Is my cat in mourning?

Q We’ve had two Siamese cats for 11 years. They were always inseparable, but because of illness, one has died. I am concerned about my remaining cat and how this might affect him.

A There is little published information on whether cats mourn, but a 1996 American article on a study about cats that had lost a companion said 45 per cent had a reduced appetite, many slept more than usual, and about 70 per cent were more vocal.

Overall, 65 per cent of cats showed behavioural changes, suggesting a response to their loss.

Since then there has been a lot of anecdotal information, including my own. I recently lost one of my cats to a terminal illness, and as far as I know, it did not appear to affect the other cat at all. Of course the main problem is that cats cannot tell us how they are feeling. It is up to astute owners to detect any changes in normal behaviour.

Cats do not like changes in their routine and you may see signs of this.

I think this is particularly true of Siamese cats, as they are often believed to be more emotional than other breeds.

You might see pacing, meowing and searching in the short term, followed by an interval of being more withdrawn and sleeping more.

Later, your cat may become more affectionate and clingy.

However many cats are said to “bloom” once they become the centre of attention.

Rather than fussing over him, let him come to you to be comforted.

If he stops eating, then you should book a check-up with your vet to rule out other causes.

Q Our five-year-old crossbreed male dog has cysts between his toes on his front foot. Our vet has ruled out parasites, grass seeds and other foreign bodies, and has prescribed long-term antibiotics. Is this a common situation?

A This is a fairly common problem in dogs, especially short-haired dogs. Although the lesions look like cysts, they are in fact deep bacterial infections.

The disease is known as canine pedal pyoderma or canine pododermatitis.

Your vet’s approach is standard for this disease and it is very useful to have ruled out foreign bodies and parasites before starting treatment.

This will no doubt have required an examination under general anaesthetic to be sure about grass seeds and also trapped hairs, which are another common cause.

In addition, samples will have been sent off to check for the particular bacterium involved and to which antibiotics it is sensitive.

The next part of the treatment your dog is undergoing is to get the infection under control with an appropriate antibiotic. It is important to use the right one because with deep pyoderma a month or two of treatment is needed in many cases. Also by using the most effective antibiotic, the risk of failure and the development of antibiotic resistance are much less.

I would hope for considerable improvement within a few weeks, but it is important to finish the course as directed. Your vet may then suggest further testing to identify possible underlying causes, such as allergies or hormonal problems.