In the past, and up until now, some households rely on dogs as security measures or guards against thieves and trespassers. Thus, dogs are trained to bark at strangers, indicating the presence of intruders and calling the attention of the house owners.

But most of the time, dogs overdo barking. In most neighborhoods in the United States, there is a rising number of reported cases when neighbors fall into disputes because of barking dogs.

Barking dogs are really annoying, especially if the dog would not cease barking even if there is no intruder around. Dogs bark not just at people but also at other animals like cats and rats. That is when the trouble sets in.

The basic concern of dog owners and their neighbors is how to stop the dogs from barking inappropriately. The task would be really tedious at times. Special and expert dog training sessions, unfortunately, will not be able to help because barking is never learned. It is dogs’ instincts.

Sounds of dog barking annoy most people especially when it comes late or in the middle of the night when everyone tries to lay back and get some sleep. That is why the modern science has come out with another innovation that would silence barking dogs.

Anti-barking devices:

A number of technology companies are currently offering numerous types of anti-barking devices. Because the need for such gadgets is increasing, anti-barking devices now come in different varieties, with distinct and awesome features.

Sound-emitting devices that stop dogs from barking are basically simple gizmos that have built-in sensors that immediately react to barking dogs’ sounds by creating high-pitched sounds that canines like dogs and other animals find really annoying.

The sounds produced by these devices are negligible to humans but are extremely intolerable to dogs and canines. The sounds, technology companies claim, are really piercing to dogs’ ears, making them annoyed and ultimately, fall into silence.

Different technology firms that offer anti-barking devices have different products with different and distinct features. There are such gadgets which can also be audible to humans, but not to the same extent as perceived by the dogs.

Anti-barking devices can also be used during dog training sessions, because dogs easily fall sensitive to such noise-creating gizmos.

Limitations

However, such devices that effectively stop barking of dogs also have limitations. The greatest and most obvious limitation that could hamper the efficiency of such products is the physical characteristics or disabilities of some dogs.

Like humans, there are also several dogs which are deaf, or which have problematic hearing. In such cases, the anti-barking devices’ sound emissions would not be perceived by the barking dog, thus, the purpose of the device is not attained.

In such cases, practical solutions could be suggested by the veterinarian or animal training experts.

Another limitation of such devices is its energy source. Anti-barking devices use AC or battery power to keep it going. Thus, every now and then, probably within a few weeks’ interval, the gadgets would not work properly and batteries should be replaced immediately.

But like any other technological innovations, anti-barking devices’ limitations and shortcomings are overcome and offset by its usefulness and efficiency. Anti-barking devices are convenient, simple yet effective gadgets to help silence barking dogs. What is striking about it is that it is not harmful to dogs.

Animal rights advocates would surely approve of the devices.

Kelly Jezek is a successful Webmaster and publisher of dogtrainingessentials.com. She provides more helpful ways to dogtrainingessentials.com/Stop-Dog-Barking.html stop barking dogs at her site. Visit dogtrainingessentials.com Dog Training Essentials today!

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Tags: animal rights, dog training

Introduction

A long time ago, before evolution turned the primate into the businessman carrying a brief case, the topic of ethical considerations concerning animals was as talked about as an episode of Barney at a dog trainer’s convention. Why is this? I believe that this is because nobody bothered to decide to give the issue any thought. And how could they? Back in the day of the cave man, people spent their days’ hunting, and looking after family. Whatever animals they owned were used for hunting purposes, or food. Today we as society still use animals for hunting and food purposes, however I am sure that we have a more animalistic view now than the cave man did back years ago.

Over the years, as we have evolved into what we are today, ethical and principle considerations have evolved right along with us. What I can not understand, is why it took so long for people to start considering the feelings of animals!

In today’s society, many animals are abused, neglected and tortured in various hideous ways. Back in the day of the cave man, I am sure that similar behavior took place. Is it a case of evolution installing a sense of compassion towards our animals, or is it something deeper?
I do not know the answer to this, but I do know that values and ethics are passed down from generation to generation, and it is up to us today to instill our values on the next generation so that we can continue to provide the optimum environment for our animals to live in and enjoy.

