Cat Advice Library 

See the following Youtube playlist on cat carrier training: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLp5A851vjwHBPxfmLMZEhKNb2eugQnL-u

Unless you are a cat breeder, yes! It is recommended that all kittens are neutered at 4 months of age. Male cat neutering is called castration (removal of the testicles) and female cat neutering is called a spay (removal of the ovaries).

If your cat is already older than this, they can be safely neutered too, but your queen is currently at risk of unwanted pregnancy and your tom is at risk of abscesses from fighting, catching FIV, developing a strong odour and urine spraying. There is no benefit to letting your female cat have a litter of kittens before spaying her.

If your queen has had kittens recently, we will wait until her milk has dried up and her hormones have settled down before spaying her. We will also try to avoid spaying her while she is in heat, as this could make the surgery a little more difficult.

For more information on the benefits of neutering and what the procedure entails, see the iCatCare website.

The Cat Population Control Group also gives plenty of evidence to back up the safety and importance of neutering 4 month old kittens.

At Manchester Cat Clinic, we take a proactive approach to screening for health conditions in older cats. Whether you choose to treat them or not, we want you to have all the information you need to make the best decisions for your Senior Kitizen. More information about some of the common old-age conditions in older cats can be found here.

Our #1 priority is your cat's quality of life. Of course we want them to live for a long time, but the most important thing is that they are as happy and comfortable as possible. The ultimate goal for cat-only clinics like us is to give your cat as little stress as possible when they visit the vet. If they can cope with regular vet care, we'll detect health problems sooner and help them to live their best life.

We have specifically designed our Healthy Cat Plan to follow International Cat Care's CatCareforLife guidelines so that as your cat grows older, you know that you aren't missing any important screening. Not a member of the plan? You can still get some important screening done while your cat is in for their Annual Health Visit (booster).

We recently asked our Facebook and Instagram followers for recommendations for local groomers. They overwhelmingly recommended:

• Groomed to Purrfection

• EssentiallyPurrfect

For details instructions and videos on inhaler training, visit the following website: icatcare.org/inhaler-training/

The below information is borrowed from our friends at Specific - more information here.

Kittens are highly active and grow fast, creating a high demand for proteins and calories.   However they also have small stomachs so foods for kittens need to be concentrated, with small amounts delivering a lot of nutrition. This is why special kitten foods should be given.

When should I feed kitten food?

Kitten foods should be fed from weaning up to neutering or, if not neutered, then up 8 to 12 months, with bigger cats reaching maturity later.

Why does neutering make a difference?

Neutering significantly reduces the energy needs for cats so, once neutered, a kitten food will be giving them more calories than they need, risking weight gain. 

Tips for feeding kittens

• Kittens have small stomachs so can’t really eat much at any one sitting.  At first feed 4 or even 5  meals a day – by 6 months it’s OK to go to 2 meals a day

• You should leave wet food in the bowl for no more than 20-30 minutes then throw away any uneaten food.  Opened trays can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days.  However if you have kept food in the fridge its best to serve it at room temperature, kittens much prefer the taste that way.

• Shallow bowls are best, so their whiskers don’t brush against the bowl – those whiskers are highly sensitive touch receptors.

• Always give you cat access to fresh, clean water from a clean bowl and try and keep it away from the food bowl so bits of food don’t fall into the water.

The below information is borrowed from our friends at Specific - more information here.

Cats over the age of 8 should ideally be fed on a senior cat food. As cats age they have a reduced ability to smell and taste food, they are less able to digest fats and proteins; heart kidney and liver work less efficiently and joints stiffen.

Diets for senior cats are designed to provide nutrients that allow for these changes and will...

• Help maintain an ideal bodyweight

• Use highly digestible and highly palatable ingredients

• Provide support for ageing joints

• Reduce workload on the kidneys and support healthy heart function