Here’s our guide to the types and styles of cat trees most appropriate to your cat and her individual needs.

.

Kittens

Height is the key factor to consider for kittens. While they are still finding their balance provide them with a wide, low rise cat tree to prevent injuries from falls. You’ll also want a cat tree with plenty of fun toys and scratch areas  to keep your restless youngster occupied. Try our Cheese Cat Tree which includes a den, dangling pom-pom ball, mouse toy and scratch post all in a compact low space.

Large breed

Big cats like Maine Coons will need extra sturdy cat trees.  Having a cat tree topple over will often put a cat off ever coming close to one again. Heavy, wooden cat trees are the sturdiest but we also recommend attaching a metal wall bracket for added stability. Take a look at King of the Forest, one of our great value, solid wood platform cat trees, which features three sleeping platforms, a den and enough sisal to keep any cat amused for months!

Older or arthritic cats

Older cats will not be so keen on making giant leaps to explore their new cat tree.  Choose a cat with easily accessible platforms such as our Dionysos Cat Tree which has a ladder leading up to the first level.

Somewhere extremely cosy to sleep is often right at the top of an older cat’s priority list.  Choose a cat tree with multiple sleeping areas including a den, hammock and padded nests for variation.

.

Multi-cat household

Providing multiple cats with several platforms will help to avoid spats over the most desirable lookout spots.  Fun Island Cat Tree (right) is so large that it is effectively two cat trees in one, cramming in three dens, multiple platforms, a walkway and 10 sisal posts!  Our ceiling cat trees offer a whole forest of options and plenty of areas for two or more cats.  For any tall or ceiling height cat tree we recommend fixing your cat tree to a wall with a metal bracket, especially if lots of cats will be climbing at once.

Once you’ve decided on the right height, style and features appropriate to your individual cat’s needs, the next choices are down to you. At zooplus we’ve got plenty of natural colour cat trees or why not brighten up your home with some of our fun ‘themed’ cat trees.  Have fun choosing!

.

Cat Tree checklist

• Will it fit? Measure the space you intend to place the tree
• Is it safe? Avoid narrow ledges and secure all tall cat trees with a wall bracket
• Is it accessible? Make sure your cat can make the most of all areas
• Does it have the right ‘extras’? e.g. toys, den, scratch mats, cat-nip
• Does it match your decor?

Beginner’s Guide to Showing your Dog

If you’ve recently bought a pedigree puppy, the sight of beautifully turned out breed champions at  Crufts next week may set you day dreaming about what it would be like to  wow the crowds and judges with your perfectly trained wonder dog!  But there is an awful lot of work to be done behind the scenes before any dog can reach that stage.

Although good breeding is of course vital for success in the show ring, selecting a pup  is only the start of a long road to creating the perfect show dog.  Here’s our Winning Formula for success in the show ring. Good luck and don’t forget to have fun!

.

Breeding

Selecting a puppy from good breeding lines is something every compassionate owner should be doing.  Background checks on the parents for signs of hereditary health problems can save you a fortune on vet bill further down the line.  Ask to see the mother and, if possible the father.  Are they good examples of the breed?

Health

Keeping your dog up to date with his wormer, flea treatments and vaccinations are all vital if he is to stand any chance in the show ring. In fact, you will need proof that you dog is up to date with his jabs before they will even let you in! Keeping your dog well exercised is also important as a lean athletic build will be more impressive than a dog carrying extra pounds.

Nutrition

Right from day one in your puppy’s life with you, his feeding will need to be carefully considered.  Try to continue feeding the same diet as his breeder was using and switch slowly if you think he requires something different.  If you went to a reputable breeder, they will know this particular type of dog inside out so be sure to ask for their advice if you need it.

Appearance

Both you and your dog will need to look smart in the ring.  Don’t forget the final checks as it’s amazing how quickly a dog can get his coat tangled when your back is turned!  Remember not to dress too flamboyantly yourself.  You may want to look the part but you don’t want to detract the Judge’s eye from the real star of the show!  Make sure you pooch is silky coated and smelling great with our range of grooming tools and dog shampoo.

Training

No matter how beautiful and glossy your dog is, if he isn’t paying attention to you in the ring (or if he nips at the judge!) then you’ll leave a very poor impression.  Training will begin from the very first day you bring your pup home from the breeder and will need to be reinforced daily.

If you do not have experience training dogs, it’s a good idea to find a trainer to help you learn the basics.

Although it’s important not to overwash your dog, all canines will need a good shampoo from time to time, especially if they are one of the many who enjoy rolling in animal dung! Unfortunately, what should be a simple task often results in chaos, a drenched bathroom and a soggy owner chasing a dripping dog around the house.

