Spaying or neutering your pets is one of the most important things a person can do to be a responsible pet owner. Every year, over 5 million pets are euthanized due to overpopulation. Besides not producing unneeded kittens or puppies, spaying a female cat or dog before the first heat reduces the risk of mammary cancer and eliminates the risk of ovarian and uterine cancer. In male cats or dogs, neutering eliminates the risk of testicular and prostate cancer. It also eliminates annoying sexual habits such as "marking" territory indoors, roaming in search of females, mounting behavior and aggression towards other male animals. Statistics show that most dog bites are inflicted by unaltered males.
During the peak of the kitten season, from late April to September, animal rescue pounds and some humane shelters kill unwanted and abandoned cats and kittens at the rate of over one per minute. Please do your part in reducing the number of unwanted pets. Have your pet spayed or neutered.
What do "spay" and "neuter" really mean?
Female dogs and cats are spayed by removing their reproductive organs, and male dogs and cats are neutered by removing their testicles. In both cases, the operation is performed while the pet is under general anesthesia. Depending on your pet’s age, size, and health, he or she may stay at the veterinarian’s office for a few hours or a few days. Depending upon the procedure, your pet may need stitches removed after a few days.
Spaying or Neutering Is Good for Your Pet
- Spaying and neutering helps dogs and cats live longer, healthier lives.
- Spaying and neutering can eliminate or reduce the incidence of a number of health problems that can be very difficult or expensive to treat.
- Spaying eliminates the possibility of uterine or ovarian cancer and greatly reduces the incidence of breast cancer, particularly when your pet is spayed before her first estrous cycle.
- Neutering eliminates testicular cancer and decreases the incidence of prostate disease.
Spaying or Neutering Is Good for You
- Spaying and neutering makes pets better, more affectionate companions.
- Neutering cats makes them less likely to spray and mark territory.
- Spaying a dog or cat eliminates her heat cycle. Twice a year, estrus lasts an average of six to 12 days in dogs. In cats, estrus lasts an average of six to seven days three or more times a year. Females in heat can cry incessantly, show nervous behavior, and attract unwanted male animals.
- Unsterilized animals often exhibit more behavior and temperament problems than do those who have been spayed or neutered.
- Spaying and neutering can make pets less likely to bite.
- Neutering makes pets less likely to roam the neighborhood, run away, or get into fights.
Spaying and Neutering Are Good for the Community
- Communities spend millions of dollars to control unwanted animals.
- Irresponsible breeding contributes to the problem of dog bites and attacks.
- Animal shelters are overburdened with surplus animals.
- Stray pets and homeless animals get into trash containers, defecate in public areas or on private lawns, and frighten or anger people who have no understanding of their misery or needs.
- Some stray animals also scare away or kill birds and wildlife.
Spay or neuter surgery carries a one-time cost that is relatively small when one considers its benefits. It’s a small price to pay for the health of your pet and the prevention of more unwanted animals.
Children and cats can share a relationship that is mutually beneficial provided each is old enough to respect the other. The good-natured dog may put up with a child's playful tousling, but the dignified cat may be less tolerant. Teaching your child the appropriate way to handle and properly treat a cat helps him/her to respect animals at a young age.
From the start, the child should be taught how to properly hold the cat, providing support under the chest and under the back legs. Touching the sensitive stomach area will bring a natural reaction of "grab and bite" and the child should be made aware this. A cat does not feel comfortable with his / her stomach exposed. The child should also be taught some basic feline body language so that he/she knows to back off when the cat's ears flatten and the tail twitches. This important lesson helps to prevent some tears later on.
If you have children under 6 or 7 years of age, it is best not to adopt a kitten under four months of age. With a well-meaning hug, an overly affectionate toddler can injure a small kitten. A more mature kitten or cat can better withstand a young child's noise and quick movements, but even an adult cat may swat at a tail-pulling child. The key to harmonious interactions between young children and cats of any age is adult supervision.
Parents are always looking for ways to teach children responsibility and often try to give children cat care duties. This is usually not a good idea. Children can be forgetful and easily distracted. Eventually, it is the cat who suffers if a child forgets to put out fresh food or water or forgets to clean the litter box. Even if children are mindful of their chores, having to care for the cat can cause resentment due to constant parental reminders. Children can help when it comes to pet chores; however, It is best to make cat care a family responsibility with feedings and exercise a top priority but not the sole responsibility of the child.
