Happy Pets

The Nest Box

The nest box should be wooden and have a partition in the middle to keep the eggs from rolling too much. It should be large; this is stressed for two reasons :

1. Both birds incubate the eggs and spend hours together in the box. They need room to move freely and turn the eggs.
2. The nest box will act as “nursery” for the chicks until they are old enough to leave it.

The box should have a 32 inch hole in the center and a perch outside to make access easier. In fact, everything should be done to make the nest box convenient and easily accessible. The female is especially cautious at this time. (more…)

Indeed, you can tell a lot by looking at a cat’s tail and ears: if its tail is vertical and its ears are pricked, the cat is feeling confident, and if the tip of its erect tail is kinked, it’s offering you a tentative greeting. When a cat turns its back on you and quivers its tail, it’s sending an unreserved, ‘Please acknowledge me’ plea that may well hark back to a kittenhood invitation to its mother to clean its nether regions. If a cat is becoming annoyed, however, it often indicates its frustration by swishing its tail from side to side and drawing back its ears, and if it becomes really irate, it will lash its tail as fast as it can and flatten its ears completely. (more…)

As well as transmitting and receiving scent messages, cats communicate volumes by means of their body language and vocalization.

The feline body - particularly the ears and tail - is a highly expressive instrument that instantly communicates how a cat is feeling within its skin if only you know how to interpret the key notes. The emotional signal that is perhaps the easiest for humans to recognize is fear. When threatened by a more dominant cat with hostile intent which it has no desire to fight, the undercat will nevertheless stand its ground, albeit flattening its body, fur and ears in an attempt to make itself look as small and inoffensive as it can, shortly thereafter beginning to creep slowly backwards as it tries to remove itself from danger. (more…)

With someone whom they have learned to trust, few cats will intentionally inflict injury unless provoked, and they will usually issue plenty of warning that they are getting angry. Learn to recognize the changes in ear position, the soft growls indicating that you have pushed them to the limit. Even if a cat gives you only a warning bite or clawing it can be quite painful — and a serious attack can really wound. However, the more you know your cat and the more it can trust you, the more you will be able to trust it. (more…)

No wild members of the cat family have long hair resembling that of the domesticated cat. It is the result of centuries of careful (perhaps more often not so careful) breeding. Actually, long-haired‘ is a blanket term for a variety of breeds whose coats can differ considerably in length and texture. Here are some of the more interesting ones.

Angora

This was probably the first kind of longhaired cat to be seen in Europe. The Angora arrived in the sixteenth century, probably from Turkey (it takes its name from the Turkish capital, Ankara). It gradually lost favour to the Persian and the breed was dwindling fast until a few specimens were taken to the United States from Ankara Zoo. It has a longish body and tail, long legs withneat, dainty paws and a small head with large almond-shaped eyes that slope slightly upwards and large upright ears. Its fur is gorgeously textured, like mohair. White was the only acceptable colour when the breed was re-established in the United States, but other colours are now being bred in both Europe and North America. (more…)

Short fur is the normal length for cats. No wild cats have long hair, not even those living in cold climates - although their short hair is very thick. Short hair is always genetically dominant in cats, which means that if your charming, longhaired Burmese goes feral its descendants will revert to a short-haired state. Fur type and texture, and the exactlength of the hair, vary between breeds with the result that ’short-haired’ cats can look very different from one another. The sleeker, slimmer Oriental breeds are grouped separately as the Foreign Short- hairs.

British Shorthairs

The British Shorthair - and the European Shorthair, which is really just another name for the same type - is a sturdy, stocky animal officially described as compact, well balanced and powerful. It has a good depth of body, a full, broad chest and short, strong legs. (more…)