Showing posts with label Cat and Dog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cat and Dog. Show all posts

Wednesday, 27 December 2023

American families dump pets as costs surge

NEWS AND COMMENT: Although some shelters have quite definitely gone against the grain in terms of having too many cats and dogs to rehome [check out the empty shelter], in general, The Times reports that US families are dumping pets as the cost to keep them has become untenable. This is mainly due to inflation and lack of proper long-term budgeting, I believe.


The Times reports that American animal shelters are at their most overcrowded in years. The reason? Fears over the economy. And the end of boom times when many dogs and cats were adopted during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

I feel (I hope not harshly) that many people adopted dogs and cats who shouldn't have. This was impulse adoption without really doing due diligence to figure out the costs and even more importantly to check out the health of the animal that they were adopted. 

That last point particularly applies to the French Bulldog which is one breed which is being dumped on shelters faster than many other breeds. Clearly the owners have found out how expensive they can be to take care of.


However, many adoptions were carried out responsibly. Many people relinquishing their companion animals have lived with them for a long time. It's be tough for some to consider relinquishing their pets.

However, according to the Shelter Animals Count, there are an estimated 250,000 more companion animals in shelters this Christmas then there were over the same period last year.

And it appears that many if not most kennel operators say that they are in crisis. Their facilities were already overcrowded before the Christmas festivities.

As mentioned there was a sharp rise in pet ownership during the pandemic. One in five households in America had a companion animal according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

There are fears over the economy in America and the rising cost of living. The cost of owning a pet is out of reach for many. They decided to abandon their animals.

Kim Alboum, of the Bissell Pet Foundation, an animal welfare organisation, said that "The economy right now is really challenging for a lot of families. And with the housing crisis, people are losing their homes and our having to downsize or move in with others. And this is a recipe for disaster for people that have larger dogs."

The Times reports that shelters are experiencing a big influx of puppies in particular including those of the French Bulldog breed as mentioned. There's been a period of inflation recently in America resulting in vets and pet product businesses raising their prices making it even more expensive to be a pet owner.

I'm told that veterinary prices jumped by 9% from November 2022-November 2023 according to the Bureau of Labour Statistics. Pet food costs rose by 5.6% over the same period.

Sarah Barnett runs an animal shelter in Philadelphia. She says that she has seen hard economic times which has challenged pet owners financially.

She said that people are losing their jobs have to decide between putting food on their table or feeding their companion animal. They've been left with few options.

Obviously, many people giving up their companion animals have had a very long term and good relationships with them. And I agree with Sarah Barnett in that not all people self-indulgently adopted cats and dogs during the pandemic. 

Lesson?


The story really highlights a very valuable point namely that looking after a companion animal properly is expensive. You can't do it properly on a shoestring. Perhaps the first stage in the adoption process is to check your budget, work out the maths, and make sure you maximise the chances that you can and will be able to afford to look after your new friend to a good standard for the remainder of their lives.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

Tuesday, 15 August 2023

Can a cat yawn cause a contagious yawn in a dog?

Here is a video of a cat yawn leading to their dog companion yawning due to the contagious nature of this form of behaviour. Yawning contagion crosses the species barrier.

Cat yawn is contagious to their dog buddy
Cat yawn is contagious to their dog buddy. Screenshot.

RELATED: Is yawning contagious to cats?

Cats can cause a dog to yawn when they yawn. It's called contagious yawning and it is likely that you have heard about it. And, interestingly, contagious yawning also affects dogs when their owner yawns. The point probably is that if the dog is in a close relationship with a sentient being - normally another dog or a cat or a human - who yawns, then they are likely to yawn as well.

The University of Tokyo did a study and they found that just over half the dogs monitored yawned after watching their owners yawn. When the dogs watched a stranger yawning the contagion from those people to the dog was about half as powerful and they yawned about half is frequently.

And in the video below, we see a cat and dog who are very good friends. They are on Instagram (link). The dog is said to be a bit nervous and the cat is said to help calm the dog down. They are good buddies and the contagion effect is going to be much stronger from cat to dog under those circumstances.

Separately, in another study from the University of Portugal, they found that 12 of 29 dogs yawned when they heard a recording of their owners yawning. Powerful stuff.

You will find other studies on this topic. They've all come to the same conclusion that human yawning is contagious to dogs. I have extrapolated that information to strongly argue that cat yawning is also contagious to dogs if there is a close relationship between the two.

And the video on this page confirms it. I know that there is a possibility that the dog is simply yawning but it looks very much like contagious yawning to me.

Did you know that when lions wake up, they yawn to coordinate their movements?

