Just came across this image and thought I’d share it with the other cat lovers out there!

         Cat’s are likely to change their behaviour or developed unwanted habits - such as aggression, spraying indoors, disappearing or avoiding people - when they are frightened or in pain. Some signs of fear or distress in a cat include hiding, sleeping hunched, high levels of grooming, and altered feeding.  

When a cat feels scared and can not escape or hide is it very likely it will become aggressive. If your cat’s behaviour has changed it is possible it is either distressed, bored, ill or injured.

There are a few things you could do to avoid your cat’s behaviour to change. Firstly, make sure everything is in reach without your cat having to pass things or other animals which might scare her.

        Provide your cat with lots of opportunities to exercise. If your cat doesn’t go outside, perhaps purchase safe toys, a suitable indoor cat activity and a scratching post which is tall enough for your cat to use when fully stretched. Also allow constant access to a safe hiding place where your cat can run to when she is scared or nervous. And finally, never shout or punish your cat as this could possible make her more nervous and scared.

Have you ever found one of your shoes thorn to sheds by your little pal? Or does your puppy constantly chew on your socks? Many people don’t realise that, besides it being fun and entertaining, chewing is actually very healthy for dogs. Newborn puppies chew on things to explore their new world and to discover new smells and different textures. Once a puppy has hit the age of four months they will need to chew in order to get rid of their baby teeth. Besides using chewing as an outlet for excess energy, older dogs also use it to make their teeth stronger and healthier.

The fact that your dog is chewing isn’t the problem. The problem is that your dog doesn’t know the difference between your stuff and their own stuff. The best approach to stop your dog from chewing your stuff is to get special dog chews and toys which are very different than your common possessions. For example, if you give your dog an old shoe, he won’t understand the difference between your good shoes and your old shoes and is more likely to start chewing on either of them.

The worst approach, unless you catch your dog in the actual act of chewing your possessions, is to punish him. If you punish your dog afterwards, he will get confused to why you’re punishing him and it will only cause him to fear you.

As dogs want to please their owners, the training they are most likely to respond to is to praise. When your dog is chewing on something they are not allowed to chew on, use the command “drop that” or “no”. Finally, offer him something he is allowed to chew on and reward him with a treat or praise.

Is the barking keeping you up at night? Or is it just completely driving you nuts and not at all what you were expecting when you picked up that little ball of fluff? It is very normal for a small puppy to bark excessively as this is used as a cry for attention.  A small puppy is used to being around its mother and brothers and sisters at all times and is likely to become lonely and scared once you’ve brought him home. 


Giving your puppy attention isn’t the problem. It’s when you give it your attention. If your new puppy is barking and whining constantly - even though it is very hard to resist those big eyes and fluffy paws - it is best to ignore it at all times. If you give in to the whining, your puppy will realise that by doing so it is getting your attention and will continue to do so whilst growing up. Sure, he’s puppy all cute and adorable now, but one day he will grow up and his barks will become louder.

 Start by ignoring the whines and barks for attention. Once your puppy has quieted down, you may give him attention and reward him with a praise or a treat. It is very important that you teach your puppy that it is okay for him to be on his own. Start by leaving him alone in a room for short period of time and slowly build up to longer amounts of time. It is important that you initiate the relationship between you and your puppy and not the puppy himself. To avoid separation anxiety in puppies, keep it low-key when you leave the house and do not make a big fuss over him once you return as this could result in excessive howling and barking whenever you leave the house.

Puppies are known to bark when they feel scared and intimidated as well. Take your puppy out with you as much as you can to make him get used to new people and the noises outside. When you’re indoors, run the vacuum cleaner and hair dryer at times to make him get used to those noises too.

 In 1957, a dog named Laika became the very first animal to orbit the earth.
Laika (literally translated as “Barker”) was a Soviet space dog which was launched into space on November 3, 1957.

 The stray dog which was found wandering the streets of Moscow, underwent training with two other dogs and was eventually chosen to be the occupant of the Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 2. As there was very little known about the impact of spaceflight on living creatures at the time of Laika’s mission, there was no expectation of Laika’s survival and she was very likely to have died only hours after launch from overheating.

 On April 11, 2008, Russian officials unveiled a monument in her honour. The monument features a dog standing on top of a rocket and is located near the military research facility in Moscow which prepared Laika’s launch into space.