Pet Care

Giant Petcare Tips List

The temperature in a closed car on a summers day can reach 60 degrees. That's the temperature of a slow cooker! Never leave an animal in a car on a warm day. If it is too hot for you, it certainly is too hot for them.

Clean your cats litter tray at least once a day. Cats are very clean pets and hate dirty trays. Remember, do you like using a toilet that has been used by others and not flushed?

Mice should be fed once a day. Remove all old uneaten food and ensure that fresh water is always available.

Always flatten empty cat or dog food cans. A cat can easily get his head stuck in a can and dies a horrible death if the can is not removed straightaway.

Don't use nylon fibres for bedding for your hamster. If they are swallowed nylon cannot be digested and could kill your hamster.

Did you know that hamsters are sensitive to low temperatures and might go into a form of hibernation?, if the room you keep them in is too cold?

Rubber bands are very dangerous for cats and other animals, and if swallowed can cause the animal to die. Never leave rubber bands around where they can get to them.

If your pet has a tick, put a bit of alcohol on it, or smear it with Vaseline, if the ticks breathing pores are blocked in that way they will die, since they breath thru tiny pores in their skin, and you can remove them easily.

Treat all cats and dogs for fleas regularly and do not forget to treat the environment where your pets lay or sleep. Fleas spend most of their time in bedding, carpets or other places to lay their eggs. If you do not treat those places you will not be able to get rid of them.

Birds are very sensitive to fumes, the fumes given off by an overheated non-stick frying pan (polytetrafluorethylene) can kill a bird in a few minutes.

Pure white cats and kittens with blue eyes are very often deaf. If your cat or kitten is deaf, you need to take special care of it. Please consider making it an indoor cat only.

Many household cleaners are dangerous to your pet. If possible try to avoid them and use plain bleach to disinfect and clean floors, litter trays etc.

Keep your cats litter tray in the same place. You would get confused too, if your toilet was constantly moved to a different room or place in your house. If you have more than one cat, consider having more than one litter tray.

Avoid using slug pellets that contain metaldeheyde. This is highly toxic to cats and dogs and could kill them if they eat these pellets.

A puppy or kitten should be vaccinated against disease when it is between 9 and 12 weeks old. Consult your vet for advice.

In very hot weather your pet duck can be killed by botulism. The bacteria responsible is often found in ponds where the water is stagnant. Getting a pump to oxygenate the water properly will prevent this. Also remove all dead and decaying plant matter.

Contrary to popular belief cats cannot see in total darkness. They can however see in much lower light levels than humans can, their eyes are at least six times more sensitive to low light than ours are.

If you see your cat or dog straining when trying to pass urine, take him or her to a vet straightaway. Small mineral stones can form in the urinary duct and this condition can be extremely serious if not diagnosed and seen to immediately.

Your cat or dog should be treated for worms routinely every 3 to 4 months.

If you find a very young orphaned kitten or puppy it can be reared by hand but you will need specialist advice and lots of patience and time.

Guinea Pigs must have sufficient vitamin C in their diets since like humans they cannot manufacture this vitamin themselves in their bodies.

Your cat or dog needs an annual vaccination to protect him against many common illnesses which otherwise could prove extremely serious or fatal.

Introducing a new pet, into a household which already has other resident pets, needs to be done with care and understanding. Would you like a total stranger to move into your house and start living there?

The ears of white cats are very prone to sunburn and this can lead to cancerous growth and a lot of pain and suffering. Use a high factor sunblock on their ears on very sunny days, or if in doubt, keep puss indoors and consult your vet for the best treatment.

Female ferrets, if not mated, can remain in season for as long as nine months.

Cats are very territorial and will defend their gardens against other cats. Their territory is seen by them as their source of food supply, even though you feed them every day. Look at it this way: If an uninvited stranger started sharing your house and food cupboard you would ask him to leave, wouldn't you?

To maintain its health your cat needs meat. It cannot exist on bread and or milk alone.

Did you know that a guinea pig (or cavies) can live for up to 8 years?

Some cats do not digest normal cows milk very well, it contains too much lactose. This can give them diarrhoea. There are special milk formulas for cats and kittens which have a much reduced lactose content and thus avoid this problem.

If you give a home to a cat which has always lived outside, and he or she is reluctant to use an indoor litter tray with cat litter, sprinkle normal soil, or peat, on top of the litter. This often helps since the cat will have been used to soil. Gradually remove more soil and or peat over time till puss is used to normal cat litter.

Why is it so important to treat your pet for fleas? Fleas can act as the host for tapeworm and infect your cat or dog very easily. Control the fleas and you have made an important step in helping your pet stay healthy. See our section on flea control in the Pet Care pages.

