How can I keep my cat happy? A vet’s top tips for helping feline friends live their best life
1 DAY AGO - From understanding cat body language to providing opportunities for play, these science-backed Expand
1 DAY AGO - From understanding cat body language to providing opportunities for play, these science-backed tips will help keep your pet safe and healthyGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailAround one-third of Australian households live with at least one cat, yet surveys tell us the cats’ needs are not being met.Cats may rule the internet, but humans often misconstrue feline behaviour. Earlier this year, the Washington Post boldly declared “Cat’s aren’t jerks – they’re just misunderstood”. This was prompted by research showing that, contrary to unhelpful stereotypes, cats are not antisocial. They can and do bond closely with humans. Continue reading... Collapse
‘It’s emotionally painful, spending every day with your ex’: the couples who live with their partners after a breakup
7 DAYS AGO - Michael and Yanna share a flat with their daughter Roza. They split the mortgage and cook Expand
7 DAYS AGO - Michael and Yanna share a flat with their daughter Roza. They split the mortgage and cook breakfast together. The catch? They broke up six years ago. Meet the couples sharing a home even after separatingMichael, 55, and Yanna, 50, met in 1995, married in 2001 and broke up six years ago. They live together in Athens with their daughter, Roza, 19 Continue reading... Collapse
The pet I’ll never forget: I lost my mum, career, livelihood and hope – but Bertie the cat was determined to fix me
09/12/2024 - He was found under floorboards and it was as if his humble beginnings gave him extra empathy. When Expand
09/12/2024 - He was found under floorboards and it was as if his humble beginnings gave him extra empathy. When people around us died and I became homeless, he gave me a clear purposeBertie was found in 2005 under the floorboards of a building where homeless people were taking shelter. He was a tiny kitten with a cleft palate, runny nose and a chest infection. Those first friends loved him but when he needed regular medication and surgery to clear his throat they had no choice but to hand him over to a charity. Giving Bertie a second chance was such an enormous act of selflessness; I only hope they were afforded the same.I was a university lecturer in social work then, caring for my mum, who had dementia. We were a team, Mum, Bertie and I, along with Derek and Pat, the retired couple next door. We’d spend hours chatting over the fence, then I’d get the call: “Come round for tea – bring the cat!” I would tuck Bertie under one arm and Mum under the other and off we’d go. Birthdays, Christmas and Collapse
Brian Thompson’s death has elicited little sympathy. I don’t need to spell out why | Arwa Mahdawi
07/12/2024 - UnitedHealthcare is egregious among US insurers for charging enormous premiums, then denying Expand
07/12/2024 - UnitedHealthcare is egregious among US insurers for charging enormous premiums, then denying careIf you spotted the person who shot Brian Thompson, would you a) turn them in to the police or b) continue to go merrily about your day? Continue reading... Collapse
Dog owners require a reality check – and a lead | Letters
06/12/2024 - Readers respond to an article on who has priority in public spaces, people or caninesOliver Keens Expand
06/12/2024 - Readers respond to an article on who has priority in public spaces, people or caninesOliver Keens is brave and correct to make this stand (Who has priority in public spaces – dogs or children? Where I live, we’re about to find out, 1 December). There is no rational argument against banning dogs from gated play areas and sports areas. Rather than children needing to be educated about how to behave around dogs, too many dog owners need a dose of realism about how others perceive their beloved pets.There is a blind spot for many owners who just can’t comprehend that not everyone loves their dog and therefore allow behaviours that are antisocial and threatening to children and adults alike. How many times have people encountered dogs racing up to them in public spaces, jumping up on to them and generally not being under the control of their owners, whose only counter is “Oh, he’s just being friendly”. Continue reading... Collapse
