Indholdsfortegnelse for May 2023 i Your Cat

THE STORY BEHIND THE PIC During an event at Downing Street on 24 February, 2023, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, with his wife Akshata, led a minute’s silence to mark the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Sunak was joined outside 10 Downing Street by the Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK, members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and Ukrainian singers. During the event, resident political cat Larry joined the gathering, much to the delight of the Ukrainian visitors who cuddled and stroked the feline.…

If you’re lucky enough to have an outdoor space, it can provide your kitty with the perfect place to do all the things a cat instinctively loves to do. Your pet can find an exciting world of stimulation in your garden — if we make it feline friendly. What we like in our garden might not be what our cats will enjoy. Cats need to be safe, feel some sense of control, and be excited by what they can do in their outdoor space. We spoke to Samantha Prior, Cat Advisor at Woodgreen Pets Charity, to find out what it is cats want from their garden… WHY MAKE A CAT-FRIENDLY GARDEN? Having access to the outdoors can be a really powerful way of stimulating cats, giving them a fulfilled life,…

I’ve just returned from a busman’s holiday. That’s not to say I went to a resort and paid to feed cats — it was a little more unexpected than that. On arrival at a holiday park that looked like something out of ‘Carry on Camping’ (the sort of place we mainly find ourselves in when it’s left to me to find somewhere nice for the weekend), we were astounded by the sheer number of cats that greeted us at our car. My first guess was that they were all here to escape the local council’s highways department, because only five minutes previously, as we neared the camp in darkness after a lovely four-hour journey, we passed another of those disturbing roadside signs sporting the giant words: CATS EYES REMOVED Two…

We are all very used to viewing our cats as fluffy, cuddly companions, each pet a bundle of affection and a trusted friend to confide in. We are hooked on service to them, we cat lovers, for all the good things they bring us. These things are mainly psychological nowadays but for the 10,000 years or so that we have co-habited, we often welcomed them as useful rodent controllers. Today, when their hunting prowess does rear its head, we largely disapprove. We especially disapprove if that prey is one of the garden birds that we also extend our generosity to with copious feeding at bird tables. However, having asked many students over the years to survey a few cats in their locality and count how many prey items they actually…

HEALTH His arthritis is making him wary of me Q I noticed that when my 11-year-old cat Rupert came in during the evening he no longer came to lie on my lap, but went and sat on a chair. He became wary of me and eventually he only came inside when I had gone to bed. A visit to the vet confirmed arthritis and Rupert is now on medication. The vet wondered if his change in behaviour was due to pain. I now keep Rupert in during the day and he seems happy to sleep on my bed, but in the evening, he literally races to the cat flap and goes out until I have gone to bed. He is eating well and hopefully is now more physically comfortable, but still…

At a recent meeting of the GCCF Council, the agenda contained a proposal by one club to remove the rights of the Founder Clubs. The proposal was lost by a massive majority, so I thought it would be interesting to look back at the history of one of those clubs: The Chinchilla, Silver Tabby and Smoke Cat Society. Cat shows in Britain from 1871 — 1895 were organised by The Crystal Palace Company, but in 1896 the responsibility was taken over by The National Cat Club, founded in 1887. The National Cat Club ruled the Cat Fancy without dispute until 1898, when there was dissention in its ranks and a rival organisation, The Cat Club, was formed. This ran successful shows for six years, after which it collapsed. During this…

When owning a cat, or any other pet, it is useful to be able to give your pet regular health checks. By performing health checks, you can detect any changes to their health and act upon them. It also helps knowing what’s normal for your cat. It is better starting when your cat is a kitten to get them accustomed to being handled, but you can start health checking at any point by using positive reinforcement. WHEN DOING HEALTH CHECKS, WE USUALLY START FROM TOP TO TAIL. THIS MONTH, WE WILL START WITH THE HEAD: ● LOOK FROM A DISTANCE: Look at your cat from the front, from the top, and from either side. Checking for symmetry, or a lack of it, can identify problem areas — a bulging cheek…

As I sit writing this, the clocks have gone forward and already I am enjoying the extended daylight hours. We’re not too far from the weather getting warmer either. We’ll all soon be out enjoying our gardens, heading on holidays, and eating outside. It’s the perfect time to think about how we can help our cats enjoy the outdoors too. The lead feature this month looks at how to create a cat-friendly garden. With just a few tweaks and features, you can genuinely make it a paradise for your cat. You won’t have to landscape your garden (you can if you are inclined to!) but just thinking about your garden from your cat’s perspective can be game changing. A cat-friendly garden will stimulate your cat, make them feel safer, and improve…

“Currently, we are at bursting point with so many animals…” Your Cat Good Causes has donated a supply of brand new Rosewood Pet Products cat beds to Changing Lives at Carrington, to provide the cats in their care with a comfortable safe haven as they recover from trauma. Changing Lives at Carrington, based in Manchester, began rescuing animals in 2020 as the covid-19 pandemic led to a dramatic increase in the need to save, care for, and rehome animals. To date, they have successfully rehomed more than 1,400 animals, with even more pending on their waiting lists. Nicole McGawley, the centre’s manager, said: “The success of our rescue centre is attributed to the dedication and hard work of our staff, volunteers, sponsors, and members of our community who endlessly help…

Freddie Mercury was best known for his amazing voice and his flamboyant stage personality — but he was also a devoted cat lover. The lead singer of Queen made sure to phone home to speak to his cats when he was touring, gave them stockings at Christmas, and when he was having fish and chips he would order an extra portion of cod for each of his cats (which had to have all the batter removed and be carefully checked for bones). He showed just how important his cats were to him when he dedicated his debut solo album, ‘Mr Bad Guy,’ to them, writing in the album notes: “This album is dedicated to my cat Jerry — also Tom, Oscar, and Tiffany, and all the cat lovers across the…

