Before taking your new adoptee home and risking exposing her to any infectious disease, take her to a veterinarian for a thorough health check-up, including a test for feline leukemia, de-worming, inoculations and, if appropriate, neutering. Plan on staying home with your new kitty for several days, helping her get over the stress of the visit to the veterinarian and the move from her previous home.

Some cats are quite traumatized by a move to a new home; others take it in stride. It is best, however, to prepare for this usually upsetting time in a cat's life. Since cats are very territorial, moving one to a new territory can be terrifying, especially if the new territory is inhabited by a number of other cats.

Zoonotic diseases are diseases that can be spread from animals to people. Good personal hygiene and a few easy preventive steps between caring for different dogs before eating and, at the end of the day, can help protect you from unexpected gifts from pets.

It is natural for cats to spend a lot of time sleeping. A cat will sleep an average of eighteen hours a day. It is natural for a cat to be lethargic after completing a meal. The modern domesticated cat is prone to lethargy primarily because the human caregiver overfeeds and under exercises her! Of course, there are other causes of cat lethargy.

There are many reasons why cats cry excessively. A healthy cat may cry a lot because of loneliness and boredom. An older cat will cry excessively because of illness or disorientation. A spoiled cat will cry incessantly because she is constantly rewarded, usually with food, every time she cries.

You must first decide whether or not you want a kitten or a cat. There are advantages and disadvantages to each. A kitten will adjust more easily to your lifestyle than will an adult cat. But, an adult cat will already have gone through that rambunctious, crazy period. It is easier to recognize the personality type, e.g., shy or outgoing, if the cat is half-grown or older. The most important consideration is whether or not the cat is healthy and psychologically undamaged.

Your cat may feel quite upset at the arrival of a new baby. It is important to follow certain steps to reduce this stress and, if you do, baby and kitty will be friends and companions for a long time.

Fleas are probably the most successful creatures on the planet in terms of reproduction. There are over 2,400 species. One female flea will produce 25,000 offspring in one month. They are difficult to control for a variety of reasons.

If you are already the guardian of a cat and want to adopt another, it is best to adopt one that is younger, smaller, and the opposite sex of the one you now have. Your older, larger cat will be more accepting of a younger, smaller cat. To avoid inter/male, inter/female rivalry, it is best to adopt the opposite sex.

Positive dog training means using rewards/positive reinforcement rather than punishment and corrections to train. With positive methods, the dog is guided/lured into doing the behavior and rewarded (usually with a food treat) when he complies. Because harsh methods are not used, training can begin very early, and most puppies quickly learn the basics without ever having their collars jerked or seeing a rolled-up newspaper!