In the following paper, I will analyze key ethical principles that I have, and relate them to some of society’s most talked about animal related issues. In doing this I will discuss issues from both sides of the fence however, emphasis will be placed on my own beliefs as this is afterall a reflection paper. Some issues being discussed in this paper include:
Views on service dogs, animal rights, and animal-master bond just to name a few.

Service Dogs

“Dogs that have been specially trained to assist a disabled person with certain daily tasks.” (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language)

This definition given by the above source is the best way that I could ever describe a service dog. Having the ability to further one’s independence is an amazing feeling that is not felt until one is in the position to do so; yet in a lot of cases, people have a negative outlook on the use of dogs or other animals as providers and assistive partners for those who need them.

I myself, am a huge service dog advocate. Being able to witness first hand what a dog can do for a disabled person has made me wonder why there are people out there who disagree with the service dog concept; however, There are people out there who simply view the dog as “man’s best friend.” These people have the belief that a dog is a pet, and should be pampered, and not forced to be given the responsibilities that service dogs are given. I can totally understand why these people would be against service dogs based on their own values, however what I do disagree with is the way that these people go about degrading the work put in by thousands of dedicated individuals to ensure that a successful dog/handler team is formed. Rallies against the use of dogs for service needs are held now and again, and you can not get away from people staring or yelling “slave labor” as you pass them. What these people do not understand, is that service dogs live more productive, healthy and fulfilling lives than most family pets.

Because of the work that these dogs willing and happily perform, they are subjected to very high quality care, (e.g.) top of the line dog food, ample exercise and against popular belief, a lot of normal doggie activity. The aim in a dog’s life is to please, and I wish those people against the use of service dogs could be there every morning when I ask Luther if he is ready to go to work!

Animal Master Bond

The saying “dog is a man’s best friend” is one that I hold a lot of respect for. First of all unconditional love from a dog to a master is incomparable to that of another human being. Second, dog’s do not blab secrets that you tell them! All kidding aside, the dog has and will be one of man’s best comrades, because they have what we all want and need, this being an ability to put up with us, understand us better than we think they do, and the ability to make us feel better when we are sad.

On a personal level, I love spending time with my dog, and would rather his company to the company of most people. No he can not talk to me or give me advice on problems that I tell him about, however he is always there for me with a lick and a tail wag, letting me know in his own way that he loves me and wants to be with me.

I do believe that I may have an unhealthy relationship with my dog. When spending the majority of your day in close proximity with an animal I have found it impossible not to grow used to the constence of him being there. On an ethical level, people may view this as unethical due to the fact that it may look to them that I need my dog to function as a human being. This is not the case. I need my dog to assist me in day to day activity that could be performed minus the dog, however is greatly enhanced with the assistants that he provides me.

Of course you will get the “oh he’s so smart,” or “Oh he is so well behaved in public,” kind of people, however others again may view the fact that the dog is so in tune with what I am doing as a negative. I have talked with people in the past about my dog’s willingness to be with me and why he travels everywhere with me instead of lying in the corner 24 hours a day or chasing cars like normal dogs. The animal bond works two ways: them being, the dog bonding to the master and the master bonding to the dog. I never knew the feeling of a human dog commensal relationship until I got to know my own dog, and it is a feeling that I will not trade for the world, and I would say that Luther feels the same as I do. We both respect each other, we both know what is expected of each other, we both know what buttons to press and not to press, and we definitely know how to have fun either with each other or apart. However going back to the unhealthy bonding issue, this is where I believe I may have gone wrong with my dog.

By spending so much time together, we have become used to each other’s company, and when we are apart, I miss him terribly and I know he feels the same way I do. Dogs wear their emotions on their paws, and I can tell when he is stressed or upset as I’m sure he can tell if I am feeling different than normal. This said, I would not trade or relationship for the world. Luther makes my life easier, and in return, I provide him with love, a stable home, and everything else that a big slab of lab needs to enjoy his life to the fullest.

