70
First of all, please calm down. Your question sounds as if any interaction with your cats would potentially endanger the life of your unborn child, but that is not the case.
It's not the cat itself that poses a danger during pregnancy, but an infection called "toxoplasmosis" that is caused by "Toxoplasma gondii" parasites. This infection ...
39
The most reasonable explanation is that it died and was eaten by the other fish / snails. Note that some snails are carnivorous. Many fish are cannibalistic if the opportunity arises.
Some leftovers of the missing fish might be found inside the aquarium, if you look carefully. Or in the filter.
Some fish have the idea to jump out of the water. With this ...
29
The short answer: "Yes"
The longer version: cats are generally pretty independent creatures, but they do miss their humans especially if we're not at home during the day. If you have just one cat, be prepared to be met with demands for attention, playing, and a great deal of petting when you are home. This will be strongest after you get the cat, because it ...
25
We have a few existing posts about how much space a cat needs, I have included some below. Your area is large enough for a cat. But even a larger space will not be sufficient without enough enrichment, so having toys, and things to climb on will make a big difference.
Each cat is going to have a unique personality. So you need to consider the cats ...
22
Supervised outdoor time is fine, provided that you take adequate precautions to ensure that the cat stays supervised.
We've let our cats out onto enclosed balconies, and an enclosed screened-in porch, and they clearly enjoyed it (well, 2 of the 3). A cat harness, such as John Cavan suggests, is also a good solution, although some cats will not handle any ...
21
The short answer is no.
The longer answer:
Your pet rabbit is probably a different breed than the wild rabbits you see around. It's been bred from tame/domesticated rabbits for generations. It doesn't smell like them, and it doesn't know how anything about living wild. If you let it go free, it will almost certainly be killed or eaten.
If you are in an ...
19
One of our cats loves going outside, but we've seen too many animals killed by traffic to let him do it freely. So, our solution to this was to get a cat harness and a long yard chain designed for small dogs. This lets him explore, eat some grass, hunt some bugs, and the like while being restricted from roaming totally free. He likes it so much that he purrs ...
19
As background, my husband has a similar electronics hobby and I sew. We lived in a house where we did our hobbies in the living room for a few years, but eventually moved into a house large enough that we each have a 'hobby room' and can shut the door to keep the cats out. I honestly believe this is the best long term solution.
While we lived in our small ...
14
The primary safety issue with invisible / electronic / underground fences is that they do not protect your pet from people and animals coming to your dog and possibly harming it. A standard fence, for example, keeps unfriendly dogs out as much as it keeps your dog in.
As for the collars, I bought a Tri-Tronics vibration only collar for one of my deaf dogs (...
14
If my wife is pregnant, she may need to spend her days lying down on our couch - and with our second bedroom set aside to become a nursery, where will we keep the cats?
Why can the cats not be around your wife?
If we do let our cats roam about, how do I prevent them from jumping on my wife's pregnant belly?
You don't, your wife does. Once they've been ...
14
You're going in the right direction, with your efforts to make the couch unappealing, and provide scratchers as alternatives. You just need to experiment a bit more to discover the right combination of things to discourage it from the couch and encourage it to the scratchers.
Since the blankets aren't working, try a different method to discourage the cat. ...
13
Pets should NEVER be released into the wild.
There are countless reasons for this. Your pet might not be native to the area you live in. It can cause harm to the environment. It may carry a disease that the local wildlife do not have a resistance to. It doesnt have the survival instincts its wild cousins have. Pets are physically different than their ...
12
To be honest I don't think any type of paint applied to a bird cage after the fact is a good idea.
The paint that is applied to a bird cage is the negatively charged powder type that is typical in industrial processes where you want to ensure a strong long term bond to a smooth metal surface. The metal cage pieces are positively charged while the paint is ...
12
As keshlam mentioned, you shouldn't need towel approach for such basic things as ear or eye drops. At least if your cat is not very aggressive and/or very scared.
What I'd suggest instead is the 'peg trick'. It comes down to imitating the mother-cat holding a kitten by the scruff which puts the kitten in a calm/meditative state while being transported. It ...
