33% of women avoid going to the doctors because of anxiety and embarrassment (UK)

This is not strictly speaking about cats and I apologise if you want to read about cats only 😒. The truth is I have more or less run out of articles about cats because I written well over 20,000 articles over the years. Yes, a staggering amount and I hope you can understand why I have run out more or less.

But this is a study which I think is very significant. The Independent newspaper reports that a third of women steer clear of doctors because of anxiety and embarrass according to a study.

There is an indirect reference to cats here because a lot of single women look after cats. They do so company and cat companions make great company. 

Vet fees

There is an interesting side issue here as well because I've just written about the extortionate (as far as I'm concerned) veterinary fees in the UK because of a corporate takeover of independent veterinarians. 

Vet fees are so high in the UK now that if a cat is badly injured in an accident the average cat owner will have to have their cats euthanised rather than treated unless it is covered by medical insurance. That's my personal assessment.

Women's inequality

Anyway, back to women and their inequality in the UK. A study by The Fawcett Society reveals that almost 66% of British women believed that their health problems are not taken seriously. And about a third reported suffering from poor health due to their gender.

Partnering with The Fawcett Society were researchers for the not-for-profit healthcare provider Benenden Health in this study. They discovered that six in 10 women have had a negative encounter with healthcare professionals while a third believed that they were given a late diagnosis.

The study polled 10,000 women in the UK. It also revealed that a third believe that their illness was misdiagnosed. And 25% say that they were placed on the wrong medication.

It reveals a stark inequality in the UK today said the chief executive of The Fawcett Society, Jemima Olchawski.

The Independent newspaper also reported in their exclusive research that "a third of those with with a women's health condition have been made to wait three years or longer for a diagnosis."

It also believed that health conditions affecting women receive less funding and research. 

And a number of studies appear to confirm that women suffering from painful conditions are taken less seriously than men under similar circumstances.

The newspaper paints a high degree of inequality between men and women with respect to medical care. I don't know if this is true but the study states that it is. 

The most worrying part of it is in the headline to this article with a high percentage of women simply not going to see a GP because of anxiety and embarrassment. The government needs to look at this very seriously.

Poor mental health drives youth inactivity to new high in the UK

It may be particularly relevant today because there is a high percentage of young people with poor mental health who are economically inactive and on long term benefits. A lot of these will be young women. 

One in five adults who are not in work and are not looking for jobs are apparently on benefits. And it seems that poor mental health has pushed people out of work. Perhaps some of these people are the women I refer to.

"Having a litter of kittens will settle down a female cat"

Some cat owners think that their female unsterilised cat should have a litter of kittens before they sterilise them because it helps them to settle down and live a more contented life. 

They appear to believe that a female cat should have kittens because it's instinctive to them to have kittens and if you deny them that pleasure it is upsetting to them. 

Until they have kittens they can't settle down and be their normal selves. That is the argument as I understand it but it is entirely false and dangerous thought for the obvious reason that there are already too many unwanted cats in the world and to bring more into the world because of a misconception is irresponsible and ultimately cruel because what happens to the kittens? Can you find a good home for them? Will they be happy? Will they have good lives? Will they be homed with a person who is sensitive to their needs and so on?

It is a myth that having a litter will settle down a female cat. It's a myth that the cat will feel more fulfilled after having kittens.

It might be useful to touch on how female humans feel after having kids. That might provide us with a little insight. Mothers are often harassed and overstretched and pressured on having a young family. They certainly don't feel more settled down.

The veterinarians state that a spayed cat will be more playful, people-orientated and they won't miss what they never had.

Briefly, on an associated topic, there are other reasons why cat owners sometimes want their female cats to have a litter of kittens. It might be because it provides them with enjoyment. They'd like to witness the birth of kittens. They might enjoy raising them and find the whole process rewarding.

They might love the appearance of their female cat and they want to produce offspring to maintain the bloodline. Or they might do it for financial reasons to sell the kittens for whatever they can get for them to make a few pennies on the side. 

If the cat is a purebred then they can sell them for a reasonable sum of money but the amount would be dependent upon whether there was a registered lineage with a cat association.

That said you will find some cat owners advertising on Facebook purebred cats for sale at discount prices. Don't buy these cats and kittens at the prices asked. You are probably not going to buy a genuine purebred cat and I would expect it to be unregistered.

