Selecting Your Cat’s Food and Water Bowls

Selecting your cat’s food and water bowls is more than a personal statement. Your cat may have ideas of what bowls she wants and where they go. She might not like her food and water too close to each other. Thus she will reject one bowl with two compartments. Your cat may object to bowls that are too deep or dark in color. She won’t be able to see clearly to her sides when she lowers her head into it. Your cat may want a shallow food dish to get to the food easy but she’ll need a larger water bowl to keep hydrated. Thus you may need to experiment to find what combination of bowls works best for your cat. Place the bowls where your cat can get to them easily. However, ensure that people or other pets won’t disturb her while she is eating or drinking. For more information, contact your veterinarian Downey, CA.

Your Cat and Managing the Risk of Feline Leukemia (FeLV)

The Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) can devastate your cat’s immune system and make her very ill. She will likely suffer with flu-like fevers and discomfort. She may even demonstrate neurological symptoms. FeLV is incurable and most cats die within two years of contracting the disease. You can treat the underlying infections and symptoms. An infected cat can transmit FeLV by sharing bodily fluids so transmission usually occurs when fighting or grooming with infected cats. Keeping your cat inside and away from other cats helps but isn’t an absolute prevention. Fortunately there is a vaccination to protect your cat from FeLV. Get your cat vaccinated while she is young and keep up on any booster shots. Your cat may be a little feverish after inoculation and she may experience soreness at the injection site. She will need periodic blood tests to ensure that she is protected. Contact your vet Downey, CA to learn more.

Fun at the Dog Park

Your local dog park gives both you and your dog a place to exercise and socialize while bonding with you. However, you need to ensure that the experience is both safe and fun. Before considering a trip to the dog park, confirm that he will follow basic obedience commands. You need the commands to get your dog to stop or come to you immediately. If he is sitting by you, he is unlikely to get in trouble. Read the posted rules of the park. Most parks have separate areas for large and small dogs. Select the appropriate area for your dog. Take your dog to the park. Don’t removing his leash till he is calm. Watch for bullying behavior especially if your dog is the bully. Bullying could even be unwanted chasing and aggression. Step up if needed to ask the owner of an aggressive dog to leave the park. For more information, contact your veterinarians Downey, CA.

Trimming Your Cat’s Nails

Trimming your cat’s nails can reduce incidences of inappropriate scratching of you and your belongings. And short nails are less likely to get caught in fabrics and damage your cat’s feet. Thus it is important to keep your cat’s nails short. Start trimming her nails when she is young so it becomes routine. Handle your cat’s feet and nails so she becomes accustomed to your touch. When you are ready to trim your cat’s nails, act efficiently. Grasp your cat’s paw and press on the pads to extend the nails. Trim the nails a little at a time while avoiding the quick. The quick is the nerve and blood supply to the nail and will hurt and bleed if nicked. Continue as long as your cat doesn’t resist. Don’t force her to continue. Just try another time and eventually you’ll get all the nails trimmed. For more information, contact your veterinarians Norwalk, CA.

Teaching Your Dog to Walk with a Slack Leash

Dog walks are great exercise for both you and your dog and it gives you a chance to bond. However, dog walks are no fun at all if your dogs are dragging you around the neighborhood by his leash. Thus you need to teach your dog to walk with a slack leash. Train your dog when he is alert but not overly excited. Start walking and continue as long as the leash is slack. If it becomes taut, turn around quickly and head the other way. Call your dog’s name so he needs to hustle to keep up. Repeat this procedure as often as needed. Praise your dog if he continues with a slack leash. Never punish or yell at your dog while he is learning. Soon dog walks will become a pleasure as your dog walks with you instead of dragging you along. For more information, contact your veterinarian Norwalk, CA.

How a pet can enhance your life

You have been thinking about bringing a pet into your life but some of your family members aren’t completely sold on the idea just yet. Are there any benefits to pet ownership that you can share with them?

There are numerous positive things that will be brought into your life along with a pet. In fact, choosing the ideal pet for your family can enhance the lives of your family members significantly. It opens up doors to new activities you wouldn’t otherwise take part in and helps you feel a new sense of responsibility toward a creature. Having a pet share your home with you offers you a companion to spend time with day in and day out and gives you a chance to really get to know an animal while forming a close bond with your pet. For additional information, please contact your local vets cedar Rapids, IA.

