Pet Health

English painter George Stubbs made his name with animal portraits that revealed the individual dignity of their subjects The love affair between the English and their dogs is one of the most well-worn of clichés, conjuring ideas of sentimentality, country living and —with reference to the issue of breeding and bloodlines—perhaps of a kind of class-consciousness and snobbishness which have traditionally been counted as national characteristics. Like all clichés, the relevance and truthfulness of these associations may be questionable, but the peculiar affection of the English upper classes for their animals was an assumption of many commentators in the 18th century and has a special relevance for the history of the visual arts. from The Bark https://ift.tt/39hNHJK

A family’s history is bookmarked by the dogs they’ve raised and loved. My husband, 25-year-old daughter and I recently added eight pounds of chaos to our family. Lily is our fifth Portuguese Water Dog (PWD), but the 15th puppy we have had in our home. Lily is tiny. She is black with a white chest and a white dot on her back. She is cute, sweet, smart and funny. She chases after her big sister, Mayzie, who is getting used to having a baby sister. Lily has adapted well to her new home and even likes her crate, which is a new one for us. She hasn’t mastered the concept of doing her business outside, but she is small and her bladder is little as well. Between bouts of running around in circles, chewing on toys or furniture, and trying to get six-year-old Mayzie to chase her, Lily sleeps in my office while I work on my classes. During one of those down times, as I admired how adorable she was and thought how glad I was to have her bring some joy into our pandemic gloominess, F...

Mick Jagger has long been known for his iconic music career, but here’s something we’re just learning about the Rolling Stones frontman. He’s a cat lover! This makes his fellow cat groupies want to hit the music streaming scene and find a Stones playlist for a good rock out with their felines . But before you do, meet Jagger’s cat, Nero. A good portion of the world caught their first glimpse of the rock king’s cat in a recent Instagram post. The image reveals the 77-year-old cat dad perched on his floral couch with a guitar propped by his knee. The guitar makes sense, but the couch and its tapestry garden were a bit of a surprise. But not so much as the black cat trying to melt away into the upholstery. @mickjagger/ Instagram Jagger smiled proudly in the photo as he introduced the lens-weary black cat, the caption reading ,  “Say hi to Nero, he’s a little camera shy #catsofinstagram ” But the little midnight rambler didn’t seem too into his moment of fame. Ah, cats. They l...

This new comic book series and its hero fight animal abuse Calico is a new indie comic-book character quite unlike anything that’s come before—not your conventional superhero but rather, an antihero. His crusade? Taking vengeance on those who abuse and kill animals. Hector Gil, a.k.a. Calico , is a former boxer and mixed martial artist from the streets of the Bronx. A man driven by his passion for animals, he’s willing to go further than most to protect them. Much further. Tags:  dog culture art from The Bark https://ift.tt/3sndPdS

Greetings, my pawsome human minions and cat cohorts. Forrest here, coming to you vexed and betrayed… Why am I betrayed, you ask? Well, the first thing one needs to know about my home: we don’t close the doors. Yes, the front and back doors remain closed, locking out the dangers of the wild world. But the interior doors remain open at all times as everything inside these walls resides within my domain. And do you know what my father did? @nunu_cat2020/ Instagram He shut the door to what Mom calls the ‘spare’ room. There is nothing spare in my territory; all places are mine to access when I choose! And suddenly Dad thinks he can just close a door that’s always been open? Upon discovering the closed door, I did what any self-respecting cat might do and meowed at the door. Then, I meowed again and again. No one came to right this wrong, so I commenced the meowing, growing the volume until I could hear my plea echoed back from the wooden floors. Still, no human came to open the...

You’re going to relish this tale of two mother cats who are raising their kittens together as one big happy family of stripes and whiskers. Living together in their Nashville, TN, feral cat colony, Pickle and Olive are the best of friends. The family who cared for their colony became friendly with the ladies and noticed their bonded friendship. They also realized both Pickle and Olive were pregnant. The family got in touch with the Nashville Cat Rescue to get the cats the extra care their pregnancies demanded. Speaking with Love Meow, Kiki, a foster volunteer with the rescue, shared the family had one request, “that the girls stay together, even when it was time for them to be adopted.” Taking the ladies in, Kiki saw right away the bond between Pickle and Olive, writing on Instagram , “The only time I have seen a love this pure is in The Lion King with Nala & Simba.” @kittenitwithkiki/ Instagram Bonded Best Friends Having Babies As feral cats, the tabby girls were a bit...

How long do cats live? This question burns in the minds of every cat parent as they hold their kitty-dear tight, hoping their feline will be the next to claim the honor of world’s oldest cat. Unfortunately, try as we might, our cats don’t live as long as Crème Puff the cat . Living to the age of 38, Crème Puff still posthumously holds the title of World’s Oldest Cat. Many have come close, and with good care and lots of love, more felines are living long lives, quite a few even seeing their 20s. The average cat lifespan is 12-15 years, though many cats are easily living to 17 years of age. But there are several factors that could affect a cat’s life expectancy. For instance, indoor cats typically live longer than outdoor cats as the inside life keeps cats protected from the dangers that can find them outside. That said, cats who live a fully indoor life run the risk of obesity and its related disease. It’s all about balance when it comes to cats. But even when we keep our kittie...