Below, we are going to show you that there are efficient methods for successfully training cats and kittens just as there are for dogs. In addition to behaving well, a trained cat is more attuned to its owner, and the bond between cat and owner is usually enhanced.

The first thing to know is that cats and dogs have some fundamental differences when it comes to training. Basically, cats do not learn from any of the kinds of punishment or rebuke that one might see used with dogs. That is, cats often do not respond to commands unless they want to. The idea is to train or condition your cat to perform certain desired behaviors rather than to punish its unwanted behavior. For example, you cannot train a cat to stop meowing by punishing it. Instead, you would reward the silence that follows. Specifically, you would wait until the noise has stopped for at least three seconds, and then supply the cat some valued reward such as praise and/or a treat.

The ultimate goal of course is to wean your cat off of treats for rewarding and reinforcing good behavior, or it would become very fat and you would be spending a lot of money on treats! Fortunately, this process is natural and will not be difficult. Your cat will quickly learn to associate your behavior and certain sounds with good things. For example, the sound of you flipping open the top of a cat food can or shaking a container of treats will tell it that good food is coming up for it, and your cat will come running to you. For cat training, this means you can reinforce any specific behavior with a food reward, and after a while just using the sound produced prior to the actual food as the sole reward.

Of course, you would not want to have to create the sound of opening a can of food all the time! This is why most successful cat trainers use something like a small plastic or metal clicker – followed with the giving of an actual treat during initial training – to mark and reward the successful accomplishment of a behavior. This is called clicker training. It does not take long for cats to realize that the clicking signals something good, just like the noise made by a can opener.

The very first thing to accomplish is to give a click and a reward for nothing, to just associate a click with a treat. Do this a few times. Soon you should have your cat’s undivided attention. After some repetitions, you will notice that your cat reacts to hearing the click with some anticipatory behavior, as it has learned to associate the sound with the reward.

After the initial association above is learned, you can begin formal training. Begin to click and treat only when, and after, the cat has engaged in some complete behavior that you want, such as sitting. Or, you can try clicking and rewarding a behavior that you are trying to encourage. For example, click and reward your cat for taking a pace or two toward you when you are trying to teach "come." It is also a good idea to use your cat’s name along with the command you are trying to teach, such as "Garfield – come here," and if it obeys then verbally praise it with something like "good boy" in addition to the click and treat.

Below are the detailed methods for teaching a few of the most common commands:

Teaching Sit

Start by placing your cat on a table. Hold the food reward over its head. Say its name and give the command "Sit." Move the food back over your cat’s head. As its head follows the food your cat will naturally sit down in most cases. As soon as it sits, make the clicking sound and say "Sit" again to reinforce the command name, then give it the food reward soon after. Should your cat not sit as you move the food over its head, lightly press down on its hindquarters or lower back with one hand while holding the food over its head with your other hand, and say "Sit."

Teaching Come

Stand by your cat’s feeding station and click. Once your cat comes to the feeding station, and to you, at the sound of the clicker, say "Come" and then hit the clicker again. Give it some food and praise it. Continue this process but from other locations around your house. Eventually your cat should come to you reliably when you say “Come” without you having to click at it, though there should always be something worth coming for to reward it at least initially.

Another way to teach the come command is by sitting on the floor or crouching down and calling for your cat. Look enthusiastic and pat or scratch the floor in front of you, saying something like "Garfield, come here, good boy!" If Garfield comes, click and reward, and move to another location. Repeat this exercise many times. You can even incorporate a few other people, making the training process more fun while teaching the cat to obey several different people. Each one calls the cat in turn and whenever it responds successfully, have the person click and treat the cat.

Teaching Stay

Teaching your cat to stay is a bit more complex. Place the food down on the floor about ten feet away from it. As it approaches, put your hand out to stop it and say "Stay." If it stops, make the clicking sound and reward it. If it keeps on coming, hold your hand out again and repeat the command "Stay." Reward only when it finally stops, and repeat the process until your cat knows that "Stay" means it should freeze in its tracks.

