TheRider'sPets

Wednesday, 15 May 2019

5 Reasons Why Your Cat Hates You

TheRider'sReins May 15, 2019 0

Do you think your cat hates you? Sometimes we unintentionally annoy our cats to the point that the can become aggressive towards us.

Fortunately, you can fix this. With just a few weeks of switching how you act towards our cats, you could see a huge difference.

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1. You Annoy him

Have you ever watched a kid pick up, pet or annoy a cat? Maybe we don't take it to this level BUT some cats really don't want to be touched unless it is on their terms. You may just be trying to get your cat some attention but this is a big no-no if he is already showing signs of not liking you. It is also possible that if your cat won't sit in your knee for a nap, you are moving around or touching him while he tries to sleep.

Instead, try using a toy to allow him to play right beside you without any touch. This is a great way to gain trust and get your cat to eventually like you.

2. You Scare him

This is something that my cat has gone through. He wasn't handled properly as a kitten so he was naturally timid. A year later as he is still scared of some people in the house if they move too quickly or make a loud noise. It may be that you have not gained his trust or you have done something to break that trust (I hope by accident).

If your cat is scared of you there are a few things to do. First of all, you need to start being very thoughtful while around your cat. Be careful to stay quiet and avoid moving to fast. Next, again you should start to play with your cat with his favourite toy. This is great for creating trust. If you have another cat then encourage that one to play too.

3. No Bond

Cats who aren't bonded to their owner really don't have a great life. They have no trust for their owner and they don't have the security of an owner who protects them. They have no desire to be around you or play with you. This means they will have a boring life and will not like you being around.

4. You Play Too Much

Yes, this is possible with cats. sometimes, your cat may not actually hate you, he is just in the habit of playing rough with you. I would always recommend NOT playing with your cat with your own hand. This makes your cat learn that it is okay to bite or scratch you. Obviously, this isn't what we want and it can turn into a habit quickly.

Take a break from playing for a few weeks and then you can introduce a *new toy with a long handle* to play with.

5. He is Missing Out On Something

Cats get the same frustrations as any other animal. This could be because the cat is not spayed/neutered and is also not mating (NOT recommended, please spayed/neuter your cat). If this is the case, you will see a big improvement when he has been done.

Another big issue that causes aggression in cats is stress. Depending on what is making your cat stressed, it is easy to treat. Start by getting *cat shelves* and *wall hides* that hang on the wall. This will give your cat somewhere high up to hide. Then you will start to remove the things that are making that cat scared.

*Disclaimer*

I am not any type of animal expert but instead only an animal lover who wants to share her tips. Please consult relevant animal specialists and do not only take my advice.

The Rider's Pets

Cat Care Read more

Monday, 13 May 2019

How Hydrotherapy Can Save Your Dog Life

TheRider'sReins May 13, 2019 0

My dog's Back story & Experience

Hugo was born on 1st of June 2016 and is a red fawn bullmastiff. He was diagnosed with severe elbow dysplasia and a loose vertebra which was causing wobbly back legs and 'wobbler syndrome' symptoms in January 2018. They had no idea how my sweet boy was even walking because he basically had no elbow joints (no over-exaggerating).

We then spent the next 6 months and thousands of pounds (thank god for insurance!!) at different specialists to be told every time 'put him down'. We were got very annoyed at one vet who charged us £2500 for one day and then heartlessly told us he needed to be put down.

I really couldn't believe it, Hugo was still walking, playing and happy. He was only 1.5 years old. I wasn't about to put him down unless he stopped enjoying life.

Hydrotherapy

In the summer of 2018 we found a canine hydrotherapy business on Facebook near us. Honestly, I didn't know what to except and the first day didn't go so well. Hugo was booked into the water treadmill and he couldn't walk on it. It was the combination of not understanding that the floor was moving AND being so weak.

The next few weeks we changed it about and found swimming. He really only floated about and did a few tiny doggy strokes but that week we saw a difference. After that, it has been a blur of my beautiful boy getting better. We started with about 5 months of only swimming with the occasional physiotherapy appointment. He got strong enough to go back to the treadmill and now alternates each week between swimming and treadmill.

He quickly lost fat and gained muscle to help with his elbows. He quickly got control of his back legs again too. This was an actual miracle!

What Hydrotherapy can and can't do

It is first important to know that although our hydrotherapy was and still is amazing, it completely depends on the dog's condition and the place you take them.

Hugo has gone from 4 gabapentin tablets PER DAY to zero (although he does still get CBD). He has changed from hardly being able to turn around without falling over to an almost normal dog. He is now 3 years old and loving life (and his weekly hydrotherapy appointments).

Another thing that is important for me to mention is that we never really know how long this will continue to help our dogs. Sometimes it will only last for a year or so before the dog starts to go downhill again. Other times, it could completely cure your dog's problems. Again, it really does depend on your dog's condition.

Hydrotherapy improves the movement of joints that may be fusing or already fused (Hugo's elbow and shoulder joints were are almost fused and now are almost the same as a normal dogs range of motion) and it builds muscle to help the joints without high impact.

