Travel sickness is somewhat different from anxiety about traveling, although there is undoubtedly considerable overlap between the two problems. Acclimatization to travel is best started in young kittens, since they adapt better and learn quickly, and the acclimatization process can be as gradual as needed. This can work in older cats too, and is worth tackling if frequent travel becomes necessary (see below for a suitable programme). (more…)
Wheezing is noisy breathing (respiration) and may be accompanied by increased effort during breathing, noticeable by exaggerated movements of the abdomen or chest, and perhaps more rapid breathing than normal. True wheezing is often caused by allergic conditions, especially the quite common condition of feline ASTHMA, but most owners would be unable to differentiate this from similar breathing noises caused by other conditions such as PNEUMONIA. (more…)
Exactly the same training goes for your first small ride in the car. It would be a great advantage if you could be free to attend to your puppy while someone else drives the vehicle for you. The dominant puppy who barks only needs firm handling. Don’t give up. If he jumps out of his place a thousand times, put him back and make him understand that he is not allowed to dive about the vehicle or bark. Here, it is your patience that is needed more than anything else. Give in once to your puppy and you might as well throw in the towel as far as dog training is concerned. You must always win. The puppy who is afraid will take more time and gentler handling to bring round. Something to chew in the car will probably take his mind off his fear. Extreme fear should be dealt with immediately by constantly putting puppy in the car and feeding him a titbit before and after a short journey. (more…)
All your preparations are complete and the big day arrives for you actually to take possession of your new cat. However tempting it may be, do not get off to a bad start by sending someone else to collect it for you. It is you who have to gain the cat’s confidence and offer some sort of security during the traumatic experience of leaving its family and adapting to a new home. Make the journey as comfortable and as calm as possible. If it is going to be a long one, it is probably better to carry the cat in a covered basket so that it cannot peer out and so (you hope) will get bored and go to sleep. (more…)
If you plan to go abroad for a holiday, far better to leave your cat behind than to subject it to sea or air travel, and if you live in Britain, Hawaii, or any other territory that is free of rabies and has strict quarantine regulations, you will have no choice. To keep out rabies, these countries insist that on entry rabies- prone livestock must go into isolation in specially licensed quarantine areas until they can be declared free of any infection. There are heavy penalties for those who smuggle animals in. This means that a British cat, for example, can be taken freely with you to France or Spain, but on its return would be separated from you for six months — during which time you would not even be allowed to touch it. Any cat would prefer to be parted from you for your holiday rather than for the six months after you come back, and no doubt you would prefer the cost of boarding to the substantial expense of putting it in quarantine. (more…)
