A Michael Broad Blog
The report is that Delhi is suffering its worst smog in 40 years. Of course, the story concerns how people are suffering. But what about the pet dogs and cats living in that sprawling city? The airborne pollution is choking the city. The Scottish historian William Dalrymple has lived in Delhi for 40 years …
If you were in any doubt about the extent of worldwide plastic pollution, take a look at this infographic prepared by me based on news reports which are in turn are based in Chinese studies (perhaps the world’s biggest contributor to world pollution). The plastic that we throw away is broken down into tiny …
I am driven to believe that as a race we are doomed. What I mean is humankind is doomed if big business disregards the health of the planet in the interests of their financial profits and to the extent that they will deceive and try to pull the wool over the eyes of the …
What is better for your cat? Bottled water or tap water? The article applies to developed countries in the West. Decisions about providing water for your cat can be complicated; perhaps overcomplicated. There is, though, a debate about bottled water versus tap water, which has been dramatically altered by a recent research project about …
This is a question asked on social media and it’s a good one. I think the answer will be quite short. I have seen, as have others, domestic cats licking plastic bags which also appears to be mystifying. It is my belief that corn fibre or cornstarch fibre is being used a lot more …
This is a quick note about the possibility of bacteria and other pathogens being harboured in plastic litter trays. Quite a lot is spoken about bacteria being harboured in plastic feeding bowls. The recommendation for feeding bowls is to buy ceramic or metal to deal with this potential problem. And it occurred to me, …
If adult humans consume between 39,000-52,000 microplastic particles per year (I am not speculating, see study) and if infants have more microplastic particles in their faeces than adults what about cats and dogs? How many microplastic particles are cats consuming or breathing in per year? Microplastics are sometimes referred to as PET microplastics. PET …
Sometimes domestic cats like to chew or lick plastic bags. It looks troublesome but the more likely reason is that the bag is made of cornstarch which is edible. The bag is also biodegradable. Nowadays they even make bags which are fit for human consumption and they can be broken down into a liquid …