While growing up with pets promotes commitment, compassion and healthy habits, it is important to remember that teaching your child to properly handle and care for cats is secondary to the actual health and well-being of the cat. A mutually loving relationship is the best possible outcome for both and can be achieved if the proper measures are taken.
Dogs dig digging. For some dogs, it seems to be a natural instinct. Dogs dig holes in order to bury objects. Dogs like to bury objects and return to them at a later date. Some dogs bury anything and everything. In the summertime, the holes that they dig are cool and make comfortable sleeping quarters.
There are several methods that exist for controlling this behavior. We have listed only two. The first method is to redirect the behavior. In this situation, the dog learns to dig someplace else. The second method involves the use of a special collar. This type of collar has a refillable reservoir that contains eucalyptus. When the dog barks, the eucalyptus is sprayed in his (or her) direction. The collar method is used as a deterrent and can help eliminate the digging behavior.
Redirecting the behavior
If your yard is a mess and you would like your dog to dig in only one place, a reinforcement technique may work. This may take some time and requires that you follow your dog every time he goes outdoors.
Take your dog to a remote area in your yard. Bury one of his favorite toys in that area (or bury something that you know he would enjoy burying). Allow him to dig up the object. After he digs up the object, give him a reward (food or praise - we prefer praise!). If he begins to dig anywhere else, you must reprimand him. Scolding, a pull on the collar, or a small spray from a eucalyptus collar will usually suffice. You must be persistent and vary the rewards or your dog will easily forget.
Extinguishing the Behavior
This technique also involves constant supervision of your dog. You must watch him at all times and intervene as soon as you see any indication of digging activity. You can try screaming at your dog; however, a eucalyptus collar is almost indispensable. A small spray of eucalyptus from the collar goes much further when trying to correct this behavior.
The advantage of the eucalyptus collar is that the correction is not coming from you. Screaming at your dog or reprimanding him only makes him afraid of you. By using the collar, the dog thinks that the correction comes as a result of his action.
Good luck!
Each year, millions of dogs and cats are lost; in fact, this disaster strikes 1/3 of all pet-owning families. Of the millions of cats and dogs that are lost, only 10 percent are ever identified and returned to their owners. More pets lives are lost because owners did not identify them than from all infectious diseases combined.
All pets should wear traditional collars with identification and rabies vaccination tags. A traditional collar, however, is not enough. These collars are often worn loosely and are easily removed. Cat collars are designed to break off if the animal is caught in a tree branch. When the traditional collar is lost, removed, or breaks off, nothing is left to identify the pet...unless, of course, the pet has a microchip.
Microchips are rapidly becoming a very popular method for identifying pets. Once the microchip is inserted, the pet is identified for life. Microchips are safe, unalterable and permanent identification for pets.
The microchip is a tiny computer chip or transponder about the size of a grain of rice. The chip is inserted under the skin between the shoulder blades of a cat or dog, in much the same way that a vaccine is administered. The microchip is coded with a unique 10-digit code. Each microchip that is inserted contains a unique code, specific to the individual pet.
Microchip - Magnified
Inserting the microchip is simple and causes minimal or no discomfort. The microchip comes pre-loaded in a syringe, ready for insertion. The entire procedure takes less than 10 seconds. Post-injection reactions are very rare and the encapsulated microchip remains in place permanently.
Veterinarian Inserting a Microchip into Anesthetized Dog
Close up of Microchip Insertion
The scanner is a hand-held device used to detect the message encoded in the microchip. The scanner is passed over the animal, paying particular attention to the area between the shoulder blades. If a microchip is present, the 10-digit number (encoded in the capsule) is read by the scanner. Scanners are provided to animal control, humane shelters and other rescue organizations so that all stray pets are scanned and those with microchips are reunited with their owners. Veterinarians can also purchase scanners for use in their hospital.
Scanner for Detecting the Microchip
The veterinary hospital where the microchip is implanted records the pet’s information and its unique microchip identification number. When a lost pet is found and scanned, the veterinary hospital is immediately contacted. Since most veterinary hospitals are not open 24 hours a day, it may take some time before you are notified. In addition to this standard registration, you can register your pet in your own name for a charge of $15-20. By doing this, as soon as your pet is found, you are notified.
