Care to Your Dog!

Does the thought of a litter box make you cringe? Most people have the same sentiment towards litterboxes, as their reputation is a stinky and dirty one! Why not consider buying cat furniture to hide the kitty box?

A simple and effective approach to hiding litter box odor is to invest in a kitty condo/house. At the lowest level is a box with a slide out door to put your litter tray in. There is a small hole in the side for your cat to gain entry. The next level is a feeding area where you can keep your cat’s food elevated away from dogs or children. There is a play center in the middle and two sleeping platforms at the top. Also, there are multiple scratching posts in the formation. This is a great way to offer your cat everything he needs and help eliminate some of those cat box odors.

Another option to make your litter tray less unsightly is a product known as a bookcase climber. It is a walnut finished bookcase with cushioned sleeping and play areas for your cats. It also has two enclosed compartments: one for your litter box and one for extra storage. The bookcase climber is an excellent space for your cats. The litter tray smell will decrease, and you have extra storage for your cat’s food and litter mix. A wonderful alternative to this, which doesn’t take up nearly as much space, is a set of pet steps, which are great for both cats and dogs, and are available with built-in compartments.

A litter robot is also an interesting and practical option for solving your cat box problems. It is a spherical, dome-like, self-cleaning litter unit. The entrance is small to give your cat privacy. The litter robot automatically sifts through the litter and stores the waste in a carrier bag that can simply be taken out and thrown away. This unit is extremely efficient at keeping odors from escaping. It’s also intriguing to look at.

Are you starting to like the idea of cat furniture? It is very beneficial to hiding the litter box and its nasty smells. You can find cat litter furniture at many pet stores and online. In addition to cat furniture, those of you who own dogs as well may find the many uses of dog stairs to be beneficial to you and your pet. These can be found online in pre-constructed format or custom-built.

This article will discuss pet feeding and how to properly feed your pet to ensure they receive all the nutrition they need to live a long and healthy life. However, more and more pet owners are resorting to making meals for their pets or feeding pets raw food.

Some people believe that pets should only be fed raw food, as the animal would have eaten in the wild, in order for the pet’s nutrition to be “balanced” in a more natural way. There are many articles available which discuss the possibility that the man-made pet food of today and straying our pets from raw, natural food is the cause for so many diseases that are cropping up in our pets. It is believed that most of these diseases are nutrition-based due to the lack of raw meat and other nutrients in our pets’ diets.

However, veterinarians usually recommend a well-known and trusted brand of pet food that has been specifically designed for your pet. This is where pet feeding can become difficult. The quality of pet food can vary tremendously between brands and can differ in the amount of animal nutrition, therefore it is usually a good idea to choose a brand with a good reputation. For instance, Science Diet dog food and Purina dog food are very well-known and trusted brands.

Pet Feeding for Dogs: Commercial brands of pet food for dogs include canned food, dry food and semi-moist food. Up to 50% of your canine’s diet can come from carbohydrates such as grain. Vets do not recommend semi-moist food because of the additives and chemicals in them. Adult dogs may be fed once or twice per day, while puppies require more frequent feedings. There are brands that specifically specialize in all natural dog food, so if you decide you do want to feed your dog a more natural diet, you may look into it.

Never feed your dog chocolate, onions or garlic in any form (fresh, powder, flakes), persimmons, plant leaves (potato, tomato, rhubarb), mushrooms, grapes / raisins, or macadamia nuts. Also, do not let your dog chew on dryer sheets or eat human vitamins. The chemicals are harmful to them.

Cats also have a variety of food to choose from, ranging from dry, to semi-moist, to canned (wet). As with semi-moist dog food, veterinarians do not recommend it due to the preservative chemicals it contains. Cats require a high moisture content in their food, therefore it may be a good idea to stock up on canned food, which has a terrific balance of moisture.

There are also foods which are unsuitable to feed to a cat, such as: dough that contains yeast, onions, mushrooms, plant leaves, garlic, sugary foods, raw eggs, salt, persimmons, macadamia nuts, and raisins/grapes. Regardless of the rumors that milk is good for cats, you should never feed a cat cow’s milk, as they cannot digest it properly. There are some brands of cat food which offer small bottles of milk, usually intended for kittens.