Animal Rights

Being an animal lover, it is hard to understand the difficulty over the years to ensure animal rights are afforded to our animals. We as humans have the power to control a lot of external powers that may confront us, however our animals don’t, and for the longest time we have ignored this fact and focused on fending for ourselves. This puzzles me because I am sure that over the years, we have noticed that human rights issues have become more and more prominent. People fighting for their rights is a great thing, however why is it so hard to believe that animals shouldn’t have rights also? Just because the common dog can not stand up and say, “I have the right to pee on any patch of grass that I want,” does not mean that that right should not be given to him/her does it?

I am not a huge animal rights advocate, however I do believe that they do need to be prominent in society so that people know that they can be held responsible if a right to an animal is withheld, the same way that some one can be held responsible if a right to a human is denied.

Do We As Humans Have The Right To Make Decisions For Animals?

The answer to this question I believe has changed over the years. Years ago before the cat and dog were domesticated, I share the belief that these animals had the ability to fend for themselves without any human interaction. Now that we have taken steps to domesticate the common dog and cat as well as numerous other types of mammals, reptiles and birds, I believe that we do play and need to play a role in the decision making process that these creatures go through.

When we domesticate an animal we suppress its natural instincts that it is born with. This sounds harsh, but it is so true. Take for example the undomesticated dog. The undomesticated dog kills for its food as today’s domesticated dog is fed from a bag or a can. I would like nothing better than to delve into the mind of a dog to find out which he prefers, however that component of science is unfortunately yet to be developed.

Being able to modify such an important aspect to the dogs life pattern scares me because it shows me how much mankind can dominate basically anything living that it chooses; this said, I do believe that humans do need to play a big role in the lives of today’s pets. Suppressing an animals instincts is quite different from eliminating them. Stray dogs will still form packs and can be cause for concern if not delbt with. Your cute little guy could be all hunkie dorie in the daytime, and turn into Wolf Dracula at nighttime while you are sleeping, returning to curl up by your fireplace the following morning. The pray drive of the common dog is what can get him/her into trouble and this is why I believe that human, master bond is so important.

Speaking from experience, having a good relationship with your dog or cat helps to eliminate bad decisions that your pet can make. Sometimes, your furry pet is triggered by primitive instinct, the same instinct that mankind has tried so hard to suppress due to its unwantedness in human society. This is an excellent example of why I believe that we need to play a part in the decision making of our pets. I think ethical beliefs need to be modified when discussing domesticated or non-domesticated animals. Thanks to the effort of mankind, we need to assist our domesticated friends because they do not have the capability to fully function by themselves. I do not mean to sound derogatory by this last statement. I am 100% thankful for the work that our predecessors have put in to allow us to enjoy the company of a non-human companion. My belief is that most domesticated animals live better lives than they would’ve led in the wild so how can domesticating an animal b unethical? I’m guessing the response to this question would very depending on the person answering it, and that is ok. People’s opinions will be different based on their ethical beliefs and I would never try to push my beliefs on to some one else, however I think I speak for the majority of the population when I say that without domesticated animals in our lives, life would just not be the same.

Conclusion

I wish I could say that both nondomesticated and now domesticated animals have thrived on evolution as we as humans have, however I do understand that a significant component of animal evolution is due to man’s interference. Whether we like it or not, mankind was and is responsible for a large aspect of the animal kingdom as we see it today. Clearing land, expansion and willingness to befriend, has greatly altered natural evolution and has imposed the will of mankind on to our co-habitating non-human species. In today’s world I am grateful to have the option of walking up to a dog or a cat and petting him/her, an option that I would not have before domestication became prominent. In today’s society, animals play a huge role in the lives of millions of people worldwide. Whether it be by fulfillment, labor related or just company, it is very evident that life would not be what it is today without the domesticated animal along side us. These animals provide us with friendship, love, protection, a good laugh, and stress relief and it is because of all these positive factors that make me selfish as well as very thankful that evolutionization has occurred to the level that it has.

