Pleasing 4 Pets

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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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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Whether it is for financial or health reasons increasing numbers of pet owners in the UK are considering offering their pet a diet of the home made variety.

But what exactly do animals require in their basic diets?

Anne Tebb, a chief veterinary surgeon at Bristol University revealed:-

“Cats and dogs, like all animals, require six components for a healthy diet. These are water, carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals. Although cats and dogs are classified as carnivores, their nutritional requirements are different”.

The greatest difference between canines and felines is that cats require a high protein diet, making them poor vegetarians, whereas surprisingly a dog actually requires just 10%.

Both animals also need calories and this should be taken into consideration when preparing pet food at home. In shop bought foods calories are most often added in the form of cereals.

The head of the British Small Animal Veterinary Association advised :-

“Sledge dogs need 10,000-13,000 calories a day, whereas a Yorkie that spends most of the day on someone’s lap would probably need only 1,000. If your pet is gaining weight, then it is either being fed too much or is not getting enough exercise.”

Home made pet food requires careful planning but is perfectly viable with the assistance and advice of a good vet. Recommended ingredients include lean mincemeat, bulgar lecithin, kelp, vegetables in addition to iron and vitamin A,C and E supplements provided by a vet.

The credit crunch has lead to a reduction in spending throughout many households in the UK, and those who haven’t yet curbed their spending are now looking for ways to reduce their outgoings.

According to a study carried out recently the average UK pet owner spends somewhere in the region of £3.50 each week on food for their pets, 50p more than is spent on average per household per person on vegetables and fruit.

From the bog standard meat in jelly ranges to the finest gourmet varieties, the pet food industry in the UK is worth an incredible £1.9billions per year.

It is believed that the further into recession the UK slips, the less likely it is that pet owners will continue to purchase expensive pet foods and will instead offer the pets scraps from the family table and cheaper pet food alternatives.

Many pet owners in the USA, prompted by the dramatic downturn in their economy, and high numbers of pet foods recalled by manufacturers are attempting to produce home made pet foods.

Home produced calorie restricted or organic diets for domestic pets are popular in the United States and there are increasing numbers of pet nutritionists on hand to offer pet owner’s advice on improving their pet’s diet and encouraging the production of home made pet food.

But just how easy is it to produce a good quality home made pet food. One leading vet and pet nutritionist from Bristol University recommended that animal lovers deliberating whether to prepare their own pet food should consult a veterinary surgeon for advice on balancing a their pets diet, and said recently:-

“It is possible to feed pets home-made diets, but there are numerous potential problems that can arise if the diet is not correctly balanced.

In a study of home-made food for dogs, certain nutrients were below recommendations. Ready-prepared, shop-bought food contains the correct amount of nutrients to keep your pet fit.”

A shelter which homes abandoned cats has been flooded with new additions as the declining economic climate in the UK drives pet owners to discard their pets.

The Cats Protection unit in the village of Nuthall in Nottinghamshire has the facility to shelter 30 cats but currently has 44 in house with a waiting list of at least 200 more.

The Deputy Manager at the unit, Debbie Heathcote commented:-

“There has been an increase in the number of people needing us – the phone calls have gone up dramatically.

We are starting to hear more that people cannot afford them.

This year will probably see more cats coming in.

This means the numbers on the waiting list will go up.

The quicker we can home the cats, the quicker we can get them off the waiting list.”

Over the course of 2008 the centre was home to around 84 stray cats, 33 abandoned moggies and 173 other cats whose owners decided that they were no longer able to keep them, mostly because they couldn’t afford to look after them.

The Cats Protection unit at Nutall covers the entire Nottingham area in addition to Long Eaton. Its doors are open from the hours of 11.00am until 3.00pm daily, including weekends.

For further information on Cats Protection in the Nottingham area call 01159
386 557.

It has been reported that the infamous Battersea Cats and Dogs home has reached its full capacity for the very first time in its history.

Another animal charity the Dogs Trust has confirmed that it also is running at full capacity.

During 2008 so far, Battersea has taken in 6,430 stray dogs, a massive increase from 5,335 throughout the whole of 2007.

Not only are record number of animals being abandoned, charities are finding it progressively more difficult to find them new homes as even animal lovers are forced to tighten their belts in view of the current economic climate.

It is feared that the increasing numbers of abandoned animals finding their way to charitable organisations will reach record proportions in 2009.

An estimated 131,400 are given as gifts at Christmastime each year, and worried animal charities believe that huge numbers could be abandoned when the festive season is over.

The Chief Executive of Battersea Cats and Dogs home commented:-

“While we think part of the rise in numbers of strays is because people can’t afford to keep their dogs any more so are dumping them on the streets, we’re also worried that people losing their dogs don’t know where to turn to try and find them.”

Woman forbidden by courts to keep pets

Sylvia Bailey aged 67 if Stevenage was found guilty by Stevenage Magistrates Court of failing to care adequately for her 22 cats whilst bringing about unnecessary suffering to 17 of them.

Bailey was prosecuted after the RSPCA found and rescued the cats from her home in Sefton Road, Stevenage. She was ordered by the court to pay out £500 towards the cost of the hearing.