A great alternative method is to treat stay as an extended sit. Once your cat has learned to sit or lie down in order to make you click, you can start shaping the behavior toward longer durations of these behaviors. To do this, do not click right away but rather delay the click and reward by a few seconds. From there, the length of delay can be increased to as long as you think is appropriate. The cat will learn that if it sits or lies down for long enough a click and treat will eventually come.

Here are some more general tips for successful and efficient clicker training:

• Choose a quiet location where you can be alone and undisturbed with your cat. Turn off the television, stereo, etc.
• Have a supply of delicious food treats in your hand or in a bowl, but out of your cat’s reach. The treats should be diced up into pea-sized chunks.
• Hold the clicker in your hand or have it attached to your belt so it is quickly at hand.
• Teach only one command at a time and repeat the lesson daily until your cat responds reliably. Once it has learned the first command, move on to the next one.
• If your cat appears frustrated or impatient, quit and perform the lesson at another time. Keep each session about ten or fifteen minutes long at maximum. Teaching one command may take anything from one or two days to about a week, so be patient.

In conclusion, when the cat learns that if it performs a behavior you approve of then it can make you click (and that means food), it will try all kinds of ways to make you happy. All you have to do is decide what you want to reward and promote, and what you prefer to ignore. And rewards do not have to be used forever, remember the concept of delaying the reward by a few seconds to longer. Once a behavior is occurring with the appropriate hand movements, clicking, and praise, simply stop using the actual reward (food).

Try to start training your cat or kitten at as young an age as possible. Make the training sessions fun for your cat and for you and make them something your cat wants to participate in. Soon your cat will begin to associate the food reward with the command and you will no longer even have to use the clicker to make it sit – simply saying the command will be enough.

If your tank is large – bigger than 20 gallons – it can go longer between changes. If an aquarium is small – 20 gallons or less – you should change water more often. You may also need to change your water more often if you keep a lot of fish in your aquarium as it will get dirty quicker.

If the tank has just been set up, change 1/3 of the water once a week for the first 6 weeks if it is a smaller tank. For a larger tank, change 1/3 of the water once every two weeks for the first 6 weeks.

As the aquarium gets established, after about 6 weeks, you can go about a month between water changes. However, if the water gets very cloudy or if the fish look stressed, change 1/3 of the water right away. Do make sure never to change all of your water at once, and of course do not take down and empty your aquarium for cleaning.

You should not remove your fish or your gravel when changing the water. If your gravel is taken out and washed, all of the beneficial bacteria will die, causing great stress and risk of sickness in your fish.

So what tools do you need to change that water?

The answer is: one clean 5 gallon bucket (two if you have a large aquarium and thus have more than about 5 gallons of old dirty water to remove, or just use one very large bucket), some good water conditioner or dechlorinator (this is for removing chlorine and other impurities from the fresh faucet tap water that you will be getting to replace that 1/3 of the old aquarium water you will be removing), and a siphon gravel cleaner.

The siphon gravel cleaner is one of the best devices for cleaning aquariums or changing aquarium water because it removes the old water from your aquarium and the dirt out of the gravel in one step. This device will help make your water changes quick and easy, and it is available at your local pet store.

Now that you have gathered your three tools, here is exactly what to do with them to change your water (for your convenience, steps 1 through 6 have been illustrated for you in the figures at the bottom of this article):

