For the most part, this is the truth. I have 3 cats, and overall they get along quite well with one another. What I have found over the years is that their behaviour (for better or worse) is largely dependent on how I approach the “big 3″ issues surrounding multiple cat households.

Pay attention to these “big 3″ hot topic issues, and I guarantee you will have happier and healthier cats as a result.

The Food Issue

It is completely normal to have one dominant eater in the home. Recognizing the dominant chow hound (er, kitty?) is easy – just look at the chubbier of the cats – the proof is in the pudge.

In a multiple cat household, it is difficult to control their consumption if they eat from the same bowls. The dominant eater will generally consume his portions, and part of the other cats’ portions, too. Thus resulting in one cat showing more mass than the others.

There are a few issues with this dynamic (if left uncontrolled):

- Your chubby cat is at increased health risks for obesity, diabetes, and many other health problems linked to over consumption of food.

- The submissive eater(s) in the home may not be meeting their nutritional requirements because some of their food has been hijacked up by the dominant one. Underweight cats may result if long term under-consumption continues.

The solution to this is quite simple, but is rarely the answer pet owners want to hear. The best way to control your cats’ consumption is to feed them separately, at designated feeding times. Otherwise, how else can you possibly control their intake?

Yes, it may take more time and planning on your part to do this – but it doesn’t take up nearly the amount of time you think it will. Work these feeding times in with your daily routine, and it will make a huge difference.

Believe me, giving insulin injections to an obese diabetic cat every day is far more time consuming.

The Territory Issue

Indoor cats may sleep upwards of 16 hours a day. Needless to say, lots of restless energy builds up if your kitties do not have proper outlets to exercise and play sufficiently.

Bored cats will always find something to do with their time. In many cases, this may mean picking on other cats in the house, using your sofa as their own personal pincushion, or turning your drapes into a state-of-the-art wall climbing facility.

It is normal for cats to play with one another – some play rougher than others – but bored cats may become territorial, and their prey drive may shift towards their brothers and sisters. This has the potential to cause a great deal of stress on the victim cat, and may affect their personality, health, and how they interact with everyone else in the home.

It is wise to have several play areas in the home, with at least one station on every floor. I would suggest beginning with cat towers; they come in virtually any shape and size you can imagine, at all price ranges. Cat towers are a great tool for cats to get exercise, and engage in constructive play time.

Once your kitties have their own multi-level oasis at their disposal, suddenly your furniture isn’t as appealing when it comes to play time.

A good rule to rule to abide by concerning multiple indoor cats is the more distractions the better.

From angry kitty to happy kitty – just add cat tower.

The Litter Box Issue

The reasons for a cat refusing to use a litter box are seemingly infinite.  New additions to the family, kids going off to college, divorce, home renovations, moving.. the list never ends.

Cats walk to the beat of their own drum – we all know this. All cats have different criteria for what makes them a happy litter box user. What do you do when you have a fussy litter box kitty?

These are the first questions you should ask yourself:

Is the litter box clean enough? Is my litter box big enough? Am I using the right cat litter? Should I have more than one litter box?

Naturally, every household is different, and as a result, solving the litter box equation may be different from one home to the next.

If you have a kitty refusing to use the litter box, she will definitely let you know – usually by urinating or defecating beside the litter box, or on something of yours (like your sofa, clothes, or pair of shoes) – all in an effort to voice her displeasure with the current litter situation.

Ask yourself these four main litter questions, and be honest with yourself – scooping the litter box once a day may seem good enough to us, but may not be up to the high standards of a picky cat.

Make litter changes one at a time, and your fussy cat will leave you a report card – either in the litter box, or somewhere else in the home.

Did you pass or fail? It is all subject to experimentation.

Photo Credit: guzer.com

Photo Credit: arrse.co.uk

Congratulations to Sara, submitted by Adriana Gonsalves! Sara was a late entry in the contest, but quickly narrowed the gap between she and the other contestants.

Sara, you have won:

- a professional grooming session with our Head Groomer, Marni Richmond

- a luxury custom dog bed courtesy of Bowsers

- dog food courtesy of Canidae Pet Foods

- new leash, collar, food and water bowls, brush, and new toys!

To all the runners up, we haven’t forgotten about you. How does a $50 CPC gift card for your efforts sound?

A big thank you goes out to everyone who entered, voted, and participated in our contest. It was a huge success, and we can’t wait to launch the next contest.

Sit. Stay. We will do this again, we promise

The CPC pack is very excited to announce Canadian Pet Connection’s first New Years’ Makeover Contest!

Grand prize is valued at over $500!

How do you enter this contest? It’s simple!

Email a photo to info@canadianpetconnection.com and a description telling us why your pet needs to start 2012 with a total lifestyle overhaul.

There are no bad submissions – shaggy pets, well-groomed pets, all are welcome to participate!

We will confirm your submission via email, and your photo will be posted in our “New Years Makeover 2011″ photo album – located here.

Now it’s up to you to get all your friends to vote – the entry with the most “likes” wins!

