Pets are domestic animals kept for companionship and entertainment, as they are friendly and loyal. Pets include, among many others, birds, hamsters, and rabbits, but the most popular are definitely cats and dogs. It is easy to own a pet, but it is challenging to take care of it.
Once you own a pet, you have to know how to provide it with the special care it needs. Make sure to provide it with a dry, safe, and frequently cleaned place with adequate amount of healthy food and clean water to decrease the risk of diseases. It is also important to provide them access to a constant litter box to prevent them from contaminating their bedding; try not to change the box’s place frequently in order not to confuse them.
Health-wise, pets as cats and dogs can develop diabetes and kidney diseases. Diabetes can be controlled in pets as humans by certain medicines, well planned diet and exercise; unlike diabetes, kidney diseases, which are more common in cats than dogs, are incurable. When it comes to zoonotic diseases, which can be transmitted from animals to humans, vaccines play a crucial role in protecting the health of pets and consequently, that of their owners. Thus, you have to make a vaccine schedule by the recommendation of a trusted veterinarian.
Humans can be infected by a bite from an unvaccinated dog infected with rabies, which is one of the most serious zoonotic viruses, affecting the nervous system and becoming fatal if not treated properly. On the other hand, the most famous cat zoonotic disease is toxoplasmosis, caused by the Toxoplasma gondii parasite. It may be transmitted to humans by direct contact with an infected cat fecal matter only, not from the cat itself, causing miscarriage of pregnant women. Unfortunately, no vaccine is discovered for toxoplasmosis yet, but you can protect your cat by not feeding it raw or unwell cooked meat.
The most common pet disease is mange, which is caused by many types of mites and can transmit to human by direct contact with the infected pet. You can notice the infection of your pet when it intensively scratches, licks the infected parts of its body, and loses lots of hair. Ticks are common in pets as well; you can see them on dogs more than cats, because cats stay at home and are not walked like dogs, and they also clean themselves, which increases their ability to get rid of ticks on their own. Ticks are very dangerous, as they can easily transmit many diseases to your pet; once you notice any extraordinary behavior or any symptoms, take your pet to the veterinary clinic, but you need to be careful how you carry it.
As animals are unpredictable, you have to learn how to handle them properly; carrying a pet depends mainly on its breed, weight, and size. For example, the best way to carry a cat is to put your hand around its chest then raise it up; once its hind limbs leave the ground, support them by your other hand, never leaving them, then move the cat towards your chest, so that the cat feels safe and secured. On the other hand, it is not advised to scruff your cat by carrying it from the loose skin around the back of its neck as the mother carries her kittens, unless it is necessary. You can use the scruff method with a stray cat or an aggressive one; it will make it calmer properly through the releasing of a relaxing hormone. However, cats do not like this method as it hurts them, because the cat’s weight will be loaded on its neck, causing it pain, so make sure to support its hind limbs by your other hand to decrease this load.
While carrying quite a heavy dog, it is better to stand facing the dog’s side then start to wrap your arms around its body; one arm under its neck reaching the front leg and the other under the rump reaching the back leg. This method will not work with a very heavy dog so you must ask for someone’s help.
Dogs and cats are like kids; they love to play and to have their own toys. A healthy dog should be walked for at least half-an-hour a day, or spend time carrying out exercises. Owning a pet is more than just having an animal to play with; they are a responsibility to take with a loving heart and an educated mind.
References
wikihow.com
petmd.com
rspca.org.uk
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