The Health Benefits of Keeping Pets

Pets: you can love and hate them at the same time. One moment theyre sinking their teeth into your expensive shoes, and the next, they shower you with affection. But regardless of what they do and how you feel about them, there is no denying that there are various health advantages of having a pet:

1) Lower stress levels and blood pressure. According to studies conducted at the University of Warwick, interacting with pets (such as stroking them or playing with them) has the tendency to lower a persons blood pressure and relax them. In another study, stockbrokers with high blood pressure readings were asked to adopt a cat or a dog, and those who did were later found to have much lower blood pressure levels in stressful situations that those who did not adopt a pet. Of course, this will not work if you do not like animals or are afraid of them " then they will probably cause more anxiety than they resolve.

2) Recovery from illness. Pets have been known to help people in astounding ways, but they have the greatest number of success stories with heart attack patients. Various studies show that patients who have suffered from a heart attack tend to live longer if they have a pet at home, and they are also less prone to heart disease than non-pet owners. Pets can also serve as a loyal support system to their bed-ridden owners, providing them with the comfort that results in a quicker recovery.

In extreme cases, such as when a person is in a coma, surgeons have even recommended for a pet to be brought to the patients bedside. While there is no real evidence to support this claim, there have been incidences when the pets presence helped the patient awake from their coma. Dogs, in particular, have also been known to offer relief to Alzheimers and Parkinsons patients.

3) Improves social life. Many domesticated animals are social creatures, and therefore provide much social interaction " whether it is a cat that curls up and falls a sleep on your lap or a dog that follows you from room to room " a pet owner is very rarely alone. Pets also serve as great ice-breakers or conversation starters among strangers, both inside and outside the home.

4) Happiness. It is often underestimated how much pets can influence our happiness. In many cases they have helped their owners deal with loss and hardships, even helping them fight depression. Some psychologists have even recommended the use of pets in therapy sessions, as petting a rabbit or playing with a dog raises the serotonin levels in our brain. Being greeted by an energetic dog or purring cat that is excited to see you can be very uplifting if you feel like the life just isnt going your way. This is why pets are also used in elderly homes, to help individuals feel less lonely and isolated.

Regardless of whether you face unemployment or divorce, your pet will continue to love you unconditionally; and it is precisely this love that keeps human beings healthy and happy.

About the Author

Andrew Mitchell, clinical director of the Osteopath Network, writes articles about musculo-skeletal conditions and Glasgow Osteopaths [http://www.osteopath-help.co.uk/osteopaths/cranial-osteopathy/uk/scotland/glasgow]. The Osteopath Network has more than 550 clinics located throughout the UK and offers treatment at weekends and after hours.

What to Look For in the Best Cat Health Supplement for Your Pet

The best cat health supplement is one that provides everything your cat needs to remain vital, energetic and disease free. When it comes to choosing a health supplement for their cat, concerned owners should consider relying on all natural products. Nothing works better because nothing is more complete, more gentle and more simple than natural ingredients.

The reason that natural supplements are so effective is that they rely on the same kind of substances that animals are drawn to in the wild to fight off illness. Trained homeopaths have identified the kind of herbs and plants that animals use naturally and have brought them together in a unique blend to provide that same kind of healing for household pets.

Herbs such as Huang Qi, Mistletoe, Purple Coneflower, and Milk Thistle are used in the best cat health supplement because of their individual healing properties and combining them actually enhances those properties to make them that much more effective. Huang Qi, an ancient Chinese herbal remedy, is known for its ability to support a healthy appetite and improve immune system function while Mistletoe helps regulate blood pressure.

Purple Coneflower, or Echinacea, is widely used for its positive effect on the immune system. Milk Thistle is an antioxidant which helps to rid the body of toxins which can cause cancer and other serious illnesses as well as affecting overall health. Together, these and other natural ingredients can work to bolster your cat's natural defenses to help it fight off illness.

What makes a product like this the best cat health supplement is the fact that it works on a cellular level, to provide healing for the entire body. Every organ and every system are given a gentle natural boost to keep them functioning properly. Nothing else works so thoroughly to improve your cat's general health.

Of course, giving your cat a supplement is just one part of an overall approach to good health. Responsible owners will want to be sure that their cat is getting the best diet possible, free of artificial colorings and preservatives and loaded with natural protein. Making sure that your cat drinks enough is also important as water helps flush toxins from the system.