Dog Care Read more

Monday, 6 May 2019

3 Dog Commands That You Can Train Your Cat

TheRider'sReins May 06, 2019 0

Cat's are never trained in the way that dogs are BUT they are just as smart. The problem with cats is that they don't care about pleasing you so they seem harder to train.

1. Sit

This is super easy to train your cat and is the first thing I taught my kittens Salvester and Marmalade. I use dreamies as my cat's treats which made it easy to train them.

First I hold the treat above the cats head so he has to look up at it. Then I slowly move the treat backwards towards the cat's tail. When the cat sits give him the treat.

If the cat jumps up to grab the treat while you are trying to treat sit, pull the treat away, wait for the cat to land then try again.

2. Lie Down

This was a little harder for my cats to understand but they got it eventually. I first get my cat to sit (which needs to be already trained) then I start to pull the treat across the ground away from the cat. I make it low so the cat has to at least bend down and I pull it just far enough away that he can reach it if he lies down.

I start by rewarding when the cat just slightly lies down and slowly build up to the full lie down.

3. Paw

First, get your cat to sit down and reward. Then say 'paw', pick your cat's paw up, pause and then reward. You will then do this a few times. You can then build up to touching the leg (which will hopefully make the cat life his leg) to just putting your out and saying 'paw'.

Cat Care Read more

Friday, 3 May 2019

4 Reasons Why Your Cat won't Use The Litter Tray

TheRider'sReins May 03, 2019 0

If you have indoor cats you know how annoying litter trays are BUT we put up with them for our cat's safety. What is WAYYYY worse is when your cat decides that your brand new carpet is a MUCH better toilet!

Luckily, your cat hasn't just decided to make your life worse, he's doing it for a reason. Here are some of the reasons that your cat isn't using his litter tray and some tips on how to fix this problem.

1. Marking

If you notice that there is cat pee that is off the ground and sprayed up walls it is because he is marking. This is usually because your cat is not spayed or neutered (females spray too). This is an easy fix by getting your cat spayed/neutered (which should always be done anyway) BUT some cats can still spray.

If your cat is fixed and still spraying this is usually because they are being territorial either with other animals in your home or if they can smell other cats outside. Give your cat at least one litter tray to himself and set up an area in your home for him to relax by himself. You should aim for at least one litter tray per cat but the more the better.

2. Dirty litter

I find that a lot of cat owner only clean the litter tray out once per day. To me, this is nowhere near often enough! I spot clean my cat's litter tray every time they use it and swap the cat litter twice per day.
If you leave the litter tray dirty for too long your cat will not use it.

3. Too Many Cats

As I said above, you need to have enough litter trays if you can multiple cats. I would say one per cat in the minimum to avoid problems. Some cats simply will not use the same litter tray as another cat. Others won't use the litter tray if their buddy has been marking near it.

4. Area Not Being Cleaned Properly

If your cat had an accident on the floor and continues to use that same area it is probably due to you not cleaning properly.

Cats are similar to dogs in the way they go to the toilet. In fact, most animals use this thought process. They will always go to the toilet in the same place. How do they find this place? They smell it. So if your cleaning isn't up to scratch, they will continue to use the same place.

Cat Care Read more

Wednesday, 1 May 2019

How To Feed Your Rabbit The Perfect Diet

TheRider'sReins May 01, 2019 0

Check the type of food you are feeding

Do you know what your rabbit needs? Have you ever checked the back of the food bag and had no idea what you were looking for? It is pretty easy.

So, rabbits need at least 18% crude fibre BUT the more the better. You will be aiming for 12-14% crude protein for an adult and around 16% for a growing rabbit. You always want to keep the crude fat/oil to below 4%.

So a perfect rabbit food should look like this -

Crude fibre 20%
Crude protein 13%
Crude Fat/oil 3%

You should also look for a forage based pellet, timothy hay pellets for adults and alfalfa pellets for younger rabbits.

Amounts for food

The main part of your rabbit's diet should be made up of hay. Offering unlimited hay and apple tree twigs will make sure your rabbit is completely healthy.

Pellets should be limited to only give him the right nutrients each day. The amount of pellets fed to your rabbit decreases as your rabbit gets older.

The amounts of pellets to feed your rabbit are as follows -

7 weeks to 7 months - unlimited pellets (unless the rabbit eats pellets over hay, then limit to encourage eating more hay).

7 months to 1 year - 170g per 3kg of bodyweight

1 to 5 years - 85g per 3kg of bodyweight

6 years + - Maintain 85g per 3kg of bodyweight unless the rabbit struggles to keep weight on. If this is the case, give unlimited pellets.

Fruits and Veg

Feeding your rabbit fruit and vegetables is great for increasing the nutrients that your rabbit gets and will help your rabbit get a varied diet. It is, however, important to feed the correct amounts and types to ensure that your rabbit doesn't become unhealthy or overweight.

Here are the amounts of fruits and veg you should feed your rabbit daily -

12 weeks to 7 months - Slowly introduce only vegetables from 14g to the adult amount.

