Mar 04
2010
Ben| Category: Cats |
Ever come downstairs in the morning to find a pile of cat vomit on the carpet? Do your cats bully each other to get to the food? Do they try to trip you up whenever you’re in the kitchen, constantly getting under your feet?
They have as much food as is recommended, but they are sick because of how much they eat. A good old catch 22.
Often, the reason cats are sick isn’t because they are eating too much, but that they are eating too quickly. If there are more than two cats, they may feel that their food is threatened, so will eat it quickly before anyone else gets chance to.
Or, if they are fed at irregular intervals, they may feel they don’t know when the next batch of food is going to be there, so they scoff it all down as quickly as they can.
One solution (which worked for a good friend’s two cats, and for my four cats) is to leave a full bowl of biscuits down at all times. That way, if they’re hungry, they can eat. Put down meat once (or twice) a day at set times, and they may eat what they want and go back to it later.
You may find yourself throwing away bits of dried meat in the bottom of bowls more often than before, but I can guarantee that’s better than scooping up half-digested biscuits.
May 29
2009
Nicola| Category: Cats, Dogs |
I dont know about you but i dont ever let my dog or cat on the sofa, i dont think that is very nice for my friends and family to come inti the house and sit where my pet has left its hair. On the other hand i do feel very guilty when i am sat on a comfortable sofa and my dog is sat in its awkwards looking uncomfortable dog basket.
I was looking for something that i thought would be more comfortable and came across bean bagsfor your pet. They look at a lot more comfortable than the basket he already has, they can come in a variety of sizes, colours and it is great place for your pet to rest and snuggle. They are made to make your pet feel like it is a nesting area which will prevent your pet from shedding fur elsewhere.
The bean bags are easy to move around so you can put them in the car or take on holiday. The other great thing is that you can take the cover off them and put it in the washing machine, they are very durable and long lasting. I think that both mty cat and dog would love one.
Apr 19
2009
Nicola| Category: Cats |
When looking to buy a cat as a pet it is important to decide where you would wish to buy your pet from. This decision can be very important because where you buy your pet from can affect the condition, temperament and quality of your pet cat all together. There are many options including pet shops, private breeders and also rescue homes.
Should you choose to obtain your cat from a rescue home you will find a variety of cats and ages, this is because many cats across the country, every year become homeless or abandoned from kittens, to cats and older cats, due to careless owners and through no reason of their own fault.
A cats behaviour is usually assessed upon their arrival and if needed they are often given remedial training before they are offered up for re-homing, meaning that the cats or kittens that are offered are usually very suitable for owning as a loyal and lovable pet. As well as all ages most rescue homes will have a variety of breeds, not only cross breeds but pedigree breeds too however the cats breeding and background details are often not known to be exact, though , this should not make a difference unless there is an intention to breed or show the cat. But, if the intent is to show the cat then it is probably more beneficial to buy from a private breeder.
Mar 30
2009
Nicola| Category: Cats |
Looking for a guaranteed rewarding and loving relationship with your cat? Your feline friend may appear independent and well trained but he will rely on you for so much more; food and water, care and companionship. But, there are certain essentials for you to follow.
Whatever happens you don’t want to find yourself without you feline friend, and to ensure your pal is returned home safely, make sure they’re suited and booted with a collar and name tag that includes your name address and telephone number. In case they take the great escape and slip out of the window. And on top of that be sure to follow your local cat registration laws. An ill kitty is not a happy kitty, so take your cat to the local veterinarian for regular check-ups. Also, having your cat spayed or neutered will help to keep them healthy. Make sure that your cat has a good balanced diet; it’s not just you that has to mind the waistline.
Finally have you cat trained. No scratching the furniture, or dad’s lucky slippers, sky diving off the wardrobe or sliding across the kitchen surfaces. Don’t be taken to believing cats are impossible to train; they’re not, you just need time and patience.
Feb 22
2009
Nicola| Category: Cats |
In Houston, Texas, last week, a cat was heard meowing high up on a 6 story support pillar on the Houston freeway. The striped grey kitten was spotted high up and seemed to be stranded unable to get down so a lift had to be used to take a worker up the pillar to rescue the cat.
Charles Jantzen, an SPCA investigator claims that the cat will have fallen through the expansion joint of the freeway and fallen or landed on the pillar, no one is quite sure how the kitten had managed to climb so high or get there in the first place and it was obvious that the female kitten had wandered far from home and may have been missing for quite a while. Rescuers, however, are not sure just how long the kitty may have been stranded for on the pillar.
The rescue mission was videoed and showed Charles Jantzen gently coaxing the frightened kitten to him and grabbing the kitten to safety. Mr Jantzen claimed the cat was most certainly dehydrated and would get special treatment from the SPCA.
It was a nearby resident, Blake McGee who had heard the marooned feline when he was walking past the pillar one evening, when he realised the sound was coming from way above him he realised that there was a stuck cat needing help.
