beyond her ter-
ritory and got lost. Become
involved in a protracted
stand-off with another cat.
Naturally, we worried about
the worse-case scenarios
but didn’t talk too much
about those. One scenario
we most definitely didn’t
discuss was ‘young love’.
And why would we? She
had never been interested
in ‘men’. In fact, I’m not sure
she’d even met a male cat.
She once had a pen in the
cattery next to two rather
dashing Toms but the cat-
tery lady said she’d spent
the week resolutely ignor-
ing them.
Nutmeg’s behaviour has
been altogether different.
‘Promiscuous’ is a dirty
word – fortunately, they’ve
both been neutered – but
she seems quite, how shall
I put this delicately, liberal
with her affections. She ap-
pears to know most of the
male cats in the neighbour-
hood.
Anyway, back to the boy-
friend. It had got to 10pm
and I glanced out of the
front bedroom window (OK,
I may have been looking)
and there she was. Except,
she wasn’t alone. She had
another cat with her. The
cat in question was a fine
looking fellow, I have to
say. A big sleek black one,
with the shape of a Jaguar.
The animal, not the car –
obviously. He wasn’t short
of confidence, either. He
stood his ground when I
walked out (OK, I may have
run) to collect Parsley.
When she came in,
she was different. More
aloof. I suspect there may
have been some physical
contact, because Nutmeg
either didn’t recognise her
smell or smelt him on her
because her reaction was
aggressive. He’s been put-
ting in quite a few appear-
ances since. Most days, in
fact, he comes and sits in
the front garden. He’s very
patient and just stares up at
the door. There’s something
romantic about it. Love’s
young dream and all that.
Except it’s not so young
because Parsley’s six, so
distinctly middle-aged in
human years.
I’ve tried to see the best
in him – I’ve no reason to
suspect he wasn’t a perfect
gentleman. He brought
her home, after all. Parsley,
however, is now having
none of it. She ignores him.
I fear that she’s forgotten
him and already moved on
in her head. I am starting
to suspect she might have
done that whole awkward
‘It’s not you, it’s me’ ex-
change as she left him on
the doorstep.
I’ve tried holding her
up to the window to see
if there’s any reaction but
she reacted with disdain.
She made the funny noise
she makes when she sees
a bird or moth, the broken
cackly one that’s midway
between a mioaw and a
hiss, and that was pretty
much that.
As it stands, I still haven’t
identified the cat in ques-
tion. He wears no collar.
I have never seen him in
a neighbour’s garden.
Well, never consistently
one garden in particular.
Earlier tonight, he turned
up on the doorstep and
waited for a few minutes.
Parsley was far too busy in
the kitchen staring at the
corner of a rug to bother
herself with anything as
trivial as a past conquest.
Yet I can’t help feel some
sympathy. There’s some-
thing a little romantic about
him: the tragic, devoted
hero. He waited for a few
minutes then departed. If it
had been a Disney film, he
would have probably had a
tear in his eye.
I fear ours may not be
the only house at which
he makes these evening
calls, although I’m not tell-
ing Parsley that. She may
be largely indifferent but I
wouldn’t want to risk upset-
ting her. I have spent her
whole life treating her as if
she is special – it seems a
shame to break the illusion
for her now. Secretly, I also
have to admit I’m glad she
hasn’t got a boyfriend. She
might have started coming
in late and got all surly. Plus
I fear it could have led to
conflict between her and
sister Nutmeg. Nutmeg
basically wants everything
Parsley’s got, so Nutmeg
would have tried to steal
him. The net result could
have been some bizarre
cat love triangle. I live in
the suburbs so I suspect
enough of that goes on
anyway.
C AT W O R L D
61

Season of mists and
planting bulbs...
The first whispers of autumn flutter gently on the breeze
and Pasha and Tanni join in the rituals that come with
preparing home and garden for the months ahead
BY INGRID HOOPER
A
fter a long, hot sultry summer
there is a scent of autumn in the
air. From early morning mists
to the shorter days and longer
nights, nature is gradually winding
down and Siamese boys Pasha and
Tanni are picking up on this.
True, there is still warmth in the air
and on the ground, combined with
slightly shorter sunny days to look for-
ward to. Playing with the solar fountain
can still be fun even if it doesn’t leap
quite so high up in the air as it did dur-
ing those earlier long hot sunny days.
Hiding amongst the shrubs doesn’t
offer quite as much cover as it once
did, making it easier to see where the
Siamese pair are lying in wait ready to
spring out and ambush unsuspecting
young birds.
But there are many plus points to the
arrival of autumn. For a start there is
more time for indoor play and for re-
connecting with what is new inside the
house to offer play potential. As well as
rediscovering old familiar haunts for
hiding and for being just curious.
Soon it will be time to swap cool
summer beds for warmer winter ones.
It won’t be long till Pasha and Tanni
rediscover the joys of slipping under
the duvet when the humans are asleep.
Even better will be the thrill of stretch-
ing out full length, forcing the humans
onto the edge of the bed!
Unlike the hot sultry days and nights
of summer, Autumn is the time for
working long hours in the garden in
62 C AT W O R L D
PASHA & TANNI
eager anticipation of a garden fit to
challenge the Chelsea Flower Show
next Spring. Pasha and Tanni enjoy the
times spent with their humans outdoors,
especially the annual ritual of planting
up bulbs. Plenty of potential for walking
all over the compost bags and sniffing
at the bulbs. And for getting whiskers
wet in copious mugs of tea!
Climbing trees is made easier once
leaves shrivel and fall, enabling Pasha
to brush up on his tree climbing skills
and call to Tanni to come up and join
him. Stretches of fence which previ-
ously were covered in honeysuckle,
clematis and wisteria are now easier to
negotiate in order to get a full stretch
gallop along the fence – Pasha!
Tanni finds it easier to sniff out
mouse trails and hunt for frogs but
harder to conceal himself which must
be a huge relief to the local wildlife.
Dotted all around the garden are
spiders lurking in their webs ready to
catch the unwary. But the largest col-
lection of spiders seems to be hanging
out in the garage, the Wendy house
and the shed. I have lost count of the
number of times I have walked into
webs with an aggressive looking spi-
der in situ. As the autumn spider-fest
brings these creatures out from unex-
pected nooks and crannies, I half hope
the Siamese dudes will deal with them.
Instead they look up at me, waiting for
their human to take charge.
Indoors the smell of cooking per-
meates the air, even if it is just veggie
cooking in many shades of green. I tell
the Siamese boys that cats don’t eat
green. Then Tanni will happily mop
up any left-over pesto on plates not
stacked straight away into the dish-
washer to disprove my theory.
Evenings sitting around the fireside
or spent catching up on TV beckon.
Both Siamese boys enjoy curling up,
one each side of my lap, to watch
wildlife programmes. Though what
Tanni sees or recognises in hippos I
just couldn’t say! Music programmes
don’t interest Pasha and Tanni. The first
sound of a soprano singing in an opera
has Pasha making a quick exit from the
room. Perhaps high octaves are too
much for sensitive Siamese ears?
Now our Cats are spending more
time indoors it’s worth carrying out
an up to-date safety check. Like many
people we have blinds on the windows
and it never occurred to me that the
chain could be a danger to cats until
Pasha got tangled up in a blind chain
and couldn’t free himself. Fortunately
I was in the room and able to release
him quickly. Needless to say we now
have childproof locks in place.
l Follow Pasha & Tanni’s kitten
adventures on their blog at
www.CatsHaveStaff.co.uk
l Cats Have Staff – The Saffi & Misa
Diaries by Ingrid Hooper is available
from the above website or from
Amazon. Out now in paperback and
Kindle.
 FUN PAGES

FELINE FUN
Wordsearch Spot the difference
We’ve hidden all of the words listed below in the Can you find 6 things in the picture that are missing?
grid…except one! Can you work out which word
isn’t included?

S T N E M E L P P U S C X Y
A J Y U Y N H V F D O F Y A
K K Z C T Z Z H M C S W V R
G Z X H E R E L G H I V S T
E E E J P A I G C G B S O R
R P X R T I W T N W J P B E
G J Y P A J A R I K W I T T
R U A X K O Y J K O O U X T
N D X Q Q Z F A U D N T H I
WG S Q O I E G E U S P W L
C N R A P R F G S I R Q M O
O E F R P O R Q T F A V Q U
WS N C H A O I C A F E D G
Q L R I D U R C T E Y V Q E
MX T A M H G I S M Z B X M
U S B W T A I E B R Y L R X
H L V R Y J S G A K H A X B
Vecteezy.com

E P A B W P W O S V D N F G
G E R I A T R I C Q S K N F
L N U N G A Y P S U S E P P
Answers from last month
S T E L L E P F G H L T Z Y Criss Cross: Across: 2. Arthritis,
4. Scratch post, 6. Obesity,
L T O P W S F A L R P G I L 8. Sleeping Down: 1. Mouse,
2. Activity feeder, 3. Crepuscular,
5. Taurine, 7. Fishing
Spot the difference, left.

