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Parents often face a difficult question: do you have a pet in the house? How much will the child’s development benefit from the fact that the baby grows next to a four-legged friend? Will not a child take the pet as a toy?

Pets and child development

Almost every kid at some point in his life begins to ask his parents: “Well, please, let’s get a kitten or a puppy. Petit has such a cool turtle, I also want this! “To yield to these requests, parents have a lot of good reasons. An pet in the house is not just an interesting way to spend leisure together, these are the first lessons of kindness and responsibility for the child in the most graphic form. Communicating with a kitten or throwing a wand to a puppy, the kid is not just entertained, he gradually understands the true meaning of St. Exupery’s words: “We are responsible for those who have tamed.” The pet completely depends on the person, trusts him, the quality of care will depend on the life and well-being of the pet.

Even if the child does not take an active part in the pet feedings, walks with them, nursing procedures, he still sees – every day in the morning before work the daddy takes us out to the street of our puppy, then the mother of the house will wash the dog’s paws, feed her, comb the hair. What happens if you do not do this? If parents decide to rest at home longer, they will forget about food – the puppy will suffer very much, it will be bad for him. “How bad would it be for me if I was not allowed to play, not allowed to eat and go to the toilet”? The baby inevitably projects the simplest physiological sensations, and thus the child develops in the emotional-volitional sphere.

Parents need to remember this

There is no disputation, caring for pets in the house has a beneficial effect on the cultivation of consciousness in the child. But do not forget about important principles, the violation of which can nullify the entire pedagogical effect in this case. Chief among them – the full responsibility for a living soul parents take on themselves and no one else, deciding on the appearance of a beast in the house. Even if the child has long asked for and long dreamed of a puppy, if he agreed to walk around a neighbor’s dog, and now considers the puppy his, do not give in to delusions, as if he fully realizes what it really is – to be responsible for the pet.

A pet in the house is a living being, a separate person with his own character, characteristics and his daily needs, which must be performed as qualitatively as possible. This is not a toy that can be thrown into a corner, if it gets bored, and no longer get it. This is not an out-of-date brand of the car that can be handed over, because the repair has become uncomfortable. This is a full-fledged life that the family must support at any time, even if it becomes uncomfortable and unpleasant. Young children simply can not understand the full extent of that responsibility, taken once for many years to come, he will not have enough life experience. Therefore, the decision on the appearance of a pet in the family is made only by the parents, and the parents are ultimately obliged to perform all the necessary processes related to this. You can blame the kid for pedagogical purposes: “How come you promised to clean the rabbit’s cage and did not do it?” But you can not leave the rabbit tormented in unsanitary conditions only because the lesson of responsibility was unsuccessful.

Children should not do this

Often parents bring a pet into the house, without thinking about what high substances – they just do what the kid has long asked for. He so wanted a new friend, a kitten or a puppy to play with him, proudly show off walking, show to friends, see how the pet eats, help him bathe in the tub. So let them deal with these matters, the development of the child will only benefit from such a diversity in life. Of course, this is so, but it is important to ensure that the crumb does not overdo it. The rapture of the first days will become the main sensation, the kid will want to spend every moment of life with the pet, playing with him constantly. Allow parents to do this neither in the beginning, nor later. An pet is a living being. When it appears in a new house, it experiences great stress from parting with the habitual habitat. We need to let him get used to, get used to his new family and new way of life. You can not neglect these first feelings of the beast, especially if he is still a baby, otherwise instead of the expected friend, you can soon find an embittered creature.

Also, you should not allow the crumb to flirt with the pet. Of course, this is the main type of communication that a child thinks about when he asks for a pet. But even a kitten or a puppy full of baby energy can not play forever, they need rest. In addition, one should not impose his communication on the pet – if he does not agree to contact himself, then attempts to stir him will be forcibly perceived as aggression, which is simply not safe for the child. To play with small pets, a kid should do it only in the presence of his parents. These creatures are very fragile, the crumb can accidentally destroy a rabbit’s foot or choke a hamster without calculating effort without malicious intent.

