Your new Kitten!
The arrival of a new kitten is a wonderful time, but we know it can be an anxious one too.
Keeping them safe and happy takes planning and patience for everyone in the household, but the effort will pay off, as your new pet grows into a confident, affectionate pet who knows there’s no place like home.
Remember, the more love and care you give your kitten, the happier and healthier they’ll be!
Please follow our guides below on learning, care, feeding, training and health.
Caring for cats and kittens!
Here, you’ll find everything you need to know to properly care for, train and raise your feline friend into a happy and healthy cat. From advice on training your pet and keeping your them entertained, to staying on top of their vaccinations and vet check-ups. Whatever it is that you’d like to know more about, we’ve got expert advice to help you on your path as a cat owner.
Healthy living
A cat is a wonderful addition to any family. They’re great with all ages, so a home is not complete without a cat to warm the couch.
When living with a cat it’s important to consider anything that may contribute, even in the smallest way, to their welfare. There are the obvious dangers that most people are aware of, but other lesser known dangers lurk in the most unlikely spots. Certain plants, for example, can be very dangerous to cats. So it’s important to know what you’ve got growing in your backyard, and be aware of the other potential dangers around your house.
As an owner, you’ll also need to consider how best to travel with your cat. What is the best way to deal with travel, and what are some of the things you’ll need to bring?
Cats are amongst the most hygienic animals in the world, but some still need bathing and grooming to be able to live inside. Most cats don’t enjoy bath time, but there are ways to get them used to the water that helps them deal with it. All this and more is covered in our in-depth advice on caring for your cat.
Why the right cat food is important
Whether you have a kitten or an adult cat, a balanced diet is essential to ensuring they remain in peak health and condition. We talk to Dr Lisa Chimes to find out how with the right nutrition, you can help your cat live a happy and healthy life.
puppies!
Puppy training
It’s important to begin puppy training as early as possible, to avoid your dog developing bad habits that can be hard to lose later on.
Puppy training can be a great time to bond with your new mate. There can be a real sense of achievement when you accomplish a trick together. Remember to have patience, and rejoice in your puppy’s achievements with treats and pats.
Toilet training is where you probably want to start, but there are many other aspects that make for a well-trained pet.
Good Puppy manners are something that’s important to be taught early, and is a big part of training. This involves things like teaching your dog how to react in certain situations and the ability to socialise with other animals and people.
All of these skills help to make your puppy to have “good puppy manners”. The best part is you don’t have to be a qualified dog trainer to be able to train your puppy. In fact, all you need to do is read our in-depth puppy training section.
Puppy care
Owning a puppy is a big responsibility, and although puppies can be a lot of fun they require a lot of attention, love and dedication. Keeping your puppy happy and healthy throughout their life can be rewarding for the whole family and will include things such as training, exercising and grooming.
It’s also important to give your puppy social interaction with other dogs and people. Dogs are social animals, and thrive on social interaction not only with humans, but also dogs and other animals. This can help their confidence and temperament.
Puppies need exercise every day to stay fit and healthy. This can take the form of walks; play dates at the park or obedience training. Puppy playtime and exercise is more than just a fun time for your puppy, it’s vital for their physical and mental health.
You’ll find all of these issues covered in our comprehensive section on caring for your puppy along with many others, preventative healthcare, common behavior issues, training your puppy and grooming.
Feeding puppies
When it comes to feeding puppies it’s not just a matter of feeding leftovers or what your adult dog is eating. Puppies need specific foods that cater to their growing bodies.
The first year of life is critical in your puppy’s development. Your puppy has a lot of growing to do. At certain times during growth and development, a puppy requires up to twice the amount of some nutrients, and up to three times the calories per kilogram of bodyweight, of that of an adult dog.
As you feed your puppy, you need to supply all the body building nutrients it requires to grow and develop: protein for strong muscles, calcium for strong bones and teeth, iron for healthy blood and enough calories for all the energy a puppy burns. This is easily accomplished when you feed a commercially prepared puppy formula that is complete and balanced. Read on to discover everything from choosing the right puppy food to transitioning them to adult formulas.
Puppy health
Monitoring your pets’ health condition at home is one of the main responsibilities of pet ownership. But part of this responsibility is having a well-rounded knowledge of all the aspects of puppy health.
It’s important to understand your puppy’s well being and be able to recognise the telltale signs that may lead to illness. Things like patches on their skin, or even a change in body language, can be indicators that something may be amiss. It’s important to be able to notice the signs at the earliest stage possible, in case it’s something serious.
In this segment we’ve focused on the overall health of your pet, how to spot irregularities, and what to do when you notice them.
Under Puppy health we’ve included a simple checklist of things to look out for, as well as information on visiting the Vet, de-sexing and vaccinations.
Why the right dog food is important
Whether you have a puppy or an adult dog, a balanced diet is essential to ensuring they remain in peak health and condition. We talk to Dr Lisa Chimes to find out how with the right nutrition, you can help your dog live a happy and healthy life.
Caring for dogs
Here, you’ll find everything you need to know to properly care for, train and raise your canine companion into a happy and healthy dog. From advice on training your pet and keeping your them entertained, to staying on top of their vaccinations and vet check-ups. Whatever it is that you’d like to know more about, we’ve got expert advice to help you on your path as a dog owner.
Guide to finding the right dog for you
From selecting a breed to bringing your puppy or dog home, there are many things to consider when choosing a pet. We chat to Dr Joanne Righetti to get all the tips and advice on finding the perfect dog for you.
HOPE YOU ENJOYED MY FAMILY PET PAGE