A hunting he WON’T go!

Q: How can a cat be trained to catch mice. We have a big lazy tom cat aged 2 years, and although we regularly see mice in our kitchen, the cat doesn’t even seem to notice them, never mind hunt them! We have tried not feeding him to make him hunt out of hunger, but he just starts raiding the bins! Any ideas?

A: A cat is either a born mouser, or he is not.You can try encouraging him by playing with toy mice on strings, but it is difficult to teach a cat such an instinctive skill. By the way, it makes no difference starving him - domestic cats hunt for pleasure, not for nutrition - they know that there are easier ways to fill their stomachs!

Hedgehogs - gardener’s friends

Hedgehogs are popular animals. They are attractive creatures - busy, bristly spines with a long, inquisitive nose poking out. They are sociable - they can be trained to turn up at regular times for an evening meal in the garden, and they do not have the same fear of humans as many wild animals. They are not aggressive, and even when cornered, they respond passively by curling up into that impregnable ball of spikes.

A hedgehog is the most natural ‘pesticide’ in the world, consuming large quantities of slugs, beetles, caterpillars and other garden pests. Most people are happy to find that their garden is being visited by a hedgehog, and often food is left out to encourage these helpful creatures to stay around. Bread and milk was the traditional fodder for hedgehogs, but recent studies have shown that cow’s milk can cause diarrhoea. The modern advice is that a saucer of cat food is much healthier.

Hedgehogs have adapted well to urban areas, and they thrive living in close proximity to humans. However, the car is a serious predator of hedgehogs. The instinct of curling up when threatened is not a useful way to react to a rapidly approaching car, and many hedgehogs die on the roads. In recent years, natural selection has resulted in strains of hedgehog which have developed the more effective reflex of running away when confronted with an oncoming vehicle.

In winter, the food supply is scarce and the weather is cold. Hedgehogs usually avoid these problems by hibernating. They make themselves a nest in a bed of leaves, and they sleep between late October and March. However, to hibernate successfully, a hedgehog needs a thick layer of body fat. If he is too thin, he will not have enough energy to survive. Sometimes thin hungry hedgehogs are seen roaming during the winter months. If you find one, take him inside, to a shed or garage. If you give him a nest box, and a regular food supply, he may survive till the spring. And if you are lucky, he will stay around your garden for the summer, helping to keep your plants healthy by enjoying feasts of garden pests!

My tom cat is spraying!

Q: My tom cat has started to spray urine in a certain corner of the kitchen. He is 8 months old, and he had been perfectly house trained until recently. The smell is disgusting! What should we do about it?

A: Your cat is simply marking his territory, as all male cats like to do. The easy answer is to have him castrated - by removing the male hormones from his system, you will remove his urge to spray. But you must do this as soon as possible - otherwise the urination will become a habit, and it may not settle down so easily.

Poisoning?

Poisoning is commonly seen in pets, and it can be accidental or malicious. The latter is rare, but it is especially distressing. Typically, the poison is hidden in an attractive bait, such as a lump of meat. This is an appalling type of cruelty to animals. Whenever malicious poisoning is suspected, the police are informed and all efforts are made to prosecute the culprit.

It is far more common to encounter accidental poisoning. Most households possess substances which are dangerous to animals. Examples include rat bait, anti-freeze, slug pellets and weed killers. These substances are safe if used according to the manufacturer’s instructions, and if kept out of the reach of pets. But accidents do happen.

If an animal is suspected to have eaten a poison, you must contact a vet on the telephone immediately. Poisons will only cause harm if they are absorbed into the bloodstream, and so the first aim is to minimise the amount which is absorbed. The vet may advise you on the telephone to immediately make your pet vomit. Squirting a strong solution of salty water over the throat may be enough to do this.

The vet will often also advise you to rush the animal to the surgery as soon as possible. Drugs can then be given by injection, which will again cause vomiting. It may be necessary to give a general anaesthetic, and to flush out the entire stomach contents.

If it is more than a few hours since the poison was taken, it may be too late to remove the poison from the stomach, since it will already have moved down the digestive tract. In these cases, it is necessary to commence other treatments for poisoning.

A few poisons have direct antidotes but in most cases, there is no easy answer. General supportive treatment must be used to keep an animal alive until the body has metabolised and excreted the poison naturally. Sometimes this treatment is in vain, and, sadly, the patient may die.

It is far better never to need to treat an animal for poisoning. Pet owners should be very careful with the storage and use of poisonous substances.

Our chewing pup

Q: We have a black Labrador pup, who chews everything. Last week he was behind the settee, when there was a bang, and he rushed out squealing. He had chewed through a live electric cable! He seems OK, but we worry that he will do it again and not be so lucky. What can we do?

A: Pups are worse than toddlers! It is impossible to completely “neutralise” a house - there are always potential hazards for curious puppies. Most pups settle down at around 6 - 8 months of age, and you will just have to hope that the puppy learns from his mistakes, and avoids serious accidents until he matures.