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Cat behavior Q&A; Why do cats love humans more than anything?

Question submitted through Pet Collective Quora

Paula poundstone

Cats do not love people more than anything. For them to love a human more than food, water, or other cats is just the unique characteristic of that cat. As evolution goes on, we notice new features in anything newborn. In time, it’s likely cats will evolve to be friendlier by nature: it’s all in the DNA which cat breeders And bioengineering.
Though cats have proven to show compassion, cats are like humans in many ways. Not all cats like all cats. Not all cats like their owners. Not all domestic cats do either, but still, we coexist with them for comfort, pest control, and fun, and they do the same, but for food. Food is always the drive.

El Niño, Norwegian Forest Cat, Living the good life


Working at Chicago Animal Care and Control, it was my duty to clean all the cat wards. When doing so, I realized how crazy, unpredictable, and “human-like.” every cat was. Some cats were mean, others scared, others trying to get me to take them, etc.; they are incredibly similar to human Beings personality-wise, and no two cats were the same. They have personalities. They think, and they feel.

Worried Cat


Cats are very manipulative, not necessarily in the wrong way, but like a baby crying for attention, they can lie, and they know how to get what they want and will care less if you disagree. While your dog might be your companion and love you regardless of circumstances, your cat is more like your roommate or best friend. No two human/cat bonds are the same. Dogs are all loving, and cats are all-knowing or self-serving (like humans).
The main reason cats get along with humans is that we are shelter, comfort, safety, and we supply constant food and cuddle sources. Cats who don’t display affection for their humans haven’t run away because they don’t want to risk losing a stress-free life.

Snuggles


Angry cats are likely ungrateful for the attention. Loving cats want you to know they appreciate you. They may be extra loving (Especially when there is food involved) in a situation where they want action from you. Unlike puppies, cats are born with innate knowledge; they know that their claws are there to fight and that other cats are outside. Most cats choose the free food And shelter option.


Cats are independent carnivores. In the wild, they survive around three years. Domestic cats can live up to about 21 with new medical advances. They do not, however, “need” you but generally speaking, they’re pretty happy with their owners, or they’d escape/vandalize your home. That’s when you call a cat counselor. Real thing. If they are here to hunt and survive, that’s by nature why they need humans.


Suppose your cat loves you more than anything that means precisely that. You have an outstanding bond with your cat. My cat (http://Https://www.thetacocattalk.com/) and I, who I’ve had for eight years, get in fights with me. Not physical, but we get annoyed with each other. I don’t care for him sitting on my phone, and he doesn’t care for me not paying attention to him when he wants it.

@thetacocattalk

If cats could speak, they wouldn’t.

Good Housekeeping

Cats can rotate their ears to listen to many different noises. They can attend for prey and hear your gossip.


Cats are insanely mesmerizing, rude, and marvelous creatures (excellent rodent control), and they get along with humans more than they love humans more than anything. That is impossible because the cat loves itself more than anything. They are often confused with dogs regarding behavioral questions because they are domesticated wild animals (well, the dog is now artificial but descended from an extinct wolf), and they CAN coexist. Not all can, though. You wouldn’t consider your iguana to have a personality like your dog or cats (they have their personalities and behaviors)

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How can you tell if a pet store gets their pets from a puppy mill?

How can you tell if a pet store gets their pets from a puppy mill?

How to Identify puppy farmla dog breeders and backyard breeders.


“Puppy mills
are commercial breeding facilities that mass-produce dogs (and cats in cat mills) for sale through pet stores or directly to consumers through classified ads or the Internet. Roughly 90 percent of puppies in pet stores come from puppy mills.” – PAWS – resources puppy mills

PAWS › resources › puppy-mills

As horrible as puppy mills are, the ASPCA estimates that there are still more than 10,000 of them in the United States alone. If you want to make sure that your next puppy isn’t coming from a puppy mill, keep an eye out for the following ten signs:

  1. The puppies come from out-of-state – particularly Midwestern states like Missouri and Illinois.
  2. The puppy’s parents are not kept in the same facility, and you cannot see them before buying.
  3. The breeder wants to meet somewhere else if you request a visit to their facility.
  4. The facility offers several different breeds – reputable breeders focus on one or two species.
  5. The breeder has multiple litters available at the same time.
  6. Neither the parents nor the puppies have been appropriately vaccinated.
  7. The breeder makes extreme promises about the puppy’s size, temperament, or other quality.
  8. The puppies may smell like a kennel, and they are likely to have low coat quality.
  9. The breeder doesn’t ask you to fill out any kind of contract or spay/neuter agreement.
  10. The puppy is under eight weeks of age or appears to be much younger than the breeder claims.

Unfortunately, if something on this list is right about the puppy you are thinking about buying, a puppy mill breeder is unlikely, to be honest about it. For example, a puppy mill breeder might offer you papers and a license for your puppy, but if you look more closely, you may be able to tell that it is fake. If at any point the breeder doesn’t appear to be forthcoming about information regarding the puppy, its parents, or the breeding facilities, it is a big red flag. Not only should you avoid buying from this breeder, but you should also report him to the ASPCA or the Humane Society.