Scanning for an Implanted Microchip
Along with the additional registration fee, we recommend that you update your personal information with the microchip database on a regular basis. It is also advisable to have your veterinarian test the microchip on an annual basis in order to make sure that it is properly transmitting data.
Americans are crowding the highways for summer vacation, taking their four-legged friends along for the ride. But before pet lovers hit the road, it's important to take their pets' needs into consideration.
Trips should be as close to your pet's normal routine as possible. If you've never traveled with your pet, start with very short, round-the-block trips before you put them in the car or truck for the long ride. Your veterinarian can give you some good advice and recommend ways to make your pet more comfortable.
For the safety of both you and your pet, it's best to travel with dogs and cats in pet carriers. In case of an accident, airborne pets are very prone to injury. Carriers are especially important for cats. Many cats will ride on your shoulder, on your head, or get under your feet. It's a potentially dangerous situation if you need to stop quickly and they are under the brake pedal.
Though keeping a pet "strapped down" for safety is important, people should not use standard safety belts on their pets. These belts are designed for human positioning. Dogs don't conform to human positioning with much success. However, there are canine "seat belts," which are actually harnesses that attach to the car's seat belts and may be used to hold dogs in place during the trip.
Owners should also plan for extra stops if pets accompany them on a trip. Because of stress, some cats don't eat or drink and won't need to use the litter box. But it should be provided for them, especially if it's your first trip with your cat. If they don't use it, take them out at rest stops on a leash and see if they'll go.
The number of stops depends on what your pet is used to. Most pets eliminate shortly after they eat. Therefore, if you can control when the food goes in, you can usually control when it goes out.
In terms of exercise, owners should follow their pet's normal schedule. If you take your dog for a 30-minute walk in the evening at home, take the dog for a walk in the evening at your destination. Also, exercising your dog before it gets into the car may make the trip more relaxing for both you and your dog.
Many pets enjoy getting out of the house, as long as it's not a trip to the veterinarian. But if you're planning to drive non-stop, or if you're taking a very short trip, it is probably best to leave the pets at home. Really think if it's necessary for a pet to go with you, or if you are just being selfish and want the pet for company. A trip can cause unneeded stress on an animal.
It is an especially good idea to leave pets at home if they have current health problems that may worsen on the trip. For instance, if a pet has had respiratory problems and the trip is in the mountains, it may be better to leave that pet at home. If you know what direction you're traveling on a long trip, choose towns along the way that have easy access to veterinarians. This is particularly important if your pet has had a recent illness or problems traveling in the past.
If you're concerned about the pet having motion sickness or getting car sick, talk to your veterinarian about a prescription for a tranquilizer or sedative to calm the pet before the trip. Before giving any type of medication, contact your veterinarian to make sure that it is safe.
Finally, it's a good idea to call ahead and make reservations with hotels, motels and campgrounds that accept and welcome pets. Take the necessary supplies, including plastic bags, to clean up after your pet at rest areas.
For more than 15 years, pet owners have heard about the security and peace of mind that microchip identification can bring. But with new and confusing additions to the market, plus several competing database sites, just how safe is your pet? Is it possible that your microchipped pet might not make it home? This high tech identification for pets is a great idea, but may not be ready for prime time. Watch this video to learn more.
We all claim that we have the smartest cat. And maybe you do. But is your cat a musical genius?
Ketzel, a cat from the Upper West Side of Manhattan, sure was. Ketzel died this summer at the age of nineteen, but has left in her paw steps a musical legacy. Ketzel was a composer – an award-winning composer, in fact, who won a prize at the Paris New Music Review’s One-Minute Competition for a piece she pawed onto her owner's piano one morning in 1996. Morris Cotel, one of Ketzel's owners, was the chairman of the composition department at the Peabody Conservatory, who claimed Ketzel as "one of his best students." Cotel was shocked the morning Ketzel composed her one-minute-wonder, which he claimed to have a "structural elegance … with a beginning, middle, and an end." Cotel took note of his cat’s masterpiece and submitted it to the competition. Although he explained the composer's identity in the entry form, the judges were not told that "Piece for Piano, Four Paws," truly was written by four paws.
Ketzel's piece premiered in 1998 in Peabody. It was later performed in Europe, over public radio, and at the Museum of the City of New York, where the composer herself was in attendance. After announcing Ketzel's piece, a meow was heard from the back of the hall acknowledging her new claim to fame.
Now that is one smart cat.