What is FLUTD? Flutd, or formerly known as FUD, is Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease. FLUTD is a potentially very serious disease that can be fatal if untreated. If your cat shows signs of straining when trying to pass urine, increased frequency of urination, blood-stained urine or incontinence, immediately take it to a vet. Direct action by you is vital to avoid suffering and possible death.

What is CU? CU, or Canine Urolithiasis is a disease caused by urinary stones or crystals in the urinary tract or bladder of a dog. Like FLUTD, CU is a potentially very serious disease and needs immediate veterinary care. If your dog shows signs of straining when trying to pass urine, increased frequency of urination, blood-stained urine or incontinence, bring him or her to your vet straightaway. It may save his life.

Excessive drinking. If your pet shows signs of drinking more than usual, and starts to drink out of unusual places, it is time to take him to the vet for a check. Excessive drinking can be a sign of kidney or liver problems. Try to always have an idea about your pets drinking pattern, i.e. does it drink large amounts in one go, or often but small amounts? Knowing this will allow you to spot unusual drinking behaviour.

Why does a cat rub itself against objects? In the side of its face are scent glands, by rubbing against an item he or she leaves a scent trace on the object in question. It is like a business card for humans, smelling who has been there tells a cat many things about the previous "caller".

One single bitch is capable of producing up to 24 puppies a year, which in turn can (potentially) produce 264 puppies by the same time the next year. A high percentage of these will either: be drowned, killed by cars, handed in for euthanasia, be abandoned, given to a negligent owner (unchecked and often in desperation), used solely for indiscriminate breeding (puppy farming and owner lack of foresight), suffer physical and/or psychological neglect and abuse due to ignorance and/or malice.

The philosophy of 'prevention is better than cure' is priceless - especially in the field of animal welfare ('breeders' please take note).

Is the keeping of caged animals really justified? Is it regarded as acceptable simply because it has been done for years?

All of the 'dwarf species' of hamster should be kept in pairs (or more). It is only the Golden/Syrian hamster that is solitary by nature.

The Pope has said that animals have souls, just like we do.

Chocolate, especially dark chocolate, contains a substance called theobromine which is very toxic (poisonous) to dogs and cats.

Fish tank type cages for small furries such as mice, rats, hamsters and gerbils are not suitable for two reasons: inadequate ventilation may lead to respiratory complications because of the ammonia released from urine, and the heat accumulation as a result of direct sunlight is similar to you sitting in a closed car on a warm/hot day.

You may consider yourself responsible by ensuring the young of any female animal of yours goes to a 'good' home, but this, although well intended, is short-sighted. What if these people are unable to keep the animal - will the secondary home be suitable? And what if they don't get the animal neutered - you've just added to a problem in the greater scheme of things

Pet rabbits can suffer from furballs just like cats - this can be potentially fatal, but the chances can be minimised by thorough grooming by the owner.

Rabbit teeth problems (essentially leading to starvation) are on the increase as people continue to selectively breed them, creating the poor mutants that are now on the market - please check your rabbit's eating habits carefully, especially the lop-ears, And take them in to a small animal vet regularly for a check-up.

Most cases of dog bites are provoked by the adult/child unknowingly - don't always assume that the dog is in the wrong, don't punish invariably.

As a special treat, provide your Gerbil with some melon seeds, unsalted peanuts or raisins. It will make his day.

Remember that budgerigars de-husk seeds, before swallowing the kernel. Please make sure that you remove the husks long before they block the seed supply container.

Ponies are by nature herd animals and should not be kept singly.

If you have a pony or donkey, please remember to let the farrier see to his feet at least every 3 or 4 months.

A pony, whether stabled or on grass, must have access to a salt lick to supplement the natural amount of sodium chloride (salt) in the environment.

Laminitis is an inflammation of the very sensitive tissues of the feet of a pony or horse. It requires immediate veterinary attention.

The European pond terrapin is carnivorous and should not be kept in a pond with fish.

Did you know that in the time of the Pharaohs in Egypt the penalty for killing or injuring a cat was death?

Unlike a dog, a cat cannot manufacture vitamin C in its body so it should have access to greens to chew on. This is especially important if your cat is an indoor cat only. Pet shops sell special cat grass for this purpose.

The correct way to lift a puppy or cat is to place one hand under its chest and support the weight of the hindquarters with the other hand.

Did you know that a true tortoiseshell cat is almost always female?

A male tomcat should not be allowed near a female cat with kittens. He is quite likely to kill them.

The average cat litter is 3 to 5 kittens, but litters of 1 to 9 kittens have been recorded.

Never allow a puppy to be taken away from his mother before he is at least 8 weeks old.

Cats always want to sharpen their claws, give them a proper cat scratching post and your furniture will be grateful to you.

Never allow a cat access to a cupboard that contains mothballs. The fumes produced by mothballs can cause major liver damage to a cat, and if swallowed can cause death.