LOL Fat Cats

These days, cats are among the most popular pet you can own. There are several breeds available, with the most popular being Persian and Siamese. Cats are a domesticated animal, with origins dating back some 8,000 years and beyond. Like any other pet that you may own, including dogs, cats cost money to take care of properly.

When you get a cat, you’ll need to think about the costs. You’ll obviously need food, and you’ll also need to plan ahead for vet costs. You’ll also need litter, which can tend to get quite expensive as the years go by. Your cat will need a litter box, food dish, and water dish. You should also invest in some toys as well, such as a scratching post, cat toys, a pet carrier, and a bed. You should also look into getting an ID collar as well, just in case your cat ever gets lost.

Feeding your pet will depend a great deal on his age. Older cats require two small meals or one large meal for the day. Kittens on the other hand, require several feedings a day until they get around the age of 12 weeks. Cats that are between three and six months of age need to be fed three times a day. Canned food can be fed to cats, although any food that has been left out longer than 30 minutes need to be disposed of. Canned food can get expensive fast, and you should always keep in mind that some may need to be thrown away when you buy it. Cats loved canned food, although it doesn’t have any benefits to their dental health like dry food does.

As an alternative plan, you can always leave a supply of dry food out for your pet. When you give your cat dry food, you should always make sure that he has enough water. Dry food costs less than canned food, and it can also help to prevent the buildup of tartar on your cat’s teeth. When you buy dry food, you should always look in terms of health and benefits, and stay away from generic food. Even though generic food may be cheaper, it may not offer the nutrients your pet needs.

If you own a kitten, you should only give you kitten food designed for him. You’ll also need to clean and refill his water dish every day. Even though kittens and adult cats like cow’s milk, you should avoid giving it to them as it can cause diarrhea. Treats are fine on occasion, although too many of them can cause your pet to get fat. Feeding your kitten human food is good on occasion, although you may have to mix it in with his cat food.

By themselves, cats stay fairly clean. Although you don’t have to bathe them that often, you’ll need to give them a brushing at least once a day. Brushing will reduce the risk of hairballs and keep your cat’s coat nice and clean. If you are keeping your cat indoors, you’ll need to have a litter box in an area that is easy for your cat to access. You should always scoop it on a daily basis, and clean it out once a week. Cats don’t like to use dirty litter boxes, they prefer for it to be nice and clean.

Although cats do require some work, they are great pets that will provide you with years and years of companionship. As long as you take care of your cat and take him to the vet for his checkups, he should remain healthy. Even though cats can get sick from time to time – knowing how to care for him will make a world of difference.

As pet owners, it is extremely important that you have health insurance for pets. Why? Think of a situation where your pet is sick or has an accident. In this situation, you should spend money for medical treatment. Since medical costs for pets can be important, given the fact that not much progress must in medical technology and treatment methods, reduce a way to reduce costs. Here, the health insurance for pets is can significantly contribute. Look at what you need before they check out health insurance for pets. You should check what the policy covers and how. Some policies of routine treatments for health, as well as topics such as vaccines, while others much more than the cover. However, there are strategies that are more specific and covers only catastrophic care. Some state policy that limits the payment of the policy. Therefore, you may have to the payment of diseases that are expensive to make. It is important to be aware of the franchise. While some measures of a deductible, the deduction for other cases are of concern. Some insurance companies provide adequate coverage, while others provide only certain types of communications. See the gaps through which the payment could not be really done for you before choosing any pet insurance.  For example, in some form of insurance policies inherited diseases are not covered. Therefore, you should score, if you have a pet with these conditions. In addition, you have to pay higher premiums if you have an older animal to have. For older animals, some insurers have not covered, and require other heavy loads. Pet insurance is a great need in today’s rising medical costs. There are many types of insurance for pets, but you should select something on resource requirements, andthe type of coverage you need.

Copyright (c) 2008 Chanvit Phupook

It is known that cats aren’t as friendly as dogs, yet some people just love the feeling of a feline presence in their house that they allow a cat to live with them. Unlike a dog, a cat does not need a lot of maintenance since it can groom itself very well and keep clean without having its owners to fuss over it. Many people prefer to have a dog over a cat because dogs are easier to get along with. Cats do seem to have their own agenda and will behave oddly at times, thus confusing even their very own owners. Yet certain cat behavior will usually tell something about the feline which will make a person understand his pet better.

