A Michael Broad Blog
This is a comprehensive but highly understandable guide to the caregiving of cat companions based on the well-known Animal Welfare Act 2006 in the UK which is a high quality animal welfare law. All cat owners would do well to read it and digest it, particularly in countries such as China where there is …
Banning domestic cats from public places in all Australia is now a distinct possibility. The war by the authorities against free-roaming domestic cats and feral cats in Australia has been relentless and it is having an effect on the attitudes of the citizens. The vast majority support confining cats to the home all the …
Dozens of zoos across Europe including in Britain have been accused of gross neglect by a charity after an 18-month investigation which unearthed thousands of apparent breaches of animal welfare standards. The researchers visited 29 zoos and aquariums. They found, for example, elephants locked outside in the cold. Bears shut in concrete-walled enclosures. While …
The perennial issue of cat containment in Australia has resurfaced. The Conversation, in collaboration with Monash University, conducted a study to gauge the support among 3,400 participants for cat containment policies. These policies would mandate that cat owners confine their pets to their property, presumably indoors or within a designated outdoor enclosure. The study …
China’s first artificial bred Pallas’s cat dies: In a recent report from China, Sundaniang, the country’s first artificially bred Pallas’s cat (aka manul), died in Qinghai Park. Sundaniang was known for her contribution to scientific research on artificial reproduction and had become a beloved figure through her livestreamed daily activities. She was born on …
Do caracals eat livestock? Yes, must be the answer but it depends where the caracal lives for obvious reasons because livestock has to be available to be taken. And in some parts of South Africa, the caracal has a reputation for killing livestock. Further, this obviously annoys South African farmers who retaliate. It should …
A person who wants to adopt a male cat might ask why they should neuter their cat if they are going to be indoors full-time and there will be no other cats in the home; no chance of procreation. Incidentally, the word “neuter” has two meanings. It can mean the removal of the male …
This is a compact infographic on making zoos better places for big cats. Many zoos in the West and developed countries have almost certainly adopted these techniques and more but we don’t have to look far to find abysmal zoos in developing countries which are frankly examples of animal cruelty where big cats pace …