Monday, 3 July 2023

Is this play-fighting between a dog and cat safe?

The caregiver videoed their cat and dog play-fighting as they wanted to ask social media users if it was safe. I presume 'safe' for the smaller partner, the cat. And it think it is perfectly safe as dogs often 'mock bite'. They can bite very gently employing a 'pseudo-bite'. I've seen dogs carry young kittens in their mouths when nursing them as a surrogate mom.

Is this Safe Play with Dog Sister?
by u/Gartschool in cats

The owner says: Hey all, Apollo is my first ever cat, so I’m not super versed on what are safe interactions with his sister. Both are young, he’s only 6 1/2 months and she’s about 11 months. They play a lot, and most of the time he doesn’t run from her, he stands and holds his ground. We always correct and are training her to leave him be when told to, but we do want them to be best buds as they grow together. He does meow and ‘hunts’ her, I’m always trying to watch his body language but this video is a common way they play. I worry when she ‘pins’ him, but he doesn’t usually run away when I move her arm off him. Any advice would be greatly appreciated :)


The 'sister' is the dog. Not the real sister! For me the dog plays more gently than many cats that I have seen in videos. 

When dogs and cats play, they have to use their mouths which is why they constantly bite each other but they are not genuine bites; just pseudo-bites. 

They haven't got hands to grab with. When humans play rough, they use their hands. Cats and dogs have to use their mouths to achieve a similar result.

Tuesday, 20 June 2023

Dogs can be better cat rescuers than humans sometimes

This is a little story from social media which tells us that dogs can sometimes be better cat rescuers than humans (or sort of). But they always need human help.

I think the story is told by a woman but I am unsure. She was walking with her dog who became interested in something under a bush. She pushed him to come with her but "he continued going back to that bush and looking under it".

Dogs can be better cat rescuers than humans sometimes
Dogs can be better cat rescuers than humans sometimes. The bonded pair. Image: the story's narrator who is anonymous.

She went to look under the bush too and saw a young kitten in a desperate state. She was dying, covered in fleas and skin and bone.

The woman took the kitten home and cared for her.

"We took it home. Took care of it and the kitten would not leave my dog out of sight. Since then, they sleep together. She adores her rescuer."

But for her dog the kitten would be dead. This kitten was saved by the dog but she needed human help to do some of the caring.

Friday, 29 July 2022

British police officer wanted to Taser a cat and dog

A group of three British Metropolitan Police officers, PC Jonathan Cobban, 35, PC William Neville, 34, and Joel Borders, 45, who has left the force, were recently in Westminster magistrates' court accused of sending "grossly racist, sexist, misogynistic" messages sometimes when on duty. 

The court was told that they indulged in rape fantasies of colleagues and vulnerable girls. PC Cobban, responded to Borders claim that he wanted to get "on guns so I can shoot some c***in the face!" by saying: "Me to. I want to Taser a cat and a dog to see which reacts better. Same with children. Zap zap you little f***ers."

Met police
Met police. Image: Pixabay.

People with Down's Syndrome were described as potential "target practice". There were separate homophobic slurs. They had these conversations on WhatsApp and part of that group was PC Wayne Couzens who is notorious for his abduction, rape and murder of Everard, 33, in March 2020 which led to his conviction and a whole-life sentence. He committed that crime while a serving police officer. It was the grossest breach of trust imaginable and his sentence is appropriate.

The three deny sending grossly offensive messages between April and August 2019. They say it was dark humour and in bad taste. Their defense lawyer said the comments did not reach the legal standard of "grossly offensive".

However, what caught my eye in this story, reported in The Times today, Friday, July 29, 2022, is that one of this trio of Metropolitan police officers was very keen to Taser a cat to see what happened. That is the kind of person that occasionally ends up being a police officer in the UK.

I must say, that my personal experience in dealing with the Metropolitan police is very poor. I have zero trust of them and I find them either very unhelpful or their behaviour is objectionable. Only about 5% of crime is detected in the UK with, as I understand it, an even smaller percent of those arrested being convicted and punished. The statistics are appallingly poor indicating a Metropolitan police force which is simply not functioning and certainly not protecting the public. 

About 1.6% of rapists are convicted! Almost zero. And clearly in this instance the police officers had no concept of animal welfare or acting morally. It is shocking. A sizeable percentage of the British public have given up on the police are feel alone and unprotected.

