A workout… for cats? The concept may sound silly at first, but veterinary experts say a little cat exercise will help your feline friend stay in shape.

10 Ways to Brighten Your Pet’s Smile

Enticing your dog to get active with a walk around the block or a game of fetch is a no-brainer, and a fairly common pet health practice. But when it comes to cats, most people don’t realize the value of exercise.

Many veterinarians recommend cat workouts to keep cats healthy well into his old age. And though a cat won’t exercise as readily as a dog will, there are a few strategies that will help you keep your cat active and mobile.

Try these 10 cat exercise tips:

1. Pair up exercise partners. Since a cat won’t respond to your requests to play as easily as a dog might, Jean Hofve, DVM, former editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association and current president of the Rocky Mountain Holistic Veterinary Medical Association, has a simple solution to ensure that felines get their needed cat exercise: Start with two cats. “A pair of cats who get along well will get plenty of exercise through their own wrestling and chasing games. I have a pair of 8-year-old brothers who still play like kittens!” says Dr. Hofve, adding that it’s better to get two cats at the same time than to introduce a second cat later on.
2. Try a cat tower. The multi-tiered “cat towers” sold online and in pet stores are another good way to ensure that your cat will have plenty of places to play and areas to climb for a good cat workout. Susan Nelson, DVM, an assistant professor of clinical sciences at Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, suggests placing small treats in different parts of the tower to encourage climbing and playing.
3. Keep plenty of toys around. Because cats tend to keep to themselves much more than dogs, the best strategy for cat workouts is to give them plenty of options in the form of toys. And these don’t have to be expensive toys from the pet store, either. Dr. Nelson says that yarn, rope, ping pong balls, empty spools, and pens are just a few of the everyday household objects that you can use as toys to encourage cat exercise.
4. Create a hockey rink. To make things even more interactive and fun, Nelson advises putting a ball in a large cardboard box or the bathtub to create an instant “hockey rink” for your cat. As the ball goes flying off the walls (and the cat goes flying after it), you’ll get some laughs and your cat will get some much-needed exercise.
5. Have fun with lasers. Speaking of laughs, few things will entertain you more — or have your cat moving faster — than a laser pointer on the end of a pen or leveling tool. “Laser toys are often good entertainment, but follow it up with a real toy the cat can catch to avoid fixation and frustration over never being able to catch the light beam,” says Hofve.
6. Give your cat a wand. For great cat exercise and a good follow-up to the laser, says Hofve, is one of the flexible wand-style toys with a feather, mouse, or other diversion on the far end. “Interactive play with a wand or fishing-pole type toy is fabulous exercise, usually quite funny, and extremely satisfying for the big hunter in your little cat,” says Hofve. “You can make it more challenging by running the toy up and over the sofa or up and down stairs to increase the exercise intensity.”
7. Use catnip wisely. Catnip is a useful tool for getting your cat to exercise, but Hofve says it’s best to use it only in the proper situations. “Remember that not all cats respond to catnip, and of those that do, a few will become aggressive from catnip,” she says. “Also, never give catnip before a stressful event, such as a trip to the vet. Your vet will thank you!”
8. Tempt your cat with treats. Cori Gross, DVM, a VPI Pet Insurance field veterinarian near Seattle, says that you can always count on cats responding to treats, so she advises putting treats in different parts of the house to give her something to search for. Also, try a puzzle toy, which is a pet toy that your cat will have to knock around in order to get the treat. “You can make your own by taping together the top and bottom of a small box, cutting a small hole in the side, and placing a few treats inside,” says Dr. Gross. “The cat will have to bat and knock the toy around quite a bit before the treats will fall out.”
9. Get your cat on a treadmill. Believe it or not, you can actually teach your cat to run on a treadmill for exercise, says Hofve. “It’s best to start when they are young, have lots of energy to burn, and are easy to entice with a toy,” she says. “Also, on the treadmill the cat should always be supervised.”
10. Go outside. Finally, with the proper training and the right equipment, you can entice your cat to walk with a leash and a harness outside just like dogs do. “Leash-walking is great if you can get your cat to tolerate the harness and lead,” says Hofve. “Make sure the harness fits properly and can’t be wriggled out of. Young cats are easier to train, but in all cases it takes patience and perseverance.”

By Wyatt Myers | Medically reviewed by Jennifer Garcia, DVM

Hay, vegetables, pellets, and fruit — rabbits love to eat all four, but do you know how much your pet should be getting of each? Here’s how to prevent your bunny from gaining too much weight.

They love to eat and they adore sweets — and, in turn, pet rabbits have a tendency to become overweight bunnies. In fact, obesity is the second most common health issue faced by pet bunnies, after tooth problems. What’s more, they often spend a lot of time inactive in cages, so they don’t tend to burn off the food they are eating.