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Tags: animal rights, dog food

Unfortunately, there are many animals out there who are neglected and abused. Most western cultures have laws that punish those who injure animals intentionally, including those requiring animals to do too much work. We also have facilities for the rehabilitation of wild animals, and organizations that support and protect natural habitats for animals.

Before you get involved in an animal organization, make sure you understand everything they believe in. One of the largest organizations, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, (PETA), is most famous for speaking out against the use of animals for research, especially repetitive research such as measuring effects of caustic chemicals on animal eyes and finding lethal doses of household chemicals – but they also advocate a ban on keeping animals for our enjoyment because (they say) the practice shows a disrespect for other forms of life.

What would happen to all of the animals if people stopped taking care of them? When an animal and person is matched up correctly, doesn’t the animal benefit from all of the love and care they receive, just as much as the unconditional love they give?

Animal rights and animal welfare often overlap. Most pet owners are concerned with both the welfare of their pets and providing the type of food, shelter, affection and activity that animals enjoy.

Use your purchasing power to support only pet traders who balance profits with animal care. Don’t be trapped by feeling sorry for the animal and buying him anyway. As soon as you purchase the animals the business owner will be able to acquire another for sale. Use your dollars to vote against large animal trading businesses that do not spend a significant amount of income on animal care. Use your dollars to vote for responsible breeders and to support animal shelters and rescuers also.

Report animals in danger, creating a nuisance, or threatening the well-being of a citizen. You may be concerned that the animal will be locked up – but you may be saving the animal from being hurt badly from other people.

There are so many organizations out there that only care about making the almighty buck. While there is nothing wrong with wanting your business to be profitable, there is something wrong when you do it at the expense of a living creature.

All living creatures deserve respect and humane treatment. If a person or business can not treat their animals as such, then they do not need to be in that kind of business – and as long as people keep supporting them by buying their animals, it will keep them in business. Instead, if you know of a business as such, please report them. They will be investigated, and if found not to be treating their animals humanely, they will be shut down and all of the animals will be taken away and put in good shelters or places where they can go to good homes.

Animal responsibility is everyone’s business. We all need to get involved. Please don’t close your eyes to the inhumane treatment some poor animals are being subjected to day after day. It’s time to make a stand and help protect those who are not able to protect themselves.

This article has been submitted in affiliation with PetLovers.Com/ PetLovers.Com/ which is a site for PetLovers.Com/ Pet Forums.

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Tags: animal rights, welfare

Some sources seem to indicate that living with a serval is no more challenging than feeding your pet goldfish. At the other end of the extreme spectrum, many sanctuaries and animal rights activists paint servals and other exotic cats as unmanageable creatures that no ordinary mortal could hope to deal with successfully. As is usually the case, the truth lies in a rational world between the two extremes.

Servals are much more challenging and time consuming to raise than a domestic cat. In order to end up with a tame, safe, and loving serval that can live in your house, you are going to have to spend a lot of time socializing, training, and housebreaking him. These things don’t happen automatically with a serval.

There will be problems to overcome. In order to do so you will need a solid understanding of how animals learn and how to humanely modify their behavior. This is not an animal for an inexperienced pet owner, or even for an experienced pet owner who has only had “easy” animals!

A Serval kitten is like a domestic kitten on speed! If you have ever raised a kitten you know how playful (and sometimes destructive) they are. Then imagine kittens the size of a full-grown domestic cat, with way more energy! Prepare to be playfully tackled, bitten, clawed, climbed, and otherwise wrestled with by a huge kitten, and make sure you have the training experience to teach your little fireball to be gentle with humans and your house.

However, if you have the knowledge of training and you put in the time, you will be rewarded with a wonderful, loving companion who is fun to live with and easy and safe to handle. A well-raised serval really is incredibly sweet and amazing. To me it is worth every bit of the time and effort.