1. Get your siphon gravel cleaner and buckets ready next to the aquarium (the water conditioner or dechlorinator will be used later). See Figure 1 below.
2. Place your siphon gravel cleaner into the aquarium with the tip up and put your thumb over the bottom end of the cleaner’s tube. See Figure 2 below.
3. Raise the tube out of the water and the water will fill up the tube. See Figure 3 below.
4. Push the tube back into the tank with tip up. See Figure 4 below.
5. With the tube full of old dirty water, now simply let your thumb off, and the old dirty water will start to flow from the tank into the bucket automatically by gravity. See Figure 5 below.
6. In the meantime, move the siphon gravel cleaner back and forth on the bottom of the tank just like a vacuum cleaner, and this will pull the dirt out of the gravel and siphon it with the old water out into your bucket. Pinch the tube to restrict flow. See Figure 6 below.
7. After about 1/3 of the old water has been removed from the tank, remove the siphon gravel cleaner from the tank, and go throw this bucket of old dirty water out.
8. Rinse the bucket out, put your water conditioner or dechlorinator in the bucket, and then put your bucket in the bathtub or a deep sink. Add fresh tap water to the water. Adjust the hot and cold water, using a thermometer, to get the temperature to about 78 degrees (between 76 and 80 degrees is usually good enough) for most tropical fish.
9. Wait about 15 minutes for the water conditioner or dechlorinator to do its work on that tap water, then pour the water in to your aquarium. Of course make sure you add enough new water to replace all of that 1/3 of the old dirty water you removed.

Figure 1 - Get your siphon gravel cleaner and buckets ready next to the aquarium.

Figure 2 - Place your siphon gravel cleaner into the aquarium with the tip up and put your thumb over the bottom end of the cleaner's tube.

Figure 3 - Raise the tube out of the water and the water will fill up the tube.

Figure 4 - Push the tube back into the tank with tip up.

Figure 5 - With the tube full of old dirty water, now simply let your thumb off, and the old dirty water will start to flow from the tank into the bucket automatically by gravity.

Figure 6 - In the meantime, move the siphon gravel cleaner back and forth on the bottom of the tank just like a vacuum cleaner, and this will pull the dirt out of the gravel and siphon it with the old water out into your bucket. Pinch the tube to restrict flow.

There are many shapes and sizes in outdoor ponds, and it will help you to know how many gallons your pond holds. To calculate the number of gallons in your pond, multiply length times width times average depth in feet, and this will give you cubic feet. Then take this and multiply times 7.5, which is the number of gallons in a cubic foot.

The sun is one of the main outdoor factors that will affect your pond, so you will want to try to locate your pond such that it is not totally in the sun all of the time. The sun can cause a lot of algae to grow. Over time your pond is likely to become dirty. This can be caused by fish and leaves, dust, insects and other dirt and debris falling into your pond. A good pump and filter will help to keep your pond clean.

Also it is a good idea not to overcrowd your pond with too many fish. In a 300 gallon pond, for example, about 12 4-6 inch fish would be about right. This doesn’t sound like much, but remember that all goldfish, and all koi will grow much larger. A goldfish can reach a foot in length, and koi can reach 2 feet in length. If all 12 fish were koi, and they all grew to full size, the pond would be very overcrowded.

Something else that helps is very careful feeding of your fish. Just feed a few pellets per fish. Fish do not need as much food as you think they do. They can also eat insects that fall into the pond.

Get a pump and filter that is sized correctly for your pond and fish. A waterfall, or a water fountain is also a good idea, as this adds oxygen to the water.

Now, if your pond should turn cloudy, check to see if it is a gray cloudy, or a green cloudy. Green cloudy water is very common in the summer in outdoor ponds. This green water is caused by green algae that is suspended in the water.

Tips to get rid of green water:

1. Have a very good pump and filter for your pond.
2. Do not overcrowd or overfeed your fish.
3. You may want to make a partial water change in your pond, if your pond is not very large. Siphon or scoop leaves and sediment off of the bottom as you do this.
4. Add a product called ALGAEFIX to your pond, this will kill the algae. According to the directions, you will add some once a week to keep it under control. You may end up with cloudy, polluted water after killing all of your algae, if you had quite a lot of algae. The dead algae can pollute. You will want to make a water change, and clean your filter often.
5. You can add a product called ACCU-CLEAR to your pond, and this may help clear up the water after killing the algae.
6. Have a lot of water lilies, and other pond plants. These plants will help shade your water from the sun, and plants also use up nitrates and other food that makes the algae grow.
7. You may want to add a product called WATER SHADE. This will tint your water blue. This will help shade the water from the effects of the sun.
8. You can also buy an ultraviolet sterilizer, that when hooked up inline with your water pump, will kill all of the algae that passes through it. These can be a little expensive, but they do work.