What friend will the baby choose

Since the main care of the pet will be carried out by the parents, they must decide on who will be the new member of the family. In order for the choice to justify the expectations, it is necessary to carefully analyze the pros and cons, thoroughly study the characteristics of caring for the beast, assess the changes that family life will undergo, and think about its priorities. In the house there will be a cat, or a dog, or a guinea pig, because they want to have parents, too? Or have they already kept these pets as a child and ready to care for them? Or the main point – the minimum care and the ability to easily organize it by the forces of other people, when the owners will not have such an opportunity (for example, for long trips)? Each question has its own answer, each pet has its own pluses and minuses.

A dog is the most common kind of pet. This is an inexhaustible source of positive and devotion, playing with her diverse, is the best friend for many years. But it must be remembered that caring for the puppy is not very simple. This is a certain routine of the day – the puppy will need to walk at least 5 times a day – a special diet of the pet, active upbringing. An ill-bred dog is a threat to the family and society. Go on vacation and leave such a pet in the house is impossible – you will need to find who will take care of it instead of the owners.

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A lot of people love cats. They are very aesthetic, they do not need to be strolled in the street, the cost of feed will be less than in the case of a dog. But we must remember that the cat – the creature is very independent, adult pets are rarely playful, but they can exhibit aggressiveness more often than dogs, and cat’s claws are very sharp. And the cat will also need to organize supervision for the time of absence of the owners.

Birds are merry and simple in their care. The food they need is quite economical, many accessories will not be needed. The cage can be left for a number of days – if there are food and water supplies, the bird will safely survive on its own for a short period. But birds are not very contact, they need to accustom them to communicate with a person in a special order.

Rodents seem to be perfect pets – they do not take much space, they do not require troublesome care, you can communicate with them by taking them on pens. But like a cat and a dog, rodents need daily feeding and water supply, and many species – for example hamsters – are highly aggressive and can bite a child.

Sometimes it’s better to refuse

Alas, sometimes there are situations when parents will have to decide that pets will not be in the house. First of all, it is the presence of an allergy from any member of the family, or a predisposition to it. It’s not just about the allergy to wool – a negative reaction of the body can cause any related products necessary for caring for the beast. The development of the child should not harm his health. Also, you can not start a pet if one of the family members is strongly opposed to it. Everyone has the right to comfortable living in their own home. Ignore someone else’s opinion on such an important issue is unacceptable.

The post Teaching Kids To Care For Animals appeared first on John Barry Miller.

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Every year on August 8, the world celebrates International Cat Day (National Cat Day), which is celebrated annually from 2002 on the initiative of the International Fund for the Protection of Animals. The holiday is designed to attract public attention to the problem of homeless animals, and also to create for the cats as many shelters as possible and to produce for them a quality feed.

It should be noted that in many countries there are national holidays dedicated to cats, each of them has its own traditions. For example, in the US – on October 29, in Japan – on February 22, in Britain, Russia and China – on March 1, and so on.

In the UK, cats are on a special account. This is due to the fact that annually one cat saves at least 10 tons of grain, and several dozen of these animals in the British Museum formally guard relics from mice. Cats, consisting of civil service, in this country provide special forms and comfortable houses.

The cat, who has been guarding warehouses with food in Austria for several years, is given a lifetime pension in the form of meat, broth and milk. At the legislative level, cats are protected in China, where they used to be used for food. After the adoption of the new law, violators will face a solid fine or imprisonment for 15 days.

Italians consider cats to be mystical creatures capable of frightening off evil spirits. Therefore, in Italy, cats are treated very well all the time, and not just on World Day.

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Interesting facts about cats

