Some cats just love to lick their owners. Hands, ears, toes, hair- nothing is off limits! But why? It would be really nice if we could ask our kitties this directly, until then here are some explanations as for why. Maybe you just taste good They just love you. Mummy cats lovingly lick their young, […]
Fertilisers are toxic to both cats and dogs. However, it’s mainly dogs that are affected specifically owing to their scavenging nature. There are so many types of fertiliser, they generally contain salts of nitrogen and potassium, as well as phosphorus. They vary in the additives, which can include agents to kill plants, insects and fungi, […]
Many dogs and cats eat grass. There’s a lot of speculation as to why, but actually little evidence. Popular theories include that they have a dietary deficiency (ie. fibre), that they are sick or nauseous and so they choose to eat grass to make themselves vomit, that they are bored, and that it’s normal and […]
Permethrin is an insecticide within the pyrethroid family. It is widely used in flea and tick control and is well known to be toxic to cats. Unfortunately this is a commonly reported poisoning in cats. What are the signs of permethrin toxicity? Permethrin toxicity in cats is characterised by tremors, seizures, high body temperature, salivation, […]
Shedding of hair is absolutely normal for most cats, provided that they continue to maintain a normal hair coat. Things that can increase hair turnover (more shedding): Poor diet Inflammation due to allergies (fleas/food/environmental: make sure you use a good flea control regularly as fleas are the most common allergy) Bacterial or yeast skin infections […]
Cats are an absolute joy to care for, providing fun, companionship and improved health. But to truly be happy, we need our cats to be happy too, so the question begs, ‘what can we do to enhance our furry friends lives?’ There are the basics of cat care: good highly digestible balanced diet, multiple sources […]
Dogs and cats can have eyes that are each a different colour. Specifically, it’s the coloured part of the eye called the iris. The term for different coloured irises in one individual, as well as different colours within the one iris, is heterochromia iridis. A dog or cat born with heterochromia does not have a […]
The risk factors for heart disease in cats include family history (genetics are huge here, and the reason that we see certain conditions recur in certain breeds) and age (risk does increase with age, although some cats are born with a congenital condition). Unlike humans, obesity or being overweight doesn’t increase the risk of heart […]
UV rays from our harsh Aussie sun doesn’t discriminate. Whilst skin pigmentation and thick hair do afford sun protection by providing a physical barrier to UV rays, it’s the cats that don’t have this that we need to worry about. The fair skinned and white-coated cats are prone to sunburn particularly around the nose and […]