Sirocco has an incredibly loud purr, and when he’s feeling affectionate he looks at me with complete adoration written on his face, purrs, and licks me. When I get home from work he greets me with purrs and ankle rubs, and it is clear that he is very strongly bonded to me. I have had very affectionate domestic cats, but Sirocco makes his love known more intensely then any domestic cat I’ve ever had. However, he spends a lot less time overall hanging out purring and cuddling than a domestic cat (that high-energy thing). This may change, as I notice he gets more affectionate the older he gets. I have to say he seems really happy as a pet cat. He is very high energy and spends a lot of time on the go.

As a result of lots of early socialization, he is very tame and will let even large groups of people pet him. However, I have seen him purr only once for a stranger; he seems to reserve true affection for his family.

Living with a serval means having your sandal stolen from beneath your foot and carried out into the enclosure in the rain at 11:00 p.m.…. Then being forced to go outside to get it lest he ingest portions of it.

Sirocco had been playing out in his enclosure one evening, uninterested in being petted. When I got to bed I found myself sobbing away a heart-wrenching day’s work. As I lay there, I felt a soft nose in my ear, followed by a thundering purr. When I didn’t respond, he gently butted my face over and over until I said hi to him. When I spoke, he licked my cheek, then started rubbing his forehead against my face. He continued to lick my tears and “pet” me until I stopped crying. Once satisfied that I was okay, he lay down beside me, squeezing his body tightly against mine as we fell asleep.

I was sitting on the edge of my bed pulling on socks one morning, having finished petting Sirocco…. Or so I thought! Approaching from behind, he laid his head on my shoulder and commenced purring loudly into my ear, paws kneading on the bed beside me. Needless to say I abandoned my socks.

Shoes and sandals have been banned from serval-occupied regions of the house ever since he ate part of one and nearly had to have it surgically removed. In response, Sirocco has developed military-strength sandal-detecting powers. Sometimes my mother will be naive enough to enter my bedroom at night to watch a movie wearing the precious contraband. Relaxing in her chair, she unthinkingly slips off her sandals as Sirocco lingers nearby with feigned indifference. He strolls casually past, then seizes the prize on his teeth and bolts cheetah-like onto the dresser and out the door to his lair, having learned long ago that thieving humans can’t follow. Even if one of us is lucky enough to cut off his escape route, he will not surrender. Jaws locked on, he closes his eyes contentedly and growls as we make futile attempts to pry, pull, twist, and coax the now tooth-marked sandal from his grasp.

Pouncing on the faces of sleeping humans and nibbling (that’s putting it kindly) on their toes are also favorite nighttime activities.

I have a deliciously slothful habit of flopping down on my bed to eat dinner. This has a great deal to do with the fact that the bed is one of the few comfortable spots in the house, and it’s within Sirocco’s domain so I get to enjoy his company. One afternoon I neglected to prepare a portion (tomatoes, cheese, and refried beans) for Sirocco before I crashed with a plate of Mexican food. He came up to me and pushed his nose towards the plate a few times. When I blocked him, he lay down beside me purring, drooled a little, and stretched his head out close to my elbow, chin resting on the bed. I relented and shared a couple of tomato pieces. That wasn’t good enough, so he got up again only to be blocked by my hand. He did what any sensible serval would do: he snaked out his paw and smacked my tortillas!

One night Sirocco had been awakening me with a karate-pounce every half-hour. I finally scooped up my rowdy serval and began to carry him out to the crate in my living room: the one now reserved for servals that won’t let their humans get a wink of sleep. Trouble struck when my mother’s Rottweiler mistook me for an interloper as I exited my bedroom door and charged out of the dark with a snarl. Exit serval. He was out of my arms, over my head, and back in the bedroom before the dog could take two steps. Enter bandages. I had a nice bloody welt across my jaw, and the gash in my neck caused people at work the next day to ask what I’d done to provoke Louie the Knife.

Before Sirocco arrived, I’d been adamant: no litter boxes in my bedroom. Now, I’m just content when he actually uses the giant box that so gracefully adorns the floor by my entertainment center rather than peeing on my bed.

