Fish and Aquarium

When planning in buying a cat, you need to make some considerations before you do. Taking on a cat as a pet is a big dedication and should not be taken easily. It will need attention, routine veterinary treatment, grooming and daily care, that is, if you really are a lover of cats and not just some bloke who wants to have a pet cat, period. It is also essential that you should learn some cat communication skills so you can better understand what your cat wants. When you take a cat for a pet, you have to know that it would take 10 to 15 years to groom it, pet it and taking care of it. Here are some of the tips on how to buy a cat. First of all, it is always suggested that you find an expert in cats. The advantage of buying from a breeder is that the breeding has already been cautiously planned and well taken care of. The breeder will just have to orient you with all the necessary things you need to know about that cat. When buying from a pet store, be sure that the cat you choose is healthy. You wouldn’t want to buy a weakling and then having heartaches when you don’t know how to take care of it, right?

As with communication, it’s really essential to learn how to communicate with your cat. You feline friend is not as vocal as with dogs. How can you tell that a cat is hungry or in pain just by the sound of its meow or purr? Don’t you know that when a cat purrs while it is “scraping” its side on your leg, it’s asking for something? Many cat owners have learned how to “talk” to their own cats and they built greater relationship and bonding between the two of them. You might say that this not very easy to learn. However, if you can find some cat care tips, it could be a website or a book guide, you can learn all of these things in the most convenient way possible in your own pace and time.

You can’t fail to recognize that the cat has a special appeal.  To many of us, the cat is a lovable pet and valued member of the family, whose appeal is very much tied up to its personality.  The cat embodies many contradictory characteristics, at once mysterious and sublime yet also mysterious, independent and aloof yet also affectionate and demanding, these graceful, beautiful animals have fascinated mankind for ages.

In ancient Egypt’s, the cat was worshipped as a sacred or even Godlike animal.  Cats are valued highly and were domesticated and brought into houses.Those who harms cats were punished very severely, and anyone who killed the cat could be executed for their crime.As well as being adored and worshipped people found that cats are very useful when it came to getting rid of pesky animals like mice and rats.  In arts, human and cat features were often combined to convey a sub lime gracefulness to the features of a human being, and people were proud to wear cat tattoos.

To the ancient Greeks and Romans, cats were valued for their practical role in controlling vermin and protecting vital food supplies.  In addition, they were considered to be guardian spirits for the household, and were given respect accordingly.

However, this is all to change.  During the dark ages, superstition and fear were rife.  At this time, cats were considered to be evil, doing the work of the Devil at night.Because people fault that witches could turn into cats, they considered that most cats they saw were actually evil witches in disguise.  There are recorded cases of people being tortured and executed simply for helping cats who were injured.Cat owners were often tried and executed as witches merely from the fact of owning a cat.

During this time there were instances of widespread cat killing, and in time towns and cities were emptied of their cat population by panicking crowds.  This was organised and led by the Catholic church which resulted in the almost complete extinction of cats in Europe by 1400.  Due to the massive reduction in the cat population, the vermin population boomed and this left the door open to plauges carried by rats. Europe was brought to its knees by these awful diseases that killed more than half of all the people alive at the time. This is a lesson will never be forgotten.

After this had occurred, people discovered that cats were more important than they had thought, and so the feline population started growing again.This led to most ships that sailed to America carrying cats in order to prevent rats from running wild.All the cats we have now in North America, with a few exceptions, can trace their new family tree back to these early exploring ship’s cats.

Cleaning the carpets from cat urine smell is not an easy task to do, If you have a cat you may sooner or later have to face that job. Cats have a low need of drinking water and therefore their urine is extremely concentrated and very stinking. That ammonia-like smell is so strong that it seems not possible to get rid of it.

As cat urine is protein based it is hard to remove. This is since the urine of the cat is made up of three primary essentials. These are the tawdry substance known as Urochrome the pigments factor, the odor Uric acid part and urea.

Sometimes different techniques are required to get rid of the stinking cut urine.

Don’t make the mistake to use cat urine removers that have ammonia in it

To remove the cat urine odor effectively you need to use special cat urine removers and not ordinary household cleaning products like exterior, upholster and carpet cleaners. These cat urine cleaners only mask the odor for a while but are not able to remove the cat urine odor completely. You should not use cat urine removers that hold ammonia because ammonia smells like cat urine. If you do the cat will come back to the same spot. Your cat will still be able to smell the urine, which tells the cat that it’s a good spot to urinate.

