Your Cat Hisses at the Other One After the Vet. To Her, It Is a Stranger
Cats recognise each other largely by scent, so a cat back from the clinic can smell like an intruder. Why it happens, how long it lasts, and how to fix it.
Covered or Open Litter Box? The Research Says You Are Asking the Wrong Question
In a 27-cat study, 70% showed no preference between covered and uncovered. A second trial shows why: the variable that mattered was floor area, not the lid.
Your Old Cat Yowls at Night. Old Age Is the Least Useful Explanation
Night yowling in an older cat is a recognised clinical sign, not a quirk. Half of cats over 15 have cognitive dysfunction, but four treatable causes come first.
Your Cat Has Started Sleeping in the Bath. Here’s What That Usually Means
Cats are built to seek heat, so cold enamel is a deliberate choice. What her posture tells you, why a stressed cat looks identical to an ill one, and when it needs a vet.
Your Cat Has a Scratching Post and Still Shreds the Sofa. Here’s Why
Your cat ignores the £40 scratching post and works the sofa arm every morning. The fix isn’t discipline — it’s matching the four things the sofa already gets right: height, rigidity, texture and location.
Your Cat Has Stopped Jumping on the Counter. That’s Not Fussiness
Cats don’t limp, they edit. Reduced jumping is on a validated checklist for feline joint pain — and simply knowing what to look for doubles how often owners catch it.
Your Cat Is Breathing Fast While Asleep. Here’s the Number That Matters
A sleeping cat should breathe 15–30 times a minute. How to count it properly (not while she’s purring), why a rising rate is the earliest warning of feline heart disease, and the signs that mean go now.
How Often Are Hairballs Normal in Cats? The Number Most Owners Get Wrong
Cornell puts one hairball every week or two in the not-unusual bracket. Beyond that, a hairball is just chronic vomiting with hair in it — and the cause is usually over-grooming or the gut, not the coat.
Your Cat Is Sitting by the Water Bowl but Not Drinking. Here’s What That Usually Means
A cat who goes to the water bowl and then doesn’t drink isn’t usually being fussy. Nausea, kidney disease and mouth pain all leave thirst intact — plus the emergency you can’t wait on.
