Hangin’ with the Animals

By CS Swarens

Even though felines tend to be very healthy for the duration of their lives, they do have some common cat ailments. For the most part, a healthy diet and careful grooming will alleviate and even prevent many common cat ailments. If your cat changes its behavior or schedule of activities, a checkup with a veterinarian is highly recommended. While the turnout may be one or more common cat ailments, it never hurts to be on the safe side.

Sometimes it seems like cats and hair balls go hand in hand. Even a short haired cat will occasionally develop a few. If you have a medium to long haired cat, brushing and combing is essential to preventing this and other common cat ailments. Aside from helping your cat look like a show piece, brushing will help remove dead hair that your cat would swallow in the course of washing.

In order to prevent hair balls, you may also want to add a teaspoon of fish oil to cat food once a week. This will help any hair that the cat ingests pass through the digestive system. You may also want to try feeding your cat a teaspoon of bran or canned pumpkin each day. If your cat is feral, it may chew on grass or other plants to help manage this and other common cat ailments.

Fleas can wreak absolute havoc in your cats life. Not only are they itchy, they can spread diseases. Some cats develop physical allergies to fleas, while others will experience emotional and mental distress. Similar to hair balls, routine grooming will help keep fleas to a minimum. Flea collars are also readily available to treat this and some other related common cat ailments. There are also environmentally friendly fur rubs that will deter fleas and give your cat a pleasant odor at the same time. If your cat is highly intolerant of fleas, you may also want to ask your veterinarian about flea inoculations.

If you notice your cat scratching inside his/her ears, some other common cat ailments may be present. Similar to fleas, ear mites and wax buildup can be very annoying and disturbing to your cat. They also rank well near the top when it comes to easily treated common cat ailments. Chances are your cat’s veterinarian will notice ear mites and wax during annual checkups. The medication for both conditions is fairly easy to administer, and will provide a great deal of relief to your cat. It is important to treat ear mites early, as they can do a great deal of damage to your cat’s hearing and long term health.

Finally, few people realize emotional and mental distress are common cat ailments. As an example, if you move out of one home and into another, a grown cat may find it difficult to adapt. There are many stories of transplant cats taking to their paws and returning to their old home, even if it is thousands of miles away. When you own a cat, it is important to realize that they have very stringent rules about their physical territory. They will guard their “property” much as a human owner might. While we cannot see the cat version of fences created by stool and urine markings, cats most certainly recognize the territories of others of their species.

As with humans, cats can suffer from a wide array of ailments that start off with very subtle symptoms. Aside from yearly check ups, it is very important to take your cat to the veterinarian if you notice changes in what time the cat eats, or engages in other occupations. That said, for the most part, if you adopt a kitten or full grown cat, you can look forward to at least one decade of living with a happy, healthy companion. That said, common cat ailments should not be overlooked or ignored.

CS Swarens is the president of Find a Pet Online. 800 998-7065

For additional information on dogs, cats, birds, horses, and exotic pets visit the internet’s pet resource including pet classifieds at http://www.findapetonline.com

Research over 45 cat breed profiles http://www.findapetonline.com/cat_breeds_a_z.html

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By Susan Weslee

Dog chewing is normal canine behavior. If you’ve ever seen a large dog gnawing on a bone, you can appreciate his natural instinct at work.

Dog chewing behavior varies within breeds and individual dogs. From the largest Great Dane to the smallest Chihuahua, one thing is certain…all dogs love to chew. Dogs chew for many reasons; teething discomfort, boredom, to learn about their surroundings, and even just for fun!

Puppies are especially prone to chewing, and will grab anything that they find appealing. If it’s left on the floor, it’s fair game. Shoes, socks, slippers, and children’s dolls can easily be carried off by a scurrying young puppy.

When dogs begin to chew inappropriate objects such as shoes, furniture, baseboards, walls and other items, the chewing becomes destructive, and the behavior needs to be corrected.

Destructive dog chewing usually occurs after your puppy has been housetrained. He’s now supervised less, and allowed to move around the house more…and often the opportunity to grab and gnaw on items are too tempting to resist.

The best way to discourage this type of behavior is to remove the tempting items. Dirty laundry should be stored in a hamper before laundering-not heaped in a pile or tossed on the floor. Shoes and slippers belong in the closet, not in your dog’s bed. Children’s toys should be kept away from the puppy’s favorite toys.

Provide your puppy with plenty of his own toys for chewing, both indoors and outside. Pet stores and grocery stores carry a large variety of chew toys and treats from which to choose. Rope bones, hard rubber bones, plastic bones, stuffed Kong toys, and other non-edible products provide safe alternatives and satisfy your dog’s chewing instincts.

With so many quality edible chew treats on the market, they offer a much safer alternative to meat and poultry bones, which have a tendency to splinter and cause injury to your dog.

Special stuffed toys, like the Kong, are ideal for teaching appropriate chewing behavior. This toy, made of hard rubber, has a hollow center, which can be filled with small treats, hard cheese, raw carrots, or apple pieces. Your dog needs to work to get at the food in the toy’s center. This activity keeps your puppy occupied, and out of mischief. It teaches appropriate dog chewing behavior, which is exactly what you are striving to do.

To develop proper dog chewing behavior, you’ll need to monitor and supervise your puppy during his first year or so. One way to teach appropriate dog chewing especially if you are unable to supervise or not at home, is to place him in his crate with his favorite chew toys.

To discourage furniture or wall chewing, apply pet training aid products containing “bitter apple” or “bitter orange”, directly to the surface. Most dogs will find this taste to be unpleasant and repelling, and will stop chewing with repeated applications.

Provide your dog with plenty of exercise. Mental and physical stimulation will reduce boredom and stress, and reduce the likelihood of chewing those inappropriate items. Above all, don’t scold or punish him for destructive chewing. While it’s tempting to yell “bad dog”, you’ll accomplish little in the way of redirecting his dog chewing to more appropriate behavior.

The keys to successfully training your dog to overcome destructive dog chewing include plenty of patience, persistence, and consistency. Praise and positive reinforcement also go a long way toward developing appropriate chewing behavior.

While you can’t eliminate his urge to chew, it’s up to you to provide acceptable alternatives and redirect his energy to chew on more appropriate objects.

Susan Weslee is an avid dog owner and writer. She is creator and webmaster of a successful dog training website that provides basic training tips and information to new dog owners.

If you found this article of interest, please visit the author’s website, http://www.beginners-dog-training.com for more tips and information.

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