ARTHRITIS BLANKET
GERIATRIC HEATPAD
DID YOU KNOW?
SUPPLEMENTS LITTER TRAY
FOR AN OLDER CAT, ONE YEAR EQUATES TO FOU
GLUCOSAMINE BIODEGRADABLE R HUMAN YEARS, SO A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD CAT
DEMENTIA SCOOP BE CLASSED AS MIDDLE-AGED AND A 14-YEA WOULD
R-OLD CAT WOULD BE AROUND 70 HUMAN YEA
NUTRITION PELLETS RS OF AGE.

C AT W O R L D
63
 KITTY COVERS
THE BOOKS WE’RE ALL READING AND ROLLING OVER THIS MONTH
A Rampage of Rodents
An excerpt from ‘An Armful of Animals’, the new book
by much-loved author Malcolm D. Welshman
O
ur cottage, Willow Wren,
had become a refuge for
the local rodent population
seeking to escape the ravages of a
Sussex winter. What better than a tile-
hung 18th century cottage, built on
bare earth that sharp teeth and claws
could bury under. Lathe and plaster
walls to tunnel through. And a laby-
rinth of nooks and crannies to nest in.
A perfect des res for mice.
Our whiskery friends certainly
seemed a happy band, very content
with their accommodation. Even a
Pied Piper worthy of his tune would
have had a hard job to give them
their marching orders. Throughout
the winter and into spring, they led us
a merry dance; having waited most
of the day they’d then set off to pat-
ter nightly across the loft and abseil
down the walls. We were overrun.
“It might help if we got a cat,” said
my wife, Maxeen.
I grimaced. “You know I’m not
particularly fond of cats.”
“Oh, for goodness sake. Don’t
be such a namby-pamby.” Maxeen
glowered at me. “Besides, having one
round the house will help you under-
stand cats more,” said Maxeen. “Just
you wait and see.”
But I was still reluctant. Until the
evening a couple of mice started
playing ping pong with a peanut
64 C AT W O R L D
under the TV while I was trying to
watch EastEnders. Such distraction
from my favourite soap was not to
be tolerated. Enough was enough.
Hence Queenie arrived. A very at-
tractive looking chocolate and cream
long-haired Persian whose owners
were going abroad; and the cat re-
quired rehoming.
In view of my antipathy towards
such creatures, her addition to the
household actually worked out quite
well. Queenie treated me with utter
contempt. Regal distain, as befitted
her name. To her, I was a mere un-
derling not worthy of royal patronage.
She kept her distance. I mine. That
suited us both. But we soon found out
that Queenie had no intention of sing-
ing for her supper or rather decapi-
tating a mouse or two for her dinner.
Far from it. Any murine movements
in the house were totally ignored by
her.
She’d lie, stretched out along the
back of the settee and watch any
cavorting mice without batting an
eyelid. They were treated with utter
distain. Clearly, she had no intention
of swooping down to conquer. Not for
her a Boudicca-style charge to snatch
a rodent or two. It was a no-go area.
So the population of mice in Willow
Wren continued to burgeon.
We hoped that would all change
when Sabrina swirled in. She was
a large middle-aged feline, green-
eyed, with puffball white fur, pink
nose and pink ears. A cuddly,
dreamy-looking cat – the sort you’d
associate with fairy castles and dam-
sels in distress. Only I discovered
that lurking within all that puff was a
deadly deviousness capable of mak-
ing a damsel demented. As for me,
in terms of being a knight, I found my
armour sorely dented.
Despite her sugar-candy appear-
ance, we’d been assured she was,
unlike Queenie, an excellent mouser.
That was the reason Maxeen per-
suaded me to adopt Sabrina. Hon-
ourable intentions, for sure. Bless her.
By now, Willow Wren felt as if it
had become an international centre
for murine movements. It was heav-
ing with mice. I swear there was a
large contingency from France as
our Camembert, Brie and Roquefort
would disappear with great relish
while the local Cheddar was never
gorged. I began to dream of mice.
There’d be one leaning against our
pine dresser, a Gauloises stuck in the
corner of his mouth, while his fellow
compatriots, berets on their heads,
played boules with peanuts across
the kitchen floor. Ooh … la … la …
“I reckon they’ll get along,” de-
clared Maxeen when Sabrina was
first presented to Queenie. She was
right. After a few introductory sniffs,
a few wags of feathery tails swished
from side to side like banners at a
pageant, they got on fine. Royal as-
sent had been granted. And before
you could twitch a whisker, they’d
started plotting. A certain member of
the household was not to be trusted.
You’ve guessed. Me. Though there
was no Tower to send me to, I could
still be in for the chop. What lay
ahead? I wondered. My head in a
basket?
“You’re imagining things,” said
Maxeen when I first suggested that
Sabrina was out to get me, alienating
Queenie against me in the process.
“They’re only cats for heaven’s sake.”
“But I swear Sabrina doesn’t like
me.”
“That’s because she senses you’re
not keen on her. That you don’t really
like cats.”
“But I tolerate them,” I whinged.
“But Sabrina’s really anti-me.” It was
apparent within a few days of her set-
ting paw in Willow Wren.
One of the first rules of the house –
no pet allowed upstairs – was bro-
ken. Blatantly violated. I was undress-
ing one evening, Maxeen already in
bed, when a puff of white rolled into
the room and floated up onto her
side. There, it proceeded to wrap
itself round her neck, lick her, rub
noses while giving vent to soft inar-
‘A most enjoyable insight into a fascinating life.’
- Jim Wight, son of James Herriot.
ticulate cries of pleasure. As Sabrina’s
transports of affection subsided along
with those she’s evoked in Maxeen,
she cocooned herself at the end of
the bed and fell fast asleep. Within
days, Queenie was copying her.
There followed attempts to banish
me from the bedroom all together.
I was climbing our narrow staircase
one evening, my head coming level
with the landing, when I was suddenly
aware of a silky white paw flashing
out between the rails above me.
“Ouch,” I roared as claws scraped
across my scalp before disappearing
back onto the landing.
There was no sympathy from Max-
een. “It’s just Sabrina playing games
with you.” But when Queenie started
to join in it gave me claws for con-
cern. Two sets of them.
Maxeen’s solution was to throw a
beanie at me. “Here, wear this.”
Thanks, love.
The supposed ‘games’ contin-
ued when I attempted to lay a new
stair carpet. I’d barely hammered
in the top tread before Sabrina had
ripped the bottom one out. “She’s just
sharpening her claws” said Maxeen.
“It’s not deliberate sabotage.” I was
unconvinced.
Then came the episode of the
water butt. It was during a hose-pipe
ban. A common occurrence in this
drought-stricken corner of West Sus-
sex. I sneakily tried filling our water
butt illicitly by snaking the hosepipe
through the herbaceous border to
the kitchen tap. So what did Sabrina
do? She settled herself on top of the
kitchen extension, peering down at
the hosepipe trailing in through the
window and proceeded to yowl. A
spluttery caterwauling that in my
years as a vet I’ve never experienced
before.
Her rendition had our neighbour,
Rita, dash out to peer over the gar-
den fence, bewilderment creased on
her face. While Rev. James busy in
the vicarage garden across the way,
dropped his shears and came run-
ning. As both spotted the now nearly
full water butt, Sabrina stopped her
caterwauling and proceeded to wash
her paws. Job done. I’d been found
out.
As for mouse hunting, no way was
Sabrina going to oblige; and never
did. Hence, my continuing rant about
the rodents became music to her
ears. And Queenie’s. Every note a
winning score. Grrrrrr.
l ‘An Armful of Animals’ is available
from Amazon as a paperback £7.99
or ebook £2.99
www.malcolmwelshman.co.uk
Malcolm has had a lifetime filled
with exciting encounters with
animals. He shares all these
fascinating experiences in a
gently humorous memoir that
will guarantee to tug at the heart
strings while bringing a smile to
your face.
C AT W O R L D
65
 NATUR
NATURAL
ATURA
ATUR
TURAL
AL
HEALTH
L
LTH
Falling injuries can be many and various but Richard Allport has some natural
healing suggestions to help immediately or after treatment
I
f your cat falls from a win-
dow seven stories up or
higher, there is likely to be
less damage and fewer injuries
than if that same cat had fallen
from a window below seven stories
high. Makes no sense? Well, it’s all
to do with terminal velocity (the
fastest speed a body reaches on
falling) and the fact that as they fall,
cats stretch their legs and tail out
and somehow ‘parachute’ down.
Falls from below the seventh floor
don’t seem to allow cats to get into
the parachute posture, so they sus-
tain more injuries.
If, God forbid, your cat should
drop out of the sky, what can you do
to help alleviate the shock, trauma
and injuries that result?
The commonest injuries are
bruises, internal haemorrhage,
fractures - especially limbs, pelvis
and jaw - and external damage
such as cuts and lacerations.
Naturally the first thing you will do
is call the vet - be prepared to take
your cat to the vet rather than ex-
pecting the vet to turn out. Injuries
from accidents such as these will
need treating at the vets, so valuable
time will be wasted if you wait for
the vet to come out and then trans-
port the cat back to the clinic.
While waiting to get through to
the vet and on the way there, dies come in various forms. If using
and whenever you are able to tablets, it is preferable to use ‘soft’
take your cat back home again, tablets, as these are absorbed from
there are some excellent natu- the mouth quite easily, unlike hard
ral remedies that will be helpful tablets which can take some time to
or even life-saving. dissolve.
Unlike most tablets, homeopathic
Rescue remedy remedies don’t have to be swal-
This is a combination of flower lowed in order to work; in fact they
essences that is ideal at times of work better if they dissolve in the
acute trauma, shock and injury. As mouth rather than being swallowed.
it is formulated as a liquid, it can be
given by mouth easily and is safe
to give to an unconscious cat. The
bottle comes with a dropper and
one or two drops or Bach Rescue
Remedy in the mouth or directly on
the lips can be administered every
five minutes until the patient is seen
by the vet.
Rescue Remedy helps minimise
shock, improve circulation and calm
anxiety and nerves.
Arnica and aconite
These are two homeopathic rem-
edies which, in combination, have
the same kinds of effects as Res-
cue Remedy - relieving shock and
stress and calming frayed nerves.
However, Arnica in particular is also
excellent at a more physical level,
by minimising bleeding and bruis-
ing and helping to promote healing
of any injured tissues. These reme-
It is also advisable not to touch the
tablets while or before administer-
ing, as this can remove some of the
active ingredients from the pills.
Arnica and aconite are best given
frequently at times of serious ac-
cident and injury. Dosing every 5-10
minutes while waiting to see a vet is
ideal - and arnica and aconite can
be alternated with doses of Rescue
Remedy.
So, your cat has been dosed up
with Rescue/arnica.aconite and
has reached the vet, been taken in,
patched up and is now back home
with you. What can you now give
to accelerate healing and help get
your cat back to the happy, active
feline you knew before?
If the victim’s return is within a
day or two of the accident, then re-
start the arnica and aconite, giving
these three times a day for a week.
If the poor patient has had to have
an extended stay at the vets, then
any bruising may have already worn
off. However, if an operation has had
to be undertaken - say a pinning
or plating of a fractured leg - then
undoubtedly the old ‘AA’ combina-
tions should be given for the week
to help minimise further trauma and
bruising caused by the injury.
What else? Here are a few
remedies that will come in useful,
depending on the extent of injuries:
Symphytum
A homeopathic remedy to speed
up the healing of fractured bones.
Made from the herb comfrey, also
known as knit-bone, symphytum
is a superb remedy to get dam-
aged bone to heal more quickly. It
is also useful for eye injuries. Give
symphytum 30c twice daily for five
weeks.
Staphisagria
Another homeopathic remedy -
for cuts and wounds, either deep,
straight cuts occurring as a result
of the accident or incised cuts
made during surgery. Cats needing
staphisagria are often a bit moody
or ‘resentful’ as they recover.
Lavender oil
This essential oil can be used
on the skin directly, although better
mixed with a’carrier’ oil, such as
sweet almond, first. It can also be
used in an essential oil burner in the
same room as the cat.
Lavender stimulates healing
of damaged tissue, soothes and
calms anxieties and nervousness
and helps restless patients to sleep.
Don’t apply more than twice a day -
and don’t leave an evaporator on for
more than 15 minutes, two or three
times a day. However, lavender oil is
one of the safest oils available.
Hypericum/Calendula cream
Hypericum and Calendula are
two homeopathic remedies that can
be applied to the skin directly and
are often used as a combination.
Hypericum relieves soreness and
pain in damaged skin, especially if
there is damage to nerve endings
with consequent severe discomfort.
Calendula stimulates healing, so the
combination is ideal for treating the
effects of lacerations, cuts, bruises
and any other skin or superficial tis-
sue damage.
Derma gel
This is a herbal skin gel, which
contains many herbs that can soothe
and cool sore skin and promote
healing. In areas where fur is lost, it
will promote the growth of new fur
the same colour as the fur that was
lost. (Fur often comes back darker
than before, owing to a physiologi-
cal change in the skin, including the
difference in temperature).
Rhus Toxicodendron
and ruta graveolens
These two homeopathic rem-
edies are known as Rhus tox. and
Ruta grav. for short. They are ideal
for damage to ligaments, tendons
and muscles. So, if sprains, strains or
any form of ligament/tendon/mus-
cle injury is caused, then Rhus and
Ruta are the twin remedies to bring
into use. Give one of each, in 30c
potency, twice daily for three weeks.
Rhus and Ruta are also available
as a gel to use externally on the ap-
propriate site.
Manuka honey
Apply to wounds to promote heal-
ing. Medicinal honey preparations
are available. Manuka honey is the
best type of honey for medicinal
purposes and does the biz. It has
a strong anti-bacterial and healing
effect.
So, to sum up. always carry some
arnica, aconite and Rescue Remedy
with you, in case you find an injured
cat. Give these right away. Follow-
ing the injury, think of which of the
above remedies may be useful,
depending on the nature of the inju-
ries. All the remedies mentioned are
compatible with any conventional
medication or surgery your vet
may suggest but it will be wise and
polite to mention to your vet that you
using them.