Buying a puppy from a pet store is a significant risk for several reasons. For one thing, many of the puppies sold in pet stores come from puppy mills, and it is straightforward to fake the papers or registration that pet store owners use to convince you that it is not so. If you want a puppy, consider adopting from a shelter or go through a reputable breeder.

10 Signs Your Dog is From a Puppy Mill – PetGuide

VET ALERT; DOG FOOD ADVISORY

VET ALERT; DOG FOOD ADVISORY

Dogs Naturally Magazine, a Veterinary based magazine, inspired me to research this incredibly important, Interesting, and alarming article about dog nutrition.

https://youtu.be/_6EEGV8wssQ

Studies recently show canines eating brand new diets to pups eating brands with nutrition deficiencies (I.e., Pedigree, Beneful, Alpo), which contain large amounts of processed foods, found that dogs eating fresh foods statistically live on average two years and eight months longer than those with the low nutritional diets and/or “cheap” brands.

That’s an extra thirty-two months on your beloved fur baby’s life.

There are many explanations for canines prematurely aging. Contemporary research shows that telomeres – a compound structuring at the end of a chromosome “shortening” could be one connection between processed diets and a shortened life.

TELOMERES, VITALITY, LIFESPAN

The end of each chromosome is a stretch of DNA named telomeres in both canines and homo sapiens.

Telomeres 🧬 are essentially the tough rounded ends of shoelaces. Telomeres conceal the perimeters of your dog’s chromosomes and stop ✋ them from unfolding. 🚫

As canines age, their telomeres get shorter. Generally, old canines have immensely shortened telomeres. Every time a cell divides, the acting telomere for that chromosome gets shortened. Cells are continually dividing, such as surface cells like skin and cells within significant organs such as the liver.

Once the telomeres are wholly gone, its chromosome on the DNA unfolds 🧬 , and the cell will execute one of three plans:

  • Self-destruction (apoptosis)
  • Go Solo (evolve cancerously)
  • Retire (becomes senescent)

The body is continually residing with cancers and stands adequately equipped to handle them. If the immune system is working sufficiently, it can pick up and demolish any cancerous cells. Again, that’s if the immune system is not compromised.

It’s the senescent (or cessation of cell division) cells that do the most damage to the body. Senescent cells are the one guy who ruins the party as these cells come baring early-onset of age-related disease.

Senescent cells lay dormant, and at any given time in the body, they discharge poisonous chemicals. These chemicals begin to grip to encircling healthy cells, causing that cell to become senescent or cancerous.

You need to protect the telomeres.

HOW PROCESSED FOODS DESTROY TELOMERES

Researchers in Spain looked at telomeres size and diets in human participants. They lay the first stone that the more processed diets they ate, the faster they shortened telomeres.

Partakers that ate three or more servings of refined or processed foods everyday stood 82% more apt to bring into light shortened telomeres.

What is refined or processed food? Like yourselves, your canine companions rely solely on the diet you feed them and to enhance longevity, as well as address specific breed diets and needs it’s important to know how to read a dog food label and more important to understand it. Think of processed food as “fillers”. Bad brands of dog food will usually list a filler or a meat “meal or derivative” (essentially ANY part of the protein source, I mean any part) and include a lot of grains such as corn to keep your pet full for longer. Corn, isn’t easily digested whole for humans, and it’s no better for dogs. This does not mean you should feed your pets grain-free food. It means the grains if at all should be healthy, ground up if needed, and easily digested.

Recent articles in both frontline and DVM360 have linked grain-free diets to cardiomyopathy or heart disease/failure. Hills Food Manufacturer sent a disturbing informational article to all associate Veterinary hospitals in June of 2019 showing the research-based evidence and development of grain-free diets and heart failure or sudden death due to heart issues in over five hundred canines.

WHAT IS A PROCESSED FOODS PURPOSE?

A LOT of pet foods and food brands (raw foods included) encompass refined ingredients. The ingredients are exposed to high heat, processing machines, or prepared in a laboratory and approximately entirely nurtured by human reserves. It cuts expenses for the pet food corporation to put fillers and processed food in the nourishment as grain is an inexpensive crop and corn is the cheapest. Corn that is not ground up is not generally tolerated by humans nor pets- the food must contain appropriate grains such as “ground” corn.

The first ingredient listed should always be the protein source (meat). Don’t be fooled by the word meal derivative or meals; this meat is essentially the meat you don’t want your pet to have (I.e., Weird body parts or even meat from untrustworthy or none grass-fed animals from non-accredited farmers).

Dog food standards are not the same as human food standards. The only thing a dog food brand needs is a label listing the ingredients and for it to be visible on the bag. No further testing of the food to date is required by law. PET FOOD DOES NOT need to be FDA tested unless it’s a prescription diet. It does need to pass its own “FDA” mentioned below.

