Also known as orange, red and marmalade, the ginger coat colour is sex-linked, which means it occurs on the X chromosome and is symbolised by the letter O (for orange). O is dominant over non-orange (o), and O determines whether a cat will produce eumelanin or not (dominant epistasis). In cats with orange fur, pheomelanin […]

There is always a large spike in our article on heatstroke in the summer months, which demonstrates that many cats are affected by the summer heat. Below are some tips to keep your cat cool during the warmer months. Very young kittens, old cats, sick cats and the obese are at greater risk as they […]

Kittens are altricial, which means they are extremely immature and helpless for the first few weeks of life, unlike a horse who is precocial, which means they are born in an advanced state and can walk soon after birth. Altrical species are completely reliant on their mother and unable to protect themselves from danger. This […]

Inappropriate urination is one of the most common issues that cat owners face and causes a huge amount of frustration and is one of the most common reasons why cat owners surrender a cat to a shelter. Most cats are fastidiously clean animals and prefer to go to the toilet in a clean place where […]

When do kittens open their eyes? All kittens are born with their eyes closed, which enables the eyes to continue developing after birth and protect them from light. The kitten’s eyes will begin to open from 7 to 10 days post-birth. Cats are altricial, which essentially means that newborn kittens are born almost immobile, with […]

What is a cat council or registry? Also known as a cat association or cat registry, a cat council is a registry of purebred cats. It is the job of a cat council to maintain a register of pedigree cats, create, maintain and update breed standards for each registered cat breed, oversee the development of […]

What is a polydactyl cat? Also known as Hemingway cats, boxing cats, cardi or mitten cats, polydactyl cats have a congenital abnormality that results in additional toes. There is considerable variation from cat to cat in the number and formation of extra digits. The word polydactyl comes from the Greek word polys meaning more than […]

Microchipping is a permanent way to identify a cat so that if it becomes lost, injured or stolen, there is an easy way to reunite the cat with his or her family. The microchip itself is a similar size to a grain of rice and is implanted under the skin through a syringe between the […]

Beautiful cat breed Toyger lazily lying on a wooden shelf. Shallow depth of field. A striped coat is a type of tabby pattern which occurs in four types, agouti, classic, mackerel and spotted. This article will focus on the classic and mackerel coat patterns which are made up of sworls and stripes on a paler […]

Blot the area. If the urine is still wet, blot up as much as you can with paper towels or old hand towels. Stand on the paper towel to help absorb as much moisture as possible. Clean the area. There are many commercially available products on the market designed to remove and neutralise cat urine […]