Ensuring a Healthy Diet for your Rabbit

It is important to give your rabbit the right greens as to ensure a healthy pet. This can be done by including greens daily into your rabbit’s diet; these greens may include spinach, broccoli and herbs. Fruit should be given to your rabbit as a treat only, as too much fruit may lead to an obese rabbit, as well as dental disease. Try to buy pellets and hay from your local vet as it is usually fresher than the products carried at supermarkets and/or pet stores. Important to note when changing your rabbit’s diet, is to do it slowly! This avoids sudden changes in the types of bacteria in the gut of the rabbit. A sudden change in diet may also prove fatal to young rabbits, so do take care. Ensure that your rabbit always has access to clean, fresh water and that that your rabbit has access to unlimited amounts of high fiber, good quality grass hay.

Belly Up

I recently had to say ‘goodbye’ to my dear goldfish ‘Goopy’ after a long and surely uncomfortable battle with ‘Flip-over’ disease. Unfortunately this is not the first goldfish I have owned that has suffered this fate, but I thought it was time to draw the line and investigate this goldfish disease! Flip-over disease is actually a symptom of one or more goldfish diseases that affect buoyancy. In other words, if your fish is unable to swim up right, floats the top of the tank, or sinks to the bottom it probably has flip-over disease. If your little buddy is suffering from this symptom, it could indicate a problem with its swim bladder, intestinal tract, organs situated near to the swim bladder, tumours in the abdomen or as a result of failure of the mechanism that controls gas pressure in the swim bladder. A bad diet and/or poor water quality may also result in flip-over disease. If it is as a result of poor diet or water quality it is quite easy to treat, however if the problem is internal there is little one can do for the goldfish. It should be noted though, that surgery is an option. Don’t think my Vet will take me too seriously though.

Cat Scratch Fever

Are you tired of having your kitty scratch her way through your carpet, blinds, and the back of your newly upholstered furniture? Well firstly, it is important that you provide your cat with a scratching post. Cats scratch either to mark their territory, sharpen their claws or to stretch their legs, therefore providing them with a suitable post on which to do this is important. It is suggested that you avoid making use of posts covered in carpeting as the cat cannot dissociate the scratching post with your Persian rug. However, posts covered in sisal rope or corrugated board should do the trick. You can also clip your cat’s nails if necessary (a human nail clipper will do) but do be sure not to cut the nail into the quick. You don’t want to hurt your kitty! If all else fails, and you catch your pet sharpen its claws on your blinds, fill a sprits bottle with some water. It should deter them from doing it again.

The Origin of the Domesticated Cat

Did you know that until recently the domesticated cat was thought to have originated from ancient Egypt? However this is not so, in 2004 a grave was excavated in Cyprus and it was discovered that the skeleton of a cat that had been buried with its owner. The grave was approximately 5000 years older than that of the earliest depictions of cats in Egypt. It is suspected that unlike dogs, cats were probably not domesticated through the hands of people but that they adapted to urban environments. Their stubborn and independent natures usually mean that cats are rather difficult to train, however with a little patience and perseverance an owner might be able to over come this wild nature, and in some cases even have one’s cat walking on a leash (although this might only be as a result of training from an early age)! Hence you can take a cat out of the wild, but it certainly will be a challenge taking the ‘wild’ out of your cat.

Pet Love – Conditionally unconditional

It’s a routine. Every morning I wake up, switch off my alarm, get up and open my door. And every morning there she waits, wagging her tail anticipating my return from the kitchen. My dog, a Yorkshire terrier, although independent loves me like no other. Once I’ve made myself a cup of coffee and climbed back into bed, she sits back in my arms pleading for her morning scratch. This ritual continues until she is in a deep sleep accompanied with an even deeper and louder snore of sorts. Twitching dreamily in my arms, we sit there as only two best friends can, content in each other’s company. Important to note though, is that this ritual is on her terms and her terms only. Let’s not forget who the boss is! A scratch too long, or too much movement and that’s it! She’s out of here, and with a sigh laden with utter annoyance she moves off to the far corner of the bed to inspect her garden for cats.