Feature Pages

Spring Season Safety Tips.

While spring offers both you and your cat some welcome warmer weather and beautiful new scenery it can bring some health and safety concerns. We have some suggestions here to keep your furry friend safe and well this time of year.

Boosters:

Your cat is very likely to come into contact with other felines at this time of year, exploring the local neighbourhood. This increases the chance of cats catching a contagious disease such as cat flu, feline leukaemia, or feline herpes. Even if your cat mostly sticks to being indoors at home, they can still be at risk of viruses that are transmitted via your hands or clothes from other cats you could have come into contact with day-to-day. For a healthy and happy spring, make sure to check whether your cat’s vaccination boosters are completely up to date. This will avoid any unnecessary and preventable infections.

DIY Safety:
Spring is the time of new beginnings and people will be spending more time outdoors, spring cleaning their environment to ensure all looks good for summer! Try to be aware that cleaning agents, glues, paints, wood treatments, insect repellents, and other types of poison can be extremely toxic for your cat. Keep all bottles and tins of product out of reach and locked away for safety - as you would with young children! Be sure to keep your feline away from treated areas, to prevent gastrointestinal, pancreatic or skin-related problems. 

Parasites & Insects:

Spring brings various insects who thrive on the blood of animals like ticks and fleas. Spoton treatments are a great way to prevent any issues and can protect your cat all year round. Speak to your vet to find the very best products to use for your feline. One other type of insect to consider in the springtime for cats are bees and wasps as they tend to sting when confronted with a playful feline! Most of the time this is not a major emergency and the location will heal with time and care, but in the rare cases where cats can be allergic to stings (like humans), this can cause swelling, distress and breathing difficulties. Remove a bee sting if it is still in place and go to an emergency vet when any distress occurs.

Microchipping:

Exploring outside can have many benefits for your cat’s mental and physical state, but your cat could always encounter other animals or traffic, or get lost wandering a bit further away than usual. Ensuring your cat is microchipped is integral to his/her safety. That way, if anything were to happen and your cat is found lost or injured, you can be notified straight away. Remember to keep your contact details up-to-date on the microchip database, and give us a call if you have any questions regarding microchipping and the process behind it.

Allergy Matters:

It’s worth paying attention to poisonous plants which are accessible to your cat. Be aware of these plants which are toxic to pets and can cause very adverse reactions in older cats especially: • Azaleas • Lilies • Rhododendrons • Daffodils Also bear in mind that fertilisers, insecticides, herbicides and slug/snail pellets could contain ingredients that are dangerous if your cat ingests them. Store these products out of reach of your cat and always try to opt for pet-friendly versions wherever possible.



Moggy Modules! 


Our moggy modules have been created by our educational experts for kids between the ages of 5-11.
Designed to help young learners discover more about our feline friends, the packs include focused worksheets, quizzes and activities.

  • Each module is linked to one of the five cat's needs - a place to live, behaviour, the right diet, good healthcare and space. 
  • In each pack, you'll find a worksheet aimed at 5-7 year olds and a worksheet for 7-11 year olds, complete with an answer sheet for you. On completion of all five of the moggy modules, there is a certificate ready to print off.
To download each module and get involved, please click on the link below. 

https://education.cats.org.uk/moggy-modules/


Microchipping offers cats a safe and permanent method of identification and increases the chances of a lost feline being safely reunited with his owner.
  • Microchipping is the most effective way of identifying a lost pet (chips don't come off or put the cat at risk of injury like collars can)
  • Each microchip has a unique number which is stored on a national database. A scan of the chip reveals the owner's name and address from the database's records
  • A microchip is slightly smaller than a grain of rice and is inserted under the cat's skin between the shoulder blades
  • The procedure is very simple and is no more painful than an injection. A cat will not be aware of the microchip's presence once inserted
Remember you should change your microchip details if you move house. You can do this by contacting your microchip database – find the phone number on your microchip paperwork.
 
Cats Protection is a member of a Microchip Advisory Group (MAG), aiming to improve the standards of microchipping across the UK

Cats Protection is also a member of the Microchipping Alliance which campaigned to make permanent identification (microchipping) compulsory for dogs. Thanks to this work, all dogs in England will have to be microchipped by April 2016. We also raise public awareness of the benefits of microchipping to cats and other companion animals.