Cat Care

Cats were domesticated some 6,000 years after dogs, yet today there are nearly as many pet
cats in the world as pet dogs. In many countries they were considered sacred and worshipped.
Although generally considered more independent than dogs, cats still need care and attention.

How To Care For Your Cat

Where Your Cat Lives
● A cat that lives outside needs a shelter to give protection from the heat or cold weather.
● Your cat should be provided with a bed of its own such as an old box with a
blanket.

Food & Water
● A cat needs a varied and nutritional diet and will not thrive on scraps. Cats require a greater
proportion of meat than dogs and need a higher level of protein and fat in their food.
● There are many types of cat food available which provide a wellbalanced
diet, including tinned or dried food.
● Your cat should be provided fresh drinking water at all
times, especially if you choose to feed dried products.
● Feed adult cats twice a day; kittens, elderly cats and
pregnant cats will need several smaller meals daily.
● Cats do not have to be hungry to hunt, it is something
they do naturally.

Human Company

● A cat is less demanding than a dog, for example
they do not need to be taken for a walk.
● A kindly word and stroking your cat will show him that you care.
Health
● A free ranging cat or a cat kept in dirty conditions can become
infested with worms, ticks, fleas or lice.
● Sleeping and living areas should be kept clean.
● Healthy cats have glossy coats and clear eyes.
● Ears and noses should be free
from discharge, dirt and infection.
● Teeth should be strong, white
and not discoloured. If infected
gums are left untreated, teeth
may fall out which will result in
eating problems.
● Ask your vet for advice.

Vaccinations

● Cats are vulnerable to many diseases which can be dangerous
and costly to treat.
● Vaccination helps prevent illness and reduces the risk of
infection to other cats.

Grooming

● All cats, long or short
haired, benefit from regular
grooming, and it provides an
opportunity to check for parasites.
● Long-haired cats need special attention to keep their coats
free of tangles.
● Grooming helps to get your cat used to being handled.

Breeding

● Every year hundreds of thousands of cats are destroyed because there are not enough suitable homes available for them.
● Female cats can produce many kittens every year. In six years a pair of cats and their offspring
can produce 420,000 cats.
● By constantly producing and rearing kittens, the health of a female cat can suffer.
● Pregnant and lactating female cats need extra food.
● Kittens generally suckle from their mothers for about
three weeks, gradually starting to eat additional food.
● Female cats are naturally protective of their young
and so a quiet place should be provided for them.
● To prevent unwanted kittens have your cat
spayed / neutered – an operation performed
by a vet

Spaying / Neutering

● Modern veterinary equipment and drugs, make surgery safe,
painless and recovery quick.
● Ask your vet when to have your cat spayed / neutered.
● Your cat does not need to have a litter before she is spayed.
● Early age neutering from eight weeks of age is now accepted
as a positive action.
● Once a female cat has been neutered she will never come
into season again and unwanted male cats will keep away.
● Spaying females can reduce the risk of mammary tumours.
● Unneutered male cats have a habit of spraying an unpleasant
smelling scent to mark their territory, which attracts females.
Neutering reduces this behaviour.
● Neutering also reduces rival fighting amongst cats.
● Neutered cats are likely to be more loyal and affectionate
and their ability to hunt is not affected.
● In stray and feral cats, ear tipping, cutting off the tip of the
left ear whilst the cat is still anaesthetised, is the universal way
of identifying cats which have been spayed / neutered.

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Pet Behavior

Nuisance barking can be a serious problem. It can frustrate families and irritates neighbours. For dogs,barking is communication; they’retrying to tell us something or get our attention.

Dogs bark naturally to alert the pack that something is going on, to communicate discomfort or fear, or to indicate a threat is present. Of course, thatthreat might be the garbage truck rumbling on the street, but the dog doesn’t know that, so he barks to let the pack know that something’s up.

Nuisance barking can be a serious problem. It can frustrate families and irritate neighbours. Nuisance barking occurs for several reasons. Dogs are pack animals; when they are left alone, some become stressed when the pack leaves without them. This is called separation
anxiety and is a common cause of nuisance barking.

