Happy Pets

Although a cat’s maintenance costs are relatively low, there are certain unavoidable expenses that cat-ownership will incur over the years. These include providing your feline with the minimum of two meals a day of a nutritious proprietary cat food; buying cat litter for anindoor cat; settling an annual veterinary bill for vaccinations; and funding any additional veterinary treatment that a cat may need as a result of an accident or illness. Investigate these costs by paying a visit to your local pet shop or supermarket and veterinary surgery, noting down prices and asking for information. (more…)

The domestic cat, Felis catus or Felts domesticus, can trace its lineage back 50 million years, to the Miacis from which the Dinictis, Machairodus and eventually today’s cat family, the Felidae (which comprises Acinonyx, cheetahs; Panthera, big cats; and Felis, small cats), evolved. And although the specific ancestry of the domestic cat has been veiled by the mists of time, and further clouded by the interbreeding of various species of wildcat the world over, genetic analysis indicates that most European domestic cats are descended from the African wildcat, Felis sylvestris lybica. (more…)

We all make mistakes, but do we learn by them? I certainly have learnt by the many mistakes I have made with dogs and I would like to tell you about the biggest mistake I have ever made. There may be dog trainers who think they know everything. These are the people to avoid, for if they have not had problems or made mistakes, they cannot understand other people’s difficulties and, after all, nobody’s perfect.

A couple of years ago, we had a space in our dog population. Rather than treat myself to another Labrador, I bought Don a breed I knew he fancied. I don’t wish to tell you what breed Heidi was, as I feel this would prejudice you against the breed. Far too many people read a little of a wrongdoer—a biter or a chaser or a so-called untrainable dog—and label the whole breed with those attributes. I think that’s very unfair. No breed is all bad or all good and I will not accept the responsibility of Heidi’s breed suffering through my mistake, as I make no bones about it—it was my fault. (more…)

Most births go smoothly, with mother and kittens knowing exactly what to do. There are a few possible problems, however, and you should know how to spot them.

Placental retention

Occasionally a placenta may be retained within the mother, rather than expelled after the kitten. Unless it is removed, it may decay and infect the uterus. An affected cat will show signs of discomfort, though with all the demands made uponher by the kittens it may not be easy to recognize any change in her behaviour. Her abdomen will clearly be painful if you handle her, however, and lactation will be impaired. She will probably have a fever and you may notice a brown, viscous discharge from her vagina (although a slight discharge of clean blood from the vagina even for a week or two after kittening is nothing to worry about). (more…)