Dr Samuel Johnson
an is e ne at
Famous characters throughout history have been fans of
felines and many of them, like Dr Samuel Johnson, owned
more than one cat during their lifetime
D
r Samuel Johnson
is one of the most
famous literary figures
of the 18th century. He
is best known for compil-
ing the first modern English
Dictionary, published in
1755. He was asked to write
the dictionary by a group of
printers in 1747, promised
it would be ready in about
three years and it actu-
ally took eight. This delay
may be forgiven when you
realise that the first edition
contained just under 43,000
different words and was
compiled single-handedly
by Dr Johnson.
What is less well known
about Samuel Johnson is
his love of cats. Admittedly
his attachment to cats is not
immediately apparent from
the definition of a cat in his
aforementioned Dictionary:
“A domestick (sic) animal
that catches mice, com-
monly reckoned by natural-
ists the lowest order of the
leonine species.”
So how we do know
about his affection for our
feline friends? Unusually
for the time, a biography
of Dr Samuel Johnson was
written during his lifetime
68 C AT W O R L D
HISTORICAL CATS
BY MARGARET BRECKNELL
cheap and nutritious meal. he is a very fine cat, a very
It becomes clear in the fine cat indeed”.
same passage that Hodge Sadly Boswell does not
was far from being Dr John- pursue further these earlier
son’s first cat. James Boswell feline companions. In one of
makes it clear that he his own letters Samuel John-
himself is not a cat lover but son does refer to a young
does his best to ingratiate female white cat called Lily
himself with his friend, Dr who was “now at full growth
Johnson, by observing that and very well behaved”. As
Hodge is “a fine cat”. Sam- for the others, sadly their
uel replies, perhaps slightly stories have been lost in the
by Scottish author, James unexpectedly, “Why yes, but mists of time.
Boswell. He tells us of I have had cats whom I liked James Boswell does give
Samuel’s love for cats and better than this”. The story us another little nugget of
one feline companion called goes that he then believes information about Samuel’s
Hodge, in particular. He Hodge to be put out by this relationship with Hodge,
recalls: “I shall never forget comment and so adds, “But however, and this is the one
the indulgence with which
he treated Hodge, his cat.”
He goes on to describe
how Samuel would go to
buy oysters for Hodge, rath-
er than sending his servants,
so that they did not take
a dislike to the cat. Sadly
we’re not informed whether,
on some future occasion,
Hodge inexplicably turned
up his nose at the oysters
and in typical feline fashion
decided he would rather
have some other fishy deli-
cacy! Incidentally, oysters
may appear an extravagant
meal for a cat but in the 18th
century they were common-
place and widely eaten as a

