The Truth About Declawing

This is far worse than a manicure !

Instead of declawing your cat, just try effective and humane methods for preventing your house from scratching issues. Allow your cat to get a taste of full feline life!

People often mistakenly believe that declawing their cats is a harmless “quick fix” for unwanted scratching. They don’t realize that declawing can make a cat less likely to use the litter box or more likely to bite. Declawing also can cause serious and lasting physical problems for your cat.

Many countries have banned declawing except for the rare cases when it is necessary for medical purposes, such as the removal of cancerous nail bed tumors.

People who are worried about being scratched, especially those with immunodeficiency or bleeding disorders, may be told incorrectly that their health will be protected by declawing their cats. However, infectious disease specialists don’t recommend declawing. The risk from scratches for these people is less than those from bites, cat litter, or fleas carried by their cats.

*http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/cats/tips/declawing.html

To learn more about the surgery go here:

http://www.declawing.com/the-truth-about-declawing

Early Spay & Neuter

Pros & Cons about early spay & neuter of cats

Pros & Cons about early spay & neuter of cats

We invite you to read what FRANNY SYUFY , Cat expert for About.com and an award winning member of Cat Writers’ Association, (CWA) wrote in her book:

“Although the concept of early spaying and neutering of both cats and dogs is not new, its use by veterinarians in the mid-20th century was limited because of a number of misconceptions:

That for some reason, it was better to let a female cat give birth to one litter of kittens before spaying.
That a female cat should not be neutered until after her first oestrus period.
That growth metabolism might be stunted as a result.
That the eventual urethral diameter might be constricted, particularly in male cats, causing eventual urinary tract problems.
That female cats, in particular, might later develop incontinence as a result.
That certain behavioral problems might result.

Most people should know by now that failure to spay & neuter is the number one cause of the pet population explosion. Indeed, female cats barely kittens themselves commonly give birth, and male cats as young as four months have been known to impregnate willing queens. Cat caregivers who wait the traditional six to eight months for the surgery are playing a game of Russian Roulette, and only serving to exacerbate the problem.

Humane Societies to the Forefront

Because of the exponentially increasing feline overpopulation problems, with humane societies and other shelters bearing the brunt of the consequences, these groups rose to the forefront in taking positive action.

People who run shelters know that the kittens they adopt out today can spawn descendants who will refill the shelters in short order. In the past, in an effort to prevent this, shelters have tried a number of tactics, from contracts (which run statistically to between 10% and 50% noncompliance), deposits for later spay/neutering (which are readily forfeited), and other equally non-productive incentives.

A number of shelters decided to stop relying on the adoptive “parents” and to guarantee spay/neutering of kittens by having it performed prior to adoption, either with veterinary staff or by cooperating veterinarians. In the twenty or so years of research that followed, in both the U.S. and Canada, shelter operators and veterinarians were able to dismiss the previous misconceptions one by one. It was found that in cats altered as early as six to twelve weeks, compared to cats neutered at six to twelve months, there was the:

Same metabolic rate
Same type of growth
Same urethral diameter at adulthood
Same behavioral patterns.

Notwithstanding the most obvious (and most critical) benefit, that of helping to diminish the population growth, certain side benefits of early spay and neuter accrued to the cats themselves, such as less traumatic surgery, quicker recovery, and fewer complications.

I viewed a video produced by the U.C.Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in conjunction with AVAR, on the benefits of early spay and neuter of cats.

This video was intended for veterinary use, to demonstrate the comparative ease of the technique with young kittens, as well as the collateral benefits. At the same time, I also viewed a video produced by the American Humane Association, in which surgeries (both spay and neuter) were shown in both young kittens and cats at the traditional appropriate ages.The criteria used for the suitability of kittens was a clear health check, at least two pounds in weight, and two descended testicles for male kittens.

The Surgery

In preparation for the surgery, because of kittens’ predisposition to hypoglycemia, they were not fasted as long as older cats prior to surgery, but actually were given a small meal. They were also well-swaddled in toweling and placed on a heated pad, because of the possibility for hypothermia. Other than those preparations, the surgeries were basically the same, including the kind of anesthetics used for inducement and maintenance.