The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) provides nutritional standards (called model bills and regulations) that pet food manufacturers must abide by if they want to advertise their food as “complete and balanced.” – dogsnaturallymagazine

While the pet food industry reduces their costs by supplementing essential nutrients with fillers, processed foods and protein meals and maybe save a few bucks on the packaging, this day in age the brands are all aware (if they weren’t before) and still sell garbage to gain more personal profit (though they swim in it as is), they add bills to your veterinary tab and take years off your pet’s life, practically load your dog up with fillers, meat and meal derivatives, and indigestiblele grains. We simply have no idea we are slowly killing our pets. Not to mention they STILL push grain-free when it causes heart failure.

Name brand pet food. Is it malicious? Not all, well some probably are, but there are many brands of food. It’s unlikely intentional all pet food corporations are trying to murder your pet since canine and feline nutrition is only recently becoming a significant component of raising healthy pets, and though many brands have been forced off shelves or forced to re-do their recipe; to this day, pedigree, also, and Beneful cut corners. Will display labels below

Pet foods don’t just contain animals with unbalanced fats … they contain grains and foods that also include unbalanced fats. This is mostly to keep costs down — and the folks at AAFCO seem to be fine with this”

What are the ingredients most likely to be processed? What do you need to pay extra attention to? Words.

  • Meals (like chicken meal or corn meal)
  • Flavors (even natural flavors)
  • Colorings
  • Vitamins – what vitamins and how much?
  • Minerals– what minerals and how much?

You probably already know to stay away from meals and flavors. But many “high end” brands and freeze-dried foods contain vitamins and minerals.

Vitamins sourced in pet food are made with petroleum or fat products and are highly processed in factories. Minerals are also being processed in high heat and can be toxi. Avoid “added vitamins and minerals” or “all-natural and fresh with added supplements”

Processed foods are deficient in antioxidants. A fixed stream of antioxidants is vital to ameliorate oxidative stress harm and telomere curtailing.

HOW TO PREVENT TELEMORES FROM SHORTENING

Simple! Food and lifestyle change. Small adjustments you can make that will help keep your dog’s telomeres long and inflammation down.

Here is a list of supplements proved safe to give to pets that are found OTC. These you can purchase yourself.

Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fats: Both omega-6 and omega-3 fats have the ability to control hormones — and the hormones they control have very different jobs. The omega-6 fatty acids produce hormones that increase inflammation, which is an important part of the immune response. They also help with blood clotting and cell growth. The hormones produced by omega-3 fatty acids also control the immune system and they work alongside the omega-6 fats in an antagonistic manner. So, balance between these fatty acids is an important part of a healthy immune system. Both fats are important and your dog needs both in his diet. But these fats must be reasonably balanced for a balanced immune system … and today’s modern diets make this balance difficult.

Https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/ (text directly copied)

Sulforaphane: Broccoli and especially broccoli sprouts are rich in a polyphenol called sulforaphane. This is a powerful antioxidant and liver detoxifier … but make sure it’s not heated as heat destroys the enzyme that converts sulforaphane in the body.

Probiotics/Prebiotics: A prosperous stomach includes an abundance of bacteria that reduce inflammation. And as pups age, their microbiomes become less distinct, and this can cause inflammation and telomere shortening.

Those are just expansions to your pet’s diet. Additionally, for an upset stomach, you can serve none-dessert canned pumpkin or boiled chicken and white rice. “Bland” diets are preferred when a dog is experiencing digestive tract issues. What your dog food should contain are the three driving energy sources.

Your dog needs three sources to operate: protein, fats, and carbohydrates. These macronutrients are the only source of calories your dog gets.

Proteins are made up of building blocks called amino acids. Amino acids are important not just for energy but for vitality and tissue assembly in the bodies cell production. They also fire up the metabolic process. (hence energy drinks are loaded with amino acids and bcaa)

Fat is a rich source of energy. Pound per pound fat is two times more highly caloric than the protein source. You need to watch the amount of fat per protein ratio when feeding. Fat is essential in protecting your dog’s cells and aids in making hormones as well as fattysoluble vitamins. Without a steady supply of protein and fat, your dog will die.

Carbohydrates are not essential for life, and dogs can survive without them, but that does not mean they shouldn’t be removed from the recipe. Carbohydrates help boost the dog’s immune systems and help reduce the risk of cancer and other diseases.

That being said the following sites are great for pet nutrition recalls, questions, and information.

https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/best-dog-foods/best-dry-dog-foods/

Dog food advisor Constantly updates with researched and laboratory-based evidence for every type of pet food imaginable
Different breeds means different nutrition needs!