Read on for some top tips on how to select the right shampoo for your dog and to keep bath times clean and fun.

.

Choosing the right shampoo

Unlike us, dogs have hair over their entire body so you should not use the same harsh shampoos you use for your own hair.  Your dog’s coat and skin should be washed with a very mild dog shampoo which will not strip it completely of natural oils (after all, these oils are what makes your dog’s coat look shiny!)  Look for shampoos which are hypoallergenic and soap free.

If your dog is sensitive to strong smells then avoid scented shampoos too as your dog may be tempted to roll in something equally smelly, but less appealing to your nose than the flowery bouquet of the shampoo!  Zooplus now stock the Laboratoire Demavic shampoo range which includes a shampoo specially formulated for dog’s with sensitive skin: Demavic Itch-Releif Dog Shampoo.

In to the tub!

Nervous dogs may need some extra encouragement to get in the bath at first.  Make sure you put down a non-slip bath mat before asking your dog to jump in so he doesn’t slide around and scare himself. Be upbeat and positive and praise him the whole way through the bath. He’ll soon see there is nothing to worry about and even start to enjoy the experience.

Try to avoid the top of the dog’s head so no shampoo gets in his eyes, nose or mouth.   You can always clean up these areas with pet wipes later.  Pay particular attention to smellier areas, such as the neck if they like to roll in unpleasant things. Once you’ve lathered up your dog and rubbed the shampoo in well you’ll need to spend a long time rinsing and re-rinsing the coat to make sure all traces of shampoo are removed.

Once you’re done try to jump in quick with the towel before his first shake which will inevitably drench you and the entire bathroom. If your dog has a habit of charging around the house after a bath, keep his lead and collar on in the bathroom so you still have control.  Before you head outside on a cold day you should make sure he’s totally dry first.

Microfibre towels like the SnuggleSafe Pet Towel can help you dry your dog 4 x faster than conventional towels.

Tip: Don’t forget to wash his collar too!  If he’s rolled in something nasty there may be traces on his collar.

Right now at zooplus there’s a sale on Grooming & Bathtime products.

Save up to 50%! >>>

Owners inspired by their dog’s transformation, can also enter the pet food maker’s Facebook contest where one dog will be crowned the “Challenge Champion” and appear in Dog Fancy magazine and select Eukanuba advertising.

Learn more >

Pets can’t tell us when they feel under the weather

1. Weight loss If your cat starts to drop his or her weight rapidly that is a sure sign that there is something wrong. Be especially vigilant with long haired cats as the evidence may be less obvious. The best way to monitor your cat’s weight is to weigh yourself first and then step on the scales holding your cat, subtracting the difference.

.

2. Abnormal behaviour You live with your cat so you’re in the best position to notice subtle behavioural changes which may indicate an underlying problem. Has your cat recently become alot more vocal than usual? Has she been unusually shy,  hiding herself away and not engaging in play? Changes in behaviour should not necessarily be cause for concern but they should prompt you to keep a closer eye on your cat.

3. Coat & skin Alterations in your cat’s coat and skin can sometimes be outward signs of internal problems.  Take note if the coat starts to look ungroomed and fluffed up when it is normally sleek. Is hair starting to fall out or does it feel dry and look dull?  Of course changes  such as these can simply be a part of your cat’s ageing process. Even so, it’s time to take account of those advanced years .  You cat may need to switch to a diet for mature felines such as Hill’s Science Plan 7+ or start taking some dietary supplements.

4. Appetite & thirst Ok so cats can be fussy about their food.  But if your cat is very happy with a certain diet and then suddenly loses interest, it may point to health problems.  Increased thirst  is also  something to keep an eye on.  It could just be that it is a warm day but continued excessive thirst may be a sign of kidney problems.

5. Litter Habits

Pay attention when you’re emptying the litter box as signs here can point to some very serious illnesses in cats.  Have you noticed an increase in urine or stools, blood and or mucus in the litter or stronger smells than usual?  A litter trained cat who starts to go elsewhere is also a bad sign.  It could be down to stress but it could also be worms or a bladder infection.  Talk to your vet if you spot any of these signs. 

zooplus recommends Perlinette Health Indicator  Cat Litter. This unique litter is able to detect even the smallest traces of blood, bilirubin (an indicator of liver problems) and pH levels over 7 which may point to bladder stones, crystals and bladder infections.  When the litter absorbs any of these things, even in minute quantities, the colour of the litter will be drastically different, alerting you at the very early stages of an illness. Perlinette Health Indicator Litter is especially suitable for elderly cats.

Thinning combs are widely used during the moulting seasons but this new innovation means brushing and collecting your dog’s hair can be done indoors with no mess. (After all who wants to stand outside on  a freezing January day to brush the dog?)  You won’t regret investing in this brilliant device. Here’s how it works…

.