And lastly, some cat owners may have a deep emotional bond with their female cat and want to have the experience of raising a kittens to create a stronger connection with the cat and their offspring.

All these reasons may be good ones from the person's perspective but in the grand scheme of things, I think it would be fair to say that it would not be the best decision to make in terms of general animal welfare for the reason stated above.

Distressing video example of cat separation anxiety in action

This cat was apparently left alone for a mere 30 minutes. They would appear to have a very close connection with their human companion. You can see that the cat is suffering from separation anxiety. She is howling and looks confused. It's unclear why she is carrying a lead around in her mouth but I will guess. 

The owner probably takes her out on a lead from time to time for a walk. The cat might be an indoor cat. And therefore, this cat understands that in order to get outside she must have a lead and therefore grabs it in her mouth and is trying to offer it up to their owner who isn't present. It's all instinctive behaviour so it doesn't make sense but that's my take on this.

And, I think you will agree with me that it is a distressing video in a kind of subtle way. It might not bother some people but what I see here is a cat in distress and stressed. And separation anxiety is very common and it can and does cause stress. Stress can lead to health problems. And in addition, cat owners who are away from home quite a lot tend to put down dry cat food because it is convenient.

Dry cat food is clearly dehydrated food and it causes mild dehydration in the cat because they don't really compensate for that lack of moisture in the food by drinking more. This is because of their wild cat ancestor's inheritance in terms of behavioural traits. This kind of scenario can lead to cystitis. It might lead to other health problems.

And people say how does my cat know when I'm going to come home because they are always behind the door when I arrive. Well, if that person has a fixed routine, then the cat's internal clock will help guide them went to wait by the front door but if their owner is absent for a non-routine reason then their cat won't know when he or she is going to return and under those circumstances, I believe, they will wait behind the front door or near the front door for many hours.

It is even plausible to suggest that they might remain there all day. They might be desperate to be reunited with their human caregiver. I think cat owners should be aware of this potential problem. And it may also be useful if they purchase a camera trap video camera for around $40 on Amazon which will be motion sensor activated and which will allow them to quite possibly detect what their cat is up to when they are away. You may need two or three of the cameras in different rooms to get the full picture. I think it would be money well spent.

In the world of cats there are two main categories of human

I'm simplifying things but it is true. In the cat world - the domestic cat world to be more accurate - you can divide humans into two groups or categories.

1. Those that don't see sentience in the domestic cat and have the potential for cruelty towards their cat; not blatant or obvious cruelty but sometimes insidious slow-motion cruelty.
2. Those that are sensitive or very sensitive to the fact that the domestic cat is a sentient being with the capacity to feel pain and to suffer. These people pick up the pieces left by the other group. To put it another way they rescue cats and the other group throw them away.

Here is a story told by a woman which illustrates the categorisation:

She says that a cat "tried to come into my house at the end of June of this year while we were in the middle of a heat wave in WA". So, this is the US and it must have been damnably hot. The pic below is of the tabby cat concerned before and after rescue.

Rescued cat adopted so respectfully and with kindness. Image: Kitten LaRue (Quora.com).

I have just written an article about whether feral cats come into homes. Well, this story answers the question. They do if they are strays and not true ferals. This tired, old cat had been dumped by their owner because - I guess - they were old and tired and also sick. 

The woman: "discovered the cat was very old, she has been declawed, so there was no way for her to catch any food for herself. The cat was horribly dehydrated, had 104 temperature, she was skin and bones and yet she was so sweet and loving!"

She took the cat to a vet immediately. She was x-rayed and found to have bad arthritis in her back. This may have come about due in part to being outside for a long time. She had survived despite being declawed.

The first category I mention above declaw cats while the second category do not. A profound difference in attitude.

The woman concluded her story with these words:

"Poor kitty could barely walk! So, this is quite a success story, I named her Ladybug and she is so much happier now! You can tell she feels like someone’s pet again. She loves to cuddle and gives back so much love, she didn’t deserve to be abandoned and left for dead."

You'll agree that far too many people throw away their cat companion when it is convenient to do so; when the cat becomes a bother or a nuisance. When they get ill because they are old. This is not treating cats as sentience creatures but as 'objects' to possess to decorate the home.

How do I know what my cat likes?