12
I totally understand your frustration. Cats are very independent, complex creatures. I imagine your cat is very happy, you’re providing it everything I would suggest and then some. Seriously, give yourself some kudos for that. I have a few thoughts that may help:
Firstly, cat ownership does require a certain level of “letting go”. When I got my cat, I was ...
11
Know that it will likely take time for the cat to adjust to whatever your routine is. I know that when I shifted from being home a lot to working/being on campus for school more, my cat took some time to adjust. He meowed more and worked harder to get my attention when I was home, until we both got used to the new schedule. Some cats might express this by ...
10
I don't have much to say about terrestrial hermit crabs specifically, but the marines ones I have experience with can definitely be picky. Somebody else offered a great answer to another hermit question a few weeks ago, so hopefully they'll see this one as well.
I've personally seen hermits go through on average 2-3 good choices before they pick a new shell,...
9
Regardless of floor choice, remember that they need a burrow-like "safe" area to cope with stress. Many pet rabbit hutches have BOTH a mesh floor portion and a little "house" like portion that has a solid floor with bedding. These are not used industrially because they take up much more space and require bedding changes.
You'll need to decide based on your ...
9
I have had dogs that loved being on a cable and I have had dogs that hated it. The placement of the cable, the personality and breed of your dog are very important.
I had a German Shepherd who we once tried to put on a cable. He hated it so much he tore it off the side of the house. We got an electric fence after that, but that did not work either. We ended ...
9
Chad (user9) has a fantastic answer. My answer on minimum space comes from a different perspective, and is just different not better.
For the pet house rabbit there are two common housing scenarios.
The rabbit has full access to some bunny proofed area all of the time. The bunnies "safeplace" for napping and such is a cardboard (or something) box that ...
9
People's opinions on this will likely vary widely. Personally, I favour a set-up that allows enough pasture for horses to graze without need for supplementation in fair weather. I also feel strongly that it is better for the horse if they can be outside as much as possible. I know that many horses spend much of their lives in stables, but I have seen many ...
9
Personally, I'd be wary of leaving a dog outside alone without a physical fenced boundary. Even if the dog knows to stay inside, others (dogs and humans) don't. That said you have several options.
Long Line
You can get what is essentially a 50 ft (around 15 m) leash and he can go where he pleases within the radius. It may be different enough from the ...
9
Use vertical space.
Keep breakables out of spaces the cat has access to, behind door or behind glass or at great heights (some cats can jump to the top of a fridge, so that's a minimum). You can train cats that there are surfaces they aren't allowed on but (a) you want to do that without the breakables present, (b) there is no guarantee they will behave ...
9
The main reason the mother comes back for her kitten is that the kitten is not weaned. That is, it is not finished with drinking her mother's milk and is not ready to handle the bigger world. If that world would be the wild.
For a long time it was normal to separate a kitten from its mother from 6 weeks on. It is about the time they can start to learn to ...
9
It is totally dependent upon the age at which you adopt the cat and current environment of the cat if the cat is an adult cat.
If you are adopting an already grown up cat habituated to outside life, it will be very stressful for the cat. But if the grown up cat was previously habituated to a small closed environment it should not be a problem. You only need ...
8
An enclosure is really the only option if you want to let them out without a harness and leash. You can't just let a cat out and watch them not to run away. They will run away faster than you realize, if there's any chance at all. After the fact all you can do is wait and hope they'll come back later.
An adult indoor cat is probably scared of the outside ...
8
The act of bunny proofing your home is about providing a safe and comfortable place for your rabbit(s) to play and exercise while protecting them and your home from incidental damage from the rabbit's natural tendencies and needs (e.g. chewing). The practicality of doing this to your entire home depends, of course, on your home and that's where the caveats/...
8
The last sentence of your question, provides some insight to the answer here. If your dog is not well trained now, and she is used to wandering, it would take significant work to train her not to leave the yard. While not impossible, without constant supervision while she is out, it is unlikely to be successful.
You also indicate concern that the fence ...
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