Category: Dogs for Adoption

Dogs for Adoption

The Must Know Cat Petting Strategy

Rusty

All cats are obviously not the same similar to every other animal or human. Regardless, I can tell you that most cats will enjoy my petting method and petting strategies to the fullest. The most important thing to know before anything is your one on one bond with your cat or in a simpler form trust. If your cat doesn’t trust you or feels comfortable around you that would be your biggest problem. For the trustworthy relationships I have some crucial tips and tricks for you to follow the next time your cat needs attention.

Ironic as this sounds I grew up having no interest in cats let alone didn’t really even like them. As a child my personal experiences with cats were never good for me because I never could understand them and having such a passion for dogs at the time I didn’t realize how extravagant these creatures really were. As I started growing up around the age of 18 at Christmas time I had an unknown kitten living in my garage and my dad that didn’t accept this continually tried to drive it away but it didn’t ever seem to leave. Well after a week of trying to flee the kitten away it would just start hanging out by our backdoor of our house. As this became a daily thing for us my dad finally found it in his heart to let this poor little creature live at our place until we could find it a new home. Unfortunately, we kind of put it off because of our busy lives and we decided that this kitten is now our new pet. Long story short I feel like our new pet was blessed because of the pride this cat had and never gave up. He now is spoiled completely and is one of the most important things in my dad’s life.

With all this being said I started learning a lot about cats and their behavior. Which led me to creating my petting strategies. The two favorite spots a cat likes to be scratched is on their forehead and between the ears for instance my cat will approach me using his head to throw up my hand telling me what he wants. Also scratching under the chin and along the throat can be just as effective especially when you do it right after the forehead and ears. Keep in mind always pet a cat in the direction of its fur and be careful of the sensitive spot above the tail. Depending on the cat they may like to be petted there but some do not so find out if your does. Also, be aware of too much petting, your cat could nip at you letting you know it’s too much or too hard. If you happen to walk by your cat in the house I recommend to bend down and pet him or her, they seem to enjoy the acknowledgment and care you show. Never force your cat to do anything that the number one wrong thing to do, cats extremely dislike being pushed or forced. You have let your cat want to cuddle with you or any other task you are trying to achieve. The calmer you are the better off you are cats get spooked very easily and have keen senses so never be too aggressive. If you pick up your cat make sure to always use two hands and place your hands one under the chest and the other under his or her back legs. You will know when you have created this special bond with your cat by the end trust me.

Once you have acquired this relationship put the icing on the cake with cat products for your cat. Owning cat beds and cat toys can really jumpstart your cats sense of importance to you.

These may seem basic to some but you try these things and your bond will literally change before your eyes. You may even get a little irritated at your cat for demanding too much attention, it’s a good thing.…

Dogs for Adoption

Raw Bones For Dog Health

Rusty

Raw bones:

-will keep teeth clean and reduce tartar buildup, therefore great for reducing offensive doggie breath!

-are naturally high in essential fatty acids (EFA’s), fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, K, marrow (blood forming proteins), collagen, minerals (boron, calcium phosphate and phosphorus in the perfect ratio and availability)

-improve skin, coat and general wellbeing of your dog

-beneficial to muscle and bone development as it is an isometric exercise

-dogs can store stress in their jaw, chewing is soothing and serves as a stress release activity as it helps release endorphins which creates a feeling of wellbeing

-chicken bones are high in omega 6, essential acids and raw young bird bones are quite soft

-important for your dogs dental health as bones help prevent periodontal disease, gingivitis, and cavities therefore saving you expensive visits to the vet

-helps strengthen your dogs own bones, teeth and jaw

-will help anal glad problems, so if your dog scoots on grass this could be a sign that including raw bones in his diet would be of benefit

-dogs fed a proportion of raw meat and bone have much smaller, slightly harder and much less smellier stool

-good for dogs that are crated or confined for longer periods of time as it keep them calm and occupied

-ends of bones contain cartilage, great source of glucosamine which has anti inflammatory properties

Suitable bones MUST BE RAW and never cooked as they can splinter internally and cause impaction, also

-discourage your dog from eating old dried out bones

-avoid large marrow type bones as they can wear down teeth enamel and cause cracks

What type of bones to feed?

