The Birman – an ideal indoor cat

The Birman, or sacred Cat of Burma, is a strikingly beautiful and unusual breed. It has a pale coloured body, dark face, ears, tail and legs, a semi-long coat and white "gloves" on its paws. Its eyes are a beautiful, deep sapphire-blue.

A famous legend is the only explanation we have for their colouring: one hundred pure white cats lived in the Burmese temple of Lao-Tsun. One night the temple was raided and the oldest priest was killed. His pure white cat, Sinh, jumped on the body of his master and the priest's soul entered the cat, and as it did so the white hair of his body became golden (like the Temple goddess), his legs, face, ears and tail became earth coloured and his paws remained white as a symbol of purity.

Birmans have soft voices and are more active than Persians but less active and talkative than Siamese. The coat is more silky than fluffy, and for that reason it rarely mats and is easy to groom and keep in order. However, regular grooming is still a must. They are recognised in most colours with sealpoint and bluepoint being the most common.

Their history is romantic, their looks exotic and they make an ideal companion for owners desiring an indoor cat.

More information on obtaining a Birman

The 2008 Royal Easter Show

March 20 – April 2, 2008

All creatures great and small are waiting to meet you at this year’s Sydney Royal Easter Show.

From baby bunnies to huge horses, animals of all shapes and sizes are making an appearance.

Get up close to the action during a performance or learn about various breeds in one of the many interactive displays including:

• Grand Parade and Horses – one of the traditional highlights of the show
• The Sunday Telegraph Animal Walk – entertaining, educational and interactive. Suitable for all ages, but particularly great for the kids
• Dairy Farmers Farmyard Nursery – hugely popular – baby bunnies, cuddly calves, little lambs and perfect piglets.
• Milking Barn and Working Dairy – interact with the animals first hand; learn about milk production and dairy farming.
• Dog and Cat Shows – over 3000 dogs strutting their stuff and lots of kittens, cats and laughter.
• Yard Dogs – watch gifted animals working and performing at the Show with demonstrations running throughout the 14 days.
• Dog Flyball – an exciting spectator sport that draws massive crowds to cheer on the dogs while they race.
• Shearing Demonstrations – fun and fast world champion shearers will be showcasing their skills every day at the show in exciting displays.
• Chook Washing – good, clean fun! Watch these cheeky chooks be preened and styled to look their very best.

The Royal Easter Show is internationally renowned for being fun, energetic and educational! So why not take the family? They’ll love you for it!

For more information click here.

Cat Adoption Weekend

If you’ve been keeping up to date with our “i-pet blog”, you’ll know that cats are the purrfect pet for busy families!

Cats offer loving companionship and are easy, relatively low maintenance pets, just wonderful for a child’s first introduction to the joys and responsibilities of pet ownership.

There are also many cats available through adoption. Giving a pet a second chance at a happy home can be one of life’s most rewarding experiences

With all this in mind, you might like to give a fabulous feline friend a home by visiting the “Cat Adoption Weekend” at the Keysborough Animal Shelter

If you don’t live close to the Australian Animal Protection Society in Keysborough, why not try your local shelter .

As anyone who has gained a pet this way will tell you, your pet will never let you forget how much they love you for it!

When: Saturday, 15th March, 10.00am to 3.30pm & Sunday, 16th March 2008, 11.00am to 3.00pm

Where: The shelter premises – 10 Homeleigh Road, Keysborough, Victoria.

Website: http://www.aaps.org.au/

If you have any enquiries, telephone the shelter on (03) 9798 8415 or (03) 9798 8044.

Five Etiquette Must-Do’s when Off-Leash and Fancy Free

So you’ve got a great new furry pal and you’re imagining yourself bounding across emerald green grass or gleaming, sandy beaches as your new dog lopes gracefully beside you.
There’s no doubt that off-leash activity is fun and it looks easy, but by developing good off-leash etiquette you can help ensure your dog is one of the most popular pups off-leash!
In Part 1 of our off-leash etiquette blog posts we explored how to best prepare before going to the off leash area. Now in Part 2 we look to what you should do while there.

Part 2: Off–Leash Etiquette: On Ground

ENTERING THE OFF-LEASH GROUND
Always enter the off-leash area with your dog on lead.
Not only will your dog know who’s in charge right from the start, but it also allows you the opportunity to assess the off-leash environment. Look for the mix and behaviour of the dogs in the area and decide whether it’s suitable for your dog that day. Dogs are similar to people in that they make good friends with some dogs and certainly don’t with others.
If you decide that the off-leash area is suitable, it’s a good idea to ask your dog to sit before letting them go off lead. This helps remind him to listen out for you while he runs free. The command “Go free!” or similar is effective and can be used equally well at home or in the off-leash grounds.

