Possible Pet Number 1.

With President Obama’s recent induction the family is rather, let’s say, popular. As America is a country that practically exists purely through the media even the possible acquisition of a pet is publicised. The president wants to adopt a new puppy for his daughters, Malia and Natasha. But there is one problem though, Malia is allergic to dogs, and as such the family needs to adopt an allergy free dog. This adoption is likely to turn into a source of public relations as many suggestions have been posted ranging from Peru to his homeland, they all have numerous options for the family. President Obama has been recorded saying that he wants to adopt “a mutt, like me” from a shelter. Whatever the choice though, the puppy is bound to become nearly as popular as Paris Hilton’s baby, what a shame she didn’t win the presidency, then we wouldn’t have to worry about this puppy problem!

Understanding and Sympathy: A reader's story

One reader recalls her first ever cat, when she was seven years old. She adopted the tortoise shell tabby when her parents deemed it time for her to accept some responsibility. Honestly, we have to admit that this is never a successful endeavour as we, as parents, always end up looking after the pet no matter how we try to convince ourselves, or our children, to brush, feed and play with the animal.
Thus when considering adoption, it is always best to be aware that the responsibility is one that will most likely fall on you.
The little girl in our tale named the kitten Tinks, after Tinkerbelle in Peter Pan and she enthusiastically took to the cat and did her best to look after the little feline. Unfortunately, Tinks was a week little thing and caught cat flu while quite young. She was taken to the local vet and diagnosed, and while there passed away. This is a truly upsetting experience, as we all know, for the loss of your first pet is very often the hardest to bear, as comprehending that loss at such a young aged is quite difficult.
The vet was very sympathetic towards our reader and as they too, felt that Tinks was a special kitten, they planted a rose bush in her honour and buried the kitten at the base of the bush. They also gave our reader a little card that explained that they were sorry for the kittens loss and that the kitten is now in kitty heaven.
Such special treatment from vets is almost unheard of, as they are usually overcrowded with patients and sport jaded personnel. It is an exception to find a place that shows such a personal concern for their clients. But this little touch of humanity truly made a huge difference to our readers’ view of veterinary care, as instead of seeing it as a place where animals go to die, it is viewed as a place where animals go to heal.

Matriarch of the World.

Pixie, one reader’s cat, is rather enthusiastic when she wants attention. She is a 15 year old tabby who took an instant dislike to her new owners when she was separated at 8 months from her first adoptive mother, who was emigrating. Pixie was a tiny little thing when her new owners took her, though, her temperament made up for her diminutive stature as she fiercely fought her way into our readers’ affections, biting when you lovingly scratch her ear, clawing when you tickle her chin and attacking for no apparent reason as you cross her path. (This is rather ironic as she is pitch black.)
Is the traumatic adoption the reason for this attitude, or is it just an aspect of Pixies personality?
Pixie had kittens when she was about a year and a half old. They were all pitch black, like her but unlike Pixie, they were much more approachable and loving. Pixie was not the best parent, though she never skirted her duty and kept the little ones in line, she never really showed much leniency and love for her babies. The readers kept one little fur ball and named him Panther. And now, at age 15 and 13 the two still fight and get into territorial skirmishes. Pixie, though, will always retain the title of matriarch, and her son loses more often than not, when these fights break out.
As she matured our readers noted a slight softening in her nature as she was not as aggressive and temperamental when given attention. She, like any other cat out there, demands attention on her terms though. She will come to you when she feels like a massage, whereas if you dare to approach her without consent, she will let you know that you are not worthy of touching her. Pixie lets everyone know, that when you enter her presence, it is an honour, one that should be cherished and revered. In that, she is not so very different from other felines.

Choosing the Right Pet

It's getting towards the end of school holidays and your children are all probably asking for a new family pet this year – why not give in and help give a dog or cat a happy home? It is essential that you think very carefully about what kind of pet you want before you go and get one, as a pet is a long-term commitment and will inevitably be a part of your family.

ADOPTING A PET: if you want to adopt a pet then you should go down to your local adoption agencies, such as the SPCA, TEARS or DARG, and have a look around at all of the dogs and cats that are kept there. You will probably find a pet that you bond with instantly! While you are being shown around, be sure to ask your adoption agent what type of dog they'd recommend for your particular circumstances (the size of your home, your family and your budget) and they'll help you to make the right decision.