In court she denied the accusations, claiming that she had kept the cats in a hygienic environment but admitted that she had been unable to meet the expense of veterinary treatment.

In December 2007, RSPCA officials visited the house in Sefton Road after locals contacted them to express concerns that the cats were being kept in unsanitary and inadequate conditions.

The RSPCA informed her that a number of her cats were suffering from dental and skin complaints which required immediate veterinary treatment.

Some eight weeks later when the officers returned, none of the cats were found to have received veterinary care and so all 22 cats were removed from Baileys’ care.

The RSPCA vet who examined the cats confirmed that 13 of them had severe dental disease, and a number of others had huge numbers of ear mites, untreated skin conditions and in growing claws.

The examining vet found that 13 cats were suffering from untreated dental disease, while others were identified as suffering from ear mite infestations, in-growing claws and skin problems.

An RSPCA official said:-

“These cats were kept in an entirely unsuitable environment and were denied veterinary treatment.

“All the cats are now healthy and thankfully will eventually go to new, caring homes.”

As the owner of a cat, it’s easy to forget that the ordinary behaviour that they exhibit were traditionally the reasons that they were kept as pets. In days gone by cats were kept as a way to avoid infestations of pests such as rats and mice.

All felines encompass a natural instinct and desire to hunt. The majority of household cats typically prefer to hunt at dawn or duck, opting to pursue weaker and smaller creatures as prey. They each have the required physical capabilities and skills to be successful and proficient hunters.

However, the domestic cats that we know and love often do not choose to seek prey on a daily basis, and when they do hunt, will do so for their own entertainment or amusement and not as a means of acquiring food for themselves. Even the most satisfied and submissive cat will hunt, since they appear to delight in the stalking, pursuit and ambush of smaller, fast moving prey.

After a hunt your cat may often bring you his prey as a gift, an action which he expects to receive praise for, since he believes that he has displayed considerable skill and prowess in order to bring you his prize.

As a means of discouraging their pets from hunting some owners will attach a bell to their cats’ collar to alert birds or other possible prey to their presence. However the vast majority of felines are skilled enough to learn how to keep the bell quiet when hunting and an obvious downside of wearing a bell is that it may alert other predators to the presence of your cat, making them more vulnerable in the outside world.

Believe it or not, in the same way that humans leave an environmental foot print, their pets can also leave an environmental paw print. But as the more green savvy amongst today’s pet lovers know, there are a variety of ways that you can ease your animal companions’ impact on the environment.

For a start, canine faeces poses more of an environmental issue than many pet owners appreciate, particularly for those living in urban areas. The copious amounts of concrete found in our towns and cities acts as a run-off for animal waste, transporting it into ponds and water courses. The micro-organisms that flourish on animal faeces devour oxygen in ponds, which in turn has a detrimental effect on many forms of pond life, this makes the need for pond pumps and filters even more important than ever before.

Faeces left by our feline friends also offers a first-rate residence for a number of unpleasant parasites including toxoplasmosis which is now acknowledged as being able to endure standard sewage treatment, and can find its way into our oceans, damaging marine life.

The obvious answer is not to allow cats or dogs to relieve themselves anywhere there is the possibility that the waste might have access to drains. Dog owners are already familiar with ‘bag it ‘n’ bin it’ practices, but the advanced green option would be to use eco-friendly bags that will biodegrade within in a matter of weeks.

There are also environmentally friendly choices available for cat litter these days. It is worth bearing in mind that Sodium Bentonite or clay-based cat litters carry a coating of silica which is known for its carcinogenic properties and is a recognised factor in some respiratory disorders. You can reduce your kitty’s carbon paw print by using one of the many 100% biodegradable cat litters that are currently on the market.

You can also lessen the ecological impact that your pet has on the planet by controlling what you feed them. Substitute commercial pet food, which frequently includes unhealthy and unnatural additives and preservatives, with organic pet food. In today’s society there is a much greater range of organic pet provisions than you might think.

Getting a new kitten can be a very exciting and pleasurable time, but it is worth bearing in mind that it can be an enormously stressful time for your kitten. You should think very carefully about taking on such a big responsibility since your new pet will be just a baby and will have been separated from his Mother and siblings in order to join you.

Your kitten will likely be upset and anxious when you first take him home. Make sure that his first few hours with you are in a calm and peaceful environment. Gently encourage him to play to occupy him, or encourage him to sit on your lap to sooth him. Avoid introducing him straight into a noisy environment if at all possible, as this may distress him further.

Your new kitten shouldn’t be separated from his Mother before he is 8 weeks old, this will avoid any unnecessary behavioural difficulties later on. He will need to be fed at least 4 times daily at first, so you need to make sure that you have the time required to dedicate to him. If your kitten will be alone for long periods of time, say for example when you are out at work during the day, you should contemplate getting 2 kittens, this way they can keep each other company when you are not able to be around. Kittens of the same sex are usually more compatible as companions

In time he will grow accustomed to his new habitat, and the general noise and routine of your household will bother him less as time goes on. Your kitten will require all the help that you can offer him to adjust to his new life, so it’s important that you are patient and affectionate with him, particularly during his settling in period.