The competitions are all magazine only, so we need to explain this clearly: EXCLUSIVE PRIZES We want to reward your loyalty to us, therefore ALL of the competitions you see across these giveaways pages are now entirely exclusive to you, our Your Cat members. To be able to enter these giveaways online, simply visit our website www.yourcat.co.uk/competitions, log in to your account, and answer the simple question. All of these competitions will now also remain open for the whole month online (as well as via the printed form), giving you plenty of time to make your entries! Please note, if you have purchased this copy of Your Cat Magazine from a retail store, you will need to enter the giveaways via the printed form. Or you can easily become a…

“Cats aren’t the main source of infection.” Most people know toxoplasmosis as ‘the illness pregnant women can catch from cats.’ While toxoplasmosis is certainly zoonotic (a disease that can spread from animals to humans), it’s less dangerous to people than reports in the press suggest. And cats aren’t actually the main source of infection, even in pregnant women. What is toxoplasmosis? Toxoplasmosis describes the disease caused by a protozoal parasite called Toxoplasma gondii (T gondii). Just like bacteria, a protozoan is a single cell organism only visible under a microscope. However, protozoa are bigger than bacteria with a more complex cell structure (making them more similar to plants and animals.) “Oocysts pass out of the body in cat poo.” THE COMPLICATED LIFECYCLE OF T GONDII Some parasites only live on…

SEE YOUR CAT HERE! Email a clear (non-blurry) image of usable size (around 300dpi and 1MB) to pawtraits@yourcat.co.uk Please include your full name, address, and phone number, as well as your cat’s name. www.facebook.com/yourcatmagazine @yourcatmagazine pawtraits@yourcat.co.uk…

When it comes to brilliant places for cat lovers to visit The Glenturret Distillery has it all. It’s set in a beautiful location, you can enjoy superb whisky and fine food, there are resident cats, and it is home to a feline world record! THE BEST MOUSER Tucked away on the banks of the Barvick Burn river in Crieff, Perthshire, The Glenturret is one of Scotland’s oldest distilleries. Now, distilleries can be a target for vermin and so many through the ages have had cats as mousers. For over 50 years, The Glenturret Distillery has been home to a number of magnificent mousers, the most famous of all being Towser the Mouser — the greatest mouser who ever lived! Born in 1963, Towser lived for an astonishing 24 years, and…

LAW Mandatory microchipping comes into force Pet owners will be legally required to ensure their cats are microchipped from next summer under new proposals that went before Parliament in March. The planned measure, which aims to help reunite more families with pets who go missing, is similar to the rule for dogs that has been in place since 2016. Once the measure is implemented, from 10 June 2024, all owned cats will need to be microchipped before they are 20 weeks old. Any owners whose cat is found to not have a chip by that date could face a fine of up to £500. UK chief veterinary officer Christine Middlemiss says: “Microchipping is by far the most effective and quickest way of identifying lost pets. “As we’ve seen with dog…

Handsome tabby Tika first came into Caity Munday’s life in 2011 when her family adopted him and his brother Toffee, from the RSPCA, as kittens. “We’ve pretty much grown up together,” said Caity, 19. “Tika was much more the outgoing of the two and more adventurous, whereas Toffee was more of a homebody and cuddlier. But they would always cuddle up together.” Sadly, Toffee died in 2018 after he was hit by a car and Caity said Tika became more affectionate to her after his brother was gone. Tika soon settled into life with two new feline housemates at their home in Weymouth, Dorset, after the acquisition of two new kittens, Teddy and Donut, later that year. A SPOT OF BOTHER At the grand age of 12, the first sign…

We’ve all seen those homes on social media, the ones that have had their human living space turned into a giant cat playhouse. Those that have cat shelves adorning every inch of the interior walls, ceiling height walkways leading to cat-sized holes that allow the feline residents to move seamlessly from one room to the next, wooden rope bridges running across rooms, cat trees galore, and floors adorned with so many toys that you can barely walk across them without getting your foot caught in a cat tunnel. You get my drift. As cat-parents to be, it is of course very important to have the right cat resources in place to help your new feline friend settle in quickly when he arrives, but you don’t need to go to these extremes,…

Life occasionally serves up strange coincidences for everyone, but especially sometimes it seems for those of us who love, admire, or have the privilege of working with cats. Cats seems to be a catalyst for coincidences and all one has to do is search a little on almost any topic or person and a cat or two will soon appear. Cat coincidences are probably reflective perhaps of just how much the lives of man and cat have become entwined in the thousands of years that we have been living closely together. They are found in our folklore and mythology, in our art and design, in commerce, in theatre, and even sometimes in our healthcare by those who are taken to cheer up patients in hospitals and care homes. The potential…

"He tried to avoid his medication…" Having been found on the streets of Dundee aged around 6 — 7 weeks old, Jaffa Cake had a difficult start to life. He was taken in by Angie Smith, founder of Angus Cat Rescue, and was a scrawny but feisty little kitten with a big personality. He was placed with experienced foster carer Pauline McGregor and had been vaccinated and neutered and was about to be put up for adoption when he became ill. His abdomen was bloated and all indications pointed to Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP). At the time, the drug Remdesivir had not been licensed for use in this country. Being part of a Facebook support group, Angie and Pauline contacted them in desperation. Mutian X is a product marketed to…