Cats are better confined indoors where they are safe and protected from potential threats of the great outdoors. But a stroll outdoors is something that many indoors cats will certainly enjoy. Leash walks are great opportunities for physical and mental enrichment for indoors cats.

A cat needs to be leash-trained properly before being taken outdoors. You will need a secure harness specially designed for cats, and make sure that the harness fits your pet comfortably and one that he cannot get out of. You should also arm yourself with lots of your pet’s favorite treats to help create a positive association between wearing a harness and something positive. Make sure your cat feels comfortable in his harness and enjoys wearing it. The comfort level is much easier to achieve when kittens are properly introduced and accustomed to a harness. However, adult cats can be trained to wear a harness, so don’t surrender just yet. Older cats will soon learn that the reward of we ... Read more »

Have you noticed your dog taking a mouthful of food from his bowl, walks a considerable distance across the room, and drops the food on the floor or carpet and then starts to eat away? This behavior is usually repeated until all his food is gone. It can certainly be a peculiar sight; and it doesn’t seem to be an efficient way to eat. It would also mean extra work for you, getting the crumbs out of the carpet. The behavior can possibly be traced back to their ancestors’ days in the wild which were expert hunters. When they make a kill, dogs that occupy the lower rungs of the social ladder of the pack drag pieces of the prey away to avoid fighting with the pack leader or any other dominant canine. Although there may be no environment of competition in your house, especially if you have only one dog, it’s actually the dog’s evolutionary instinct taking over. Bring your pet to your vet Greensboro NC ... Read more »

Although cats have been sharing the life and home of humans for a very long time, there are still specific feline behaviors that continue to baffle humans. Take for example the sleeping habit of cats. Haven’t you wondered why cats spend a good part of their day sleeping? Or, why cats make excellent alarm clocks? Here are some feline snoozing patterns explained:

Cats spend 10-16 hours each day sleeping

This may be attributed to their protein-rich diet, which needs considerable amount of time and rest to digest, and their crepuscular predatory behavior (they are most active at dawn and dusk).

Cats sleep on their humans

 Cats seem to find their humans to be comfortable pillows. Some theories that have been forwarded to explain this behavior include cat that are seekin ... Read more »

Larger ingestions of laundry detergent by pets can lead to the manifestation of important symptoms. It doesn’t really matter if your pet has ingested the liquid form or concentrated form of the detergent. The most common clinical symptom seen in detergent consumption is vomiting.

Since detergent is foamy, there is a higher risk of the foam being inhaled into the lungs as the dog or cat vomits. In a worst case scenario, the detergent can coat the air passages and interfere in the exchange of oxygen in the lungs, causing suffocation in affected animals. Ingestion can also cause coughing, respiratory problems, and inflammation of the tissues of the lungs. The back of the throat may also get irritated, leading to gagging and retching. If your dog or cat does ingest laundry detergent in any form, contact your Westlake Village, CA veterinary clinic immediately. Repetitive bouts of vomiting or breathing difficulties sh ... Read more »