Pets Magazine December 2022 - January 2023

Cavaliers’Choices

Premium pet products for you & your pet chosen by Nell and Rufus, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, assisted by Marie.

Quality Treats

We love the tasty and nutritious treats from Green and Wilde, which range from exotic ostrich to rabbit and venison with no nasty additives. Rufus also gives a paws up to this well-known brand’s ethical chew toys made from sustainable jute which seem to outlast all other toys for their robustness. The company does excellent fish treats and antler chews for the stronger chewers out there. The Christmas stockings and meals for dogs and cats are also temptingly delicious and all natural.

The full range for cats and dogs is available at www.greenandwilds.co.uk

Buggy Treats Dogs’ Love!

If your dog’s Christmas treats are already sorted why not buy a ‘grubby giftbox’ for a healthier start to 2023 rewarding your dog for losing a little unwanted puppy fat over the coming year with latest stats show that 1/3rd of British hounds remain uncomfortably overweight?

Oh and before you think your dog has had insect treats before, it may well have but nothing like these! Insect treats have traditionally been made from bitter-tasting black fly larvae that were originally created for cattle feed. Besides being more bitter than a small bag of angry limes, recent research has shown that black fly larvae is disappointingly high in saturated fats! In 2021 10,000 metric tonnes of insect protein was created and conservative estimates suggest that by 2030 this number will have exceeded 500,000 tonnes.

Mr Bug is a big believer in the circular economy and the fact that insects are a truly sustainable protein source needing only a fraction of the water, land and time of traditional farmyard fayre. Mealworms are rammed with nutritional worth offering more calcium than milk, more B12 than salmon, more iron than spinach by offering all 9 amino acids.

It’s a 5 star paws up for these doggy-licious treats!

Mr Bug comes as a: Veggie One, A Fruity One, A Nutty One & The Cheesy One

£15.96 for 320g of crumbly dog biscuity joy

Delicious Dog Treats

We’ve reviewed many types of dog treats before, ranging from baked biscuits to organic grain free offerings, but seldom do we come across a brand that packs such a mightily wholesome punch. Pawfect Foods is true to its name in producing dog snacks that are delicious and high quality. These grain free human grade treats come in a selection of very palatable offerings from including Himalayan dental sticks (Rufus’s personal favourite!) to herbal infusions and ‘elevenses’ dog cookies, vegan fruit and veg jerky.

The dogs loved the ‘Nature’s Munch’ range which consists of fresh dried and bit size banana, apple, pineapple, papaya, coconut and mango. The humans in the team also smelled the treats and they did indeed indicate their respective fruit – far removed from so many similar offerings, they actually resembled in more than appearance what they are. A great start. It felt good and wholesome to be feeding the dogs something that looked and smelled natural and was good for them too.The Himalayan cheese treats were a huge hit with one lucky boy especially, 3 year old Rufus, who absolutely cannot get enough of the brand’s Himalayan Chew Bars – yum yum!

For more information and to buy, please visit: www.pawfectfoods.co.uk

PS/

We’re always looking for premium products & services to review for both pets and people! Please get in touch with the boss at editor@petsmag.co.uk

Love, Nell & Rufus

MY PETS: Diana Yukawa, Bentley & the Bunnies

DIANA YUKAWA is an award winning solo violinist and composer. She has released six solo albums with Sony Music, BMG and the violinist’s own indie label, Longbody Music. Diana was born in Tokyo before moving to London at three months old, where she would be raised. She released her debut album with BMG RCA at age 14 and she was acknowledged as one of the country’s top 10 artists. Diana has worked with other artists including Craig Armstrong, Jef Beck, Nitin Sawhney, John Foxx as well as some of the worlds greatest Orchestras including the Royal Philharmonic, English Chamber and BBC Concert Orchestra. Here, Diana tells us about another passion in her life, her Dachshund Bentley and her two adorable pet rabbits.

What breed is Bentley and why did you choose him?

Bentley is a miniature dapple dachshund. We’d had a dachshund in the family before and we were all madly in love with her, so when she passed away, there was no question that another sausage was to

come into our lives… so then, Bentley arrived! When you have a dachshund, your life gets filled with dachshund paraphernalia!

