Poggies help for Moggies. Cat behaviour advice and cat sitting by Leanne

17/04/2025

🐈 Tortoiseshell cats are known for their unique coats consisting of two co-dominant colour genes (black and orange) working together to make the unique patterns. 🧬

When there is an addition of unpigmented white patches of fur in the mix of orange and black, through a genetic condition known as piebaldism, this coat is referred to as Calico. But piebaldism can occur in any coat colour and for other animals too!

Let’s take the chance today to appreciate the complex genetics that lead to the distinct multicoloured coats of these beautiful cats! 😻 Share a photo of your cat in the comments! 👇

14/04/2025

07/04/2025

Hope you and your cats are enjoying some springtime sun🌞
Many of our cats enjoy it when warmer weather arrives, lying around sunbathing for prolonged periods of time.
Like us cats can suffer from sun burn and may develop a form of skin cancer known as squamous cell carcinoma, which can be life threatening.
This can be a problem for all cats but those at higher risk include:
🐈‍⬛ White cats
🐈‍⬛Cats with no or thin hair
🐈‍⬛Cats with bald patches (either clipped or from over grooming).
So it would be a good idea to protect them from the sun, either by restricting access when UV rays are at their strongest, or by applying sunscreen.
Sunscreen should be applied to those vulnerable areas with little or no hair, including:
😸Tip of the ears
😸Nose
😸Belly and groin region (if your cat will allow you)
💡Treats can be used as a distraction.
💡If your cat has sensitive skin you may want to test a small area with the cream first.
💡Make sure to use cat safe/specific sunscreen, don't be tempted to use human brands.

04/04/2025

If you work with unowned cats, check out our fantastic, free Cat Friendly Homing Foundations course!

🐱 Online, on-demand and completely free of charge.

🐱 Created by our experts especially for those working and volunteering with cats around the world.

🐱 The principles of Cat Friendly Homing are explained, helping frame the world from the cat’s perspective.

🐱 Practical insights to support decision-making and outcomes that are based on needs of each cat.

🐱 Learning is self-paced with 8-10 hours of short, bite-sized and interactive lessons.

🐱 Supported by the Battersea Global Enabler Fund.

Find out more and get started 👉 https://icatcare.org/courses/cat-friendly-homing-foundations

27/03/2025

Its hard to believe I said goodbye to this handsome man 10 years ago today. That's longer then I had him for 😿
He was so very special and loving that I often try and do something over the years to remember him, whether it be an advice post in his name, creating a canvas print or a simple change of profile pictures.
In the veterinary world I know some clients who have left flowers or cards over the years outside the practice, if that is where their pet passed away.
It got me wondering what other people do in memory of their lost pets? If you would like to share any please do so in the comments section 😊

18/03/2025

For , we’re supporting WildHeart Trust to raise awareness of the issues surrounding the breeding of wild cats, like Servals, with domestic cats to create hybrid breeds, like Savannah cats. International Cat Care does not support the creation of hybrid breeds.

➡️ Servals are 3 times the size of a domestic cat and mating can lead to injury or even death of the domestic cat in the process. Also, breeding animals are often kept in small inadequate accommodation.

➡️ Savannah cats can be more territorial and more prone to attacking people or other pets in the home or neighbourhood. They have very specific needs that differ to normal domestic breeds.

How can you help? 👇

🐾 Don’t buy a hybrid cat as a pet

🐾 Don’t like or share any social media posts showing hybrid cats

🐾 Don’t buy cats or kittens via social media to help prevent harmful and unregulated breeding practices of all cats

🐾 If you are thinking of getting a cat, consider visiting a reputable homing centre or a reputable breeder for pedigrees – for example, those in the UK can check gccfcats.org

Learn more about Savannah cats and hybrid breeds 👉 https://icatcare.org/articles/savannah

