by Barbara George – Tellington Ttouch Behaviourist The African Golden Cat, Caracal aurata, one of the lesser-known small cats, has adapted to living in equatorial rainforests, a vastly different environment to that of our domestic cats. They are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, mainly due to habit loss with the resultant loss of prey species, although […]

by Barbara George – Tellington Ttouch Behaviourist Cats are well-known for hiding health issues; owners and carers have to be observant and vigilant to pick up early signs of ill-health. Changes in behaviour are often used to disguise health issues. Most owners have access to cell phones that can take photographs, and often have many photos and videos of […]

Joseph Ogutu, Senior Statistician, University of Hohenheim Across the world, migratory animals like wildebeest – which rely on movement to find food, water and calving grounds – are under threat. This is mainly because their migration routes are being cut off by fences, settlements, farms, roads and other developments, and the areas where they roam […]

by Barbara George – Tellington Ttouch Behaviourist Triggers are events, smells, sounds, or sights that cause anxiety or stress. When too many triggers are present at one time the total amount of stress may be too much for the cat to deal with. His leads to coping behaviour; running away, hiding, over- or under-grooming, over- or under-eating or aggression. […]

by Barbara George – Tellington Ttouch Behaviourist Integration in to a new home is separate from introduction to existing pets. Acquiring a new cat presents a number of challenges. This may be a first pet, or there may be existing cats or other pets. The previous home may have had a very different in activity or noise level. Kittens […]

by Barbara George – Tellington Ttouch Behaviourist Cats are attuned to the magnetic field of the earth; that is partly the way some can find their way home. Their whiskers are more sensitive to changes in atmospheric pressure than many of our weather instruments. Not all cats will react to changes in the weather, unless there is a real […]

The most troubling changes have taken place in an area called Narok County, located in southwestern Kenya. This area of about 17,933 sq km includes the protected Masai Mara Reserve, wildlife conservancies and community land. Wildlife numbers here have dramatically declined. This is a big worry because the Maasai Mara is where migratory wildlife go […]

by Barbara George – Tellington Ttouch Behaviourist The main reasons cats scratch are to keep their claws trimmed, to mark territory, or as comfort or learned behaviour. Claws constantly grow and need to be kept to a reasonable length to prevent them getting caught as the cat walks or growing so long that they make walking difficult and may […]

Miniaturised frogs form a fascinating but poorly understood group of amphibians. They have been exceptionally prone to taxonomic underestimation because when frogs evolve small body size they start to look remarkably similar – so it is easy to underestimate how diverse they really are. As part of my PhD I have been studying frogs and […]

Luther van der Mescht, Postdoctoral Researcher in Evolutionary Ecology of Parasites, Stellenbosch University Fleas are tiny bloodsucking insects. There are about 2500 species or subspecies found worldwide. The little parasites commonly target wildlife and domestic animals. When you find a flea on your pet dog or cat, it’s most likely a cat flea – the […]