A nuisance barker, a dog that barks at birds, noises, the neighbors, passing pedestrians or
other dogs is not a good watchdog. A dog like this is similar to a car alarm that keeps going
off for no reason. People will eventually take no notice, even when he barks for a legitimate
reason. He will only annoy the entire neighbourhood.

A good watchdog is one that barks only when someone attempts to enter your property or when there is imminent danger. Your dog can be trained to exhibit good barking habits, providing you can communicate what is acceptable barking and what is not.

The key is providing clear pack leadership and communicating limitations and reinforcing it.
This is done by using the same instinctual communication method as a dog’s pack – voice tones and body language. When your dog barks at an inappropriate time, stand at your full height and correct the behaviour with a loud, low-toned growl –any guttural tone will suffice.

As soon as the dog obeys, even for a short time, offerpleasant, high-toned praise. Correct the dog in the same manner if he restarts. Monitor the barking and only correct your dog for those things that do not constitute good watchdog barking. Praise your dog when it barks at appropriate times.

Consistently following this process will teach the dog that barking in one situation gets corrected while silence gets praised. Your dog will make the mental connection between not barking in certain circumstances and receiving the desired positive praise. Some puppies show early signs of nuisance barking.

A young pup that barks at people or noises before the age of 8 or 9 months is an indication that you might have a budding nuisance barker. Typically, this is a nervous pup that worries about everything. If you have a pup that is starting to bark at everything that moves, discipline him in the same way – with a low-toned correction the moment he starts to bark. Praise him as soon as he is quiet.

For more difficult cases, clap your hands and at the same time growling your correction. This
should help stop any premature nuisance barking. Some dogs are naturally apprehensive or fearful. These nervous or unconfident dogs at times bark out of fear of the unknown. More confident, dominant dogs bark to indicate territorial dominance. These types of dogs might require professional assistance to remedythe problem.

Dogs need clear, consistent leadership to feel safe and happy, whether within their
packs or with their human families. Most dog owners enjoy gaining a better understanding of
the dog psyche because it strengthens the human-canine connection.

Learning how to communicate effectively with your dog in a language he understands is a critical step in establishing leadership and control, which also provides your canine companion with the
secure feelings he needs – and can eliminate many common behaviour issues, including
nuisance barking.

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Love Your Dog

People and dogs have lived together for over 10,000 years. Dogs are kept for companionship,
guarding, herding, also as assistance dogs for people with sight hearing or physical difficulties.

How To Care For Your Dog

In order to stay healthy and happy, a dog needs
● a balanced diet ● exercise
● veterinary care, ● companionship

Where Your Dog Lives

● A dog that lives outside needs a shelter to give protection from the heat or cold weather.
● A dog needs comfortable bedding.
● If your dog has to be tethered, use a long running line (pictured above). Fixed chains or rope
can become tangled around the dog causing injury.

Food & Water

● A dog needs a balanced diet of protein and
fibre. Household scraps will not be sufficient
to maintain good body weight or strong
muscles.
● Sharp bones can be dangerous, as they may
become stuck in the throat or cause problems if
swallowed.
● Fresh water should be given daily in a clean bowl.

Exercise

● A dog should not be permanently tied up, he needs regular exercise.
● A walk each day, and perhaps a game with a stick or ball, will
help to keep your dog alert, active and relieve boredom.
● A bored dog may bark excessively, annoying neighbours.
Hygiene
● A dog that is kept in dirty conditions can become
infested with worms, ticks, fleas or lice. Ask your vet for
advice.
● Keep your dog and his living area clean.

Vaccinations

● Dogs are vulnerable to many diseases which can be dangerous and costly to treat.
● Vaccination helps prevent illness and reduces the risk of infection to other dogs.

Grooming
● Regular brushing helps to keep your dog clean and free of tangles and
provides an opportunity to check for unwanted parasites.

