Cool Cats and Fat Dogs

Who says cats aren’t clever? When it’s a case of cats vs dogs, there’s no contest, say members of one Irish family. Meet Topsy, the tabby who lived in Co. Cavan with a doctor and his family.

Topsy was one of those cats who spent most of her time outdoors, wandering through woods and fields, returning only when the fancy took her. Mainly for food. She had worked out how to enter the house if the kitchen door was shut, by clambering onto the window. Then with a flying jump she would land on the latch with such force that it would open. Topsy always entered and left by the kitchen door.

Then one year, she went missing for several days. No-one had seen her. It was generally assumed that she had used up the last of her nine lives. When she did eventually turn up she was limping badly, having caught her left fore paw in a rabbit trap. Somehow she had managed to extricate herself, but the paw was badly mangled.

Amazingly, in her own woolly little tabby head, Topsy cleverly worked out out that she would be unable to open the back door in the usual way. But what was it that motivated her to decide not to approach that door at all? Instead, she scratched and miaowed loudly at the surgery door, whereupon the doctor’s receptionist let her in. The doctor cleaned the paw, stitched the wound, set the bone and put it in a sling.

He was no stranger to pets needing treatment. Living in the country, he had dealt with many veterinary emergencies in his day: farrowing sows, vomiting dogs and birds with broken wings. But even he had to admit that Topsy was something else.

Of course, as a vet, he often needed to treat overweight animals.

Dog obesity is a real cause for concern among veterinary surgeons and nutritionists. Allowing your adorable little puppy to grow up into a big fat dog is bad enough, but allowing him to get so fat that he no longer enjoys his daily walks is inexcusable.

A good diet is so important, whatever the animal’s age. And there really is no excuse for letting standards slip. Dog food is big business today and there is a fantastic selection available. Some foods are expensive, others less so… but bargain basement foods are not necessarily the least nutritious. As with human food, it is wise to check the contents of what is in that tin, bag, frozen or dried product.

If necessary, have a word with the vet and assuming the dog has no particular health problems, it helps to experiment with different varieties to find out which one proves most suitable. In the UK, police dogs and guide dogs are usually nurtured on dried foods, but that does not mean they are necessarily any better than other types of food.