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Pet owners believe different things about their cat health care and dog health care practices, but not all of them are true, so it is worth evaluating what is right and what isn’t before its too late. Naturally, pet owners want the best for their pets, but a series of bad decisions or incorrect knowledge could bode badly.

Misconception 1: Neutering my cat or dog is bad for its health

Neutering your cat or dog does not necessarily impact on its health, but many fear that it does. There are some that feel that neutering turns the animal into a couch potato. It might seem lazy, but others would view this as loyalty, as dogs and cats stick closer to home and are less likely to wander once they have been neutered. In truth though, people do fear that neutering and spaying can shorten an animal’s life, but there is nothing to back this up at the moment.

Misconception 2: Dogs know when they have done something wrong

Wrong! This is not always true. It is fair to say that many dogs aren’t aware of being naughty and if they don’t get told about it, they will continue to do it. The best way to tell your dog it has done something wrong is to make sure it gets pointed out. Pro-active training like this is good. Sometimes, shouting and shrieking to a dog can seem like praise, so you have to change your voice pitch to let them know what is right and wrong. One thing that should most definitely be stopped is hitting dogs. In fact, no dog health care routine should involve hitting the pet. Mistreating cats is also not advised – no cat health care practice should involve this.

Check with a vet if you are concerned about something not being accurate with your dog health care and cat health care practices. A vet is a good person to talk to as they are adept at dealing with all cat health care and dog health care issues.

My family run an animal sanctuary in Birmingham, England. There at times when we feel like tearing our hair out as some of the owners really could do with one hell of a shake; they certainly are not fit to look after a dog and some are just so uncaring it defies belief. They should not be seen as just a bit of fun which they can then get rid of when they get bored.

In more recent years I have started to become less and less involved with the running of the sanctuary. I work in other sectors including upvc doors, offering a how to stop stuttering course and advising people about medical negligence claims.

Many people arrive at the animal sanctuary with their pets, which are mainly dogs, with many excuses as to why they are no longer able to look after or care for them. I am sure many of their reasons are valid but am also aware that many others are just an excuse to offload them.

The excuses they give are varied:

I have broken up with my long time boyfriend/girlfriend and this was their dog – I certainly do not want it as it reminds me of my ex-partner.

The dog has started to bite my children

The dog is too difficult to handle and is destroying my furniture

We are no longer living in a house; we are now living in a top floor flat. One of their rules is that no animals can live in these flats

The dog barks to much and it is upsetting the neighbours

Our other animals do not like the dog

The dog is affecting my health

I am too ill to look after my dog

We also keep many of the dogs as our own pets, especially the ones which nobody else seems to want. I would have to say that my favourite out of all of these dogs is a dog called Cassie. She is full of life and has been ill treated it seems when she was a puppy. Half of her left ear is missing and she is seemingly quite afraid of men.

At the outset Cassie had to be treated with a lot of love and sincerity as she had a real lack of trust in human beings. She can be too lively at times which is possibly why three people who attempted to re-home her, have bought her back. She is not aggressive in any way but does tend to jump up at people.

Cassie has proven to be a welcome addition to our family and she is now really starting to feel at home; she certainly loves all of the toys that we have bought her.

With a little more patience most other dogs can turn out this way. This is why we want more people to take more responsibility and to give their animals more of a chance to settle into their homes, and to get used to a new set of rules.

With the exception of Antarctica, snakes are everywhere on the globe in warm and temperate geographical areas. Snakes vary in size from a few centimeters to more than nine meters in the case of the anacondas or the pythons. Venomous snakes are a minority in this incredibly large reptile family, but venom they inject in prey is so powerful that it could cause the death of a human being within a few minutes. According to studies, the history and origins of snakes are lost in the Cretaceous period, some 150 million years ago, when snakes are assumed to have evolved from a lizard and adapted to a different living environment.