If your pond should happen to develop a cloudy gray color, this is different from algae.

This kind of cloudiness can be caused from overcrowding or overfeeding your fish. If this is the case, remove some fish, and cut back on the food. You may want to make a water change of about 1/3 to 1/2 if you can. Make sure that you use a dechlorinating conditioner when you fill it. Make sure that you have a good pump, filter, and either a waterfall, or fountain. Clean the filter often.

If you have a dog, cat or any other type of pet, you will want to take some precautions with regard to summer heat. We will talk about how to avoid the dangers of summer heat and what to do if your pet suffers heatstroke.

Pets in the car – Stay out of the oven!

One of the biggest causes of heatstroke in pets is leaving your pet in a car. Leaving your pet in a parked car when it is about 90 degrees outside, will bake your pet alive in a short amount of time. This is because the temperature inside the car will become much higher than 90 degrees in only a few minutes.

Your pet can quickly suffer brain damage, or die from heatstroke or suffocation in such conditions. Dogs can endure these conditions even less than other pets. A panting dog produces heat and humidity every time it pants to lose heat, and this hot, damp air will re-circulate in the small space of a car and will quickly build to frying hot temperatures! Note that parking the car in the shade or leaving the car window cracked open slightly will not be sufficient help for such fast and extreme increases in temperature.

In addition, know that leaving your pet in a car makes it very vulnerable to thieves – thousands of pets are stolen each year from unattended or unlocked cars. Furthermore, in many states, it is against the law to leave a pet unattended in a parked vehicle in a manner that endangers the health or safety of the animal, this includes the danger posed by summer heat. Therefore, always avoid leaving your pet in a car, and especially in the heat of summer!

Pets at Home – Precautions and Prevention

At home, there are many ways to prevent summer heat from damaging or even killing your pet. For dogs, doghouses are not the best shelters during the summer as they can trap heat. You will want to make sure your dog has some other oasis in the backyard, such as a shaded resting area by a tree. You may also want to get a child’s wading pool for your dog and fill it with some water, in case your dog wants to cool off when it gets very hot. Of course, also prepare a large bowl of fresh water for your pet each day.

Lastly, do not tie up your pet outside! If its leash gets tangled, it can cut itself off from access to its water dish and shade. And if you are not home to rescue it, the consequences can be fatal.

In the home, make sure that any cages and tanks do not receive direct sunlight through a window. Always make sure that your pet has access to water, and make sure the water is kept clean and fresh. In addition, make it a habit to regularly check the temperature in your pet’s cage or tank to ensure that the temperature in the cage or tank does not get too high. Inexpensive stick-on thermometer strips from your local pet store are easy and convenient for monitoring temperatures for most kinds of cages and tanks, not just aquariums.

Consider trimming or shaving the coat of a longer-haired pet. It will feel much more comfortable, and you will have less shedding to contend with. It is also wise to avoid strenuous exercise on extremely hot days. Take walks in the early mornings or evenings when the sun’s heat is less intense. Try to avoid prolonged exposure to hot asphalt, concrete or sand which can burn your pet’s paws.

Heatstroke – The Signs and Treatment

If you think that your pet has been exposed to high temperatures, be alert for these signs of heat stress: heaving or heavy panting, glazed or widened eyes, rapid pulse, restlessness or lethargy extremes, dizziness in the form of unsteadiness or staggering, excessive thirst, excessive salivation and drooling, vomiting, or a deep red tongue.