Example: GOOD DOG FOOD

Taste of the Wild Southwest Canyon Grain-Free Dry Dog Food, 28-lb bag

Nutritional Information

  • Beef, Peas, Garbanzo Beans, Lamb Meal, Canola Oil, Egg Product, Wild Boar, Ocean Fish Meal, Pea Flour, Dried Yeast, Tomato Pomace, Flaxseed, Natural Flavor, Salmon Oil (A Source Of DHA), Salt, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Dried Chicory Root, Tomatoes, Blueberries, Raspberries, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Dried Lactobacillus Plantarum Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus Subtilis Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Bi Fidobacterium Animalis Fermentation Product, Vitamin E Supplement, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Potassium Iodide, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Manganese Proteinate, Manganous Oxide, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Vitamin D Supplement, Folic Acid. Contains A Source Of Live (Viable), Naturally Occurring Microorganisms.

Caloric Content

  • 3,600 kcal/kg, 360 kcal/cup

EXAMPLE: Bad Dog Food- look at the first few ingredients.

PEDIGREE ADULT COMPLETE NUTRITION GRILLED STEAK VEGETABLE FLAVOR DRY DOG FOOD

Ingredients : THE BOLD ARE VERY BAD.

GROUND WHOLE GRAIN CORN, MEAT AND BONE MEAL (SOURCE OF CALCIUM), CORN GLUTEN MEAL, ANIMAL FAT (SOURCE OF OMEGA 6 FATTY ACIDS [PRESERVED WITH BHA & CITRIC ACID]), SOYBEAN MEAL, NATURAL FLAVOR, CHICKEN BY-PRODUCT MEAL, DRIED PLAIN BEET PULP, SALT, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, BREWERS RICE, GROUND WHOLE GRAIN WHEAT, CHOLINE CHLORIDE, DRIED PEAS, DL-METHIONINE, NATURAL GRILLED STEAK FLAVOR, ZINC SULFATE, CALCIUM CARBONATE, MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE, VITAMIN E SUPPLEMENT, L-TRYPTOPHAN, RED 40, YELLOW 6, DRIED CARROTS, BLUE 2, YELLOW 5, COPPER SULFATE, D-CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE [SOURCE OF VITAMIN B5], SODIUM SELENITE, NIACIN [VITAMIN B3], POTASSIUM IODIDE, RIBOFLAVIN SUPPLEMENT [VITAMIN B2], VITAMIN A SUPPLEMENT, VITAMIN B12 SUPPLEMENT, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE [VITAMIN B6], THIAMINE MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], VITAMIN D3 SUPPLEMENT, FOLIC ACID.

Directions :

Throw dog food out.

https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/raw-feeding-primer/

POISONING YOUR CAT OR DOG BY ACCIDENT; A TYPICAL HOLIDAY TRADITION

POISONING YOUR CAT OR DOG BY ACCIDENT; A TYPICAL HOLIDAY TRADITION

Photo by Snapwire on Pexels.com

PET TOXICITY: KEEP YOUR PETS AWAY FROM POISON DURING THE HOLIDAYS

When I was working at Banfield in 2013, our most popular days were the day after Thanksgiving, followed by Christmas morning. It’s not surprising that we happen to feast the most those holidays, especially turkey and ham. Unfortunately, wanting to share your meals and your merry behavior with your pets can be toxic, fatal, and cause liver, kidney, and pancreas problems. It’s important to remember that just because we are celebrating doesn’t mean we can start to feed our pets things we wouldn’t naturally. After one drunk Dog (Aunt Sarah brought over liquor-filled chocolates), two foreign body surgeries (inability to pass the turkey, chicken, and ham bones), cat E.R. transfers (plant toxicity), and other foreign bodies such as Sock removal, strings removal, and yes, wedding ring removal. I decided it best to write EVERY year to remind my fellow friends to be extra cautious with your pets on holidays.

There are a couple of main reasons your pet may or may not ingest something during the holiday season. There are also a couple of main reasons your cat or dog may be lethargic (tired), anorexic (loss of appetite), ADR (slang for ain’t doing right), and why your dog and or cat may be exhibiting destructive behavior. 

  1. Your pets don’t understand Thanksgiving and Christmas; they know that it usually causes us to sweat (anxiety, excitement, stress). They see that we are suddenly running around the house, rearranging our belongings and moving things around, including our pet’s stuff. They see an uprise in tidying up, adding trees and other foreign objects and food (chocolates, nuts, decorations) to our homes, and altogether it’s just a confusing time for them. After all, in doggy years, the last Thanksgiving was seven years ago. The joy of the holidays usually comes the day of or after, when everything goes great, and your home is back to being and smelling it’s the authentic way.