that I believe best shows
the man’s love for his cat.
Boswell tells us that when
Hodge was reaching the
end of his life, Dr Johnson
went out to purchase valeri-
an (a plant similar to catnip)
to make his final hours more
comfortable.
Because of Hodge’s
appearance in Boswell’s
book about Dr Johnson,
he became something of
a celebrity at the time. So
much so that after his pass-
ing, a poet called Percival
Stockdale wrote “An Elegy
On The Death Of Dr John-
son’s Favourite Cat”. This
literary work can be easily
tracked down on the inter-
net and is worth a read, if
for no other reason than to
see how tastes in literature
have changed over the last
three hundred years. The
poet spends a considerable
amount of time compar-
ing mankind unfavourably
with cats, so frustratingly
we learn little new about
Samuel Johnson and his love
of cats.
The following extract from
the poem does, however, at
least give us a little further
description of Hodge:
“Who by his manner
HISTORICAL CATS
when caressed
Warmly his gratitude
expressed;
And never failed his
thanks to purr
Whene’er he stroaked
(sic) his sable fur”.
As Hodge is described
as having “sable fur”, this
would suggest he was a
black cat.
Remarkably Hodge’s
fame has lasted down the
years right up to the present
day. Outside Dr Johnson’s
London home in Gough
Square you will find a
bronze statue of his beloved
cat. This is a modern piece
by sculptor Jon Bickley
and was installed in 1997.
Hodge is sitting on a copy of
his master’s famous diction-
ary next to some empty
oyster shells. The inscription
on the statue reads “A very
fine cat indeed”.
The statue is also a fitting
tribute to the good Doctor.
There is something very
reassuring in the knowledge
that long before the days of
Cats Protection and all the
other modern hardworking
cat charities, there were
caring individuals out there
willing to go the extra mile
for our feline friends.
Giving up
the boards
P
luto the theatre cat has appeared in
many guises over his eleven years
at Battersea Arts Centre but like all
good thespians, has decided to call it a day.
Pluto the theatre cat retired on Friday
3rd August, after an eleven year run as
head of security, front of house member and general
friendly face of the Battersea Arts Centre building.
Formerly named Hilton, he began his career by featur-
ing in an immersive theatre show, ‘The Masque of the
Red Death’, in 2007. He was perfectly cast for the role,
as one of BAC’s staff members explained: “We needed
a cat who would lie in front of a fire and look moody,
which he does very well!”
When not performing on stage, Pluto made himself
quite a distraction and prankster, prowling (and purr-
ing) across desks. The box office manager recalled
him doing this while he was on the phone to a cus-
tomer: “Pluto started trampling all over the computer
keyboard, adding zeros to the customer’s bill, to which
I spluttered ‘Pluto!’. This of course bemused the cus-
tomer, who was even more startled when I said ‘Sorry,
it’s just the cat’!”
So while audiences may no longer find Pluto
sprawling across the grand marble staircase or wan-
dering across the stage, he certainly has made his
paw mark. He will spend his remain-
ing years relaxing at the home of one
of BAC’s producers. For anyone who
wishes to follow his retirement jour-
ney. Pluto has a rather popular twitter
account - @Pluto_BAC
C AT W O R L D
69
 ASK
EXPERTS
LET THE CATWORLD TEAM OF EXPERTS HELP WITH YOUR PROBLEMS
Is extraction necessary
Q: My cat has rather prominent
canines and was recently told by
the vet that this is known as ‘super-
eruption’ of the canines. Could you
explain a little about this as I’m not
sure if the teeth will need to be
removed.
A: Super-eruption syndrome, where
the canines extrude abnormally, is
more common in middle-aged or
geriatric cats and is a result of peri-
odontal disease. There is no need
for the teeth to be extracted unless
there is also evidence of resorptive
lesions or an abscess at the root.
This can be detected by an x-ray
and your vet will suggest this course
of action if he is at all concerned
70 C AT W O R L D JUNE 2016
the
about your cat’s canine teeth. It will
involve a general anaesthetic and
will show any infection, etc. Depend-
ing on the findings, your vet will then
discuss any further treatment he
feels may be necessary.
It appears there is no cause for
you to worry too much at the mo-
ment but if you are at all worried, do
ask to speak to your vet again.
Age concern?
Q: My cat Belle is nearly 18 years
old and has never been ill but I
think she may be now. She has been
increasingly incontinent, which I can
cope with, but recently she has had
trouble trying to urinate and has
passed blood-tinged wee and a few
tiny clots. She is still digging holes in
the garden but she sits there strain-
ing for ages with nothing happening.
She still eats and drinks well and
doesn’t seem to be in pain - some
days are definitely worse than others
for her though.
I don’t want to take her to the
vets unless she shows real signs of
suffering as I feel she could be prod-
ded and poked uncomfortably, with
the result being a hefty bill for me.
Yes she is a good age but she seems
otherwise well.
A: It seems you are coping well
with your elderly cat and her old
age but although you can see there
is a problem, you are loathe to take
her to the vet in case additional
health problems are detected. You
are concerned that you may be co-
erced into further investigations and
treatments which, as well as the cost
to you, may not be in your cat’s best
interests, given her age. At almost 18
years old, she is certainly entering
her final few years.
Most vets get very concerned
when pet owners feel they want to
carry out investigations just for the
sake of it. Their paramount concern
is the pet’s welfare and any tests
and/or treatment will be advised and
based on that. They do not carry out
unnecessary procedures because
that would not be in anyone’s inter-
ests, especially not the animal’s.
In Belle’s case, it would certainly
be best to take her to see a vet
as she is showing all the signs of
cystitis. There may well be a more
sinister precursor for a bladder
infection and there could be other
old-age problems but cystitis is not
pleasant and will be, at least, making
Belle feel uncomfortable. Being a
female cat, infection can track up the
short, wide urethra from the outside
world into the bladder. A course of
an appropriate antibiotic should give
rapid relief.
Should the clinical signs of dif-
ficulty to pass urine and the passing
small amounts of blood-tinged urine
and/or clots recur, then there may
well be an underlying cause need-
ing investigation which, given Belle’s
age, you are under no obligation to
accept.

What are these dots?

Q: One of my cats appears to have
a couple of dark reddish-purple dots
on her gums. They are quite large
but the rest of her gums seem to be
in good condition and she certainly
doesn’t experience any pain when
eating! Should I be concerned?

A: Any pigmented spots on the

gums give worries about melanoma,
so you are right to ask about these
dots. However, although they have
only just been noticed by you, they
could have always been there and
are just part of your cat’s normal ap-
pearance, so therefore no cause for
concern.
It would definitely be advisable
to keep an eye on them. A good
suggestion is to take a photo of them
so you can monitor them and, if they
appear to be growing in size or
changing in colour or shape, then it
would be best to get them looked at
by your vet.
Don’t wait until your cat stops eat-
ing, as by that time it could be too
late for treatment; it would be reas-
suring if your vet were to take a look
and say that these dots are perfectly
normal and innocent.
A cat’s sharp teeth and the risk of a
nasty bite can sometimes put owners
off checking inside a cat’s mouth on a
regular basis but it is really important
to include a mouth check when you
are grooming and checking the rest
of your cat. Checking for irregulari-
ties can help spot something early
that might be otherwise unapparent
and early detection of a problem, as
we know, means there is far more
chance of successful treatment.
Has she been spayed?
Q: We have recently taken in a stray
cat who appeared in our garden a
few months ago and began calling
us. We had been leaving food and
water out for her in the shade dur-
ing this hot weather and she is now
coming into the house to sleep in a
chair in the shady lounge. She had
no forms of identification on her and
I would like to know if she has been
spayed or not - how can we tell?
A: There are two ways of knowing
whether or not a queen has been
spayed. Signs of her being in season
will be obvious, characteristic vo-
calisation and rolling around, which
can often be mistaken for abdominal
pain. Presumably you have known
her long enough to establish that
she does not have or isn’t carrying
kittens already.
It is common for a cat to be
spayed via a vertical incision in the
left flank so clipping a window in the
fur on the left flank and revealing a
vertical incision mark is almost cast-
iron proof.
Alternatively she may have been
spayed via the ventral midline, i.e.
on her underside, so then there will
naturally be no scar on the left flank.
The presence of a scar running lon-
gitudinally down the midline of the
underside will not confirm spaying
as her abdomen could have been
examined there for another reason
with an incision or she may even
have needed a Caesarian delivery
of kittens.
I would advise you to take your
cat to the vet, if you haven’t already
done so, to see if he or she can help
you be more certain but this will
obviously be at the cost of a vet visit.
However, your vet will also be able
to scan for a microchip which may
be present, even though you have
found no visible identity tags.
I presume you have tried to find
an owner locally with no success
and if the vet finds no evidence of
a microchip or the details on the
database are out of date, then hope-
fully you and your new pet will form
a lasting and happy relationship
together.