Wildheart Animal Sanctuary

18/03/2025

Spring is in the air😊 flowers are blooming, and with mothers day and easter around the corner more people are receiving bunches of flowers as gifts. But did you know that some plants are toxic to our cats🤷‍♀️ The toxicity ranges in severity from mild to severe, with different symptoms and body systems affected.
But surely cats know not to eat toxic plants? I often hear this from owners, yes it is rare that cats will chew or eat toxic plants but it is not completely unheard of. More often the ingestion happens by accident. One way it happens is the cat will get pollen on them by brushing against it or stepping on the dropped pollen, they then groom this off themselves.
One flower that this commonly happens with is lilies, all parts of the lily plant are toxic and can cause severe health issues to your cat. If you suspect your cat has ingested any part of this plant (including drinking the water around it) CONTACT YOUR VET IMMEDIATELY.
How do we keep our cats safe:
🐈‍⬛ Before sending flowers check if they own a cat. Some florists have cat safe bouquets 💐 available
🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛ Check your garden for lilies and remove any.
🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛Research safe and unsafe plants.
🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛Read about how to create a cat friendly garden.

For further information on cats and plants click on the link below
👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇
https://www.cats.org.uk/help-and-advice/home-and-environment/dangerous-plants

25/02/2025

🙀 Your kitten could have a first litter from just four months old! Although still young and finding out about the world themselves, kittens reach feline puberty from around 16 weeks, meaning females are at risk of becoming pregnant from unneutered adolescent or adult males, including ones they are related to.

80% of first litters are unplanned and kittens often end up in charity care or living a vulnerable life on the streets. This , we’re encouraging owners and caregivers to plan ahead - talk with your vet about neutering your kitten before they reach four months.

We are part of Cat-Kind, a coalition of pet welfare charities promoting the importance of early neutering through resources and information for owners, caregivers and veterinary professionals. Not sure what to do next? Our quick read about neutering your cat explains more. 👉 https://icatcare.org/articles/why-do-i-need-to-neuter-my-cat

🐱 If your kitten or cat is not yet neutered, get in touch with your vet, or search the Kitten Neutering Database to find a vet local to you. 👉 https://cat-kind.org.uk/

14/02/2025

Valentines day treat

10/02/2025

Reminder!
If you have moved recently or changed phone numbers, remember to update your
Over the last few months we have had several cats brought into us as possible lost or strays. Despite them being microchipped, far too many do not have up to date details. This has made finding their owners incredibly challenging.
If you are about to register your details be sure to include as many contact options as possible
🐈‍⬛Address
🐈‍⬛Home, work and mobile numbers
🐈‍⬛Personal and work email addresses
🐈‍⬛Family member contact details

31/01/2025

APBC Full CAB Member and Cats Protection Behaviour Officer, Daniel Warren-Cummings discussed with ITV Newsthe 'CAT WALK' trend and how stressful this can be for our pets. https://bit.ly/4hxhFu7

12/01/2025

Antifreeze warning!⚠️

With the weather turning much colder many people are turning to antifreeze to defrost their vehicle - but please remember that it is highly toxic to cats.

Antifreeze spilled from car radiators, screen wash or de-icers can be walked through by cats, who then lick or groom themselves and then become very poorly, very quickly.

Ethylene glycol is a colourless, odourless and sweet-tasting main component of antifreeze which can be fatal even if only a small bit is ingested. Once consumed, ethylene glycol gets rapidly absorbed into the body and starts to cause severe damage to the kidneys, nervous system and other vital organs.

It’s crucial that your cat receives urgent medical attention if there is a chance they have consumed antifreeze and are showing signs of poisoning.

Symptoms can be seen within 30 minutes to 12 hours after ingestion. These include appearing wobbly or uncoordinated, drooling, vomiting, becoming depressed and not wanting to eat.

Because antifreeze poisoning affects cats quickly, it’s important to take them to the vet immediately after a suspected ingestion. If left cats often go into kidney failure and can die. If you can see some antifreeze on their paws or fur, wash it off straight away to minimise re-exposure before travelling to the vet.

