Resolving Feline Aggression Part II

Crouched in a tight ball with ears pulled back against his head, Jitters spits and hisses at Alice, the new neighbor, as she enters the kitchen. While cooing sweet nothings to the cat, Alice reaches out to give the cornered cat a reassuring pat and…bam! Score one bite for the home team and one bloody hand for the visitor.

Feeling trapped, with no escape route available, Jitters displayed a common defensive behavior — fear aggression. This was not a stealth attack. In most cases, the cat will make his feelings known — as

Jitters did — through vocalizations, such as growling, hissing and spitting and baring his teeth. His hunched-up body will be as tight as a spring, ready to dart forward for a quick bite or to roll over to expose punishing claws if these warnings are not heeded. Back off, and you will usually avoid attack.

Is Using Food for Training Simply a Bribe?

Lots of pet parents worry when they start training their dog that they are only bribing their pet to do what they want. Frustrated pet parents always tell trainers that their dog will only sit if they have food. So that begs the question, is using food for training simply a bribe and will it mean you have to keep bribing your dog to get behaviors you like?

First look at the process of training your dog as a means of simply building communication between two different species that do not speak the same language. Positive dog training is based on the science of animal learning theory and is much more humane and effective than coercive methods which can have serious implications on your dog’s confidence and relationship with you. Positive Dog Training states the Three Laws of Learning:

Do New Cats Need To Be Litter Trained?

Going to a new home is a stressful situation for any cat, and some need more time to adjust than others. The best way to help your new friend adjust to his home is to give him time and safe place to hide. If there is one word you need to know about introducing a cat to your home, it’s this: SLOWLY!

Initially, your new cat should be restricted to a single room in the house with all the necessities — food and water, a place to rest, a place to hide (this doesn’t need to be anything fancy — cats love having a cardboard box or paper bag to hide in), something to scratch, and a litter box.

Resolving Feline Aggression Part I

Does your feline youngster crouch under the hall table ready to attack the first ankle that passes? Does she pounce on your toes while you’re trying to sleep? Play aggression is common in kittens and adolescents and occasionally carries over into young adulthood. This type of aggression is most often seen in single-cat households where the cat is on her own eight- to ten-hours a day. While most cats inhibit their biting and scratching during play aggression, some do not.

My Dog Chases My Cat. How Do I Stop Him?

As for the chasing episodes, he needs to be redirected as soon as the behavior starts and ideally as soon as he starts to get aroused, whines or makes any indication that the chase is about to begin. The faster you can cut him off and redirect his behavior, the more successful you will be long term. Teach yourself to watch for him staring.

As soon as he keys into one of the cats and is staring in their direction, call his name or clap your hands. When he looks at you or turns around, praise and reward him. He needs to be taught that another behavior will be more successful for him at the same time he learns that you are not allowing him to practice the behavior you don’t like (chasing).

8 Pet Conditions that Require Lifelong Treatment

Wouldn’t life be grand if every medical problem we had was solved in a single visit to the doctor? Sadly that isn’t the case, neither in pets nor in people. While some medical conditions resolve and never come back, pets are prone to a variety of chronic diseases that must be managed rather than cured over the lifetime of the pet. Here are eight of the most common chronic conditions we treat in veterinary practice: 

Diabetes

Diabetes is found in both dogs and cats and can quickly become life-threatening if not managed properly. Diabetes occurs when the body either fails to produce insulin or stops responding to insulin the bloodstream. Insulin helps the body move energy in the form of glucose from the blood into cells; in diabetics, that glucose remains in the bloodstream and starves the body of energy.

Care for Your Pets Using These Tips That Are Cost Effective Even

Many times you really have to spend a lot of money, time as well as effort in caring for your pets. In reality people are not aware of the actual way of caring for their pets. This invariably leads to a loss of money due to the expense incurred in the veterinary clinic as a result of the pet falling ill frequently. It is even worse if you have to lose your pet due to negligence.

Many pet owners ill-treat their pets without being aware of it. This is only because they do not know the proper way to care for them. It is definitely not excusable to be mistreating animals just because you do not have enough funds. You can easily care for your pets with minimal expenditure without having to lose them or compromising the quality of their life. Managing the cost of caring for your pet can be easily done by following some tips.

Why Does My Cat Scratch Everything?

Scratching is a normal part of cat behavior and serves several functions, including conditioning of the claws, providing a means of stretching, and acting as a marker (both olfactory, or scent, and visual). Cats like to scratch! The act of scratching actually removes frayed and worn outer claws, exposing new, sharper ones. However, what is normal cat behavior can become frustrating to deal with for cat owners — particularly when the cat in question starts destroying furniture or even scratching members of the family.

The Special Grooming Needs of a Senior Cat

Just as people are living longer than they did in the past, cats are living longer too. In fact, the percentage of cats over six years of age has nearly doubled in just over a decade, and there is every reason to expect that the “graying” cat population will continue to grow.

So how old is my cat, really?

Cats are individuals and, like people, they experience advancing years in their own unique ways. Many cats begin to encounter age-related physical changes between seven and ten years of age, and most do so by the time they are 12. The commonly held belief that every “cat year” is worth seven “human years” is not entirely accurate.

Housetraining Dogs and Puppies

The key to training your dog to eliminate outside (where you want him to) is to prevent accidents, and to reward success. Adult dogs have better bladder and bowel control, and can “hold it” for a longer period of time than puppies. The rule of thumb with puppies is to take their age in months, add one, and that’s the number of hours the puppy can “hold it” during the day (i.e. A four-month-old puppy can be expected to be clean for up to five hours during the day).