Pets World Blog

It's one of those truisms that we tend to take for granted: cats and dogs fight like, well, cats and dogs. Everybody knows that cats and dogs don't get along. Don't they? Isn't it true? Well, maybe not. New research is casting doubt on this age-old stereotype about two of our best friends.

According to researchers at Tel Aviv University in Israel, it's perfectly possible for cats and dogs to get along in the same home. Researchers interviewed some 200 people who owned both cats and dogs for their study. Surprisingly, they found that two-thirds of the respondents in the study reported that their cats and dogs got along fine and were friends.

One-fourth of the respondents reported that their pets were indifferent to each other. And, in 10 percent of the homes, the cats and dogs actively disliked each other. Aggression and fighting were reported in these homes.

Your vet is an important partner in caring for your pets. Regular visits to the vet for checkups allow both you and your vet to spot any problems before they become serious. Sometimes, small changes that you have not notice but are serious can be very obvious to the vet. By spotting these small changes early, these changes can be eradicated before the problems become too serious to solve.

Therefore, it’s important to select a vet that you and your pet are absolutely comfortable with and always go to the same vet if possible. Below are some pointers that you can use in selecting your vet.

Recommendation from fellow pet owners


Ask a pet owning friend or neighbor for recommendations is a good way to start looking for a reliable vet. Another alternative is to ask for recommendation from your local pet shop.

Cats are carnivores, which means they have evolved to eat meat. They have claws and sharp teeth for hunting and catching their prey. However, this is not to say that a complete cat food should not have carbohydrates included.

Cats were originally domesticated in Egypt where they were used in granaries for vermin control. The stomach of their prey (mice and rats) would contain partially digested grains. Cooking grains at a high temperature mimics the action of the stomach, therefore an extruded cat food should contain easily digested carbohydrates.

It is also important to note that pet cats are not the same as wild cats. Pet cats do not need as much energy from their diet. They are kept in centrally heated houses, they do not have to hunt for food and have been fed on ‘left-overs’ of human diets which will be cooked food (they would eat raw food in the wild), including meat and carbohydrates (whether they are from grains, cheese, milk or other sources). Even feeding your cat a raw food diet will not be equal to a diet in the wild. The food is not freshly killed, the meat will not be at body temperature and the organs and contents of organs will be missing.

Depends what type of scratching you’re talking about! If you have a errant feline that’s turning your curtains to tatters, your carpet to crumbs or your doors to dust – then this is the article for you.

Reasons for scratching!

* Claw care – every cat needs a manicure!

* Territory marking – a visual clue to other cats – be thankful he’s not spraying!

* Exercise – hanging by your claws gives the body a good workout!

How do I stop him? Quite simply, you won’t. But this needn’t be such a problem. It just needs a little redirection and an acceptable alternative place for you cat to do his thing.

Claw care – Cats need to keep their claws trim and sharp and scratching, particularly wood and thick fabrics – like your best sofa! – are the ideal surfaces to shed the outer layer of their claws. No self respecting cat wants to throw itself at a fence only to slide all the way down due to lack of grip!

Cats naturally look for a place that they can dig and bury their waste. Of course, you want the place they find to be the litter box! That said, there are several tips to follow when training cats to use the litter box and ensure that it is the only place they’ll want to go.

Make sure you place the litter box in a separate room from their eating or sleeping area. Cats are clean animals and typically associate their litter box with a dirty area. If the litter box is near the eating or sleeping area, they may naturally want to find a bathroom place that is farther away.

Make sure you keep the box in a place that is out of the way. Bathrooms and closets are often private spots that cats will naturally want to use.

Feline obesity creates serious health risks for your kitty friend. Carrying extra weight around overloads all his organ systems, which can lead to pain and disability, as well as an early death. There’s nothing funny about a fat cat. And nearly half the felines in the United States are considered obese.

The most common problem associated with obesity in kitties is diabetes. If your buddy is overweight, he’s two to four times more likely to develop this serious health problem. The incidence of this disease among our furry friends has doubled since 1990. Treatment can be quite involved and very expensive, requiring a large commitment of time and money from you. Preventing this deadly disease is much easier than treating it.

Your vet is an important partner in caring for your pets. Regular visits to the vet for checkups allow both you and your vet to spot any problems before they become serious. Sometimes, small changes that you have not notice but are serious can be very obvious to the vet. By spotting these small changes early, these changes can be eradicated before the problems become too serious to solve.

Therefore, it’s important to select a vet that you and your pet are absolutely comfortable with and always go to the same vet if possible. Below are some pointers that you can use in selecting your vet.

Recommendation from fellow pet owners


Ask a pet owning friend or neighbor for recommendations is a good way to start looking for a reliable vet. Another alternative is to ask for recommendation from your local pet shop.

Your vet is an important partner in caring for your pets. Regular visits to the vet for checkups allow both you and your vet to spot any problems before they become serious. Sometimes, small changes that you have not notice but are serious can be very obvious to the vet. By spotting these small changes early, these changes can be eradicated before the problems become too serious to solve.

Therefore, it’s important to select a vet that you and your pet are absolutely comfortable with and always go to the same vet if possible. Below are some pointers that you can use in selecting your vet.

Recommendation from fellow pet owners


Ask a pet owning friend or neighbor for recommendations is a good way to start looking for a reliable vet. Another alternative is to ask for recommendation from your local pet shop.

Depends what type of scratching you’re talking about! If you have a errant feline that’s turning your curtains to tatters, your carpet to crumbs or your doors to dust – then this is the article for you.

Reasons for scratching!

* Claw care – every cat needs a manicure!

* Territory marking – a visual clue to other cats – be thankful he’s not spraying!

* Exercise – hanging by your claws gives the body a good workout!

How do I stop him? Quite simply, you won’t. But this needn’t be such a problem. It just needs a little redirection and an acceptable alternative place for you cat to do his thing.

Claw care – Cats need to keep their claws trim and sharp and scratching, particularly wood and thick fabrics – like your best sofa! – are the ideal surfaces to shed the outer layer of their claws. No self respecting cat wants to throw itself at a fence only to slide all the way down due to lack of grip!

Your vet is an important partner in caring for your pets. Regular visits to the vet for checkups allow both you and your vet to spot any problems before they become serious. Sometimes, small changes that you have not notice but are serious can be very obvious to the vet. By spotting these small changes early, these changes can be eradicated before the problems become too serious to solve.

Therefore, it’s important to select a vet that you and your pet are absolutely comfortable with and always go to the same vet if possible. Below are some pointers that you can use in selecting your vet.

Recommendation from fellow pet owners


Ask a pet owning friend or neighbor for recommendations is a good way to start looking for a reliable vet. Another alternative is to ask for recommendation from your local pet shop.