2. Something as little as moving your cat’s tree out of the way or rearranging his toys without his permission can cause not only anorexia but urinary blockage. In male cats predominantly, the urethra (straw-like body part that the pee comes from), which is already smaller than it should be, is curved. Suppose the urethra is blocked from excreting any of its urine through the passageway, often caused by the sudden onset of stress. In that case, that pressure builds up; it will cause urinary issues over time, and, when not addressed within 24 hours, will cause a blockage and 72 hours, death.  What happens to a cat during a backup? They are no longer urinating, they are straining, nothing is coming out after every attempt, and their bladder is large and hard to palpate. Not addressing promptly, your cat will suffer and then fatally and uncomfortably die. Dogs feed off of human energy. If you are anxious and running around, don’t find it uncommon that your dog mimics your behavior. If you are crating your dog for the first time, it’s not the time to experiment and add the pillows and toys in there. Please keep it simple, keep it toxic-free, and keep your pets safe.

We have extended family members and friends. I say this as in they are the ones who send us the nuts, chocolates, poinsettias, and other news and exciting things. We wrap our trees to look beautiful to impress our friends and family. We cover our tree with tiny, foreign body objects for our friends and family. It’s not uncommon that your baby nephew is feeding your dog under the table. It’s not unusual to find your cat playing with a string that came from your Christmas tree or nibbling on the leaves of a new plant.

 Bones are NOT okay for dogs to ingest; to start because they aren’t adequately digested.  If the dog can pass bones through defecating, it’s unlikely to be a pleasurable experience but more a less bloody. 

Overfeeding any animal can be toxic, plants are EXTREMELY toxic to cats, and of course, dogs cannot eat chocolate, just because It’s a holiday. 

Toxicities unaddressed with charcoal or induced vomiting within the first 15-25 minutes will require an emergency veterinary visit. Your local veterinary is unlikely to be open, so it’s a wise idea to have your nearest 24/7 E.R. vet’s phone numbers at hand as well as the poison hotline for pets. 

 It’s generally not a good time for your family to see and play with your pets. If you can make prior arrangements to put your cat and or dog away in a comfortable, safe spot, that is best. They have every day to roam freely, and though it may seem to mean, what’s more, meaningful is putting your pets at risk for ingesting foreign objects.  

Cats mainly CAN NOT HANDLE STRESS. I can’t say that enough. Do not mess with your cat’s belongings. As I said, something as little as moving the cat tree can set your cat off. If your cat is usually a little finicky, I STRONGLY suggest you ask your Veterinarian for a tranquilizer/sedative for your pets. 

No Veterinarian will deny your pet anxiety meds around a holiday or before a car trip. It’s the most common call we get. If you cannot pick up a prescription from your Vet, CALL THEM and let them know you’re worried about your pet’s anxiety during the holidays. 

After the front desk gets the doctor’s approval, they will let you know, and you can tell the staff where you want to pick up those meds. Vets can call into CVS, JEWEL, WALGREENS, COSTCO; you name it. The drug they use is a human-grade drug (generally Trazadone or benzo diazepam), so most pharmacies carry it. Online pharmacies such as 1-800-PET MEDS and chewy.com will send your doctor an authorization, which they will approve via fax. I urge you to get the medicine from your Veterinarian because if you choose an online pharmacy and your pet has adverse reactions, the company that makes the drugs will NOT pay for treatment. If you get your dog’s prescriptions (any kind) from your Veterinarian and an adverse reaction, the Veterinarian or the company that supplies the drug will pay for your pet’s treatment. 

Regardless, your Vet isn’t just there for your pet to see in person once a year; your Vet is like your doctor. You call when something is wrong, they call you to see how your pet is; most vets can remember most clients and pets, and keeping your cat and dog STRESS-free is very important. During this call, you can note some other issues or just how your pet has been doing, so the front desk can keep up to date with notes. No vet cares if your dog is behind in rabies, they won’t shame you. 

Just call them, and they will fill the script if you’ve seen them within the past year and most likely if you’ve seen them within the past three years. There is a Veterinary guarantee year (this is the duration of an active relationship with your pet and Vet). If you do not want to medicate your pets, products such as calming herbal medicine and Feliway infusions for cats work great.  

The point is, the holidays come and go. Your pets should be able to enjoy them with you, but there are just sometimes when it’s better to put them somewhere for their safety. You do not want a $6,000 foreign body surgery bill because you felt bad that your dog couldn’t be out during dinner time. These toxicities and surgeries are possibly fatal; they leave LONG-TERM DAMAGE to the liver, kidneys, and pancreas. 

Now for the moment, we’ve all been waiting for:

DOG TOXICITIES

pets.webmd.com

HUMAN OTC MEDICINE AND PRESCRIPTION MEDICINE

It’s easy for us to assume that what helps us when we’re suffering may help our pets. While some medicines are interchangeable at a veterinarian’s discretion, most are not. 

Dog and humans do not share the same genetics or operate their internal machinery the same way humans do. Cats are more likely to handle human medicine, as we do share some similar DNA with them. Either way, unless prescribed to your dog- any medication ingested should be reported to your Vet, even if they aren’t exhibiting symptoms.

·        acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen, and naproxen (AdvilAleve), as well as herbal and nutraceutical products.