The duty of the cat caregiver is twofold fundamentally, (a) to provide a secure home - safety comes first and (b) to make their cat happy!

Jackson Galaxy has some great advice on how to start the process of making your cat happy. And his advice is echoed in Dr. Desmond Morris's well-known book Cat Watching, the first and I would say best book on domestic cat behaviour on the market.

Image: MikeB

Jackson Galaxy says that cat owners should behave like a detective to find out what's going on; what's wrong and what's right, which means that the cat owner should be very observant.

I think that part of the duty of being a good cat caregiver is to be highly observant. Cat owners should watch their cat and take mental notes or even write it down.

If you want to find out what makes your cat happy observe their behaviour. Here are a couple of simple and easy examples.

Food preferences

Cat owners should provide their cat with best quality wet and a bit of dry food for night-time grazing together with some treats from time to time. Domestic cats have food preferences when it comes to wet cat food. To find out those preferences you have to go through a lot of different cat foods and observe the cat's response. Simple stuff. Once you found their favourite you provide it regularly.

RELATED: How do I know if I’m feeding my cat good quality dry cat food?

This will not only make your cat happier but it will also reduce the amount of wet cat food wastage. And it is always a nightmare to get rid of wet cat food which is going off as it so smelly, messy and horrible!

RELATED: What is complete cat food?

Sleeping arrangements

Another example would be to observe where your cat likes to sleep. If your cat is an indoor/outdoor cat they might spend quite a lot of time outside at night and sleep during the day when there is a lot of activity at least potentially in the home. 

An indoor/outdoor cat might have difficulty in finding a quiet place to sleep. Their caregiver should observe their cat and provide a quiet corner of the home, perhaps a room, where they can sleep and within that home use a customised discarded cardboard box which will provide a roof over the cat's head and walls on their sides. Domestic cats like to feel the pressure of the walls of a box against them as it gives them a sense of security. It's why they like boxes.

Quite a lot of cats are borderline anxious or actually anxious. They don't show this to their owner. Cats are undemonstrative which makes it difficult to find out what they like and therefore what makes them happy. This is where the owner's observational skills come into play.

Caregivers should be detectives and they should do this all the time throughout their period of cat ownership. It never stops. Cat owners can always learn more about their cat and what makes them tick.

"Can cats fake being nice in order to get adopted?" asks cat owner on social media

Image supplied by the cat's owner.

The cat owner explained what was happening:

After it settles into a comfortable environment, it may show a different side. I once adopted a stray cat, and when I met him, he came up to me and suddenly laid down. He obviously wanted to be with me, and so did I. I thought that a weak cat that likes to lie under people's feet must be very obedient, right? He was very obedient at first, and a year after I raised him, he started pooping all over the house...under my refrigerator and in some boxes. I took him to the vet who said he was fine; he was probably living in a safe environment. Anyway, I don't regret raising him, but my cat is really different than when I first met him.

My response on social media

This has nothing to do with being nice to get adopted. Sorry. It is to do with the environment in which he lives which has become stressful for him and he is marking his territory with feces to make it feel more friendly. Either that or he is incontinent and ill. Find out what is causing the stress.

Some more

I noticed that the person took their cat to a veterinarian who said that "he was probably living in a safe environment." That indicates that they discussed the environment in which the cat lived and it was probably described by the owner which may have misled the veterinarian.

I am convinced that this problem is caused by the cat perceiving the environment as unsafe which is making him anxious which is why he is defecating inappropriately.

It brings very much to mind my ex-wife (!) who lived with one of our two cats when we divorced. And she, after divorce, went slightly mad and started drinking a lot and smoking and going out in the evening. She was rarely at home and her cat became very anxious because she was never there. And he defecated on her bed in the middle of the duvet. This was clearly very upsetting to her. The reason is the same as this person is experiencing: stress.

In lieu of defecating, anxious cats can sometimes spray urine onto objects around the home for the same reason. They are depositing their scent around the home to make the place feel more friendly; to make it feel like their place, their home.

This is a very common problem by which I mean anxiety in domestic cats is a very common issue. And not infrequently it is caused by the owner being absent. It can sometimes cause cystitis which also results in inappropriate elimination with small drops of bloody urine around the home. The urine is not sprayed but the cat has an uncontrollable desire to pee because of a bladder infection caused by the stress.