Primitive distinctive marks of this ancestry are still present with some snakes, this is the case with pythons and boas that still carry hind limbs remains, which only make us think of a past when snakes resembled lizards a lot more. Snakes or serpents are present in all cultures, carrying symbolic meanings and being widely illustrated in the arts. Mankind hunted down or worshiped snakes throughout its history; yet, modern attitudes have changed towards snakes particularly under the emphasis of the ecological movements that insist on the importance of these creatures for the balance of ecosystems. And they couldn’t be more right.

Fascinating details in the lives of snakes indicate that not everything has been discovered about the many existing species. Thus, it is interesting to study how the patterns on the body of snakes differentiate between individuals even within the same species. Then, snakes’ response to vibrations, the superior sense of smell and even the reception of low frequency sounds make them pretty out of the ordinary. Infrared sensitivity and the ability to detect body warmth from the distance, causes further awe among snakes researchers.

Common habitats for humans and snakes are a reality, and people living in areas with a higher variety of snake species and sub-species develop skills to distinguish between the hazardous or harmless varieties, and thus they reduce the risk of snakebites. Non-venomous snakes could also bite and injure one seriously when threatened, therefore, a healthy attitude towards such animals will save you a lot of trouble. Do not attempt to catch, hunt or kill snakes: they only feed and defend themselves as they cannot hold grudge and follow you just for the sake of biting. Be extremely cautious when keeping snakes as pets.

We all know that cats are loving and truly wonderful creatures. These days, it isn’t out of the ordinary to see a cat in virtually every other home, sleeping in the window or cuddling up on the laps of their owners.

Although cats have been popular pets for as long as most can remember, they weren’t domesticated less than 5,000 years or so ago. Domestication took place in the valley of the Nile, which is what research tells us today.

[Learn more about the amazing cat species]

Before, people were grateful to cats and encouraged them to go ahead and stay with them by feeding with scraps of food. The cats were then encouraged to move permanently with the humans, once they were fed properly and perceived that humans were not a threat.

As time went on, even the cats that were wild were able to approach the humans and allow themselves to be touched and held.

In those days, cats were very loyal and endearing pets.  They proved to be great hunters, as they done their sleeping in short periods and were much easier to wake up than dogs.  Cats also have better night vision than dogs, and much better hearing as well.

Cats have acute hearing that if they heard suspicious noises; they would wake up while the dogs would sleep right through it. Most humans loved having cats and they are perfect animals to go along with dogs too.

These days, cats are used for both companionship and show. They aren’t used much at all for hunting mice and rodent anymore at all. There are a lot of breeds available, from the traditional alley cat to the well known Siamese.

The type of breed will differ, but any cat will provide you with years of companionship if you take care of them properly.

Before you get a kitten or older cat, you’ll first want to examine the source.  If you are getting the kitten from a breeder, you’ll want to make sure that the breeder has a reputable reputation.  You’ll also want to ensure that the cattery is clean and in good shape.

The kittens that are still there shouldn’t be overcrowded, and their surroundings should be clean.  The litter boxes there should be kept up and both the food and water dish should be clean and full.

The kittens shouldn’t be caged, instead free to run around.  All cats that are there should appear healthy, with shiny coats and none of their ribs showing.

The kitten that you are going to get should be used to being touched and handled. It should be adapted to humans and not afraid at the least. Most kittens that were handled or exposed to human handling at a young age would have a better temperament.

The better breeders won’t allow their kittens to leave the nest until they are around 12 weeks old, with some waiting until the kittens are 16 weeks.  By doing this, breeders ensure that the kitten is in good health and his immune system has properly developed.

There’s no mistaken the fact that cats are great to own.  You can get a kitten from a reputable breeder, through a local newspaper, or an adoption agency.  Cats can also be obtained from a local pound, although people normally don’t like to choose this option.

It is important that you make sure that your cat is in great condition, no matter what you pursue. Having a healthy cat means having lesser problems down the road, and make sure to get up to date with the checkups and vaccinations.

Article by: [Van] Learn more about [him Here]

Animal charities and wothing vets have noticed that the Credit crunch is now taking it’s toll on our fluffy friends.

