Voted the nation's favourite cat author

VICKY HALLS

The
COMPLETE
CAT

Everything you
need to know
about looking
after your cat

A small, fluffy grey and white kitten sitting upright and looking forward.

A small, fluffy grey and white kitten is sitting upright and looking directly at the camera. The kitten has a white chest and paws, with grey stripes on its head and back. It has large, green eyes and a small pink nose. The background is a plain, light grey.

A small, fluffy grey and white kitten sitting upright and looking forward.

CHAPTER 4

A simple line drawing of a cat sitting and looking to the right.

A simple line drawing of a cat sitting and looking to the right. The cat is depicted in a minimalist style with clean, black outlines on a white background.

A simple line drawing of a cat sitting and looking to the right.

I Love, Therefore I Feed

FEEDING YOUR CAT

WE ARE BOMBARDED ON A DAILY BASIS WITH INFORMATION relating to cat food – why one product is better than another or why feeding a particular ‘meaty chunk’ will prolong your cat’s life. It’s hardly surprising that so much advertising takes place, as the cat-food market represented a staggering £708 million worth of sales in 2006. I am amazed at how much, often conflicting, advice is out there on the benefits or otherwise of feeding your cat a particular diet. There are websites recommending everything from a raw meat diet to a commercially manufactured vegetarian diet. Before you get lost in the maze of information and misinformation I will attempt to present your feeding options to you in a way that will not leave you dazed and confused. The important thing to remember is that

A tabby cat peeking out from a paper bag.

A close-up photograph of a tabby cat with green eyes peeking out from a brown paper bag. The cat's head and front paws are visible as it looks through the opening of the bag. The background is a soft, out-of-focus light color.

If you want to give your cat hours of fun, leave a paper bag or cardboard box out for him to explore.

A close-up photograph of a ginger and white cat's face, focusing on its green eyes. The cat is looking directly at the camera with a calm expression. The fur is soft and slightly out of focus in the background.

Slow blink at
a cat to make
friends; if he slow
blinks back it's a
very good sign.

develop antibodies to the organism and there is no risk that the infection can be passed to the foetus during pregnancy. However, it is estimated that 1 in 500 women in the UK contract toxoplasmosis in pregnancy, with only 30 to 40 per cent of those passing the infection to the unborn baby. The risk varies depending on what stage of pregnancy the woman had reached when the infection was acquired.

Sources of infection

In most cases, people become infected via one of two routes:

• ingestion of oocysts (part of the life cycle of the parasite) from the environment, either directly through contact with contaminated soil or indirectly by eating contaminated vegetables or fruit
• ingestion of fresh meat containing tissue cysts

Cats have had a pretty bad press regarding this issue but recent research indicates that contact with cats does not increase the risk of T gondii infection in people. According to the studies it is rare to identify cats shedding oocysts in their faeces.

Precautions It certainly isn't worth taking any risks, however, so a few precautions should be taken:

• Avoid cleaning out litter trays during pregnancy.
• Avoid gardening or handling of soil.
• Only eat meat that has been cooked thoroughly.
• Wash hands, cooking utensils and work surfaces after preparing raw meat.
• Wash all fruit and vegetables thoroughly before eating.

CHAPTER 8

A simple line drawing of a cat curled up asleep on a small, rectangular cushion or mat.

A simple line drawing of a cat curled up asleep on a small, rectangular cushion or mat.

Feline Felons

A BRIEF A–Z OF COMMON BEHAVIOURAL
PROBLEMS

I’M NOT GOING TO REPEAT EVERYTHING I HAVE ALREADY discussed thoroughly in Cat Confidential , Cat Detective and Cat Counsellor . If you have a problem with your cat’s behaviour, there is no substitute for picking up all three books and reading them from beginning to end!

This is just a brief summary of the most common behavioural problems, with a few hints and tips indicating those things you really should do or consider and those you should definitely not attempt. All of these dos and don’ts are tried and tested and could save you valuable time by indicating the most effective course of action early on. The longer you leave a problem (we all hope they are going to go away), the

If that confuses the less mathematically minded among us, here is a chart.

CAT AGE	EQUIVALENT IN HUMAN YEARS	CAT AGE	EQUIVALENT IN HUMAN YEARS
1	15	13	68
2	24	14	72
3	28	15	76
4	32	16	80
5	36	17	84
6	40	18	88
7	44	19	92
8	48	20	96
9	52	21	100
10	56	22	104
11	60	23	108
12	64	24	112

It's struck me as rather sweet that our cats, on reaching the age of twenty-one, would qualify for a telegram from the Queen (if there still were such things). And, for all those people who think I have been hugely optimistic in providing a chart that goes up to the age of twenty-four, I should say that I remember with some affection Stevie, the oldest participant in my Elderly Cat Survey, at the grand age of 26! It all goes to show what a huge impact diet, veterinary care and housing have on longevity in the pampered domestic pet when you consider that the feral tomcat has an average life-span of five years.

happening to our cats (and to us!) as the years pass. Your cat's fur starts to lose its shine, the skin becomes less elastic and a few white hairs appear. Hearing, sense of smell and sight deteriorate and eventually your cat's memory may be affected. Sleep increases and activity decreases as the muscles and bones weaken and the immune system becomes less effective.

