Pedigree Cats

Most people buy pedigree kittens from cat breeders who usually breed a specific breed of cats. For example, if you wish to obtain a pedigree Siamese kitten, you should find a breeder who specializes in that breed. Usually these breeders are people who professionally breed cats to sell and/or show. They are very proud and knowledgeable about the breed they specialize in.

Once you have determined that you want a cat that has a pedigree, you need to find someone who breeds that type of cat. Ideally, you should get a breeder's name from someone who has already purchased a kitten from them. In this way, you can see the type of cat the breeder sells and determine if it meets your requirements. If you do not know anyone with the type of cat you wish to buy, then you can look in the pet section of your local newspaper to see if anyone local is selling this type of cat. You can also check with your local veterinarian as they usually have personal knowledge of all local cat and dog breeders.

Many cat magazines have listings of breeders near the back of the magazine. Or, you can call national organizations for listings of registered breeders. Another source is the Internet. For example a query of “siamese kittens for sale” performed on May 8, 2010, resulted in 163,000 responses from all over the world, so you should probably add some additional qualifications to your query to narrow down the number of responses, such as “toronto siamese kittens for sale” which resulted in 8010 responses which is still a large number, but a little more manageable.

Many professional breeders will usually have a range of ages of kittens for sale, from six weeks to six months old. Kittens under three months of age are the most popular, and you can expect to pay several hundred dollars for a quality pedigree kitten. Cat rescue groups and your local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) could also have kittens, but usually their pedigree is questionable, unless they were seized from a registered breeder.

You want to make sure that the breeder you choose is registered with a national cat registry and has been breeding cats for at least five years. (This ensures that their business and the lineage of their kittens is solid.) They should be able to give you a certificate of pedigree with the kitten to prove it's a purebred animal.

Find out if the breeder offers a written guarantee about the kitten's health. Also make sure they will give you a refund or exchange if the kitten develops a disease or genetic problem within the first six months to a year. Reputable breeders are more than happy to meet these conditions. If they are reluctant, or refuse, you do not want to do business with them - find another breeder.

Some pet stores sell pedigree kittens, although most are likely to only carry non-pedigree kittens. Most pet store kittens are young, usually under 12 weeks of age. They are often kept together in a pen or crate, which is great for display purposes, but not so great if one of the kittens becomes ill, because then all of the kittens would be exposed to that illness. Pet store kittens are often placed in the main area of the store. This is so people can get close to the kittens and even hold them if they want. Although this is a bit risky, it does socialize the kittens at an early age, which is a desirable thing.

If you are interested in a pet store kitten, try to find out how the store got the animals - from a breeder, pet wholesaler, or maybe just a neighbourhood family looking to place a litter from their cat. The source of the kittens matters, because it should be reflected in the price the store is charging for the kittens. Prices at pet stores can range from about fifty dollars to several hundred dollars for a pedigree kitten. (Again the actual pedigree of the animal is questionable because many pet stores do not provide a certificate of pedigree with the kitten.)

Whatever method you use to locate a pedigree kitten, if you do thorough research, you will find a great kitten which will give you many years of faithful companionship.

Until next time,

Teia

Choosing The Right Pet For You

Most individuals have an idea just what type of pet they want; however, the maintenance of a pet can cause some concern. Knowing how to choose the pet you want may be easy. You may have had several pets as a child and know you need a companion for your own home, or you may have always wanted a pet but been told you could not have one. Whatever the case, you need to take into consideration some key points about pet care when deciding what pet is right for you.

First, some pets take more care than others. Dogs are very needy animals. They are very sensitive toward their owners. You have probably heard of dogs tearing up a house when left alone all day. Dogs can get bored even when they have other dog companions and toys. They need human interaction. Most dog owners take their dogs out for a walk before work and after work for exercise and play time. Other owners, who work outside, will often let their dogs come to work with them to keep the dog(s) out of trouble. Cats, on the other hand, can amuse themselves and as long as you put your valuables on a shelf they cannot reach and keep a clean house, they will sleep, look out windows and play with toys while you are away. Fish are another type of pet that is typically low maintenance except for cleaning the fish tank, which can be quite a job if it hasn‘t been done for a while.

Pet care is very important when you own a pet. They need attention from their owners, positive reinforcement, training and love. Fish are usually excluded from this statement, as they just need food, proper tank maintenance and a few plants to sustain life. However, contrary to popular belief, fish if made a fuss of on a regular basis, also enjoy human interaction. Of course they don’t need training or being taken for a walk, but they do enjoy being talked to and having their owner peer through the glass at them and wiggle their fingers along the tank front. The point is, proper pet care is required when you own ANY pet. The decision will be yours to make in choosing what the right pet is for you. Above I mentioned three types of pets and a little about their care. Now we are going to look at it in a little more depth.

While dogs are high maintenance and require the most training, they are also one of the best pets to own. They can alert you to danger, alert you to someone at the door and give unconditional love to you. A dog only asks, in return, for proper care and a great deal of attention. If you cannot be home all the time, you will want to make sure the dog has a roof over its head in case of inclement weather and a huge yard to play in. Some dogs can jump six foot fences so it may be best to erect a dog run with a roof so it can move about, but not escape. Also remember that some dogs, if left alone in a yard, bark or howl incessantly, which will make the neighbours unhappy and could lead to you being charged with an offence under a noise bylaw. You may also find that the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) begins to visit frequently. And, if they are active in your area, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), which don’t always obey the law, could make your life a living hell. I’m not trying to scare you, but you should know all the possible things that must be considered when determining whether you want a pet and if you do, which one is best for you and your lifestyle.