A very common cat behavior is when it brushes its head into any type of object that it sees around the house. Whether it be your leg, your visitor’s bag, the table’s legs or the back rest of a chair, the brushing motion done by your pet signifies having possession over that particular object. The rubbing motion of the cat’s head is done so that a touch of saliva is transferred to the object in which your pet thinks he owns. By marking a certain object with his saliva, it will then have a familiar scent to your pet. This just shows the territorial tendencies of the feline.

If your pet lives with you indoors, you might observe his fondness of sitting or lying down near windows. During his stay by the window, you might observe or hear your cat make strange noises or unusual movements. This shouldn’t be a concern for you since the feline is just acting out his natural hunting instincts. Anything he sees through the window will trigger his hunting senses.

Another behavior that you might see your cat exhibit is his fondness for play. You must be able to recognize and accept this fact about your pet’s natural desires so that you won’t end up disappointing him which can lead to disasters. It is best to provide your pet with toys to play with. Strings or yarn balls are perfect for your feline friend since he will love chasing the string around the room.

These are just some of the most common behaviors that your cat can exhibit. Spending a lot of time with your pet will show you some very odd and unusual behaviors, however, if you are a very understanding owner who can accept the fact that cats will always be the way they are, then you will have no problems dealing with these odd behaviors. Getting to know your pet better should be first on your list because let’s face it, having one in our home definitely lessens the day’s stress-related worries and we owe it to them for the comfort they bring us at the end of each day. And remember, our pets also adjust to our temperaments so why not do the same thing for them and understand them better.

Basic Guide to Training & Finding a Trainer

For your Pet Dog!

Introduction

First I’m going to start off by saying that training dogs is very beneficial and easy to do, although it takes patience and time.  There are many different techniques used by today’s top trainers and they all have their own benefits and side effects.  The article below first talks about what to look for if you decide you would rather have a professional train your dog.  If you decide train your dog yourself than the rest of the article will teach you the basic steps used by professionals.  Keep in mind I am not a certified dog trainer however I do have lots of experience with mine and others dogs and have been to several classes and seminars.

Trainer

So, you have decided that you don’t have the time to train your dog and would prefer to hire a professional. There are many training courses and professional trainers to choose from and can be quite frustrating to choose the right one for you.  Remember when looking for a trainer that having a business card or an ad in the yellow pages doesn’t make them a qualified trainer.  The best trainers are the ones that come referred by someone that has used them.  Perhaps you know a friend or co worker that recently took their dog to a trainer.  Ask them if they used a professional trainer and if they would recommend them.  If they say they would then some of the work is done but there are several questions you should be asking the trainer as well.

After you find the location of the trainer first take a glance around and look for things that would indicate they are providing a professional service.  Next ask them what Training method they use?  Most modern teachers will use a positive reinforcement method to train dogs.  This method is finding the good in the dog’s behaviour instead of the bad.  Example, the command was sit and after a while the trainer could only get the dog to sit for 2 seconds, he would then reward the dog for those 2 seconds.  This allows the dog to know there is some incentive for doing one of the actions they preformed.  The trainer will repeat this until the dog figures out which movement was the correct one.  The older method used by fewer trainers now is negative reinforcement.  This is where the trainer will scold the dog for performing an incorrect action.  Based on these two methods you will need to decide which one would be more suitable for you as well as your dog.

Next you will want to see if the trainer is available to come to your house or if all training is done as their facility.  This is very important because several dogs will be too excited in a different surrounding and will be much more difficult to train.  After that you will want to see the trainer’s qualifications and how many years teaching.  A trainer with at least 5-7 years of training will likely be very good and worth your time and money as long as they meet the rest of your requirements.  As a final note when looking for a trainer, remember that your puppy may not be able to enter in dog classes until it is 3-4 months old as the trainer will require that it has had all of their vaccinations.