Always chose an appropriate bone size for your dog. Medium-large dogs: lamb shanks and necks, raw chicken and turkey necks, chicken carcasses and frames, pig’s trotters, beef marrow bones, kangaroo tails. It is always ideal for your dog to chew all bones a few times before swallowing , however if your dog gulps down rather than chewing the bones do not feed lamb shanks).

Smaller dogs, bull terriers, boxers: can be fed raw meaty bones but leave out the larger bones such as lamb shanks. Chicken necks are good for puppies and smaller dogs (or mixed up with other foods for larger dogs who chew well, otherwise they are most likely to be too small and swallowed without chewing. For puppies also try and include bones with some meat as it encourages them to use their front incisor teeth while trying to tear off the meat. This can help prevent further chewing of furniture, shoes it helps the puppy through the teething stage.

Please note that some adult dogs can’t eat any cuts of raw bone perhaps due to the shape of the head of some small breeds, or having an undershot jaw. Older dogs may have lost too many teeth and may be unable to chew bones.

Otherwise, generally feeding your dog raw bones twice weekly is a great start to introducing him to a natural form of food dogs have been accustomed to eating for thousands of years. Dogs are carnivores (meat eaters) so their entire anatomy and physiology is well adapted to digest bones. Their stomach acid is much stronger than humans so they can readily digest bits of bone and chunks of meat. Their strong stomach acid also kills any bacteria or pathogen that would otherwise be harmful to humans. Organic meat and bones are always preferable.

By feeding your dog what dogs would naturally eat in the wild you will be tremendously contributing to his welfare. Why not start by introducing a few different types of bone and create some variety to your dog’s diet this week, observe carefully when he’s eating, and come to your own conclusion!…

Dogs for Adoption

Can Healthy Cat Food Contain Preservatives?

Rusty

In this day and age of the mighty dollar masquerading as king, it becomes more and more difficult to trust businesses who have a vested interest in gaining your sale. As cats can’t talk to us, or perhaps I should say, as we can’t hear what cats are telling us, we don’t have that all important input to know if we are providing our cats with a healthy cat you do a quick search on the internet, you’ll come across practically all pet food manufacturers proclaiming their brand is ‘all natural’, ‘healthy’, ‘holistic’, even ‘organic’, but in every single case they are selling dry think about it for a minute. Dried food which contains any form of meat just won’t keep at room temperature. Try keeping your steak out of the refrigerator for a few days and see what how do pet food manufacturers keep cat food indefinitely at room temperature?The only possible way to do this is to add preservatives. Despite many claims saying there are no preservatives, logic tells you there has to be.Cooking in itself may preserve meat a little longer than raw meat, but not for weeks, or even what, you may be thinking, I know there are preservatives in some of the foods I eat and I seem to be OK. Surely a few preservatives doesn’t mean I’m not feeding my cat a healthy cat food?I personally don’t think any preservative is OK. It may appear to be harmless in the short term, but in the long term there will be apart from my personal opinion, there are some laws, perhaps rather basic or not well enforced, in almost every country around the world, that protects human food. So all preservatives used in human food has to be considered ‘reasonably safe’ by some standards.Unfortunately, there are no such safe guards in pet food. Or the laws are even less effectively enforced than the human the preservatives used in cat food can be the most toxic. Does cat food containing highly toxic preservatives sound like a healthy cat food to you?Ever heard of formalin? Embalmers use it to preserve dead bodies.Formalin, also known as formaldehyde, is widely used in pet food to preserve probably haven’t heard of ethoxyquin. That’s a preservative used in the rubber industry. It’s in the tyres of your car. So what on earth is it doing in your cat food? Lets look at ethoxyquin’s history. When factory workers were exposed to it, they exhibited side effects similar to those of agent orange:

Are you getting a bit concerned? Perhaps your cat is suffering from some kind of organ damage? Here are a few other common preservatives used in cat food to keep it at room temperature indefinitely;

No manufacturer can keep preservatives out of dry cat food if it has a long shelf , if you don’t feed your cat a commercial cat food, what can you feed her?To my way of thinking, the only sure way of knowing you are providing a healthy cat food is to prepare it yourself.Before you throw your hands up in horror, saying you don’t know how, you don’t have time, that’s where I come in.I’ve done the research for a balanced, healthy cat food.I’ve made all the mistakes and can show how not to fall into the traps I feeding your cat a healthy cat food, you’ll have fewer trips to your veterinarian and your cat will live longer.…

Dogs for Adoption

Cat Care Secrets For The New Owner

Rusty

There are two types of “new” cat owners. The first will appreciate that they are in effect bringing into their home a strange animal, whose nature they do not fully understand. This group might do a little research beforehand, and buy or borrow a cat care and training guide. The second group may just assume that the new cat or kitten will very quickly pick up and obey the house rules, and it is this group who are more likely to get angry and frustrated, and maybe resort to smacking or shaking the cat.