7 months + - Feed 300g of chopped veg per day. You can also introduce up to 50g of fruit per day.

Rabbits Read more

Monday, 29 April 2019

4 Reasons Your Dog Isn't Listening to You

TheRider'sReins April 29, 2019 0

1. Your commands are Confusing your Dog

Different types of breeds take to commands differently. If you have been using different commands for the same wanted behaviour you are just making things harder. Before training your dog you need to plan which command you are going to use.

For example, will you use 'stay' or 'wait' OR use both of them for different reasons? I use 'wait' for waiting for food, waiting to cross a road etc. I use 'stay' for my dog to stay in place for a longer period of time.

Another important thing to consider is if you will use hand signals. I use my finger to point at my dog then point up to ask for sit. I use the same but point downwards to lie down. This is a good idea for in situations that your dog can't hear you or in case you use confusing commands.

2. Your approach is all wrong

There is a certain way to get a dog to listen to your every command and I see sooooooo many people who get this wrong. I know that when your dog isn't listening you feel like shouting and using strong body language but you will make it worse.

If your dog won't come to you, the best thing to do is to tell ask your dog once in a happy voice and then walk away or sit down.

Your dog will never want to listen to a negative person and he definitely won't want to come back to his angry owner.

3. Your dog is a slow learner

Sometimes your dog may just need extra time to learn a command. Certain breeds are slower to learn (like my mum's chihuahua!), some are just stubborn (my Bullmastiff Hugo!) and others are quick to learn (collies, spaniels etc).

hopefully, you will have already done your research on the breed of dog that you wanted and this is one of the things you need to think about. Do you mind a dog that takes long to train and is stubborn or do you want an easy dog to train?

4. He has learnt from other dogs

If your dog is around other dogs often enough he may pick up their bad habits. For example, if one dog starts chasing a cat they all will. I have noticed that a dog will copy how others act so if one doesn't come back to his owner, yours might try to copy.

It is best to try to avoid badly behaved dogs or try to find well-trained dogs for company and play time. Remember that dogs who don't listen their owners can be rude and mean to your dog too.

Dog Training Read more

Monday, 15 April 2019

How to Set Up A Humane Guinea Pig Cage

TheRider'sReins April 15, 2019 0

Size and Location

Firstly, you need to decide where you are going to keep your guinea pig and in what type of cage. You can either use a hutch or a small garden shed outside with a run OR keep them indoors.
If you choose to keep your pet indoors, they will need out of their cage for a lot of the day. I like to go between letting them run around the room where they can jump in and out of their cage and letting them outside in a run (depending on the weather).

There are so many different types of Guinea pig cages but they should have at least 10.5 Square feet (with lots of time outside the cage) for two guinea pigs.

Basics

Firstly, you need a water bottle, I prefer glass to plastic bottles and I also have one for each guinea pig in the cage. You will also need a hayrack. Me being a horse owner, guinea pigs are supposed to be eating from the ground (like horses). This means hayracks that are high up (like haynets for horses) isn't natural and I have found that hay got into my guinea pig's eyes so try to find one that is close to the floor, like a roller.
Lastly, are the food bowls. I like to have at least one for the Nuggets and one for the veg.

Extra

Toys -

You should get your guinea pig lots of toys to keep them from getting bored. There are lots of types of toys like wooden chew toys, hanging toys and foraging, boredom breakers.

Blankets + Beds

I like to buy lots of fleece blankets ao I can alternate them while I wash others. I also like the small guinea pigs beds to put into a corner. Another option is to place some tunnels in the cage.

Litter Tray -

If your guinea pig is litter trained or you want to litter train then you will need a litter tray, I like the corner ones because it takes up less room. You will also need a guinea pig safe litter like wooden pellets. You can then choose to use the fleece blankets over shavings for the bedding.

Guinea Pigs Read more

Wednesday, 15 May 2019

5 Reasons Why Your Cat Hates You

1. You Annoy him

2. You Scare him

3. No Bond

4. You Play Too Much

5. He is Missing Out On Something

Monday, 13 May 2019

How Hydrotherapy Can Save Your Dog Life

My dog's Back story & Experience

Hydrotherapy

What Hydrotherapy can and can't do

Monday, 6 May 2019

3 Dog Commands That You Can Train Your Cat

1. Sit

2. Lie Down

3. Paw

Friday, 3 May 2019

4 Reasons Why Your Cat won't Use The Litter Tray

1. Marking

2. Dirty litter

3. Too Many Cats

4. Area Not Being Cleaned Properly

Wednesday, 1 May 2019

How To Feed Your Rabbit The Perfect Diet

Check the type of food you are feeding

Amounts for food

Fruits and Veg

Monday, 29 April 2019

4 Reasons Your Dog Isn't Listening to You

1. Your commands are Confusing your Dog

2. Your approach is all wrong

3. Your dog is a slow learner

4. He has learnt from other dogs

Monday, 15 April 2019

How to Set Up A Humane Guinea Pig Cage

Size and Location

Basics

Extra

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