As the body grows older your cat's behaviour will also change as he adjusts to the deterioration in his ability to hunt, fight, climb, jump and generally defend his territory. In the Elderly Cat Survey, in which owners of 1,236 cats over twelve years of age took part, general trends in the behaviour of older cats were noted.

• They go outdoors less (reported by 55% of surveyed owners).
• They hunt less (47% had stopped completely).
• They sleep more (40% slept eighteen hours plus and 57% slept for up to eighteen hours a day).
• They vocalize more (66% of owners reported increased sounds to get food, attention, etc.).
• They become more sociable and affectionate (81% of owners reported this).
• Grooming becomes less frequent and less effective (24% groomed only occasionally or not at all).
• They play less (63% of owners reported that their cats played only occasionally or not at all).
• Their toilet habits change (29% of the cats had toilet 'accidents' in the house).

If you understand the likely physiological and emotional changes that take place in your cat you should be well equipped to deal with them. It's important to remember that old age is not

• dizziness
• insomnia or disturbed sleep

Emotional signs

• sadness, depression
• anger, irritability
• anxiety
• relief
• loneliness
• helplessness

Intellectual signs

• confusion
• inability to concentrate
• visual and auditory hallucinations (e.g., cat crying)
• need to talk about and rationalize the loss
• preoccupation with death and the afterlife

Social signs

• withdrawal from contact with others
• rejection of help from others

There is no structure or set pattern to the journey through grief; from a personal perspective I can honestly say I have experienced all these signs to one degree or another when I have lost a cat. Some people move backwards and forwards through various stages, or get stuck in the angry stage, for example, for an impossible length of time.

Whatever happens, the advice is to accept that grief is inevitable and to succumb to it. Problems can occur when you don't allow these feelings to express themselves fully. Eventually the sadness and the tears do go away as they are replaced with

INDEX

Feline Immunodeficiency Virus see FIV
feline infectious enteritis 107–8, 109
feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) 410
Feline Leukaemia Virus see FeLV
feline odontoclastic resorptive lesion (FORL) 411
feline panleukopenia virus (FPV) 107–8
feline parvovirus 107–8
Felis Britannica 42
Feliway 100, 248, 250, 280, 301, 303, 327
FeLV (Feline Leukaemia Virus) 14, 31, 108, 109, 409–10
female cats 9–10
coming into season 10
gestation period 10–11
spaying 9, 114
fencing
electric 223–4
metal 221
feng shui water features 201
feral cats
acquiring 30–3
social structure and behaviour 254–5
fibre 129, 348
fibrosarcomas 110
fighting cats, dealing with 313–14
FIP (feline infectious peritonitis) 410
fish meal 136
fishing-rod toys 206
FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus) 14, 31, 410
flea collars 112, 122
flea combs 168
fleas 111–13, 280, 317–18
allergic flea dermatitis 400–1
control of 112–13, 317
and over-grooming 317
signs 111–12
flehmen reaction 389
flower remedies 187–8
food
covering up by cat 385
see also feeding your cat
food bowls 115
food hypersensitivity 411
food ingredients, commonly used terms for 134–7
food labels 132–7
foraging of food 143–4, 343–4
foreign bodies 411–12
Foreign White 69–70
fractured mandibular symphysis 412
freeze-drying 370–1
fresh air and indoor cats 208–9
fur, cat's 166 see also grooming
games see toys
gardens 388–9
cat deterrents 231, 345
cat-friendly 228–31, 388–9
gardens, securing of 219–26, 323–4
benefits of 219–20
electric system 223–4
free-standing post and mesh 222–3
inverted bracket and wire system 220–1
metal fencing 221
wooden pole/PVC drainpipe system 221–2
General Code of Ethics for Breeders and Owners 42
giardiasis 412
ginger 194–5
gingivostomatitis 412
ginkgo 195
glossary of veterinary terms 396–400
glucosamine 195
Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF) 42, 89
grass, eating of 156, 201–2, 230
grooming 8, 166–70
benefits of 167
and dematting 170
function of cat's 167
of longhaired cats 169–70
and older cats 351, 361
over- 316–18
of shorthaired cats 168–9
grooming products 170
hairballs 8, 156, 166–7
hairless cats 45, 82
Havana 69–70
health checks undertaken by rescue centre 14–15
hepatic lipidosis 413
herbal remedies 182, 188–9
herbs, safe 219
herpes 108, 109, 404–5

Praise for Vicky Halls:

‘The more I learn from Vicky Halls the more convinced I am she must have been a cat.’

Mark Evans, MRCVS – Chief Veterinary Advisor, RSPCA

‘The Mary Poppins of the feline world.’

Mail on Sunday

‘Packed with tips and anecdotes, this is a must-have book for anyone who is moggy mad.’

Sun

‘A superior work.’

Sunday Express

ISBN 978-0-593-06112-1

9 780593 061121

www.rbooks.co.uk

FSC®

ISBN 978-0-593-06112-1 barcode and FSC logo

A close-up photograph of the tops of a cat's ears, showing the fine hairs and the pinkish inner skin. The ears are positioned at the bottom of the page, framing the ISBN and FSC information.

Close-up of a cat's ears

catFile

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