If we all use antifreeze safely we can reduce the risk to all our pets.
Tips for keeping pets safe around antifreeze:
❄️watch for leaks in your car and keep pets away from the area where antifreeze is stored
❄️be careful not to spill antifreeze when using it and make sure you clean up carefully if you do. A cat may walk through it and then lick it off their paws. If you see your cat stepping on it, gently clean their paws and contact your vet
❄️if you drain your antifreeze, do not leave it in an open container because animals will be attracted to it
❄️dispose of the waste properly and keep empty and full antifreeze containers away from animals. For safe disposal, contact your local council for advice

Here are a few ‘Pet-safe’ ways to defrost your car
⚠️use a windscreen cover the night before
⚠️manually scrape off ice with an ice scraper or a soft bristle brush
⚠️ look for biodegradable antifreeze that is made from natural and organic compounds
⚠️ switch to a propylene glycol-based antifreeze, although this type of antifreeze is not completely non-toxic, it is much safer to keep around pets and animals

31/12/2024

Your cat may be feeling a little bit anxious today. Whether it's due to fireworks 🎆 or because your home is a bit noisier and busier than usual.
Here are some tips which may help:
🐈 provide your cat with a safe space it can retreat to undisturbed.
🐈‍⬛️ Some may prefer to be up high. Perches, cat trees and shelves can achieve this.
🐈 Others may wish to hide. Make use of snuggle beds, Igloos, cardboard boxes 📦, open cat carriers (with or without the top on) and leaving doors ajar in wardrobes or under the bed
🐈‍⬛️ close the blinds or curtains
🐈 dim the lights
🐈‍⬛️ depending on the length of the stressful event you may need to provide your cats key resources in the safe space area
🐈 make use of pheromone or valerian based sprays and diffusers
🐈‍⬛️️ play classical or cat specific music to help drown out the noise, I have shared my playlist below 👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇
Check out this playlist on Amazon Music: Cat music
https://music.amazon.co.uk/user-playlists/939a918c872941b39bbd3c76495702c9engb?ref=dm_sh_H2pSfxmDi16kRKdME1hxtrRkC

Playlist

12/12/2024

20/11/2024

Ethylene glycol: Don't receive a frosty fright

The weather has turned, people may be defrosting their cars on frosty or snowy mornings. Many people reach for a product to speed up this defrosting process: antifreeze.

Antifreeze has its implications as a sweet tasting liquid our pets (particularly dogs and cats) often get into mischief with it.

Unfortunately ethylene glycol tends to have a low minimum toxic dose and is rapidly absorbed by the animals gastrointestinal tract. The toxic byproducts of this metabolism causes renal damage and metabolic acidosis.

Clinical signs are dose and time dependant.

If you have seen your pet ingest antifreeze OR you get home to find an empty destroyed container and are suspicious of a possible ingestion the best thing you can do is CONTACT YOUR VETERINARY TEAM IMMEDIATELY AND PREPARE TO GO DOWN ASAP.

You may have not seen the ingestion but the following symptoms suggest concerns (although can be suggestive of other issues too!). Again calling your wonderful veterinary practice immediately is the action to take.

❄️Lethargy
❄️Vomiting
❄️Polyuria (Urinating excessively)
❄️Polydipsia (Drinking excessively)
❄️Neurological signs
❄️Seizures
❄️Ataxia (Wobbly)
❄️Coma
❄️Dehydration
❄️ Abdominal pain

Untreated antifreeze toxicity can be fatal.

Your veterinary team may need to:

🌀Induce emesis (vomiting)
🌀Preform gastric lavage
🌀Start intravenous fluid therapy
🌀Start ethanol treatment
🌀Provide symptomatic treatment
🌀Take regular blood samples
🌀Take regular urine samples

How can I prevent it?

Firstly appropriate storage and disposal is essential. Ensuring you clear up any spillages on the ground so cats (and other animals) don't lap it up and ensuring any products you have are up high and out of reach for inquisitive paws is essential.