There are all kinds of cat lovers out there that will disagree but when it comes to being a responsible pet owner there is only way to behave and that is to never let your cat go outdoors unless it is carefully supervised.

This brings roars of protests from cat owners who will say things about cat nature and fresh air but the truth is that even in the country a cat has a lot of predators and is vulnerable to diseases. In the city it is even worse. So if you want your cat to live a long tie then don’t let it wander around outdoors. 

This is not just opinion. It is the advice of veterinarians, rescue organizations and humane societies. In fact some humane societies will not help out an owner who has left their cat outdoors.  Some rescue organizations and humane societies will not even let you adopt a cat if you have any intention of letting it outside.  Your request to adopt will be outright refused.  Also at some humane societies you are also charged more  for medical treatment if you bring them a cat that has suffered injury due to being let outdoors. You might even end up having your cat taken away from you.  

In essence, if you let your cat roam around unsupervised outdoors in this day and age you are considered to be parent if something happens to it. 

Why is letting your cat outside so objected to by all of these experts?  Here is a short list of just a few of the risks to its health and well-being that an outdoor cat faces. 

1.         Being run over by a vehicle.

2.         Eating poisonous plants.

3.            Drinking antifreeze in a garage

4.         Eating rat or raccoon poison

5.         Injury or death caused by a fight with other cats

6.         Contracting a fatal disease such as Feline Aids or Feline Leukemia

7.         Abuse from mentally ill or addicted people

8.         Abuse from annoyed neighbors

9.         Getting lost

10.       Getting stolen and then sold as bait for illicit gaming

11.       Getting stolen and then sold to a laboratory

12.      Contracting parasites, fleas, ticks and ringworms

Maintaining an indoor cat is also less expensive. For one thing your cat will need less vaccinations over the course of its lifetime. You will also be spared the expense of items such as a microchip,

You can buy cat leads and leashes that can allow you to take your cat for a walk just like a dog. Leads can be as long as thirty feet so your cat has room to roam.  

Ultimately though the decision whether or not to let your cat roam free might just come down to how perceptive you are about the dangers in your neighbourhood. Times have changed and it is very old fashioned to think that a cat left to roam outside will be taken care of by “Mother Nature” somehow. Nothing could be further from the truth – especially in an urban area. 

Is one dog breed really friendlier than others? It probably depends on what you mean by friendly in the first place. Some dog owners think the word is used to describe certain breeds as unfriendly and create prejudices.  Still even if you do think this labeling is wrong the American Kennel Association really does say that some breeds are friendlier then others.

Of course this is a complex matter. Like humans dogs have individual personalities and their behavior may have nothing to do with their breed. Also a dog may be selectively friendly. 

Some breeds that are friendly towards adults dislike children or other pets. Dogs that are abused when young also don’t tend to be that friendly – a problem encountered all the time by Dog Rescue organization that are trying to find homes for traumatized animals.  So of course all this means you could own a “friendly breed” but still end up with an unpredictable dog that could not be so friendly in certain situation. 

However in general the American Kennel Association cites the following breeds to have more of a gentle disposition than others and also to be friendlier to strangers. These breeds are the Brittany Spaniel, the Labrador Retriever, the Bichon Frise, the Cavalier King Spaniel, the Chinese Crested Spaniel, the English Setter, the Golden Retriever, the Bull and Dog, the Bearded Collie, the Bedlington Terrier, the Bloodhound, the Irish Setter, the Newfoundland, the Old English Sheepdog, the Otterhound, the Siberian Husky, the Vizla, the Alaskan Malumite, the Basset Hound. 

If you want a dog that gets along with other animals then the association recommends that you own a Beagle, Bloodhound, Cavalier King Spaniel, Chinese Crested Spaniel, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia Duck Trolling Retriever, Samoyed, Labrador Retriever, American Foxhound English Cocker Spaniel, English Springer Spaniel, Field Spaniel, Golden Retriever, Bernese Mountain Dog, Bichon Frise, Boston Terrier, the Canaan Dog, the Bull Dog and the Bull Mastiff.  These dogs are also less likely to get into trouble if you run them off leash in a park. 

Notice that some people friendly dog breeds also cross over with the pet friendly breeds. Good examples are the Cavalier King Spaniel and the Chinese Crested Spaniel. However many of these dog breeds have either one trait or another and you “can’t have your cake and eat it too.”  This means you have to prioritize. 

It is easier to train a dog to be friendly to strangers then it is to change its behavior to be friendly to other pets. This is because instincts that dogs have towards other animals are of the hard-wired variety.  However you can successfully train a dog that is from a breed that is not known to be that friendly to humans to be friendlier by taking him or her through a bout of obedience training. 

