Are You a Responsible Pet Owner?

Providing for your pets' physical needs and caring for them with love and commitment are the first requirements of responsible pet owners. But these are not the only requirements. Pet caregivers cannot reasonably or responsibly ignore the impact their animals can have on neighbors. This is especially true of those living in multifamily rental properties. Here are a few common-sense rules to keep your neighbors happy—and your pet safe.

Responsible Pet Owners:

• Clean up after their pets and dispose of the waste in a sanitary manner
• Keep their dogs on leashes at all times when outside the home
• Help their cats stay safe and live longer by keeping them indoors and away from situations where they could become nuisances
• Ensure that their dogs or cats are licensed and outfitted with visible identification at all times.
• Obey local animal nuisance laws (which generally define "excessive noise" by any animal as continuous or incessant for a period of ten minutes, or intermittently for one-half hour, to the disturbance of any person at any time of the day or night)
• Spay or neuter their dog, cat, rabbit, or ferret to improve the health and behavior of the animal and to prevent their animal from adding to the problem of pet overpopulation
• Maintain an active flea-and-tick control program so these pests won't spread to neighboring units, the common areas of a building, or public parks
• Keep pet portfolios that include proof of licensing, proof of spay or neuter, current records of vaccinations and veterinary care, dog training school diplomas, references from previous landlords, and information on pet first aid and nearby emergency veterinary clinics
• Maintain a pet emergency kit that includes an emergency plan and supplies in the event the home must be quickly evacuated because of a disaster.

Feeding pet rabbits

Hay
Timothy or other grass hay should be available at all times for your pet. The fiber in the hay promotes normal digestion and prevents hairballs. Hay also contains proteins and other essential nutrients. Loose, long strands of hay, are better than pressed cubes or chopped hay. Avoid alfalfa hay, particularly if it is being used along with pellets (which are already high in alfalfa), because it may provide too much calcium and carbohydrate.

Fresh food
A minimum of 1 heaping cup of fresh food per 5 pounds of body weight should be given daily. Fresh food provides the high amount of fiber needed for good digestive tract function, but it is low in many nutrients. Rabbits must therefore have hay and, possibly, pellets as well as greens in the diet! You may give up to 4 cups/5 lbs. daily only if your pet is eating hay in addition to the greens. Try to feed at least 3 different types of greens daily. Feeding just one type of green food may lead to nutrient imbalances. If your pet has not been getting fresh foods, start out gradually with the green leafy veggies and add a new food item every 3-5 days. If the addition of any item leads to diarrhea or unformed stools that persists for more than 48 hours, then remove it from the diet.

Fresh food items you can feed your pet are: Carrot tops, beet tops, dandelion greens and flowers (no pesticides), kale, collard greens, escarole, romaine lettuce, (don't give light-colored leaf lettuce or iceberg lettuce), endive, Swiss chard, parsley, clover, cabbage, broccoli, carrot, green peppers, pea pods (the flat edible kind), Brussels sprouts, basil, peppermint leaves, raspberry leaves, raddichio, bok choy and spinach.

Rabbit pellets
Buy pellets that contain at least 18% fiber. Purchase pellets in small quantities and keep them refrigerated or cool to prevent spoilage. Old, rancid pellets can cause a rabbit to stop eating. Rabbit pellets are a good source for many nutrients, but contain high amounts of carbohydrate and calcium with relatively little fiber. If fed in unlimited amounts, serious health problems and obesity may result.

Rabbits up to 8 months of age can have access to pellets free choice, because they are still growing rapidly. However, after 8 months of age they should receive the following maintenance diet: 2-4 LB of body weight - 1/8 cup daily, 5-7 LB of body weight - 1/4 cup daily, 8-10 LB of body weight - 1/2 cup daily, 11-15 LB of body weight - 3/4 cup daily. DO NOT REFILL THE BOWL even if the pellets are eaten before the next day! Feeding unlimited amounts can lead to obesity and serious health problems resulting from the high calcium and carbohydrate and low fiber content in pelleted foods.

Treat foods
- Limit your rabbit to no more than 1 heaping tablespoon per 4 lbs. of body weight each day of treat foods. Strawberries, papaya, pineapple, apple, pear, melon, raspberries, blueberries, apple pear, mango, cactus fruit, persimmon, peach, pear, tomato, or dried fruits may be used as treats. Avoid salty or sugary snacks, nuts, chocolate, bread, breakfast cereals, and grains (including oatmeal, and fresh or dried corn) which often cause intestinal upset.

Water, vitamins and minerals
Water should always be available, in either a water bottle or heavy, tip-resistant bowl. Water containers should be washed and refilled daily to prevent bacterial contamination that could make your bunny sick. Vitamins and salt/mineral blocks are not necessary if the rabbit is getting pellets, hay and fresh foods in the diet. In fact, the indiscriminate use of vitamins may lead to overdosage and serious disease.

