Cat lovers know that when a cat eats grass, there will soon surely be a real mess the wipe up.
Grass eating by cats can be a sign of a number of things, suggests vet Dr Bruce Chard.
“It is thought that cats eat grass knowing that they will vomit possibly clearing their stomach of fur balls. The grass is not digested and will pass through in motions. As long as your cat is healthy and eating well, there is no need for concern, but grass eating can also be a sign that your cat has an upset stomach, so any lack of appetite should be checked by your vet.”
“We have recently noticed rat droppings in our garden shed and wish to place rat bait there. As we have a cocker spaniel, how can we keep her safe and what are the signs of rat bait poisoning?”
“There is always some risk when using rodenticides [rat bait] where pets may have access. Place the bait in the shed and keep it locked. You will probably find the rats will drag the bait away to their nest to consume it there, so you will need to keep adding baits until they are no longer removed. The most common rodenticides have an anticoagulant drug, which blocks the clotting factors in dog blood, causing bleeding internally and anaemia. If your dog ate bait, you would need to get to your vet promptly where he would receive a drug to make him vomit and he is then given a course of Vitamin K which reverses the affect of the rodenticide.”
Dr Bruce Chard owns North Harbour Veterinary Clinic. He has been a vet for 42 years. He has a pekingese dog and two burmese cats.