Pet subjects: feline presence (Filed: 02/11/2002)

Celia Haddon answers your questions on ghostly cats, wary dogs and playful rabbits

I lost my beloved little black cat, Pickle, a few months ago, and the letter you ran in your column about "ghost" pets made my day. A few days after his peaceful end at the vet's surgery, I was grieving terribly and at night I had a strong feeling that he was lying by my legs in bed. This persisted for several nights.

I did not mention this to anyone because, being 87, I thought I was getting over-imaginative. Pickle and I were very close. Knowing that somebody else had had the same experience was a consolation. J W, north-west London

Many people who have lost a beloved pet have sensed its presence in some way - but not in the frightening way of a ghost.

"Shortly after we had our poodle put to sleep, I felt paws coming up the left side of my leg - his habitual route to me in bed," reported one reader. "Since then, I have seen the outline of a cat moving swiftly on different floors - so quickly that I am unable to tell which of our much-loved pussies it might be."

Sometimes the ghost pet is experienced by more than one person. "My sister and I had separate bedrooms but often, while wide awake in bed, would feel movement exactly as though Penny, our cat, had jumped up and walked along to curl up next to us," reported another reader.

"The experiences happened regularly, but they were most frequent during the first school holiday following her death. Sadly, we have never experienced it since leaving that house."

These are loving ghosts. "Whenever I settled to read in our small study, I would feel a bump on my lap followed by a distinctly warm feeling on my face, actually always my right cheek, as though being nuzzled or cat-licked. I had no doubt that this was our much-loved little cat, Timmy."

Some people have had a succession of ghost visitors. "Yes, Teakie, our lovely Burmese came back on to our bed many times after her death in 1988. Muffin died in the 1950s - again a heavy presence on the bed. And just recently, Thella returned outside my bedroom and purred happily just as she did in life. So there is no such thing as death, only life after life."

Sandy, our Labrador-whippet cross, is a rescue dog that had lived in a flat with other dogs but had never been out on a lead until he came to us. Now he loves his walks and is friendly to other dogs. But he is very wary of people he does not know, particularly elderly people in crowded areas. He barks at them or shrinks away under our feet to get away. He never growls or bites.

He has made friends with our elderly mother, who gives him treats, but he still isn't comfortable with her. Is there anything we can do to help him cope? R B, West Monkseaton, Tyne and Wear

Don't force him into fearful situations, because even the most loving dog can bite if it is terrified and feels cornered.

"Giving treats to a dog can be threatening, because the hand movements frighten it," says Katie Patmore, a dog behaviour counsellor (39 Banner Cross Road, Sheffield S11 9HQ). "It's better if your mother seems to ignore Sandy but uses a low hand movement to throw down the treats on the floor to the left and right of her."

Well-meaning advances from people offering food or saying "nice dog" will just frighten Sandy more. "If a lion offered me a chocolate I would still be terrified," she says. "Walk him through crowded areas at a brisk pace so that people don't try to make friends with him, and he knows that he's not going to have to stay there."

A muzzle doesn't just protect people from dogs; it also protects dogs. People, who might otherwise try to pat them, steer clear. "If you are likely to have to spend time with Sandy in a crowded area, or stop to talk to somebody, then put a Baskerville muzzle on him," says Katie Patmore.

"You can cut off the end of it so that he can eat treats. Dribble some treats on the floor for him to eat while you are there so he thinks about food."

With a frightened dog, it is better to be safe than sorry.

Do you know of any specialist dealers in rabbit toys? Our rabbits, Silver and Midnight, have a collection of toys but most of them were designed for parrots. Is nobody catering for the playful rabbit market? C P, by email

At last they are. Bunny Bazaar (0121 243 2337) has a good catalogue with chewing toys. Bunnymail (www.bunnymail.co.uk) is a website selling willow, grass, wood and dried cactus toys. It also sells hammocks for rats and some lovely hamster toys. If you want to put Midnight or Silver on cards or paper weights, send an sae to Jane McInnes, 59 Richmond Park Road, Bournemouth BH8 8TU.

# Celia Haddon regrets that she cannot answer all readers' letters personally. All sick animals should, of course, be taken to a vet. Email your pet queries to pets@telegraph.co.uk

-- Anonymous, November 01, 2002