Getting your cat in to a carrier can be a very stressful event and can certainly put you off taking your cat to the vet. The problems often begin as soon as your cat sees the carrier and whoosh...she’s off and hiding under the bed.

From your cat’s point of view nothing good really follows being shoved in to a carrier. Dogs leave the house for pleasurable walks but cats are invariably taken somewhere a lot less exciting.

Some tips:

1. Leave the carrier out in a readily accessible part of your house so it smells like home (rather than moth balls or the dusty garage!). This will also give your cat the chance to rub her scent on the carrier. Feliway spray (that contains feel good feline facial phermones may also help in this instance- ask us for more information).
   
   
2. Get your cat to associate the carrier with good things. Place a portion of food in the carrier or ‘special’ treats. You can even close the door for a few minutes while she’s inside. You can then use the same process when a trip to the vet is on the cards.
   
   
3. Vary your cues. Cats are very smart and may think... “hmmm, i usually get my treats in the evenings why am I getting it in the morning? And why does my owner have her car keys in her hand? That’s it, I’m outta here!”
   
   
4. When you return home from a carrier outing with your cat continue on with your routine as usual, returning the carrier to its normal place. Eventually your cat will willingly return to the crime scene and she should soon view the carrier as a normal part of her life.

Remember: it is illegal and dangerous to have your cat unsecured in the car. Ask us for more advice on the best carrier for your cat.

This line may not have been included in Goldilocks and the Three Bears, but it certainly applies to this charming video below. 

Thoughtful locals in a small town in America, having apparently noticed that a trio of bear cubs had become stuck in a skip, set out on a rescue mission to free these little cuties. 

With mumma bear close by (and probably not best pleased that her kids have got themselves in to trouble), the couple carefully reverse their ute to the roadside skip.

The lady in the back of the car then lowers a ladder into the receptacle so that the cubs can climb out – and it isn’t long before they pop their heads up out of the bin.

The three little bears are soon seen heading off with their mother (without having eaten any porridge). 

Apparently one witty YouTube commentator wrote: “Who would throw away three perfectly good bears?”

Click here or on the image below to watch the video on YouTube

After many years of hard work, the MinkarraOff-LeadDogPark, on the corner of Manning Roadand Happy Valley Drive, is finally opening to the general public from September 1st. The Grand Opening will be on Saturday September 15^th, from 10 am to 1pm, with lots of free give-aways and entertainment, so come down for all the fun and festivities. If you can’t make it on the 15^th, or think there will be too much excitement for your pooch, just visit any old day and enjoy the fantastic facilities that are there.

Every month we put the names of all the animals that have visited us into a hat, and we draw out a name to be Pet of the Month. That pet then has its photo taken, and given a nutritional consultation and complimentary bag of premium pet food appropriate to its health and life stage.

Last month’s winner was Daisy, a 6 year old desexed Bull Terrier. She is a healthy active and excited dog, coming in for her annual health check and kennel cough booster.

Daisy is approaching middle age, and is just starting to thicken a little in the middle – something that many of us can relate to! From information gathered in the nutritional consultation, Lauren determined that the best food for Daisy was Royal Canin for medium-sized neutered dogs. She needs just 1 ½ cups twice a day to get her svelte figure back, and with all the exercise she does, it will take no time at all!