Fostering a Dog

Before a shelter dog can be adopted he needs to learn to live outside the shelter environment. Thus fostering a dog in your home helps him prepare to go to his forever home. Work with a local animal shelter or rescue group to choose the dog that you can foster the best. Find out about your financial responsibilities and other obligations to your foster dog and the animal shelter.Even though fostering is a temporary situation, consider how this dog will fit into your household. Consider the size, temperament and breed of the foster dog you want to bring home. Consider the needs of your resident pets too. Find out about the foster dog’s behavior issues, fears or special needs. Establish a routine for your foster dog. Spend time on obedience training, exercise and play. Most importantly, be patient and kind to your foster dog. Learn more from your vet clinic Des Moines, IA.

Tips to Get the Most out of Your Catio

Your cat is sure to love his new catio, no matter how you design it! However, there are some things you can do to help your feline friend get the most out of his new space.

First, make sure there are plenty of places for your cat to lounge. Most felines like to be up high, especially when they’re outside. Window shelves and chairs are a good start, but you should also consider putting a cat tree in the catio.

Your cat can’t go out and play in the grass, but there’s no reason why you can’t bring a little greenery to him! Place potted plants that are safe for felines in the catio space. Not only will it make it more beautiful, your cat will love munching on the greenery!

For more catio tips, click here, or call your veterinarian Ellicott City, MD.

My Senior Cat Eats Constantly

Senior pets are like senior people in that they age with time and start to lose their hearing, sight, and even their memory. If your senior cat is eating constantly but doesn’t appear to be underweight or ill, then she may simply be forgetting that she’s already eaten. The next time you feed her, make a note of the time and how much you fed her and how much she ate. When she comes back for more, again note the time and the amount of food given. Next, watch your cat’s behavior after she eats. Is she walking away to start some other activity or is she turning around and coming back as though she can’t quite remember what she was there for? This could be the beginning signs of memory loss in your cat. Give your veterinary clinic Coon Rapids, MN a call to schedule an appointment.

Your Cat’s Ability to Land on Her Feet

Your cat has a righting reflex that enables her to turn around in midair during a fall and land on her feet. Her flexible spine helps her make this turn quickly and the fluid in her inner ear helps her keep track of which way is up. However, just because your cat can land on her feet doesn’t mean that she won’t be injured from a fall. She might not have the time to turn around in a low fall and she could crash to the ground. A higher fall could be disastrous if she bangs her head on the ground. Your cat could suffer internal injuries if she bottoms out on her belly. And she could experience orthopedic injuries as her feet and legs act as shock absorbers. Thus it is important to prevent falls in the first place. Learn more from your veterinarian Upper Arlington, OH.

Can Cats Go to a Groomer?

Yes, you can take your cat to a groomer for a bath, coat trim, and nail trim. Just know that not all grooming salons will accept cats or are equipped with groomers that know how to groom cats. Call ahead to find out if your local grooming salon takes cats. If they do, schedule an appointment and make sure you arrive in plenty of time. When you arrive with your cat, ask to speak with the groomer assigned to your cat and talk over what you’d like to have done. For instance, do you want a light trim or a full body trim? What about a bath? Some grooming salons offer extra services as well including teeth brushing, hair or coat styling, nail caps instead of a nail trim, and more. Check with your veterinarians Newmarket, ON to find out if he knows of a reputable cat groomer or grooming salon.

Managing Seizures in your Mongolian Gerbil

Seizure activity in gerbils is rare, but it can occur and most often effects gerbils around 2 to 3 months of age and then subsides or stops altogether around 6 months of age. If you’re concerned that your gerbil is having seizures, take him to your vet immediately for an exam. Seizure activity can present itself in abnormal behaviors for your gerbil such as twitching of the ears, whiskers and head or walking with a stiff gait. If the seizures are bad enough your vet may prescribe medication that you will need to give your gerbil regularly. You should track your gerbil’s seizure activity to help your vet determine if the medication is effective or if it needs to be adjusted. Keeping your gerbil comfortable and in the right living environment and on the right diet can help alleviate stress which can sometimes cause seizures. For more tips, talk with your vets Las Vegas, NV.

Keeping your cat’s litter box clean

Your cat needs a litter box in your home, and you want to make sure you provide this to her. How can you keep it clean so she will continually use it?

Your cat’s litter box needs to be in an area where it is easily accessible, as he will need you to check things over every day. This will mean cleaning out anything your pet has deposited into her litter box and cleaning up any messes that have been made. At times, it may require your attention more than once a day. This is especially true if your cat is very particular about where she eliminates. You will also need to take the time to clean it out completely from time to time. This will involve throwing away the used litter, cleaning the entire box, and adding back in new litter for your pet to use. For additional information, please contact your local veterinarian Fayetteville, NC.