PET SUBJECTS

Vet Pete Wedderburn has the answers

Q

My three-year-old Maine coon cat insists on scratching the back of my favourite armchair, despite the fact that I have provided her with a perfectly good cat scratching post, which is just a few feet away. How can I persuade her to scratch where she is supposed to do it?

-WM, Bath

A

Cats know what they like, so the best answer is to try to create a scratching area that mimics the back of your armchair. Height is the biggest factor: many pet shop scratching posts are only 20-30in high, while the back of your chair may be 40in or more. Cats love to reach up to scratch, and for a Maine coon, that means plenty of height. Try the Catipilla Climbing Pole scratcher (catipilla.com), which at 4ft, is the biggest I’ve seen. It attaches firmly to the wall, making it very secure, which cats also love.

Q

Hayley, my one-year-old labrador, loves chewing raw bones, but I sometimes see fresh blood on the bones, which is coming from her gums. She doesn’t seem to mind this, but should I give her something else to chew instead?

-LF, Inverness

A

It may seem “natural” for dogs to chew bones, and while many dogs do seem to chew bones without problems, it’s common for dogs to damage their gums and teeth. For these reasons, veterinary dentists recommend that dogs should only be given objects with softer surfaces: ideally, you should be able to make a slight indent with your thumbnail in anything you give your dog to chew. Examples include commercial dental chew treats and rubber-type chew toys (e.g. Kong or K9Connectable toys).

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All sick animals should be taken to a vet