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• Enriching Your Pet’s Environment with Their Food

  Many veterinarians, including nutritionists and behaviorists, believe it is important for dogs and cats to express their natural foraging and hunting behaviors. For pets living indoors, this can be difficult, and the lack of this stimulation can sometimes lead to behavior problems. Enriching a pet's environment with food toys and puzzles at mealtimes can fulfill the need to forage. The use of toys, puzzles and other novel methods of food delivery can also be effective ways to increase daily movement in overweight or inactive pets.

• Escoger Una Mascota: Guía Para Perros y Gatos - Gatos

  Behavior Management: Pet Selection Guidelines

  Pueden evitarse muchos problemas de salud y de comportamiento en las mascotas pidiendo consejo antes de adquirirlas. Estos consejos ayudan, primero, a seleccionar la mejor mascota para una familia en particular, para lo cual hay que tener en cuenta la especie, la raza, la edad y el sexo del animal, y también el lugar en el que se va a adquirir.

• Estrous Cycles in Cats

  The estrous cycle, better known as a female cat's heat cycle, consists of several stages; the stage called estrus refers to when the female is sexually receptive. This handout explains the age of onset, the clinical signs of a cat in heat, the length and phases of the heat cycle, as well as the benefits of spaying a female before her first heat cycle.

• Exercise and Your Obese Cat

  Losing weight can be difficult. While feeding a prescription weight loss diet is certainly a good start in a weight loss program for your cat, it is important to remember that food intake is only one part of the problem; energy expenditure is also significant. Encouraging your cat to exercise by playing with him, putting his food in unusual places so he has to look for it, and making him work for his food (e.g., training, foraging toys) will help.

• Exercising Your Cat for Weight Loss

  Obesity occurs when a cat consumes more calories than they expend. Therefore, managing obesity in cats often requires both dietary changes and increased exercise/activity. There are several methods for increasing activity in cats, including play, using cat trees and climbing structures, outdoor enclosures, and intentional, active feeding practices. Each of these can be beneficial in promoting weight loss.

• Factors to Consider in Pet Selection - Cats

  You’ve probably heard lots of funny cat anecdotes; about how you don’t own them…they own YOU; how they feel superior to everyone, especially dogs; that they expect to be treated like royalty. If you are considering a feline acquisition, first consider this: lots of those remarks are true! This handout explains the other factors to consider in selecting the cat most likely to choose your family, too.

• Fears, Phobias, and Anxiety in Cats and Dogs

  Fear can be a normal response to a threat, but it can also be maladaptive, contributing to emotional and physical distress. Anxiety is the anticipation of fear and can contribute to chronic stress and behavioral illness. Phobias are intense fear responses to relatively benign triggers. Behavior modification and, in some cases, medications may be used to treat fear, anxiety, and phobias in dogs and cats.

• Feeding a Cat Who is a Glutton

  Cat food has been made so palatable that it can easily create gluttonous behavior. Meal feeding and portion control are important to prevent obesity. Owners should not give in to begging behavior. Cats that are still hungry after their meal can be supplemented with snacks such as green vegetables recommended by your veterinarian. Cats that eat too quickly can be fed creatively to slow down eating.

• Flying with Your Cat

  Successful airline travel with a cat begins long before the day of travel. Do your homework with the airlines. Acquire your cat's travel carrier well before your trip to allow her to become comfortable with it. Schedule a visit with your veterinarian close to the date of travel. Consult your veterinarian to create the best travel plan for your cat if she does not travel well. With some advance planning, attention to detail, and consultation with your veterinarian, flying with your cat can be a great experience.

• Gatos que Arañan Objetos - Gatos

  Cat Behavior Problems: Scratching Behavior

  Para los gatos arañar es un comportamiento normal que tiene al menos 4 funciones diferentes reconocidas: ir eliminando la parte externa de la uña, estirar y poner en forma los mecanismos necesarios para sacar y retraer las uñas, dejar marcas visuales para comunicarse con otros gatos y dejar unas señales químicas olorosas que proceden de unas glándulas de las almohadillas.