This can lead to a number of health problems, including digestive issues, urinary tract problems, a weak heart, and dirty fur. An overweight bunny also can face problems performing an essential part of their diet — rabbits produce a type of night feces called cecotrophs, which are rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals, and they need to eat some of these feces to be healthy. Overweight rabbits cannot reach their rump to eat the cecotrophs, and they may become malnourished as a result.

About 2.2 million U.S. households have a pet rabbit, which is the most popular type of small animal kept as a pet. The Dutch rabbit is one of the most common rabbit breeds in the United States, featuring fur that is often white mixed with brown or black. Some people prefer the smaller dwarf rabbits or lop rabbits, which have ears that hang down rather than standing up. Other pet owners like angora rabbits, which have long hair that is always in need of grooming.

So how can you keep your pet rabbit in shape?

Choose the Healthiest Rabbit Food for Your Pet

Pet bunnies are vegetarians, so rabbit food should mostly consist of fiber and carbohydrates. When people think about a pet rabbit’s diet, they are likely to think mainly of food pellets. However, a diet of just pellets is a sure way to an overweight bunny. In fact, pellets should be used sparingly, as they were originally designed for the growth of meat rabbits.

The healthiest diet for a pet rabbit is apportioned this way:

• Hay. At least 85 percent of a pet rabbit’s diet should be a grass hay like timothy, oat, or barley. Hay is essential to a rabbit’s digestive process, and it also helps their teeth. You can give your rabbit unlimited amounts of hay. Alfalfa hay is also acceptable, but keep in mind that it must be doled out because it has more protein and calories than grassy hays.
• Vegetables. The second most important rabbit food is fresh leafy greens such as kale, collards, romaine lettuce, mustard greens, beet tops, carrot tops, parsley, endive, and radicchio. You should serve your adult pet bunny about two to four cups of leafy greens daily for every five pounds of body weight. You also can provide smaller amounts of other vegetables like Brussels sprouts, broccoli, green peppers, and pea pods.
• Pellets. You can supplement your pet rabbit’s diet with a pellet rabbit food, but you should do so sparingly. An adult bunny only needs one-quarter cup of pellet feed daily for every five pounds of body weight. Be sure to buy pellets with 18 to 20 percent fiber and between 14 percent and 16 percent protein. And don’t buy more than six weeks’ worth at a time because it will go bad.
• Fruit (and carrots, too). Think of fruit as your pet bunny’s version of sweets. A bunny will likely eat all the fruit you provide, but will gain weight as a result. Limit fruit to no more than two ounces for every six pounds of body weight. Because carrots are so high in sugar, you should treat them as a fruit and serve them just as sparingly.

How to Help Your Rabbit Lose Weight

An overweight bunny must lose weight the same way an overweight person does — by eating right and exercising.

• Exercise. Wild rabbits usually cover a home range of about 2 acres every day in their hunt for food. Keeping your pet bunny cooped up all day is a surefire route to rabbit obesity. You need to get him out of the cage an hour or two every day and encourage him to run around and play. You also can provide some toys in his crate for him to chew and enjoy.
• Diet. If your rabbit is obese, you should cut out the pellets and fruit completely. You also can limit the veggies if your bunny doesn’t start losing weight. A pet rabbit can live on an all-hay diet for a month or two, if necessary.

Rabbits can become overweight very quickly through a poor diet and sedentary lifestyle. Feed your pet rabbit right and you’ll have a happy companion who will be around for years.

By Dennis Thompson Jr. | Medically reviewed by Jennifer Garcia, DVM

Regular vet visits, vaccinations, screening tests, and parasite control — these are just a few of the preventative measures you should take to keep your cat in great health.

There’s more to keeping your cat healthy and happy than food, water, toys, and your love — cats need regular vet visits for vaccinations and screening tests. In fact, proper cat health care can help protect your cat from infections, serious diseases, parasites, and other health problems.

How should you get started? When you bring a new cat into your family, whether it is a kitten or adult cat, one of the first things you need to do is take your cat to a vet for a pet health checkup. “Any new pet should always come in for a health check as soon as [possible] to see if there are problems,” says Susan Nelson, DVM, assistant professor of clinical sciences at Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

Before taking your cat to this first vet visit, gather any health information you have on your cat from its breeder, previous owner, or animal shelter, if adopted. “Any history you have on your pet should go with you to the vet,” says Dr. Nelson.

Nelson says that a cat’s first vet visit will involve a very thorough physical exam to determine if there are any medical conditions. In addition, your cat may need certain tests, vaccinations, and treatments, depending on its health history, environment, and age. This first visit is also a good time to talk about heartworm and flea prevention, depending on where you live and your cat’s environment.