Make sure that you use of a superior quality cat urine remover

Order a product that is especially made for cleaning cat urine odor. This cat urine remover could be enzymatic, bacteria-based, chemical- based, or a mixture of these. To efficiently chuck out the cat urine smell you have to use a great quality cat urine cleaner.

You should not scrub the mat

Discovering the exact place on the carpet to clean could be a serious problem. As the cat urine is in the mat pudding you should try to get rid of the cat urine from within the mat. You can achieve this by pressing down on some towels laid over the carpet or by putting some weighty books on top of a towel and let it site for twelve hours. Scrubbing the carpet is a very bad idea because it will sop up the urine deep into its yarns.

Cats are similar to humans and dogs for being susceptible to type i and type ii diabetes. Although the grounds and symptoms are also quite similar but the treatment is quite different due to the difference in internal structures and response to different medications. Diabetic neuropathy too can affect cats but the right treatment at the right time can help improve the health of cats and diabetic neuropathy too can be reduced to a large extent at the same time.

If there is observation that your cat is increasingly showing signs of excessive hunger and thirst and urinating regularly along with a attendance of weakness and fatigue, then most probably it has suffered with diabetes. The attendance of glucose in its urine and a blood sugar test should validate your qualms. Along with a healthy diet and adequate exercise, you will also need to monitor your cat’s blood sugar levels regularly if you want to avoid the onset of diabetes related complications such as diabetic retinopathy or diabetic neuropathy.

Peripheral diabetic neuropathy can affect your cat’s hind legs over a period of time and you might notice that your cat might tend to walk on its rear hocks, which is the rear part of its legs rather than walking on its toes. It can also apt to sit down frequently, particularly after a short walk. It might also become impossible for it to climb up trees or stairs and might repeatedly stumble even while walking. It is necessary for you to contact your cat’s doctor or veterinarian for proper treatment as it could be the sign of diabetic neuropathy.

There are many substitute treatment available for diabetic humans and dogs such as alpha lipoic acid, which fundamentally is an antioxidant that helps in reducing the pain caused by diabetic neuropathy. Nevertheless, it could cause liver toxicity in your loving pet hence it might not be right for cats. Besides this your veterinarian could suggest the proper treatment that might contain using methyl B12 with some medications for treating your diabetic cat. The internal construction of cats makes it easier for them to respond immediately to the proper treatment and quickly get back on its feet with no visible damage to its leg if the treatment begins immediately upon detection.

You must try your best to maintain your cat’s blood sugar levels under control so that no other complications develop in your cat. Feeding your cat at regular intervals along with regular exercise can keep the danger of diabetic neuropathy at bay and also ensure that it does not lose valuable muscle. Immediately take your cat to the veterinarian as soon as you notice it having any difficulty in walking or if it keeps bumping into walls since this could be a sign of the begining of diabetic neuropathy or diabetic retinopathy. Frequently a medication course along with aggressive methods to control blood glucose levels back is enough to make the cat come back into action, which is not the case in humans.

Although reason behind development of diabetic neuropathy corresponds to humans, the cures are surely faster if you start its treatment immediately. If the right medications are given to cats and diabetic neuropathy reversed, then you too might easily be able to notice a remarkable improvement in your cat upon initiating a similar line of treatment.

An Excellent Healthy Drink for Diabetics

Did you know that flavored carbonated water has no calories, sugar, body, sweetener, color or preservatives?

The taste is fantastic, extremely refreshing and gives diabetics a great drink without any carbohydrates. A large and affordable assortment of flavored carbonated water concentrate is available for free delivery world wide from www.allfreightfree.com.

There are lots of different ways to attract birds to your garden. Providing them with the food they enjoy and a safe place for them to eat is the easiest way. Garden bird feeders are the best way of providing food for them. During the winter, when food is hard to find they can be especially helpful.

To attract different species set up feeding stations with their favorite food. Examples of speciality feeders include thistle feeders to hold the tiny thistle seeds that finches love. Tube feeders are very good to keep seeds dry and prevent it spilling out. Enjoy the sight of the birds feeding from your home by using a window feeder.

You can purchase bird feeders specially designed for woodpeckers,goldfinches and hummingbirds. Place in a safe place close to your bird house to attract the birds. Always check the food in your feeder daily to ensure it is dry and free from mould. Regularly clean up spilled food as it will attract wasps, ants and other pests.