One evening I came home from work to find the blankets dragged from my bed, one of them lying elegantly by the entrance to the litter box. As a thoughtful decorative touch, he’d also removed a German Shepherd figurine from my bookshelf and placed it in the litter box with one ear poking out.

I think I’m going to recommend servals to interior designers. They can sell or rent them to clients, on the condition that the designer is called in every time the serval “redecorates” the house. What a way to build repeat business!

One thing I’m quite proud of is the fact that Sirocco isn’t very destructive indoors with his claws. For instance, he doesn’t claw the curtains. He just yanks the curtain rod loose from the wall and drags the curtains under the bed. Good serval.

For more information on responsible ownership of wild and exotic felines, please visit my website, exoticcatz.com exoticcatz.com.

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Tags: animal rights, kitten, rottweiler, snake

Have you ever dreamed of living with a bobcat or having a pet tiger? You’re not alone, and many people share their lives responsibly and safely with such animals. My beloved companion is a African Serval, a very affectionate 33-pound spotted feline. However, this dream come true brings with it some very real challenges and responsibilities far beyond those facing the average pet owner.

A huge number of visitors to my exotic feline site are trying to make very important decisions. Should I get a exotic cat? Is this species the right fit for my family? Can I provide for one properly?

There are a number of things to take into consideration when deciding if exotic cat ownership is for you, and if the answer is yes, which species of exotic cat is suitable for your situation. They include:

Your ability to make a lifetime committment to an animal who may cause you considerable headaches
Your ability to be a responsible owner
Local and Federal Laws
Your financial ability to provide proper care and housing for the cat
Your level of experience in working with animals
Size of the cat
Disposition of the cat
Endangered Species Status

Owning an exotic cat requires a lifetime committment to a cat who may live to be 20 years old. If your circumstances change, the cat develops behaviors that are unacceptable to you, or you simply grow tired of caring for it, an exotic cat cannot simply be given over to your local humane society. Being placed in a new home is much more traumatic to an exotic cat than to most domestic animals and can cause a major change in their personality. In some cases, they may never accept a new owner. Qualified people willing to take in an adult exotic cat are hard to find, and no, the local zoo will not accept your cat. Large cats such as cougars and tigers are especially hard to place.

Everyone gets an animal with a certain dream in their minds about how that animal will behave, and some people cannot handle it if things turn out differently. For instance, if you want to own a tiger, you probably imagine being able to play with it and cuddle with it. That may happen; but if you undertake this responsibility you have to be prepared for the fact that you might not be able to so much as enter the cat’s enclosure safely, even if you raise him from a cub.

If you are interested in getting a small cat like a bobcat or a serval, you probably imagine sharing your household with it, as many people do. But what if that cat grows up to spray everything in sight?

If you’ve been researching the idea of owning an exotic cat, you’ve probably discovered how much conflicting information there is. Some sources seem to indicate that living with an exotic cat is no more challenging than feeding your pet goldfish. At the other end of the extreme spectrum, many sanctuaries and animal rights activists paint them as unmanageable creatures that no ordinary mortal could hope to deal with successfully. As is usually the case, the truth lies in a rational world between the two extremes. This site exists to provide realistic and balanced information.

Like all creatures, exotic cats are all individuals, and nobody can tell you exactly how your future cat will act. Generalizations can be made about the behavior of different species, but individual personalities and behavior traits vary widely. As a dog trainer, I have seen puppies with the perfect upbringing turn out dangerously aggressive, and severely abused dogs who were stable and friendly. I have met dangerous Golden Retrievers and unprovokable Pit Bulls. It’s the same with cats; you can generalize to a certain extent, but never count on those generalizations.

If you decide that you are serious about getting an exotic feline, one of the first things you need to do is learn the federal, state, county, and city laws regulating the ownership of the species you are considering in your area. Contarary to popular myth, exotic animal ownership is pretty heavily regulated. Laws and permit requirements vary widely from area to area, and owning exotic cats is banned altogether in many places.

