The yawn of Augusta

Originally uploaded by Mikkel Elbech.

so cute!

Cat conspiracy

Originally uploaded by Tjflex2.

Cat version of circling the wagons. Have to try to stay in the shade.

If you are interested in finding out more about this shelter or donating to it please go to:
Richmond Animal Protection Society
Shelter is located in Richmond BC Canada.

Thank you,
Craig

Madison the happy cat

Originally uploaded by therealchannel.

smile..keep smiling..1..2..3 .. thank you :)

I feel good

Originally uploaded by Cilest.

then.. here is Mini, a happy cat :)

Ensure Your Pet's Well-Being in an Emergency Situation

On any given day, watching the news, it's easy to see how quickly things can happen. House fires, tornadoes, hurricanes and floods. Most people, particularly those who live in areas at high risk for disaster such as near a river, in a tornado hotspot, or in fire-prone zones, prepare carefully for such possibilities. What many people don't consider is what to do about their pets in an emergency.

So what will happen to your pets in case of emergency? We can't plan for every contingency, but there are certain things you can do to ensure your pet's well-being in the event of a crisis.

- Make sure to obtain a pet rescue sticker for your windows or door. Pet rescue stickers alert rescue teams to the presence of your pets in the event of an emergency. These stickers, usually bright red for visibility, allow you to check off what type of pet you have, from birds to cats and dogs, and the number of pets in your residence. Put the sticker in a prominent location where any rescue personnel will be sure to see if should the occasion arise.

- Let neighbors know you have pets. If you aren't home in a time of emergency, someone should know that there are pets that may need assistance.

- For those living in apartments or other rental properties, let the management office know about your pets. Many rental companies require emergency contact information from renters. Often this includes number and type of pets at your residence. Fill it out and make sure to notify the management office if there are any changes.

- Keep pet carriers or a collar and leash handy, preferably someplace where you'll be able to find them in the dark or in heavy smoke.

- Make plans in advance. In case of evacuation, know where you pets will go. Are there friends or relatives who can take your pets in the event of a hotel stay? Many hotels and motels now allow pets. Know which ones in your region do.

- Keep emergency information for your pets in a handy place. This includes the numbers for their veterinarian, animal emergency, plus lists of medications and pertinent health information.

- If you keep an emergency kit for yourself, expand it to factor in your pets. Keep crucial medications and emergency numbers with the emergency kit.

- Make sure your pets wear name tags with your phone number so that if they're lost, they can be returned safely home.

When we adopt pets, we take on responsibility for their lives--their health, their well-being, their safety. This should include disaster preparedness. So don't forget to take their safety and well-being into consideration when planning for emergencies.


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Lisa A. Koosis
PetLovers.com

included photo source

Successful Cat Training - 3 Rules To Follow

Cat training is not always easy, but it is possible. Though your cat may seem too independent and stubborn to change its behavior, you can get the job done if you make a commitment to the right strategies.

There are a few basic tents of successful training about whichever cat owner should be aware. Let us look at three of those cat training fundamentals:

The Need for Immediacy

Cats are incredibly smart animals, but they do not necessarily make the same kind of connections people do with respect to cause and effect. That is why it is essential to take action immediately when you observe inappropriate behavior. If your response is delayed by even a few seconds, it will lose a great deal of its effectiveness.

Never assume that your cat will remember what it did earlier in a day or that the cat will make any connection between your discipline and past behavior. Rarely, if ever, will that happen. If you correct your pet for something it did earlier, it will have no idea of why it is being corrected and may incorrectly link your actions to the behavior displayed immediately before you took action.

Encouraging Alternative Behaviors

One of the best ways to teach your cat not to engage in an undesirable behavior is to encourage the animal to do something else instead. This strategy works even better when the encouraged behavior is completely incompatible with the undesired action. This technique works because cats, like all animals, are more responsive to positive reinforcement.

You will have greater success encouraging and rewarding what you would like to see than you will by trying to stop what you do not. Instead of discouraging your cat from scratching a table leg, encourage your pet to exercise that instinct on its scratching post!

Avoiding Physical Discipline

Physical punishment will not contribute to successful cat training. Negative reinforcements do not work well for cats and hitting or otherwise physically reprimanding your pet will only make your relationship more difficult while inspiring unnecessary fear in the animal.

Cats are not always the easiest animals to train, but if one approaches the project with the right attitude and strategies, it is possible to direct a cat's behavior. The three elements of cat training we've discussed all share features common to all successful techniques--they are all based on the understanding that positive reinforcement offers the greatest chance of success and that cat owners should always use the least aggressive means of correcting behavior.

Those three rules of thumb are at the very core of smart cat training.


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Liz Barton
Cat Training

Article photo source