We also have two velveteen mini rex rabbits called Bungee and Belle. They are honestly the softest creatures you’ll ever feel!

How long have you had Bentley?

We have had Bentley since he was a puppy in 2011. And we’ve had the bunnies for about a year and a half.

Bentley

the pitter patter of his feet in the background. Or his extremely loud and ear piercing bark if someone dared to buzz the door!

What diference does Bentley make to your life?

Bentley has actually had a far bigger and greater impact on my life than I had imagined. He’s quite a complex character and I have learnt so much from having a dog with these particular characteristics. All previous dogs I’ve experienced have been very different to him. He’s extremely intelligent and needs a lot of mental stimulation. He learnt lots of tricks at a young age very easily. I actually think he would’ve been very happy and fulfilled if he had been a working dog. He also seems to have a split personality, so you need to learn how to read him.

It’s been challenging at times, especially since having children, but they have also learnt to respect animals and their boundaries and we make sure he has his

very own safe space - so we know that everyone is happy!

I learnt a lot about having to be somebody’s spokesperson through Bentley, before becoming a human mother, so I have a lot to thank him for!

He was also the inspiration for my own record label, which I named Longbody music.

Do you take doggie-friendly holidays with Bentley?

Yes, we have done this in the past! Nowadays, as we are travelling as a family, he will usually go and stay with my in-laws for his own holiday. He has them wrapped round his little paw!

What are the best holidays you’ve taken with Bentley?

I think when we stayed in a yurt in the middle of a field surrounded by cows was probably my favourite. At one point I thought I was going to get chased by them, but Bentley was able to fend them off!!

Do you take Bentley with you to restaurants and pubs?

Only when he was very young, otherwise he’d bark the place down and if a dog came near him, oh dear…!! The rabbits would be easier to take to the pub!

What are Bentley favourite things in the world?

Bentley’s most favourite thing in the world is absolutely tennis balls. And then eating!

Bungee and Belle

Bentley does the usual, sit, down, roll over and gimme five. He used to have the most incredible sense of smell and could scent out a toy hidden for him in a cupboard up high and whine for it, or run to the Christmas tree and find his present and have it opened before we’d put both feet through the door. Now he’s getting older, all those senses are slowly softening, but he still just wants to play with you.

Welcoming a pet into your life is really bringing in a new member of the family and embracing all of the responsibility that comes with

Well I feel strongly about “a dog is for life, not just for Christmas” saying. Welcoming a pet into your life is really bringing in a new member of the family and embracing all of the responsibility that comes with that! It’s not always easy and we’ve certainly had our difficult moments - but we love and cherish our furry friends and try to give them the happiest life possible.

www.dianayukawa.com

Does Bentley have any tricks or special character traits?

Is there anything you feel strongly about regarding pet welfare?

Cat lover and

the pampered feline, Dr. DAVID CLIFF, starts his regular series on stories from the amazing cat rescue Yorkshire Cat Rescue (YCR) where he is a volunteer.

Here, David tells the moving story of ‘Hero’, the rescue cat.

proud owner of Lola,

“Let me be your hero, baby…”

By DR DAVID CLIFF

Enrique Iglesias’s popular song springs to mind when I consider the fabulous turnaround of Hero, another great success by Yorkshire Cat Rescue. Six year old, black and white Hero was found by Police living alone and scared by his deceased owner. It rapidly became clear the owner had been dead for a few weeks before Hero had been found. Hero was in a sorry state, coated in urine and faeces and severely malnourished.

YCR took Hero to a vets as an emergency where he was completely unresponsive and thought to have spinal issues. Scans and blood tests evidenced the starvation and privation this little chap had gone through, faithfully staying at the side of his deceased owner. Fortunately this had not

advanced to the point of organ failure as can often happen with malnourishment in both dogs and cats.

Once the vets had obviated anything physically wrong with him, the conclusion was Hero

when diagnosing children and adults that have been through traumatic and/or abusive experiences.