Sit

If you decide that you have spare time and would rather train your dog yourself than this section is for you.  To start here are a few facts about training your puppy and if it’s for you or not. Training your puppy is said by many professionals to take 6-8 months, so make sure this amount of time is an available.  Well trained puppies are less likely to jump on people or possibly bite someone and they will remain calm in distracting situations.  Now that you are convinced you would like to train your own dog than you are likely still confused as to where to start.  I recommend that if you haven’t already you should go talk to and watch a professional to pick up good training techniques.  Good training techniques vary, but most trainers agree that dogs respond best to positive reinforcement, such as praise or treats.  So, we are beginning with the sit command because it is the most basic and easiest to teach.  My personal way of teaching a dog to sit is to call out “sit” in a firm voice along with a hand action to indicate a sitting motion.  As well when you are doing this it won’t hurt to firmly push on the dog’s rear end to help them understand what you are asking.  If they perform the task right than reward them with a treat.  After they understand what you are asking when you say sit, you should repeat this command as often as you would like to give them a treat.  If you don’t keep reinforcing it they will soon forget the command!   Remember to always try to end sessions on a positive note as you and the dog will find the experience more enjoyable. The command will need to be re-taught in each new situation or at least several situations before the dog will completely understand the command.

Stay

Alright so your dog now has the sit command fully understood and you think they can handle another command.  First take him outside and firmly say “stay” and give them a hand motion again.  Try this first and see what they do when you back away.  Chances are they will follow you because they want the treat.  If this is the case then repeat the action several times and each time you back away make sure you are still doing the handle signal for stay.  If you get a foot away from him and he’s still staying then you are making progress and make sure to reward him.  After many tries chances are most dogs will figure it out.  To put your dog to the test give him the stay signal and back away, while doing this have another person yell “come rover”.  A perfectly trained dog will listen to your command only and will not move when someone else says something.  So keep this goal in mind and keep on practicing with them. Note: When training a dog to stay do not keep your dog in a sit-stay for more than 2 or 3 minutes.  If you need your dog to stay for longer periods use the down-stay command.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Training your dog can be a very rewarding experience for both of you, although it will be very stressful at times.  Just remember to relax and be patient with them and the end result will be well worth it.  If you need more information or you would like to look for a new member for your family check out http://www.livestocktrade.ca

There has been a long standing question concerning the benefits of feeding your feline friend wet food more than dry food, and vice versa.Although there are many benefits to both types of food, it has been found that wet food is somewhat of a necessity for cats. This does not mean that cats should be fed wet food every single meal or even every day for that matter. However, it is suggested that there be a positive mix a few times per week of wet cat food to supplement the nutritional value of the accompanying dry food.

What Is The Difference In The Two Foods

Dry food contain many minerals that promote proper pet health. In dogs, it is actually suggested that dry food be their main course. However, cats are different in the respect that their bodies require more protein than other animals. In most cases, wet food contains more protein than dry food. Proteins in a cat’s body will help with the synthesizing of important amino acids, which they do not receive by eating solely dry food. The amino acids produced help the cat grow as well as create a physiological homeostasis through body regulation. When cats are subjected to a deficiency in protein, they may exhibit certain signs.

1. Weight Loss
2. Appetite Loss
3. Inhibited Immune System
4. Skin and hair luster

There are other symptoms that may be signs of protein deficiency although these are the most notable. As on can see, protein is the most important dietary need of a cat. Studies have shown that wet food can hold up to twice as much protein as dry food.

Water Content

Another aspect or reason to feed your cat a regular supplement of canned food is the fact that the cat will receive more water than with dry cat food. Hydration levels in felines are sometimes low. This is due to the fact that their bodies are designed to obtain water from eating meat. By feeding your cat wet food, you are supplementing his or her diet with more water as well.

The Lesser The Carbs, The Better

Pet health in cats is heavily dependent on high intakes of protein and low supplements of carbohydrates. Unfortunately, most dry cat food is made up of mostly carbohydrates. Due to this fact, some cats that eat mostly dry cat food have a greater chance of becoming overweight. This is due to the cat’s high upload of carbohydrates. Dry cat food makes the pet want to meat more than he or she should because it does not give them the full feeling as that of protein. By adding more wet food to a cat’s diet, you may actually help the pet lose weight. Pet owners want to do everything they can to ensure proper health and nutrition for their animals. With a little research on your pet symptoms Pet symptom diagnosis and needs, you will find that he or she is much more happy and playful, which makes a better time for everyone.