Even the best cat health supplement can only go so far. It is also vital that you promote good urination habits by ensuring that your cat has access to a clean litter box on a regular basis. Getting plenty of exercise also helps to improve energy levels and maintain healthy muscles and bones.

If you want your cat to live a long, happy life then you need to take the right steps to ensure prolonged good health. Diet, exercise, and the addition of a 100% natural supplement can all help to keep your cat active and thriving. Take good care of your furry friend with a little help from Mother Nature.

About the Author

Laura Ramirez is researcher of products that help restore health and vitality to pets and people and keep their immune system strong and healthy. To learn more about her findings, go to www.pet-health-supplements.com.

Pet Nutrition: Raw/Fresh Dog and Cat Food Vs. Commercial Dry Food

There are two main schools of thought surrounding the best nutrition for our dogs and cats: raw, fresh foods including muscle and organ meat, ground bone, fruits and vegetables and commercially available dry food that is processed and then enhanced with vitamins and minerals our pets need for complete nutrition.

Like many pet owners, I wondered which is more nutritionally balanced, which is easier to feed your pet and which costs more? This article will answer those questions and hopefully provide the information you need as a pet owner to make the decision for which is right for you and your pet.

Nutritional value: raw/fresh pet food vs. dry pet food

Raw food provides a diet that most closely mimics that a dog or cat may consume in the wild. It has minimal ingredients unlike commercial dry food, which is often comprised of proteins, grain and fruits and vegetables that sound good to us as humans but may not be natural for our pets.

Also, the intense heat used to process commercial pet food destroys or reduces nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. Pet food manufacturers must supplement the food after heat processing to replace those nutrients.

In addition, veterinary surgeon and raw feeding proponent Tom Lonsdale states that food from dry or canned commercial food sticks to teeth and enables bacteria to proliferate, causing "sore gums, bad breath and bacterial poisons that affect the rest of the body".

However, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) €discourages the feeding to cats and dogs of any animal-source protein that has not first been subjected to a process to eliminate pathogens because of the risk of illness to cats and dogs as well as humans.€

Conversely, all raw/fresh food suppliers must meet federal requirements for food safety standards and some subject their foods to a process called High Pressure Processing (HPP) which eliminates harmful bacteria from raw foods, prior to packaging.

Ease of feeding your pet: raw/fresh pet food vs. dry pet food

The ease of feeding your pet commercial dry dog or cat food is well known. You open the bag or container, place it in the dish and voila, dinner! However, feeding raw/fresh foods from a supplier can be almost as simple.

Megan Trester, Sales Associate for a natural pet food store specializing in raw foods explains, €A 50-pound dog will need 16 ounces of raw food each day, or two 8-ounce patties. For example, they can store an 8-pound bag of raw frozen patties in the freezer and each evening take out two to thaw in the refrigerator for the next day's meals.€

Raw diets are great for cats as well, since this is what they have evolved to eat. Unfortunately, it can be hard to get a cat to accept a raw food diet. Even though their primordial diet consists of small rodents, birds, lizards, and insects, it's the hunt and kill that tells their brain to eat it. A plate of raw food doesn't provide that stimulation. In addition, cat's prey is about 100-102 degrees F. When fed raw food, it is often at room temperature. Cats are picky in order to survive. Food that is not freshly killed may have spoiled and will therefore make the cat sick.

Cost: Raw/fresh pet food vs. dry pet food

Finally, there is the cost of feeding your dog or cat a raw/fresh food diet. Dr. Tony Buffington, a professor of veterinary clinical sciences at the Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center said, on a per-calorie basis he estimates raw foods can cost €about 10 times as much as what you can get at a supermarket.€

In addition, Sharon Misik, an actress in California, during an interview regarding feeding her two huskies a raw products diet, said she €easily spends about $250 a month on raw products.€ By comparison, two large dogs fed commercial dry food can cost as little as $20 per month (Walmart) or closer to $45 per month for higher grade food available from specialty pet stores.

In conclusion, while raw foods may provide a balanced meal nutritionally for your dog or cat and be almost as easy to feed as commercial dry foods, you must evaluate for yourself if the cost is worth the difference in nutrition and feeding ease. It may come down to what food your pet enjoys and whether they have special digestive issues that may be corrected by a raw food diet.

About the Author

Nicole is a lifelong pet owner, pet stroller advocate, pet product consumer and creator of the site Pet Strollers Unlimited where you can find more ways to keep your dog or cat safe and healthy, as well as find dog humor and cat humor, cozy pet beds and gifts for your furry (or not so furry) friends.

