From feuding cats to a constipated Jack Russell – your pet queries answered

HE is on a mission to help our pets  . . . and is here to answer YOUR questions.

Sean, who is the head vet at tailored pet food firm tails.com, has helped with owners’ queries for ten years.

Q) OUR two tortoiseshell cats are five-year-old sisters, and lately they have become very hostile toward each other.

When tiny kittens, Willow and Blossom would curl up together. As they got older, they stopped this but would still lay near each other.

Over the last 18 months or so they have tolerated each other — but the last two months have been dreadful. It’s like we have two different kitties.

If they walk past each other they start fighting — fur flies everywhere and the screaming is horrific.

Is there anything we can do? They have separate food and water bowls and go in and out of the catflap at their leisure.

JACKIE CROZIER, Croydon, South London

A) Has anything else chang­ed in the household?

Cat behaviour is subtle and sometimes hard to explain, but I would look at factors within the household and outside it — location of litter trays, feeding and rest areas, more visitors, anything like that.

And outside, perhaps there is a new cat locally causing anxiety which they are taking out on each other.

Firstly, reduce competition for re­sources (toileting, feeding and sleeping zones) and try a pheromone diffuser and calming spray.

If that fails, then get a cat-savvy qualified animal behaviourist to come and observe them in action.

Q) WHEN should I start feeding my outdoor fish properly again?

They eat less through the winter months, but now it’s warming up they will start to get more active.

SAM BRYANT, Launceston, Cornwall

A) It’s still a bit cold, so not quite yet. There is never a set time, it depends on weather and seasonality.

When we’ve had consistent warm spring weather for longer than a week or two you can gradually reintroduce feeding.

Remember there is natural food available in ponds too.

More harm is often done by overfeeding and polluting the water than underfeeding. So try a tiny amount first and let the fish tell you if they are hungry or not.

Q) MY seven-year-old cat has been diagnosed with pododermatitis.
It affects her two front feet.

She is hardly going out and sits in the window holding her feet up alternatively. I’m putting aloe vera gel on her pads three times a day.

She was put on steroid tablets for five weeks but they didn’t help and her blood tests came back clear.

PATRICIA WRIGHT, Nottingham

A) You don’t say if her paw pads are ulcerated and cracked, or just swollen. If no open sores, there is little point putting aloe vera gel on.

Steroid treatment often has to be continued for a couple of months to see a result.

There are a few different steroid drugs and antibiotics that can dampen down this immune condition too, so you and your vet still have options to finding the right treatment.

Speak with your vet about trying something else.

Q) DESPITE being in great shape, my 14-year-old Jack Russell gets constipated every now and then.

I’ve visited a vet but the cost of the consultation then the cure is too high for me.

There must be a natural way of avoiding Kipper getting constipated?

BRIAN PALIN, Telford, Shrops

A) Is he getting enough fibre in his diet? This could be a factor.

At tails.com we can adjust fibre levels to suit a dog’s individual needs, while taking care of their other nutritional requirements regarding age, breed, lifestyle, weight control etc.

Drop us a line on [email protected] explaining the situation and our team can look to set up a free trial of a tailor-made blend for Kipper.

STAR OF THE WEEK

MEET Bengal cat Max, who was almost killed by eating coffee grounds.

He had been exploring owner Tim Frederick’s garden in Enfield, North London when he collapsed last March.

Road safety specialist Tim, 44, and his wife Zoe raced him to the vet, who brought Max out of hypothermic shock.

Max had scoffed the grounds, which are used as tree fertiliser but are poisonous to cats.

Tim says: “We have plenty of outside space for them to exercise, but I suspect it was our banana trees that caused the trouble.”;

Max is fit again, and the couple avoided a big bill, thanks to a policy with animal insurer agriapet.co.uk for Max and his brother Johnny.

Now sons Theo, ten, and Leon, seven, keep a close eye on both pets.

STARS AID BID TO FIND SAVIOUR GRACIE

CELEBS are boosting the hunt for a rescue dog who helped her owner beat prostate cancer.

When Gracie the Dachshund cross disappeared, former Corrie star Kym Marsh retweeted the appeal to return her to owner Mickey Anthony, 54.

Now former Wales goalie Neville Southall and telly producer Jane Fallon, wife of comedian Ricky Gervais, have added their weight.

Gracie went missing last September after Mickey and nurse wife Gaynor, 56, left her with a dog sitter in Pershore, Worcs, to go on holiday.

Mickey, from Bristol, who was helped by charity Prost8, says of his beloved six-year-old pet: “She is the reason I got through cancer. She’s the reason I kept fighting, kept believing that there was life after diagnosis.”;

Property development manager Mickey set up #BringGracieHome on X and was heartened to see BBC Morning Live host Kym, who lost her dad to prostate cancer, Jane and Neville retweet his appeal.

Gracie is black and grey with long hair and an underbite. Mickey is offering a reward and says: “I urge everyone to keep an eye out. Please help bring Gracie home.”;

If you can help, email [email protected]

WIN GPS DOG TRACKER

WANT to keep tabs on your dog? One lucky reader can win a PitPat GPS Tracker, worth £159, which tells you your dog’s location, activity, weight and more.

Plus, two more could win a PitPat Dog Activity Monitor, worth £49, which gives you info on your dog’s exercise, rest and weight. Send an email headed PITPAT to [email protected] by April 14.

See pitpat.com/sun.