Can cats see in the dark?

Pet information

CatWhen a cat zips around the house in what appears to be total darkness to us, he or she probably sees pretty well. They can’t see in complete dark, but they see well with only a sixth of the light humans need.

This night vision ability comes from their hunting habits; cats normally move about in the twilight of dusk and dawn, and sneaking up on prey requires the ability to see.

Cats have muscles around their iris that can pull it to a slit in bright light, and open very wide in low light conditions. They always maximize their use of any light available. They also have a reflective membrane called the tapetum lucid that takes available light and reflects it. This is also why a cats eyes can seem to glow in the dark.

Pet Guinness World Record Holders

Pet information

Many dream of getting into the Guinness Book of Records, and some records are right out weird. Here are some pets who succeeded with unexpected records:

1. Longest tongue
Puggy is a male Pekingese holding a record for current longest dog tongue. His tongue measures 4.5 inches, which is very long for a Pekingeses. The longest dog tongue on record overall belonged to a boxer whose tongue was 17 inches long.

2. Most tennis balls in mouth
Many dogs like tennis balls. Golden retriever girl Augie likes them more than most do; she has the record for successfully gathering and holding five tennis balls in her mouth at the same time.

3. Longest cat
The world’s longest cat is called Stewie, and he measures 48.5 inches from the tip of his nose to the end of his tail bone. (That’s just over 4 feet.)

4. Most flying discs caught
This record goes to Rose, a Labrador – Border Collie mix. She can catch and hold seven separately thrown frisbees without dropping one.

5: Most balloons popped
Anastasia is a Jack Russell Terrier who likes to pop balloons. She got 100 balloons in 44.9 seconds.

6: Highest jump
Cinderella May is a greyhound who likes to jump. She clears 68 inches (almost 5.7 feet).

7: Water glass balancing
Australian Shepherd/Border Collie mix Sweet Pea holds the record of “most steps walked down by a dog facing forward while glancing a 5-ounce glass of water.” She made it ten steps.

8. Soda can balancing
This record also goes to Sweet Pea. She walked 100 meters with a can balanced on her head in two minutes and 55 seconds.

9. Loudest purr
Some cats purr loudly. Smokey purr loudest of them all with a measured 67.7 decibels. He has also been recorded with a 92.7 decibel purr; equivalent to a hairdryer.

10. Dogs skipping rope
The Super Wan Wan Circus in Japan is the home of Uchida Geinousha’s dogs. They are the main attraction, and hold the world record for most dogs skipping rope with 13 dogs at the same time.

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Sunshine story: Lost boy protected by family dog

Pet information

A three year old boy in North Dakota recently wandered off the family’s yard and was missing for nearly seven hours together with Cooper, the family dog. According to Yahoo News the fire department, local police, and 200 neighbors searched for hours. The situation seemed desperate when even an airplane and 60 four-wheelers couldn’t find a trace of the missing couple.

Just as authorities were about to call off the search for the night, one four-wheeler went for one last sweep of the property, and they found young Carson safe and snug underneath the dog, who protected him against the cold night.

The working theory is that Carson saw his father leave and wanted to follow, so he walked off. Yahoo news reports that Cooper never leaves the yard, but when Carson took off, Cooper followed.

Cooper is a mix of German Shepherd, Labrador, and Golden Retriever. The family adopted him three years ago after someone left him by the side of the road.

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Fun Facts About Dogs

Pet information

An Appenzeller Sennenhunde requires a large PlexiDor dog doorLove dogs? Here are some fun and little known facts about our furry friends.

1. It is impossible to put an exact figure on the number of dogs in the world; many are strays, and large parts of the world do not require pet registration. Estimates point to well over 500 million.

2. Of registered dogs around the world, the Labrador Retriever is the most popular. The Labradors’ friendly disposition, merry temperament, and patience with other pets as well as children make them great pets. Many also work as guide dogs and police dogs.

3. Most people know dogs have an excellent sense of smell. But how good is it? An average dog can differentiate odors in concentrations nearly 100 million times lower than a human can.

4. A dog’s whiskers are important instruments helping the dog navigate the world, and they should never be cut off. The whiskers can sense tiny changes in airflow, and help the dog determine if something is close to its face.

5. Experts disagree on how long humans and dogs have been together, but it might be as long as 30,000 years.

A happy family reunion

Pet information

Every pet lover fears their pets going missing. If it happens during a storm or natural disaster it’s even worse; the community as a whole is rocked, and loss of home and property is difficult to deal with. Sometimes, the stories have unexpected happy endings.

Reckless is a mixed breed dog who got out of his New Jersey family’s back yard during monster storm Sandy back in 2012. They searched for months, called shelters, and did everything you’re supposed to do when losing a pet. Reckless did not turn up.

Months passed by and as the family got used to living in a hotel as their home is being repaired, they slowly gave up hope on seeing their dog again.

Last week they decided to surprise their daughter through getting a new dog. When they headed to the Monmouth county SPCA, a surprise awaited in the first cage: Reckless.

The family is finally reunited, and we hope they can return to their home soon.