Cats on the other hand can be high or low maintenance depending on the breed as well as their personality. Some cats require hours of people attention while others shirk attention. Some cats belong in a one pet household. They do not like to share their owner’s affections and will become upset and possibly mean toward a perceived invader. Others need a playmate’s attention to live happily. It will be hard to determine just which type of cat you own when you first obtain it as a kitten, because its personality is just developing.

Pet care is the most important factor to consider when you are deciding which pet is right for you and your home. For example, if you have very expensive furniture and carpet throughout your home, you may want to avoid dogs or cats as accidents or scratching or chewing of furniture will happen. Therefore, you will want to consider all the pet care needs of the animals you are looking at, as well as the breed you are looking at, to determine if they will have a happy place in your home and in your heart.

Until next time,

Teia

PS. Remember that getting a pet is a commitment to keeping them for their whole life. The Humane Societies in most towns and cities are overwhelmed by abandoned pets and frequently have to euthanize them to make room for new arrivals. I also recommend that you have your cat or dog, if you choose them as a pet, spayed or neutered. There are too many unwanted puppies and kittens being abandoned or taken to the Humane Society. Don’t think that you will be able to make a few dollars selling any kittens or puppies that your pet(s) may produce because by the time you pay for food, veterinarian bills, vaccinations, etc. the costs will be greater than the income. Being a profitable breeder is a full time job, not a sideline.

Unusual Pets: Raccoons

Raccoons are sometimes called masked bandits because of the black fur near their eyes, which resembles a bandit’s mask. Their fur is usually white, black, grey and brown. They can be found in major parts of North America and Europe. Their native habitats are deciduous and mixed forests. Ever adaptable, they have also learned to live very well in big cities. When mom and dad lived in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, they were awakened one night by a noise in the back yard. Quietly looking out the upstairs bedroom window, they discovered a mother Raccoon showing her three kits how to open a garbage can and sort through the garbage for tasty tidbits.

Raccoons have five long fingers on each limb, which help them in easily opening latches, boxes and jars. They can even open trash cans and turn knobs on doors. Their prints have a close resemblance to a human baby’s handprints. In the wild, Raccoon tracks are found mostly in mud near water, where they usually wander when searching for food. Their body weight can vary from six to thirty-five pounds and the length of their body can vary from twenty-four to thirty-six inches. Their bushy tail measures up to ten inches in length and has an alternate coloring of white and black. The black circle around their eyes makes them look mischievous and gives them the image of a thief. That is substantiated by the fact that they are often sighted in urban areas stealing human garbage or eating some pet animal’s food.

Raccoons are omnivorous and apart from eating nuts, berries, corn, mice and human garbage, they also eat fish, shellfish, salamanders, eggs, birds, frogs, insects and amphibians. They have a habit of appearing to wash their food before consuming it, but these same actions are seen when they do not have any water. The actions are believed to be a way of feeling the food, although no one has yet determined why the motions look like washing something. However, if water is available, they will soak their food in it, especially those who live in captivity. Pet Raccoons can also be fed cat food, as they enjoy it very much. A female Raccoon gives birth to two to five offspring at a time. Raccoons mate in January or February, followed by giving birth in April or May. They don’t hibernate in winter, but do become much less active.

Besides rabies, Raccoons can also be the carriers of parvovirus, canine distemper and roundworm. Nearly thirty-eight percent of cases of rabies, in the United States, are the result of Raccoon bites. However, only one human death has been recorded in the United States from rabies contracted from a rabid Raccoon. If any Raccoon is spotted in your neighbourhood during the day, contact the local health department or the SPCA immediately as you definitely do not want to take the chance that it is rabid. Raccoons seldom show signs of rabies, but their body fluids will have the virus if they are infected.

It is illegal to keep Raccoons as pets in the majority of states in the United States because they could be a carrier of rabies which could risk human life. In states where they are permitted, a special exotic pet permit should be obtained before getting a Raccoon as a pet. Orphan Raccoons which are rescued from the wild have a higher risk of being rabies carriers, and because they are wild animals they will be very difficult to tame. If you get a Raccoon as a pet, it should be vaccinated. Raccoons can be bought from special breeders who will make sure that the animal has its first vaccination and that it has been tamed.

Raccoons have a natural tendency to bite so be careful when handling them. When dad was a teenager, his father cut down a tree for firewood. They discovered a baby Racoon in a nest in a hole in the tree. The baby Raccoon was small enough to sit on the palm of dad’s hand, but full of snarling, biting fury. Dad wore heavy leather gloves to feed the little fellow. He kept him about two weeks, but instead of getting more friendly, the baby Racoon became more vicious. It was decided that the baby Raccoon should be taken out to the forest behind dad’s home and released. When the little fellow was let out of the box he had been kept in he stalked away snarling. Every few feet it would stop, turn around and glare at dad and snarl ferociously. Finally after the baby Raccoon had gone about 50 feet, it climbed a tree, snarling all the way until it disappeared in the heavy boughs. This experience made dad realize that wild Raccoons, even baby ones, would make very poor pets. They also may contaminate the food of other animals you have by urinating on it. Raccoons are nocturnal by nature, so they require a lot of time and hard work. With training, they can be made to sleep at night and stay awake during the day.

Raccoons held in captivity face health problems like obesity because they do not get enough exercise and they have a ready source of food. Because Raccoons are omnivorous, they should be fed a diet consisting of vegetables, raw eggs, raw meat and fruit. If you decide that you want a Raccoon as a pet, it is a lifelong commitment because captive Raccoons cannot be released into the wild. Once they have become domestic pets, they cannot survive in the wild. Dad was able to release the Raccoon he found into the wild because it had never been domesticated.

Until next time,

Teia