Photo by Lum3n on Pexels.com

HUMAN FOOD

It’s hard to even for Veterinary Workers not to want to cave in to their dogs begging, sweet eyes as you’re enjoying your chocolate cake or pre-dinner chips & guacamole. Not giving them what they wish to is similar to not going for a walk with them when the weather is below freezing or the pavement is too hot. They are always going to beg, but YOU know they can’t eat these things. It’s important to print this list as a reference. Every household should have an open plan for everyone to see what is acceptable and not for their pet to eat.

  •  Alcohol. Symptoms of alcohol poisoning in animals are similar to those in people and may include vomiting, breathing problems, coma, and, in severe cases, death.
  •  Avocado. You might think healthy, but avocados have a substance called persin that can act as a dog poison, causing vomiting and diarrhea.
  •  Macadamia nuts. Dogs may suffer from a series of symptoms, including weakness, overheating, and vomiting, after macadamia nuts.
  •  Grapes and raisins. Experts aren’t sure why, but these fruits can induce kidney failure in dogs. Even a small number may cause problems in some dogs.
  •  Xylitol. This sweetener is in many products, including sugar-free gum and candy. It causes a rapid drop in blood sugar, resulting in weakness and seizuresLiver failure also has been reported in some dogs.

Other foods you should keep away from your pet include tomatoes, mushrooms, and most seeds and nuts.

Top Poisons for CATS, Beware of These Feline Toxins

Following is a list of the top poisons for CATS, according to the Pet Poison Helpline. If you suspect that your cat has ingested or been exposed to a toxic substance, call your Veterinarian, a nearby emergency animal hospital, or the 24/7 Pet Poison Helpline at 800-213-6680. You can also download their Pet Poison Help iPhone app.

HUMAN OTC AND PRESCRIPTION MEDS

some human over-the-counter and prescription medicines are a serious threat to cats, so keep them in a place they can’t get into, including:

  • Antidepressants
  • Cancer medicines
  • Cold medicines
  • Diet pills
  • Pain relievers (acetaminophen, aspirin, ibuprofen)
  • Vitamins and other supplements

You may have heard that some common drugs work for people and cats. Never give your pet any pills without first talking to your Vet, though — it’s easy to provide them with the wrong medicine or too much, which can kill them.

Human Foods

Your kitty may beg when you sit down to eat (or try to steal some bites when you’re not looking), but some human foods can be poisonous for them, including:

  • Alcohol
  • Caffeine (coffee, soda, tea)
  • Chives
  • Chocolate
  • Garlic
  • Grapes
  • Onions
  • Raisins
  • Xylitol (found in sugarless gums, candies, kinds of toothpaste)
  • Yeast dough

Indoor and Outdoor Plants

Common houseplants — and a few others that you may bring into your home — can be hazardous to your cat’s health, including the following:

  • Aloe
  • Azalea
  • Chrysanthemum
  • Hyacinths
  • Lily
  • Marijuana
  • Mistletoe
  • Poinsettia
  • Rhododendron
  • Tulip

Insecticides and Other Chemicals

Some chemicals taste especially good to cats. To keep them safe, keep any chemicals locked away, especially:

  • Antifreeze
  • Bleach
  • Detergents
  • De-icing salts (which pets may walkthrough, then lick from their pads)
  • Dog flea and tick medication (pills, collars, spot-on flea treatments, sprays, shampoos)
  • Fertilizers
  • Herbicides
  • Insect and rodent bait

More Household Hazards

Watch out for everyday household items that can choke or strangle your cat. Some may even block their intestines if they swallow them.

  • Chicken bones
  • Dental floss, yarn, or string
  • Holiday decorations, including lights and tinsel
  • Toys with small or movable parts

IN THE EVENT OF POISONING OR CONCERN FOR PET

Every moment matters if you think your cat or dog has been exposed to something toxic.

Call your Vet. Post the clinic’s phone number in a prominent place, along with the number for the Animal Poison Control Center: (888) 426-4435. They can help you know what to do next.

Collect samples. Take samples of vomit, stool, and the poison your cat ate to the Vet with your cat. Make sure to watch, and take note of behavior and timing.

Know your Resources: Depending on where you live, there ARE nearby 24/7 emergency veterinarian EMERGENCY HOSPITALS. The emergency you take your pet if there is a severe emergency, as Veterinarians generally don’t handle emergencies unless they are non-severe. Have these resources printed and available for you or a family member to access at all times? You’ll thank yourself when or if you ever come into a situation where you need emergency help for your furry family. 

Watch for symptoms of toxicity poisoning

  • Breathing problems
  • Confusion
  • Coughing
  • Depression
  • Diarrhea
  • Dilated pupils
  • Drinking more and urinating more
  • Upset stomach
  • A lot of salivae
  • Seizures
  • Shivering
  • Skin irritation
  • Tremors
  • Vomiting
  • Weakness

Educate. After your pet recovers, call your poison control center or humane society to let them know what happened so they can track problem poisons and help prevent harm to other animals. 