• Ears of cats consist of 32 muscles, with twelve they use regularly.
• Cats can turn their ears almost 180 degrees, so be careful when telling them the secre
• Cats have 14 times more intense smell than humans.
• The average longevity of a domestic cat is 15 years. If a cat is three years old, then it corresponds to twenty years of age. If the cat is 8 years old, then it’s 40 years old, in terms of our years, and if it’s 15 years old for our pet, it’s our 70’s.
• Cats can not fully exist if you do not feed them with meat, because it contains exactly the most important amino acid for the cats (arginine).
• Cats prefer warm or indoor food, not cold or hot.
• Some people treat their pets with human medicines. Interestingly, cats can be lethal poisoned with a regular Aspirin tablet.
• Do you know how many times per minute a heart beats a cat? – it’s about 140 hits. For comparison, at people the norm is equal to 80 impacts.
• Everyone knows that fingerprints can be identified by any person, since they do not repeat themselves, being absolutely unique. The same goes for the fingerprint of a cat’s nose.
• Interestingly, cats are able to hear sounds transmitted at a frequency of 60 kHz. To understand this, imagine that the dogs are heard at a frequency of 40 kHz, and people are 20 kHz. Naturally, even the most subtle rustle of the mouse, which seems silent to us, is very clearly heard for cats.
• It is incredible, but these creatures can produce over 100 different sounds, while dogs only have about 10 sounds.
• As a rule, all cats have twelve whiskers on each side.
• An interesting fact is the scientific evidence that cats hide claws during sleep. This applies to the entire cat family, with the exception of a cheetah only – his claws are always ready.
• But this fact for sure you do not know. Do you know why cats lick their wool? It does not happen at all from cleanliness. Simply, cats, in this way, lick the substance released by their body, which normalizes their mental activity. That is, roughly speaking, if the cat does not lick himself – he is quite possible, crap!
  If you speak seriously, then it is really important, and if you deprive a cat of this opportunity, she may simply die.
• It is necessary to know that the allergy to cats is caused not by the wool itself, but by the FEL D1 protein, which is distributed with the help of wool. Interesting is the fact that cats are more allergenic than cats.
• Most cats demonstrate a location for people to bump or “crash” their heads into your legs. This is indeed a manifestation of attachment, although at times it is such an act of irritation.
• Virtually all cats love valerian. Her smell acts on them like a magnet. Interestingly, they turn into drug addicts when they hear this scent and are totally drunk with valerian. In the case of an overdose, the pet may even die, so it’s impossible to indulge in it.
•  If a cat waggles with a tail, it means that there is a complicated dilemma inside it. For example, standing in the door and not knowing whether to go outside under the rain or stay in a dry room, the cat will rock his tail.
• If the tail of a cat trembles, when you are near, then you are sure that you are one of the closest and most expensive creatures for her. This shows the most tender feeling of these pets.
• Cats do not like sweet. The fact is that they simply do not understand the taste of sweetness due to the lack of necessary taste buds. Therefore, you will not spoil the candies of these comrades!
• When a cat shaves his legs, she shows that she is very unpleasant.
• The eyes of the cats glow in the dark because the light is reflected from their retina. For this reason, they only need a sixth part of the light that we need for orientation in space.
• Cats are by nature long-sighted, and close objects are staring with difficulty. But the dogs on the contrary are short-sighted.
• Ailurophilia is an excessive love for cats. It is excessive, since this term is taken from psychiatry. As a rule, such mental disorder affects elderly women, containing in a small apartment for several dozen of these pets.
• Cats sleep two thirds of the time in a day, and the other hours take care of themselves. Probably, for this reason, they do not have the time to quarrel with their masters, as do not have dogs of their own merits!

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• In Australia, 90% of homes have cats. Such a “feline state” itself!
• The kittens also have milk teeth, as well as humans.
• Egypt loved cats very much. In the event that the domestic pet dies, all members of the family shaved their eyebrows as a sign of grief.
• How surprising it is, but the feline tribe does not sweat. Yes, yes, they can only moisturize the pillows of their paws.
• Especially capable cats can safely transfer the fall even from the height of a nine-story house.
• And finally, the last fact. Did you know that cats are able to meow for several hours in a row? They are very persistent …

Source information: Tampa Bay Veterinary Specialists & Emergency Care Center

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Almost in any family, a child sooner or later will ask parents to get a pet. Let’s discuss the possible options, pluses and minuses of finding pets in the family.

Friends of the person

From history we know that man from time immemorial tamed a number of animals for their own needs. Over time, the way in society has changed, and the craving for the presence of a living pet has not died out. At present, domestic animals bear, for the most part, exclusively aesthetic qualities, rather than economic ones. The majority of the population in our country has moved from villages to cities, where the housing issue does not allow to acquire large pets.