The YCR foster family spent months earning Hero’s trust with the support of the cat care

was suffering from PTSD. We hear that a lot about humans, but the truth is animal sentience is more than enough for them to have exactly the same tortures without them having the ability to articulate or deal with the symptoms. It is quite common for animals with PTSD to go in to hiding and remain almost “frozen” there.

Hero’s wide eyed look was reminiscent of the “frozen” watchfulness often described

team. Slowly, Hero began to wash his face, recover his purr, resume litter tray habits and in every way start to be a cat again.

Hero was successfully adopted by a doting couple who offered the time and patience, whilst he hid a lot of the time and was extremely shy and timid, but once again with time and love, bonds were formed and trust established and Hero found himself again.

Hero: Before

A year on, he is well settled. He has even been to a hot tub lodge in Scarborough making friends with the resident dog there. Physically, he has gained much needed weight and most of all some trust and confidence in the world again. In my experience, few cat charities will go the extra mile as YCR does in dealing with some of the extreme physical and psychological challenges that cats encounter. I have no doubt in other environments Hero’s fate would have been different.

Well done, YCR – you have affirmed your motto ‘trusted by cats’ once again.

Hero’s story is tragic in itself but perhaps it touches a very

real fear for all pet owners: “What happens to my pet when I am gone?” With so many

society by how we look after our animals. With love, affection, suffused with expertise and a commitment to positive outcomes, animals’ lives can truly be turned around.

In our current cost of living crisis, humans are suffering considerably, to a degree where many animals are expendable. This not only denigrates who we are as a species, it can result in us missing out on some of the most unconditional companionship available to us.

Animal charities are having a more demanding time in garnering dwindling resources from public support than many human charities are –let’s not forget them in these difficult times!

To find out more, please visit: https:// yorkshirecatrescue.org/ Hero: After

single person households, more than at any point in our history, it is a very real dilemma.

Charities such as YCR often can address this with single people who lack family and community supports and arrangements can be made. Charles Darwin said words to the effect that, we can judge a

Top tips to help you prepare your puppy for their first Christmas

Many dogs are facing their first Christmas with their new families - here are some tips to make sure it’s a happy one.

The RSPCA is offering advice to owners looking forward to their first Christmas with their new puppy to ensure both they and their pet enjoy the festive season.

Many families are experiencing their first Christmas with their puppies which means lots of new experiences which could leave pets feeling overwhelmed, overexcited or stressed.

But there are lots of things people can do to prepare their puppies for a month of parties, presents, decorations and dinners to ensure the season is merry and bright for everyone.

Lorella Notari, RSPCA Head of Clinical Behaviour, said: “Pets might be seeing Christmas decorations for the first time or be unused to large numbers of guests gathering in your home, not to mention all the smells and temptations of festive food.

“It is really important to take the time to think about how you

are going to help your puppy to cope with these new experiences, whether it is making sure they have somewhere quiet and comforting to escape to if things get too much or ensuring that any younger guests visiting

your home know how to behave around them.

“With a bit of preparation, there is no reason why both you and your puppy can’t enjoy the festive season.”

•

Top tips to prepare your puppy for Christmas:

Coping with guests: Make sure that everyone who visits your home lets your puppy greet them in her own time. Make sure you put a couple of beds for her in quiet places, where she can retreat if the noise and activity gets too much. Make sure guests know not to approach her when she is in her bed

• Younger visitors: Children can get over excited around dogs, especially at Christmas time. Make sure they don’t overwhelm your puppy with attention and give her space. Children should always be supervised around dogs - and the RSPCA has advice about how to keep children safe around dogs.

• Leaving pups on their own: Christmas is a busy time with lots of socialising and there may be times you need to leave your puppy on her own. Make sure you have taken the time to get her used to being

alone, gradually building up the time you leave her so that she is confident being on her own. If you are going to be more than a few hours, consider asking a friend or a pet sitter to look after her.

• Festive food: There are lots of temptations around at Christmas time, but the food we love - such as chocolates and the raisins in our Christmas puddingcould be poisonous for pets. Make sure your guests know not to feed your dog scraps from the table and ensure that you shut the kitchen or dining room door to prevent a ruined dinner and a poorly puppy.

