From a cat suffering with arthritis to choosing the right dog for you – 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.

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He says: “If your pet is acting funny or is under the weather, or you want to know about nutrition or exercise, just ask. I can help keep pets happy and healthy.”

Q: MY cat Molly, who is 15, has arthritis.

Do you think getting a heated bed for her could help?

She has pain relief, but can you recommend any food supplements?

Sarah Smith, Greenwich, South East London

Sean says: It may help slightly to make her more comfortable and keep her muscles from getting stiff.

On the flip side, if she sits in it all day, her muscles and joints may seize up more from being less mobile.

The best things to do are try to keep her at a healthy weight, use a supplement containing Omega-3 fatty acids (often fish oil based) and medication from your vet.

With pain relief, it’s best to find the effective amount and try not to skip doses, for example if Molly seems more comfortable on a particular day.

You want to have a level of the drug in her system at all times, rather than starting her from scratch again once she is in pain.

Q: HOW often should you feed fish in cold weather?

Our goldfish, who live in a garden pond, are definitely eating a bit less — is this normal?

Doug Rattery, Middlesborough

Sean says: It’s normal, and actually you shouldn’t feed them at all.

Below a certain temperature in winter, they will just stop eating as they become a bit more dormant and their digestive system slows down.

There is plenty of natural food in the pond if they do fancy a snack.

But if you continue putting in extra, it will spoil and cause water quality issues as it decomposes.

Start feeding again in spring when the water temperature rises and the fish get more active at the surface, as if looking for food.

But less is always more for pond fish.

Feed too much and you’ll get algae blooms and water quality issues, which could lead to fish disease or death.

Q: MY cat Sammy, 12, had his monthly Advantage flea treatment but has been scratching. I know he is uncomfy as his ears and back have been twitching.

Should I treat him again before the month is up? He has no allergies and his ears look normal.

Sally Tritton, Canterbury

Sean says: No, there is no point treating again with another dose in the same treatment window.

You run the risk of overdosing and causing an adverse reaction.

The problem with flea infestations is that, by the time you notice adult fleas on your pet, there will be lots of eggs, larvae and pupae in development in the environment, emerging for weeks to come.

So the fleas on Sammy are just the tip of the iceberg and should be killed if you applied the Advantage, in full and correctly.

You need to tackle the environment now to prevent what we call “wave re-emergence” of new fleas.

Vacuum everywhere, put bedding on hot washes and use a spray from your vet to kill all other life stages in the home.

Keep up with monthly preventative treatment and you should get things under control — but it can take an itchy few weeks.

Q: MY husband and I can’t agree on the type of dog we want.

We are both in our early sixties and our dog died a year ago.

I want a lurcher, he wants a greyhound or poodle.

Which would be best at our age?

We are both fit and love walks.

Helen Maitland, Bexley, Kent

Sean says: A lurcher and greyhound are pretty comparable, but why not meet in the middle and go with a whippet or whippet-type lurcher?

Fantastic dogs, as they are versatile and quite laid back.

Happy to be lazy indoors and also love long walks.

You’re very close to an agreement on the type of dog you want, so no need for marriage counselling yet!

Star of the week

MINIATURE poodle Daisy has nursed her owner through ill-health and kept her smiling.

The three-year-old pooch is a big help to Janine Parkyn-Smith, 45, of Badgers Mount, Kent, who suffers from myasthenia gravis, which causes muscle weakness.

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Janine said: “Daisy is a very special dog. She’s my little nurse and instinctively knows before I do if I’m going to be a bit wonky that day. She lays on my legs to stop me getting out of bed. If she doesn’t do that, I know I’m going to have a good day.

“She’s sensitive and has empathy. She is simply amazing.”

How to keep bored puss a-mewsed

A WINTER epidemic of boredom strikes Britain’s cats this month, feline experts have revealed.

A spokesman for welfare charity Cats Protection said: “As the weather gets colder in January cats don’t go out as much and they can suffer from boredom.

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“Signs include regular periods of frenetic random activity, sleeping a lot, excessive mewing, pacing, overgrooming and over-eating. While some cats may happily entertain themselves, others may need more stimulation.”

Here are five great boredom-busters:

1. Play with them – and interactive games are best. Most cats will only need a few minutes at a time but try for several sessions a day.

 2. Provide interactive feeders to encourage your cat to solve puzzles to get to their food. Make your own at cats.org. uk/cats-blog/feeding-enrichment-puzzles-for-your-cat.

3. Provide a window perch or something to climb – cats like looking through windows. Or give them a cat tower or cat shelves.

 4. Grow some cat grass. Many cats love to chew on it and it can even help with their digestion.

 5. Groom them. This is a great activity you can do together and most cats will enjoy the attention.

For more information see cats.org.uk.