Breeding

● Every year hundreds of thousands of dogs are destroyed
because there are not enough suitable homes available for them.
● Female dogs can produce many puppies every year. In six
years a pair of dogs and their offspring can produce 67,000
puppies.
● By constantly producing and rearing puppies, the health of a
female dog can suffer.
● Pregnant and lactating female dogs need extra food.
● Puppies generally suckle from their mothers for about three
weeks, gradually starting to eat additional food.
● A female dog is naturally protective of
her young and can be aggressive at
this time. A quiet place should
be provided for them.
● To prevent unwanted
puppies have your dog spayed / neutered – an operation
performed by a vet

Spaying

● Grooming helps to get your dog used to being handled.

Spaying / Neutering

● Modern veterinary equipment and drugs, make surgery safe, painless and recovery quick.
● Ask your vet when to have your dog spayed / neutered.
● Your dog does not need to have a litter before she is spayed.
● Early age neutering from eight weeks of age is now accepted as a positive
action.
● Once a female dog has been neutered she will never come into
season again and unwanted male dogs will keep away.
● In a female, spaying can reduce the risk of mammary
tumours.
● In a male, neutering can help to reduce aggression
and roaming.

Consult Your Vet

Remember your vet can advise you on:
● diet
● training your pet
● treatment against parasites
● vaccination
● spaying / neutering
● any other health concerns

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Dog Training

Advice on House Training your pet dog #1

Make the crate work teach your puppy or young rescue dog that ‘crate' feels good A crate (big enough for the dog to stand up and turn around in) can make housetraining and obedience training more effective when used properly.

During those short periods when you can't watch your puppy like a hawk, a crate prevents it from getting into mischief, such as chewing electrical cords, table legs or expensive pillows. It also discourages indoor urination.

Follow the following advice to make crate-training work for your puppy or young rescue dog:
Make the crate attractive to your dog by placing an old blanket or towel and a few of its favourite indestructible chew toys inside.

Leave the crate door open and allow your puppy to explore in and around the crate. If your puppy goes inside the crate, praise it "Good dog!" Encourage a reluctant puppy by tossing a tasty titbit inside the crate. When your dog goes inside to retrieve the food, praise it "good dog!"

Feed your puppy or young dog his meals inside the crate, luring it inside with the food bowl. This makes the crate a positive place for your dog. Once your puppy is comfortable being inside the crate and shows no signs of stress, try closing the crate's door for one minute, leaving it unlatched. Open the door and praise your dog for being brave.

Gradually increase the time your puppy spends in the crate as it becomes more comfortable with it. Puppies should live with their owners -not in their crates. Limit any confinement to one hour except at night. If your puppy whines or cries, wait for it to quiet down for a minute before opening the door. Otherwise, you will reinforce the puppy's whining. Do not leave your puppy alone in the crate for longer than an hour.

Alternatively - if the crate is not an option use an exercise pen, a part of your kitchen or the laundry room. This will give your puppy room to play, exercise and relieve itself on newspapers or potty pads if necessary.

NEVER USE THE CRATE TO PUNISH YOUR PET! IT SHOULD ALWAYS BE A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE!

Advice on House Training Your Dog #2
House Training your dogThe quickest and easiest way to house train your puppy or young dog is to rely on your dog's natural instincts and behaviour.

What To Expect During the House Training Process
Unless you can monitor your puppy 24 hours a day, don't expect the house training process to be completed until your puppy is at least 6 months old. It's normal for a young dog to be a little 'input-output' machine.

Since puppies are growing and developing rapidly at this stage, they eat more food, burn up more energy and seem to need to eliminate constantly! They also have not yet developed bowel and bladder control, so they can't 'hold it' as long as adult dogs.

House Training When You Are Not Home
Confine your dog to a small, 'puppy-proofed' room and paper the entire floor. Put his bed, toys and food/water bowls there. At first there will be no rhyme or reason to where your dog eliminates. He will go everywhere and anywhere.

