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How to give your cat a pill:

So, the veterinarian has sent you and your cat home with a bottle of pills and some instructions. Don't worry - giving pills to your cat is not as difficult as it may appear. It's just a matter of know-how and plenty of praise.

One thing to remember though, giving a pill to a cat is not quite the same as giving a pill to a dog.

1. Have someone hold your cat's front legs and chest from behind so you're free to do the rest, or vice versa. If you have trouble, wrap a blanket or towel around your cat.



2. Put your hand on top of the cat's head, avoiding the lower jaw. Raise the head until your cat's nose points to the ceiling. As the mouth opens, use your other hand to hold the pill and press down on the lower jaw, pushing the pill as far back on the tongue as possible.

Quitting smoking can be difficult, but according to the results of a new study, pets may be the incentive some smokers need to kick the habit. A study conducted by the Henry Ford Health System's Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention found that smokers who own pets reported they would be more likely to quit if provided with information about the dangers of secondhand smoke for pets.

The study was based on a web-based survey of 3,293 pet owners. Among the survey respondents, 50% were either current smokers or lived with at least one smoker. While taking the survey, many of the smokers and non-smokers indicated they would be interested in receiving information about quitting smoking.

The results are good news, both for pets and pet owners trying to quit smoking. While the effects of secondhand smoke on humans are well known, studies have also found that secondhand smoke can cause health problems in pets. Lymphoma in cats and nasal and lung cancer in dogs have been linked to secondhand smoke. Additionally, secondhand smoke has been identified as a possible cause of allergic reactions in dogs, eye disease and respiratory problems in birds and oral carcinoma in cats, according to the Henry Ford Health System.

Most of all, the study provides further proof of how devoted pet owners are to their best friends. While pet owners who smoke may not think twice about their own health when lighting up, it's clear that many are thinking about their pet's health and taking that into consideration when they smoke.

Currently, about 63 percent of U.S. households (about 71.1 million homes) include a pet as a member of the family. About a fifth of all pet owners are current cigarette smokers.

1. My cat won't use the litter box because he/she is rebellious and wants to make me mad.
A. True
B. False

2. My cat scratches the furniture to:
A. Mark territory
B. All of these
C. Stretch muscles
D. Shed nail sheaths

3. What's the purpose in why my cat "kneads"?
A. A sign of being hungry
B. A sign of aggressiveness
C. A sign of affection
D. A sign of being unhappy

4. My cat leaves objects such as his/her toys in his/her food or water bowls just to drive me crazy.
A. True
B. False

5.Why does my cat suddenly bite me in an aggressive manner when I'm petting him/her?
A. My cat is mean
B. None of these
C. My cat doesn't like affection
D. My cat doesn't want to be petted anymore

6. My cat purrs only when he/she is happy and relaxed.
A. True
B. False

7. Is it normal for my cat to exhibit body movements during sleep?
A. Yes
B. No

8.Why does my cat insist on playing and ransacking the house after I have gone to bed?
A. My cat wants me to get up
B. My cat is a nocturnal creature
C. My cat likes to annoy me
D. None of these

9. Why does my cat scratch the floor around his/her food and water bowls after eating as if to cover it up?
A. To hide it
B. Doesn't like its location
C. It smells bad
D. None of these

10. Why does my indoor cat attack me or my other indoor cat(s) when he/she sees an unknown cat outdoors?
A. My cat is most likely showing he/she is in control
B. My cat is most likely showing displaced fear
C. My cat thinks of me or my other cat(s) as prey
D. My cat is most likely showing displaced aggression

Answers

1. B 2. B 3. C 4. B 5. D
6. B 7. A 8. B 9. A 10. D

An animal that has trouble going up or down the stairs, can't jump up on the furniture, and / or seems to be in constant pain may have a back problem

Disk problems are the most common back problems in dogs. The disk functions as a shock absorber between the vertebrae, commonly known as the bones of the back.

When these disks are injured or degenerate, they put pressure on the nerves, creating a "pinched nerve." Aside from a pinched nerve, the injury can interfere with nerve impulses that are sent down the spinal cord. Without a complete functioning nervous system, advanced cases can cause a wobbly gait, leading to paralysis in the hind limbs.

Dogs with short legs and long bodies are most affected by disk problems. Commonly affected breeds include dachshunds and basset hounds.

Basset Hound

Dachshund

Early detection is very important in the treatment of back problems. As soon as a problem is noticed, strict rest is recommended. Unlike humans, dogs don't lie on their backs and certainly don't do very well in traction. Strict rest, and particularly no jumping, is best for the animal.