JUNE 2016 C AT W O R L D
71
 &me
GORDY ME
ELAINE MEAD SHARES HER EXPERINCES OF LIVING WITH A CHALLENGING SPECIAL NEEDS CAT
Being a spoil sport will never make you popular and now,
for one reason or another, all the cats hate me!
A
s I sit here wondering what
R
to write after the last few
weeks of beautiful hot, sunny
weather, I am disturbed by
the sound of heads knocking on the
door. Gordy and Freddy Bear are
play fighting... again!
This always makes me smile.
These two play for hours together
in the garden and in the house,
although in the garden it does mean
I am chasing Gordy as he tries to
follow Freddy Bear into the ‘no go
zones’ which includes the compost
heap which has all sorts of ‘stuff’ - a
wheelbarrow with a flat tyre, old
wood that needs sorting and chop-
ping ready to store before winter
comes, the old burny bin which
currently holds the bodies of two
dead squirrels and numerous mice,
rats and shrews courtesy, mostly, of
Freddy Bear. All this ‘equipment’ is
‘artistically’ arranged to stop Defi
dog from getting on the compost
and under the big tree to bark at the
horses in the paddock.
Gordy is fascinated by this area,
with tall nettles poking through the
spaces they find and trails of thick
bramble vines coming off the hedge.
He has stung his nose and his paw
on the nettles several times, caus-
ing him to sneeze but he still goes
back to stick his head in them again.
It is a good job we have no imme-
diate neighbours as I am running
across the garden shouting ‘no no
no Gordy...not again...’ when he sniffs
nettles or chases wasps and bees.
He is so well and ‘grown up’ now
that he really gets cross when I poke
72 C AT W O R L D JUNE 2016
&
my nose in his ‘outdoor’ time and
spoil all the fun, so I like to sit at the
table a small distance away and
watch him like a hawk. He can’t run
as fast as a ‘normal’ cat, although
I do now have to break from a fast
walk and he (as yet) has never run
for more than maybe 10-15 paces
so I am happy to let him have his
‘supervised freedom’. I now know
every whisker twitch and ear swivel
that indicates he is either going to
move or pounce on a bee, butterfly,
wasp or, once, a big blackbird that
was not amused to be caught out
not paying attention to a cat in close
proximity. Had I not run across the
garden at that moment shouting
‘Gordy, Gordy, Gordy, No, No, No’,
it could have been the end of him.
Gordy still hasn’t forgiven me.
When the weather cools down in
the late evening, I take Gordy out
for ‘exercise’. He is quite a size now.
A nice healthy cat size, all fluff and
purrs and a tummy full of chicken.
We are still on three meals a day and
Gordy is still thriving. Each day he
learns something new and becomes
more cat-like and ‘normal’. He no
longer wants to be cuddled and has
become quite strong, pushing my
arms out of the way so he can run
off and play. The strength is owed to
Freddy Bear and his brotherly in-
stinct, playing with his older sibling
and teaching him the ways of Cat.
We are so lucky to live with these
creatures: an ex-stray with his own
issues and a Diva in Miss ‘Mudge,
both of whom treat Gordy as a
normal cat, although they both seem
to realise that he can’t be out on his
own and I am always there with him.
They play with him and teach him
hunting and stalking. One evening
I was sat in the late sun, watching
Gordy watching Miss ‘Mudge, who
was very interested in something
that was moving in the hedge. The
birds were just starting to fly about
after enforced rest in the heat of
the day. In and out the hedge this
bird was going. There was a nest
in there with babies. Both parents
were around, one on the roof of the
house shouting ‘Cat Alert’ at the top
of his shrill little voice and the other
collecting food to feed the hungry
babies who were squawking in the
nest, causing Miss ‘Mudge to be
overly interested.
I do have a rule with my cats,
not that they listen, but birds are off
limits. Ideally everything is off limits
and they are not to kill anything, my
idea being, that they should just
stand by the gate and in an orderly
manner encourage all rodents to
pass by unharmed but, sadly, they
are natural predators and excellent
hunters. Freddy Bear arrived home
one morning all cut and bruised. His
eye swelled over the course of the
day from what had obviously been
a well aimed boxer punch from his
opponent but he was victorious in
battle. That was the first of the squir-
rel kills we had. Squirrels do fight
back it seems. Mind, I did remove
the tuft of Freddy Bear’s white chest
fluff from the mouth of a beautiful
but very dead mouse that the same
cat brought in and deposited on the
bathroom floor this morning.
I digress. This particular evening,
Miss ‘Mudge was poised not quite
under the hedge, every muscle and
whisker straining for movement and
noise. Freddy Bear was taking a well
deserved rest under the bamboo,
near to me, in the shade. He too was
watching Miss ‘Mudge. Gordy wasn’t
content to watch. He was copying.
He got behind Miss ‘Mudge, who
wasn’t impressed at the competition
and gave Gordy a filthy look but she
allowed her big brother to join her,
even if her look did say ‘but you stay
behind me...’. Gordy stretched out
his body, his legs were the perfect
imitation of Miss ‘Mudge’s pounc-
ing stance. His tail was straight and
stiff, a perfect line running along
the spine of his back to the tip of his
tail. His ears swivelled forward and
his whiskers were taut and twitch-
ing. His eyes darted back and forth,
round and seeing. He was ‘cat-
ting’. I was so proud watching him.
The birds changed position. Now
mummy bird was on the garage
roof yelling ‘don’t touch my babies
you horrible beasts’, whilst daddy
bird was attempting to drive the cats
away. Freddy Bear ran swiftly over to
Miss ‘Mudge and Gordy, taking his
position on the other side of Gordy.
Three Amigos, flicking tails and
raised front paws, ready to rumble.
As much as I loved sitting there
and watching Gordy learning from
two very accomplished killers, I
wasn’t going to let any of them hurt
the birds and things were getting
noisy. The birds were seriously
annoyed and worried and the cats
were determined so once again I
had to wade in shouting ‘no no no’
and grab Gordy to remove him from
his position. The birds both flew to
the top of the garage whilst the ba-
bies went deathly quiet. Game Over.
Miss ‘Mudge threw me the filthiest
of looks and stalked off, throwing
herself down in the dusty gravel on
the drive and rolling over and over.
No doubt making sure she was
dusty enough to then go and walk
all over the furniture in the house to
show her annoyance. Freddy Bear
sat down to have a wash as if to say,
‘ it was just a bit of fun, nothing seri-
ous....’ and Gordy was wiggling and
struggling to get down. Now none of
these three cats liked me.
Teeko hasn’t fared so well in this
heat. He is old now, ancient for his
breed at 17 and ‘almost’ a half. (Bir-
man cats average a life span of 15
years according to their website). He
is all bony and his fur is no longer
the glorious glossy mane he used to
have; now it is a bit lifeless, dull and
matted, which causes problems as, if
I go to groom him he has a ‘moment’
and then has a fit.
I have kept him in a dark room with
the fan on. I did start saying he was
going to become a vampire cat as
the only time I allowed light into the
room was at night when I flung the
windows wide open for the breeze.
Unfortunately for Teeko, Gordy
has figured out that his room is the
coolest in the house, with lovely cold
laminate flooring in the bedroom, a
fan and dark blinds, so he has taken
to taking a nap under my daughter’s
bed (which is really Teeko’s bed, as
he is on it more than her) and snor-
ing. Teeko is not amused and gives
me the eye every time I pass his
room. So none of the cats like me.
JUNE 2016 C AT W O R L D
73

When a cat stops using its litter tray it will inevitably ‘go’
somewhere else. Finding out why can help the owner
resolve the situation for everyone’s benefit
I
t could well be that there are
hundreds and possibly thousands
of cats in the UK that have all sorts
of behavioural problems - but a cat
urinating or defecating in the house
seems to affect the owner/cat rela-
tionship the most. In many cases this
will be due to our human repulsion at
soiling in the house, coupled with the
health and hygiene aspect, as well as
the inconvenience and hassle of hav-
ing to clear up after the cat.
Owners seem to be able to toler-
ate other problems more readily but
often take the cat’s inappropriate toil-
ing very personally and feel the cat is
doing it to spite them or that the cat
‘should know better’. This is not the
case and there are a number of things
that can affect a cat’s toiling habits.
If your cat has a problem I would
recommend that you consider if the
following factors could be causing the
problem.
Trays
There are many different types of
trays available on the market today
- covered, with a cat flap, uncovered,
shallow, deep, large, small… Differ-
ent cats have different preferences. I
would always advocate starting with a
cheap, large tray. Before splashing out
Cats are very scent-orientated animals
74 C AT W O R L D
CATS ON
THECOUCH
WITH LEADING BEHAVIOURIST INGA MACKELLAR
on a covered tray, place a cardboard
box with a hole at one end over the
normal tray and see whether your cat
is happy to use it.
More often than not, only one tray is
provided for the cat. Cats, when they
are outdoors, will urinate and def-
ecate in different places so it makes
sense to give your cat two trays, one
for each elimination function. If you
have more than one cat. a good rule
of thumb is one tray per cat plus one
extra.
Location
Many of the cases that I have seen
where cats have stopped using their
litter tray are down to location of the
tray. Humans like to have everything
neat and ordered and very often, a
corner of the kitchen is the dedicated
area where food and water bowls and
the litter tray are placed. The owner is
pleased and feels that everything that
the cat could want is neat and tidy
and in one location! But from the cat’s
point of view, the litter tray location is
totally inappropriate; cats would not
choose to eat near their latrines (do
you eat your dinner in the toilet?).
Another common mistake is plac-
ing the litter tray in a busy or exposed
location. One client made a great
effort to ensure that the litter tray was
in a corner location but placed the
tray behind the kitchen door - every
time the children came rushing in,
the door was flung open and banged
straight into the litter tray. Not sur-
prisingly, the cat started eliminating
elsewhere.
Trays placed near a dog’s bed are
also likely to cause problems - not
least if the dog displays coprophagia
(eating faeces) as, when the cat is at
is most vulnerable defecating in the
tray, the dog may come over to inves-
tigate, resulting in the cat finding itself
a more private and quiet location.
Therefore, the ideal location for a
litter tray is in a quiet location, well
away from household ‘traffic’ (chil-
dren, dogs, other cats or people com-
ing past) and well away from food and
water facilities.
Some years ago a cat I saw for a
different problem had a wonderful
tray location. There was an old, un-
used walk-in larder in the kitchen and
the owner had cut a hole in the door
and placed the litter tray in the empty
larder. The cat was able to use its tray
in peace and quiet, smells were kept
to a minimum and the young children,
who couldn’t open the door, didn’t
disturb the cat and were kept safely
away from the tray for their own
health.
Litter
Even if you get the perfect loca-
tion for the litter tray, what and how
much you put in the tray can make a
huge difference. The owners of one
cat I saw showed me a litter tray with
a plastic liner and a few grains of lit-
ter. I presumed that the tray had just
been emptied and asked the clients
to fill the tray as normal. I was aston-
ished to hear that the amount of litter
in the tray - literally one small hand-
ful - was normal! Suffice to say that
when the tray was filled properly, the
cat started to happily use it and the
problem was totally resolved.
Cats need to be able to dig in the
litter and have sufficient depth to
cover their faeces - this has actually
been scientifically proven in some
research on litter depth. A number of
cats were given a choice of identical
litters but at varying depths and they
preferred to use the deep litter. So
don’t be tempted to put a thin layer of
litter in the tray - depth is good.
Type of litter can also be impor-
tant. I am exceptionally lucky as my
cats are perfectly happy with super-
market value litter. However, gener-
ally, the finer the litter the better.
Most builders will tell you that they
hate cats as they can guarantee that
as soon as they have a pile of sand
delivered, every cat in the neigh-
bourhood appears out of nowhere to
use the sand as a latrine. Sand is very
fine and very easy to dig in. Quite
often, litters are manufactured to ap-
peal to the humans who are buying
the litter, rather than the cats.
Many years ago I really liked the
wooden pellet litter as it was clean
and easy to handle - my cats hated
it. Wooden pellet litter can be a real
problem, particularly for indoor cats
who have very soft pads. Pellets are
really painful to stand on (try it!) so
imagine how it must feel for a cat
squatting and straining whilst it tries
to defecate. However, having said
that, many cats are happy with this
type of litter.
Cleaning
Health and hygiene are important
if you have litter trays in the home.
However, over-zealous or lack of
appropriate cleaning can be detri-
mental. Remember that cats are very
scent-orientated animals. Trays that
are not regularly ‘scooped’ will be re-
pellent to most cats and the cat may
C AT W O R L D
75

