Cats are often very sensitive to their surroundings, and unfortunately sometimes a visit to the veterinary clinic can be a stressful time for our feline friends. The carrier, the car ride, the sounds and smells of other animals, and the unfamiliar environment can all make for a rather scary experience!

But with some training and preparation, you can reduce your cat’s stress and make vet visits more approachable. Here’s how.

Cat carrier training
Many cats only see their carrier when it’s brought out (normally dusty from a cupboard or the garage) in time for the cat to be unceremoniously pushed inside to be transported to the vet or to boarding. For obvious reasons, this quickly creates a negative association with the carrier!

Help your cat to see their carrier as a familiar, safe haven by making it another comfortable resting spot in the house. Carriers with a front opening (as well as a top opening – for easy access at the vet clinic!) work best for this, as you can place comfortable bedding inside the carrier, and leave it with its door open for your cat to wander in and out of. It can also help to intermittently place some of your cat’s favourite tasty treats into the carrier.

Cat carrier preparation
If a vet visit is required, spraying some calming feline scent hormone product into the carrier ten minutes prior to putting your cat inside can help them to feel less anxious.

It can also help to cover ¾ of the carrier with a light towel to give your cat a feeling of security, without limiting ventilation.

If you still feel like your cat is stressed during veterinary visits or transport, have a chat with our friendly team about the possibility of pre-emptive calming medications. We want to help give your cat the purr-fect veterinary visit experience!

Image: Babydoll Southdowns sheep, source: ABC News

Here come the Babydolls!

Originally imported from England in the 1790’s, the Babydoll Southdown’s numbers are on the rise, with several breeders now operating across Australia. “They are a lot like the Labradors of the sheep world,” said West Australian sheep breeder Deb Royans. “I really wanted a small, easy-to-handle animal that would appeal to the public and after a lot of research, that’s what we picked up.” With their charming woolly beards and ‘boots’, the Babydoll is a uniquely cute and cuddlier addition to the Australian market, which has traditionally focused on sheep with clean faces and legs, to suit our hot climate. “I just love them. It’s a great little breed… it’s so versatile and I’m really happy with it,” said Ms Royans. While the wool-quality of the Australian Babydoll doesn’t yet make industry standard, they’re in demand as excellent lawn mowers. “We've got wineries and vineyards looking for a small animal… we’ve made up the rest of our market with pets and tourism… Then there are hobby farmers wanting small sheep that they can handle easily on 5-acre lots,”said Ms. Royans. So, while the Australian Babydoll Southdown’s wool may not be made for the jumper industry, their fleecy boots are certainly made for walking around petting zoos and hobby farms. After all, they’ve got a face the public should rightly flock to see!

Read Deb Royans’ full interview with ABC News.

Seeing the best in senior dogs 

It’s a sad truth that some aspiring pet owners, overwhelmed by the responsibilities of animal care, supply shelters across the country with a steady stream of abandoned animals. Sadder still is the fact that many older animals are simply overlooked at adoption time, until now. Several families across Australia are embracing the benefits of adopting older dogs, and making the final chapters of their lives some of the most enjoyable.
Elderly owners such as Malcom Wright, 78, are seeking similarly senior companions. “My dog had died last week and she was an older dog and I thought because I'm 78, it's no good adopting a puppy," said Wright. "I thought it would be good to give an old dog a home — an old dog that needs a last place to go”. Others, like tattoo artist Ruby Black, are simply happy to welcome an older dog, and avoid the significant time commitment of training an energetic puppy from scratch. "Even though we knew she might cost us some money in the future I also knew that she was a great dog with such a gentle soul. She deserved a shot at a loving home for the rest of her life, even if it might be short.” While it may not automatically be the case for all adopted senior dogs, other interviewees noted calmer temperaments, better socialisation with other animals, and confidence when left home alone (compared to untrained puppies), as additional benefits to adopting older animals.

Enjoy more stories about pet owners adopting senior dogs from ABC News.

Fruity business for Max and Riley 

Move over Paw Patrol, there are two new canine heroes in town! Riley and Max, formerly trained to sniff out suspect human activity, have recently retrained to target and snuff out the fruit fly. There are currently 15 fruit fly outbreaks across the Riverland region of South Australia. “This is a really important tool, one of the many tools we are utilising in the fight against fruit fly in our state. It’s so important to our $1.2 billion horticulture industry,” said Primary Industries Minister Claire Scraven. Originally from the Riverland area, Danny and Gemma Wood are the father and daughter team responsible for training Australia’s first-ever fruit fly sniffer dogs. They say the cause is close to their hearts. “Fruit fly outbreak is affecting our friends and family day in, day out,’ says Gemma. The Woods used sterile larvae to train the dogs to recognise and locate the fruit fly. They then alert trainers to their discovery by dropping. The best part for Max and Riley? Getting a tasty treat for every discovery. Max’s performance in a pending four-week trial in the field will determine whether we can expect to see more dogs join the team. Needless to say, the more tasty treats the dogs earn, the more tasty treats from South Australian fruit farmers will end up on our supermarket shelves.

Learn more about South Australia’s fruit fly sniffer dogs at ABC News.

A recent global study by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), which encompassed 32,000 different populations from over 5,000 species of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish, has unearthed shocking statistics, chiefly, that 69% of global wildlife populations are falling at an accelerating rate over the past 50 years.

Among the worst findings, a 94% drop in wildlife population in Latin America and the Caribbean, and a 60% loss in Africa. These findings are in line with the WWF’s last assessment in 2020, suggesting that the global wildlife population is reducing at a rate of close to 2.5% annually.

Degradation of natural habitat appears to be the main cause of the fall in population. Development, modern farming and food production practices, pollution, as well as the effects of climate change, disease, and the introduction of invasive species are all contributing factors.

However, the study unearthed some silver linings to what would otherwise be a very dark rain cloud:
In indigenous territories, vertebrate biodiversity population measurements are equal to or greater than other, previously protected, areas.

The study also found that gorilla populations near the Virunga National Park, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, increased by roughly 200 individuals between 2010 and 2018.

So what can we do to reduce the loss of life and preserve the natural habitats of our global wildlife?
The report stressed the importance of our continued focus on sustainable food production systems, increased conservation and restoration efforts, and continued decarbonisation of all sectors.

Read more about the World Wildlife Fund’s study findings from ABC News

This email contains comments of a general nature only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional veterinary advice. It should not be relied on as the basis for whether you do or don't do anything. 

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