A for Obesity and 'Cuchi' the Bodega cat

'Cuchi' the bodega cat

If you make the trip to visit Cuchi (remember to give her her space) there are two very nice bars on Calle Parlament worth a visit or a pub crawl. One on the corner of Compte Borrell and Parlament, then the other with a pretty terraza. Cuchi's bodega is in between. They are all within 50 metres of one another walking towards Parallel.

Meet 'Cuchi' here.

A for Obesity!

I feel that this is a very important topic to start my A-Z of pet tips and facts, even if i am cheating. We all love our pets deeply but to demonstrate our love by overfeeding is to slowly expose your loved one to a wealth of chronic diseases.

• Debilitating conditions such as diabetes, heart strains, liver disease, arthritis, teeth and gum problems can all be potentially lethal for your pet and they may only manifest in old age. This not only means great pain for your pet, but more vet visits, increase in vet bills and special, expert, tender loving care.
• Keep a close monitor and regularly evaluate your pets condition, seek advice from a good vet about the correct weight for your breed and its age. As you know weight creeeeeps on, slowly and quietly. Your eye looses its perspective to what was normal. A good indicator for a dog is that the ribs are easily felt with a thin belt of fat between the skin and bone. The bony points are easily felt with a healthy amount of fat and for those above 6 months there is a well proportioned waist when viewed form above. For a cat it is the extra weight it carries under its belly.
• Be aware of your breed of dog, for example Bulldogs will suffer breathing difficulties, Daschunds need care because of their short legs and long backs. Beagles and bassets are predisposed to being overweight.
• Feed the correct proportions and a quality product. As they say 'garbage in -garbage out' .. bad food will show on your pets outward appearance.
• Adapt treats to your pets diet.
• Feed food that keeps their teeth and gums in good health.
• Sufficient exercise. And this may only be through play.
• Find out what is poisonous or toxic to your pet. For example: Cats cannot become vegetarians, they need the amino acid taurine which is only found in meat; Chocolate along with onions are toxic to dogs; Although not toxic, Guinea pigs need to eat a wealth of good quality hay to keep their teeth in good order and their stomachs working properly.

​Remember, for a pet to maintain its health and live a long, happy life it must have proper nutrition.