From an unfriendly cat to a guinea pig with an upset tummy – your pet queries answered

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

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

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Q) MR TAILS, my cat, can’t stand my boyfriend and often scratches him – even when he’s trying to be nice.

How can I get Mr Tails to accept another man in the house?

Toni Charles, Norwich

Sean says: The best advice for your boyfriend is to ignore Mr Tails and not overcrowd him.

Cats really can’t abide needy people who try to force a friendship.

Let it happen on Mr Tails’ own terms, if at all.

If your boyfriend isn’t really a cat person naturally, his body language, or how he reads your cat’s may be slightly “off”, resulting in a stand-off and occasional scratch or bite.

If he adopts the cold shoulder approach, Mr Tails may suddenly take an interest and try to make friends in time.

You can’t force them to be friends, you’ve just got to respect his space.

Q) MY guinea pig Burt quite often gets an upset tummy.

His friend Pete is always fine, and we are careful with his dry food.

I regularly give Burt grass, and dandelion leaves. Can I add anything to his diet to help with this issue?

Sophie Day, Leicester

Sean says: Good-quality grass and hay should form the bulk of his diet and it keeps guinea pigs’ digestive systems in good working order.

I presume you are feeding a dry food specifically for guinea pigs?

I hope so, because they have different requirements to rabbits, particularly when it comes to vitamin C provision.

Also, did you get Pete and Burt together?

Or if Burt came later from a different supplier/breeder, he may be dealing with a parasite issue or even infection that Pete has avoided until now.

Recent antibiotics could also cause a gut imbalance, a lack of fibre, or even dental disease. I would recommend a vet check.

Q) PUDDLES, my cat, keeps sitting on my computer keyboard. I shoo her away and then I come back and she’s on it again.

I have an open-plan living space so shutting the door isn’t an option.

How can I stop her sabotaging my home/work life?

Sarah Cooke, Manchester

Sean says: The keyboard has double appeal.

It’s usually nice and warm, so a great place to plonk your butt if you’re a cosy-loving cat.

Secondly, it’s a place you can go to where your owner literally can’t ignore you.

You can also try creating an even better option for her nearby where she can still come for some attention, but is even more comfortable.

An over-radiator cat hammock is a firm favourite.

Reward-based training to leave the keyboard on command and sit on her hammock or dedicated cushion nearby is possible too.

Q) MY nine-year-old Siberian husky Barnaby has glaucoma.

I’m giving him eye drops, but is there anything else I can do to help save his sight?

Dave Brown, Exeter

Sean says: Glaucoma is a painful and usually progressive condition, but the fact you have got

Barnaby on early treatment and are giving him medicated drops is a really great first step toward slowing down his loss of vision.

While he may lose his sight in one or both eyes, dogs cope with this much better than we would, as their hearing and sense of smell are so much more acute than ours and help them to navigate the world.

Keep a good relationship with your vet, preferably a veterinary ophthalmologist, and they will guide you in your decision-making over the coming years.

Star of the week

GUIDE dog Leo helps 95-year-old Jacqueline Brooks stay active and live independently.

Jacqueline, from Cambridgeshire, has age-related macular degeneration and is one of the UK’s oldest guide dog owners.

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But she says having trusty Leo by her side “gives me something to live for”.

Jacqueline adds of her canine companion: “Leo has kept me young.

“If people can get their heads in the right place after losing their sight, a guide dog truly can be a lifesaver.”

Microchips trace missing moggies

MOGGIES missing for several months have been reunited with their owners, thanks to microchips.

It will be a legal requirement from June 1 next year, but the RSPCA reckon that doing it now could avoid the heartache of losing a much-loved pet for ever.

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Six-year-old Oreo went walkabout for nine months after his owner Emma Sykes moved just half a mile away in Brandon near Durham.

When he was found, one of his legs had to be amputated as he’d been injured.

Emma, mum to James, 12, and Hollie, ten, said: “It was so upsetting when he went missing.

“The winter months were especially hard, but he’s back in our lives now thanks to his microchip.”

Eight-year-old Daisy vannished for three weeks from her home in Northallerton, North Yorks.

The RSCPA found she had fractured her hip after being struck by a car.

Owner Kate Preston said: “If it hadn’t been for Daisy’s microchip we’d probably never have got her back.

She’s putting on a bit of weight and has got her purr back.”

RSPCA animal collection officer Shane Lynch said: “It’s wonderful for us to reunite cats – but it’s all thanks to the fact their owners had got them microchipped.”