A Cat Or Not? - Choosing A Pet

There is such a wide range of choices when choosing the cat that you will decide to share in your life, that taking the time to do some quality research is well worthwhile.

Not only do you have to decide what type of color you prefer, but whether you want a male or a female cat and the associated characteristics that come with them.

You also have to look at your personality and lifestyle and determine how that will work in with the personality that can be expected from any particular breed.

Fortunately there are many books that give comprehensive details on the personality types of the various different breeds and while they are a generalization they are also quite accurate in most cases and can help you make the right decision more often than not.

Some breeds require a lot more attention than others, and you also need to look at your stage of life and determine how much time you will have to devote to your cat.
Some breeds will always be more suitable than others when taking into account the term of their lifespan, which can be up to 20 years in some cases.

Your decision might also be based on how long you intend to look after a cat, and you might decide that getting an older cat from an animal shelter rather than a kitten might be a better decision.
There are certainly a lot to choose from as animal shelters are generally overflowing with unwanted pets, just waiting for a home.

When choosing your cat, see how it interacts with you right from the outset, as even in one litter there will always be a personality that stands out and shows that it wants you to be its owner.
More often than not the kitten will choose you, rather than the other way around.

Shocking Dog Food Revelations

The Shocking Truth About What Goes In To Dog Food...

It is WORSE than you thought !!

Would you feed other people's dead pets to your dog?

Would you feed diseased by products to your loved pet?

Would you feed Road kill to your dog?

Unless you prepare your own dog food there is NO way of escaping this disgusting practise. This is standard industry procedure in the world of pet food.

If you are as appalled as I am at the thought of what THEY want you to feed your dog then TAKE ACTION TODAY. Start preparing your own dog food. It is not hard and with some resources like the ones below it can even be Fun.

Remember the saying "You Are What You Eat"?
Have you wondered why your dog's behaviour isn't very good?
Pumping your dog full of toxic chemicals can effect not only their health but also their behaviour.

Extend your Dog's life, giving them health and happiness for many years to come.
Don't they deserve the best?

Today's blog is short and too the point because when I discovered exactly what goes into dog food and the shocking loopholes allowed in pet food labelling, I just had to let you know.

“In battling evil, excess is good; for he who is moderate in announcing the truth is presenting half-truth. He conceals the other half out of fear of the people's wrath.”
Kahlil Gibran





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Healthy Cats

What should you be feeding your cat?
You need to consider what cats will need in the wild to determine the best food sources for them.

In the wild, cats will eat mice and birds, and drink water.
Obviously this is a diet high in protein and it is essential that your cat gets sufficient protein to maintain a good healthy diet.

What many people don't realize is that cats can get diabetes from having a diet that is too high in carbohydrates.

By constantly feeding your cat carbohydrates it can become insulin resistant and unable to keep its blood glucose levels at a suitable level.

Some signs that your cat is becoming diabetic include drinking a lot of water and eating considerably more than they usually do.
You might also notice a sign of weakness in the back legs as they tend to wobble a bit when walking.

The only way to be sure whether your cat is developing diabetes is to give it a blood test.

This is the best way to determine whether the cat has diabetes or not, although you can do a urine analysis to check blood glucose levels, but this is not as accurate.

Unlike humans and other animals it is possible for cats that have diabetes to go into remission provided their diet has been changed with an elimination of high carbohydrate foods.
More protein will help to stabilize the blood glucose levels.

Dry biscuits are particularly bad for cats as they are generally very high in carbohydrates and even though your cat might love eating them, because of the additives that have been put into these dry foods, it certainly won't do their health a lot of good.

The reason why these dry biscuits are so popular is because of the convenience and the fact that cats are very fussy eaters, and most cats like dry biscuits except possibly those that have been found straying in the wild.

Learn the signs that will help you diagnose health problems with your cat.

Don't Feed Your Cat These Foods

There are several foods that you should never feed your cat, as they will not only make it feel unwell but in some instances can be extremely detrimental to its health and well-being.

One of the biggest problems people have is when there is a dog in the house and the cat eats the dog food.
Dog food is nutritionally undervalued for cat's requirements, as it does not contain enough protein or taurine to meet the cat's nutritional needs.
If the cat eats dog food on a regular basis it will become unwell.

Many people will also feed their cat the scraps from their own dinner and once again the food that we eat is not of the correct nutritional balance that is sufficient to ensure that the cat has optimal health.

Just as chocolate is toxic to dogs, the same applies to cats and you should ensure that you never give your cat chocolate to eat otherwise it could become very ill and even die.

Don't give your cat bones as they can splinter and get caught in their throat and intestinal track.
This can cause a lot of damage or serious injury.

It is well worth investing your money in your cat's health by giving it a recommended and nutritionally balanced diet that will have the right proportions of protein and other vitamins and minerals that are required for it to stay healthy.

There should always be a supply of fresh water available for your cat to drink, particularly if you are feeding it dry food where most of the moisture has been taken out.
Cats will need fresh water to replace this moisture after having eaten dry food.
It is better to feed canned food that is a lot moister and reduces the incidence of constipation.

