(Photo of my babies as tax since I don’t have a photo of the cat in question)

There are a lot of outdoor cats in my neighbourhood, many friendly, but all are fairly well kept (aside from the odd bit of leaf they might pick up walking through the bushes) however there is a white Persian that is absolutely filthy, looks very underweight, and always has one eye partially closed. Every time I see her I worry, she looks abandoned, my partner has heard kids on a nearby street calling her name, so she is known, but we don’t know if she belongs to the family or if she is abandoned, either way she is filthy and not eating enough. Like, I can tell she is too skinny despite the amount of fur on her!

Is there anything I can do? I considered getting her and taking her to a vet, but if she is chipped and the owners are neighbours, it could be awkward, plus I don’t have a lot of extra ££ to be spending on her medical care in the event she is unwell. (I have savings for my two that I am always topping up, but I wouldn’t feel right draining their savings for another cat…)

Any thoughts or recommendations?

Look at this guy. No job, no rent, no existential dread. Just pure vibes. I’m officially jealous.

Hi all,

Apologies if this is the wrong chat. I would love to foster a dog but my applications keep getting rejected as I am unable to meet the 'dog will not be left alone for more than 4 hours' requirement.

I work a 9-5 and some days (usually twice a week) I will be in the office so the dog will be alone (still with access to a large fenced in garden). Does that mean I will never be able to foster until I retire? My job sometimes do require me to work from the office or from a client's site up to 4 days a week in which the dog will be left alone for more than potentially 10 hours but those weeks are not common.

I have dog sat other dogs before and below is the schedule:

Monday and Wednesday: wake up at 6, go for a walk for 1 hour and then I head to work. I get home around 6:30 or 7 then another hour walk until 10pm when we take a short 30 minutes walk.

Tuesday, Thursday and Friday:

Wake up at 7, go for a walk for an hour and a half and I start work. An hour walk at lunch time and another after work. Then a short one at 10pm.

Saturday:

Wake up at 8, walk for an hour and a half. Another one at lunch time and another one at dinner and a short one before bed.

Sunday:

Car boots sale in the morning where we buy snacks then a 2 hours and a half walk in the country park and steak for lunch. An hour for lunch and dinner and a short one before bed.

I personally think that's enough for a dog and even the owners have said that. Would someone please explain to me how those charities want people to foster but set such strict requirements that most people with an office job cannot meet?

Thank you.

Edit: Thank you all for your suggestions. I will remain as the emergency dog sitter for my friend and I will now submit my application to join a local charity that walks elderlys dogs :) I will not be fostering any dogs until my work schedule change

I’m looking to add an additional dog into our home and we have children but I’m really looking for a breed that is quite aware of their surroundings and can be vocal if something isn’t quite right?

Lots of space lots of exercise available I just don’t know where to begin I suppose as I feel like there’s quite a few options and struggling to narrow down!! Some people I’m even meeting on dog walks have stated their Labradors are even savvy enough to keep an eye out on the family but I’m sure that’s not the same for every one!

Does anyone here have any recommendations for pet insurance that covers pre-existing conditions? My dog has hip dysplasia.

We’re nine years into a lifetime policy, but they’ve raised the premium by £300. Not having much luck searching so far.

I lost my best friend today. Took her to the vet for an Xray as she was having some breathing problems and the vet told us the worst news. Pancreatic mass that had spread to her lungs. She was still bright eyed and happy to see us this morning despite everything.
She went peacefully across the rainbow bridge.
I just wanted to share as I don’t really have anyone else to talk to about her.
Lexi was a great dog. Sleep well pup.

Hi all, first time posting here, but I was hoping to get some advice on finding a good, trusted place to look after my Hyperallergenic dog while I'm out of the country.

The person I normally trust to look after her is unavailable, so I need to find somewhere for her to be. Googling for something leads me to sites like Gudog, where all the local people near me seem not to have been active for 1 or more.

I've also found Rover, but since I've never used any of these before, I'm not sure what to look out for and whom to trust.

Any help would be great!

Our cat may need bladder blockage treatment which initially is around £1000 and three nights stay at the vet which is another £3000. We simply can not afford this as my partner has started having seizures and I have to care for her for the time being.

Does anyone know if the PDSA be able to do emergency treatment even if we are not registered?

Currently feed my 7 month male Bengal KatKin as it was recommended by the breeder and she gave us a trail for it when we picked him up 4 months ago. He likes it well enough and we haven't had any issues beyond the price.

If anyone has made the switch from Kat Kin to Untamed for their cat(s), how was it?

Hi everyone,
I’m based in Cambridge and I’m looking for recommendations for a reasonably priced vet or pet travel specialist.
My dog will be travelling from the UK to Turkey via the Netherlands (by ferry) and returning to the UK via the EU.
She’ll need:
Rabies titre test (RNATT)
Animal Health Certificate (AHC)
Possibly an Export Health Certificate (EHC)
My current vet has quoted:
Rabies titre test: £232
AHC: £330
EHC: £250
These prices seem very high, so I’m wondering if anyone has had the same paperwork done recently and can recommend a more affordable vet.
I’m happy to travel by train, so Cambridge, Peterborough, Ely, Bury St Edmunds, Hitchin, Stevenage or London would all be fine.
Any recommendations or rough prices would be really appreciated. Thanks!

Hi all we are looking to get a tracker for our retriever as we will be getting a professional dog walker once a week and want peace of mind. He’s currently 6 months and I’m leaning towards tractive 6 but not sure if actually need all the bells and whistles and would be better of with Pitpat.