It’s essential to follow up with your Veterinarian too.

It’s possible that though the poison did not infect the body at the time, it did some damage to the internal organs down the line. It’s always, always, best to let your primary Veterinarian know these things.

References:

7 Mobility Exercises CrossFit Athletes Can Do at Home | BOXROX. https://www.boxrox.com/mobility-exercises-crossfit-athletes-can-do-at-home-stretch/

10 Dog Poisons: Plants, Foods, Medicines, and More. https://pets.webmd.com/dogs/guide/top-10-dog-poisons

Top Cat Poisons: Plants, Medications, Insecticides, and More. https://pets.webmd.com/cats/guide/top-10-cat-poisons

Top Household Hazards for Cats – Beare Garden Animal …. https://bgpanimalrescue.com/2020/05/top-household-hazards-for-cats-2/

Top 10 Poisons for CATS, Beware of These Feline Toxins. https://www.animalbliss.com/top-10-poisons-for-cats/

10 Dog Poisons: Plants, Foods, Medicines, and More. https://pets.webmd.com/dogs/guide/top-10-dog-poisons

Top Dog Poisons – Famous Skin Care. https://famousskincarefordogs.com/blogs/news/top-dog-poisons

 

Does My Cat Like Me?

Does My Cat Like Me?

https://www.sickchirpse.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Cat-person.jpg

Famous quotes from cat time magazine

“That’s the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.” ― Ray Bradbur

 “What greater gift than the love of a cat?”
Charles Dickens (author, Great Expectations)

“Time spent with cats is never wasted.”
Sigmund Freud (psychoanalyst)

Article Written 10/31/2020

“It’s exhilarating,” says Kristyn Vitale, a feline intelligence researcher, an animal behaviorist at Unity College. “People think of cats as desolate and antisocial,” she states. “But this study strengthens the conception that they examine us and learn from us.”

Fugazza, an animal behaviorist, had wanted to study resemblance in other species, and here, shockingly, was a cat that visibly already had the direct discipline. But the subject cat, Ebisu, was spooked by strangers. So Higaki, another animal expert, conducted the experiments in the evenings at her pet boutique, while Fugazza supervises the room’s remote end.

Higaki proves that Ebisu could often copy actions, like opening a plastic drawer and nibbling on a rub stone chain. Then she inquires the cat to copy two everyday activities. While settled before Ebisu, who sat on a countertop close to a cardboard box, Higaki raised her right hand and stroked the cat. At separate times, she leaned down and rubbed her face into the cat.

In sixteen succeeding experiments, Ebisu accurately mimicked her owner more than 81% of the time. The truth that the cat uses her paw and face to examine the circumstance of the owner’s body language and hand gestures shows she could be able to “diagram” her owner’s frame knowledge on her physiology.

Since cats have become bred to be domesticated and consume much time with humans, we assume that they would pick up on humanistic queue to unusual proportions. Nonetheless, anyone who has had a cat understands that they are not regularly as correspondent as you might fancy them to be.

One way in which we often try to engage with the animals that live with us is by pointing at stuff. It is the likelihood that this exposes our weaknesses to our animal friends since this is a distinct individual’s center of interaction. Nevertheless, in 2005, Miklósi et al. confirmed that cats could emulate humanistic signs to obtain food. When inept in solving a task, research whether the cats shape to the humans for aid. They did not.

Other Research studies, whether a cat seeks aid from its owner when put in a concerning position. To see whether cats do that too, the researchers subject cats to a potently frightening fan with banners. For the experiment, cats were put into a vacancy with their owners, with a working Fan. The cat’s owner was to pretend either frightenedcalmcollective, or indifferent to the fan. The researchers discovered that most cats, 79% to be precise, place themselves between the loud fan and their owner and seemingly appeared to engage their owners’ interpretation of the fan. The cats also reply to their owner’s emotive response by either staying close by, head-butting their owner, or running away from the fan. Undetermined results of the cat’s behavior to the fan regards this, but the researchers argue that the cats may just be seeking protection from their owners.

Another study has shown that cats are sympathetic to human feelings. They are more likely to approach people who feel sad and the chance to reach people who identify themselves as angry or disturbed. They often stayed away. However, why this should be isn’t evident.

Kittens have around nine different types of vocalization, while adults have around sixteen unique types. Interestingly, the tame and untamed cats also contradict each other in their vocalizations, showing that their connections with humans alter how feline ‘express their needs to human beings.’ Perhaps one of the most remarkable vocalizations of cats is their purr. Cats purr when being stroked by humans; they also use it in interactions with each other and their kittens. Sometimes the purr is to reassure the cat and calm them down; for instance, a cat might purr during a Veterinary Visit.