Cat Health Care at Every Age and Stage

Healthy pet care for your cat will change over time, depending on the cat’s age:

• Initial testing for kittens and new cats. For kittens and new cats without documentation of health history, your vet will likely run certain cat health screening tests. “Generally, we are going to recommend feline leukemia and feline AIDS screening,” says Nelson. Both are health conditions that weaken a cat’s immune system, putting him at risk of developing cancer and other serious diseases. You vet will also want to test for heartworms and obtain a fecal sample to test for intestinal parasites, which can put your cat at risk of infection and future health problems.
• Kitten health care needs. To help maintain their health, kittens need a series of vaccinations to protect them from feline diseases. These vaccinations always include rabies and distemper combination (a vaccination against distemper and two respiratory conditions). Your vet may also recommend additional vaccinations, such as protection against feline leukemia, depending on your cat’s individual needs. These initial vaccinations are generally given when your cat is between 6 and 16 weeks of age. Once your cat has had the initial vaccinations, Nelson recommends that cats get spayed or neutered to prevent unwanted pregnancies and other problems; this is generally done at six months of age, but some vets recommend that the procedure be done earlier.
• Adult cat health care needs. Regular wellness visits with your vet are also needed to monitor your cat’s health and boost vaccinations. Nelson says that adult cats should have wellness exams at least annually — sometimes more if your cat has any health problems. The distemper combination and rabies vaccines will need to be boosted at regular intervals, usually every 1 to 3 years.
• Senior cat health care needs. Even if your healthy pet doesn’t act like a “senior,” Nelson says that cat health care needs generally begin to change when cats are 8 to 10 years old. As cats get older, vets often begin recommending blood, urine, and other tests to screen for anemia, diabetes, kidney problems, liver problems, electrolyte imbalances, hyperthyroidism, heart problems, and other diseases. “As animals age, [wellness exams are] recommended twice yearly,” says Nelson. This is because older cats are at increased risk of potentially serious health problems.

Regular wellness exams, vaccinations, and preventative health measures can help keep your cat healthy, but that doesn’t mean he won’t get sick. Call your vet if your cat is behaving unusually or exhibiting any worrisome symptoms, such as changes in his coat, lack of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, eyes that are red or watery, nasal discharge, sneezing, problems with urination, or swelling.

With love, attention, and regular vet visits, you’ll be taking all the needed steps to promote optimal cat health for your furry feline.

• By Krisha McCoy, MS | Medically reviewed by Jennifer Garcia, DVM

Our four-legged friends can’t voice their feelings, but these tips can help you understand canine emotions.

One of the (many) great things about our dogs is that they don’t fake their emotions. They’re not going to lick you and then complain to their doggie buddies that walks aren’t long enough. The hard part, however, is deciphering those feelings.

Here are some tips from the ASPCA on how to tell what kind of mood your dog is in:

Happy, Contented: When a dog is happy, he has relaxed body language. His muscles are relaxed, his tail and ears are held in their natural positions, and he looks neither large nor small for his physique. He might wag his tail from side to side or in a circular motion. His facial expression is neutral or he appears happy — the muscles in his face are relaxed, his mouth is closed or slightly opened, and he might be panting with a regular tempo. The corners of his mouth might be turned upwards slightly like he’s smiling.

Alert: When your dog is alert, he looks intense and focused. He stands upright, his ears are up and forward, and his head and neck are erect. He holds his tail either in its natural position or vertically, and it is rigid and immobile. He’s looking at whatever he‘s detected. His mouth is probably closed and he might growl or bark.

Excited: In this case, he’ll look as intense as he does when he’s alert, but he might appear playful. His ears are up and his tail is held high, and it may or may not wag. He looks at the individual or object that’s the source of his excitement. Excited dogs often hold their mouths open, and they might bark.

Aroused: An aroused dog almost always has his hackles up. However, just about everything else about his body language depends on whether he’s feeling scared, uncertain or angry. His body may look normal-sized or larger, his ears might be flattened to the side or held forward, and his tail might be held low, in a normal position or high.

He may or may not be looking directly at an individual or object. Sometimes there’s nothing in the environment that’s obvious to us, but a dog can be aroused by a sound that we can’t hear or an odor that we can’t smell.

Playful: His body movements are jerky and bouncy. He might bounce around in exaggerated twists, turns and leaps. He might dodge around you, paw at you and then take off running to invite a chase. Or he might just jump on you and start mouthing. Some dogs also show a “play face,” a happy facial expression characterized by a partially open mouth that almost looks as though the dog is smiling. A playful dog might also growl or make high-pitched barks.

Fearful, Scared: When your dog is scared, he does his best to look small. Often, his body looks hunched, with his tail held low or tucked between his rear legs and his ears flattened back on his skull. He might cower close to the ground. The muscles of his body and face are tense and rigid. He might yawn in an exaggerated way.