Fortunately, a variety of breeds of pets allows you to choose small enough and compact pets. The most common are dogs and cats, and people also buy poultry (canaries, parrots), fish, hamsters, etc. Children love to play with pets, walk around and take care of them. For someone, breeding rare breeds of domestic animals turns from a hobby into a business.

“Pros” of having a pet

What can I say in support of the desire to acquire a pet? Of course, this is a new life experience for the whole family. The pet will brighten up leisure and will be an undoubted adornment of your house. It is necessary to take care of a pet, which, undoubtedly, develops in man a sense of responsibility and love for our pets. Some families do not represent their life without a pet, they consider him a full member of his family and a loyal friend.

Dogs, for example, faithfully serve their masters, play with children. Having a dog in the house will give confidence and strengthen the sense of security in the house. When a dog appears in the house, outdoor walks become an integral daily ritual, which helps to strengthen your health, especially in the case of a low-activity lifestyle.

Cats are not such loyal friends as dogs, however, their presence in the house always creates coziness. A cat, like none of the pets, relieves stress, and the child will always be interested in playing with it.

For those who love music, a canary bird can approach. Keep the birds at home is not much effort, you need a cage in which the birds will stay. They will always delight you with sweet singing, and if you acquire a parrot, you can teach him a few words.

Even as pets it is recommended to start fish. An aquarium is needed for these purposes. You should install the aquarium on a stable surface to avoid accidents, because the children are very curious and show a keen interest in the colorful fish that live in the aquarium.

Proper care

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Regardless of the animal you choose, remember that any of them require special care. It is necessary to explain and teach the child how to deal with the pet. Pets should be promptly fed, cleaned up, such measures can contribute to the development in the child of accuracy and punctuality. A sense of responsibility and custody of the beloved animal develops.

Possible difficulties from the stay of the animal in the house

In addition to positive qualities, it should be mentioned and some of the dangers associated with keeping animals at home. Let’s start, perhaps, with allergic reactions. At present, the prevalence of allergic reactions is quite high and is especially dangerous among children. Wool of domestic animals, especially cats, can serve as an allergen, provoking the development of allergic reactions. In case of detection of allergy symptoms associated with the presence of a pet, the pet should be discarded and handed to reliable hands.

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Before you get a pet, you need to clearly determine who will be responsible for him, who will feed him, walk, clean up after him. Children often ask to buy a dog or a cat, without giving an account of the fact that they will have to take care of them. It must be understood that a domestic pet requires both time and effort, and attention. Only when your child is able to treat him with full seriousness, you can acquire a dog or other pet.

There are times when domestic dogs attack their owners or other people. A pet is not only an ornament and a toy, this animal and behavioral instincts have not been canceled. When choosing a domestic dog, take time to study the breeds of dogs, you should not choose fighting or hunting breeds, if you do not plan to use them for their intended purpose. Special attention should be paid to dog training. Also, estimate the area of ​​your apartment, whether there is a place for a new pet and whether it will not interfere with you in everyday affairs. Look, where you will walk with him, whether there are parks or squares nearby.

It is very important to choose a healthy pet. Pets in some cases can be carriers of some infections. Do not buy a pet “from the hands” and from untested vendors, for this purpose it is better to use licensed pet stores. Veterinary control is very important in the life of your pet.

Recently, it has become fashionable to use exotic species of animals as pets, such as snakes, spiders, some kinds of rodents. Maybe in the world there are countries and traditions where these species of animals are domestic. In the conditions of our country, such curiosities can be threatened, both by infectious alertness and the consequences of keeping such rare species. Choose time-tested pets that are adapted to your region of residence, this will prevent unwanted consequences for you and your children.

And if you still insistently decided to get a pet, then take your decision with full seriousness. Read well in advance with relevant literature on a particular animal, the conditions of its contents, nutrition and life in general.

Source information: Tampa Bay Veterinary Specialists & Emergency Care Center blog

The post Pros and Cons of Keeping a Pet appeared first on John Barry Miller.

Each ear is controlled by 32 muscles

Nearly three dozen tiny muscles rotate your cat’s ear flaps, or pinnae, to help her identify the precise direction from which a sound is coming. She can rotate each ear up to 180 degrees to find the source of even the tiniest squeaks and rustles.

Read more …

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