The pet I’ll never forget: Chester, the cat who barged into our house and called it home
02/12/2024 - A knock on the door and in he sauntered, leaving his former owner heartbroken and my sister and me Expand
02/12/2024 - A knock on the door and in he sauntered, leaving his former owner heartbroken and my sister and me over the moonIt’s said that some people come into your life for a reason. While it’s a cliche, I’ve found the same to be true of cats, including one in particular – Chester.This bold black and white moggy first made his presence known in the late 90s. Our beloved tabby, Holly, had recently died at the grand old age of 20, and my parents were reluctant to get another cat because it had been so sad seeing her go. Then, one day, there was a bang on the letter box. When we opened the door, there was no one to be seen apart from a big cat, who barged his way into the house. Continue reading... Collapse
‘You’re a slut!’: Judi Dench reveals parrot’s pet name for her
01/12/2024 - Award-winning actor, who turns 90 next week, says ‘everyone should have a parrot’ like her African Expand
01/12/2024 - Award-winning actor, who turns 90 next week, says ‘everyone should have a parrot’ like her African grey SweetieShe has been hailed as a national treasure, the queen of stage and screen, with a damehood to match. But Dame Judi Dench has revealed that her pet parrot has a rather less polite name for her: “Slut.”The Academy Award-winning actor, who turns 90 next week, said everyone should have a bird like her rescue African grey parrot, Sweetie, despite their indecorous language. Continue reading... Collapse
Molly the magpie’s owners have licence for Instagram star revoked by Queensland supreme court
27/11/2024 - Wildlife group claims win as environment department says granting licence for bird was ‘an Expand
27/11/2024 - Wildlife group claims win as environment department says granting licence for bird was ‘an error’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA magpie made famous on social media may again be separated from his canine friends after a special carers’ licence was revoked.The supreme court overturned the licence just months after it was granted to Molly the magpie’s Gold Coast rescue family that includes his best mates, dogs Peggy and Ruby.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading... Collapse
The pet I’ll never forget: Mr Wags, the bolshy, beautiful dog we rescued when he was 12
25/11/2024 - Our skittish papillon cross was as affectionate as he was furious. I loved falling asleep to the Expand
25/11/2024 - Our skittish papillon cross was as affectionate as he was furious. I loved falling asleep to the sound of him snoringIt was not an auspicious start. As my daughter and I stood chatting to the woman who had been fostering Mr Wags, he bit her cat. Half an hour later, he went for her dog. But by then I was in love with him.Mr Wags was 12 years old, a papillon cross, and very cross. He turned away if you got too affectionate and he lost it completely if you sat close enough to touch his tail. His first visit to our vet featured a muzzle and $3,000 of tooth extractions. We often rued the day that they had left him with three teeth. One was a canine that sank numerous times into the fleshy pad on my right hand. My daughter suggested we offer them extra to take it out, but I wouldn’t hear of it. We were sort of co-dependent, both of us having had a hard life. Continue reading... Collapse
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Bark! The Herald Angels sing? A dogs’ nativity play in London – in pictures
3 DAYS AGO - Anni Harrison was walking her dog Monty in East Greenwich Pleasaunce park when she jokingly Expand
3 DAYS AGO - Anni Harrison was walking her dog Monty in East Greenwich Pleasaunce park when she jokingly mentioned to fellow dog walkers what a laugh it would be to hold a nativity play with dogs. With a shared love of dogs, community and sense of fun, the Nativity in the Park was born. The first year it was freezing and rained non-stop. The second year was cancelled after the loss of beloved pet Bear, who played the original Joseph. This year it was spectacularly revived in memory of lost furry friends and also raised money for Battersea Dogs and Cats Home Continue reading... Collapse
Knitting with dog hair was a craze in the 90s – let’s make it happen again
12/12/2024 - Clothes made from a canine you know are much more special than clothes from an anonymous Expand