The equipment which had to be used by the SPCA in the rescue was an extended liftable platform.
Feb 20
2009
Ben| Category: Cats |
It is predicted that the 9 million pet cats that are owned in the UK are killing over 150 million small animals a year and scientists have just produced an electronic tracking system to try and prove it.
Wildlife researchers are equipping 200 neighbourhood cats with electronic tags which mean that the researchers can monitor the cats to discover how much wildlife is destructed by the average feline.
Most experts believe that the 9 million domestic cats in the UK are killing mice, birds, moles, rabbits and a variety of other wildlife creatures each year. In the case of the house sparrow, they are becoming rarer and their numbers have dropped sharply – cat predators could be a serious threat to the end of this species.
Rebecca Dulieu a Reading University biologist, has set up the experiment which should provide the real answers to how threatening the average cat is to wildlife using electronic tracking tagged to computer analysis which are able to monitor unprecedented detail in the cat’s movements.
“We know what cats do in our homes - they sleep,” said Dulieu. “But we have virtually no idea of what they get up to outdoors, particularly at night. Now we can find out.”
Guinness, is a recruit for the experiment, he is an 11 year old average black cat whose owner is Robert Davey, IT engineer. Robert has been provided with a diary so he is able to record the kill record of his cat with a plastic storage bag to store the animal bodies. The dead bodies are passed to Rebecca Dulieu for analysing.
“We have found our cats are bringing back, on average, 4.8 dead animals a year,” Dulieu said. “Most are mice but there are also rats, dormice and shrews. Birds make up about a third of the total. One cat even brought back a weasel.”
Feb 17
2009
Ben| Category: Cats, Dogs |
Dog and cat owners have been advised by the government that they need to provide their pets with both ‘mental stimulation’ and ‘entertainment.’
The government’s new code of practice provides advice on the diet of pets and suitable places for pets to go to the toilet.
Further advice includes how owners can tell when their pets are under stress and also gives advice on how to introduce cats to dogs without fighting.
Whilst owners can’t be fined for breaking the rules as set out in the new code of practice they can be prosecuted for animal cruelty.
The code was outlined by the department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) who claimed that they felt it was important to reiterate to pet owners the responsibilities as set out by the 2006 Animal Welfare Act.
The document for cat welfare is twenty six pages and begins with the following warning to cat owners: “It is your responsibility to read the complete Code of Practice to fully understand your cat’s welfare needs and what the law requires you to do.”
Hilary Benn, Environment secretary said: “Cats need opportunities to climb and jump, such as a simple ‘platform’ type bed or safe access to shelves and the tops of cupboards. Cats that are not very tame, such as some farm cats, may prefer to live outdoors in more basic shelter but you still need to look after them. Dogs should be introduced to cats very carefully; the dog should be held safely on a lead at first so that it cannot chase the cat,” she added.
Feb 14
2009
Tanya| Category: Cats, Dogs |
It is a sad fact that many people call cats names and demonise these beautiful felines as if they were evil, clawing creatures. Perhaps the stigma from hundreds of years gone by surrounding cats lives on into this day and age. No matter where its source is there are many ill-educated people who misunderstand these loving and graceful animals. It seems to often come from a bad childhood experience where a cat has scratched or bitten a child or due to the fears and misconceptions of a parent being passed on to their children.
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Feb 12
2009
Ben| Category: Cats |
If you have more than one cat you will at some point get to witness the ferocity and violence of a cat fight! In a multi-cat household you’ll have one cat that usually chooses to take on the alpha cat role. This cat will always be the one that wants to be fed first and will demand the most attention. However on the day where the other cats muster up the courage to knock him off his lofty alpha position the fur will really fly!
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Jan 27
2009
Tanya| Category: Cats, Dogs, General, Pets |
A medical technique which has traditionally been used to detect illness and disease in humans is now being used to uncover medical problems in pet in South Wales.
The Bridge Veterinary Group in Caerphilly has the use of a mobile MRI scanner one a month.
The MRI scans are able to produce in depth images of parts of an animal’s body, cost somewhere in the region of £1,000 per scan and take around 40 minutes to complete.
Graham Blow, a partner at the Bridge Veterinary Group revealed that the scans had made a huge difference in the group’s ability to diagnose medical problems in pets.
He said:-
“We had a dog in there with severe neck pain and we had done tests but what was diagnosed probably wouldn’t have been possible without MRI.
Sometimes you might look and see something is inoperable and you wouldn’t put the animal through an operation. It can alleviate unnecessary suffering in that case.”
Before now, any domestic pet needing an MRI scan would have been directed to other veterinary surgeries in England.
Now vets throughout South Wales will be able to send poorly pets to be scanned at Bridge Surgeries car park where the mobile scanner is available once a month.
The scanners have been used previously in many safari parks and zoos, and have helped to diagnose illnesses in animals such as gorillas, lions and even sharks.
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