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Paws & Claws

Jill Bowen has practiced veterinary medicine in England and Texas. She lives in Blacksburg now, and answers local pet owners' questions every week in The Roanoke Times and roanoke.com.

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Q We used to have three cats but now have only one. She was always very silent when the other cats were alive, but now she is the only cat she has become very noisy. I need help in interpreting what she is trying to tell me.

A Cats are capable of a wide range of sounds ranging from the hiss to the silent meow.

Cats have a hearing range and voice range that is inaudible to people and what appears to be a silent meow is perfectly audible to another cat.

Meows have specific meanings depending on their duration, pitch and inflection. Cats understand these different meows with no trouble, but a cat's owner needs training before interpreting correctly whether a particular meow is signaling impatience, worry, fear, a polite request or an imperious demand.

Purring is a tension reducing sound. Cats purr when they are relaxed, but also when frightened and want to relieve the tension. Chirping noises often used as a greeting are sounds of pleasure. Rumbling growls are audible sounds of anger and often progress to hissing; that noise in itself is frightening to intruders and sometimes a cat will even spit if very agitated.

If the intruder is another cat, the smell of hot cat breath may be enough to make it turn tail.

Q Six months ago my wife and I inherited two African Grey parrots. In their previous home they spent most of their time flying around the house. We have cats so they spend most of the day shrieking and flapping in their cage, especially when the cats are in the room. Now one of them is going bald, we think because of stress. Is there anything we can do to help them?

A Feather-plucking is a common indicator of stress in caged birds, but baldness and self-mutilation can result from illness and parasite infestation, so have your veterinarian examine both birds.

There are two main sources of stress for your birds that could be causing the feather picking, including lack of mental stimulation and the presence of the cats.

Parrots should be out of their cages for at least three hours every day, with direct contact with their owners for another 45 minutes.

When caged, they need to be occupied with food, toys and puzzles.

Moving the cage to a higher position and shielding your parrots from seeing the cats may be helpful. If you cannot satisfy the birds' needs by allowing them free range in the house or at least one room, as well as keeping the cats away from them, it may be kinder to find a new home for them.

Q I heard that grapes are poisonous to dogs, I have been giving them to my terrier for years. Are they dangerous and are there any other foods to avoid?

A Grapes, and raisins are potentially poisonous to dogs. The cause is thought to be a poison, called ochratoxin, which is produced by mold growing on the skin of the fruit.

Grape poisoning can cause fatal kidney failure in dogs, but because not all grapes have the mold on them there are only a few cases of poisoning reported each year. Overripe or moldy grapes are likely to contain more of the toxin, but giving any kind of grapes or raisins to your dog could be dangerous.

Most people know that chocolate is toxic to dogs. Dark chocolate contains more cocoa solids and more of the toxic substances theobromine, methylxanthine and caffeine that make dogs ill.

Other problem foods include onions and garlic, plants from the brassica family (cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts) can also cause anemia problems and bloody urine.

In all cases poisoning depends on the amount of the substance digested and the size of the dog.