Feel free to contact us any time if you have questions about the contest.

Good luck to all contestants! Now, lets have some fun!

New, unwrapped toy donations can be made at any of our Oakville locations right up until Christmas. To reward your efforts, Canadian Pet Connection will give back a $5.00 CPC gift card for every donation made.

Location information can be found here.

Give a gift… get a gift.. card.

Lets make sure all children in our community have a reason to smile on Christmas morning.

For any pet owner living with a dog who may suffer from separation (or isolation) anxiety, check out our article featured on Wondermoms.ca.

Separation anxiety is a common problem for dogs – with many possible solutions. Which solutions will work best for your pooch? Well, that’s difficult to say – every dog is different, and as such, their level of success depends on how well you know your dog.

This article will help You can find it here.

Photo Credit: photos.ibibo.com

Virtually all ingredients in consumable pet products must meet ingredient definitions by the American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). Even though there is no regulating body overseeing the pet industry, AAFCO definitions are universally followed by manufacturers to ensure consistency with industry peers.

With that said, not all ingredients in pet food are sunshine and rainbows – there are components to pet consumables that downright scare the you-know-what out of educated pet owners.

Here are the scariest ingredients found in common pet foods:

Meat Meal/Meat By-Products

AAFCO Definitions:

Meat and Bone Meal - the rendered product from mammal tissues, including bone, exclusive of blood, hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach and rumen contents, except in such amounts as may occur unavoidably in good processing practices.

Meat By-Products - the non rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals. It includes, but is not limited to, lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, livers, blood, bone, partially defatted low-temperature fatty tissue and stomachs and intestines freed of their contents. It does not include hair, horns, teeth and hooves.

Why is this scary?

For one simple reason: “Meat” is not specific to any particular animal, so meat can legally include euthanized dogs and cats as a meat source in pet food products. Essentially, meat can include any mammal, in any mixture or variation.

I’m not kidding. Dogs and cats are eating dogs and cats.

If that’s not bad enough, consider the amount of vaccines an average dog or cat receives in their lifetime. Putting euthanized pets in pet food means that your pet may also be consuming an immeasurable amount of chemical vaccinations.

There is also a common term used in the pet industry called 4D, which stands for dead, diseased, dying, and disabled. Any livestock categorized as a 4D animal is a perfect candidate to end up as a meat ingredient in pet foods.

Yummy…

Pictured above: not meat by-products.

Chemical Preservatives

Ethoxyquin:  is a quinoline-based (aromatic organic compound) antioxidant used as a food preservative (E324) and a pesticide. It is commonly used as a preservative in pet foods to prevent the rancidification of fats.

The January/February 1994 issue of Natural Pet Magazine states that at a meeting in 1956 between Monsanto, the maker of ethoxyquin, and the FDA, Dr. Lehman (of the FDA) said that if he was asked, he would have to rule that ethoxyquin is “harmful and deleterious,” and that no amount of retesting could convince him, or others in his division, otherwise.

BHT: Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), also known as butylhydroxytoluene, is a lipophilic (fat-soluble) organic compound that is primarily used as an antioxidant food additive (E number E321) as well as an antioxidant additive in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, jet fuels, rubber, petroleum products, electrical transformer oil, and embalming fluid.

In the 1970s, Benjamin Feingold, a San Francisco MD who established the Feingold diet, claimed that BHT could produce hyperactivity in some children. In addition, some controversy surrounds the link of BHT to cancer risk, some studies showing the potential to increase and some showing a decrease in risk. Some food industries have voluntarily eliminated this additive from their products, and since the 1970s it has been steadily replaced with the less studied BHA.

BHA: The primary use for BHA is as an antioxidant and preservative in food, food packaging, animal feed, cosmetics, rubber, and petroleum products. BHA also is commonly used in medicines.

The US National Institutes of Health report that BHA is reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen based on evidence of carcinogenicity in experimental animals. In particular, when administered in high doses as part of their diet, BHA causes papillomas and squamous cell carcinomas of the forestomach in rats and Syrian golden hamsters.

To learn more about the dangers surrounding pet food ingredients, check out my article Four Books on Pet Health You Must Read.

Photo credit: http://www.freeanimalswallpapers.com

Photo credit: drpinna.com

Information credit: Wiki

I am flattered and proud that Alissa (a friend, colleague, and pet industry professional) considers Canadian Pet Connection to be an industry leader in business marketing and customer service.

Check out the article here.

How do you determine which products pose less of a choking risk than others?

The answer is simple – you have to make sensible decisions knowing your dog, and his chewing habits.

Know Your Dog

I’m sure we have all heard horror stories of a dog who choked on a bone or a piece of rawhide, so bones and rawhides are bad, right? Not necessarily. More often than not, the fault is not with the product or the dog, the fault lies with the pet owner.

Knowing your dogs’ eating and chewing habits are very important when offering anything to your dog. If your dog is a gulper, and will attempt to swallow a large piece of a bone, then you have to make your purchasing decisions to compliment Fido’s chewing habits.

