Featured Articles
Cat Litter and the Environment – Pet tip 178
Did you know that in the United States alone there are 100 000 trucks of kitty litter dumped in landfills every year? That’s over 2 million tones of clay, or silica, that sits in landfills almost forever. In this article …
Kittens and Birth Infections – Pet tip 241
When kittens are born they are extra small and fragile. This increases their potential of becoming ill or getting an infection. Infections in newborn kittens are quite serious as their bodies are small and they have not built up adequate immunity against many diseases or potential infections that may harm them. This article will focus on three infections that can affect newborn kittens; umbilical infections, toxic milk syndrome and septicemia.
When a female cat (aka a queen) gives birth, she will bite open the amniotic sac that surrounds the kitten. She will then chew through the umbilical cord of the kitten. Normally there are no problems.
Socializing your Puppy
Socialization
Until they reach 16 to 18 weeks of age, a puppy will be in a socialization period. This period is the most important and critical in its life. Every effort should be made to socialize your puppy; meaning to …
Toy dog breed
As more and more people begin to populate our towns and cities, more and more dog owners are choosing miniature and toy breeds as their canine companions. Their small stature makes them excellent apartment dogs, easy travel buddies, and a …
Aggressive Cats
Tim Cuthbertson has a long scratch down his arm, now nearly healed. It’s the latest reminder of his cat’s favorite game—wrestling.
“Once a day, he’ll come up and bite me on the arm,” Mr. Cuthbertson said. “The only time it’s really annoying is when he’ll do it when I’m trying to sleep. He’ll come up and bite me on the face.”
Cat aggression falls into several categories: play aggression, defensive aggression, misdirected aggression, and territorial status aggression.
Aggression toward people is a problem most commonly associated with dogs, but cat owners also deal with this issue. Though it’s not one of the top 10 reasons for turning cats over to shelters, it plays a significant role in the number of cats turned over for behavioral reasons. A 2000 study of 12 shelters by the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy, published in the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, found that about 14 percent of owners turning in their cats for behavioral reasons only listed aggression toward people as the basis, with about 9 percent citing biting. The numbers dropped only slightly, to about 11 and 8 percent, respectively, for mixed behavioral and non-behavioral reasons.
Cat Communication
Cats do not use words and vocabulary like we do, but they still communicate with one another. Imagine a society without words, where you can determine someone’s mood by just looking at them. Where you can have an entire conversation …
Canine Distemper
What is distemper?
Distemper is a highly contagious viral disease of domestic dogs. Some other species, including ferrets, skunks, and raccoons, are also affected by this disease.
How is the disease spread?
The virus is spread primarily by direct contact …
Dogs with osteochondritis dissecans
There are many reasons for a dog to have a sore leg. For example, it could have stepped on something sharp. If your dog looks like it is in pain, it is always a good idea to take it to …
Tip 69 – Hairballs in cats – cat has hairballs – treating a hairball problem
Hairballs (trichobezoars) are balls of hair that end up in a cat’s stomach when the cat licks its fur as part of its regular grooming routine. Since cats spend about 10% of their waking hours grooming themselves primarily by licking …