The Jappyland Maxi Set Groomer is connected to your vacuum cleaner, and ensures easy efficient brushing of your pet. Brush the dog with the thinning comb (which is suitable for all coat types) and collect the hair all in one simple movement.

The groomer is self cleaning and has an integrated debris chamber, so your spotless home can stay that way!  Regular use will also lower the risk of pet hair triggering allergies in your family.

If your pet is scared of the vacuum then simply use the extra long 5m pipe to place the vacuum cleaner out of sight in the next room.

The Jappyland Maxi Set Groomer includes:

12 Liter integrated debris chamber: It can vacuum up water and will transform your conventional vacuum cleaner into a water vacuum cleaner. It can also be used to vacuum glass, gravel, cold ash, sand, etc…

High quality filter: Washable filter designed to ensure great suction and maximum protection of your vacuum cleaner. All the vacuumed material remains in the debris chamber.

Flexible extra long 5m tube: Extra-long pipe so you can place your vacuum cleaner in an adjoining room so as not to frighten your animal during grooming.

A brush: suitable for all coats, the groomer is an essential accessory for easy thinning of your pet’s coat. It eliminates all the dead undercoat and leaves just healthy hair. The groomer is self-cleaning: when you release the trigger, the hairs are vacuumed up. It can be used after the bath on a dry or wet coat.

The Jappyland Maxi Set Groomer is exclusive to zooplus. Buy Now >

Read on to discover tons of amazing feline record breakers, from the oldest to the lightest to the most well travelled.  Find out how many mice the world’s best mouser dispatched and how much the richest cat in history inherited from his owner…

• The oldest living cat is Kataleena, a Burmese who lives in Melbourne, Australia. While the average house cat has a life expectancy of 9 to 15 years, Kataleena will be celebrating her 35th birthday in 2012.  In America, another house cat named Creme Puff was last recorded at an incredible 38, however it’s unclear whether Creme Puff is still alive.

• Another cat from down under called Himmy set the record for the world’s heaviest cat. The hefty feline weighed in at 21.2 kg. Being overweight led to his untimely death at the age of ten. This particular category has rightly been removed from the Guinness Book of Records to discourage people from intentionally overfeeding their cats. (Incidentally zooplus can recommend the Hill’s ‘light’ diets for porky felines).

• The world’s lightest cat was a slip of a Blue Point Himalayan named Tinker Toy. She lived in America and weighed only 820 grams.  Sadly Tinker Toy died in 1997.

• The world’s smallest cat was discovered in Illinois, USA. Mr. Peebles is 15.5 cm high and weighs 1.3 kilograms. His diminuitive stature is  due to a genetic defect in his back.

• A cat named Dusty holds the record for the most offspring produced in her lifetime. Over the years she gave birth to an astonishing 420 kittens!

• Cat’s always land on their feet right? The longest non-fatal fall for a cat is held by Andy, who fell from the 16th floor (200 feet) of an apartment building.

• The world’s richest cat lives in England. Lucky cat Blackie was left £15 million in his owner’s will! It is not known exactly how Blackie spent the money but it’s safe to say he is now living in the lap of luxury.

• Think you have too many cats?  The record for the most cats in a single household was set by a couple in Canada. They claimed to have 689 felines living at their property. Just imagine the kitty litter bill!

• The record for most well travelled cat goes to a little stow-away named Hamlet.  He escaped from his carrier on a flight to Canada and was found behind a panel seven weeks later after clocking up  approximately 600,000 kilometres in air miles.

• According to the Guinness Book of Records a cat called Towser holds the record for most mice caught. In his lifetime from 1963 to 1987 he dispatched 28,988 mice. For his “service” to the distillery where he worked he was honoured with his very own statue.

Does your cat have a special talent or noteworthy achievements you’d like to share? Do  you know about any other interesting cat records? Tell us below!

Animal behaviourists may be able to help but the costs are beyond most pet owner’s budgets.  A cheap and effective solution for cats is a marvellous invention called Feliway, a product designed to calm your pet in a totally harmless and invisible way.

.

The Science bit

Cats naturally release calming facial pheromones, chemical ’signs’ which work outside of the body and can be detected by other cats.  Cats will mark areas of their territory when they feel secure and safe in a familiar environment (they may even mark you from time to time!) The clever people at Feliway have developed a safe, man-made replica of these pheromones which can be used either in an electric plug in diffuser for long term effects or as a handy spray bottle.