What’s more, topping this study of cat purrs, cats change their purr to modify the vocalization’s purpose. For instance, when asking for food from owners, cats’ purrs turn, seemly more ‘commanding’ and ‘less pleasant’ (McComb et al. 2009). When asking for food, a high-frequency miaow is by and large also established in that lower-pitch purr. However, whether this food solicitation call is particular to cats’ relationship to humans or whether they use it in other circumstances is generally undiscovered.

In 2007, Edwards et al. conduct out the unusually-called ‘Ainsworth Strange Situation Test’ design an experiment to see whether cats were more attached to their owners than to a random human being. In this experiment, the cat was placed in a room with three different settings, alone, being with their human owner, and being with an unbeknown man. The researchers found that cats spent more time head-butting (or rubbing intensely with their faces) to their owners than the guest. They also only ever followed and played/interacted with their owner and never with the guest. The cats were collectively more explorative and moved around more when their owner was in the room than the stranger. The cat commonly showed more vigilant and sedent measures by the door when alone and with the stranger. They vocalized the most when alone (compare with when with either man).  It seems that cats have an attachment to their owners that is stronger than with a random stranger, which is perhaps slightly satisfying to know.

Cats also seem to know separation anxiety, which shows that they experience interest for their owners. When isolated from their owners, cats remain more likely to exhibit anxious behaviors such as urinating and defecating outside the litter box, enormous voice meows, showing signs of destructiveness, along with immensely grooming themselves.

In the ongoing debate over dogs and cats, their evidence supports the theory that dogs are man’s best friend. They’re friendly, honest, and obedient. Our connection with cats, on the opposite side, is frequently described as more flexible. Reserved, incomprehensible, and bright, cats are with us simply because we provide for them. Or maybe not. In a recent study, researchers report that cats are precisely as effectively bonded to us as dogs or children, supporting cat lovers over the nation. “I get that a lot — ‘Well, I knew that, I know that cats like to interact with me,'” said Kristyn Vitale, an animal behavior scientist at Oregon State University and lead tell of the modern study, published in Current Biology. “But in science, you don’t know that until you test it.” Analysis of catlike behavior has been long-delayed in that of dogs. Incorrect research states that cats are not sociable animals; many scientists supposed this theory correct and discontinued testing behavior. Additionally, cats are not as quick to play. Late studies have begun to test the deepness of cats’ behavior in social settings.

“This idea that cats don’t care about people or respond to them isn’t holding up,” Dr. Vitale said. 

 A study in 2017 administered by Dr. Vitale and her associates found that most cats wanted to engage with a person if concerning food, shelter, or playing toys.

 In a 2019 study, the researchers found that felines accommodate their demeanor to fit the owners’ personalities and how much care a person gives them.

Other researchers have discovered that cats are conscious of human influence and character and know their owner’s names. However, scientists had reached inconsistent findings around whether cats’ relations to their owners’ and their connection to their owner’s weigh-in, so Dr. Vitale and her associates draft a study to experiment with the theory more clearly. They enlist 79 kittens and 38 matured feline owners to partake in a “secure base test” and generally try use to moderation bonds that dogs and primates formality with caretakers.

About 35 percent of cats and kittens displayed distrustful regard: They escape their owners or adhered to them when they came back into the room. Vitale’s study does not purport that these pets have a deceitful relationship with their owners. Instead, they do not see their owners as a source of protection and stress relief—the verdicts model those found in dogs and human infant studies. In humans, 65 percent of infants exhibit secure attachment to their caretakers, as do 58 percent of dogs.

Testing cats’ responses to strangers, rather than just their owners, might reveal whether cats bonded to a specific person or if they are friendly toward humans in general. Dr. Vitale and her associates plan to understand more in-depth cats’ relationships with humans and see if their positive impacts will serve shelter cats from not creating bonds with human beings. The cat’s fear of the human is likely to be the reason for fewer cat adoptions. It’s a possibility that one day we can teach cats to learn specific bonding procedures allowing more calm cats and adoptions. When adopting a cat, it’s essential to understand that they have personalities and may appear fearful yet but extroverted once in a safe place.  

References

Kitty see kitty do: cat imitates human, in first …. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/09/kitty-see-kitty-do-cat-imitates-human-first-scientific-demonstration-behavior.

What We Understand about Cats and What They Understand …. https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/not-bad-science/what-we-understand-about-cats-and-what-they-understand-about-us/

Cats Like People! (Some People, Anyway) – The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/0https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/24/science/cats-humans-bonding.html9/24/science/cats-humans-bonding.html

<p value="<amp-fit-text layout="fixed-height" min-font-size="6" max-font-size="72" height="80">What We Understand about Cats and What They Understand …. <a href="https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/not-bad-science/what-we-understand-about-cats-and-what-they-understand-about-us/&quot; target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/not-bad-science/what-we-understand-about-cats-and-what-they-understand-about-us/</a&gt;What We Understand about Cats and What They Understand …. https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/not-bad-science/what-we-understand-about-cats-and-what-they-understand-about-us/