Cattle

Archive for February, 2011

Dog constipation can be very painful and uncomfortable for your canine. However, it’s usually not a very serious problem. Dogs of any age and breed can experience constipation, although older dogs have a higher risk of developing this condition.

Causes

There are various things that can cause your dog to develop constipation. One of the most common is giving him food intended for humans. Common foods include bread, sugar, rice, and dairy. Foods that have a large amount of protein can also cause the condition.

Dehydration, a condition that occurs when your dog doesn’t get enough water, can also cause dog constipation. Canines that ingest foreign objects can also develop it. Common objects include buttons and coins.

Symptoms

Dogs that have constipation will strain when trying to have a bowel movement. It is common for dogs to yelp or show signs of pain. They will also spend longer than usual when going to the bathroom. Although they spend more time trying to defecate, they usually produce very little. Other common symptoms of dog constipation include bloating and loss of appetite.

Treatment

This condition is relatively easy to treat. You simply have to increase the amount of fiber that your dog consumes. There are special dog foods that are high in fiber that you can give him. You can also choose to give your dog a fiber supplement with his regular food.

Prevention

There are a few things you can do to prevent dog constipation. You should make sure that he always has plenty of water to drink, especially during the summer. It’s also best to make sure your dog has plenty of fiber in his diet. Your dog should also be walked every day to make sure he gets plenty of exercise.

One of my cats, Cooga, is a Burmese. He is genetically designed to enjoy human company and cuddles. He is an attractive cat and his humans can hardly walk past him without touching him. He usually allows us to cuddle him like a doll…he will relax into our arms and enjoy the attention and warmth, rubbing his head against our faces. Cooga is likely to be cuddly all his life. He is bred that way and we are lucky to have him.

My other cat, Coco, is sweet, but not so cuddly. She enjoys a pat while standing on her own four feet, but detests being held. When we first brought her home from the shelter, she was far more skittish, but now she readily climbs onto our laps while we watch TV.

Can any cat become cuddly? Not all cats have the same interest in human company and affection. Some cats are of such a nervous disposition that they find cuddles too overwhelming.

If it is important to you to have a cuddly cat, it helps to choose carefully, and to know what to look for. Most kittens seem happy to be cuddled, but naturally cuddly kittens seek it out. They will quickly relax into your hands, eager to curl up in your lap, and enjoy face-to-face contact. Kittens that stop playing to show interest in you or who worm their way into your hands, show that they like a lot of contact.

Cuddly adult cats are even easier to spot. Unlike kittens, they might not show immediate trust, but if you look at adult cats in a shelter, the people working there will know the cuddly ones and will be delighted to help one of their favorites find a home, where they can get all the cuddling they need.

Once you have a cuddly cat, you can train it to retain these happy characteristics. With kittens, it is a matter of helping them stay that way, while with adults it’s more a case of letting them relax into it.

Regardless of the cat’s age, the following principles will help you to keep your cat cuddly, or to encourage a reluctant cuddler to enjoy it more:

* Wait for the cat to make the first moves. Let them get used to their new situation, and keep your hand around for them to rub their face on. Then you can move your hand down to their chest or stroke their ears. Full contact hugs are for relationships of great trust. Be patient.

* Know when to swoop in, and when not to. Resist the urge to interrupt your cat’s play or mealtimes. Make your move when the cat is already relaxed and open to your overtures, or comes near you. It’s coercive to demand that a cat stops everything for a cuddle. It is essential to good cuddling to be sensitive to, and respectful of, their moods. You will build trust this way.

* If the cat wants to get down, let it go. If you insist, you are not getting a cuddle, you are making a prisoner out of your cat.

* Cuddling should be fun for both of you, and stay that way. Never turn a cuddle into something else, like a good opportunity for eye medicine or a flea treatment. They will mind, and you will sabotage their trust in cuddling you.

* Keep the moment soft and sweet. Squealing into your cat’s ear about how cute they are, or conversely not saying anything, will send the wrong reinforcement. A soft voice will strengthen your cuddling bond.

* You can begin or end a cuddling session with treats. Mealtimes lead to a full tummy, when cuddling might be uncomfortable, but telling your cat how much you love them with a tasty treat is just another form of closeness.

By using these techniques, you can establish whether your cat can be cuddly, if it is not already. It can take time for trust to build and for a cat to appreciate the pleasures of close contact with you. These are especially good rules to teach children who want to get close to a cat.