For a start, any physical punishment is self-defeating – the cat will simply learn to fear you, and make any further training even more difficult. A very effective alternative to physical punishment is to keep a spray bottle of water handy – if she misbehaves, a little spray will let her know you are not pleased.

The surest key to success with your cat house training is to try to understand how your cat thinks, why she does the things she does, what motivates her. If you expect her to do something that goes against her nature, then you better be prepared to make it worth her while. If you want to make the most rapid progress, a modest investment in a decent cat manual or guide will be richly rewarded, and you will at a stroke begin to understand “cat think” and cat care in general, and also avoid the most common mistakes.

You will find that the most rewarding approach is to encourage good behavior, either by kind words combined with gentle stroking, or some food treat. The cat will quickly learn what she has to do to earn that “reward”, and if the reward is not forthcoming, she will assimilate the knowledge that she has broken some rule.

Cats are known for their short attention span, so your training sessions should be fairly brief, ideally around 10 minutes. You want to eliminate any distractions during these short sessions, so you maximise the chances of gaining the undivided attention of the cat. The perfect location is a small indoors room, with no view outside, and no disturbances.

The essential training exercises that concern most new cat owners are to do with urination, scratching, jumping and biting.

No cat will easily take to using a litter box – it is contrary to their nature – so it is essential that you are very determined and consistent in rewarding the cat when he performs properly.

The second biggest concern is with cat scratching, a behavior that is an essential part of the animal’s nature. The provision of good scratching posts in strategic places will alleviate the problem, and spare your furniture and curtains. The surgical removal of the cat’s claws was until recently seen as an easy and permanent solution to the problem, but in a more humane age this is seen as quite a barbaric act to perform on a Cat, and one that upsets the whole balance mechanism of the cat, and is really traumatic.

A cat will not expend unnecessary energy, so if she jumps there is a reason for it. Most often, she will jump onto the window sill to view the outside world – if you want her not to jump on a particular sill, block off the view for the first 15 inches, perhaps with a piece of fabric. If there is no view, she will soon go elsewhere. Jumping onto counters or worktops or tables in the kitchen should be completely discouraged from the beginning – it might simply signal that she wants feeding.

Biting is unfortunately often encouraged in a kitchen – children in particular enjoy being bitten by young kitten teeth, and will often playfully provoke it until it bites. But that “trains” the cat that biting is acceptable, so it should be avoided. If the behavior persists, you might discourage it with a spray from your water bottle.…

Dogs for Adoption

Cat Dander Air Cleaner—5 Features To Steer Clear Of

Rusty

If you’re allergic to your cat, you know that it is the protein in the dander that can cause such horrible symptoms. If you’re tired of sneezing, coughing, watering eyes, congestion, and feeling as if you can’t breathe whenever you cat comes near, you need an air purifier for the dander. Here are 5 features to avoid when selecting one.

One Without A HEPA—This type of filter is a star when it comes to removing microscopic airborne particles. Spelled out it stands for high efficiency particle arresting filter and is the same technology used by hospitals to insure the air is clean.

It is able to remove 99.97% of particles that are.3 microns or smaller. And it does it with 97% efficiency. The benefit to you is that this type of filter is guaranteed to leave only 3 out of every 10,000 airborne particulates. That’s an amazing track record by anyone’s s standard.. That’s what you want working for you against cat dander.

A Unit With Zero Pre-Filters-These filters that come before the other filters are an excellent indication that your filter will last a long time. They can eliminate the big and medium size particulates saving the smaller size filter to trap small to microscopic particles..

Having these filters sort through the pollutants and leave the smallest pollutants for the filter with the smallest holes saves you money on replacement filters and bunches of time you would have spent replacing filters. Large and medium particle pre-filters should be standard on your cleaner.

No Odor Control—Living with any animal means living with some odor. For those of us who love cats, their particularly scent can be comforting. This will probably not be the case for others who visit your home..