• Scary noises: Remember that your puppy might never have heard the bang of a cracker and that the sudden noise could leave her scared, so you might want to make sure she is out of the room. Fireworks can also be scary for many pets, so make sure you are ready for New Year’s

Eve. The RSPCA has fireworks advice to help prevent and reduce noise phobia and care for your pet when the rockets go off.

• Keep your puppy’s routine: December is always busy, with shopping trips, parties and visits to Father Christmas’ grotto but wherever possible, try to stick to your puppy’s routine. Make sure you take her on lots of walks and give her play and attention, which can help ward off any unwanted behaviours at Christmas time.

Last Christmas, the RSPCA received a call about an abandoned, neglected, abused or suffering animal every minute.

The RSPCA has launched its appeal Join the Christmas Rescue to help its rescuers be there for animals in need this Winter. To join the rescue, visit www.rspca.org.uk/ rescuexmas.

Pond

By ALEXANDER S. HOWSON

As the dark nights begin to close in and the chill looms ever nearer, many pond keepers are beginning to panic about the cold winter months ahead.

Usually this a problem for first time pond keepers who have only recently acquired their pond during the previous spring or summer months, however many experienced keepers can still struggle with this predicament every year.

Caring for pond fish during the winter months can be a tricky process, fraught with worry and risk. Yet, with a good

understanding of the processes and actions taking place and a knowing that our pond fish are generally hardier than we tend to give them credit for, the winter months can be a wellreceived break that will only heighten your excitement for next year’s busy pond season.

When planning for the winter months there are several actions that you as a fish keepers need to take to make the transition to colder climes, smooth and efficient.

Firstly, it often recommended that you conduct an autumn clean.

This is simply a big clean where you remove any rotten vegetation and foreign objects from the pond, along with any slime, a pond vacuum can be a very helpful tool for this task.

Once the big clean has been thoroughly conducted, you can then turn your attention to dealing with any freezing, what to do with your equipment and how to adapt your feeding schedule to fit in with the winter months.

One of the key factors in understanding pond fish care, during winter is that fish are poikilothermic, this means that that when the water

Goldfish can thrive in a garden pond

Big chill: As the temperature of your pond drops, so does your fish’s body temperature

temperature changes so does their body temperature.

Consequently, they rely on the temperature of their water to determine the rate of digestion and because of this, their metabolism tends to slow down as the temperature begins to drop.

Once their metabolism slows down enough, they will enter into a kind of ‘hibernation’ state. This helps them survive the cold months were they would struggle to digest food properly and If you have been following a good care regime for your pond fish during the spring and summer months, feeding them

a good, complete pond food then they should now have built up a decent layer of fat which will help preserve them

accordingly and as autumn approaches and the temperature drops into the low sixties (60°F - 15°C) you should then begin to restrict feeding to around once to twice a week. A solid wheat germ based food will be ideal. This should be kept in place until around mid to late October or, as a better guide, when the temperature drops below fifty (50°F10°C). Once this happens, your fish will start to become disinterested in food and you should cease feeding altogether.

Koi carp are popular pond fish

throughout the winter.

When easing them into this state of ‘hibernation’ you should be mindful that as the temperature drops your feeding regime should change

At this point, the temperature should be so low that the fish will be generally inactive, their metabolism will have slowed down almost completely and they will spend the bulk of their time, motionless at the bottom of the pond.

Feeding should only be resumed in the spring

Feeding should only be resumed in the spring once temperatures have permanently risen over fifty (50°F - 10°C).

Now that feeding your pond fish during the winter has been covered, attention can be turned to equipment. After the temperature has dropped and you stop feeding the fish until the return of warmer weather, many keepers turn their equipment off completely.

A pond filter is simply a house for beneficial bactria that processes the harmful chemicals that fish produce into less harmful products but once feeding has stopped and

the fish begin their period of ‘hibernation’ it’s become almost functionless. Not only that but it will also mix water from different levels, creating fluctuations in the water temperature which may adversely affect fish in their state of hibernation.

Most people then leave their ponds to freeze over, but it can sometimes be beneficial to a add pond heater, or a pond deicer which prevents a small portion of the pond from freezing over, in turn allowing harmful gasses which can occasionally build up from rotting vegetation, to escape. It is worth noting that in ponds that aren’t deeper than 18”

(45cm) fish may have to be brought inside, as the ponds may not be deep enough to support hibernation.