It is most beneficial to feed the birds in the winter but food can be in short supply at other times of the year too. Put out food throughout the year to help the birds if shortages occur. Put out suitable food for fledglings during the breeding season as they can be severly affected by food shortages.

The birds will love to drink or bathe in water pans or bird baths that you provide for them. Provide water at various levels as some birds will prefer water at ground level, others prefer water in containers above the ground. Place containers shallowly filled with water in a quiet place away from bird feeders as birds do not like noise when they are bathing. Birds will be attracted by the sounds of water running. Attach a water dripper to your bird bath. It will attract the birds and also prevent mosquitoes breeding in the water.

Providing a natural looking environment in your garden will enhance the sense of security for the birds. You can provide an attractive place for them by letting a small area of the garden grow wild.

The Oxygen level in your Koi pond is something you probably don’t think about very often but it is critical. To ignore it is a big mistake. Some koi owners don’t understand the need for simple aeration of their pond for the health of their fish. This is even more important in the warmest months. Learning about this and other Koi fish care components is fundamental to having a thriving Koi pond

Monitoring the oxygen level in your pond is important for several reasons. It goes without saying that proper oxygen levels are necessary for the fish. Having the proper oxygen level is also good for the vegetation in the pond. There are also important chemical processes that go on in the pond that require good oxygenation. Every pond is different in  how much oxygen it needs – this is called its oxygen demand. It is constantly changing and is affected by things such as the number of fish you have, the size fish and by the amount of plant decomposition going on.

What affects the amount of oxygen water can absorb? There are several things. Moving water absorbs much more oxygen than standing water. Warm water cannot absorb as much as cooler water. The salinity of water also affects its ability to absorb oxygen but since we are dealing with fresh water ponds this is really not a factor.

Since warm water cannot absorb as much oxygen, during the warmest months of the year Koi pond aeration becomes very important. Watch the oxygen level in you pond carefully when it gets hot. Keep at least between 5.0 and5.5 mg per liter.

Find ways to keep the water moving. This will allow higher oxygen absorption rates. Water that is not moving can have its oxygen level drop quickly and become dangerous for the fish. Fountains placed in the pond, are a great way to keep the water moving.

Don’t let the algae growth in your pond get out of hand. While algae creates oxygen in the daytime, it depletes it at night. Letting algae growth get out of control will make it very difficult to control the dissolved oxygen in the pond.

Remember to try and feed your fish during the cooler part of the day when it gets hot. Fish that feed when it is warm utilize more oxygen than when it’s cooler. During the hot part of the day when the water is the warmest, the oxygen level will be lower. This combined with the feeding can bring the oxygen level down very quickly.

A good pond aeration system will go a long way in controlling the oxygen level in your Koi pond. Maintaining the proper water conditions is key in providing good Koi care. Adding simple water features like waterfalls and fountains will not only provide improved circulation but also add distinguishing features to your pond.

As you take care of your Koi, controlling the population is something that's need to be done too. Keep in mind that your fish will always spawn and lay their eggs (while others will fertilize them too). It is in their very nature, and there's only a little that you can do when it comes to it. In controlling the population of your Koi, remove the unwanted babies after they're born.

Now, you might feel or think that this is a cruel thing to do, but always remember the fact that having many fish in your pond will impose harm and danger to both your pond and to your original fish population as well (particularly the original parent fish).

Why babies are harmful to your pond…

These offsprings can grow up to 3 feet in length. Now, if you have many babies that you'll keep in the pond and will grow up to this length, you can now imagine what your pond will look like, right? A pond that's overcrowded and unhealthy, that is! What will happen is that the fish will not be comfortable with this kind of habitat, which will put them in danger.

As you set up your pond, make it a point that you set up a filtration system that will suit the number of fish. If you're going to add extra Koi without adding more to your system, this can cause unwanted gases and chemicals that will harm and destroy your pets.

Getting rid of the offsprings…

Getting rid of the babies can be achieved in many ways. You can stop feeding your pet Koi once spawning has occurred for a period of no less than three (3) weeks. Do not worry about your fish starving, as they can take care of themselves, focusing on the natural food around them. Their diet includes their young, wherein they will eat those that are still eggs and those that resembles like a small insect (as harsh as this may seem, this is just part of their nature!).

You can also opt to give away those unwanted babies to people that will be able to take care of them. You can go to local pet stores and zoos that have the same programs for this. Also, you can go to local Koi society that you know of. You can also log on to online message boards and groups and you can post your messages there.