As the heat stroke advances its mouth can become very dry and pale in color and it will quickly become unconscious and collapse. Keep in mind that if you have a short-faced dog such as a bulldog, Pekingese or boxer, it will have an especially hard time in the heat because it does not pant as efficiently as longer faced dogs.

If your pet shows symptoms of heatstroke, you must lower its body temperature immediately but in gradual steps. First, move your pet into the shade or an air-conditioned area. Next, apply cool – not cold – water all over its body gradually. You can do this by slowly immersing it in a shallow tub of cool water or running cool water over it gradually from a pitcher or faucet (not a hose). Make sure the water gets to its skin and does not just roll off its fur. Pay close attention to the undersides – the stomach and around the legs. If there is not a sufficient running water supply by the pet, at least wet some towels (or use ice packs if available) and apply them to your pet’s head, neck and chest.

Finally, let your pet drink small amounts of cool water, or chew on or lick some ice cubes. If your pet is unconscious and not able to drink, at least run some water over its tongue and mouth, but be careful not to run it down its throat as you do not want to choke or gag your pet! If your pet does not get better quickly and if the heat stress was severe, take your pet to a veterinarian immediately. But remember that you need to start the cooling-down process before seeing the veterinarian.

Observing these common sense ideas concerning summer heat and pets will help to ensure that your best friend leads a healthy and comfortable life.

Cats are relatively easy to maintain and they usually have a lifespan of ten years or more. As pets, cats are usually very loving, curious, extremely playful and acrobatic, and a lot of fun to watch. Cats also come in a huge variety of shapes, sizes and colors for your choice.

A new kitten is one of the most playful and fun-loving animals there is. A kitten, once acclimated to a new home, will play for hours at a time. They can be very acrobatic and can jump higher than any gymnast. Some kittens can jump straight up four to five feet. Adult cats have been known to jump seven feet down to the floor and take off running. As you can imagine, cats and kittens are tremendously entertaining to watch and to play with.

In addition to being fun-loving, cats and kittens can be very affectionate friends. They will sit on your lap and beg to be petted. They will purr for as long as you will hold them. As cats get older, they may lose some of their playfulness, but they still remain very affectionate if not even more affectionate than before.

Something else that makes a cat an ideal pet is that you do not have to take it outside to go to the bathroom. Just put a litter box somewhere in your home, and a cat or kitten will usually start using it by instinct. This makes it easy for those of you that work all day. All you have to do is put some food and water out for your cat and make sure its litter box is not too dirty. Then your cat will be patiently waiting for you when you return, and you will not have to worry about it having made a mess anywhere else besides the litter box.

Being very active and acrobatic, cats and kittens enjoy a lot of different kinds of toys. And there are a lot of fun and interesting toys available at your local pet shop for cats. There are fuzzy toys, sound-making toys, moving toys and more to really make your cat go wild. Sometimes a curious cat will even play for a long time with an empty sack or a box.

Toys are an enjoyable and easy way for cats and kittens to vent their energy and get exercise. It is also a good idea to invest in a cat tree or some other type of cat furniture, for your cat to play on and scratch up.

Cats do have a history of being mysterious. For example, a lot of people associate the black cat with witchcraft, fear, bad luck and a lot of other such myths, especially around Halloween. Some people even think cats, especially the black ones, are related to demons! In reality, a cat or kitten is almost the perfect pet for just about anyone. They have been, and are, great pets for millions of people around the world, and it is very unlikely that they are related to demons.

It may be true that cats can look mysterious, untrustworthy or aloof at first, especially to strangers. But once you get to know a cat and it gets to know you, it is full of love, affection, and playfulness. As with most other pets, it is a good idea for you to spend a little time with your cat each day, to build that special bond with it. In general, cats are intelligent animals that really understand and appreciate the owner that shelters and feeds them.

So if you have never had a kitten or a cat, do not be afraid to get one. They can be one of the most playful, loving, and easy to care for pets that there is. And if you are willing to provide for a cat’s basic needs – a safe home, food and water, occasional grooming, and the necessary vet care when needed – you will be a great cat owner.