then try to find somewhere cleaner
to eliminate. Equally, being too fas-
tidious and constantly washing and
freshening the trays will introduce
lots of ‘foreign’ smells that may be
equally aversive to the cat.
I would recommend scooping
out any faeces or urine-soiled litter
as soon as possible and topping
up with fresh litter. I always ensure
that a few grains of urine-soiled
litter remain in the tray so that the
cat recognises the scent and con-
firms that the tray is the cat’s latrine.
Periodically wash the tray out with
warm water and refill with totally
fresh litter.
In my opinion, litter fresheners are
for human sensibilities and not cats
- if you clean the tray regularly and
appropriately, the tray won’t smell.
Some will tolerate a slightly soiled
litter, others will only use a totally
clean litter tray; some cats will share
trays, others not. The important thing
is to know your cat. If in doubt, clean
it out.
Aversion
The easiest way to stop your cat
using its tray is for something nasty
to happen to it whilst it is on the tray.
This may be something accidental,
such as the dog running at the cat,
76 C AT W O R L D
or someone knocking into the tray
as the cat is sitting on it. One of the
main aversion reasons is down to
humans. Pills can be difficult to give
to cats so many owners will wait until
the cat is on its tray, at which point
they grab hold of it, prise its mouth
open and ram a pill down its throat.
No wonder the cat stops using its
tray!
Age
As cats get older they may have
mobility problems, loss of control of
their bladder or get forgetful. If you
are experiencing problems with
an older cat, think about providing
additional trays around the house to
which the cat can have easy access.
If the cat has mobility problems and
has been given a deep tray, replac-
ing it with a shallow-sided tray may
make it easier for it to step into the
tray. My old arthritic Persian-cross
had to have a shallow tray but would
sometimes ‘miss’ when urinating so
I would surround the tray with news-
paper to catch any overspill.
Substrate preferences
If the toileting problem has been
ongoing for some time, the cat may
develop what is termed a substrate
preference. This simply means that
the cat likes to eliminate on a par-
ticular surface. More often than not,
this will be something soft, such as
carpet, clothing or soft furnishings.
This preference may develop
for a number of reasons. If the cat
doesn’t like the litter tray location
or type of litter, it may urinate on
the carpet. The cat may have been
unwell and ‘accidentally’ urinated on
the carpet. Over time the cat may
start to prefer the carpet to litter as it
is much softer.
Medical problems
More often than not, toileting
problems can be quickly and easily
resolved by considering the fac-
tors talked about, however, some-
times the problem can be due to
a medical reason. For example,
Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease
(FLUTD) will often cause cats to
urinate inappropriately, so always
speak to your vet to check that your
cat is healthy.
One final word: whatever you do,
never tell your cat off for urinating
or defecating outside the litter tray.
This may cause the cat to become
anxious and it may then develop ad-
ditional problems such as spraying
- but that’s a whole different subject!
Tip of the month:
Once you have found a litter
your cat likes, try to stick to
it. As we all know, cats can be
very fussy. Although different
brands or makes of litter may
look the same to us, cats are
highly sensitive and will realise
that there is a difference. A
change of litter from one brand
to another may be the trigger
that causes the cat to stop us-
ing its litter tray.
If you are experiencing
behaviour problems with your
cat, to find your nearest APBC
(Association of Pet Behaviour
Counsellors) member, visit
www.apbc.org.uk
 OUTDOOR SAFETY

Charity urges you to

‘Look before you lock’
More cats than normal have been reported as missing
this summer - they may have gone into a shed or similar
building seeking shade, only to become trapped

BY CORINNE MANSFIELD

W
ith temperatures soaring this
summer, and expected to
continue to be warmer than
average until October, Cats
Protection are warning that cats are
likely to roam further afield. “The ten-
dency for cats to wander further away
from home when the weather is warm
explains why there has been an in-
crease in reports of missing cats dur-
ing this recent heatwave,” said Nicky
Trevorrow, Cats Protection’s Behaviour
Manager. “They are notoriously curi-
ous creatures that like to investigate
their surroundings and unfortunately
this can result in them getting trapped
in outbuildings. And because cats
won’t always meow for attention if they
are afraid, the risk is they go unnoticed
so we’re asking people to have a really
good check before locking up, par-
ticularly if you are aware of any cats
missing in your area.”
Molly Rayment’s cat Wispa went
missing from her home in St Albans on
7 May and Molly feared the worst. De-
spite doing all she should and could
do in such circumstances to alert
people to her missing cat, Wispa (so
named because she does not miaow)
did not appear.
Twenty days after she went missing,
a neighbour of Molly’s called her to
say he had found a cat in his garage
and thought it might be Wispa. It was!
Molly raced there straight away and
knew immediately it was Wispa but
she was really concerned by her ap-
pearance. “She was desperately dirty
and thin. I think she must have been
living off of rain water that had leaked
in and maybe some insects or mice.”
Molly took Wispa to the vets for
a check up where they found she
weighed just 1.9kg - 2kg less than her
usual weight. She was put on a drip
initially and then had to be fed just tiny
amounts every few hours by Molly
over the next few weeks until she re-
gained her health.
By early August, Wispa was almost
back to her normal healthy weight
and Molly is so thankful she is still with
her. Please check inside your garages,
sheds and any other outbuildings
thoroughly before locking the door,
especially if you are then going on
holiday for a week or two.

