After all the planning and research, finally collecting your new pet is a very exciting time! Understandably your new housemate may be a little nervous or missing their mother, so you want to make this transition period as stress-free as possible. Vanessa and Maggie give you tips on what you need to do to make things go smoothly including what information you need from the breeder or adoption centre, how to set up the house to give the new arrival a space of their own and how to gradually introduce them to the rest of the family including other pets. We want to set you up for many happy years together.

For many years most cats were non-pedigree moggies, but things are changing and more people are acquiring purebred cats. Maggie and Vanessa discuss how some conformational problems in dogs are now being seen in cats due to the human desire to have a cute or unusual pet. They explain why flat faces, short legs, folded ears, being bald, wrinkled or tailless causes welfare issues in a species that has evolved to be perfect for its ecological niche. They discuss the dangers breeding wildcat hybrids and why these do not make good pets.

Cats were once worshipped as gods and they’ve never forgotten it! But why did the Egyptians love cats so much and what part did they play in their domestication? Vanessa and Maggie delve into the history of how cats came to be such a widespread form of rodent control and then much-loved pets. They were already excellent hunters and clean, affectionate pets that didn’t need to be modified for human use so why did the Victorians want to develop different cat breeds? We chat about these moggie mysteries and discuss the growing number of cat breeds.