Is lady’s nightly play with San Francisco cat making it sick?

DEAR JOHANNA: I now live with my mother and she has a 10 year old cat who played very little.

I play with her at night now and she runs around like crazy for a few minutes, what I’ve read is normal. However, she now vomits almost every three days.

When I go it stops. Why should that be? She is not afraid of me and regularly sleeps on my lap. My mother has now banned us from playing this season.

Please help us.

Denise M., San Francisco

LOVE DENISE: Your play with the cat isn’t the direct cause of vomiting, but contact with someone who interacts with them in such a positive way could have triggered other repressed behaviors, such as grooming, that could inadvertently have led to the problem. To know for sure, you should have the cat examined by a veterinarian to make sure there are no other hidden problems.

Happy and content cats groom a lot. With grooming comes hairballs and with hairballs, vomiting – usually the last place you want to vomit.

Continue to give the cat attention, but in addition to playtime, help her groom it. Get a cat grooming brush or comb, and when she is in your lap, gently comb her fur and help her remove any hair she is losing. If you get it on with the brush or comb, she won’t swallow it.

You could also try getting her a hairball remedy or giving her food or treats that are formulated to help.

DEAR JOHANNA: I have a hangover who is about a year old. He’s not neutered – no money for it. He kneads and clings to the pillow, blanket, or whatever he decides to secure his bite in place. He falls into a trance and when I stroke him he has a different meow. Sometimes he attacks me. He can be mean, almost evil.

Pamela Salacup, Yuba City

LOVE PAMELA: Your cat is not angry, it just focuses on the pillow, blanket, or whatever. Many cats bond with soft, squishy objects that they can knead or even suckle. They experience their childhood, so to speak, when they nursed and gently kneaded their mothers to promote more milk.

Your cat may be a little stressed and this activity will calm him down and bring him joy. He doesn’t want to attack you; he’s just knocking away the thing that’s trying to distract him.

If he attacks you while you are not interacting with him, then he may be trying to play and is being too aggressive. Both behaviors have their roots in being taken from mothers prematurely. Cat moms teach their kittens that play is allowed, but rough play is not. The other kittens in the litter also teach others. If they bite or scratch too hard, the offending kitten will hit them and learn to moderate their bite.

If your cat attacks, move away from the area. Try to play with him later, but only as long as he plays gently. If he gets aggressive, you get up and leave. At some point he will learn to play nice.

You should also never use your hand as a toy. Lots of people playfully grab a kitten and some sort of box with them. The kitten then grows into a cat who regards the hands as excellent play toys. Replace a stuffed toy and check with animal shelters and emergency services to see if they have a free or inexpensive spay / neuter clinic to take your cat to. Castration will help.

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