“They are notoriously curious creatures that like to investigate their surroundings
and unfortunately this can result in them getting trapped in outbuildings.”
C AT W O R L D
77
 KITTY CRAFT

In celebration of
all black cats
It seems impossible to believe that rescue centres
still find black cats difficult to rehome - here are some
black cat craft projects that everyone can love

O
ctober means Halloween and
whether you are a fan of trick or
treating and candlelit pumpkins
or not, it is sad that many people
still associate black cats with bad luck.
To celebrate these gorgeous black
felines, why not make this soft fabric
cat that could be carried in a handbag
or attached to a keyring; the trio of
mini black cats would look great glued
to clothes pegs as memo-holders
or stuck on to a greetings card for a
black cat fan. Have fun!
You will need
Cat pillow:
5”/12.5cm square black cotton
fabric
Polyester stuffing (clean old
tights will do too)
Sewing needle
Black sewing thread
White embroidery thread
12”/30cm ribbon in colour of
your choice
Such a softie
By Debbie Booth
Trace the pattern onto plain or
greaseproof paper (you will need two
shapes). Pin onto the black fabric and
cut out around the solid black line.
Place the pieces of fabric right
sides together, pin and sew around
the edge, leaving a 1/4”/0.5mm seam
allowance.
Trim around the edges, fairly close
to the stitching. On the back side only,
make a small cut through the fabric*.
Using the opening you have just
made, carefully turn the kitty right
sides out. Then take a very small piece
of polyester stuffing and stuff kitty
firmly. Use a spoon handle or chop
stick to push the stuffing into each ear,
the head and the base.
Thread a needle with black sewing
thread and stitch kitty closed.
Using white embroidery thread, sew
a couple of cross stitches for eyes and
a few straight stitches close together
for a nose. (These can be drawn on
your fabric first if you prefer).
Whiskers: without knotting the
thread, take the needle and go in a
little way from the left side of the nose.
Pull the thread through a little bit until
there is 1/2”/1.25cm of thread on the
left and right side of the nose. This will
be trimmed down but not yet. Repeat
two or three more times. Cut thread
and trim whiskers to 1/4”/0.5mm on
each side of the nose.
Tie your length of coloured ribbon

Cat triplets:
Stiff black card or mount board
Tan, black and white paint
Small paint brush
Length of narrow ribbon or
cord
Glue
Clear varnish (optional)

78 C AT W O R L D

around kitty’s neck and make a nice
bow. Trim the ends and that’s it!
* As an alternative, if you didn’t want
to cut the fabric, leave a small gap in
the stitching at the base of the kitty,
secure the threads either side and turn
right sides together through the gap.
Sew closed after stuffing.
Cute set of triplets
By Auralea Krieger
Cut a strip of stiff black card to
1/2”/1.25cm wide x 4”/10cm tall. (You
can change the measurements if you
wish for a fatter or taller cat).
KITTY CRAFT
toothpick and white paint to add eyes.
Let them dry and add tiny spots of
black in the centres.
If you like you can add a spot of
clear varnish to the eyes when they are
dry to make them shine.
Cut out the back supports and glue
in place if you want your mini cats to
stand up or glue onto a greetings card
just as they are.
Think about different designs for
all year round; Christmas could be
white cats with silver glitter on the tops
of their ears. Spring could be Cali-
cos (using the light tan paint to make
patches) with lavender bows…let your
imagination fly!
Trim them to different heights (I
have them at 1 1/4”, 1” and 3/4”)
Go down about 1/4” at the tops and
cut the cats’ ears.
Sand the edges of each cat with fine
sandpaper.
Paint the edges with a very light tan
for definition.
Cut the ribbon to about 6” long and
tie each one into a tiny bow.
Put a spot of glue on the back of
the knot and glue in place on the cat’s
neck. Trim the ends and add a spot of
glue if your ribbon is likely to fray.
Once the glue has dried, use a
C AT W O R L D
79
DIRECTORY THE UK’S LEADING BREED-BY-BREED GUIDE TO CATS AND KITTENS FOR SALE
AUSTRALIAN MIST
ROSE VALLEY. Australian Mist
kittens. New breed to the UK.
Claimed to be the perfect family
cat. Reg/Vac/Ins and micro-
chipped. Spotted or marbelled in
six colours. Tel 0118 9811109.
Also Burmese kittens.
www.katsacute.co.uk
katsacute@gmail.com
BENGALS
OAKMERE HALL AMIGAMIA
BENGALS AND RAGDOLLS.
Alison Newman. Family reared
indoors, well socialised, affec-
tionate from multi champion
lines. GCCF/TICA ref TBRCC/
PBRCC VACC/INS.
www.amigamia.co.uk
Mid-Cheshire 01606-883528.
BIRMAN
JANDOUGLEN. Mrs Ann V
C Mott Bury St Edmunds.
*Birmans - Seals, Blues,
Chocolates, Lilacs, Reds. Also
Tabbies in these colours.
01359 221200
ann.mott@freeuk.com
www.ann.mott.freeuk.com
BRITISH SHORTHAIR
CARASSACAT British
Shorthairs, GCCF Registered
Breeder. PKD Tested. All my
kittens are fully vaccinated,
microchipped & insured before
they leave me. They are reared
in my house so are used to dogs
& everyday comings & goings.
Specialising in Colour Points,
Self’s & Bi colours.
Email carassacat@outlook.com
phone 01527 273942 website
www.carassacat.co.uk
CROWVALLEY. Mrs Betty
Williams Pontypool F.A.B.
Listed cattery breeder of British
Shorthair Silver Tabby/Spotted
80 C AT W O R L D
You have seen the rest,
now ask the 'BEST'
We are a group of dedicated,
experienced and well
respected breeders of the
British Shorthair Cat. If you
need help, information or advice
in choosing the ‘purrfect’ companion for
you, whether you would like a kitten or
an older cat, please contact us.
www.bestofbritishshorthairs.co.uk
and Black Smoke. All kittens are
home reared with Ped/Reg/Vac/
Ins.flea & worm treated.
Parents can be seen.
01495 785546
Williams0ja@btinternet.com
Crowvalleycattery.co.uk
KERNMERE BRITISH BLUES,
Creams, Silvers, Colourpoints,
Lilacs, Torties.
Tel: 02476 681335
Mobile: 07519972046
Email: jeanette.Knapp@
btinternet.com
Web: www.kernmere-cats.com
LARNIKAT. British Shorthairs
kittens, Colourpoints in all
colours, + Tabby Colourpoints,
selfs in Blues and Lilacs,
sometimes Spotties and
Tabbies. Reg/Vacc/Ins. Home-
reared. PKD-negative tested.
01922-620505.W.Midlands.
linda299ward@btinternet.com
www.larnikat.com
LEAHS BLUES British
Shorthairs. Available now: Lilac
boys, Lilac girls and Lilac Point
boys. Sometimes available:
Blues, Blue points & Chocolates.
Reg/Vacc/Ins. 01442 236860 /
07866266477.
john.baxter093@gmail.com
web: www.leahsblues.com
Hertfordshire
WWW.CATWORLD.CO.UK
Telephone:
Valerie: 01652 654574
Sharon: 02476 684350
BURMESE
KATSACUTE BURMESE, most
colours. Bred for temperament,
substance and quality. House
reared with children and dogs.
Fully Vacc/Ins/Reg and micro-
chipped. Responsible homes
only. Tel 0118-9811109.
www.katsacute.co.uk
Hants/Berks.border.
BURMILLA
GAZZELLA. Burmillas & Asian
Smokes - Experienced breeder.
Cats tested PKD negative Home
reared, vaccinated and micro-
chipped kittens sometimes avail-
able. See website for current
details. Gloucester
07507 649294 / 01594 564071.
barbara@gazzellacats.co.uk
www.gazzellacats.co.uk
COLOURPOINT
AMORAMIST COLOUR-
POINTS, chocolate torties and
red points available. PKD nega-
tive. Micro chipped.
01326 240907
mareenritchie@yahoo.co.uk
www.amoramist.com
CORNISH REX
Curly coated Pedigree
Cornish Rex kittens, vari-
ous colours, home reared, well
socialised and used to dogs.
This unusual breed makes fun
loving, affectionate family pets.
GCCF Reg/Vacc/Insurance/
Flea & Wormed/Microchipped.
Enquiries welcome, contact:
0208 641 5695 or email:
cthompson1@blueyonder.co.uk
FOREIGN
MS MARJORIE DAVIDSON-
SMITH, Hatfield. Ootha.
*Siamese, Foreign White &
Oriental SH. Kittens sometimes
available. 01707 264450
pentirah5@ntlworld.com
KORATS
KOORAHK KORATS often
have kittens available. Home
reared with love. Registered,
Vaccinated, Insured,
Microchipped. Own stud.
Tel 0161 281 6482.
Email: koorahkliliwen@gmail.com
Web: www.koorahkkorats
direct.co.uk
MAINE COONS
AMORAMIST MAINE COONS
Maureen Holden Ritchie.
Breeding solid whites, tabbies
with and without white, and
solids. Champion lines. Persians
and colourpoints. (winner of
Supreme). All PKD negative and
reared underfoot.
01326 240907
mareenholdenritchie@yahoo.
co.uk www.amoramist.com
Advertise your kittens in this
space, in both the printed and
online versions of Cat World,
for only £30.00 plus VAT.
Call Maria on
+ 44 (0) 1903 884988 or
Email: maria@ashdown.co.uk
OF BREEDS TO BOOK YOUR ADVERT IN THE DIRECTORY OF BREEDERS CALL US ON 01903 884988
LEAHSBLUES. Maine Coons
- Silvers, Blues, Torties & Reds.
British Shorthair - Blues, Blue
Points, Chocolates, Reg/Vacc/
Ins. 01442 236860/07866
266477.
johnbaxter@leahsblues.fsnet.
co.uk web: www.leahsblues.com
LUNARIS. Mrs Jean Brown
Aldwincle Maine Coons - Quality
home reared kittens sometimes
available to approved homes.
01832 720359
ronbrown10@supanet.com
www.lunaris.uk.com
NORWEGIAN FOREST
ELFENTANZ. Mrs Elinor M B
Herbert Kirkcaldy. Norwegian
Forest Cats - Brown Tabby,
White and Black kittens
01592 267002
elfentanz@btinternet.com
www.elfentanznfc.co.uk
ORIENTALS
MS MARJORIE DAVIDSON-
SMITH, Hatfield. Ootha.
*Siamese, Foreign White &
Oriental SH. Kittens sometimes
available. 01707 264450
pentirah5@ntlworld.com
RAGAMUFFIN
UK RagaMuffin
Cat Society
For Authentic
RagaMuffin kittens
Phone 01730 300692
www.ukrmcs.co.uk
RAGDOLL
EMERISLE CATS. Mrs Jeanette
Fitzpatrick. Ragdolls - all patterns
& colours. *Seal Colourpoint,
*Seal Tabby Colourpoint,
*Blue Bi-Colour, *Cream, *Seal
Mitted, *Blue Mitted. *Tiffanies.
*Scottish Fold. *British Shorthair.
Reasonably priced. TBRCC or
PRBCC Breeder of the year
1999- 2011. TBRCC breeder of
the top Ragdoll 1993, 1995/96.
Best Opposite Sex 1995/96.
Breeder of Supreme Show 1999
Top Ragdoll & sire of the first
Ragdoll to win the UK Grand
Title 2003. Breeder of the Best
kitten, adult & neuter 1999-2003.
Established 27 years - our beau-
tiful cats feature on ‘Its a Cats
Life’ video, appeared on Granada
Live TV and photographs regu-
larly feature in all cat magazines.
01943 461852 07774 650217
fitzpatrick.jeanette@googlemail.
com www.emerisle-cats.co.uk
OAKMERE HALL AMIGAMIA
BENGALS AND RAGDOLLS.
Alison Newman. Family reared
indoors, well socialised, affec-
tionate from multi champion
lines. GCCF/TICA ref TBRCC/
PBRCC VACC/INS.
www.amigamia.co.uk
Mid-Cheshire 01606-883528.
SIAMESE
Ms Marjorie Davidson-Smith,
Hatfield. Ootha. *Siamese,
Foreign White & Oriental SH.
Kittens sometimes available.
01707 264450
pentirah5@ntlworld.com
SPHYNX
WOOZLES Mrs Sue Bloxham,
Colchester. Sphynx - Happy
outgoing personalities. Indoor
homes. Various colours.
01621 815769
sue@woozlessphynxcats.co.uk
www.woozles.uk.com
USEFUL ADDRESSES
THE GOVERNING COUNCIL OF THE INTERNATIONAL CAT ASSOCIATION
THE CAT FANCY,
Phil Cornwell, Regional Director, 31 Louthe
5 King’s Castle Business Park, The Drove, Way, Sawtry, Cambridgeshire PE28 5TR
Bridgwater, Somerset TA6 4AG. Tel: 01487 800014
Tel: 01278 427 575 www.tica-uk.org.uk
www.gccfcats.org/contact.html
ASSOCIATION OF PET BEHAVIOUR
COUNSELLORS
BLUE CROSS
The Animal Hospital, Sheppard House, For details of a behaviour counsellor
High Street, Victoria, London SW1V 1QQ. in your area, send a SAE to:
Tel: 020 7834 1128 PO Box 46, Worcester WR8 9YS.
Tel: 01386 751151
FELISBRITANNICA
Office of the General Secretary, 63 Fingal THE BLUE CROSS ANIMAL
Street, Greenwich, London SE10 0JL WELFARE SOCIETY
Tel: 0208 858 5318 Shilton Road, Burford, Oxon OX18 4PF
Email: felisbritannicasecretary@gmail.com Tel: 01993 822651
www.felisbritannica.co.uk
THE PET BEREAVEMENT SERVICE
FELINE ADVISORY BUREAU Run jointly by the Society of Animal Studies
Taeselbury High Street, Tisbury, and the Blue Cross.
Wiltshire SP3 6LD Freephone: 0800 096 6606,
Tel: 0870 742 2278 Fax: 01747 871873 (between 8.30am and 5.30pm)
Email: catteries@fabcats.org
www.fabcats.org
ALNAKEED SPHYNX world VARIOUS
Champion babies to loving
EMERISLE KITTENS. Ragdolls
indoor homes. Kittens often
from breeder of the year 11yrs
available. All colours including
running, Tiffanies, Scottish Fold,
Lilac. Tel: 01383-721311/07939
British Shorthair. Reasonably
116861. alnakeed@aol.com.
priced.
Find me on Facebook under
07774-650217/01943-461852
Carole Langham.
www.emerisle-cats.co.uk
E nsure your pet’ s final days are happy &
comfortable with professional and respectful
pet euthanasia in your own home.
Cloud 9 V ets are trusted UK nationwide providers
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Or telephone 08000 3 54 999 to speak with
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C AT W O R L D
81
 CATTY CHATTER