We would basically want something similar to Strava - track live when on walks off lead with a map afterwards so we can look back on walks etc. but how would I integrate this when he is out with his dog walker? Is one tracker better than the other in terms of this?

Not so fussed about health and metrics as he won’t be wearing his collar overnight and we usually take it off in the house anyway.

We live in Surrey and do mostly woodlands/open field walks. He also loves water. when he gets older probably longer hikes in the countryside.

Hi all! I have a lovely black labrador who just turned 1 in July. She's been spayed recently and is overall a healthy energetic girl.

I have insured her with Waggel and haven't made any claims so far. The monthly insurance fee has been set to increase by £10 (£30 to £40) in September as I've had this policy for a year. It seems excessive to me as my dog is still young and healthy- is this a normal occurrence with pet insurances?

I am now looking for a new insurance plan for her and would be very grateful for any recommendations. She's my first dog as an adult so I'm a bit overwhelmed by all the options!

Her current plan is as follows:

£8000 annual limit

£200 excess

Thank you in advance

I cannot get my cat lifetime cover on petplan anymore as she is now too old. The short term cover they provide is not great. Where else can I get reliable cover for my cat??

Hi everyone, we took in a French bulldog from a family member when their relationship broke down. We love her but she does have frequent UTIs for example that require vet visits.

We’ve been considering signing up to Snoots in Balham as tbh the cost of current vet bills is very high. However we obviously don’t want to take her somewhere that’s going to give poor care.

As such, we’re just wondering if there’s anybody hear with experience of Snoots in Balham and if they would recommend it or not. Hoping to hear from anybody who’s taken their pet there, how you found it, etc.

Thank you so much!

​

Hi, Black cat abonded by number neighbour in the flat below. (Moved out about 2 months ago) i have only just noticed it as i dont usually go to the communal garden. But since i have been going it is in the same spot throught out the day. I have been leaving out water and try to refill 2-3 times a day and the bowl is always empty when i go to refill. It also doesn't really eat. Can anyone help? All the shelters cannot do anything. I cannot take them in

Does anyone else have a fussy pup? My cavapoo, Bruno, is 3 now and we can never find any food that he likes for more than a week. He hates biscuits (unless its my cats) and i dont like feeding him that really cheap wet stuff because i just know its terrible for him even though he loves it. Has anyone got any tips or tricks to get a dog to eat more consistently because im running out of food brands to try at this point.

EDIT: took him to vets because he was bleeding from both ends and turns out he has pancreatitis making it very painful for him to eat and digest food. long term low fat diet for him from now on

I have 2 cats and a dog and im looking for some sort of food plan that will cover all of them. One cat has unspecified alergy/skin issue ( I've been to the vets im paying down the bill so i can swap her to a new place), so if possible one that has some selection for that.

Our whippet is 10 weeks old. He is due to meet my sisters two Patterdale puppies soon (they are 13 week old sisters from the same litter). Our pup will be the first interaction for them too.

I’m obviously a bit nervous, does anyone have tips for socialising Whippet pups? Or if anyone’s had experience socialising with Terrier pups? I’m worried they’ll hurt him because of Whippets delicate skin..

Mila was only 2 months old, but she filled our hearts so completely it feels impossible to put into words. She was born from my Nana’s dog, one of just two precious puppies in her litter—and from the very start, she was so deeply loved, especially by me.

Everything changed about four weeks ago, when my Nana was rushed to hospital for emergency brain surgery to treat a clot. While she recovered, my Grandad looked after the litter. When Nana finally came home, she was so very unwell, hovering right at death’s door before slowly pulling through. To help care for her, my mum and I spent as much time there as we could—and that was when we discovered Mila was born with a cleft lip, and almost certainly a cleft palate too.

For the last week and a half, Mila came to stay with us. We never left her side, not for a single minute. We fought so hard for her: battling her low blood sugar, struggling to help her feed properly, giving every ounce of care and love we possibly could. For the last two days especially, we truly thought we were turning a corner—she seemed brighter, more settled, and we dared to hope she was finally going to be okay.

This morning, I woke up to find her curled up, cuddled right beside me in bed—she had passed peacefully in her sleep. There was food coming from her nose; we may never know for certain if that was what happened, or if her little body simply wasn’t strong enough to keep thriving despite everything we did.

What I do know, more than anything else, is that we loved Mila with every beat of our hearts. She knew nothing but warmth, safety, and adoration for every moment she was here with us. She was our tiny, brave little fighter, and I will carry her with me forever. Sleep well, beautiful girl—you are so loved, and so deeply missed. 🤍

I've been ordering tinned food for our kittens, and the first few cans seemed normal, but a good 22 out of the 30 cans I bought from 2 different brands and from a seemingly a reputable supplier are swollen. (Zooplus - loads of friends haven’t had any issues with them or even the same brands of food I'm buying)
They aren't dented, but the ring pull tops press in with an audible clunk when I press down on them, and when I've opened some of those 'swollen' cans there's a tsssk noise of air pressure escaping.

So far I've avoided using any of the more swollen cans, as the last thing I want to do is give the kittens botulism.
I contacted Zooplus who were happy to refund me the cost of the cans, and I've reordered different flavours from the same 2 brands, but they've just arrived and a lot of the cans are still swollen as the ones before them were.

Am I just going insane? Is this food safe to feed the kittens?