CatDogBlog

Australia is a nation of pet lovers but it may be loving its animals to death with pet owners passing on rising levels of obesity by overfeeding their cats and dogs, the country’s main animal welfare body says.

Despite its image as a sports-mad country full of fit, sun-bronzed youth, Australia in reality is battling the bulge and challenging the United States as the world’s fattest nation. The problem now extends to household pets.

Obesity rates for Australians have doubled over the past 20 years, with 62% of men and 45% of women now deemed overweight or obese.

The same trend applies to household pets, with an increase in the number of overweight cats and dogs being dealt with by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), and even 1 case of an obese pet mouse.

“It’s a big problem, and quite reflective of what’s happening in the human situation,” said Mark Lawrie, the RSPCA’s chief vet.

Australia is a nation of 20 million people, almost 4 million dogs, 2.5 million cats, 8.7 million pet birds and more than 12 million pet fish.

It has one of the world’s highest rates of pet ownership at 64% of households, compared to 62% in the United States and 44% in Britain.

Lawrie said surveys had found that between 40% and 44% of dogs and more than 1 in 3 household cats were now overweight, due to poor diet and a lack of exercise. That’s about 1.68 million overweight dogs, and 825,000 overweight cats!

Fat cats and dogs were more vulnerable to diabetes, arthritis, heart problems and liver disease.

Dogs most at risk were Labradors, Beagles and cross-breeds such as Labradoodles (a mixture of a Labrador and a Poodle) with household moggies more at risk than other types of cats. The RSPCA said de-sexing and lower levels of exercise had an impact on pet obesity, but the key issue was over-eating.

“It’s really the calorie intake and food that makes the big difference,” Lawrie said, adding that many pet owners could not resist giving their animals food when they asked for it.

That’s right, it’s not just dog owners teaching their pets to talk. Cat owners also taught, videotaped and sent in their talking kitties. Compilation:

City councilors in Westfield have tentatively approved a new companion animal ordinance that would limit the allowable number of dogs and cats a homeowner could have. It also regulates residential and commercial kennels and vaccination and licensing requirements.

A public hearing on an initial version of the amended ordinance sparked complaints from people on both sides of the fence - animal lovers with pets in their homes and neighbors aggrieved by next-door pets.

The new rule allows for no more than six animals, with no more than three dogs over the age of three months or four cats over the age of six months.

I agree with this video’s laughter it sounds funny when your four-legged friend managed to mimic your words like a parrot.
But that last doggy kind of freaks me out! Also, you gotta love a dog that speaks his mind:
Owner: “You want it?”
Dog: “Yeah!”
Owner: “You want it?”
Dog: “I want it!”

The Big Cat Falls opening today at the Philadelphia Zoo at the corner 34th Street and Girard Avenue (USA), will give visitors a more intimate sense of wild cats in the nation’s oldest zoo. Visitors will be up close and personal with lions, pumas, tigers, leopards and jaguars.

Lounging in the sun, the zoo’s pride of four lions, including male Merlin and females Zenda, Jezebel and Vinkel now inhabit about 6,000 square feet (1829 square meter) of “African” territory. “The lions can stay outside year-round because we’ve installed hot rocks, which stay warm throughout the year,” says Kristin Lewis, director of public programs at the zoo.

A system of overhead tunnels will allow the cats to move from one exhibit to another. “Being able to smell and explore a space where another cat has lived will provide excellent behavioral enrichment,” explains Lewis.

In addition to animal exhibits, Big Cat Falls offers training demonstrations, high-definition video displays, interactive computer presentations and lots of focus on conservation.

Britain is living up to its reputation as a nation of dog lovers with many owners feeding their four-legged friends healthier and tastier meals than they serve up for themselves, a survey published Wednesday said.

A study of 1,337 British dog owners found that 18% fed their pampered pet pooches a better diet than their own, giving them fresh dishes instead of tinned food.

Consequently 21% of dogs enjoyed cheese, 15% were given fish and 9% chomped on vegetables. More than a quarter of respondents said they would eat the food they bought their dog.

However, the gourmet meals came at a price, the study for Direct Line insurance said. Pet owners pay out £2.3 ($4.3/€3.4) billion a year on their dogs’ dinners and 10% admit their pet has got a weight problem.

Ryan Rambo, 9, whose family moved to this western Colorado town last year after Hurricane Katrina struck their Marrero, La., home, fell into the Roaring Fork River after the boy’s raft hit a log and he fell overboard on Sunday, Garfield County Sheriff Lou Vallario said. The 2-year-old Lab, named Zion, jumped in the river and swam to Ryan after he began screaming for help, said Chelsea Bennett, 13, the dog’s owner.

Ryan held on to Zion as the dog swam back to the bank. The boy suffered only a scratch, said his mother, Deana Rambo.

“How ironic, isn’t it?” Deana Rambo said. “We come here to get away from flood waters, and he nearly drowns in the river.”

This is hilarious. These videoclips probably came from America’s Funniest Home Videos or somesuch TV show. Check it out:

Puppy overload coming up! Those are some curious puppies he he. The pups just want to play, but the cat seems to think there are a bit too many of them…

The world’s first internet radio station for dogs has been launched in Thailand. DogRadioThailand.com features barking DJs playing vocal and instrumental music around the clock, reports the Bangkok Post.

Owner Anupan Boonchuen believes listening to music has an effect on canine behaviour. He said: “I’ve noticed that dogs often respond to music. Some wag their tails. Some lift their heads while lying on the floor. At my grooming school we found that when we turned on music the dogs’ mood improved. They were more obedient and let us trim their hair easily.”

It is reported that ten students from the dog grooming school have been hired to work as DJs

Mr Boonchuen added: “One of the main qualifications is that he or she must be good at barking because dogs are our listeners, the DJs may have to make different sounds, such as whining or barking, to match the mood of music they play.

“And they must be able to communicate with the dogs, even if they can’t see them.”