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When cats play, they incorporate a variety of behaviors into their play. Aggressive play behavior is particularly common in young cats and in cats that live in one-cat households. Play provides young cats with opportunities to practice skills they would normally need for survival, such as pouncing, stalking, biting, scratching, and clawing. If humans play with a young kitten using their hands and/or feet instead of toys, the kitten is liable to learn that practicing these skills while playing with people is okay. In most cases, it is possible to teach your kitten or young adult cat that rough play is not acceptable behavior.

Since young cats and kittens need a lot of playtime, it is important to set up three or four consistent times during the day to initiate play with your cat. This helps her understand that she is not the one responsible for initiating play. This also helps to avoid unwanted pouncing at inappropriate or inconvenient times.

One way kittens play is by grabbing each other with both front feet, biting each other and kicking with their back feet. This is also a way kittens try to play with hands and feet if being waved in front of them. It is very important to avoid using any part of your body, like fingers or toes. Redirect your cat's aggressive play behavior onto acceptable objects like toys. It may take some trial and error to find the toy that works best with your kitten so make sure you try a variety.

Often, discouraging unacceptable behavior is the only avenue that is available. You need to set the rules for your kitten's behavior and your family and friends should reinforce these rules. Your kitten can't be expected to learn to differentiate between people in terms of when it's okay for rough play and when it is not.

• Use aversion techniques to discourage your kitten from nipping or biting. You can either use a squirt bottle filled with water or a can of pressurized air to squirt your kitten when she becomes rough. To use this technique effectively, you always need to have the spray bottle or can handy. Remember that aversion techniques only works if you offer your kitten an acceptable alternative.
• Redirect the behavior. After you startle your kitten with the air or water, IMMEDIATELY offer her a toy to wrestle with or to chase. This will encourage her to direct her rough play onto a toy instead of a person. It is recommended that you keep a stash of toys hidden in each room specifically for this purpose.
• Withdraw attention when your kitten starts to play too rough. If the distraction and redirection techniques don't seem to be working, the most drastic thing you can do to discourage your cat from rough play is to withdraw all attention. Since she wants to play with you, she is going to figure out how far she can go; however, you keep this limit consistent. The best way to withdraw your attention is to walk into another room and close the door long enough for her to calm down. If you pick her up to put her in another room, you're rewarding her by touching her. You should be the one to leave the room.

PLEASE NOTE: None of these methods are very effective unless you also give your kitten acceptable outlets for her energy. You need to play with her regularly using appropriate toys.

Punishing your kitten for rough play by tapping, flicking or hitting are almost always guaranteed to backfire. Your kitten could become afraid of your hands or she could interpret those flicks as playful moves and play more aggressively. Picking up your kitten to put her into a "timeout" could possibly reinforce her behavior because she probably would enjoy the physical contact of being picked up. By the time you get her to the timeout room and close the door, she has probably already forgotten what she did to be put in that situation.

If you find that none of these suggestions work and your kitten's play increases in aggression or becomes unpredictable, it can be best to seek help from a behavior specialist. Kittens can bite or scratch through the skin, and abuse by your cat is not conducive to a caring and mutually beneficial relationship.

Of course, the best way to handle emergency situations is to avoid them by keeping your pet safe and healthy. However, in spite of your best efforts, accidents can happen. Here are some tips to consider before you need to use them.

Always keep within reach the phone numbers for your veterinarian, emergency clinic, poison control center, etc.

Keep a copy of your pet's health records where you can easily find them.

You may also want to invest in a book that covers first aid procedures. Ask your veterinarian for recommendations. For example, the ASPCA's Complete Dog Care Manual and Complete Cat Care Manual have excellent information on first aid principles, as well as what to do in case of traffic injury. The book also contains useful information on how to perform artificial respiration and what steps to follow in case of poisoning, burns, insect bites, etc.

Keep an emergency kit on hand with such items as:

Bandages
Adhesive tape
Cotton
Antiseptic cream
Sterile dressings
Gauze
Thermometer
Tweezers
Scissors
Blanket

Have a pet carrier so you can safely transport your pet to an emergency clinic or veterinary hospital.

Remember, an injured or ill pet may not act like its normal, sweet-tempered self. Handle the pet with care so you don't get bitten or scratched and need emergency treatment yourself!