Night droppings
Several times a day, usually about 4-6 hours after eating, you may observe your pet licking the anal area and actually eating some of the droppings in the process. These special droppings are called "cecotropes." Cecotropes are formed, but softer, greener, and have a stronger odor than the normal hard, dry, round waste droppings. They contain vital nutrients that are not well absorbed by the large intestine. Eating the cecotropes allows the rabbit to extract the nutrients. This habit may appear distasteful, but it is normal and important for your pet. Occasionally a rabbit will drop these cecal pellets along with the waste pellets instead of eating them. This is not diarrhea, and if it only occurs occasionally, it is not considered a problem. Some overweight rabbits can't reach their anal area to eat the cecotropes, may leave a lot of them in the cage.

Expecting kittens

* Early on, there are few outward signs of pregnancy.
* The cat may adopt a more serene disposition.
* Sensible nesting activity begins.

Pregnancy in cats lasts about nine weeks, but during the first half of that time a typical expectant cat gives few clues that she is pregnant. She hunts, rests, and generally behaves normally.

Under the influence of progesterone, the hormone of pregnancy, and with an ever increasing weight in her abdomen, she soon moderates her behavior, gradually reducing her activity level and resting more.

Is my cat pregnant?
If you think your cat might be pregnant, the first check her nipples. These become more prominent and pinker by three weeks of gestation. By four to five weeks after conception, your vet will be able to feel golf-ball sized swellings in her abdomen. At this time the developing fetuses are usually quite easy to count. Shortly afterward, her belly becomes a visibly enlarged.

Multiple fathers
Unplanned breeding of pedigree females by both pedigree and non-pedigree males, producing litters of both purebred and crossbred kittens, confirmed what breeders had long expected: a litter may be sired by several males. This could have a survival potential for the offspring.

In large cats, such as the lion, when a new male takes over a pride, it is not uncommon for him to kill all cubs sired by the previous dominant male.

The frequency of infanticide in domestic cats is unknown, but at least one highly respected world authority, zoologist David MacDonald of Oxford University, England, has observed a strange male cat enter a communal nest among bales of hay and kill six kittens belonging to three mothers before the cries of the survivors brought the mothers running back.

Risks during pregnancy
The greatest risk to unborn kittens occurs during the first three weeks of development in the womb. Both drugs and infections might seriously impair healthy development. If, for example, the mother is exposed to feline infectious enteritis (FIE, or panleukopenia) at this time, the surviving kittens will be born with severe brain damage. Even exposure to live panleukopenia vaccine is dangerous. Cats should be vaccinated before they are pregnant, to increase the amount of passive protection they pass in the first milk to their kittens.

Never vaccinate pregnant cats to increase the level of inherited protection. Never vaccinate other cats in the household of a pregnant cat. Live vaccine virus can be shed by vaccinated cats and affect the pregnant cat’s fetuses.

Pregnancy and hormones
During pregnancy, the production of progesterone rapidly increases, peaking at around the 35th day after conception. This induces the more serene disposition of pregnancy. At the same time, the belly starts becoming visibly more rotund.

Pregnancy can be as short as 57 days or as long as 70 days, but a few days before birth the female becomes restless and searches out her chosen shelter.

She rearranges her bedding material and spends increasing amounts of time in her chosen nest. This impregnates the region with her own scent, something that will eventually help her kittens orient themselves toward home.

As birth approaches, the mother loses her appetite and restlessly paces in the nest until contractions begin.

Pregnancy checklist
1. Do not even think of breeding from your cat unless you know you can find homes for the resulting litter.
2. Do not breed from your cat until she is emotionally as well as physically mature.
3. Ensure that your cat is well nourished during pregnancy, and especially after, during her period of milk production.
4. Test your cat and the proposed father, to ensure they are not carriers of viral diseases such as FIV or FeLV.
5. Do not let your cat "follow nature’s course" and breed with a feral tom. Feral toms are excellent breeders. They are also the most likely source of life-threatening infections such as FIV, FeLV, and feline infectious peritonitis (FIP)

Cats do not become visibly pregnant until after about five weeks. Shortly before this time, your vet will be able to tell you how large the litter will be.

A few days before birth, a pregnant cat will begin looking for a good nest, which she will scent-mark. This will help her newborns recognize home.

Why Your Cat Sucks on Wool

Sucking, and wool sucking in particular, is a common behaviour in cats. While the causes are unknown, it is most often seen in Siamese or Burmese cats, suggesting that there may be a genetic basis to this behaviour.

A possible cause may be suckling deprivation as a kitten. Most cats in the wild will normally suckle for six months or more, unlike domesticated cats that are weaned from their mothers by two months of age. It is thought that some cats will suck on inanimate objects such as wool, blankets, or other objects in order to compensate for this reduced amount of suckling.

Punishment is ineffective. The only effective treatment so far for stopping suckling of inanimate objects is to apply noxious-tasting substances such as cologne, pepper sauce or a commercial repellant (e.g. Variton spray, available from your veterinarian) to these objects. Initially, only a few "treated" objects should be made available to your cat. Once your cat has learned that these objects have an unpleasant taste to them, other "untreated" objects can be sprayed with a noxious substance and left lying accessible to your cat. Eventually, your cat will learn to stop this behaviour. If the behaviour persists, you should consult your veterinarian for further advice