Shelters are seeing a disturbing rise in the amount of pets that are being dropped into clinics, cats and dogs in particular. During this time of economic crises, where buisnesses are collapsing and going under left, right and centre and making people redundant, our animal companions seem to be hit as well, as owners just can continue to cope with thier own bills of rent and then their pets food, veternary and insurance bills. Paying for hospical care such as animal cardiology is expensive and people just cannot afford it.  The loving family pets are being left at animal shelters or left in the middle of no-where to look after themselves.

What has bought this on? Some families got a pet last xmas, only for their job situation to change suddenly. Meaning that the families new addition is the first one out the door before the kids can become too attached. Some people are being forced out of their homes into smaller places which dont allow pets to be kept.

Can animal hospitals cope with this sudden influx in vet referrals?

Alot of animal charities and re-homing centres are close to full, now unfortunetly only taking in the most severe of emergency cases. All charities in general are getting less donations as some people consider themselves a charity, trying to save for the harsh times at the moment.

There is a bright spot on the end of this tail (pun intended), as january saw an increase in the number of pet adoptions, which has been the best month for awhile, but the ratio between those coming in and those going out with a loving family are still agreat distance apart.

Well according to one family they do anyway. A family up in Shropshire has found that their piglet Scarlet loves bouncing up and down on the trampoline for up to 45 minutes at a time!

Although the first question that pops into my head is how many pigs can we fit onto one trampoline at once the real one that needs to be asked, is this legal!

But in all seriousness I think that if the animal enjoys bouncing up and down on the trampoline then it could save you time trying to make it lose weight in other ways. This is something that could come in very useful if you cannot be bothered to take out your dog, just stick it on the trampoline!

Not all pets are ineterested in this new way of excercising, the only time my dog ever comes onto the trampoline is when someone else is on it as he likes having a bit of a game on it but hates bouncing.

Is this something that could be classed as animal cruelty?

Well of course it isn’t as long as the animal is actually enjoying the time on the trampoline. If it is not liking that thetrampoline is working out for the animal then take it off straight away or could really get you into some trouble.

Should it just be the trampoline or not?

Are there not a lot of other things that the animals could be using too? play system could be used too perhaps?

Well it depends if your pet likes it. You also have to seriously consider the hygiene of all of this, these are things that your kids are using so just be warned, animals carry all kinds of things.

You could end up in some serious trouble if your pet is injured because of this.

There are so many reasons out there that you need to consider before you actually go out and buy a dog so read on to see if you should be thinking about making that friend or not.

Why You Should Get A Dog

They are very friendly creatures, reliable and can be great company if you are often by yourself. They can also adapt to a family which is why you will find more families that have a dog over a cat. Although cats are of course playful they are sometimes very spiteful and like their Lion relatives are also very lazy for much of the day.

One of the really good things about dogs is that if they are feeling a bit unwell they are still up for a game and they can cheer you up if your feeling down. The yare also very good pets if you have kids, if you do have kids I would certainly say it is best to get a puppy rather than a rescuse dog. It takes trust from both the owner and the dog to have a really good relationship.

Why You Shouldn’t Get A Dog

If you are thinking of getting a dog near the Christmas period do not, just wait until mid January. More importantly you should never get a dog for someone for Christmas as more often than not they are taken back because they simply cannot find the time to take care of the animal.

Sure a puppy can be nice but it can be very hard to raise the dog and it can cost a lot in bills if it goes wrong. This is where pet insurance can come into it. Of course you will have to teach it a lot of things from going to the loo outside and teaching it how to fetch and all of that nonsense.

So it isnt easy to do this but what did you expect, however you do get a cool friend out of it all!

Watch out at first because the dog could urinate on anything! Best to get other insurances in place like the mobile phone insurance or perhaps the general gadget insurance.

Now here is a question for you, would you bother taking a dog or cat on your holiday? After speaking to a lot of people about this, i did get some very clear answers. I wanted to share some of them with you, and gauge your reactions to these.

First of all the main response was “No”. Many people suggested that taking their pet on holiday would add to the stress of the holiday. There were some, that regarded looking after there pet as working. Surely a pet was bought as form of release from work, and I would have thought that people would have invested a little more take them with them?

