Adorable Guinea Pigs With Unique Hair Styles

There are many species of guinea pigs, but Abyssinian, Peruvian, Coronet and Silkie guinea pigs are unique in their impressive, floor-length fur. These little creatures are beautiful to look at, but require a lot of care because of their unusual locks. Take a look at these long-haired beauties!

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Why Does Your Cat’s Nose Change Color?

Have you ever noticed your cat’s nose go from pale to dark pink? Why would your cat’s nose change color like that? And is it normal or should you worry?

This first time I noticed that my calico cat Merritt’s nose seemed a bit pinker than usual, I thought I was just imagining it. But when it happened again and again I got curious and a bit concerned. Merritt’s pale pink nose would turn a bright, hot pink when she was excited or after a bout of fetch (yep, she’s one of those doglike cats!). This got me thinking: why does my cat’s nose change color — and is it normal?

Why does your cat’s nose change color?

If, like me, you’ve noticed your cats nose getting brighter and more vibrant like some sort of kitty Rudolph on a foggy Christmas Eve, you’re not alone.

“Cats noses can change color from light pink to darker pink, normally in times of excitement or stress due to a temporary elevation in heart rate and blood pressure,” says Jenny Kistler, DVM at Brandermill Animal Hospital in Midlothian, Virginia. “This is a normal event and is usually nothing to worry about as long as it is short term.”

Dr. Sasha Gibbons of Just Cats Veterinary Hospital in Stamford, Connecticut, says that temperature also plays a role in a cat’s nose changing color. “The cat’s nose is highly vascularized (which means it has numerous small blood vessels throughout it),” Gibbons says.“These blood vessels can grow or shrink with different variables (such as heat, cold and high or low blood pressure). This can cause variations in the pink coloration of the nose. For instance, when a cat is cold, the blood vessels are smaller so the nose might appear light pink. When a cat is hot, or blood pressure raises, the vessels are larger so the nose may appear darker pink or red.”

To read more on this story, click here: Why Does Your Cat’s Nose Change Color?


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Tips to Care for Your Cat After Surgery

Whether it’s a simple spay or neuter or something more serious, here's what should you know about caring for your cat after surgery.

Nearly every pet cat, at some point in his life, undergoes some type of surgical procedure. If you’re lucky, the only procedure your cat will ever need is a spay or a neuter. Unfortunately, our beloved feline friends occasionally require additional surgical intervention, with some of the more common procedures being skin biopsy, tumor removal, bladder stone removal, laceration repair, tooth extraction and pinning or plating of a broken bone.

Once your cat is out of surgery, the recovery process begins. Some surgeries require a period of hospitalization after the operation. Others are outpatient surgeries that allow the cat to be sent home the same day. Most veterinary hospitals provide clients with both written and verbal instructions for post-op home care when the cat is discharged from the hospital. The period immediately following surgery is when most complications occur, so it’s critical to carefully follow your veterinarian’s instructions. Check out these important tips for how to care for your cat after surgery.

To read more on this story, click here: Tips to Care for Your Cat After Surgery

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A Fountain Valley Man Has Been Sentenced for Smuggling 93 Songbirds from Vietnam, Only Eight Survive

Fountain Valley, California – A  man was sentenced today to six months in home detention, followed by a year behind bars, for smuggling nearly 100 tiny “good luck” songbirds — most of which died in transit — in his luggage on a flight from Vietnam.

Kurtis Law brought 93 of the colorful birds — worth an estimated $90,000 on the black market in the Southland — into the country on March 24. Investigators who searched his luggage at Los Angeles International Airport determined that the birds were at risk of extinction and were protected under the federal Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

According to court documents, songbirds can be purchased in Southeast Asia for $1 or $2 each, but fetch as much as $1,000 apiece in the United States. The protected birds found in Law’s luggage were Bali myna, Chinese hwamei, red-billed leiothrix and silver-eared mesia. Such species are sold illegally at some Chinese markets in Southern California and are thought to bring good luck.

Prosecutors said the birds were individually wrapped and placed in Law’s suitcases under “horrific conditions” in a way “that allowed each bird little or no movement.”

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Here’s Why People Who Speak To Their Pets May Be Smarter Than Those Who Don’t

If your pet was polled, how do you think you would rank?

Would your furry friend praise your loyalty? Admonish your stubbornness? And what about smarts? Does your pet think you are intelligent?

If you’re on speaking terms with your companion animal, you may be getting higher marks in that category than you think.

“Historically, anthropomorphising has been treated as a sign of childishness or stupidity,” Nicholas Epley, behavioural science professor at the University of Chicago, told Quartz, “But it’s actually a natural byproduct of the tendency that makes humans uniquely smart on this planet.”

To read more on this story, click here: Here’s Why People Who Speak To Their Pets May Be Smarter Than Those Who Don’t


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