12/12/2024 - Clothes made from a canine you know are much more special than clothes from an anonymous sheepSeveral decades ago, the idea arose of writing a book to examine the ways in which dog hair could be used by knitters. Most people thought the concept was a few puppies short of a litter, if not downright crazy. The exceptions were experienced spinners (for whom dog hair was merely another nifty fiber to experiment with) and people of exceptional vision and imagination (nearly all of whom owned beloved dogs who shed exasperating quantities of fuzz).The project began when I was spinning fluff from Ollie, a Great Pyrenees belonging to my friends Barbara Binswanger and Jim Charlton. Like many spinners, I already knew that dog fuzz could be spun – many books devoted to the craft of spinning carried a paltry brief paragraph on it, but the information was often sketchy and seemed like an afterthought, a footnote to more substantial sections on alpaca, vicuña and other exotic fibers. After Collapse
Here’s a way to make politics more equal | Brief letters
08/12/2024 - Gender imbalance in politics | Fast food near schools | Barnier v Truss | Dogs outdoors | Dogs Expand
08/12/2024 - Gender imbalance in politics | Fast food near schools | Barnier v Truss | Dogs outdoors | Dogs indoorsFurther to Michelle Bachelet’s excellent article about women fixing politics (This mammoth year of elections has shown how badly global politics is neglecting women, 6 December), I have often thought that, for equality, each constituency should elect two MPs: one male, one female. With that method, the differing ways of thinking can be covered. However, in the long run what is needed is a total change in our political systems to prevent the plutocracies we now have.Gerard W CavalierSouthampton• Maybe the nearby fast food chains would be put out of business if all schools provided students with free healthy and filling meals at lunchtime and when school days end (Fast food chains accused of ‘flooding’ areas near UK schools with unhealthy options, 4 December). After all, aren’t we a very rich country keen to invest in our children and future workforce?Emma Tait London Continue Collapse
Tim Dowling: I’m worried that the new dog is turning a bit funny-looking
07/12/2024 - The only way our dog still resembles the puppy we bought is her insistence on annexing my side of Expand
07/12/2024 - The only way our dog still resembles the puppy we bought is her insistence on annexing my side of the bedAt 11pm I go upstairs to find the new dog lying on my side of the bed, stretched out lengthways, fast asleep.“So this is what it was all for,” I say. Continue reading... Collapse
Stockport sanctuary owner fears for lives of dogs after being served eviction notice
03/12/2024 - Ali Clark, who runs Chadkirk dog sanctuary, looks after dogs with behavioural problems that cannot Expand
03/12/2024 - Ali Clark, who runs Chadkirk dog sanctuary, looks after dogs with behavioural problems that cannot be rehomedThe owner of a sanctuary for traumatised dogs has said up to 17 animals will have to be put to sleep unless she can find a new home for them within three weeks.Chadkirk dog sanctuary in Stockport was served with an eviction notice by the landlord, which means that the premises will need to be vacated by the end of the year. Continue reading... Collapse
Who has priority in public spaces – dogs or children? Where I live, we’re about to find out | Oliver Keens
01/12/2024 - My kids are afraid of dogs, but planned restrictions in east London have sparked anger among Expand
01/12/2024 - My kids are afraid of dogs, but planned restrictions in east London have sparked anger among owners. I know where I standMy children have always been brave and fearless. They wouldn’t think twice about climbing the tallest tree in any park. The only problem is they would stay up there indefinitely if so much as a shih-tzu started snuffling at the base. The fact that my kids are scared of the many dogs we encounter when we play outdoors is a small pain. But it raises interesting questions about who has priority in a public space – a dog or a child?This debate has suddenly gone into overdrive in Tower Hamlets, east London, where we live. A consultation by the local council about imposing stricter controls on dog owners has sparked a visible rise in pro-dog activism over the past few weeks.Oliver Keens is a writer, author and columnist, as well as a DJDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be Collapse
