Studies have shown that rabbits value companionship as much as food, and it’s now seen as cruel to keep a rabbit alone.

Can you give me tips on hand-rearing kittens? We have a colony of feral cats near us and I’ve witnessed several litters of kittens being abandoned and subsequently dying. I find it so upsetting and I would like to try to rescue the tiny creatures if this happens again.

It’s time-consuming and challenging to rear kittens by hand, and the best answer would be for you to work with a local cat rescue group so that the cat colony can be managed to reduce kitten production rather than just dealing with one litter. If you do rescue young kittens to be hand-reared, the rule is to use a special powdered cat milk replacement powder rather than cow’s milk. 

Follow the instructions on the packaging to make sure you use this correctly. Feed them little and often, as their stomachs are small, and weigh them daily to ensure that they are gaining 10–15g every day. You need to wipe under their tails after every feed to get them to the toilet; they do not do this by themselves and can end up with problems if you don’t help them in this way. They can be gradually weaned onto semi-solid food from three to four weeks of age. To learn more about feral cats, see ispca.ie/feralcatawareness.

My terrier is 17 years old, and she is gradually declining, but I don’t think I can face having her euthanised by the vet. I would feel like I was choosing to kill her which I would not be able to cope with. I would prefer to let her die naturally, in peace, just like humans are allowed to do. Is there such a thing as a hospice for pets? 

Hospices for pets do exist in the USA but they have not yet reached Ireland. Instead, pet owners need to work with their vets to ensure that pets are given optimal palliative care as the end of their lives approaches. The big difference between humans and pets is that humans can usually communicate their pain or discomfort; there’s a serious worry that if pets are just left to die on their own, they could endure significant suffering without being able to tell us. Additionally, a dying pet may experience a sudden period of distress, such as difficulty breathing or seizures, that would be impossible to manage well in a home environment. 

For these reasons, most vets prefer to step in to help an elderly pet die calmly, painlessly and peacefully via an injection when it becomes obvious that they don’t have much longer (e.g. when they have stopped eating and become inactive). Of course, this would be very difficult for you, but when compared to the risk of your pet becoming deeply distressed at the very end, it’s possible to see it as a better option. Euthanasia means “good death”, and that is the aim. Please discuss this in more detail with your own vet, so that plans can be put in place before you are faced with an immediate crisis.

My dog Millie accidentally ate a small foil sweet wrapper (with no sweet inside). Two days later, she hasn’t passed it yet. She is acting completely normally — eating, drinking, not vomiting, and she has no visible signs of discomfort. Should I be worried about this? How long would this take to pass through her system?

As long as Millie stays bright and well, with no signs of illness, there is no reason to be worried. First, a foil sweet wrapper is very unlikely to become stuck in the intestines, because it is so small and flexible. Second, if it did begin to cause any problem at all, Millie would become dull, start to vomit, and would stop seeming "normal". It can take up to five days for a small object to pass through the digestive system, so it's very likely that she will pass this soon. 

Objects like sweet wrappers can be significantly changed when passing through the digestive tract, making it easy to miss if she does pass this in her droppings. Don’t overstress yourself by checking her droppings for evidence: if a swallowed object did cause an obstruction, a dog would become very obviously unwell, and so as long as she is well, there isn’t likely to be any sort of problem.

I am considering getting a pet rabbit for my eight-year-old son, but the pet shop told me that I should get two rather than one. I am concerned that they may just be trying to double their sales! I know many people with just one rabbit: is there really an issue with this? And do you have any other tips for a novice rabbit owner?

The pet shop is telling you the truth — rabbits are social creatures, born to enjoy the company of other rabbits. Studies have shown that rabbits value companionship as much as food, and it’s now seen as cruel to keep a rabbit alone. You will need to get both rabbits spayed (female) or neutered (male) so you need to factor these costs into your budget. You also need to set up the right accommodation: rabbits need a large, secure enclosure that gives them the space to exercise and display their natural behaviours (running, jumping, digging etc). 

You’ll need to get the rabbits vaccinated at your local vet, against myxomatosis and viral haemorrhagic disease. People sometimes think that rabbits are inexpensive pets, but if you are going to do things properly, there are unavoidable costs that can add up to a lot.

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