Novel way around having a cat while being allergic to them

Belle likes the outdoors and lives in an outbuilding in the grounds of the cat owner.

This is an audio recording in which I discuss a solution to an allergy to cats. In this example the mother is allergic to cats while her son is not. He wanted a cat. She could not comply with the request. Cats Protection advised a novel way of dealing with this. Please listen to the file. Thanks. It's a bit raw but I hope the message is conveyed. Reload the page if the player does not start. Thanks.

Audio record of a British couple's thoughts on domestic cat ownership

This is a very informal interview by me of a British couple on the subject of cat ownership. They own a tortoiseshell cat. The objective is to see if visitors can obtain some insights into cat ownership and to give a feel for how the Brits look after their cats. It is a bit different to Americans. The citizens of each country have their own ways on cat ownership.

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The couple are Barry and Kammy (who is a Thai). Their cat is Piedie and she is about 7 years old. They live in the suburbs of Kingston Upon Thames in Surrey, England. Their house is situated in a cul de sac (a dead end road) and they have a large garden by British standards. I won't write anymore as it is all on the audio file except to say that part of the discussion is on indoor/outdoor cats.

Ninety-nine percent of Brits allow their cat to roam freely outside. It's the culture. Nearly all UK citizens don't think about keeping cats inside but I do and so does my neighbour. Also declawing cats is unheard of in the UK. Most cat owners have never heard of it.

Cat Shaking Back Legs When Walking

"Cat shaking back legs when walking" is a cat behaviour trait which I have seen in one of my cats (now deceased). However, before I say why my cat did it you'll have to think of health issues because 'cat shaking back legs' can mean a lot of things. The description does not say for how long the cat shakes her back legs or how vigorously.

I don't want to be facetious but I think this topic concerns a behavioural trait signifying mild irritation and not a health issue

It could be a nervous system health problem for instance. I am not qualified to provide advice of feline health matters so it's up to your veterinarian to clear up any possible health issues but I mention a couple of possibilities below.

Having got that out of the way my experience tells me that when a cat shakes her back legs, or more accurately shakes one of her back legs while walking, she'll do it very briefly and it is a deliberate act. Moreover, the action of shaking a back leg is one of short sharp flicking movements as if she is throwing something off her paw such as water. This is the kind of action that I am referring to.




It's similar to back twitching which signified irritation. Hind leg shaking indicates irritation too in my opinion. It means something wider than that actually. It's a body language which means, 'I have had enough of that' and she walks away from what is irritating her.

I wonder whether back twitching and leg shaking have similar mental origins. I don't know but it is entirely possible. My former female cat did it when she had had enough of the food that I had given her. She'd walk away and shake one of her back legs. So, I am describing a feline behaviour trait.

On a medical note, insecticides in flea treatments can cause paw flicking apparently. I have not seen it in my cats. Maybe a cat reacts badly to one of the spot-on flea treatments and as it affects her nervous system, she involuntary shakes one of her hind legs. Flea treatments are essentially poisonous to cats as they contain insecticides.

Leg tremors can be caused by an injury. However, I don't want to go down the medical route and, in any case, I think that cat owners are referring to a non-medical cause which for me points to mild irritation being the cause.

Young cat has Van type markings and 'dirty' coat

This sweet looking cat caught my eye because his white fur looks dirty but it is not white fur it seems to me or is it?

The fur is grey but not in a conventional way. It looks like a dirty white and perhaps it is. However, it would be usual if he let his coat become so dirty.  It does happen sometimes to street cats. It is almost as if they give up. It must be hard because cats are fastidiously clean. He is probably a street cat living in Turkey perhaps. He'll be a community cat. They are very common in Turkey.

The  black marking are what I call "van-type" meaning after the Turkish Van. This is an upside down V shape marking on the forehead. And the tail is black too.

Photo: Pinterest.

His eyes are a stunning glistening gold. What a beauty.

Picture of Bengal Cat Opening Door Using Handle

We have all seen it but never any better than this. This Bengal cat has been caught red handed so to speak.

Photo: Pinterest.

We also know that cats learn by observation. It makes sense that they watch humans open the door and the enterprising individuals with sufficient nous decide to give it a try and voila, you have a Bengal cat looking a bit sheepish caught in the act of doing what his owner does.

Bengals are wild cat hybrids as you know. This boy is possibly an high filial cat judging by his size and if so he has more wild genes in him which in turn should make him more intelligent. I don't think high filial Bengals should be full-time indoor cats. They need more than the normal stimulation but also security. You can't let then roam around the neighbourhood. He'd get stolen.

The obvious way to be a responsible owner of a Bengal cat is to build a nice garden enclosure. So when opens the door and 'escapes' he escapes into a cat containment area.