Winter is almost coming, and this will be the very first time that your Koi pond will be exposed to the cold weather. Wintertime is a downtime for your pond, because during this season, there will be lesser events compared to other seasons. To ensure the survival of your fish and Koi pond through the weather, here are important precautions that you need to take for your garden before winter blows its first cool breeze.

First, clean up - Take your time in completely going over your pond (this can take about a weekend). Eliminate those undesirable bulk materials around it and inside of it. Inside of your pond, remove all those leaves, slits, and other materials from the bottom of it. If you have flowers or plants that wouldn't survive the cold weather, you should also remove these as well.

Around your outdoor pond, clean up the debris that can be blown to it, because you will not be able to notice the debris until the winter's end (this will then prevent those potentially harmful parasites and bacteria in the future).

Second, stop feeding - Keep in mind that your fish needs to stop feeding during the winter period. Feed them only once per day when the fall begins and temperatures reach around 55 degrees to 60 degrees. Completely stop the feeding once the temperature hits below the 50-degree mark (even though the temperature will go beyond this mark, you should refrain from feeding your pets).
Most of them take at least 4 days for them to digest food completely when they're healthy and temperature is above the 50-degree mark.

If you will forget this important step, you'd end up killing your fish! When your fish open their mouths at you, do not mistake it for hunger, as it is only a learned reflex rather than a sign of hunger. Do not worry that you're not feeding them, as your fish will feed on something else besides the food that you give to them (especially if your pond has a great amount of natural plants). If you're not feeding them and if ever they get hungry, they will feed on this.

Third, check up - Do a seasonal check up on the equipments that you have, from your filtration system to your array of preventable medications. Keep in mind that the majority of the ponds all throughout the world lie dormant during the winter time, you'd be able to less likely find the stuff that you're going to need. Ensure that your emergency kit (including the nets, medications, bags, and water testing kits) is always ready and up to date.

Fourth, prepare for the cold - Make a preparation for the cold weather by investing in the items that you’d be needing during the summer time. It is known that the fish can withstand constant temperatures as low as 39 degrees for short periods of time (which include those that fall a little bit lower than 39 degrees Fahrenheit).

If you're going to purchase a heater, research first on what size you'd be needing in order to heat your pond during the winter rightly. Otherwise, ice will still form, causing danger imposed by the amounts of gas in the water, as it is being trapped under the ice's surface. In the event of extreme cases, you can put an emergency tank inside of the pond.

Finally, turn off all of your water sources - Your heater will do its work harder in order to maintain the temperature suitable for your fish to live in the cold weather. If you have those add-ons like streams, waterfalls and fountains, you should turn them off during the winter (as they will circulate water and constanly bring new and cold water to your Koi pond). By switching them off, you'll make your pond's standing water the only thing that your heater will be responsible for.

The Koi have become very popular in making them as pets. The first Koi were produced by breeding the Asian Carp and the German Carp. The earliest colors of the Koi were recorded around the year 1805. For many years, they've been bred through selection, and this resulted to their various patterns and colors. To this day, there are lots and lots of variations in color available.

Among the popular ones are black, red, silver, white, blue, green, orange and yellow. Their patterns and colors can be combined, resulting to an endless possibility in the pattern of the fish. Each of the patterns and color of this species have been given their own names, as unique as the color associated with.

Countries like the United States (typically in warmer places like California and Nevada), Japan, Singapore and Israel raise the fish for purchase. The fish can be purchased in many available local pet stores. You an order them if ever there's no stock on hand. The good thing about this is that you are being presented with more options as you order since you need not pick right away from the available stock, but on the other hand, its disadvantage is that you won't be able to pick the specific Koi that you like to have.

Keep in mind that your pond should be complete before buying your Koi. The size and number of fish that you're going to purchase should be based highly on the size of your pond. Make it a point that you don't overcrowd your fish, which can cause problems instantly in your pond (which can kill many of the fish that you have bought, causing you to lose significant amount of time and money). You can always talk to your local dealer about the proper setup that you can have, as they will give you a helpful advise on the number of fish that you need to place in your pond.

The majority of the fish owners know that most fish will only grow in accordance to the enclosure where they are held and contained. On the other hand, your Koi will grow until they have reached their full growth potential (based on their specific kind). But you must be able to accommodate the number of fish that you're going to buy in the future.