Do Feed Your Cat These Foods:

Nature's Variety Prairie Homestyle Canned Cat Food - Chicken & Tuna 5.5 oz. Can - Case of 24 Home-cooked taste with high quality nutrition, these chunky stew formulas are made with real meat, poultry and healthy fruits and vegetables.

Topini Cat Treats Forified with ten vitamins and minerals plus Taurine (an essential nutrient for cat's eyes, heart and reproductive systems), these treats are delicious and help supplement a cats diet. No artificial flavors. Size: 1.15oz. Flavor: Cheese. Additional flavors available.

Pool Therapy For Dogs

Dog Pool Therapy

Hydrotherapy (pool therapy) is gaining wide respect among the veterinary profession as a way of treating dogs for a variety of ailments.

No matter what bread of dog you have hydrotherapy pools are a great way of giving your dog some exercise. NMIT veterinary nursing course-coordinator Annette McFadden says a minuter for a dog in the pool can be the equivalent to it walking or running a kilometre.

Pool therapy is a great choice for exercising your dog because it is low impact and there is no pressure on bones or muscles. This is particularly good for dogs recovering from surgery. Dogs in all stages of recovery will be catered to during a session in the pool.

It is also the exercise of choice for dogs with arthritis and other conditions that limit normal activities. Even blind dogs are able to make the most of exercising in the hydrotherapy pool.

Relieve the boredom in your dog's life and search out a pool near you today.

Huge Payout For Pet Owners

Finally Compensation Is On The Way.

But It Won't Bring Back The Lost Pets.

One of the biggest scandals in the pet industry has finally been settled. A whopping $24 million dollars has been allocated to pet owners across the United States and Canada pending a judges approval. The final hearing is set for May 30th 2008.

The money is to compensate for expenses directly incurred by the owners of pets that suffered illness or death linked to toxic pet food. The biggest ever pet food recall in 2007 was sparked by contaminated wheat gluten imported from China finding its way into the processing plants of no less than five pet food manufacturing companies.

In total more than 5,000 products from more than 150 different brands were affected by the recall. Millions of chickens, 56,000 swine and an undetermined number of fish may have eaten tainted feed.

Michigan State University conducted a survey of veterinarians which recorded 236 cats and 112 dogs that died or were treated for symptoms linked to the toxic food. Dogs and cats experienced vomiting and suffered kidney failure. The total number of affected pet owners could have numbered in the thousands.

In this age of mass production the only way you can be sure of what you are feeding your loved family pet is serve them natural foods prepared by yourself. There are many great resources available today to assist you to provide for your pet in this manner.

Source [http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2008/05/pet-food-compan.html]

Pet Dumping Epidemic

A sad indictment on our society is that when things get a bit tight financially our first reaction is to dump our pets. The RSPCA said the number of animals dumped by their owners in 2007 was 23 per cent higher than the year before (a total of 7,346). Already, 2008 has seen 2,621 animals picked up in the first four months.

Soaring fuel, food, energy and tax bills have left pet owners in a position where they can't afford to feed their pets. The rates of dumping dramatically increase in holiday seasons when pet owners can not afford the cost of insuring an animal, paying for vet bills and placing a pet in kennels while travelling.

Almost half of all animals dumped are cats. Living in the country we often find stray cats, chickens, rabbits, and other animals that have all been dumped. It is a sad and cruel fate that most of these animals face, as they are usually ill equipped for survival in this environment. Many fall prey to predators, traffic, and irate farmers who find them poaching "easy meals."

Taking your pet for a drive into the country and dumping them may seem like an easy option, and you may justify it by pretending to "release them into paradise." But the reality is, that you are condemning them to a life on the run. Hunger, disease, and early death is the more likely fate a dumped animal will face.

What is the solution this problem?

How can desperate families who are forced to return to full time work, or are travelling further to get a better paid job, or just cutting back to be able to feed their kids, deal with their pets?

Not all of these families are heartless monsters. Sometimes it simply a choice between the children and the pets. It may be a distressing and highly emotional decision that they have been forced to make.

The first thing to realise is that it is NEVER the right thing to do to dump your pet anywhere!

Perhaps these people should be publicly shamed. I am sure the majority of pet dumpers would not expect to get caught, and would like even less it to be known they abandoned their animals.

The next place to start is with education. Many people do not realise the cost nor the time involved in pet ownership. Pets do not just disappear when vacation season rolls around and you want to go away.

Pets, just like humans, have medical conditions that require treatment. One of the most common elements in animals received by the RSPCA is long-term medical conditions such as cancerous growths. The cost of treating such conditions can easily stretch in to the hundreds of dollars and is often out of the budget for many families.

With the traditional pet dumping season being the months leading up to Christmas, we can expect almost epidemic levels of abandoned pets this year. Take a proactive stand and start trying to combat it today. Many RSPCA facilities are already running at or near capacity.

We can't allow this shameful crime to continue!

Source.