pet connection

An active cat is a happy cat. But how can you both keep your kitty safe indoors and give her enough physical and mental exercise? From Dr. Marty Becker and Gina Spadafori in this week’s Pet Connection newspaper feature:

Cabin fever can be the bane of an indoor cat’s existence, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

You don’t have to open the door to the great outdoors to provide your cat with a more interesting life. In fact, by just looking at your home from a cat’s point of view and adding a few environmental enrichments, your cat can be both safe and happy indoors. Here are five easy ways to get going:

• Think vertical. Cats love to climb, so give them the opportunity. Cat trees mounted floor-to-ceiling, wrapped with sisal rope and studded with platforms for perching, will give your cat the opportunity to look down on the rest of the world. This is especially satisfying if there are dogs in the household, because what cat wouldn’t like to look down on the dog?

Check out the rest of the suggestions here.

From Dr. Marty Becker and Mikkel Shannon Becker, good news for moggy lovers everywhere!

Most cat lovers have never been that interested in pedigrees: Plain ol’ domestic cats of all backgrounds, markings and coat lengths are by far the most popular. Among cats with papers, the most popular breed is the Persian, followed by the Maine coon, the exotic (a shorthaired Persian), Siamese and Abyssinian. In the United Kingdom, what Americans call DSH (domestic shorthair) and DLH (domestic longhair) cats go by the much more endearing name of “Moggy.”

Want more? Read the entire Pet Connection for this week, or download the PDF file here to see it just as we submit it to our client newspapers!

It’s another New Year, and another chance to do something good for the world’s animals. From Dr. Marty Becker and Gina Spadafori in this week’s Pet Connection newspaper feature:

Are pets on your list of New Year’s resolutions? They should be, along with plans for making the world a little bit better not only for your own animals, but also for others in need. With this in mind, we’re again sharing some of the best ideas of our readers.

Although problems can seem overwhelming, especially when it comes to animal cruelty or homeless pets, the fact is that every little bit helps. After all, if every one of us animal lovers did one small thing a couple of times a year, the total effort would be grand indeed.

Check out Dr. Becker’s and Gina’s suggestions for making the world a better place for animals here.

From Dr. Marty Becker and Mikkel Shannon Becker, some straight talk on the truth about canine aggression:

An owner’s influence rather than a dog’s breeding largely determines whether or not a pet will be aggressive. A study published in the Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances found that external, modifiable and owner-dependent factors influence a dog’s aggression to a greater degree than a dog’s breed, contradicting widespread beliefs that dogs such as pit bulls or Rottweilers are hard-wired for aggression. The researchers found that factors leading to aggression include first-time ownership; failure to provide obedience training; spoiling or pampering the dog; buying a dog as a present, a guard dog or on an impulse; spaying female dogs; leaving the dog with a constant supply of food; or spending little time with the dog in general or on its walks. More than a third of dominance aggression in dogs stems from a lack of obedience training or for doing only the minimum amount of training. The study also found that male dogs are more likely to be aggressive; however, dog-related factors are minimal compared to the factors that owners can control.

Want more? Read the entire Pet Connection for this week, or download the PDF file here to see it just as we submit it to our client newspapers!

It’s a never-ending mystery: Why people have companion animals, and never let them become part of the family. From Gina Spadafori in this week’s Pet Connection newspaper feature:

I have always had difficulty understanding why people want to keep dogs outside. If keeping a beautiful house and yard are of the utmost importance to you, then don’t get a dog. If you know someone in your family can’t abide a dog in the house, for whatever reason, then don’t get a dog. If you can’t let a dog be part of your family, then don’t get a dog.

You don’t get the benefits of companionship from a dog you see so little. You don’t even get much in the way of protection from the pet who has no access to the house. And don’t count on outdoor dogs as an early warning system. These animals often become such indiscriminate barkers that you couldn’t tell from their sound whether the dogs are barking at a prowler or at a toddler riding a tricycle down the street. Besides, people who keep outdoor dogs seem to become quite good at ignoring the noise they make, as any angry neighbor can vouch.

From Dr. Marty Becker, a warning that too much of a good thing this holiday season might land your pet in the ER:

It seems I write about this every year. I know I’m dating myself, but I remember when leftovers from restaurant meals were packed into foil bags with a picture of a dog on them, not Styrofoam containers. Doggie bags they really were, since many of the goodies went straight home to the pets.

Veterinarians have always been aware that the leftovers of a fine meal out — or treats from a delicious holiday feast — often represented a genuine danger to pets rather than a tasty treat. Far from being a special gift to our beloved pets, fat-laden leftovers and sharp bones pose a threat to their health, causing illnesses such as pancreatitis, accidents such as a perforated intestine and even death.