Understanding Your Cats Behavior by Julia Sage

People often fail when they try to train their cat. The main reason for this is failure to understand how your cat thinks. Cats and dogs do not think a like, yet many will use the same techniques for dog training with their cat.

Cats do not respond positively to yelling or physical punishment. This only causes your cat to think you are an unsafe person, and adds mistrust to your relationship. In fact, most cats, being of a stubborn and dominate nature will refuse to cower down, as a dog might when you raise your voice. Their naughty behavior may escalate, or cause your cat to become aggressive.

Cats respond to positive and negative consequences. Make sure though that the negative consequences are attached to the behavior and not to you. Reward positive behavior, no reward for negative behavior teaches your cat to behave better.

By nature, cats are creatures of habit. They respond much better when they are on a set schedule and their environment stays the same. Something as simple as moving the furniture or adding a new piece of furniture can send your cat into a frenzy.

Cats will spend a lot of time each day marking their environment with their friendly pheromones by rubbing their faces on things. This adds their scent throughout the house and helps them feel safe in their environment. Understand that when you move furniture or bring in a new piece of furniture, your cat has an instinctual need to remark his/her territory in order to feel safe again. This scent is not the same as when a male cat sprays to attract a female cat. They are simply putting their friendly scent on things so it is familiar to them once again.

A common reaction for adults when their cat begins to rub up against new furniture is to chase the little critter away and sometimes start yelling. Unless your cat is clawing at the furniture, they will not damage your furniture by rubbing against it.

If you are concerned that your cat will get your furniture dirty somehow, it is safe to bathe a cat once a month, sometimes more often if they go outside and get all muddy from the rain. Some people think bathing a cat will cause the cats to quit cleaning themselves. This generally happens when it is done in access. You may want to use a natural bath solution, so your cat is not ingesting chemicals when they lick themselves dry. Or you could use a dry bath if your cat turns into psycho kitty when they get wet. You can use baking soda for a dry bath. Just rub it into their coat, wait a few minutes, and then brush it off.

Understanding how your cat thinks, and their nature will help you have better results in attempting to train them. It will also help you bond more with your animal friend, and lead to a more fulfilled relationship for years to come.

About the Author

Cats are wonderful companions when we understand their nature and how to provide the care that they need. Learn how you can get your cat to be more affectionate and behave better by visiting:
http://healthycat.blogspot.com

Funny Cat Videos Addiction by Lynn Carrillo

Funny cat videos are viral. Nowadays people are almost addicted to them. If you are on any social website you will find your friends forwarding and sharing links to them on a regular basis. Many of these videos are silly and weird but people just can't resist watching those cute animals.

One of the most popular sources of such videos is Youtube. If you visit the site, you can see plenty of funny cat videos having well over one million views. Another great source is Google videos. Just search for 'Funny cat videos' and you should get hundreds of results - All sorts of cats in different funny situations! You can also find good videos on sites like Metacafe.com, FreeFunnyCatVideos.org and Dailymotion.com.

Creating your own cat video can be fun but it is not that easy. Some of the videos that you see have been shot by accident. If you want to shoot your cat (with a camera, of course!) then you have to spend a great deal of time following the cat to see if it's up to a prank and then record the incident. Keep your camera on all the time and you are sure to record at least one very funny incident within a week.

If your cat has some odd or special talent then the task becomes easier. You just have to shoot her doing it. Make sure the video is not too long. People tend to avoid those as long videos get boring after a point in time. The clip should be short and funny. Even though no one expects professional video editing, you should try to edit out irrelevant and boring stuff from your video.

Upload it to Youtube and share the link with your friends. If it is good enough, it should go viral. Your friends will forward it to their friends and this goes on. Someone might even forward the link to you completing the circle. I find it quite funny when it happens. I am like 'Hey! That's my video!'

The lol cat is one of the most famous internet memes. It is not a video but since we are talking about cat humor, it is worth mentioning. If you search on Google you will find plenty of sites which allow you to create your own lol cat pictures.

In today's grim financial situation and stressed work life, funny videos provide a great dose of relief. So go ahead watch those videos and have a great time.

About the Author

To watch more funny cat videos [http://www.freefunnycatvideos.org] for free, hop over to our blog for the funniest cat videos [http://www.freefunnycatvideos.org] on youtube.

CAT OF THE MONTH: CELESTE!