How To Give Your Dog A Pill

So, the veterinarian has sent you and your not-so-well dog home with a bottle of pills and some instructions.

Don't worry. Giving pills to your dog is just a matter of know-how and plenty of praise. Here are the steps to follow. Note: Giving a pill to your dog is not the same as giving a pill to your cat.

Pilling a Dog

1. Gently take hold of the head from above, placing your thumb and fingers on either side of the muzzle. Squeeze firmly in and up just behind the canine teeth ("fangs"). The dog's mouth should open.
2. Use your free hand to hold on to the pill while lowering the animal's jaw. With the mouth open wide, place the pill as far back on the tongue as possible, pushing it even farther with your index finger.
3. Gently close and hold the muzzle while your dog swallows. You can encourage this by stroking the underside of the throat downward.
4. Finally, give your dog lots of praise and reinforcement each time he swallows a pill.

Here are additional helpful tips for pilling your dog:

The more quickly you perform the above steps, the better.

Film-coated pills are best. They go down more easily and don't dissolve as quickly, which is important if it takes you more than one try.

If you can't get the pill down, try disguising it in something your dog loves (example: peanut butter or cream cheese).

Check with your veterinarian, because some medication should not be given with food.

With warmer weather approaching, plenty of pet owners are thinking of getting into shape before hitting the beach. But what about pets? Obesity is a growing problem among both cats and dogs. And much like humans, too many extra pounds can have far-reaching consequences for our animal companions. In this report from the Veterinary News Network, Dr. Jim Humphries discusses the health problems that can occur if your pet is overweight and shares tips on how you can get your pet's weight under control.

People have a wide range of attitudes about getting older, from optimism to pessimism. But when it comes to pets, people tend to have a negative attitude about aging. The tragedy of getting old is that we attribute the problems pets face to old age, and don't bring them to the veterinarian. Most owners think that pets can't be helped if it's just old age.

Senior Dog

There are a series of physical changes affecting aging pets' bodies. These may include graying of the muzzle, thinning of the coat, brittle toenails, arthritis and lameness, whitening of eyes (cataracts), difficulty hearing and dental problems.

Pets entering their golden years face two types of changes—those that can be relieved with the help of a veterinarian, and those that cannot. Veterinarians can prescribe medication to ease the pain of arthritis and even perform surgery to replace painful hips. Veterinarians don't have means to treat deafness; however, surgery can cure cataracts. There is also medication that can be prescribed to alter mental status, making older pets act less senile.

With aging, there are also behavioral and mental changes that take place. Older animals have more difficulty getting around. They lose self-confidence and tend to stay close to their owners and close to home. Fear of strangers and new surroundings may be more pronounced in an older pet.

Older dogs and cats usually sleep more, pay less attention and don't tolerate the cold weather as well as they did when they were young. The aging process begins and ends differently for each animal. It's just like humans. There are people in their 70s that appear young and there are people in their 60s that appear old. On the average, though, small dogs and cats begin to exhibit signs of aging at 9 to 10 years old, while large dog breeds begin to age at about 7 years of age.

Old Cat Sleeping

Owners need to prepare themselves mentally as their pets undergo the aging process. Emphasis should be placed on quality of life. This means that owners should have their older pets examined by a veterinarian. Annual (or even semi-annual) veterinary examinations are recommended. This way, a potentially serious problem can be diagnosed (when it is still minor) and a treatment can be provided that may slow the progression of the ailment and, if possible, cure it. When we age, we know when or when not to exercise, but with pets, it's not that simple.

Some pet owners try to avoid the fact, but a pet won't be around forever. As a pet ages, it's best to accept the process and try to provide him (or her) with a good quality of life. Accept the fact that your pet may die, or you won't be able to let go when it's time.

When a pet is very old and has severe medical problems, an owner must confront the decision of putting him (or her) to sleep. Many owners have a common misconception on this topic. People always hope their pets will die peacefully in their sleep, but this rarely happens. Very often owners wait too long and the pet incurs too much pain and suffering. When an animal loses bowel control or can't move its legs, owners should interpret these signs and make the appropriate choice.

Making the decision to euthanize a pet that has been a member of the family is never easy. Owners need to know that it is the final step in the human - pet relationship. Putting an animal to sleep is the last act of love from a good owner.