Barley Straw

Using barley straw is a simple and efficient method to keep ponds clear and clean all year long. Since the Middle Ages farmers have known of the benefits of straw and used it to keep ponds clear.

To best observe the benefits of barley straw it should be used continuously throughout the year with Clear Pond BSL (Bio Surge) Liquid and Dry Formula, which can also be used year-round. Barley straw treatment can be started at any time.

When barley straw is put into water, its cellular structure starts to break down, or decompose, aided by a mixture of water, light and oxygen. That is why barley works best when floating near the water surface. A microbial activity process drives this breakdown or decomposition. It is during this process that chemicals are released which inhibit the growth of algae.

When barley straw is blended with lavender stalks it tends to be more effective in keeping troubled ponds clear and clean (requires pumped circulating water). Each pad treats ponds up to 1/4 acre. Pads are 7” square each and treat from 700 to 1,200 gal. of water. Each pond pad is good for use for up to four months. Pads are in packs of three. Sizes are for ponds from 10 gallons to 1/4 acre.

Pond Pad Floater

The Pond Pad Floater has been developed to keep pond pads suspended near the top of the pond to maximize performance. When Pond Pads are used in deep ponds it is possible for them to sink into the depths where they may be less effective in controlling algae. The Pond Pad Floater will hold a pond pad just below the surface where it will work most effectively.

For more information:
Barley Pads 2 pack
Barley Pads Plus Lavender
Pond Pad Floater w/Weight

Fleas go through four stages as they grow: eggs, larvae, pupae and adults. Only the adult stage flea may be found on your pet, and the victims are usually dogs or cats. The others live in carpeting, on furniture, in the yard or at any other place that you pet has access to. To win against fleas you must attack them at all of their four stages.

Fortunately, there are many over-the-counter, easy-to-use flea and tick control products available at your local pet store to help you win the war against fleas. We will list two examples for your reference below. Most of these flea control products will also control ticks.

First, the Farnam Company offers Bio Spot Flea & Tick Control, which is a good spot-on topical flea killer and repellent. One spot application on your dog’s or cat’s back will combat fleas for up to three months. This product uses the natural oils in your pet’s coat to repel and attack fleas, and the flea does not have to bite your pet to be affected.

This product works well enough and fast enough for light to moderate flea infestation problems, when you probably do not want to or need to spray/treat your entire house or yard. Simply treat your pets. Fleas jump on pets, fleas die.

Next, the Adams Company makes a carpet and furniture spray which kills fleas in all their four stages from egg to adult. Just one good application can destroy the entire flea population in your home. There is also Adam’s yard spray, which is usually used around your dog’s kennel area to prevent the dog from bringing fleas back home from outside. This product is good if you have moderate to heavy flea infestation.

It is important to thoroughly and carefully read the labels, directions, and warnings on your flea/tick control product. You may need to consult with your local pet store and your veterinarian before using the product on your pet, especially if your pet is very young, elderly, pregnant, sick, or known to have a lot of allergies. Also make sure never to use flea and tick products designed for dogs on your cat, or vice-versa.

There are also some alternatives or supplements to the above pesticide products for controlling fleas and ticks:

• Comb your pet regularly with a flea comb
• Vacuum frequently and dispose of the bags immediately after use
• Mow areas of the lawn where your dog spends time
• Wash pet bedding and your pet regularly, say weekly
• Try to keep indoor cats and dogs in the house at all times

Protecting your pet (and your home) from fleas and ticks is an important part of responsible pet keeping.

Water weighs about 8 lbs. per gallon. With the tank and gravel, figure about 10 lbs. per gallon. So, a 10 gallon tank will weigh about 100 lbs.

If you find something strong enough to hold your aquarium, you will want to make sure that it is also very flat. If the surface under the tank is warped – or not completely flat – you may get a pressure crack in the glass of your aquarium. This happens when the tank tries to bend to conform to an uneven surface and cracks.