He will also probably play with the papers, chew on them, and drag them around his little den. Most puppies do this and you just have to live with it. Don't get upset; just accept it as life with a young puppy. The important thing is that when you get home, clean up the mess and lay down fresh papers.

Passive House Training or Paper TrainingWhile your dog is confined, he is developing a habit of eliminating on paper because no matter where he goes, it will be on paper. As time goes on, he will start to show a preferred place to dohis business. When this place is well established and the rest of the papers remain clean all day, then gradually reduce the area that is papered. Start removing the paper that is furthest away from his chosen location.

Eventually you will only need to leave a few sheets down in that area only. If he ever misses the paper, then you've reduced the area too soon. Go back to papering a larger area or even the entire room. Once your puppy is reliably going only on the papers you've left, then you can slowly and gradually move his papers to a location of your choice.

Move the papers only an inch a day. If puppy misses the paper again, then you're moving too fast. Go back a few steps and start over. Don't be discouraged if your puppy seems to be making remarkable progress and then suddenly you have to return to papering the entire room. This is normal. There will always be minor set-backs. If you stick with this procedure, your puppy will be paper-trained.

House Training When You Are Home
When you are home but can't attend to your dog, follow the same procedures described above. However, the more time you spend with your dog, the quicker he will be house trained. Your objective is to take your pet to his toilet area every time he needs to eliminate. This should be about once every 45 minutes; just after a play session; just after eating or drinking; and just upon waking.

When he does eliminate in his toilet area, praise and reward him profusely and enthusiastically! Don't use any type of reprimand or punishment for mistakes or accidents. Your puppy is too young to understand and it can set the house training process back drastically for any dog-whatever the age. Don't allow your pet freedom outside of his room unless you know absolutely for sure that his bladder and bowels are completely empty.

When you do let him out, don't let him out of your sight. It is a good idea to have him on leash when he is exploring your home. He can't get into trouble if you are attached to the other end of the leash. Every 30 minutes return your pup to his toilet area. As your pet becomes more reliable about using his toilet area and his bowel and bladder control develops, he can begin to spend more time outside his room with you in the rest of your home.

Begin by giving him access to one room at a time. Let him eat, sleep and play in this room but only when he can be supervised. When you cannot supervise him, put him back in his room.

Active House Training
The most important thing you can do to make house training happen as quickly as possible is to reward and praise your puppy every time he goes in the right place. The more times he is rewarded, the quicker he will learn. Therefore it's important that you spend as much time as possible with your pup and give him regular and frequent access to his toilet area.

Key to Successful House Training
Consistency and Patience. Never scold or punish your dog for mistakes and accidents. The older your pet gets, the more he will be able to control his bladder and bowels. Eventually your dog will have enough control that he will be able to "hold it" for longer and longer periods of time. Let your pet do this on his own time.

When training is rushed, problems usually develop. For pups don't forget, most puppies are not reliably house trained until they are at least 6 months old.

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Help Us

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider
Freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time.

We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness. We eat too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up
too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We've done larger things, but not better things.
We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice.

We plan more,but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies, but we communicate less.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes.

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever. Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side. Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, 'I love you' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you. Remember to
hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again. Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER: Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

George Carlin

Remember those of us donating time and effort 365 days a year, every year to help homeless, abused, neglected animal population around the globe, whether it is wild, domestic or pet.

Remember that we can’t do it all; we feel for the many animals we don’t have the time, space or resources to help.

Remember, like you, we are individuals with limitations, flaws and yes, we do get hacked off with demands from those who won’t make an effort to help when ‘suffering’ sits before their very eyes.

Remember that we aren’t a paid, municipality service with unlimited funding and employees! You too can make a difference! Remember, it is easier to offer criticism than to offer assistance;
help is what counts; help makes a difference to the animals. Many animals have no one to protect them but us.

Make a difference, not an observation and support your local shelter today!

Ways to help
Volunteer your time
Donate to our spay/neuter or vaccination programs
Sponsor the care of a pet for a year
Join as a member (membership form online)
Arrange a fund-raising coffee morning or other event
Donate items from our wish list

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