Do you ever notice that some cats act really crazy after a sniff of catnip. My older cat, Mollie does. Other cats like my younger cat Millie ignore the herb completely. Roughly 70% of cats respond to cat nip but many react only mildly. Those cats who do like cat nip tend to respond in amusing ways. My cat Mollie jumps and rolls around. Some rub, roll sniff and lick. A cats response to cat nip seems to be genetically predetermined. Male cats are more sensitive to it than females. When cat nip does have an effect, it stimulates the brain much like feline sex hormones do.  Most cats will respond my acting silly then falling asleep. Cat nip has no harmful affects, so it’s OK to give your cat some every now and then. The cat nips affect lasts about an hour. It can come in handy when you want your overweight cat to play a little bit longer. So make sure that your cat has some cat toys containing cat nip, she will like the experience!

Even though cats sleep about 16 hours a day, they do require their share of regular exercise. One misconception to clear up is that cats do not get fat due to lack of exercise but rather by the wrong choice of food that they’re given.  Cats do not need as much exercise as dogs. They will usually run through the house to get exercise.  We do need to help them along with exercise. My cats love wand and fishing pole cat toys. In fact, that’s all that my younger cat Millie wants to play with. Every night at about 9:00pm, she starts “asking” me to play with her. She sits by her toys and begins to meow. She will run around like crazy for about 15 minutes or so then she’s done. Cats need to work their fast twitch fibers which are the main types of muscles that cats have.   Remember, cats are sprinters, not marathoners so 15 minutes per day is about enough exercise. Good cat furniture doubles as scratching posts, and  can also be used as exercise equipment. When a cat pulls themselves up on a vertical, carpeted surface, they are pulling they are pulling their entire body weight.  This kind of weight bearing exercise is excellent for their muscle type and it doesn’t take much to fill their needs. So spend some time with your cat everyday. It makes for great bonding and also keeps them in shape.

This is not my cat Mollie, she is not nearly this heavy.

Keeping your cat in good condition includes being aware of how much she eats. My older cat, Mollie is not that active. She is also a bit overweight. We have discussed this topic before but we must realize that overweight cats are uncomfortable and prone to health issues. About a year ago, one morning, Mollie had lots of trouble walking. She could hardly stand up. I rushed her to the animal hospital. It was possible that she had a blood clot which could be fatal. It turned out to be nothing serious and after a few days on a muscle relaxer pet medication, she was back to normal. This incident made me aware of how much she was eating. Too many treats, begging and free choice feeding could lead to an overweight pet. In addition to health concerns, an obese cat cannot lead an active, comfortable life. An affect could be a worsening cardio- pulminary function, increased incidents of arthritis and the pain associated with this., They don’t like to get up and move around as much because it’s harder on their body. In addition, an overweight cat may be grouchy from being too hot or may have trouble self grooming. So make sure you keep an eye on the amount of snacks and food that you feed her. My problem is that I tend to give Mollie too many snacks. I am now trying to cut back on the amount. You should monitor all aspects of your cats health along with the help of your veterinarian.

The Border Collie is a very energetic dog that loves to play and work. It’s body is slightly longer than it’s tail. This dog is very intelligent and very aware of it’s surroundings. This is one of the hardest working dogs who thrives on praise from it’s owners.  They are among the leaders in most of the competitive sports that they perform.  Farmers love them because they were originally bred as a farm hand. They need ample exercise and long walks on a strong dog leash. The Border Collie will get along with children and other dogs however, they can show some aggression towards other dogs of the same sex if you are not giving them 100% leadership.  They should not be trusted with small non – canine pets. Many Border Collies will get along well with family cats. This breed should be very well socialized as a puppy. To keep them totally happy, they need consistent leadership, extensive exercise and some kind of job to occupy their minds.  If you allow them to take over without enough socialization and both mental and physical exercise,  they can be very reactive and sound sensitive making them a poor choice with families with children.  This breed lives for serving you all the time. If you are not going to be dedicated in making sure they get lots of physical and mental exercise then I would not recommend adopting one. They are not your typical “sit at home” dog.

Filling a prescription for your cat or dog sometimes gets neglected.  This sometimes happens even by the most well intentioned pet owners. As a solution, clinics can partner with vet sponsored home delivery services. They keep the veterinarian in charge but dispense the pet medication to consumers from an off site pharmacy. Ted Route, CEO of Vet Central says that they can get the products that pet owners need and get them to the owners door on a regular basis without the hassle of getting out of pet owners having to get out of their car and going to their vet. This  not only increases compliance and makes life easier, but Veterinarians have access to more products then their office space or budget normally allow.

Feline diabetes is a common endocrine disease in cats.  The most common signs of diabetes is thirst, weight loss in spite of a good appetite and increased urination.  These signs signal that the cat’s body cannot process glucose.  This condition leads to a gradual decline in the cats health. If left untreated, it could result in death.  With proper treatment, the disease will be kept under control and the cat will enjoy a good quality of life.

Feline diabetes is usually seen in cats over 8 years old with a peak incidence between 10 and 13 years.  Diabetes can affect any breed of cat but neutered males tend to get the disease more often than females.

The incidents occur more frequently in cats that are overweight and varies from 1 in 100 to 1 in 500.

Some clinical signs are poor hair coat due to lack of grooming, neuropathy which causes the cat to walk with its hocks touching the ground.

After diagnosis, your vet will recommend a change in diet and the administration of pet medication such as insulin. If you monitor this condition carefully, note any changes and administer insulin as directed by your vet, your pet can still live a long, healthy life.

More often than not, several dogs can co-exist harmoniously in a single home. They may even get along better than the human family members. Dogs are naturally pack animals. They determine among themselves who will be the dominant dog and usually never have problems getting along. Animal behaviorists say that multiple dogs in a household can be peaceful all day long. Sometimes, for some reason a fight may break out when the humans come home. What happened? Did the humans upset the multiple dog dynamic?  It is difficult to figure this out.  Dogs always lived in packs long before we tried to live with them. Veterinary behavior specialists have some of the answers and there’s no shame in asking for help. Several dogs will get along fine just  don’t expect them to share their crate, food or dog beds.

If you read the labels of your dog’s favorite foods, you will notice lots of discrepancies in the recommended amounts to feed him. The amount of food that you feed your dog will change throughout his life. Most weight problems develop slowly and are likely to occur during the transition period from puppy to adult. Remember, an adult dog’s appetite is always greater than his need. Another time when weight gain increases is when your dog gets older and his activity level decreases. Be aware of the need to adjust your dogs calories and give him periodic weight checks. This will help you with overfeeding during these transition times.

Knowing how much to feed your dog can be confusing. Always start with a quality food and note the feeding instructions on the bag or can. Then, add or decrease the amount depending on your dogs activity level.  Start feeding this amount but monitor his weight on a regular basis. Make adjustments along the way and always check with your vet.  So don’t overfill that dog dish right away!