Celeste came into my life when I was a gawky, weird 12 year old. Her mother had been wounded by a hunter shortly before giving birth to a heaping helping of kittens. Her mother passed, and my family hand-raised Celeste and her siblings.
When she was old enough, my mother had every intention of adopting her to a nice family, but I had other plans. Families would come to look at the kittens, and Celeste would mysteriously disappear to my room.
My mom left the house with Celeste one day, saying a family had agreed to adopt her. Minutes later, my mom returned. Since I was so upset, she had brought back a surprise for me, hidden in her coat pocket. Out of her pocket popped Celeste. Little did my mom know, she had just brought home my most loyal friend for the next two decades of my life.
She has spent 17 happy years on this earth and in my life, every second of which makes me grateful. She is currently coping with chronic renal failure and cancer in the lining of her lungs. She is spry, lively, and happy at the moment, and I am thankful for whatever amount of time she sees fit to share.
Celeste is a snuggly, gentle ball fluff. Dog people and cat people alike fall in love with this chill, demure little calico princess. Even as a kitten, her eyes have been full of intelligence and wonder.
Her favorite things are her window perch, her humans, and blankets fresh from the dryer.

Congratulations to Celeste and her humans, Britt and Andy! We wish you many more happy years with this fluffy furball.

Questions and Answers About Cat Health

Cats make wonderful pets, and can be a great addition to your family. If you are a cat owner, however, it is very important that you learn about the health of your feline friend and that you make sure you are doing everything in your power to keep your cat healthy. Cats need regular medical care, just like people do, and they can get sick just like people can. This means that you should learn how to take care of your cat and you should learn about the signs and symptoms of some common problems in order to be sure that you are giving your cat the very best care possible. To get you started on being a good cat owner, here are a few questions and answers about cat health.

1: Should I declaw my cat?
This is a question that new cat owners sometimes ask, especially as they see their cat tearing into the sides of furniture to have a good scratch. In general, this decision should not be taken lightly. Declaw is an amputation of the last segment of the toe, so there is some significant degree of discomfort associated with this procedure.
Most veterinarians will advise trying scratching posts and engaging in play with the kitty as much as possible to try to avoid scratching behavior and in turn avoid the procedure. In many cases, cats will not develop the itch to scratch furniture or other valuable surfaces when given an alternative, especially when presented at a young age.
If all fails and it comes down to declaw or the kitty must go, then be certain to find a veterinarian who is proactive and vigilant about peri-operative and post-operative pain management. Ideally if you can find a veterinarian who declaws by cutting laser, post-op recovery tends to be less traumatic and healing times are faster using such a device.

2. Should I allow my cat to be an indoor/outdoor cat?
While every family has to make this decision on their own, there are a number of risks associated with allowing your cat to be an outdoor cat. Diseases including FIV can be contracted through contact with infected animals and your cat may become the prey of coyotes or other animals that wish it harm. Keeping your cat in your home can be a far better choice to ensure your cat's safety.

3. Does my cat need vaccines?
Cats should be vaccinated against common and dangerous medical conditions including rabies, feline leukemia, herpes virus, calicivirus, and panleukomenia [herpes, calici, and panleukopenia typically come bundled in one vaccine]. A commercial FIV [feline immunodeficiency virus] is commercially available, but it has overwhelmingly been rejected by the veterinary community as ineffective. Vaccine protocols and vaccines chould only be taylored and administered by a licensed veterinarian.

4. Why is my cat coughing up hairballs?
Your cat licks himself or herself as part of his/her grooming routine. In some cases, this can lead to your cat coughing up hairballs or to your cat vomiting up hairballs. You can help to resolve this problem in some cases by having your cat regularly brushed (especially if your cat's fur is becoming matted or knotted) and by feeding your cat food that is designed to help with hairballs.

5. Why is my cat spraying urine?
Cats spray urine in order to mark their territory. While this behavior is normal- especially in multi-cat households, it is not to be encouraged. Try to minimize or eliminate the stress in your cat's environment and be sure to clean up all marking sprays thoroughly to avoid future spraying. Do not use ammonia-based products when cleaning up urine, as the ammonia can have a smell similar to urine and cause your cat to mark again.

Speaking to a Vet
These are just a few of the common cat health questions that cat owners may have. The best way to get your questions answered is to speak with a licensed veterinarian, either online or in person, for information about caring for your cat properly and meeting your cat's health needs.

Know more about cat health problems and online dog health questions at Web-DVM.Net.

Questions and Answers About Cat Health by Roger Welton