UK ministers support bill to crack down on puppy smuggling
29/11/2024 - Bill aims to strengthen animal welfare by closing legal loopholes around imports of dogs, cats and Expand
29/11/2024 - Bill aims to strengthen animal welfare by closing legal loopholes around imports of dogs, cats and ferretsThe government has thrown its weight behind a bill to crack down on puppy smuggling as part of a commitment to strengthening animal welfare.Ministers announced on Friday that they were supporting a private member’s bill sponsored by Danny Chambers, a Liberal Democrat MP and veterinary surgeon, to crack down on the pet-smuggling trade. Continue reading... Collapse
Dog who fell 50ft down abandoned mine shaft rescued by California firefighters
26/11/2024 - Firefighter was lowered into shaft and dog, who was ‘a good sport’, was ‘secured and raised out’, Expand
26/11/2024 - Firefighter was lowered into shaft and dog, who was ‘a good sport’, was ‘secured and raised out’, authorities saidFirefighters fetched a dog from an abandoned mine shaft in northern California after it fell 50ft.Firefighters were called around 3.40am last Thursday to a mine located in El Dorado county, roughly 68 miles east of Sacramento. Continue reading... Collapse
242 best Christmas gifts for 2024: perfect present ideas chosen by the experts
23/11/2024 - From Monty Don’s top garden tool to Sali Hughes’s perfect lipstick and Yotam Ottolenghi’s Expand
23/11/2024 - From Monty Don’s top garden tool to Sali Hughes’s perfect lipstick and Yotam Ottolenghi’s favourite ever present, we asked everyone what they wanted – so you don’t have toStuck for what to buy everyone for Christmas? You won’t be for long … From gifts for fitness fans and gardeners to presents for pets (and their adorable owners), teens and beauty lovers, we’ve got all bases covered.Best of all, they’re hand-picked from the experts themselves: we’ve taken out the guesswork and asked the kids, chefs, cyclists and more to tell us what they actually want this year. Merry Christmas! Continue reading... Collapse
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Poodunnit: dear fellow dog owners, why do so many of you bother to bag pet mess then not bin it? | Paul Daley
6 DAYS AGO - I’ve seen full bags tied to low-hanging branches and kids’ play equipment. It’s all deeply Expand
6 DAYS AGO - I’ve seen full bags tied to low-hanging branches and kids’ play equipment. It’s all deeply weirdThis is about dog shit.Dog shit and antisocial behaviour. Continue reading... Collapse
I have finally mastered meditation – with the help of my tiny new puppy | Joel Snape
11/12/2024 - I’ve learned to ignore distractions and focus on one thing, even if it is ensuring the little Expand
11/12/2024 - I’ve learned to ignore distractions and focus on one thing, even if it is ensuring the little fella doesn’t wee, or worse, on the carpetLast week, our family got a puppy. Not for Christmas – I’m too respectful of the Dogs Trust for that – but, in some ways, because of it. I work from home, and the December slowdown is the perfect time to do what puppies demand of you, which is to spend half your waking moments paying attention to their every twitch and snuffle, in case you miss some developmental milestone that condemns you to six more weeks of accidents on the floor.In case you have never potty-trained a small dog, here is how it (roughly) works. After they snooze, eat or play, you watch them, hawklike, for any indication that they might be about to unburden themselves. Indicator eventually noted, you hustle them outside to a specially prepared area, where you eye them, not too obviously, in the hope that they will let nature take its course. While they are in the act, you repeat Collapse
My nightmare before Christmas dinner: top chefs and cooks reveal how they turned fiasco into feast
08/12/2024 - Turkey troubles, thieving pets, fire drills – all manner of things can jeopardise the most Expand
08/12/2024 - Turkey troubles, thieving pets, fire drills – all manner of things can jeopardise the most important meal of the yearChef-owner at Chez Roux and former chef-patron at Le Gavroche restaurant Continue reading... Collapse
Quiet zones, sandpits and paddling pools: the paw-some evolution of Australia’s state-of-the-art dog parks