Dominant: If your dog is feeling dominant, he stands tall, sometimes on his tiptoes, and tries to look large. He arches his neck. He appears tense, like a coiled spring. His weight is squarely on all four feet or he’s leaning forward slightly. His ears are up and oriented forward. His tail is high and rigid, sometimes flagging or quivering at the end. His hair may or may not be standing up on his shoulders or along his back. He usually makes direct eye contact with the other individual. He might growl, but his mouth will typically be closed.

Submissive: In this case, he tries to convey the message that he’s the underling, that he’s not a threat and that aggression is unnecessary. During active submission, he makes his body look small by hunching over and getting low to the ground. He holds his tail low or tucked, sometimes rapidly wagging it back and forth. He flattens his ears or holds them off to the sides of his head. He keeps his neck low to the ground, but he turns his muzzle up toward the other individual. He might nuzzle, lick or flick his tongue. He averts his gaze so as not to look directly at the other individual. Some dogs, particularly puppies, urinate.

• By Barbara Sharnak for WebVet

Labels on pet food reveal a lot about its nutrient content — but actually understanding the labels can be a challenge. Here’s how to wade through the pet food aisle and come out with the best food for your pet.

Trying to choose the best pet food for your animal can be confusing. Do you really know what nutritional claims like “real beef flavor” and “all natural” mean? Actually, animal protein in pet food can come from the scraps and by-products left over from meat processing, and that expensive bag of “premium” dog food could actually contain chicken feet as one of its protein sources.

Pet food ingredients are regulated on a state-by-state basis. The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) establishes a national standard for ingredients, definitions, and nutrient levels, but the organization has no enforcement authority. This means that AAFCO does not regulate pet food, but it does provide standards for what goes on pet food labels. The bottom line? If you want to choose the healthiest pet food, you should understand the basics of their labels.

A Pet Food Label Primer

Unfortunately, pet food labeling can be misleading. Knowing what to look for can help:

• Name equals content. Pet food cannot be named “Beef for Dogs” unless it contains at least 95 percent beef. If a pet food clearly states a type of meat, it is usually safe to assume that is what your pet will get.
• Beware of doggy “dinners.” The exception to the 95-percent rule is when pet food manufacturers combine a meat name with the terms “dinner,” “platter,” “entrée,” “nuggets,” or “formula.” When pet food manufacturers use these words, the meat may make up as little as 25 percent of the pet food.
• Steer clear of the terms “flavor” and “with.” When a pet food says “Beef Flavor Dog Food,” it means that the product just needs to taste like beef and might be beef meal or beef by-products. The word “with,” as in “with real beef,” means that manufacturers only need to include 3 percent beef by weight.
• Ignore superlatives. Terms like “premium,” “gourmet,” and even “super ultra premium” are not regulated, so they don’t mean anything.
• Know the difference between “natural” and “organic.” The term natural is not an official definition, so it can be used indiscriminately. Organic, on the other hand, does have a strict legal definition and cannot be used unless the pet food meets the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s standards.

4 Tips for Choosing Healthy Pet Food

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Here are more tips that can help:

• Read the ingredients list. The descriptive names of pet foods can be misleading, but the AAFCO also asks pet food manufacturers to list all the actual ingredients in descending order by weight on their product can or bag. The ingredients list is where you can find out how healthy the pet food actually is.
• Buy dog and cat food that contains meat protein. They are carnivores, so they do best with real meat. The AAFCO says cows, pigs, goats, or sheep should be the meat sources for dog and cat food. Make sure that a whole meat source is listed as one of the top two ingredients.
• Pick wet pet food over dry. Wet pet food is packaged in cans or pouches and tends to be fresher, have more protein, and be of higher quality. Dry pet food is often sprayed with fat to give it more taste. Mixing dry food with water or other liquids may allow bacteria on the surface of dry food to multiply, which is bad for your pet’s health.
• Avoid animal by-products. Meat by-products are not handled as safely as whole meat and may include lungs, spleen, bone, blood, stomachs, and intestines. Poultry by-products include necks and feet.

Stay Vigilant for Your Pet’s Health

Despite your best efforts, giving your dog or cat a healthy pet diet can be challenging. Pet food manufacturers use many terms in their labeling and, although regulations do exist, there have been many incidents over the years of pet food making pets sick. In March of 2007, for example, more than 100 brands of pet food, including some of the most prominent names in the industry — like Hill’s Science Diet, Iams, Eukanuba, and Purina — were contaminated by melamine, a chemical used in fertilizer and plastics and, in this case, imported into the United States from China. Thousands of pets got sick, and about 20 percent died from kidney failure. The incident led to indictments of individuals in both countries.

• By Chris Iliades, MD | Medically reviewed by Jennifer Garcia, DVM