Thursday, 30 June 2022

Dog cat lovers in big bite embrace

Dog cat lovers in big bite embrace
Dog cat lovers in big bite embrace

I think that the title sums up the video quite nicely. These two are "lovers". That is the best description I can give them. The cat is entirely in the mouth of the dog. Of course, the dog is not biting but it's an amazing love bite! And the cat is reciprocating with her version of the love bite as well. Very cute video and another example of how dogs and cats can form incredibly close relationships as good as anything between humans and between cats and other cats.

Monday, 6 June 2022

Why you should never judge until you have all the facts!


This is a clever little Facebook video (below) which reminds us that you should never judge something until you have all the facts. Or, to put it another way, don't make assumptions on what you see. There is a third saying: "Never judge a book by its cover!" Wait 'til the very end and the message will be revealed.

@crsie1

♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys - Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey
Note: This is an embedded video from another website. Sometimes they are deleted at source or the video is turned into a link which would stop it working here. I have no control over this.

Saturday, 21 August 2021

Cat becomes best friends with a neighbour's dog

This is a cute video of a cat who made friends with a neighbour's and enjoys meeting. Cats being friends with a dog is uncommon. It is probably relatively rare for a neighbouring cat and dog to become very friendly with each other. Jeffrey is very keen on the little dog. He pushes through the door until his caregiver assists. Nearly all ginger cats are male because the "O" gene signalling the creation of this colour is sex linked.

Note
: This is a video from another website. Sometimes they are deleted at source which stops them working on this site. If that has happened, I apologise but I have no control over it.

Friday, 4 June 2021

Pug meowed which confused cat companion

The caption states: "Occurred on May 17, 2021 - Australia: The video is of my little pug puppy, Layla. She is fascinated by the cat Oscar. She was barking at him and getting no response, she then meowed at him and Oscar quickly turned to look at him like wtf?"

Screenshot.

Comment: the pug does not meow! It is just the tailing-off sound of a bark. It seems the dog is almost yawning at the same time which modifies the vocalisation. And the cat is not responding to the sound but the presence of their dog companion. I think they are friends to a certain extent but the cat does not look that pleased! It is nice little vignette of life between dog and cat though.

Note: these sorts of video stop working over time because they are deleted on the website where they are held which is not this website. I can't control this. If it has disappeared, sorry.


Saturday, 29 May 2021

'Sneaky' stray cat tries to 'steal' dog's food. Sad video.

This, for me, is a sad video. It appears to be in a country other than in the West but I could be mistaken. The dog is tied up with a chain and clearly lives outside the home in his dog kennel and provides security to the family. An incredibly unfulfilling life of great restrictions and limitations. It is cruel in my book. This sort of human-animal relationship is over. Humans can do better. It requires education. Ignorance is a huge ball-and-chain on humanity's progress.

Stray cat tries to steal dog's food
Stray cat tries to steal dog's food. Screenshot.


The cat is a stray and hungry and so tries to "steal" the dog's food without success because the dog wakes up and chases the cat away, which may be a good outcome because dog food is not good for cats. It's okay on a one-off basis but eaten regularly it would lack sufficient nutrients for a cat. The cat would become ill eventually.

I hate to see dogs tied up like this. It is banned in some countries because it is inherently cruel. It is the product of human ignorance and insensitivity towards animal welfare. Further, stray cats are also a product of human failure. 



There should be no stray cats in an ideal world. In a better world this dog would be living in the home he is meant to protect and the cat would be living with him, cuddling up and enjoying his life. What we see in this video is a symptom of human failure.

Note: This is a video from another website. Sometimes they are deleted at source which stops them working on this site. If that has happened, I apologise but I have no control over it.

Monday, 1 March 2021

Young confident cat cures elderly dog of separation anxiety

This is a beautiful picture of a young, confident cat, Pete, lying next to an elderly dog, Lucy, who suffered (past tense!) from separation anxiety when Joe's job took him away from the family home for long periods. Jo's wife, Lindsey, was at her wits end because Lucy's separation anxiety was acute. As soon as Joe packed his suitcase she'd start whimpering and when he left she wouldn't get out of bed.

She wouldn't go to the bathroom and everything she tried to assuage her separation anxiety failed. Her children, aged 3 and 6, wanted a new pet anyway, and I suppose this encouraged her to try that route. She decided to adopt a young cat rather than another dog as a companion for Lucy and made enquiries at a Pennsylvanian animal shelter called Forever Home Animal Rescue.

Young confident cat cures elderly dog of separation anxiety
Young confident cat cures elderly dog of separation anxiety. Picture: Lindsey Getz.

They were 'advertising' Pete on their website, I presume, describing him as laid back with a really easy-going temperament. An ideal cat she thought although you can never be sure that it is going to work out when you introduce a new companion animal to a home where there is a resident companion animal. Interspecies relationships are more problematic as well.

