ABSOLUTELY PURRFECT

CAT FLU Badly affected cats cough, sneeze and have weeping eyes. They look miserable and eat nothing for days. Cat flu is very infectious from cat to cat, but doesn't spread to people or dogs. It can be a very difficult disease to treat and some cats don't recover. Those that do are often left with a permanent cough or some other problem such as bronchitis or sinusitis. Fortunately there are several very good vaccines available, so make sure your cat is vaccinated every year.

FLEAS They breed very rapidly and in enormous numbers. They will drive you and your cat mad unless you do something about them quickly.

As many as one cat in three will become allergic to fleas, with every single bite producing large itchy sores. They will then spend their whole lives scratching and nibbling at their irritated skin and develop large, bald, scurfy areas of dermatitis.

Fleas live and breed in your carpets and armchairs, so the golden rule is to treat your house as well as all the cats and dogs in your home.

A huge range of sprays and tablets is available . . . your vet can advise you which is the best for you.

ROAD ACCIDENTS Most cats are streetwise by the time they are two, and it's unusual for older pets to be injured unless they have been chased or have lost their bearings after moving house. Neutering will reduce a cat's inclination to roam and, obviously, keeping him in at night will also reduce the risk of him becoming a road casualty.

Injured cats are often brought into my veterinary hospital by strangers, but if they have no collar we have no way of tracing the owner. So if you should ever lose your cat, don't forget to check at the local veterinary surgery.

BITES Cats fight to protect their territory and bite wounds invariably become infected, leading to abscesses. These can be large and painful, and they discharge a foul-smelling pus. Fortunately, these infections are very easily dealt with by antibiotics. As long as your cat gets treatment in time, he is likely to make a full recovery. By far the worst fighters are tom cats that have not been neutered. They terrorise their neighbourhood and cause a great deal of distress to the other cats in the area. In my opinion it is irresponsible not to have your tom cat neutered. He will not only be responsible for most of the fights in the neighbourhood but will also father most of the unwanted kittens.

FELINE LEUKAEMIA A horrible disease which makes cats weak, miserable and susceptible to other infections. There is absolutely no treatment and victims always die. It's also very infectious . . . a few years ago one in ten cats I saw at my surgery in Aylesbury had leukaemia. Just as it looked as though the infection was going to get out of hand, a new vaccine was introduced and it stopped the infection in its tracks. Whatever you do, make sure your cat is protected.

DENTAL PROBLEMS Three out of five cats have something wrong with their teeth. Cats as young as two have problems with tartar on their teeth so why don't you try brushing your cat's teeth daily?

You can use a moggy toothbrush very like your own, but modified to suit the shape of cats' mouths. There are also brushes which fit your finger like a soft thimble and have rubbery bristles to brush the teeth. But this one is best avoided if you don't trust your cat enough to put your finger in his mouth. There's also a range of special toothpastes. As with dog toothpaste, poultry flavour is a firm favourite. You can also cut down on the chance of decay by using dried, rather than soft canned food.

OBESITY Most cats need only two ounces of food a day. This doesn't look like very much, so we all give our cats far too much more. Overweight cats are now as common as overweight people. Every day I see cats that weigh twice as much as they should!

If your cat is seriously overweight you must take him to your vet because a crash diet could cause a very unpleasant liver disease.

The best solution is prevention rather than cure . . . so cut back on your pet's food before he gets too large.

EAR MITES Cats' ear canals provide a nice warm home for a small creature called the ear mite. This is a very small spider which breeds and feeds in the ear wax. Sometimes the ears are irritated so much that if you just touch the side of his face he will be unable to control his back leg and he will scratch away furiously at the ear. Happily, there are several safe drugs which kill the mites and will rapidly relieve your cat's suffering.

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