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Activities & Enrichment Cats Life at Home Training & Grooming

Zoom, Zoom! Agility Training Gets Cats Off The Couch

Article

Reading Time: 3 minutes A video circulated around the internet of a little girl leading her kitten through an agility course in her backyard. The girl’s energy and the tails-up, fearless enthusiasm of Suki, the kitten, were endearing. For most of our cats, their best sport is competitive napping. But the Suki video shows that cats can indeed be […]

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Dogs Fears & Anxieties Life at Home

How Dogs “Yap” By Using Their Tails and Ears

Article

Reading Time: 3 minutes Want to better understand your dog? You may be surprised to learn that he says a lot by how his positions and moves his tail and ears. Although a dog’s tail is situated far from the ears, these key body parts work in harmony in clearly communicate a wide range of moods from anger to […]

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Cats Fears & Anxieties Veterinary Care

Fear Free Handling—And Tuna—Turn Vet Visit From Sad To Glad

Article

Reading Time: 2 minutes Does Fear Free matter? Are you kidding? Here’s an example. My own 15-year old cat, Roxy, went to the veterinarian recently for some medical issues. She’s actually fine with going into her carrier and the car ride, and in the past she has never minded the veterinary visit. This time, however, both Dr. Natalie Marks […]

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Cats Fears & Anxieties Life at Home

Feline Body Language: What Your Cat’s Eyes Tell You About His Emotions

Article

Reading Time: 3 minutes We’ve heard it before–cats are not small dogs. They differ in nutritional requirements, training techniques, and body language. People often find feline communication more difficult to interpret than that of dogs because it can be so subtle that nonverbal communication cues are completely missed or misinterpreted. Misreading a cat can land us on the wrong […]

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Dogs Fears & Anxieties Life at Home

Is Your Dog Happy? The Inside Scoop From An Expert

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Reading Time: 3 minutes Because they do not have bills to pay, annoying in-laws, difficult bosses, because they live in the present and don’t concern themselves about what was or what might be, because they are forgiving, because they delight in small things, because their very presence is so delightful to so many others that they often walk into […]

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Activities & Enrichment Dogs Life at Home

Does Your Dog Need Canine Friends?

Article

Reading Time: 3 minutes Ask yourself: Do you like all people all of the time? Probably not – and that’s perfectly acceptable. And the same applies to your dog. “For 95 to 98 percent of dogs, the simple answer is yes, they like having doggy buddies,” says Nicholas Dodman, BVMS, professor emeritus at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at […]

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Cats Dogs Fears & Anxieties Life at Home Training & Grooming

Good Touch, Bad Touch

Article

Reading Time: 3 minutes When I was in college, several members of the football team lived in my dorm. I’m five feet tall, and whenever I walked down their hallway, one of those huge guys would pick me up, give me a big hug, and tell me how cute and tiny I was. I know they didn’t intend to […]

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Activities & Enrichment Cats Dogs Fears & Anxieties Life at Home

Massage Away Pet Stress

Article

Reading Time: 2 minutes If you’ve ever had a massage, you know how relaxing it can be. There’s something about the touch of a massage therapist that can make stress melt away. Turns out the soothing aspects of massage are not just for humans. Your pet can get relief from stress through massage too. According to the American Massage […]

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Activities & Enrichment Dogs Life at Home Travel & Safety

Retractable Leashes Pose Risks To People, Pets

Article

Reading Time: 2 minutes The retractable leash, also referred to as a flexi lead, can allow dogs to be up to 26 feet ahead of their owners during walks. Proponents say it gives these dogs “freedom” to explore their surroundings. However, many veterinarians, dog trainers, pet sitters and dog walkers say the extendable leads unleash far too many dangers […]

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Activities & Enrichment Cats Dogs Life at Home New Pets Other Shelters & Fostering

A Shelter Shares Enrichment Tips For Pets At Home

Article

Reading Time: 4 minutes Recently I volunteered with my husband and two nieces at a special place: Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. It’s the largest no-kill animal refuge in the United States, spanning nearly 3,700 acres of red rock canyon near Kanab, Utah. Hundreds of employees care for roughly 1,600 dogs, cats, horses, pigs, bunnies, parrots, and “wild friends.” Most […]