TAIL END
A rescue cat brought joy to Terry Jones and his mum when they needed
it most and they gave her the love she craved and deserved

S
ome people With that formality right cat for me and my the other passengers
would argue for over and done with, I mum. Apparently, she were just as upset as I
and against keep- was led to the cattery. had been dumped in a was but once that train
ing a cat in the house The biggest upset was field inside a cardboard arrived, things became
but for both me and seeing the abandoned box and just left to die. far worse. Smudge was
my mum, this became or rescued cats in vari- Fortunately a man who getting really stressed
vital because my dear ous-sized cages. Some was taking his dog for out by then and started
father and best friend of the poor little mites an early walk had spot- crying even harder.
had died and we both were still too poorly for ted the box and taken I was so relieved
desperately needed to the vet to allow them to the pathetic contents to when I eventually got
try to fill the massive be put up for adoption the rescue centre. her safely home. As
hole blown through our until they had received Once all the official soon as I got indoors,
shattered lives. all the care and treat- red tape had been my mother rushed to
Shortly after dad ment they needed. This taken care of, I bought the carrier box and let
died, mum and I de- was a stark reminder of Smudge a nice new Smudge out to see her
cided to look around the abhorrent cruelty red collar and a box to brand new abode.
for a suitable pet and that can and, unfortu- take her home on the Initially she looked
decided that a small nately does, occur when train. Smudge was nine around quite mystified
cat would, perhaps, be no-one is looking and it years of age and I had a but the very first thing
ideal. However, finding is quite true to say you feeling she had suffered she did was use her lit-
a cat proved not quite never can tell what goes quite enough disruption ter tray, which delighted
as simple as we had on behind closed doors. in her life. I sensed and us no end. We made
anticipated. The cat that caught feared she might not quite sure she had a
It then occurred to my eye more than any of make it if she suffered magnificent dinner of
me to contact the local the others was a Brit- any more distress. So red salmon, followed
rescue centre. Arrange- ish Shorthair brindle our journey home was by chicken and cheese
ments were made for tortie called Smudge, an ordeal for both of us. treats.
me to go over and because she had a cute, Smudge started to Smudge settled in
choose a cat from the inch-long smudge of cry pitifully while we fairly quickly and was
many they had avail- bright orange fur just were on the station the most loveable lady
able for adoption. It above her top lip. When platform, waiting for a you could ever imagine.
was quite early on a I entered the cage, train that never seemed The love, the fun and
Saturday morning when she ran straight up to to come. I honestly did her crazy little antics
I caught a train to the me and immediately not know what to do to melted our hearts -
rescue centre and was started to purr away like relieve her stress but I this smashing wee cat
interviewed and made a well-oiled engine. I whispered comfortingly definitely filled the hole
to fill in an ‘adoption’ decided there and then to her through the air in our lives and softened
form. that Smudge was the vents in the box. I think the hurt of our loss.

She immediately started to purr away like a well-oiled engine

82 C AT W O R L D
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JUNE 2016 C AT W O R L D
83
 DON’T LET YOUR
LOVED ONES BE THE
HOME FOR WORMS.

EXPERTS RECOMMEND THAT CATS ARE

DEWORMED AT LEAST EVERY 3 MONTHS.1
Cats can easily get worms through any contact with their surroundings.
Tiny ingested eggs can turn into harmful worms in as little as 30 days.2 Experts recommend
that cats are dewormed at least every 3 months.1 Ask your vet about personalised worming
advice and find out more at www.wormwise.co.uk

1
ESCCAP Deworming Frequency Advice. http://www.esccapuk.org.uk/professionals/downloads/proleaflets/003_Deworming_frequency_advice.pdf (accessed 03/11/17)
2
ESCCAP Guidelines 3rd Edition July 2017.

For further information call Elanco Animal Health on +44(0)1256 353131 or write to: Elanco Animal Health (the animal health division of Eli Lilly and Company Limited), Lilly House, Priestley Road, Basingstoke,
Hampshire RG24 9NL, United Kingdom. Elanco™ and Milbemax® are trademarks owned by or licensed to Eli Lilly and Company, its subsidiaries or affiliates. © 2018 Eli Lilly and Company.
UKCAHMIL00148a. Advice should be sought from the Medicine Prescriber. Use medicines responsibly www.noah.co.uk/responsible