The legal issues will become vastly more complicated if you are interested in owning a cat that is endangered. While it is not impossible, the additional laws and permits that you have to contend with makes owning an endangered cat an unrealistic goal for most people.

Owning an exotic cat means having to remain constantly aware of changing laws and of proposed legislation, and being prepared to fight for the continued right to own your beloved pet.

Owning an exotic cat can be quite expensive. You will need to take into consideration the cost of building a secure and spacious enclosure, feeding costs, veterinary costs, the initial purchase of the kitten, and incidental expenses which seem to crop up on a continual basis. The cost of owning a smaller cat such as a serval or bobcat is more likely to be affordable than that of owning a tiger or other large cat. When you get into the large cats you will find that your feeding and enclosure costs escalate dramatically.

A major consideration is the size of the cat. Some species are smaller than a domestic cat, while others reach 500 pounds. The most common species to find in a pet household is the serval, which ranges fron roughly 18-40 pounds.

Owning a small cat is a more realistic goal for most people than a large cat such as a tiger. Large cats are very expensive to feed and house, heavily regulated by the federal government, and of course much more dangerous. Often keepers are unable to safely enter the enclosures of big cats once they mature. This does not mean that these animals are malicious, but a tiger or other big cat can easily injure you even in play. If you see yourself with a “pet” cat, start thinking small.

Cougars are an interesting compromise in size and temperament. They are actually classified as “small cats” even though most people think of them as a big cat. They are large cats and come with all of the duties, responsibilities, and cost of owning a big cat. However, they often have very gentle and affectionate natures; of all the large felines, they are probably the species that you are most likely to be able to have a “pet-like” relationship with after they mature. For those determined to own a big cat, I would reccommend a cougar over any other species, especially over a tiger.

Owning an exotic feline is not for someone who spends their time in fantasyland. If you are one of those pet owners who think their dog is soooo sweet that he could never, ever harm anyone, that all animals love you because you have a “special touch” with them, or that no animal will be dangerous as an adult if you “love it enough” or “raise it right,” you have no business owning an exotic cat.

You have to be able to objectively assess the safety of any decision you make, whether it involves handling your own cat, letting a family member or member of the public have contact with the cat, etc. You have to be able to say “I love Tigger with all of my heart and he loves me back, but I can tell from the playful look in his eye that if I walk into his enclosure now he might hurt me, so I choose not to.”

It is important to locate a good veterinarian who is willing to treat your exotic cat before you get one. It can sometimes be difficult to find a good, experienced vet who will be willing to treat exotics. Often, vets are uncomfortable around them or dissaprove of keeping them as pets and will therefore refuse to treat them. Many clinics also lack large enough equipment to handle larger felines like cougars or tigers. Veterinary costs for an exotic cat can be higher than those for a domestic animal, especially if your cat develops a serious problem and you are referred to a specialty clinic or university.

If you choose to own an exotic cat, you owe it to your cat and everyone else who owns exotics to be a responsible owner. What constitutes responsible ownership? Some of the criteria, in no particular order:

Provides a ample, nutritious diet suitable to the species
Provides ample housing for the cat to live in happily
Provides shelter and protection from the elements
Provides veterinary care as needed
Purchases animals from an ethical and responsible breeder
Does not neglect or abuse the animal
Provides generally pleasant living conditions and has the cat’s feelings and best interests in mind
Makes a good-faith effort to comply with all applicable laws
Takes stringent precautions to prevent the escape of the cat
Protects the cat from unauthorized contact or harrassment from members of the public
Protects the safety of the public and visitors
Makes a lifetime committment to caring for the cat

This article is written and copyrighted by Jessi Clark-White of exoticcatz.com www.exoticcatz.com. This article may be reproduced in its entirety only; permission is NOT granted to display editied versions. This article may not be used to support the ending of private ownership of exotic pets.

For more comprehensive information on exotic pets and their ownership, visit my website, exoticcatz.com exoticcatz.com. You can ask the author and other exotic pet owners questions at our exoticcatz.com/forum online forum.

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Tags: animal rights, goldfish, kitten, pit bull