Giving our cats safe access to the outdoors has not been an easy feat. It was considerably easier with our previous cat Mali. Given she was a senior cat when we got her, we figured she must be pretty street wise and got a cat flap installed so she had free access to the outside. As it turned out, she couldn't actually climb the fences due to her arthritis so she was safely contained to our garden. She escaped out the front door literally once, was quickly retrieved, and cottoned on immediately that the front garden was a no-no. I could have a food shop delivered with Mali contentedly watching from her bed and the delivery driver commenting on what a good cat that is. Literally the only thing we had to worry about was getting her in come night time, as otherwise she would patrol the garden and screech whenever she caught a neighbour cat getting too close to her territory, waking us up! Foolishly I wasn't too concerned when we first got Mica and Opal, as they were initially terri...

We're currently going throu gh a heat wave in the UK and it's expected to be 40 degrees tomorrow! I don't think it's ever been that hot i n my lifetime. When you're feeling the heat, spare a thought for your moggies who can't take their fur co ats off (unless you have a sphynx of course). Here's a few tips for keeping your cats cool and safe in hot weather. Give them a thorough grooming session to remove as much loose fur as possible. Keep curtains drawn and windows closed during the day. If opening windows in the evening, make sure your cat can't fall out or escape. I use pet window screens but you still need to be in the room supervising them as they can easily rip it off. Ensure there is plenty of water available in various locations. You can also add ice cubes. * Turn on a fan, but don't aim it directly at your cat. Put out a pet cooling mat . Alternatively, you can use a damp towel or wrap a towel around an ice pack or frozen water bottle. Make...

When taking the cats for their annual check up, I was told that that they could both do with losing a bit of weight. I was really annoyed with myself, especially as they're still so young. I was pretty sure their meals were about right (although it's hard to tell when I feed different brands with different feeding suggestions!) so I decided to cut down on treats first and try to increase the amount of exercise they get. One disadvantage of having indoor cats is that it's harder for them to burn calories than it is for outdoor cats. Having the catio has helped, but mine isn't huge so other than jumping between shelves and chasing each other down the cat proofed passageway they don't get as much exercise as I'd like. A good work out with a wand toy is a great way to get your cat to expend some energy but like me you may not have as much spare time as you'd like for play sessions. That's where The Cat Track comes in. I did feel a bit ridiculous spending £17...