Cat Care

Cats make wonderful pets. Before owning a cat, you should make sure to have a basic understanding of how to take care of a cat. Proper feeding, bathing, grooming and exercise of your cat are very important and will help your cat live a long and happy life.

There are a number of cat care tips we recommend for optimal cat care:

Feeding

• Provide your cat with a fresh supply of water throughout the day.
• If you make a change to your cat's diet, do so as gradually as possible.
• If moist pet food goes uneaten for two hours, refrigerate it.

Bathing

• Place a small towel over the side of the tub to provide a surface for your cat to cling onto. Hold the cat with one hand and lather with your other hand.
• Water temperature should be approximately 100 degrees.
• Wash your cat's head, ears and neck first to prevent any fleas that are on your cat from taking refuge there while you clean the rest of it's body.

Grooming

• Brush your cat daily to minimize shedding.
• For problems with matted fur, use your fingers to work out the tangles.
• Trim claws by pressing the paw to expose the nails. Make sure to use clippers for cats.

Here are a few additional cat care tips for you to keep in mind:

Care of Your Cat's Ears

Cleaning your cat's ears should be done weekly. Doing so will ensure your cat stays healthy and happy for years to come. Use a small amount of veterinary ear cleaner and a cotton ball.

Care Of Your Cat's Eyes

The wax-like secretions that forms in the corner of their eyes should be gently cleared away to prevent irritation. Use a damp cotton ball to clean around the cat's eye. Take extra care not to touch the eyeball.

Exercise

Exercise is an important part of cat care. Regular exercise helps your cat maintain body tone, muscle and keeps it feeling younger longer. Try to play with your cat every day to make sure it gets enough exercise.

Proper cat care is a very important component of responsible cat ownership. We hope these tips are helpful to you and that you are now better familiar with how to take care of a cat.

Things to Consider Before You Adopt a Dog

"Select" is defined in the dictionary by such phrases as "a preferred choice" or "carefully chosen". Selecting the family dog should be a well-researched and carefully soul-searched activity. Are you and your family willing to make a 10 - 15 year commitment to this sentient being in sickness and in health, for richer and for poorer, for as long as all shall live? Let's pose some of the questions family members should discuss before obtaining a dog.

How Old Are the Members of My Family?

If the youngsters in your household are under seven years old, they are usually not developmentally suited for puppies 5 months old and under or toy-sized (under 15 pounds) dogs of any age. Puppies have ultra sharp "milk teeth" and toenails and often teethe on and scratch children, resulting in unintentional injury to the child. The puppy becomes something to be feared rather than loved.

Toy dogs are fine-boned, touch-sensitive creatures that do not weather rough or clumsy handling well. They break relatively easily and are quicker to bite than their larger boned, mellower relatives.Unless your children are unusually sensitive, low-key, respectful individuals, a medium-to-large sized dog over 5 months old is usually the safer choice. Regardless of size, all interactions between small children and dogs should be monitored by a responsible adult. When there is no one to watch over them, they should be separated.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, are there frail elderly or physically challenged individuals in the household? If so, strong vigorous adolescent dogs are not a wise idea. No aging hips or wrists are safe from these yahoos. People who were one-breed fans throughout their lives may one day find that their favorite breed demands more than they can physically handle. The new dog must fit the current physical capabilities of his keepers with an eye toward what the next 10-15 years will bring.

Who Will Be the Dog's Primary Caretaker?

A decade or so back, this was an easy question to answer-- Mom. She stayed home and cooked, cleaned and raised the family dog. Most families these days do not have that option. All adults have to go to work and the kids head off to school. This leaves the family dog to be sandwiched in between lessons and sports and household chores and so on. One parent should be designated Primary Caretaker to make sure the dog does not get lost in the shuffle.Some parents bow to the pressure their children put on them to get a dog. The kids promise with tears in their eyes that they will religiously take care of this soon-to-be best friend. The truth of the matter is, during the 10 - 15 year lifespan of the average dog, your children will be growing in and out of various life stages and the family dog's importance in their lives will wax and wain like the Moon. You cannot saddle a child with total responsibility for the family dog and threaten to get rid of it if the child is not providing that care. It is not fair to child or dog.

Choosing the family dog should include input from all family members with the cooler-headed, more experienced family members' opinions carrying a bit more weight. The family dog should not be a gift from one family member to all the others. The selection experience is one the entire family can share. Doing some research and polling each family member about what is important to them in a dog will help pin down what you will be looking for. Books like Daniel Tortora's THE RIGHT DOG FOR YOU or The ASPCA Complete Guide to Dogs can be tremendously helpful and can warn you away from unsuitable choices for your family's circumstances.