She shouldn't have been worried because Pete was very well socialised to dogs and that factor in combination with his confident and laid-back nature leapfrogged all the barriers that could have been presented. On the day he was brought home from the rescue center he was lying next to Lucy in the evening cuddling up.

Initially he was a bit fearful and hid for a day or two but Pete quickly became friends with the kids and importantly with Lucy. Lucy had a companion, a substitute to Joe, and Pete was looking after Lucy. Her separation anxiety faded. It is still there but to a much lesser extent. It is almost a cure and of course Lindsey is delighted because she has resolved what she no doubt saw as a major problem in her life.

She says that her life has been transformed for the better in solving Lucy's separation anxiety and in addition, both the lives of Lucy and of course of Pete have also been transformed. And Joe doesn't have to worry any more about Lucy being troubled with his departures. He can do his job without being concerned about Lucy's anxieties. Perhaps that makes him feel better as well because no doubt when you love your companion animals if your behaviour causes anxieties in them it will cause anxiety in you as well.

The lesson is that sometimes taking a chance on introducing a cat into a home where a dog suffers from anxieties of this nature can be hugely beneficial to both animals and to their owners.

Note: this story is from 2016 but it counts as it is educational as well as beautiful.

Tuesday, 29 September 2020

Is this lion greeting the dog or asking for forgiveness?

A funny bloke on YouTube said that the lion was "taste testing!". It made me laugh. The video maker said that this white lion is asking his dog companion for forgiveness. He picks up the dog's right leg and it is almost as if he kisses the paw. It is a very gentle and friendly act. You will find nothing on this type of lion behaviour in the best books on the wild cat species so we have to work it out for ourselves.
 

In my opinion the lion is not asking for forgiveness. He is simply greeting the dog in a friendly manner. It's almost like handshaking and it practically mimics the handshake of humans (but not during the corona virus pandemic!). There may be an element of reinforcing friendship in the greeting which is what friendly greetings are all about anyway. 

Immediately after the "handshake" the dog turns and leads the way. The lion follows. Perhaps the dog is the leader in this super duo? This is my interpretation. There is one thing certain: they are very close emotionally. They have formed an incredibly strong bond which clearly indicates that they were raised together and have lived side by side since they were toddlers to use language designed for people.

Emotions and self-awareness

The act of asking for forgiveness requires that the non-human animal or human animal (human) asking knows that they're done something wrong. The way that they know they have done something wrong is by measuring their behaviour against some standard or norm. Those standards and norms come from society in the human world. Can dogs and lions have their own standards and norms that relate to a friendship like this? I would doubt it. 

Also the act of forgiveness probably also requires the ability to be self-aware. You have to be able to look at yourself from outside yourself, objectively. It's as if you are measuring your behaviour against some standard and this requires self-awareness. There are doubts, considerable doubts, as to whether cats can be self-aware. There are also doubts about the higher emotions in domestic and wild cats. Forgiveness is born out of a feeling of guilt and perhaps shame. These are higher emotions. I would doubt that the lion feels these emotions. This is not to in any way denigrate this beautiful relationship and the tender behaviour of this fantastic looking lion. I'm just trying to look at it realistically.

Friendship

It is well known that cats make friends with other cats and have interspecies friendships with, for example, dogs. Cats have friendly greetings like the tail-up position and the nose touch. Friendship is based upon affection and affection is an emotion which most people agree cats can experience. Of course dogs make friends with other dogs and their owners as well. These thoughts support my assessment that what we see in the video is a very friendly greeting which may have been trained into the lion and the dog by their owner. We don't know.

Monday, 4 July 2011

Siamese Cat and Dog

Photograph by meknits (Flickr)

What you probably want to see is a nice picture of a Siamese cat cuddled up to a large or small dog. Well you can see those on the internet because there are lots of cats and dogs that are great friends. One heads the page. Or you might want to see a video of a Siamese cat and a dog. Well I have that:



What is interesting about the video is that the cat is genuinely annoyed and defensive so he or she would have claws out when slapping like this. As this is not hurting the dog, the cat must be declawed. I hate declawing by the way.

Moving on -- the following picture is unusual and I like it a lot.  The Siamese cat is looking over the fence at the dog. This Siamese cat lives with dogs so is not frightened but curious about his or her neighbor's dog.

Siamese cat and dog
Siamese cat and dog - Photo: by Tobyotter

Enjoy! See also cats with dogs or dogs with cats. The linked page shows lots of photos of dogs loving cats and cats loving and licking dogs.

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