BUYING A PET: if you want to buy a specific pet then it's time to get on your thinking caps! Do a lot of homework to ensure that you know exactly what kind of dog or cat suits your family, your home and your budget. You then need to find a breeder near you, and visit that breeder to have a look at their puppies/kittens and to have a good chat about whether or not that particular breed is ideal for you.

Breed profile: Turkish Angora

The Turkish Angora must be one of the must regal looking and all round gorgeous cats! So if you are looking into kitten adoption sometime in the future take a look around and speak to a breeder or two and consider taking home this beautiful cat! With its long coat of snow white fur and its huge sparkling eyes, the white Turkish Angora is an animal that commands attention is sure to stand out as a top breed during your adoption scouting.

One strong character trait of the Turkish Angora is what often leads to them being referred to as “dog like” as they tend to welcome visitors as the front door and take over visits as they inspect and steal the attention of your guests – this means that through adoption of a Turkish Angora you may feel like you were the one adopted and chosen by the cat rather than the other way around!

The white furred variety is extremely beautiful and make very popular show cats but when you are considering adoption be sure to also take a look at the just as gorgeous shaded, black, smoke, tabby, bi-color and parti-color Turkish Angora varieties. All of which share the elegance and great character traits of their snow white counterparts.

Pet Adoption

With the festive season drawing to an end and with us settling back at home and getting into the everyday living regimes again it may be a nice idea to consider adoption of a new pet – a kitten, puppy, cat or dog. As with the end of everyday holiday season there are many unclaimed and lonely animals in animal shelters at this time the year. When you go out looking for our new animal give the local animal rescue centers a visit. And if you, or someone you know, has had a pet go missing during the past few weeks visiting your nearby pet centers or asking around at local vets may help you in finding your lost animal. With your pet insurance cover with Medipet you can also have access to assistance to finding your lost pet with the advertising and reward cover offered to help you find your cat or dog. Medipet offers you annual advertising and reward cover for up to R250 for cats and R1000 for dogs.

So whether you are thinking of adoption, are searching for a missing cat or dog, or are happily sitting at home with your pet it is important to remember that you can prepare ahead for the safety of your pet.

Kitten Season

I have recently been looking around for a new addition to my home – a little cat with a bit of personality. I was, however, taken completely off-guard when, to my dismay, the pet shop near my home told me that I should call back in November as it isn’t yet kitten season. Kitten season? Are you serious? I thought that kittens were common all year round. It turns out, though, that kittens are abundant only near the end of September and thereafter: after hearing a few other people talking about their frustrations in finding kittens I decided to investigate this matter further.

The AWS (Animal Welfare Society) in Philipe encouraged me to come at the end of the month so that I could have my pick of the litter, and numerous pet shops in the Western Cape area all told me to call back in a month or two. After checking various online classifieds, newspapers, community handouts and tabloids I discovered that there really weren’t many kittens out there looking for a new home: they were all older than six months, and their owners were either moving or allergic!

Something else that you will have to consider is that you have to be very careful when buying (or adopting) a kitten in a private manner (like through the classifieds) because more often than not these kittens can be feral offspring and might not be the loving and attentive pet that you hoped for. Most adoption agencies will tell you the kitten’s heritage if they know it, pet shops almost always only stock the tamed kind, and private breeders can guarantee you of your new kitten’s pedigree or superior genealogy.

The DARG association, amongst other adoption agencies, breeders and veterinarians, insists that the worst thing that you can do is adopt a pet on a whim. This can lead to neglect and inconvenience, and is often the reason why these institutions fill up so quickly. If you want to get a puppy or a kitten it is essential that you think through the whole thing very carefully and make sure that it is what you want to do. Maybe kitten season isn’t such a bad idea after all – it gives you the time that you need to think about your priorities. Cats and kittens are independent animals, but they still love a lot of attention and a good home.

So back to the kitten season: it turns out that you can get kittens easily from about the end of September all the way through into the next year. That gives you plenty of time to find just the right cat with just the perfect personality to be the newest addition to your family! We’ll be doing a number of breed profiles over the next few weeks so that should help you to make an informed decision if you are looking for a special kind of pet – be sure to check back often!