A purifier that uses carbon cloth for odor control is the best of both worlds. Originally designed by the British Military to be used against chemical warfare, it is excellent at removing gases, odors, and chemicals. And because it is a cloth, it also eliminates particles.

Limited Operation—Dander production is continuous. It is the skin’s way of discarding old and damaged skin for newer healthier skin that is more able to ward off disease and infection.

A unit with a motor that can only run for part of the day should be left on the shelf in the store. Because dander is constantly being shed, you need a cleaner that can be just as constant about removing it.. A split capacitor motor will allow 24 hour operation that is safe, effective, and efficient.

One Speed Filtration—There are some days when things just happen faster than others. Having a cleaner that is able to take out pollutants more quickly when you know that there is more in your air is a huge advantage.. Having a purifier that has a low, medium, and high speed adjustment will let your cleaner keep up with whatever is happening in your life and your cat’s.…

Dogs for Adoption

Tips On How To Properly Care For A Cat

Rusty

There are some purchases that justify spending the extra dollar and what your cat eats is definitely one of them. The difference between the “good food” and the “cheap food” is phenomenal. Just stick with buying the natural, healthy food from the beginning and you won’t ever have to worry about a picky kitten.

An indoor cat who gets a taste of the outdoors will forever want to go outside. If you know your cat will always be an indoor cat, do your best to keep them from sneaking out. You can try to train your cat to stay in your yard when you are outside.

Make sure to keep chemicals and dangerous substances away from your cat. Chemicals like antifreeze have a sweet taste. This encourages the cat to drink it, most often resulting in fatal consequences. Keeping your chemicals locked up in a cabinet will help to ensure that your curious cat does not end up ingesting poison.

Your cat needs to be shown lots of love. Cats provide warmth and affection, and they also require the same from you. Cats need social time with the family just like people do so that they know that they are valued. Cats want to feel loved and needed.

Remember that very young children can be a bit too rough with a cat or new kitten. Guide your kids in handling a feline. Show them what activities are appropriate and how to pick them up. Feline bones are weaker than those of many other pets, so they must be handled with care.

Handle your kitten often. The longer your cat is handled as a kitten, the more readily they will accept being handled when they are grown, especially around their paws. This is important as all cats will have to visit the vet occasionally, and this process is much easier and less stressful if the cat is accustomed to being handled. It will also make grooming and nail trimming much easier.

When bringing a new kitten home, take it slow. It is tempting for children to want to play with the new addition to your home immediately. But the young cat will likely be scared. Give the cat time to acclimate itself to your home and to get comfortable with everyone.

Acclimate your cat to its carrier. Cats don’t react to punishment like dogs do. Most of the time, it is better to use positive reinforcement. Put a favorite blanket and toy in the carrier and leave it open somewhere the cat frequents. Sooner or later, your cat will try out the appealing space and learn to be comfortable in it. It’s a much easier way to get the cat in.

If you want a cat to come your way, it may be a good idea for you to refrain from looking at them. Cats do not like it when people look them directly in the eye, so they tend to go the other way. This is why it seems as if cats always gravitate toward people who are not really fond of animals.

Understand your cat’s sounds. Meowing is a form of communication, often for food or to get your attention. There are other sounds, though. Hissing usually indicates fear or anger, so you should stay away. Cats also make certain sounds when they see prey. This often sounds like a chirp. Purring may indicate contentment, but sometimes it means nervousness.

Provide safe and engaging entertainment for your cat at all times. Even if you cannot be in the house with your pet, you should ensure that it has access to toys and other diversions. Sometimes we perceive that cats are lazy animals, but that doesn’t mean they don’t enjoy playing to pass the time. This is especially important if your cat is alone in your house for long periods of time.

Animal Control

Keep track of your feline friend by having the animal microchipped. This small device is implanted beneath the skin between your cat’s shoulder blades. Microchip implantation may sting for a few seconds, but the implant is otherwise unnoticeable and will not cause your pet any discomfort. This chip makes it easier for animal control to locate your cat if it goes missing.

Cats are all unique and some cats prefer different kinds of food than others and nothing is harder to please than a picky feline. As you get to know your pet, experiment with different foods and treats until you learn what they do and don’t like to eat. You will likely find that you both enjoy some of the same foods.…