Purchasing a new pet cat can be a wonderful experience, yet, it can also be a little overwhelming and worrying, too, especially if you have other animals! So just how do you go about introducing your new pet to the rest of the household and do you really know the true needs of your cat in order to look after them properly?
Introducing Your New Pet into Your Home
There are a number of factors that you will need to take into account before you introduce your pet into your home. These include:
* When to introduce The Cat
While it may be extremely tempting to just bring the cat home and put it down onto the floor to roam around freely, if you have other pets it is an extremely bad idea! You simply cannot realistically expect your other animals to get on with this new arrival instantly. It takes time and if you do not introduce the cat into the home with plenty of time, you could face daily conflicts for a long period of time!
So just how is it possible to bring a new cat home and not introduce it to the rest of your pets? Well, the simplest way to do it is to put the cat into a separate room and give it a litter tray, food, water, a bed and plenty of toys to play with. Ensure that no other animal can get into the room but allow them to be able to sniff under the door. It is extremely likely that you will hear a lot of hissing and scratching as the animals sniff each other under the door, but that will fade in time.
* How to Introduce the Cat
As well as keeping the new cat in a separate room, it is a good idea to let the animals sniff each other indirectly. This basically means wiping the new cat with a towel and letting the other animals sniff it and vice versa. All the animals should, over time, get used to the new scent and they will accept it as normal.
Another way is to switch the cat’s rooms every now and again. Let the new cat into the main house and put the other animals into the cat’s safety room in order to let them sniff around. Once you have done this a few times, you can then step it up by allowing the animals to sniff and see each other through a safety gate. Monitor their behavior and obviously remove the animals from each other if they get too nasty with each other. Over a period of time of doing this, you will notice an improvement and eventually you will be able to introduce them into the main house altogether without many problems.
Bringing a new cat home is exciting and it can be very rewarding also. However, you really do need to take certain precautions if you already have other pets. If you follow the instructions above, you should be able to introduce your new pet into your home without much hassle. It just takes time and patience but you will get there if you persevere!

The next time you sip your morning coffee while watching your favorite pet feline methodically groom herself for the day, consider this: your pet cat might have been revered, even worshipped by Egyptians thousands of years ago. These ancient Egyptians were a technologically and intellectually advanced society for their time. What exactly about your pet would they find so worthy of adoration?

To better appreciate this race’s amazing allegiance to their four footed companions, one must have a modest understanding of history. The Egyptians wisely utilized the waters from the Nile River, and its surrounding fertile soil to grow a variety of crops. Those seasons when the crops failed, the economy suffered horribly, and thousands of people went without food. This ancient culture relied heavily upon the wild, or feral cats of their era to protect their prized grains and harvested crops from disease carrying rats and mice. With their long, graceful limbs, large eyes, and sleek form, these agile felines were perfectly suited to catch vermin. It is suggested that terrible plagues were avoided just from the cats keeping the local rat population in check.

While feral cats were doing their part to protect important Egyptian grains and produce (as well as the local economy), in their cities and villages, domesticated cats served another significant purpose. Household cats were bread for their abilities to protect their beloved owners from snakes, rats, and other harmful pests. Cats were known to risk their lives for their owners, attacking and killing venomous cobras to protect their families. They kept young children from harm, and roamed the houses at night, using teeth and sharpened claws to safeguard the premises.

The cleverness, resourcefulness, agility, and grace of the Egyptian’s domesticated cats inspired this ancient culture to associate them with the goddess Bast. Bast’s spirit was often personified in feline appearance, and was frequently seen in the form of statues, paintings, and sculptures of the period. At times Bast was depicted with the face and head of a feline. On other occasions she was portrayed as a wise, regal cat. Bast was eventually given her own beautiful temple so that pilgrims could travel to revere her spirit in her own place of worship. Inside this structure, the priests of Bast cared for the many temple cats that dwelled in the sanctity of this holy place. In time, the sacred practice of mummification was extended to cats, for their owners adored them, revered them, and wished to be with them even in the afterlife.

In modern times, cats are still of importance to society. As the ancient Egyptians correctly realized, there are many advantages to having cats in the household as well as in the community. Although most cats in modern society are not required to save their owners from deadly cobras, many have been known to (depending on the local climate) protect against rattlesnakes, scorpions, poisonous spiders, and disease carrying rats and mice. Many farms, vineyards, and orchards continue to welcome cats for their ability to contain the local pest populations.

Scientists have spent vast sums of money trying to unlock the secrets of feline nocturnal vision. Cats’ nerves, reflexes, and musculoskeletal systems are presently being analyzed with the hope of making medical advancements that would be of benefit to humankind. Hundreds of years from today, we will still be learning about our feline companions, and benefiting from their presence in many ways.

Now would an ancient Egyptian have worshipped my pet cat? It’s quite possible. Would I worship my cat? Possibly, if she were able to reorganize my DVD collection, tidy up the kitchen, and organize my computer desk. I would definitely have to consider it.