Is my cat Samson eating too much?
Ask the vet
OUR cat Samson is two and eats three pouches of food a day, plus lots of dry food too. But he’s always begging for more. Is this too much? Wet cat diets are mostly made up of water, so often you’ll have to feed more to meet your cat’s nutritional needs. It’s best to check the food labelling to ensure you are feeding Samson enough for his weight and that it’s an age-appropriate diet. People are often surprised to see that two, three or four pouches per day can be appropriate for some diets and some cats. It’s also important to feed a ‘complete’ diet, meaning the food contains all of the nutrients he needs. If you think he’s receiving enough food but still seems to be hungry, or if he’s losing weight, it’s best to contact your vet for more advice. There are a few conditions that can affect Samson’s appetite which your vet can check him for.
ONE of my rabbits seems to have runny, smelly poo. What should I do?
Rabbits produce two types of droppings. Most commonly you’ll see small rounds pellets but they also produce caecotrophs – a looser dropping which bunnies normally eat to help with digestion. If you’re seeing loose droppings, this could sign that one of your rabbits might be very poorly. Diarrhoea in rabbits is serious, leading to dehydration or shock, so you should call your vet as soon as possible. Another worry during the summer months, is that bunnies with dirty bottoms are at high risk of attracting flies, and developing ‘flystrike’. This is a condition where flies lay eggs on your rabbit that hatch into maggots that then burrow
into their skin. You can help by keeping your rabbits’ bottoms clean and dry using pet safe fly repellents and checking your rabbits frequently for any signs of fly activity. And if you’re worried, get help from your vet ASAP as flystrike can sadly be fatal.
MY one-year-old cat is normally well-behaved but recently keeps tipping her food out of the plastic bowl and eating it off the floor. How can I stop this? Some cats don’t like certain smells, so one possibility is that she is trying to avoid the smell of the plastic (or what it is washed in) while she is eating. Try a bowl made from a different material, or use a fragrance-free
detergent. A good option might be to go for a ceramic bowl. This is less likely to have a smell associated with it. Cats also like wide shallow bowls, where they can eat without their whiskers touching the bowl sides. It might also be worth feeding her in a different location for a while.
OUR Springer Spaniel Charlie loves going to the park but he always seems to end up in the duck pond! Is there any way we can stop him going in without keeping him on the lead? Diseases can be transmitted through stagnant water and the ducks probably get a bit distressed too, so it’s important to prevent Charlie from jumping into ponds for his own safety. You’ll need to teach him to recognise and respond to commands such as ‘stay’ and ‘come’.