Among the easiest dogs to train are the Bichon Frise, the Bernese Mountain Dog, the Canaan Dog, the English Spaniel, the Havanese, the Irish Spaniel, the Nova Scotia Duck Trolling Retriever and the Toy Fox Terrier.   

DON’T let your children kiss your cat on the mouth. Cats don’t have any antibacterial qualities to their saliva like a dog. They could catch a virus or a cold. 

DON’T let your child handle a kitten that is less than three weeks old.  This can traumatize the mother. Also your kid may have germs that can make the little kitty sick.  Toddlers should definitely not be handling cats. 

DON’T let your child play in the litter box. Many confused little kids think it is a sandbox.  

DON’T  let your cats feed cats scraps of food from the table. This creates demanding and physically overweight pet that will never let you eat dinner in peace again.  Yet another problem is that your child might be feeding your cat something that is toxic such as chocolate.  

DON’T let your child introduce your cat to another kid unless you or an adult is present. Cats can be unpredictable and many introduce themselves to children with a savage swipe of the claw.  Often they go for the face too. If you don’t want a lawsuit or medical bill from an angry parent don’t do this. 

DO teach your child to groom the cat. This teaches the cat the child is the boss and strengthens their bond. DO let your child give your cat a treat.  The cat will be nicer to any being that gives it catnip. 

DO encourage your children to feed the cat and empty the kitty litter box AS LONG AS THEY ARE OVER AGE TEN. Any younger and they may forget or play with the kitten feces or be tempted to eat the kitten food. Keep an eye on the situation no matter how old your kids are as you do not want a cat that is starving to death or a kitty litter that I reeking.  Remember that just because you are teaching your child to be responsible does not mean he or she is going to be and your cat should not be the one that suffers while your child tries to navigate a learning curve. 

DO discourage children from pulling a cat’s tail. This can lead to a spinal cord injury that can result in kidney failure. 

DO encourage children to leave sleeping cats alone. Cats need a lot of sleep to be emotionally healthy. 

DO encourage your child to only speak to the cat in a soft, gentle voice.  Punish your child if he or she makes a habit of punishing the cat. 

DO not hesitate to take your child to a child psychologist if he or she it abusing, bullying or torturing the animal in any way. This kind of behavior is often a precursor to serious mental, psychological and social disorders that need to be treated early. 

DO not hesitate to find the cat a good home if the relationship between your child and the cat is not working out. The cat will easily adapt to a friendly environment and your child will learn that wrong actions lead to alienation.

It seems like we have come along way from the early part of the last century when pet names were not that personal.  Of course now that our pets have become our “furkids” they are getting the same kinds of names as our children. For instance you will never hear of a kid called Rover, Spot or Fido but you will find pets named Donna, Christopher, Tiffany or Karen. 

Some of the most popular dog names in 2006 were Molly, Sophie, Maggie, Alice, Jake and Lucy, which sound more like the names that belonged to our grandparents. Does this affect the way we treat our dogs. For instance isn’t it a bit harder to send a creature called Britney or Mark to the doghouse even if it does have four legs instead of two? 

Speaking of names like Britney there is also a real trend towards naming pets after celebrities – Lindsay, Paris and Hillary immediately come to mind.  Dead celebrities should also not be left out of the loop.  Dogs are also frequently named Marilyn, Truman, Eisenhower or Judy. 

Speaking of celebrities I read in the Star tabloid the other day that they like to call them Mr. Or Miss something or other as in Mr. Jeeves, Mr. Jubby or Ms. Jones.  This is probably inspired by the cat named Miss Priss on Everybody Loves Raymond! 

I went researching the most popular names and according to a site that has archived over 3000 dog monikers the most popular name for both doggie sexes is Sam (including all of its variants like Sammy and Samantha).  The name means “listener” which is not a bad name for man’s best friend.  By the way it is also one of the most popular names for little girls according to a human naming website I looked at. The second most popular is Max, Maxie, Maxwell or Maxine (which means “the greatest” in Latin).  The third most common name is Lady, which is incredibly retro and reminiscent of old time television dramas. Of course this name does not fit a male dog too well unless you are absolutely sure it is gay. The fourth most popular name does suit a male. It is  Bear. This is a good name for a very tiny dog that looks like a Teddy or one of those huge Labradors that can clamp its paws on your shoulders when it wants to dance.

If you love your doggie so much you want to eat it then you are in good company as many of the top twenty names sound absolutely delicious. These include names such as Cocoa, Peaches, Ginger, Brandy and Popcorn. There has also been a trend lately to name your dogs after sweet and tasty delights. In fact names in the top twenty include Brandy, Ginger and Taffy. Names like Popcorn, Cocoa and Peaches are also very popular. If you don’t want to curse your dog with a bad name then you should probably avoid the name Rocky. According to an article in the San Francisco Examiner (1977) dogs that bite are most often named Rocky.