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.
Today Sean helps a cat stay warm in the cold weather
Sean McCormack, head vet at tails.com, promises he can ‘help keep pets happy and healthy’
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 Pickles keeps climbing on top of the radiator to keep warm in the cold weather.
I put a towel or blanket on the radiator so she doesn’t get too hot — and she can get down, of course.
But a friend said it might burn her or harm her.
Is this right?
She looks so content and I feel bad telling her to get down.
Amelia Turner, High Wycombe, Bucks
SEAN SAYS: Pickles is very unlikely to burn herself but placing a towel on is still a good idea. A hanging cat bed that clips over the radiator is better.
Here’s a bit of fun science . . .
Cats are mammals, just like us, and have thermoreceptors in their skin that tell them when they are too hot and might be burned.
Reptiles have different thermoreceptors and, being cold-blooded, seek out heat.
I’ve treated burns on lizards and snakes where they coiled around an unguarded heat lamp and didn’t realise they were burning.
Q) WE have a male Border Collie, almost four, called Marley who we love to pieces.
But he is clingy and attention-seeking.
He moves my arm to snuggle between me and my partner on the sofa and taps my arm for a cuddle.
He is loved and well looked-after but it is at the point where we avoid having people over, as he jumps up and won’t leave them alone.
Are we spoiling him?
A few people have said to have him castrated. But he’s not snappy or sulky.
Laura Clare, Milton Keynes
SEAN SAYS: Too much love and attention — what a problem! Joking aside, this is a pretty standard Border Collie thing.
They are a clever breed and need lots of stimulation, so if he is not being exercised enough or working his mind, he might be bored.
I don’t think castration is a solution here, although there are health benefits to doing it at his age.
Rewarding the behaviour with attention is probably part of the problem.
Work out a plan with a qualified behaviourist, as Collie brains are tricky to unpick.
Tails.com provides tailor-made nutritional food for pets
Q) WE have a 15-month Border terrier called Bessy we got as a pup in January 2020.
All was well with classes until we had lockdown. (We are shielding for health reasons.)
She bites my husband’s feet and he can’t move without her grabbing his trousers.
She wants his attention all the time, scraping the arm of his chair then lunging with bared teeth.
Putting a lead on her calms her down. Is a muzzle the answer?
Barbara Fowler, Spalding, Lincs
SEAN SAYS: It’s so difficult to give behaviour advice without observation.
But starting with the basics, it is a problem for young and boisterous pups to be cooped up in lockdown.
Do you have any friends who might be able to give her a good amount of exercise on long walks daily?
I think she is climbing the walls.
Sean says: ‘Starting with the basics it is a problem for young and boisterous pups to be cooped up in lockdown’
Q) I AM an experienced cat owner and have just adopted nine-month-old Cassie.
She was an indoor cat but dearly wants to go out. How I can introduce her to the garden safely?
Lorraine Villiers, Wolverhampton
SEAN SAYS: Have you ever heard of a “catio”?
It’s an enclosure you can make in your garden with a cat flap so your cat can get outdoors and watch the world go by — while avoiding the risks of getting lost, being attacked or getting hit by a car.
Indoor cats don’t have to miss out, you just need to get creative with how to entertain them.
Star of the week
ADORABLE Eric is hoping to find a new home after overcoming his shyness by playing football.
The six-year-old American bulldog was heartbroken when his owner moved overseas for work in October and he was handed in to the RSPCA’s Danaher Animal Home in Essex.
Eric is hoping to find a new home after overcoming his shyness by playing football
Animal welfare manager Craig Horsler said: “Our staff have been working really hard to help him gain confidence.
“He’s still nervous but is ready for a new home.
“It would be lovely to see him have a second chance at happiness because he’s a truly wonderful dog.”
Find out more at bit.ly/3vb3sf6.
