Posts Tagged ‘Healthy’

SPCA refuses to kill healthy stray cats

SPCA refuses to kill healthy stray cats

Gisborne’s stray cat population is set to skyrocket after the local SPCA decided it would no longer collect the animals because it no longer wanted to kill healthy cats.

Read more on Stuff

Got A Cat As A Pet? Here’s How To Keep Them Healthy…

Our pet cats are often as close to us as members of our family.
In fact, they virtually are members of our family! That’s why
cat owners should know as much as they can about cat health.
Here are the major things to know about caring for your pet cat
in a loving way:

GROOMING: Long-haired cats should be groomed regularly for
optimum cat health. Use a pet brush and groom no less frequently
than once a week.

DIET: Cat health is strongly affected by what your cat eats.
Obesity is a major factor in heart disease particularly as your
cat gets older. Choose a pet food for your cat that is right for
it’s age but feed it regularly. Consistency is the key to a
well-fed cat.

OLDER CATS: Some diseases occur simply because your cat is
getting older. These can be labeled elderly cat health problems.
As cats age their kidneys and eyesight fail and they may need
special diets.

LITTER: The litter box can be dangerous to both cat health and
human health if it isn’t cleaned regularly. Change your pet’s
litter no less than once every four days and keep a small dish
of baking soda near the litter area.

SCRATCHING: Scratching is a major cat health concern because if
a cat scratches regularly it is often a sign of other problems.
If your cat is scratching a particular area often try a
delousing product and then take your pet to the vet.

DECLAWING: Declawing your cat can be a major factor in Cat
health. If you choose to declaw your pet it is important to
remember to keep them inside at all times.

BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS: Many cat health problems relate to difficult
or uncommon behavior. Listlessness can be a symptom of
depression. Strange aggression is sometimes caused by hormone
imbalances.

STRESS: Your cat can easily get stressed out. Stressful
situations like moving, travelling, natural disasters or even
changes in the family can affect cat health. To minimize the
effects of stress on your pet, buy a tranquilizer for distance
travelling and have a place in your home where your cat can
escape if there are busy changes in the house.

POISON: Make sure dangerous poisons like antifreeze cannot be
reached by your pet. Some plants are fatal to cats so make sure
to raise your plants and lock your toxins.

PARASITES: Parasites such as ringworms, heart worms and rabies
can greatly affect cat health. Blood in a cat’s stool or
uncommon appetite are common signs of parasites.

MOUTH: Cats often have mouth diseases and this can influence cat
health. Cats are just as prone to gingivitis as humans. For
problems like rodents ulcer or bad breath, brush your cat’s
teeth with a small child’s toothbrush.

INDOORS/OUTDOORS: One of the greatest factors in determining cat
health is whether your pet goes outdoors. Cars, children, other
animals and toxins are all dangerous and should be avoided by
keeping your cat indoors.

Taking care of your cat is critical to your cats health.
Hopefully this article has provided you with information that
will make your pet’s life much safer, healthier, happier and
longer

Pet Grooming For a Healthy and Happy Pet!

Our pets are more than just animals who happen to live with us. They are also our friends and sometimes even our own family member. We should take care of them and even though some may raise an eyebrow, pet grooming is the “in” thing now.

Two of the most common pets that people have are dogs and cats. In this day and age these animals also have needs that we need to address. Since they are living with us we want them to be clean and we want them to smell good. That is why pet grooming is a must for any pet owner. Let’s take dogs for example they are very playful animals and most of the time we play with them in our gardens or in the park. In those areas they can accumulate millions of bacteria while running in the grass or mud. The very basic thing we can do is to give them a regular bath as part of pet grooming. This will not cost you much since you only need clean water and dog shampoo. Just make sure that you clean your dog well so that the germs can be removed. Also brushing the dog’s coat is recommended. This will remove tangles and dirt. It is also advised that you brush the dog’s teeth twice a week to remove stains and bad odor. You can purchase dog toothpaste and brushes in most pet stores. For added grooming you can visit pet salons which offer, nail maintenance, special fur treatment and other things that will make your dog more beautiful to look at.

Now let’s go to cats. They are much more difficult to handle than dogs when it comes to pet grooming. Since we all know that cats hate water they seldom take a bath and on the occasions that they do, you can be assured that it will be a very tough task for both you and your pet. But thankfully nowadays there are pet salons where you can avail of their services. Most of their services already include a bath, personal styling, trim of their fur and toenail trim. If you are willing to pay then this is a good and easy way to make sure your cat is well groomed. But if you prefer to give the cat a bath yourself then you should put him or her in a bathtub and put inside it something that he or she can cling to, like a wooden platform. The cat needs that so he or she will have something to scratch while you are giving the bath. After the bath use a towel to dry the cat. You can also comb the fur, especially for cats with long furs, they should be combed properly. As mentioned above, you can avail of grooming services in your local pet stores if you don’t have the time to do it yourself.

Pet grooming is essential so your pet will live a long and healthy life.