In more pronounced cases, your veterinarian may recommend surgery in order to remove the affected disk. Back surgery is generally pretty expensive and there are risks that go with it. Back surgery is generally performed by a surgeon / specialist at a referral veterinary hospital.

The earlier the surgical procedure is done, the higher its success rate. Back injuries in dogs are like spinal cord injuries in people. Once paralysis sets in, the success rate declines rapidly, and some veterinarians elect not to take their patients to surgery.

Early detection and a veterinary examination are essential for quick recovery from a back injury. Depending upon the severity of the injury, most dogs recover quite well with medication, rest and lots of TLC. Dogs that have more complicated injuries may be candidates for more complicated back surgery.

Owners who want to better understand their canine companions must recognize that dogs see the world from a different visual perspective. The differences begin with the structure of the eye. We have a good idea what dogs see because we know the make-up of the retina of a dog’s eye.

The retina is the light sensitive portion of the eye. This structure is located in the back of the inside of the eyeball. The retina contains two types of light sensitive cells: rods and cones. Cones provide color perception and detailed sight, while rods detect motion and vision in dim light. Dogs have rod-dominated retinas that allow them to see well in the dark. Along with superior night vision, dogs have better motion visibility than humans have. However, because their retinas’ contain only about one-tenth the concentration of cones that humans have, dogs do not see colors as humans do.

Dogs see like a color-blind human. Many people think that a person who is red/green color blind cannot see any color, but there are variations of color blindness. Most people have vision that is trichromatic (three-color variations). People who are red/green color blind are dichromatic (two color variations). Dogs’ retinas can distinguish two colors. These colors are blue-violet and yellow. Dogs can also differentiate between shades of gray. Dogs are unable to recognize green, yellow, orange, and red.

Colors That Humans See

Colors That Dogs See

Dogs use other cues such as smell, texture, brightness, and position rather than relying solely on color. Seeing-eye dogs, for example, may not distinguish between a green or red stoplight; they look at the brightness and position of the light. This, along with the flow and noise of traffic, tell the dog that it is the right time to cross the street.

How a dog’s eyes are set determines the field of view as well as depth perception. Prey species tend to have eyes located on the sides of their head. This gives the animals an increased field of view and allows them to see approaching predators. Predator species, like humans and dogs, have eyes set close together. Human eyes are set straight forward while dog eyes, depending on the breed, are usually set at a 20 degree angle. This angle increases the field of view and therefore increases the peripheral vision of the dog.

Increased peripheral vision compromises the amount of binocular vision. Binocular vision occurs where the field of view of each eye overlaps. Binocular vision is necessary for depth perception. The wider-set eyes of dogs have less overlap and less binocular vision, thus, less depth perception). Dogs’ depth perception is best when they look straight ahead. This is not an ideal situation, as their nose often interferes. Predators need binocular vision as a survival tool. Binocular vision aids in jumping, leaping, catching, and many other activities fundamental to predators.

In addition to having less binocular vision than humans have, dogs also have less visual acuity. Humans with perfect eyesight are said to have 20/20 vision. This means that we can distinguish letters or objects at a distance of 20 feet. Dogs typically have 20/75 vision. What this means is that they must be 20 feet from an object to see it as well as a human standing 75 feet away. Certain breeds have better visual acuity. Labradors, commonly used as seeing-eye dogs, are bred for better eyesight and may have vision that is closer to 20/20.

If you’re silently standing across the field from your dog, don’t expect him or her to recognize you. He’ll recognize you when you do some sort of motion particular to yourself. He may also recognize your presence by his outstanding sense of smell and/or hearing. Because of the large number of rods in the retina, dogs see moving objects much better than they see stationary objects. Motion sensitivity has been noted as the critical aspect of canine vision. Much of dog behavior deals with posture and appropriateness. Small changes in your body posture mean a lot to your dog. Dog owners need to modify training based on this fact. If you want your dog to perform an action based on a silent cue, we suggest using a wide sweeping hand and arm motion in order to cue your dog.

When dogs go blind, owners often wonder if the dogs’ quality of life has diminished to the point where they are no longer happy. Humans deal well with being blind, and humans are much more dependent on their eyes than are dogs. Blind dogs lead happy lives as long as they are comfortable. The owner may need to make some adjustments in the pet’s environment. Some of these adjustments include fencing the yard, taking leashed walks, and not leaving unusual objects in the dog’s normal pathways. Obviously, most blind dogs cannot navigate stairs very well. When blind dogs are in their normal environment, most people don’t know they are blind.