REINFORCE THEIR GOOD “AT HOME” BEHAVIOURS “OUT OF HOME”
You’ll often hear people say that their dogs are very well behaved at home, and just plain silly off-leash.
A good way to address this is to do some reward training while at the off-leash areas. Undertake the training at a quiet time so that your dog is not too easily distracted and include commands such as “Wait”, “Stay”, “Sit” and “Heel”. If done regularly, such directions will ensure you have a dog that can be called out of a pack or held back from a difficult situation.

WHILE AT THE PARK
One of the great things about regular off-leash area visits is that not only does your dog get to meet friends, but so do you. Research from the recent People, Pets and Planning Symposium shows that 84% of pet owners spoke with other pet owners when walking their dog and 50% of dog owners got to know others as a result of their dog.
Ultimately, however, the safety of yours and others dogs is a priority, and one of the behaviours you should definitely look to avoid is pack formation.
Dogs left to their own devices may form a pack and then get into mischief (chasing, running away, etc). If the group of dogs is starting to play rough with each other, it’s best to move away for a short time and call your dog to follow.
No matter how enjoyable the company is that you’re keeping, ensure that the company your dog is keeping is similarly well mannered and sociable.

PICK UP YOUR POO
Take your own bio-degradable doggy bags and pick up after your dog. Responsible dog owners recognise that good “poo protocol” is a must if we want to keep our off-leash area privileges maintained.
While many good off-leash areas do supply doggy bag disposal centres, it’s Murphy’s Law that if you don’t carry your own, the poo bag dispenser will either be empty, or miles from where your dog decides to do his business.
Local by laws in many councils require you to carry bags at all times when walking your dog.

RELAX AND HAVE FUN
A well trained dog should look to you as to how to best behave. It’s a good rule therefore to maintain a relaxed, happy and calm composure.
This shouldn’t be too hard as watching dogs chase each other with the wind in their fur and big, drippy smiles on their snouts, is one of the best entertainments you’ll be likely to find in the local neighbourhood.

Purrfect pets for children

With the latest research showing that pet ownership is associated with lower levels of absenteeism from school due to illness[1], cats have been nominated by the Petcare Information and Advisory Service (PIAS) as the purrfect pet for busy families wishing to introduce children to the joys and responsibilities of pets.

Cats are great companions and enjoy the attention children lavish on pets, provided proper care is taken by the child. They are also relatively easy to care for, making them a great first pet.

In many households, children are the driving force when it comes to getting a pet so it is a good idea to use this enthusiasm as an opportunity to talk about the responsibilities associated with pet ownership. Of course, it is also important to make sure that adults are involved in caring for the cat.

Some people associate cats with allergies, and it is certainly true that pets can cause allergic reactions, but there is also an increasing body of work that shows that early contact with animals with fur - particularly cats - can assist in having a lower sensitivity to pet allergies later in life[2].

It’s a good idea to research the type of cat that is best suited to your lifestyle as cats have very different personality traits and physical characteristics. For example, a Russian Blue cat is quite active and will want to be involved in whatever is going on, whereas a Persian cat prefers less activity.

The great Australian moggie also makes a great pet, although it is important to find a well-socialised cat. A kitten that turns up on your doorstep may need a lot of expert care if it is timid or not well socialised.

For families thinking of adding a cat to the household, consider the following three questions.

1. What sort of household do you have?
If everyone in the house is out during the day at school or work, it is a good idea to have two cats as they can help keep each other company.

2. What sort of cat do you want?
There is a cat to suit every family so do your research on the different breeds and don’t forget a moggie from a good home. A good place to start is the information on PIAS’ website – www.i-pet.com.au

3. How much attention will your cat get?
Children need to be taught to be quiet and patient with a cat and to handle it properly. They also need to be taught when to leave a pet alone as too much attention can overwhelm a pet.

Cats are a great addition to any family and with around 25% of Australian households enjoying the companionship of a cat, it is clear that many children are growing up with all the benefits of a feline friend.

[1] Beneficial effects of pet ownership on child immune functioning, Dr June McNicholas et al, University of Warwick.
[2] The effect of pet ownership on the risk of allergic sensitization and bronchial asthma. Liccardi D’Amato et al. Journal of Respiratory Medicine.