Warning for poisoned meatballs

Pet information

Dog walkers in San Francisco are frightened and shocked by someone putting out poisoned meatballs, apparently with intent to poison dogs. This morning’s finds come from San Francisco’s Sunset District. Police have collected the meatballs and report they have pills lodged inside.

In February, two dogs in the Twin Peaks neighborhood found and ate poisoned meatballs, and last summer hundreds of treats laced with strychnine were found between Diamond Heights and Twin Peaks. Those make many dogs severely ill and killed at least one.

The meatballs have been found hidden in places like the underbrush where dogs are likely to find them before the owners realize what is going on.

There are several rewards offered by various organizations to find the person responsible. Anyone with information should call the San Francisco police.

Spanish poo detectives

Pet information

As several “scoop the poop” campaigns around the US have pointed out, it’s a bad idea to leave dog poop on the ground. Despite scented poop bags, poop vacuum cleaners and poop-scooping services, there’s still an abundance of dog droppings in yards, parks, and along city streets. 

This byproduct of dog owning spreads germs, pollutes water supplies, and releases unwanted substances into the ground. In the small Spanish time Colmenar Viejo, the mayor’s office has tired of residents ignoring signs and information campaigns. They’re hiring professional Canine Detectives.

The detectives will film culprits and hand the evidence over to the police along with a report. Fines are up to 150 euros ($200) with higher penalties for repeat offenders. Before the detectives start working full time on filming dog walkers, hired actors will imitate the detective behavior in order to inform citizens of the campaign.

The campaign is initiated because of health concerns. The city says most of the dog owners are responsible, but a minority destroy the environment for everyone, leaving piles of poop not just along the street but at schools and children’s playgrounds.

Five fun comparisons between humans and dogs

Pet information

Dogs might be man’s best friend, and they are treated more and more like people. Despite all our similarities there are also some interesting differences.

Girl and dog1. Teeth:

Unless some have fallen out, an adult dog has 42 teeth. A puppy has 28.
An adult human has 32 teeth, and a child has 20.

2. Ears:

Dogs can hear sounds 250 yards away.
Most humans can hear sounds around 25 yards away.

3. Eyes:

Dogs have a smaller range of clear focus than humans, but a significantly wider peripheral vision. Dogs have a visual range of 250 degrees, and humans only 180 degrees.

4. Breathing:

Most adults breathe 8 to 16 times per minute.
Most dogs breathe between 10 and 30 times per minute.

5. Heart:

A human’s heart generally beats 70 to 80 times per minute.
A dog’s heart beats between 70 and 120 times per minute.

Keep an eye on the cocoa mulch

Pet information

Gardening time is here, and there are some things to watch out for when planning the summer’s work. It is widely known that some plants are poisonous, but more innocent looking gardening items can also pose a danger to dogs.

Cocoa mulch is popular in the USA. It smells good, repels garden pests, retains moisture, and darkens over time instead of fading. Unfortunately, it can also be dangerous to pets.

Many types of mulch are made from wood, but cocoa mulch is made from cacao shells left over from the cocoa bean roasting process. It is environmentally friendly, and contains theobromine – the same substance that makes dogs sick from eating chocolate. Snopes.com reports that depending on the kind of mulch, it contains 300-1200 mg of theobromine per ounce.

Whether this is dangerous or not depends on the dog’s propensity to eat unusual things. While theobromine is toxic to cats, they are very unlikely to munch down on mulch. Dogs might.

Some manufacturers of cocoa mulch claim their mulch goes through extensive cleaning processes to strip the cocoa fat from the shells, thus making them harmless. If you have a dog that likes to eat strange things from the ground and you want to use cocoa mulch, do some research and make sure you get a kind that’s free from theobromine.

7 fun facts about the Pekingese

Pet information

Pekingese - the Lion DogThe Pekingese is a very old breed, traditionally associated with Chinese emperors. Here are seven fun facts about the breed.

1. Visually, the little Pekingese with its soft coat and short nose doesn’t resemble a wolf. They are still one of the breeds closest to wolves genetically.

2. The breed has been traced back two thousand years, to the Han dynasty.

3. Today’s China doesn’t have lions, but the Pekingese, the Lhasa Apso, and the Tibetan Mastiff were all bred to resemble stylized Chinese lion images. The Pekingese is also called the lion dog.

4. Emperor Lingdi of Han ruled from 168 to 189. He loved his dogs so much he made his favorite Pekingese a member of the nobel cast, making it outrank most  people in the country.

5. During the Tang Dynasty, years 618 to 907, no one outside the Imperial Palace was allowed to breed or own a Pekingese. This was a good period of time for the little dogs; if an ordinary person met one of the dogs they had to bow and show respect.

6. The Pekingese are sometimes called “The Sleeve Dog.” This stems from being bred down in size so their owners could carry them in their sleeves. Allegedly a Pekingese in the Emperor’s sleeve was his last line of defense should enemies get into the palace.

7. It sometimes pays off to be small. Three dogs escaped the Titanic: one Pekingese and two Pomeranians.

Slimkitty, new blog for cat lovers

Pet information

Slimkitty is a new blog for cat lovers, inspiring cat owners to exercise their cats and make sure they have the right types and amounts of food to keep kitty’ weight down. 

