How to choose your pet and take care of it

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Table of contents

1 Cat

1.1 Caring for Cats

1.1.1 Feeding and Grooming
1.1.2 Litterbox and toilet training

1.2 Problems in Cats

1.2.3 Urination Problems
1.2.4 Scratching Problems

2 Dog

2.3 Breeds
2.4 Acquiring a pet dog
2.5 Keeping your dog healthy
2.6 Naming your new dog

Cat

Caring for Cats

Feeding and Grooming

Feed your cat with good-quality commercial cat food, but do not consider cooking for your cat without veterinary guidance. Remember that cats are obligate carnivores, which means that they require meat protein to survive. They cannot survive on a vegetarian diet. There are cat foods which are formulated for cats with special dietary needs, such as cats with poorly functioning kidneys or the tendency to have urinary problems. Please consult a veterinarian before feeding your cat one of these diets. Cats should also have fresh water available at all times.

Long-haired cats may need to be groomed every day to prevent their fur from getting matted. Short-haired cats can handle most of their own grooming, but should still be brushed occasionally to remove loose hairs.

Litterbox and toilet training

Cats are normally very clean animals and are generally easy to house-train by simply showing them their litterbox. Cats may also be trained to use toilets. Refusal to use a litterbox is the number one problem with cats, however. If your cat stops using the litterbox, a trip to the veterinarian should be the first thing to do to rule out a physical reason. If no physical problem is found, then a good feline behaviorist (find one with a veterinary degree, preferably) can often cure even the most recalcitrant cat. Shanna was here.

Problems in Cats

Urination Problems

If a cat suddenly stops using its litterbox, a trip to the vet is in order, because this may be caused by a medical problem - if the cat finds it painful to relieve itself, it may associate the pain with the litterbox. It can also be a behavioural problem; for example, the cat may be resentful over the introduction of a new kitten to the household. The reasons why cats stop using the litterbox for eliminations are large and varied, with too many to go into here. Your veterinarian may have some good suggestions, or you may need to contact a behaviorist.

An entire industry has grown up around getting cats to use the litterbox--different shapes and sizes of boxes with or without lids, a wide array of different litters (including special litter with an attractive smell for cats), even feline pheromones in a bottle (called Feliway).

Some things to try--change the size of the box, change it's location (it may be too remote or in too busy of an area), change the litter (both the kind and the frequency of dumping and replacing--most cats don't like strong odors associated with the box), add or remove a lid, add to the number of litterboxes (especially in a multicat house), move the box away from it's food and water, or even confine the cat into a small area with a clean box for a period of time (usually several weeks) to retrain it to use the box. Which of these solutions will work best for you depends on the individual situation--it frequently takes a bit of detective work.

Scratching Problems

Another problem some people have with cats is that some cats sharpen their claws on the furniture. Often it is the owner's favourite chair that is clawed most, because the cat is responding to its owner's scent. Cats which are allowed to go outside are less likely to have this problem because they can sharpen their claws on trees. Try giving the cat a scratching post; you may have to try several to find one your cat likes, and a log of wood with the bark still on may work better than a commercial scratching post. Putting an owner's smell or cat mint on the scratching post may improve cats affection towards the post. Covering the furniture with aluminium foil may help discourage the cat. When the cat starts scratching furniture, shooting the cat with a small pressure water pistol is a very effective way to embarrass the cat and teach it to leave the furniture alone. The water pistol should only be used when the cat is doing something bad.

Some cat owners declaw their cats. However, if the cats ever find themselves on their own again, their ability to defend themselves and hunt for food becomes much more limited if they have been declawed. Some owners will have only the cats' front claws removed, so that the back claws remain available for defense in such a situation. Still, declawing cats is considered to be cruel. Claws and front paws are very important tools for cats. The front claws are as important for cats as fingers are for humans. Think if somebody removed your finger nails or fingers. Declawing cats is illegal in the United Kingdom. If the cat's claws cause much trouble, an alternative is to glue nail caps known as "SoftPaws" onto the cat's claws. These also interfere with the cat's ability to defend itself, but will fall off after a few weeks (along with the outer sheath of the claws).

Dog

Breeds

For average owners, the importance of the breed is in understanding for what purpose the dog was bred and how that purpose relates to its life as a pet. Herding dogs often get a reputation for nipping, because that is the way they control animals they are herding. Retrievers require lots of regular active running and chasing. Lap dogs love to be in your lap. Dalmatians are coach dogs. As decorative as they are, if they will not have an opportunity for regular exercise, you should choose some other dog.

Acquiring a pet dog

You can buy a dog from a reputable dog breeder, if you are motivated to adopt by the desire for a specific type of dog or you wish to minimize the uncertainty that often accompanies a shelter dog. You will also pay significantly more for the privilege, but welcoming a well-bred and trained dog into your home is quite a privilege, indeed!

Buying a dog from a pet store is not recommended, as these dogs are often poorly socialized, receive no training, and are commonly weaned from their mothers and siblings too early. If you ever see a dog in a pet store, and want to take them home and care for them, consider the following:

Puppies require a great deal of attention and time;
Training is a tedious and occasionally frustrating process;
Pet stores commonly (some would say "always") stock animals bred in puppy mills or non-reputable breeders, in unsanitary, dangerous and inhumane conditions -- and every puppy mill dog purchase perpetuates the existence of puppy mills.

Many animal welfare charities recommend adopting a dog from an animal shelter, rather than buying one at a store or from a breeder.

Keeping your dog healthy

The best way to keep a dog healthy is to let him have plenty of exercise, and not to overfeed him. You should be able to feel only a slight padding of flesh over the dog's ribs and the "waist", just in front of the hind legs, should curve up noticeably from the chest.

Let them have at all times a plentiful supply of clean water. When giving baths, use shampoo made for dogs; human shampoos can strip protective oils from hair and irritate skin. Breeds of dogs with long hair need regular combing out and may need a professional groomer.

Feed your dog a complete and balanced dog food. Dogs have different nutritional needs than people and some common human foods can kill dogs through poisoning (chocolate) or intestinal blockage (bones, corn on the cob).

Canine distemper is liable to attack dogs from four months to four years old. It prevails most in spring and autumn. The disease generally manifests itself by a dullness of the eye, husky cough, shivering, loss of appetite and energy, and occasional fits. Because distemper is infectious and incurable, affected dogs should be isolated from healthy dogs. Fortunately, an effective vaccine exists and should be administered to all puppies.

Dogs can get worms from eating wild animals, living or dead, and from eating the droppings of other dogs. Watch the stool for signs of worms and bring a stool sample whenever you take the dog to the veterinarian or if you suspect a problem.

To administer medicine to a dog, try wrapping a pill in bacon, cheese or some other treat. Give the dog a treat or two without the pill first and the dog will be more likely to swallow it quickly. Or, if you and the dog trust each other, simply push the pill down the throat past the tongue, clamp the dog's jaws shut, and blow at the dog's nose. It will usually swallow the pill.

Naming your new dog

With so many names out there, it is becoming increasingly difficult to decide on a single name for your pet. At the same time, the names people give their pets these days seem to be more and more creative. Some pet owners are using multiple-word names, or even names based on pop-culture icons just days old. Dog names tend to extend from names of countries such as Kenya, to movie stars and cartoon characters such as Scooby or Santa's Little Helper. And let's not forget the classics like Benji and Fido that still have a degree of popularity in this post-modern world we live in. If you are interested in finding a name for your dog, check out more pet names