Pets and Pet Care

'Did you know' that you can teach your dog to use a "doorbell" to ask to go outside instead of barking? Just hang a bell with a clapper on the doorknob and everytime you let your dog out gently guide their head to nose the bell so that it rings. 'Soon your dog will be ringing the bell to go out.

'Wabbit and Kid Joke'
A precious little girl walks into a pet shop and asks, in the sweetest little lisp, between two missing teeth, "Excuthe me, mithter, do you keep widdle wabbits?"
As the shopkeeper's heart melts, he gets down on his knees so that he's on her level and asks, "Do you want a widdle white wabbit, or a thoft and fuwwy bwack wabbit, or maybe one like that cute widdle bwown wabbit over there?"
She, in turn, blushes, rocks on her heels, puts her hands on her knees, leans forward and says, in a tiny quiet voice,
"I don't think my python weally gives a thit."

Clumping cat litters hold great appeal for cat-lovers because they are so convenient. But what many pet-owners don't realize is that two ingredients in most clumping cat litters have been implicated in diseases and even the deaths of many animals and humans.
Sodium bentonite
Is often added as a clumping agent to traditional cat litters to create the "scoopable" clay litters on the market. Sodium bentonite acts like an expandable cement, used as a grouting, sealing, and plugging material-it can swell up to 15 to18 times their dry size and clog up your cat's insides. which is why these litters should not be flushed. Cats often lick themselves after using the litter box, ingesting pieces of the litter. If litter gets inside them, it expands just as it does in the plumbing. Also, the dust from such litters can coat our cats' lungs, leading to respiratory problems. There has been reported instances of poisoning in humans from chronic ingestion of sodium bentonite, so just imagine what effect it can have on our kitties!
Quartz silica (sand)
The other ingredient in most clumping litters, is a known carcinogen for both humans and household pets when inhaled. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, silicon particles which can be found in clay litter are a known human carcinogen. Breathing in these particles can cause respiratory illness. When your cat goes to cover her waste, this dust is kicked up and introduced into the room. Distributed on the floor and anywhere else it chooses to settle, the dust then becomes an invasive intruder, causing problems for humans and animals alike.
Flushable litters
Flushable litters, however, remain controversial because cat poo can contain Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite that enters felines after they've eaten infected rodents, birds, or other small animals. Although the cats later expel the parasites in their feces, these parasites can survive in soil for more than a year, as well as foul up our drinking water. Because most municipal sewage-treatment systems do not filter out Toxoplasma, the parasites can get flushed into ocean waters close to shore, and concentrate in mussels, crabs, and other filter feeders that sea otters feed on. Hundreds of sea otters have been found dead off the coast of California in recent years, and some scientists believe that cat feces from flushable litter may be one of the culprits. Just another reason to keep your cat indoors.

.So what's a kitty owner to do?
Try a recycled litter product instead. Or any enviromentally friendly products avaliable in your area

Apple Cinnamon Drops
1 large apple
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup of water
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup oatmeal
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
An extra 1/8 cup whole wheat flour

Preheat oven to 180c Core, slice and mince the apple. In a large bowl, combine the minced apple, honey, water, cinnamon, & oatmeal. Gradually blend in the wheat flour, adding enough to form a stiff dough. In a small bowl, add 1/8 cup wheat flour. Spoon the dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. Using the bottom of a glass dipped in the wheat flour, flatten each spoonful of dough into a circle. Adjust the size of the drops for larger dogs if you want to. Bake for 7 mins. Remove from oven & flip each cookie to brown evenly on both sides. Put back in oven for another 7 min. Let cool overnight. Makes about 36 crunchy cookies, depending on how big you make them. These will last longer if kept in the refrigerator

Home made bird treat
Birdie Frozen Yogurt
Ingredients:
1 cup fruit, mashed or one jar of fruit baby food
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons peanut butter
vanilla yogurt
Mix all ingredients. Freeze in ice cube trays

The First Two Weeks

:born blind and deaf
:weight at birth will be approximately 3 1/2- 4 ounces
:umbilical cords drop off after two or three days
:unable to regulate body temperature
:highly developed sense of smell
:mother stays with kittens basically around the clock for the first twenty-four hours
:weight will double in the first week
:mother must stimulate each kitten's elimination process by licking

Two Weeks-Four Weeks
:eyes and ears open at about ten to 14 days
:milk teeth start to appear
:at three weeks, the kittens are able to eliminate on their own
:the mother shows her kittens how to cover their waste
:social play begins between weeks three and four
:important socialization time
:fighting reflex develops

Four Weeks- Eight Weeks
:able to groom themselves at five weeks
:weaning should be completed by seven weeks
:all baby teeth are in by eight weeks
:continued important socialization time
:play behavior gets rougher as weeks progress

Eight Weeks- Fourteen Weeks
:kittens engage more frequently in object play
:senses will be fully developed by 12 weeks
:adult eye color is established around 12 weeks
:adult teeth begin to erupt at fourteen weeks
:adult sleep patterns will begin to develop as weeks progress

Six Months- Twelve Months
:kittens reach sexual maturity
:continued growth at a slower pace