There were two important differences, however:

The surgeries went much quicker and with less trauma for the kittens because there were no extra layers of fat to cut through. For the same reason, closure was a relatively simple process of one stitch through the one-centimeter incision for the spay.
Because of the delicate nature of the organs at that young age, gentle tissue handling was important.

Recovery

Kittens shed the anesthesia much quicker than the adult cats. In a video comparing neutering surgery at two different ages, fifteen minutes after the surgery the kitten was awake and starting to move around. The one year old cat was still out cold. Within an hour, the kittens were moving around, playing, and eating. They didn’t show the adult cat at an hour later, but from my recollections, my own cats were still pretty groggy when we brought them home several hours later.

Conclusion

The evidence seems clear that early spay and neuter is not only safe for the youngsters, but that the procedure produces less tissue trauma, is less stressful, provides a shorter recovery period, with a lower risk of complications. On the other hand, no working studies are available to support the appropriateness of waiting the traditional period.

The concept has been slow to enter into the mainstream of small animal practice. However the fact that it is being taught in more and more veterinary colleges, coupled with the endorsements of such august groups as the AVMA with 64,000 members; The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, with over 8,000 members; The state veterinary associations in California, Nevada, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Oregon, and Wisconsin; and numerous humane societies, promises that new ground is being gained every day.

One fact is for certain: people who run shelters can attest that their NBA (Neuter Before Adoption) programs have contributed to increased morale in shelter workers.

That’s a real plus, in my book”

To be fair, there are another group of veterinarians still preferring to follow old school and here is what some of them they say:

“In my practice, I do not perform early age spays or neuters. I feel that I have the luxury of seeing owned cats, so can choose the best option of waiting until all females are 3.5 to 4 months old and have reached early puberty and waiting until males are 6 to 8 months old and have reached puberty before de-sexing. Waiting avoids the common disadvantages of behavior and skeletal drawbacks of early age surgeries. While we still don’t know if there are other disadvantages yet to be found, spaying and neutering makes happier and less stressed pets that are also better pets that are less likely to be surrendered to shelters “

Dr. Letrisa M Miller, Feline Veterinarian

“For my part, I won’t hesitate to offer my clients the following bullet points by way of summarizing this fraught issue:

For as-yet-to-be-homed kittens whose forever homes might just look like someone’s porch (if they’re very lucky), I’m happy to spay and neuter them as early as eight weeks.
For kittens lucky enough to have a place to call home, I suggest my clients wait until the traditional age for spay and neuter (5-7 months).
For female shelter pups? I’d prefer to see a traditional-aged spay but I’d settle for prepubertal spays in communities that have been found to carry a high risk of reproductive non-compliance.”

Dr. Patty Khuly, VMD, MBA

You may want to conduct your own research before making a decision about early alternation of your kitten. From our side we promise to use only highly professional veterinarian service and guarantee a proper care for quick after surgery recovery.

Feline Food

Feline Food

Types of cat food

Raw Diet

Feeding a raw diet to cats means feeding uncooked animal muscle meat, organ meat and bones. This type of food is sometimes called the BARF diet, which stands for “bones and raw food” or ” biologically-appropriate raw food.” The ideal raw diet is prepared based on a carefully designed recipe. Many cat owners choose to prepare these diets themselves, but commercial forms are also available. If you choose to feed your cat a raw diet, it should be one that has been determined complete and balanced by a veterinary nutritionist.

It is important to know that feeding raw food to your cat comes with some risks. Raw food may contain pathogens like Salmonella and E. coli that can lead to serious life-threatening infections.

Benefits of Raw diet

balanced weight

less shedding and mutting

less smell

active and happy cats

and much more

SO, WHAT TO BUY…… ?