The Koi's Traits And Personality:

These fish are not aggressive. They don't have teeth, that's why you need not worry of getting bitten as you feed them with your hand. This trait allows you to get smaller children involved in the process, as they'll enjoy watching the beautiful and vibrant colors of your pets, coupled with their being gentle in nature. Like any other wild animal, their natural instinct is that it will be afraid of you in the start (this kind of instinct is what keeps them alive in the wild). Building trust with your fish really takes a lot of patience and time.

It is an omnivorous species, so it eats both meat and plants, giving them an adaptable kind of diet. They will eat whatever you put in the pond for them to feast on, whether or not it is good for them… which means that you, as the owner, should be the one who controls their everyday diet.

The fact of the matter is that these fish have personalities, similar to the other species of animals. They are social animals, which gives them the ability to be trained to eat directly from the hands of their owners. You'll observe more of their individual traits and characteristics as you will spend more time with them. They have lengthy lifespans, with an average of 30 years. The oldest Koi have lived up to around 200 years! These great qualities make the Koi good choices for somebody who's looking for a pet that can be kept for a long time for breeding.

Each year literally hundreds of millions exotic animals are imported into the USA and Europe. One day an unsuspecting animal could be contentedly hopping around in Asia, Africa or South America and suddenly find itself transferred half way across the world and in some child’s bedroom inside a week. Many of these future pets are not subject to quarantine requirements and often only minimal health checks are carried out before we bring them into our homes. Unfortunately a lot of owners know nothing about the health risks posed by their cuddly new pets.

Zoonotic Diseases

Zoonotic diseases are those that can jump from animals to humans. In the USA today, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that zoonotic diseases are responsible for 75% of all emerging infectious diseases.

Let’s look at just some of the disease your hedgehog could give you.

A CDC study from 2005 lists an alarming number of confirmed and potential zoonotic diseases that pet and wild hedgehogs can carry. The confirmed diseases include Salmonella, Yersina, pseudotubercolosis, Mycobacterium marinum, Herpesvirus including human herpes simplex and Rabies. The potential diseases they can carry include Yersina pestis (also responsible for Bubonic plague) and hemorrhagic fever.

Salmonella

Salmonella is normally contracted from contaminated food. However the CDC estimates that something like 5% of all infections are the result of contact with exotic pets. For example they estimate that nearly eighty thousand Americans contract Salmonella from their pet reptiles every year.

In 1994 African Pygmy Hedgehogs were responsible for passing on a rare form of Salmonella (S. tilene), to a 10 month old girl who became the first ever confirmed case of this serotype in a human in the USA. Her family kept a herd of approximately 80 hedgehogs. One important point is the fact that the girl had never handled the hedgehogs herself. A family member who had been in contact with the animals spread the infection to her. The same serotype was later diagnosed in many other cases.

Ringworm

Despite its name ringworm or Tinea is not a worm but is actually a fungal skin infection. One source of ringworm is known to be pet and wild hedgehogs. Over the past few months HedgehogsAsPets.com has been covering a story where three people were infected with ringworm by two hoglets bought from the same breeder.

The story becomes even more disconcerting when it transpires that the person in question had somehow evaded Britain’s stringent quarantine regulations and managed to import several hedgehogs directly into the UK from Germany. Hedgehogs imported into the UK would normally be required to spend 6 months in government approved facilities.

Something that has also raised not a few eyebrows in this case is that this woman claims that the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) gave her permission to quarantine these hedgehogs at home, in a house that must have seemed like a veritable zoo, containing other hedgehogs, sugar gliders, snakes, lizards and rats, as well as cats and dogs. The breeder later learned that the German breeder’s herd was infected with ringworm, but not before she had spread the disease from the “German” hedgehogs to her breeding pair. The offspring of these latter were sold and went on to infect three people with ringworm.

As well as the ringworm part of the story, this case illustrates what happens when you buy your pets from unreliable and dishonest dealers and breeders. Despite many promises to refund the owners part of their vet’s fees after six months they have yet to see a penny.

Reducing the risk of infection

To reduce the risk of infection simply go to this site and follow the advice they give there: http://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/browse_by_animal.htm.

Purchasing your pet from a reputable breeder instead of a pet store, should provide you with more guarantees about the origins of the animal.

While the risk of catching some terrible disease from your pet is quite small, owners must be aware that it does exist. If you follow the advice given on the CDC web site that risk is greatly reduced.