Training your puppy or dog is an important bonding process between the two of you, as well as being a great way of getting your dog to behave in an appropriate manner. Knowing how to train your dog for sporting activities as well as keeping behaviour under control can be both rewarding and beneficial to both parties. Continue reading →

One of the quickest ways to a happy home is to have happy children and happy pets. Now, we can’t help with keeping the kids happy, but we can certainly point you in the right direction when it comes to your furry, feline, friends! Cats are very interesting and complex creatures; they’re social and love being around humans, but will often sit and face the wall instead of sitting on your lap. While we can’t make them love you back (sorry!), we can help you change up a few things that will have them purring their gratitude to you.

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Chronic conditions are a fact of life for humans and pets. Diseases are classified as chronic when they last a long time or are permanent. The frequency of chronic diseases increases as the pet ages.

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At the start of a New Year, many people like to start afresh with a new wardrobe, a new job, a new relationship or even a new pet.

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We love our cats, but they can be demanding. They want personalised name tags, something to scratch, toys to play with and sometimes a nice perch to sit on. So we have decided to look at some of the ways you can make your cat’s life, and to a degree your own life, a little more interesting with your own DIY skills. We’ve covered projects aimed at the more experienced DIY person along with some for those who are perhaps a little less confident in their skills. There’s tips for how to make a simple, and easy to clean, litter box for your feline friend. You can discover how to make a cool to look at scratching post and a cat tree that will be lots of fun for your cat. We also know that some cats just like to sit and observe the outside world from the comfort of their own home. With that in mind we put together a guide on how to make a cat perch to give them a view of what’s going on outside their window. Finally there is a very easy to make enrichment toy, to give your cat’s brain a little workout as they play. Each project includes a list of what you need, a guide to what to do and a difficulty level rating to give you an idea of how hard a project is. Happy Building!

It’s Bonfire Night tonight and this can be a stressful time for pets with loud noises and the potential for injuries.

As usual, vets are expecting an influx of patients as pets are frightened or, tragically, injured by stray or irresponsibly used fireworks. Dogs should never be taken to fireworks displays. Not only will the noises cause fear and stress, sparklers may burn hotter than cooking oil and rockets can reach speeds of 150mph.

Here are some tips to keep your pets safe:

Keeping doors, windows and cat flaps shut and covered can reduce fear and prevent nervous pets trying to escape when the bangs and flashes begin.

Small animals’ houses and cages should be brought inside to reduce the level of noise.

All animals should be allowed to retreat to the safety of a den, hideaway or familiar spot.

Small animals may want to burrow down so add some extra bedding.

Don’t leave cats and dogs shut in a room alone as this can increase anxiety.

Encourage pets to act in a normal manner – paying excessive attention to the noise will convince pets something is wrong.

Be patient with your pets and understand that the unusual circumstances can cause pets to act out of character and cause mess or damage.

Consider high quality herbal natural products and diffusers which can help to calm pets.

Make sure your pets have their collar and pet tag on, just in case for some reason they manage to escape.

Try specialist firework CDs which gradually help to desensitize pets to noises in the run up to New Year.

Hope you all have a fun, safe and calm Bonfire Night!

Research by Cats Protection, the UK’s biggest cat charity, has found that cats can actually improve our health. The results showed that 50 percent of people aged over 55 said their cat had helped them in times of a crisis and 46 percent felt their cat had let them cope better with bereavement.

Even more surprisingly, during the months of January and February, cat owners were discovered to suffer 60 percent fewer headaches than non-cat owners and are 21 percent less likely to catch a cold or flu.

The charity also reported that pet cats can be a support for children. 81 percent of people aged 13 and under were found to sometimes share their feelings with their cats, rather than a family member or friend, when they are upset.

The charity’s events manager Emma Osborne said: ‘Our research shows that cats can have a hugely positive impact in the lives of people they live with, whether they are young children, busy couples or pensioners.

‘We know cats can provide endless entertainment with their antics, but it is also the companionship and the comfort they bring that has such a beneficial impact on their owner’s physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.’

According to UK pet insurers, around 60 cats and dogs go missing every hour in the UK. Many of these pets are not returned to their owners. Make sure your pet is microchipped (which becomes compulsory from next April for dogs) and also wears an ID tag with your contact details. ID is compulsory for dogs in the UK but remember that if your cat goes missing, their ID tag can help reunite you with them more quickly than anything else.

We have some great pet tags for cats. Check them out here. From only £8.99 including first class postage and full engraving.

Last Night on BBC 2, World’s weirdest Events’s Chris Packham taught us a new fact about one of the world’s favourite animals. It turns out dogs are picky poopers – they like to defecate facing North. Scientists have discovered that Dogs have a hidden sixth sense; like cows, they can sense the earth’s magnetic field! Have you ever seen your dog spinning around in circles before it does it’s business? Your dog is looking at visual landmarks, and using these to calibrate their internal compass. If this isn’t impressive enough, they are able to retain a mental internal compass in locations they are familiar with which explains why your pooch may be more likely to chase it’s tail in unfamiliar places. Amazing!

If you missed this week’s World’s Weirdest Events (Episode 2) catch up here on BBC iPlayer:

Why not treat your star pet with one of our sparkling engraved Bling pet tags?  They’re guaranteed to attract attention!  Order here.

(Blog written by Lauren Coker-Gordon)