06/12/2024 - Modern dog parks cropping up around the country have sophisticated facilities with a focus on Expand
06/12/2024 - Modern dog parks cropping up around the country have sophisticated facilities with a focus on socialisation and behaviour management – and pets can’t get enoughGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIt’s a balmy Saturday not far from Melbourne’s Yarra River when a handful of people with their pooches arrive at the Thomas Oval dog park, trying to avoid the heat.David Davis and his husband, Jen Tan, are here with their two dogs – Mika (a six-year-old groodle) and Como (a five-year-old cavoodle) – who sniff and dart around this South Yarra gathering place. The dogs move with abandon, with Como squeezing her shaggy head between my legs as her owners chat.Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Continue reading... Collapse
The problem with men of a certain age | Brief letters
02/12/2024 - Gregg Wallace’s ‘defence’ | Dinosaurs | Glasgow School of Art | Country diarists’ language | Judi Expand
02/12/2024 - Gregg Wallace’s ‘defence’ | Dinosaurs | Glasgow School of Art | Country diarists’ language | Judi Dench and parrotsGregg Wallace’s “defence” (Outrage as Gregg Wallace calls accusers ‘middle-class women of a certain age’, 1 December) puts him second only to Prince Andrew for lack of awareness leading to a PR disaster. It’s always men of a certain age, isn’t it?Cassy FirthMorley, West Yorkshire• Middle-class women of a certain age? Dinosaur of a certain age?Gerry MeyerStrathkinness, Fife Continue reading... Collapse
‘You feel sorry for the person as well’: why are so many pet cats being abandoned?
01/12/2024 - Many of us saw lockdown as the ideal chance to get a cat. But now, a huge number of pets are being Expand
01/12/2024 - Many of us saw lockdown as the ideal chance to get a cat. But now, a huge number of pets are being abandoned, and rescue charities are overwhelmedHelen Lecointe answers the phone sounding frazzled. As the senior manager of the Woodside Animal Welfare Trust in Plymouth, she is tasked with not only herding cats, but accommodating them, too, and this autumn, she says, the shelter is rapidly approaching breaking point. “It just feels as if it’s been nonstop,” she says. Long after the supposed end of kitten season, the shelter is still receiving a steady stream of newborns, along with pregnant cats.Out in the community, at the Plymouth dockyards and elsewhere, large colonies of feral cats have sprung up, and are multiplying exponentially. And then there is the increasing number of often beloved pets being relinquished by their owners, who can no longer look after them or afford their care. Continue reading... Collapse
UK sales of seasonal pet treats, toys and food rocketing
27/11/2024 - Sales of Christmas pet lines up 964% year-on-year at Waitrose online as people spend more on pet Expand
27/11/2024 - Sales of Christmas pet lines up 964% year-on-year at Waitrose online as people spend more on pet careUnlike buying a present for a fussy father-in-law or an awkward aunt, a dog won’t complain if their treats aren’t the latest, and a cat is not likely to turn its nose up at a Christmas tree-shaped scratch tree.Perhaps that’s why Britons are so happy to spend on their pets this Christmas, with sales of seasonal pet treats, toys and food booming. Continue reading... Collapse
I spent more time with our cat Mogget than any living thing. I had to steel myself to bring that time to an end | Gayle Bryant
26/11/2024 - Just one of millions of pet cats, to us she was the one. She soaked up bad moods, angst, illnesses Expand
26/11/2024 - Just one of millions of pet cats, to us she was the one. She soaked up bad moods, angst, illnesses and purred them awayWhen my son was nine, he asked for a sibling. I negotiated him down to a pet and Mogget arrived in our lives as a two-month-old domestic short-hair kitten. Eighteen years and three months later, she stopped eating. And, within a week, drinking.At the vet’s, I learn she’s lost a kilogram since her last visit – how did I not notice? The vet is kind. She dances around what needs to be said. I tell her Mogget continues to walk up and down our stairs, wakes me every day at 4.55am by bulldozing my head, loves lying in the sun. Continue reading... Collapse
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