58 percent of cats in the US are overweight – 5 percent more than the corresponding percCatentage for dogs. At the same time there are ten percent more obese cats in the US than there are obese dogs. Being overweight can lead to a row of health problems in the cat, such as diabetes and joint problems.

Slimkitty is a sister site to slimdoggy.com. The latter contains everything from ratings of dog food to fitness and fun, and the intention is that slimkitty.com will hold the same position, but aimed at cats.

Cats and dogs have completely different forms of metabolism, and this makes it harder for cats to lose weight. Cats cannot go on crash diets. If a cat’s food intake is significantly and rapidly depressed there’s a risk for Hepatic Lipidosis, a potentially life-threatening condition.      *These websites no longer exist

Do you Doga?

Pet information

Doga is Yoga, with dogs. It combines massage and meditation with stretching, and is good for both dogs and humans. There are video classes allowing people to learn at home, and many places now offer classes where dogs and people can Doga together.

In Doga, dogs and humans work together as one unit. The humans help their dogs get into different poses, and in some cases the pets are used as instruments or weights as the humans perfect their poses. The dogs usually take to this quickly. Watch a dog stretch; it looks like a Yoga position.

Opponents of the idea claim that Doga trivializes sacred and ancient practices, and that the dogs interfere with participants’ concentration. Proponents claim that the practice is perfect, because it emphasizes unity and connection, strengthens the bond between person and pet, and might get some people to move who ordinarily wouldn’t.

Whether Doga should be considered “real” Yoga or not probably depends on the participants. Either way, it gives an excuse to do something together, to bond, stretch, and hopefully find harmony.

 

Can cats eat dog food?

Pet information

eating catCats should not eat dog food. Dogs can eat cat food just fine, but cats should not eat dog food. Cats and dogs are more different than meets the eye, and they have vastly different nutritional needs.

Dogs have developed side by side with humans to a point where they can eat most of the things we eat and digest. They are considered omnivores, which means that they are able to digest carbohydrates, and they can survive on plant based foods. That doesn’t mean that dogs prefer meat to vegetables and other plants, or that a diet based completely on plants would be nutritionally adequate, but they can survive on it. A cat cannot.

Cats are carnivores. That means that they cannot live unless they eat meat in some form. One major difference between dog food and cat food is the percentage of meat.

Other differences between cats and dogs include the ability to handle vitamins and amino acids. Dogs, for instance, have the ability to break down organic pigments from plants called carotenoids and convert them into active Vitamin A. Cats can’t do that.

Cats have to get Vitamin A already converted by some other animal. That is, they have to eat the meat from some animal who already converted the carotenoids to active Vitamin A. This is one of the reasons most carnivores don’t eat other carnivores; they need to eat animals who live off plants in order to survive.

Arginine is another big difference between cats and dogs; it is a building block for proteins and cats have to get it with every meal. Dogs produce an enzyme that helps them produce Arginine, and they only need to get a little with their food.

Taurine is an amino acid distributed through the heart, retina, and other organs. Dogs produce their own, but cats must eat it, and it is not present in any plants.

There are more examples of substances cats must get through their food, such as niacin and arachidonic acid.

What is an emotional support dog?

Pet information

dog smallAn emotional support dog helps individuals by providing comfort and support. Many fill a need by providing affection, companionship, emotional comfort, and support. They can have special training, but that is not strictly necessary. 

Many confuse emotional support dogs with psychiatric service dogs, but it’s not the same thing. The emotional support dog does not require special training, but the psychiatric service dogs are trained to provide specific services. They for instance do room searches or turn on lights for a person with PTSD, provide counterbalance, block persons experiencing a dissociative episode from walking into danger, and so on.

Emotional support dogs provide their handlers with relief from isolation, daily structure, an increased sense of self-esteem and purpose, motivation, and many other important things.

These dogs are not covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act, but they are covered under the Fair Housing Act and Air Carrier Access Act.

 

What is a therapy dog?

Pet information

A therapy dog is trained to provide affection and comfort to people in need. These are often pets who have undergone special training to accompany their owners to hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, and many other areas. Some live in a facility, and some are specially trained to work as comfort dogs at disaster areas. 

A great example of comfort dogs is the 9-11 disaster where 318 dogs and their handlers worked around the clock.

There are three basic kinds of therapy dogs:

Therapeutic visitation dogs visit hospitals, nursing homes, and other places where a visiting dog can comfort and motivate people. These are often volunteers.

Animal assisted therapy dogs assist therapists with physical and occupational therapy. They often work in rehabilitation facilities.

Facility therapy dogs live in a facility, often a nursing home, and are trained to help patients with Alzheimer’s and similar.

In many areas therapy dogs must pass the Canine Good Citizen Test. There is also a therapy dog certification test. Therapy dogs and their handlers are not covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

There is an important difference between therapy dogs and assistance dogs: while assistance dogs should be left alone to perform their job, people are encouraged to approach and pet therapy dogs.