As has been shown, there are not that many different types of cat food available, you just need to know what you are looking for. A great meal for your cat should be a meal that is tasty, nutritious, and healthy. However, the debate about what kind of food you should feed to your cat always exists.

The dry cat food or the wet cat food is better for cat’s health?

Should feeding more raw cat food or canned cat food?

Which one is the best cat food that is good for your cat?

…

In all cases, the answer given by cat food adviser is that:

BALANCE IS THE KEY !

In short word, all you need to do is keep a good balance between the types of food, and make sure your cat gets all the nutrition they needed.

And make sure that whatever you buy is a high quality product, and that means checking the wording on the label and the ingredients list.

You may want to follow the links bSemi-moist food

This is not dissimilar to dry food in terms of appearance, but rather than crunchy it is chewy. Although it would be common sense to assume this was the happy medium between dry and wet food in terms of cost and shelf life, it is not actually a popular choice, nor particularly good for your cat’s health. This is because the processes and additives that are involved in production make it poor quality. It is not very common to see this type of cat food on shelves anymore as consumers are wiser to what their cat needs and what is unhealthy for them. As a rule, it is best to avoid semi-moist food.

Dry cat food

This is often the cheapest choice available for your cat. It has a very long shelf life, and one bag of food will last several months. The difficulty with dry food is that it is not very palatable, and cats who are renowned for being fussy eaters may easily turn their nose up at it if their diet solely consists of this.Wet food

This would usually be your cat’s first choice of food. Easy to eat and very tasty, a cat would happily eat their way through tins and tins (or packets and packets) of wet food if given half a chance. For this reason, you shouldn’t freely leave out wet food as they will probably continue to eat it even if they don’t necessarily need any more and then become overweight.

Below and read more about how to feed your cat:

Cat Nutrition Articles

More about Cat Raw Diet

WebMD – What You Need To Know

WebMD – Homemade Cat Food

WebMD – Mistakes People Make

Lisa A. Pierson, DVM – Feeding Your Cat

RAW FOOD suppliers we use

Heronview Raw and Natural

www.heronviewrawandnatural.com

Canada Raw | The Raw Diet - Gourmet Pet Food in Toronto

canadaraw.com

THE BEST CAT FOOD BRANDS

As per Reviews.com

Here are eight all-star options — companies whose every formula met the requirements and passed the cuts across the board.

Acana Regionals

Canada Fresh

Feline Natural

Holistic Health Extension

Orijen

Petite Cuisine

Tiki Cat

Ziwi Peak

But we kindly encourage all customers to conduct own research finding the best option that will work for their fur babies.

OUR PREFERENCES ARE:

LovelyPaws feeds BARF style ,Biologically Appropriate Raw Food, DIY raw food for all our cats and kittens according aging guide.

We mostly make our own treats on top of premium quality store bought.

They love cottage cheese and 5-10 % cream.

To bring them more flavor and make a balance we switch between different types of meats and fish.

We stay only with grain free options.

We also add cottage cheese and occasional cream.

Also we give KMR during weaning period and there after as long as kittens need extra immune system support our Queens also receive KMR during pregnancy and feeding period .

Fortiflora probiotic for cats also a part of our daily routine.

As we offer a lifetime support to our kittens and their parents, we are always there to help with recipes and balancing their diet .

Cat's Supplies

Is kitten going to hit your doors soon ?

Great! You should be getting exited but is your home ready to welcome your friend?

Choose the room that easily accommodates all kittens stuff such as litter box, food station, toys, scratches, places for comfortable sleep and hide in. Remember it should be large enough for socializing and playing with your pet.

"Whether cat or kitten is shy or brave, do not force your attentions on him by trying to pick him up or petting him. Instead, earn his trust. Every time you are in his room, make good things happen. Give him food and treats he loves so that he associates you with something he enjoys."

Go Shopping ! Here are some ideas what you will have needed first:

For your convenience we have listed here most well known Ontario suppliers along with some available online stores across Canada.

Canadian Pet Store Chains may vary between provinces.

International customers and non – residents of Ontario should proceed with local market research.