I've just read an article in a veterinary publication describing a study on the use of painkillers in arthritic cats. I have felt for a while now that we don't take enough notice of pain in cats. Acute pain is obvious, but chronic pain which starts very low-grade and gradually builds up, mainly that of arthritis, can be very easily overlooked. The article pointed out that the ways in which we assess joint pain in dogs - mainly lameness, gait changes, crepitus (crunching) on flexing the joint, do not apply in cats. It is thought that because cats are lower in weight, more flexible, and frequently have multiple joints affected, they rarely show the classic signs that dogs do.

People who suffer from arthritis have told me how extremely painful it can be. With our cats living longer lives these days, and often being a little overweight, arthritis has increased in this species. The article describes a different way of assessing chronic pain in cats, by reference to their behaviour. Affected cats were hesitant to jump up or down and were less agile on stairs; they slept more and didn't change sleeping location very often; they were more grumpy with their owner and with other cats; and they were observed grooming less frequently and often had a matted or scurfy coat.

Treatment of these cats with a liquid painkiller in their food produced a measureable improvement in their behaviour and a reduction in their pain. We all know how being in pain ourselves makes us grumpy. It appears the same is true of our pets, but the good news is that they don't have to suffer in silence any more....

Well, another Bonfire night has come and gone. It seemed to me that there were far fewer massive explosions in our neck of the woods than there usually are; whether that was due to the foul weather, the law limiting firework purchase, or the fact that all the Braunton shops seemed to have agreed not to sell them, I'm not sure. I have to say that I was delighted. I'm not a firework fan anyway, but seeing the effect they have on my collies and knowing the number of our patients upset by them also makes me concerned for wild and farmed animals, and for old people, some of whom, having lived through the war, must be severely traumatised by the explosions.

Dogs seem to be the pets most affected by noise, and some breeds more than others - collies and German Shepherds seem particularly prone but any dog can be affected. The anxiety seems to get worse with age, up to the point where the dog loses its hearing, which can come as a blessed relief!

Do you remember Archie and Alfie who featured in a news article on this website a couple of weeks ago? Well, they are now called Daisy and Tiger-Lily! No, they haven't had gender reassignment surgery and they are not suffering psychological trauma, but when they came in for their first veterinary examination, they turned out to be girls rather than the boys the owners had been told they were by the breeder.....

This happens frequently with kittens, as with baby rabbits, as both can be difficult to sex when small. However, when neutered the sexes don't have any major personality differences, so the only difference is in cost and magnitude of the operation.

They were always too pretty to be boys!