Pet Advice: Free Pet Health Care Advice from Purina ONE® Experts

Jan has spent 22 years as an Animal Nutritionist. The last four years, she has worked at Nestlé Purina, helping to develop the great Purina ONE products that your dogs and cats love.

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Finicky Eating
Obesity in Older Cats

Got a specific question about your pet's health?
Dr. Larry McDaniel, our online veterinarian, has seen it all. Browse our Q&A section to see what advice the online vet has offered other pet owners with the same or a similar question. Or you can ask the vet yourself by submitting your question directly to Dr. McDaniel. Selected questions will be featured here on our website.

My five year old beagle has always been healthy and this morning did his usual urination and defecation session. This afternoon, after a day of being indoors while I worked, he suddenly cannot urinate. He squatted and tried, and a few droplets came out with what appears to be blood in it. He is otherwise alert, hungry and drinking water. Should I be alarmed or let it run its course?

Dr. Horwitz, a Veterinarian says:
Inability to urinate and blood in the urine that does pass are signs that need immediate veterinary attention. It is possible that there is a urinary blockage that is preventing the dog from passing urine and that could be a medical emergency. Veterinary care should be sought as soon as possible.

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I live in a normal one person household with my year old neutered male cat in the high desert of Nevada. I only feed my cat Purina ONE and give him a can of tuna as a treat on Sundays. He comes and goes as he pleases through a cat door and I do not need a litter box. Every single day of his life he brings home live prey and slaughters it in the master bath tub after he gets bored playing with it. His prey consists of birds, lizards, chipmunks, field mice and snakes. Last week he brought home a live baby sidewinder. Am I doing something wrong or is my pet a natural born killer? I would like this behavior to stop but I still want him to be a cat. Help.

Unfortunately many outdoor cats are very effective predators and can have devastating effects on rodents, reptiles and song birds if allowed to roam. There is no real reason why your cat needs to be outdoors to be a cat. They can stalk, chase and pounce on any number of cat toys especially if you make it a game. Indoor cats are generally healthier and are not exposed to many serious, life threatening diseases like feline leukemia. The only way to completely stop the behavior is to bring him inside. You could try putting a bell on his collar but this is not always effective.

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