There were quite a few people saying, “what is the point in taking your pet on holiday”. People started to weigh up the monetary values of their pets, suggesting that they are not welcome on the holiday because they are not human. There are checks and procedures that need to be active before you can even take your pet with you, many things need to be looked over.

It was noticeable though, that some people were interested in this idea, and seemed to welcome it. This is where they consider the pet as the family member, not just a pet, but almost like a brother or sister. Some people get very attached to their animals, and insist that they go with them everywhere. There were of course the people that said the dog or cat was a family member, but because they were animals, didn’t need to go on holiday, because they are “already on holiday”.

It was interesting to see so many alternative aspects on this, especially when people were chatting about Egypt holidays, or even Maldives holidays, this showed that people were prepared to take their dogs to places, even though they wouldn’t have much mobility, so is this correct or false? Maybe Caribbean holidays would be better suited to the cat or dog?

Most cats are perfectly capable of cleaning themselves. In spite of this, you will need to do what you can to keep them clean and healthy. Correct grooming is essential in order to avoid fleas and ticks making their home on your cat. It is also the best time to check for blemishes on your pet’s skin. Read the following for some guidelines to make your cat look even better with proper cat grooming.

To make grooming your cat less difficult and more useful, you must shop for some basic pet grooming supplies. You will need to pick up several products like grooming scissors and a grooming glove, along with a brush and comb. Ensure that all of these products are specifically created for the grooming of your cat.

Keeping the hair washed and neat is one way to keep your cat looking good. You’ll need to remember to comb and trim the hair on a regular basis in order to accomplish this. When grooming your cat’s hair, select a brush that has numerous tiny bristles. For brushing to go more effortlessly the head should be fairly small. To properly groom your cat, brush it in the direction that its hair grows. Otherwise, together with several scratches, you will probably have a furious cat to contend with.

An important part of cat grooming is that you must give them a bath from time to time. While the use of a towel will keep her as calm as possible, the use of a carrier will make the job of bathing less difficult. Choose a shampoo made for cats that will create a good lather. It should also make your cat more comfortable by stopping dry, chafed skin.

When grooming a cat, an important part is to keep the cat’s hair from becoming mangy and matted. If your cat’s hair is long, trim it regularly making use of the right grooming tools in conjunction with a comb. Your cat’s skin is sensitive so ensure you don’t puncture or scratch it.

To lessen shedding and make brushing less difficult and less abrasive, try using cat grooming gloves. A pair that is machine washable is best. You can also use it to get cat hair out of your upholstery and carpet.

The right tools can make the difference between a sleek, attractive cat and a scruffy looking one. The tools you use for grooming ought to be utilized in a way that makes the experience calm and pleasant for your cat.

It would certainly seem that there are many people that love to dress their pets up for no specific reason at all. In many ways this has turned into a bit of a fashion amongst dogs. Paris Hilton is easily the most famous celebrity that does this as she is always buying her dog Tinkerbell new clothes for it to wear. How far is it before it stops being nice and starts being a bit cruel?

The personal opinion that I have here is that if you are dressign a dog up then you are wasting your time as it makes the dog look very silly. The only dogs that are actually able to be dressed up are the smaller ones that look a bit like rats on stilts than anything else. Why are people always dressing their pets up?

A lot of the time people do it for competitions. The problem is that many companies are actually encouraging this by having fashion shows for these dogs.

It is acceptable to dress your dog in a coat if it is cold because otherwise the animal could actually catch a cold which really could end up hurting the animal. Really these dogs should never have come into existence as they would be useless without the help of a human.

There is an argument by the RSPCA that going to far is actually cruelty to the animal. Having the RSPCA on the side is something that is good as people can hurt the animals unintentionally if they are putting little shoes onto its legs. Before you know it the pet could have to have one of those vet referrals for something like animal dermatology or even animal ophthalmology.

One of the best things you can do here is to just sit down and have a think, does the dog actually need to be wearing any of this. Although a coat can benefit the dog in the winter, hats and shoes will not so do not use them.