Know What Products to Choose

There are so many options, how to choose?

For consumers looking for softer bones/chewies, consider digestible products like pork hide, bully sticks, or tendons. Rawhide bones are very popular, but are less digestible than pork hide bones.

Even though a product may be digestible, this doesn’t necessarily mean the product poses less of a choking hazard. Any large pieces swallowed has the potential to lodge in the throat before the point of digestion.

For consumers looking for harder bones, there exists a wide variety of raw, smoked and white bones. Bones vary in density/rigidity depending on the animal (beef, lamb, pork, etc), and type of bone (femur, knuckle, saddle, etc).

When in doubt, pet owners should always offer their pet a product that is a little oversized rather than undersized. Giving an 80lb Labrador Retriever a rawhide suitable for a 20lb dog is very risky, but a 20lb dog chewing a bone suitable for an 80lb Retriever is a far safer situation.

Know What To Do In An Emergency

No matter how well you think you know your dog, there is always a risk involved when you give your dog something to chew on. Knowing how to handle the situation may be the difference between life and death, so do Fido (and yourself) a favour and make sure you know how to react in an emergency.

Here is a video and an article on canine first aid.

Photo Credit: frugalbitsofwhitt.com

Photo Credit: westvet.net

I can’t tell you how excited the whole Canadian Pet Connection family is to announce the launch of our new online store.

Cutting edge knowledge of pet nutrition, stellar customer service, and a genuine dedication to providing the best overall shopping experience a pet owner could possibly have –  since 1994, these are the three philosophies that make CPC a truly unique company.

Now it’s time to take these philosophies online.

While shopping with us, you will find an ever-expanding selection of the healthiest, toughest, squeekiest, fluffiest, tastiest, crunchiest, softest (you get the point..) products the pet industry has to offer.

Our new site is absolutely loaded with all the information you need when researching your next pet purchasing decision. Want to know how much Lactobacillus Acidophilus is in a certain pet food before you buy? No problem, we’ve got that covered.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention; everything on our website is 100% guaranteed. If you are not satisfied with anything you purchase from us, we will take care of that for you.

Creating honest relationships with our clients is what we are all about.

If you have any questions about your pet, or need advice on anything pet related – and we mean anything – give us a call or send us an email.

The most trusted name in pet supplies. Canadian Pet Connection.

Solving dietary allergies is a relatively simple process compared to environmental issues for one reason: you have complete control over your pets’ diet – you do not have control over your pets’ environment.

Before you go swapping pet foods, you need to know how dietary allergies and sensitivities work.

In simple terms, dogs and cats are rarely born with dietary allergies and sensitivities. These issues develop over the course of time due to high levels of ingredient exposure.

I’m sure by now you’ve seen a gaggle of pet products marketed as “hypoallergenic – no corn, wheat or soy”. Why are these ingredients regularly labeled as the evil super-villains of the pet food industry? Because pets are generally overexposed to these ingredients more than anything else.

Since allergies are a result of a chemical reaction within the body, allergies and sensitivities to virtually any food ingredient are possible, so the term “hypoallergenic” is relative at best.

Your pet is just as likely to develop an allergy to caviar compared to wheat – it’s all predicated on chemistry and level of exposure.

With that said, this is how you begin an elimination diet…

Step 1 – Account For All Consumables

When dealing with dietary allergies, many pet owners only look at their pets’ food. While food may be the most important facet to an elimination diet, you have to consider every consumable in your pets’ day to day life.

This includes food, treats, people food/scraps, bones, snacks – everything.

Step 2 – How Low Can You Go?

Reiterating the fact that allergies are generally caused by ingredient overexposure, consider a new diet (diet means every consumable product) containing ingredients with the lowest levels of exposure for your pet.

Select a food containing meat proteins your pet has never consumed before – if your pet has been eating a chicken based food, then consider looking at a non-chicken based alternative. There are many options out there from common lamb formulas, to exotic kangaroo and venison formulas and all sorts of excellent options in between.

I also recommend feeding a grain-free diet, as this is one of the simplest and most effiective ways to eliminate potential grain sensitivities.

Use this low-level-of-exposure rule with everything your dog consumes.

The whole point of this step is to simplify your pets’ diet as much as possible, so when in doubt just keep it simple.

Step 3 – Be Patient

Pets suffering from dietary allergies may show improvements in as little as two to four weeks, however I always suggest to wait six to eight weeks before making any decisions.

Oftentimes, pet owners will give up on their pets’ elimination diet far too soon – this entire process does indeed work very well, but it takes time.

If you have not noticed any positive improvements in your pets’ symptoms after a 6-8 week period of time, then you want to repeat the whole process with a new diet, further eliminating variables.

The most important part of this entire process is to remain consistent!

Although it is temping to sneak Fido your leftover pizza crust from time to time, you may easily render the whole process negligible without realizing it. Make sure the entire family understands the importance of this process, and Fido will be feeling better in no time.. er, 6-8 weeks.

Photo Credit: pets.iloveindia.com