In following these simple steps throughout the winter, you should in turn set yourself up for another strong year of pond keeping.

It can be an enjoyable experience knowing that all your fish are well cared for and safe during the winter months while you take time to draw out your plans for the next year’s pond season.

David Cliff reviews...

I was delighted to review a couple of very contrasting cat themed books recently. ‘Catitude’ written by Katie Abbey, suggests that we homo sapiens need to be a little less preoccupied with life than we are, taking our lead from cats who stopped giving a fig for life very long ago, suggesting perhaps it's time we did the same!

The book is beautifully illustrated with colourful cartoon type cat pictures that address everything from selfimage, the philosophy of life, phonological ambiguities and an erudite insight into the nature of cats. It is quite an entertaining book that should prompt laughter in just about any quarter. I guess my only reservation about the book is my sensitivity to the use of the “F” word which is an issue, I hold with much modern usage but giving the book some ‘latitude’ is more than adequately outweighed by its raw humour and colourful representation of the mind-set of our feline friends. Certainly, ‘Catitude’ really does make you

think about standing up for yourself a bit more in this life. Published Harper Collins: ISBN 978-0-00 852800-3, price £9.99. It's a very nice gift, festive or otherwise.

A little deeper, ‘Literary Cats’ written by Judith Robinson and Scott Pack expose cats being the inspiration for an incredible range of fiction, memoir, poetry, myth, fable, children books, classic tales and contemporary novels. The work of Edgar Allan Poe, Ernest Hemingway, Muriel Spark and many others are considered looking at cats and their place in literature from various points in time and across the entire world.

This book presents extensive research into cats featuring in literature across centuries. It considers archetypes, icons, teachers, cover instruments of evil, most of all, the projection of the human psyche onto the cat as a player on the human stage is a repeat theme in many of the examples given amongst the literature cited.

It feels encyclopaedic and yet is an easy read as the authors have done the work for you and

despite the bewildering variety of cat literature raised, the book is very obviously an introduction to the sheer enormity of cats in literature that the everyday reader may not necessarily be cognizant of. One therefore needs to consider this book as a taster, a summary of key works and a potential signpost for further reading opportunities one can enjoy on the journey it takes you towards the vast ocean of cat-based literature that is hiding in plain sight once this book removes your blinkers to it. This is a thoughtful book for those who are seriously involved with their cats and wish to explore the cat’s role within society and its relationship with us as a species. A relatively light read, balanced with significant profundity.

Published by Bodleian library publishing, ‘Literary Cats’ is available at 1699 ISBN 978-1-851 24-573-4.

Cat lover Dr. David Cliff is MD of Gedanken, a company specialising in coaching-based support and personal development.

Banish Pesky Fleas Forever!

We are really excited to introduce the FleasGone tag! A chemical free tag exclusive to dog and cat owners across the UK helping them to protect their beloved pets from fleas and ticks. After continued global success, we think it’s amazing that FleasGone UK are reaching out to additional pet owners who are looking for a safe, long lasting chemical-free alternative to current flea and tick treatments.

The safe and simple solution has been scientifically proven to provide chemical-free, non -toxic protection against fleas and ticks without experiencing any unwanted side-effects. In the market, other available flea and tick treatments are not recommended for use on new-born puppies and kittens, this completely chemical-free, lightweight tag can be used sooner than other proven alternatives making it a completely safe option for all the family including your children and pets. Protecting your pets for up to 5 years makes this the ideal cost-effective solution.

Relying on the laws of physics, the tag enables pet owners around the world to provide their loved ones with the safest and the longest-lasting holistic pet protection against flea and tick infestation.

The FleasGone Tag is made with electromagnetically charged that forms a protective shield around your pet, interacting with the natural waves from the heart and is a key element in generating scalar waves that repel parasites. Scalar waves create a bio resonant field that is effective in treating a variety of medical conditions. ‘Scalar medicine’ is now widely recognised in the profession as a form of holistic, non-invasive therapy.

www.fleasgone.uk