A good way to check the surface is to set the tank up empty. Then, try to wobble the tank from corner to corner. If it does not wobble much, or less than 1/16 of an inch, then it is probably OK. If you see a gap that is more than 1/16 of an inch, you may want to shim it, or get something different to put your tank on. If you shim, use thin plastic that can’t be compressed.

It is always best to use an aquarium stand for tanks larger than 10 gallons. This is the safest thing for your aquarium.

Related products of benefit to your pet:
Fish Aquarium Stands

First of all, let us see exactly what shedding is. Almost all dogs will shed some hair normally and naturally. Shedding is affected by, and may also be triggered by, weather changes, stress, and sometimes diet and care. Some breeds will tend to shed more than others.

Shedding caused by changes in the weather is considered normal and accounts for most shedding. Normally, most dog breeds will develop a thicker coat during the winter months, then shed that winter coat in the upcoming spring or summer months, just like many animals in the wild do. However, the shedding is excessive and unnatural if your dog is shedding year-round! Healthy coats should be tight and shiny, and fur should not fall out easily.

Now, why exactly is excessive shedding bad? In dogs, excessive shedding often leads to physically unpleasant results such as matted and tangled hair, visible hair loss such as bald spots, and a dull coat. Sometimes, if severe excessive shedding is left untreated, it can also lead to certain skin problems and disorders such as dry, itchy or flaky skin, smelly skin, dermatitis, and rashes.

Excessive shedding also causes problems for the dog owner. Owners of excessively shedding dogs often have their hands filled with messy hair every time they pet their dog, and their homes tend to be covered with a fine coat of dog hair year-round.

Most of the problems above encountered by dogs can also occur in cats. There is, however, one additional problem unique to cats with excessive shedding – hairballs.

If the cat has excessive amounts of hair to shed, it will want to lick the excess hair off. This hair then usually gets into the cat’s stomach or throat, resulting in a retching cat that coughs up smelly, sticky hairballs. So, how do you prevent or get rid of excessive shedding and hairballs, and the unpleasant problems that can result for both owner and pet?

First, one of the nicest things you can do for your cat or dog is to brush or comb its fur on a regular basis using a pet rake or slicker brush. This is helpful if you want to keep excess hair and matting from bothering you and your pet. A bonus advantage is that most pets also enjoy being brushed. Regular brushing , up to once-a-day, is good for the hair coat and will remove those hairs that would normally fall out.

It is certainly better and easier to have the hairs come out on the brush than around the house. If you bath your pet, do not use human shampoos because they can cause hypersensitivity reactions that include excessive shedding. Bathing too frequently can also dry out the hair coat and cause excessive shedding, so do not bath your pet too often.

Secondly, as mentioned earlier, diet is very important to the health of your pet’s skin and hair, and is a factor that can affect shedding.

Always make sure that you feed your pet a complete and balanced diet. Some companies provide special pet products that you can add to your pet’s food to help prevent excess shedding. Allen’s Shed-Stop and Lambert Kay Shed Relief are just two of these helpful products. Science Diet, Nutro, and Iams pet food companies also make foods to help the skin and coat of dogs and foods to help with hairballs and shedding in cats.

As you can see, proper nutrition and a bit of regular hair care can turn a constantly shedding coat into a tight, shiny coat that will not fill your hand with messy hair every time you pet your cat or dog. You will also have less mess and hair around your home, and you will have a happier and healthier pet!

Sometimes fleas are difficult to see on your pet. A good way to check for fleas is to part the fur on your pet’s back and look down to the skin. You may actually see a flea or two.

If you don’t see any fleas, you may see little black flecks that look like dirt which may be flea droppings. To be sure, take some of these and put them on white paper with a little water. If the paper turns red these are flea droppings. Your pet probably has fleas.

Then it is time to use one of the good flea treatments for your pet to eliminate these little parasites.

Related products of benefit to your pet:
Flea , Tick, Worm & Parasite Products