UK’s teenage girls are like canaries in a coal mine signalling dire world problems

The schoolkids are signalling to the adults that they are screwing up in managing the planet so they stop eating in a kind of protest

The kids – acting like canaries in a coal mine – are signalling to the adults that they are screwing up the management of the planet. The self-indulgent, egocentric adults don’t get it but the kids do. The kids see it and feel it. They see a bleak future but the adults are still …

Read more

Cat and dog owners tend to underestimate the weight of their obese companion animals

Obese people and obese cats

I have just written an article about an obesity epidemic among people in Great Britain and I tied that sad information in with a well-known obesity epidemic among domestic cats in Britain. And while searching for that article I bumped into a study which was published in December 2023. It is, therefore, a recent …

Read more

For improved health schoolchildren should do the cat litter and other cat chores in the evening

Yeh, time to do the cat litter tray and play with the family cat!

Here’s something for parents to get a hold of; something which might create a bit of fiction in the home but which will benefit the children and the family cat. There’s a study out at the moment published in The Times conducted at the University of Exeter which came to the conclusion that if …

Read more

If child cruelty crimes have doubled in England over five years, what chance for the domestic cat?

In England, child cruelty crimes have doubled in the past five years and I suspect there may be an increase in neglect of companion animals too

NEWS AND OPINION: I have read a rather shocking report in The Times this morning (December 7, 2023). The article tells us that “child cruelty rates have doubled in five years, research has shown”. The information relates to England. My argument is that the domestic cat and the human child are in similar relationships …

Read more

Cambodia’s children are being discouraged to regard dogs as meat

NoToDogMeat education session in classroom in Cambodia

The dog and cat meat trade in Cambodia is thriving as it is in China and other Far Eastern countries. There is, however, a slight awakening towards the immorality, as I would describe it, of this business. There are green shoots as they say of a different relationship between these companion animals and the …

Read more

Flat-faced dogs and cats’ helplessness makes them more attractive

Flat faced brachycephalic dogs and cats behave like toddlers which attracts the nurturing desire in their human caregiver which in turn makes the animals more attractive as companions.

STUDY RESULT PLUS COMMENT: Dorottya Ujfalussy from the Eotvos Lorand University in Hungary, has decided in her study that flat-faced dogs (and I’m going to include flat-faced cats) are more attractive to their owners because they are more helpless. And in being more helpless they are more like human toddlers who are themselves helpless …

Read more

Kids and cats – house rules – infographic

Extraordinary photo of cat surrounded by children

A light reminder in an infographic that kids often like to have a kitten and when their wish is granted it is probably a good idea that there are house rules on living with the new family member. As I see it, the key is to ensure that the kids take responsibility for the cat’s welfare as this is a great learning experience. And it is good for their mental wellbeing. I think kids should learn about cat behaviour and their needs including dietary. It’s all good for the children including – the experts say – to help desensitize kids to allergens when they grow up.

RCN supports therapy animals in hospitals
RCN supports therapy animals in hospitals. Image: MikeB from picture in the public domain.

The kind of relationship you want to see between child and animal

Young girl enjoys the company of the family cat

The behaviour of the young girl in the video interacting with the family cat should be the parenting objective of all mothers and fathers as it will promote animal welfare going forward and improve the lives of both the cat and the child in the video. Of course, the parenting includes educating the child …

Read more

follow it link and logo