This world could do with more respectful cuddling!

Is your cat refusing to use the litter tray or box, no matter what you try to do?

Then you’re not alone, because you, me, and millions of other cat owners are either facing this problem right now, or have done so in the past.

I’ve had many cats in the past, and one of them recently posed a huge problem. He is a lovely cat, but he is not litter trained and just pees just everywhere. Even though he had a litter box that he used once only, he still used to pee and poop on everything.

Luckily I already have several proven tricks up my sleeve, and in this quick article I’d like to share a couple of mistakes I’ve learned the hard way, which will help speed up the time it takes to train your cat to use the litter tray.

So, here are two common cat litter training mistakes…

Mistake #1 – Not realizing that your cat is choosy!

Did you know that cats may have personal preferences when it comes to their litter box? It’s true, and sadly, your cat’s preferences may not coincide with the owner’s preferences in most cases.

Choosing the right cat litter and cat litter boxes for your cat (and not for you) is important. The rest of this article explains some key things to remember when picking the right cat litter and cat tray or box…

Mistake #2 – Not providing enough “drop zones”

Many owners do not provide enough litter boxes, particularly in households with numerous cats. The number of boxes in the home should equal the number of cats, plus one. For example, a two cat household needs three litter boxes.

It’s a good idea to distribute your cat litter boxes evenly around the home. In homes with several floors, there should be at least one litter box on each floor of the house.

Finally, don’t forget that each litter box must be kept very clean. Boxes should be scooped daily and completely emptied, washed and disinfected thoroughly every 1-2 weeks.

Isn’t it time you discovered why most cat training aids don’t work, and how to get inside your cat’s mind and quickly teach them perfect behaviour from any age?

Well, right now, you can discover these secrets for free, with my 9 part guide to perfect cat behaviour at http://cattrainingtricks.com

There, you’ll discover many easy ways to end cat litter box problems for good, plus so much more…

I would not mind betting that like me, you thought that to build a poultry shed would be a pretty difficult thing to do. Well, you might find that you are in for a pleasant surprise, just as I was. I have found so much information, that to build a poultry shed is far more simple than you can even begin to imagine.

I had looked at buying a readymade coop but, was pretty shocked at how expensive they were. I mean, to buy the same amount of materials that would be involved in building it at my local DIY store really would not cost anywhere near the amount that the store was charging.

I guess that they are getting you to pay for somebody else having measured and sawn the timber for you. I really do not think that is good value for money somehow, especially when I then realised that it would come flat packed and needed me to get a screw driver to assemble it anyway.

It would seem that there really has been a massive renewed interest worldwide in chicken keeping. I cannot say for sure why this might be, but perhaps we, the consumer have realised that to be able to enjoy fresh tasting free range eggs from our own chickens is far more achievable now than it ever has been and with all this poultry keeping knowledge so readily available you can see how and why this has happened.

With so many easy to follow hints, tips and tricks especially on DIY chicken housing so easily accessible at the touch of a button, you may end up wishing you had taken up keeping chickens in your own backyard long before now. Having done a bit of research on, what I can only assume were once closely guarded poultry housing secrets it really looks as easy as 123 to provide your poultry with fantastic housing.

If you can follow some simple instructions which guide you through from beginning to end and can use a screw driver, I promise you now that you are on to a sure fire winner. You do not have to think, just do and how simple is that?

The flexibility in building your own coop is beyond compare. I could not find a single readymade coop that met all of my needs and believe me I tried. To be able to provide the right amount of ventilation to keep the housing well aired and enough ramps, walkways and the necessary perches was such a find.

To build a poultry shed will give you such a sense of satisfaction, knowing that you have provided such durable accommodation to house your chickens, that it will keep them safe and secure from predators as possible  and that you have been able to build a poultry shed so cost effectively too I find totally amazing.

Building poultry sheds can be simple and great fun when you are given the correct information. They are practical, easy to assemble and can save you a fortune.

There are dozens of poultry related websites that claim to offer visitor’s great poultry shed plans, but few sadly seem to offer little more than a single basic design. However one of the best poultry shed design websites online that has been endorsed by hundreds of chicken breeders and owners worldwide so far contains a wealth of chicken housing data and related information that is well worth reviewing. (http://www.chickenhousekit.com)