Combat stress at home…

Feliway is not just useful for the firework season.  Stress can be triggered by all sorts of things: changes in routine, new additions to the family such as a baby or (heaven forbid!) a dog.  We would also recommend plugging in a feliway diffuser if you are about to bring home a rescue cat from a shelter.  By reassuring your pet, Feliway can  help eliminate unwanted behaviours in the home caused by stress, such as urine marking or vertical scratching on furniture. Just plug in a Feliway Diffuser in the room of your house where your cat displays the most obvious signs of stress.

…and on the move!

The Feliway 60 ml Spray Bottle gives you even more possibilities to remove stress from your cat’s life.  Use it in your car or inside your pet’s carrier before a trip to the vets or the cattery.

Feliway Diffuser and Feliway 60 ml Spray are now on special offer at zooplus.co.uk >>

.

This week we’ve got up to 40% off jumpers, wind and rain proof coats, super absorbent towels and beds to dry off in when you get back home.

.

For those chilly early morning walks, our washable Dog Coat Legend in a fashionable lemon yellow, white and brown colour scheme will keep out the icy draughts. It fits together easily with poppers and is lined with snuggly brown fleece in practical dark brown. For damper days and dark evenings try our Dog Coat Polar Bear with its water-and dirt-repellent TEFLON® coating, specially designed to keep your pooch snug and dry in the autumn drizzle and the winter snow. It’s also got handy reflective strips sewn on, great for spotting your dog in the dim evening light.

.

Coming in from a long autumn walk in the rain, mud and cold the first thing on your mind is probably putting the kettle on for a cuppa but spare a couple of minutes to dry off your dog and you’ll save yourself having to clean up muddy paw prints later.

If you want to get your dog dry quickly the special micro fibre fabric of our Trixie Top-Fix Towel is much more absorbent than a regular towel, soaking up 12 x the amount of water and mud. Your mucky pup will be dry as a bone in no time, leaving you free to put your feet up.

.

Once he’s had a good long walk and dried off your dog will be looking for a cosy place to rest his head and catch 40 winks. Our inexpensive snuggly dog beds are just the thing, especially a fleecy nest bed like Trixie Snuggle Dog Bed Sammy.  It’s washable too so it won’t matter if it gets a bit mucky.

Our first aid kit is primarily designed for dogs but many of the items can be used for other pets. Right now you can claim a FREE first aid kit with every order of £39 or more! Just enter FIRST-AID into the coupon code box at the checkout.

.

.

Has your pet been injured? Don’t panic!  Your pet may be very distressed and in pain but take a deep breath and assess the situation.  If you have someone with you ask them to help by fetching the first aid kit and a blanket or perhaps calling the veterinary surgery to warn them you are on your way.  If your pet is unconscious make sure you clear the airway, removing any obstruction and stretching out the neck.

Latex Gloves - Gloves will help prevent you transferring germs into any open wounds and keeps your skin from coming into contact with bodily fluids. Please note these gloves are not suitable for latex allergy sufferers.

.

Wound Dressing – Apply a clean dressing pad to any open wounds to help stem the bleeding.  Hold it in place yourself or you can use the enclosed reel of adhesive bandage to fix it securely over the wound.

.

Head/Nose Band Muzzle (for dogs) – If you are helping a dog that is likely to bite you may wish to restrain him with a head band muzzle. Tie the rope around the dog’s nose (unless he is injured in that area) then tie the ends of the rope around the back of the head behind the ears in a bow so it can be quickly released if necessary.

Keep a blanket near your pet’s first aid kit. A pet suffering from shock after loosing a lot of blood will need to be kept warm. (Keep wounds visible so you can see if they have bled through dressings).

Afterwards don’t forget to throw away any equipment you have used, including the gloves, and replace used items so the kit will be fully stocked  the next time you need to use it.

.

Other useful items for minor pet problems:

Tweezers – Useful for removing thorns, grass seeds and other stray foreign objects your pet may have picked up. Tweezers are great for this delicate task.  Seeds and similar objects left in a pet’s nose, ears or other delicate areas can cause a lot of pain and often cause infections.  If you can’t remove them easily at home take your pet to the vet.

Tick Tweezers – Ticks require special treatment as it is important to remove the entire tick and not leave the head buried in your pet’s skin.  These clever tweezers are designed to apply even pressure once you have clamped the tick behind the head, making it much easier to remove the tick gently and completely. Disinfect the tweezers after each use and use the alcohol prep pads to clean the area of skin affected (these pads should not be used for open wounds). Do not let your pet ingest the alcohol pads.

Oral Medication Syringe - Useful tool for ensuring your pet takes their medication.  Gently ease the syringe into the side of your pet’s mouth and press to dispense medicine onto the back of the tongue where it will be swallowed.

Flea & Lice Comb – Great tool for removing little critters from your pet’s fur.

.

Claim your FREE First Aid Kit now! >>

Learn more about Pet First Aid >>

.

.