Healthy home-cooking for your pet

Healthy home-cooking for your pet

Vet Jennie answers your questions about pet care in this weekly advice column, created in partnership with the Bahrain Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA). We will also be highlighting each week just one of the animals in the BSPCA sanctuary, in the hope of finding each of them a loving home.

Read more on Gulf Daily News

Cat Accessories For A Healthy And Happy Pet Cat

When it is about taking proper care of the furry little cat of yours, then there is no doubt that you would wish nothing but the best for it. To enhance the living conditions of your much-loved pet cat and to enable its healthy living, pet cat accessories are a must necessity as well as a treat to them. Cat accessories and clothing is an essential feature to ensure the well being and health of your cat. There are various luxury accessories that can be effectively used for expressing the unique personality of the pet. As Internet has really simplified all the processes of life, you can browse through a huge plethora of cat grooming supplies, kitten supplies, cat supplies, cat accessories and pet supplies online.

Looking for great pet food and supplies and cat supplies online will enable you to make your choice from a large variety of products and that too on discounted rates. These days travel accessories for pet cats are quite popular as they need proper accommodation facilities while traveling with you on trips and tours.

Feeding

If you are really concerned about proper newborn kitten care then it is important to choose the right kind of water and food bowls. As young pets are clumsy, you must always opt for those bowls which do not tip over so easily. They should be sturdy and easy to clean as the pets need fresh water every time.

Grooming

When you browse through the pet supplies online, you will find a great number of cat grooming supplies. Dependant over the kind of pet cat, you can choose for the specific products. Some of the basic accessories comprise the brushes, combs, shampoo, clippers, styptic powder, toothpaste and tooth brushes. You may also pt for special fragrances to keep your pet smelling nice always.

Treats and toys

Every pet loves to play a lot, no matter what breed it belongs to. Getting some cute cat toys will certainly amuse your little kittens and even the grown up cats. Just make sure that the toys are of optimum size, neither too big nor too small. Small toys may be swallowed by the pets leading to dangerous repercussions while the larger ones create disinterest.

Bedding

If your pet cat keeps inside for longer durations of time then it is essential that you have a comfortable and good quality bedding arrangement for it. Among the various sizes of cat beds available online choose the one that fits for the size of your pet. You may browse through the ones that are meant especially for the specific breeds of cats so that your pet has maximum comfort while resting on it.

Leashes and collars

These days a great variety of cat collars are easily available online. Ranging from really fancy to designer leashes and collars, theses can be procured to add a quotient of style to the personality of your cat. When you buy a collar or leash for your pet, ensure that it is of the right size and fits in properly. It should not irk the pet and should be comfortable.

So, get these cat accessories for your pet now and ensure their safety, health and comfort to the maximum.

Newborn Kittens: How to Raise a Healthy One

The absolute best place for newborn kittens to be is with their mothers. They need valuable antibodies from her colostrum and need her constant licking and care. Sometimes newborn kittens are separated from their mothers and need to be raised by humans. Although this isn’t ideal, you can still raise healthy newborn kittens by hand.

Our world was turned upside down by a newborn kitten named Ricky Bobby. Our dog Shamrock, a huge German Shepard, brought a newborn kitten home in her mouth. She gently carried this brand new kitty and gently laid it down in front of us. Shamrock had always loved cats, but this was truly amazing. She was a kitten rescue dog!

Ricky Bobby still had his little umbilical cord and couldn’t have been more than a day old. We searched high and low for his momma, but never could find her. We decided that we were going to have to try and raise this newborn kitten on our own. We knew he had a very slight chance of survival, but we wanted to give him the best possible shot at a normal, healthy life.

Newborn kittens really need colostrum from their mothers, and although there are supplements you can buy, nothing beats that milk they get in the first 24 hours of life. Of course, we had no idea if Ricky Bobby had received his colostrum. We instantly made a homemade formula for him and then went and purchased some high quality commercially made formula as soon as we had the chance. It is important to get really good quality formula to give your kitten the best nutrition. Never give plain cow’s milk as it gives kitten’s diarrhea because they cannot digest it well.

Ricky had his good days and bad days. Some days he wouldn’t eat or eliminate well and would be very shaky. There were plenty of days when we didn’t think the little guy would make it through. We fed him round the clock and took him everywhere we went. He couldn’t be left alone for even an hour or so at the beginning.

We did everything we could to keep him warm and safe. Newborn kittens are very fragile and need constant care and attention. We fed him often and constantly stroked him and cuddled him. Raising a newborn kitten alone, without littermates is difficult. Newborn kittens with littermates will pile on top of each other for warmth and support. They feel safer having littermates near them, as they can feel their heartbeats and they know their smell. A newborn kitten that is alone needs extra care and attention from a human to simulate a mother or littermate.

Ricky Bobby made it through and is very affectionate. He came down with an inner ear infection at one point, that makes him walk with his head crooked. He looks and acts quite comical, but he is healthy and happy. Since he was hand raised he is very social. He has a very outgoing personality.

Raising newborn kittens can be tough. With a little information and persistence you can hand raise a healthy, happy cat.