The containers may have changed, but the attitude hasn’t. While lean meats and raw vegetables (such as baby carrots) are healthy treats for any dog, the old doggie bag staples such as bones and the fat trimmed off a steak need to be strictly off-limits to pets.

If you do give meat or poultry to your dog or cat as an occasional treat, trim it carefully to remove the fat as well as the skin, which is a hiding place for more fat. Even if you’re lucky enough that your pet doesn’t end up with acute pancreatitis (a life-threatening inflammation of the pancreas), a perforated intestine, severe gastroenteritis (aka a big bellyache), or relatively mild cases of vomiting or diarrhea, the fat certainly adds calories most dogs today don’t need.

Many breeds are especially prone to obesity, including the Labrador retriever, Cairn terrier, cocker spaniel, dachshund, Shetland sheepdog, basset hound, pug or beagle, and mixes of these breeds (hello, puggles!).

So dump the scraps and watch the weight. Ask your veterinarian for guidance when it comes to what your pet should and should not be eating, at any time of year. You don’t have to deny your pet a little holiday yummy, but you do need to be careful with the kind and amount of treats you provide.

Want more? Read the entire Pet Connection for this week, or download the PDF file here to see it just as we submit it to our client newspapers!

It’s a prescription that strikes fear into the hearts of thousands of pet owners — especially those with cats: pills. From Dr. Marty Becker and Gina Spadafori in this week’s Pet Connection newspaper feature:

Your veterinarian makes it look so easy: Pill. Pet. And like a magic trick, suddenly the pill is inside the pet, the pet seemingly none the wiser.

If only it were that easy for you.

You go home, and you can’t even find your cat when it’s time for medication. Under the bed? Maybe. Behind the couch? Maybe not. How does the cat know, and how is he able to disappear as if by another talented magician?

Your dog is only marginally easier, maybe. Not quite as fussy as your cat, he’ll eat the pill if it’s hidden in something yummy, or so you think. But later you find the pill on the kitchen floor, and you realize he was somehow able to extricate the yummy stuff from the medicine and hide the pill in his jowls for spitting out later. Outsmarted again!

You figure it’s a victory if you get half the pills in for half the number of days they’re prescribed, and you hope that’s good enough.

Problem is, it’s not. One of the biggest problems veterinarians have in helping your pet get better is … you. If you aren’t able to follow through with medications, your pet will likely be back at the vet.

Fortunately, Dr. Becker and Gina have a few helpful hints… read them here!

From Dr. Becker and Mikkel Becker Shannon, a reminder that the poor economy is taking its toll on pets:

The economic downturn is hurting pets in all developed countries, it seems. In the United Kingdom, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says the number of abandoned animals increased by 57 percent in 2008. The number of people who call asking about giving up their pets is also up, by 52 percent. Britain’s best-known animal-rescue center, Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, is struggling to help more animals: In 2008, it reported taking in more than 1,000 more homeless pets than it had the previous year.

Want more? Read the entire Pet Connection for this week, or download the PDF file here to see it just as we submit it to our client newspapers!

Great news: cats are living longer, healthier lives.  And Dr. Marty Becker and Gina Spadafori have some thoughts on how you can make sure your cats can be part of that trend in this week’s Pet Connection newspaper feature:

The popularity of cats has led to an explosion in knowledge of how to care for them at all stages of their lives, and geriatric care is no exception. Barring accidents, cats can live healthier, happier lives years longer than they ever have before — 10, 12, 14 years. Protected from the outside world, cats can live even longer, with 16, 18 and even 20 years — or more — a possibility.

But longer, happier lives do require effort on the part of cat owners. Sadly, study after study shows that cats aren’t seeing that effort: Pet owners dedicate more time and money into keeping their dogs healthy than their cats.

You love your older cat, right? So change that. Why throw away good years you could share? The place to start: a visit to your veterinarian.

Regular physicals — for geriatrics, twice a year is best — are even more important as your cat ages. These need to be more extensive than when your cat was younger: Your veterinarian may suggest blood and urine tests, for example, to determine what’s normal for your cat so that subsequent changes in the test values are more apparent.

From Dr. Becker and Mikkel Becker Shannon, help during hard times for pets and the people who love them:

The nonprofit Meals on Wheels has struggled in this economy to continue the delivery of meals to the elderly and pet food to their animals because rising gas prices have decreased the number of volunteers able to deliver the food. Meals on Wheels provides for pets in more than 100 of their locations, understanding how important animals can be to the socially isolated. To help keep the food deliveries on track, Meals on Wheels has collaborated with Banfield Charitable Trust to start “We All Love Our Pets,” a program providing grants nationwide both to create new pet food delivery programs and also to assist volunteers with the costs of distribution.

Want more? Read the entire Pet Connection for this week!