How to Keep Your Cats and Dogs Happy

Cats and dogs, while often depicted as arch enemies, quite often live side by side just fine. If the animals are introduced at an early age and spend most of their formative years together, they are unlikely to have problems when they get older. Bringing two adults together might be tricky, to begin with, but owning either a cat or a dog already should not deter you from getting them a companion. Below are some top tips for taking care of cats and dogs side-by-side.

Exercise

Exercise is very important to the health and happiness of animals, as much as it is for people. tend to become more aggressive when they are restless and it is important that you exercise them every day. The intensity and duration of exercise will depend on the age and breed of the dog. Be sure to research breeds before committing to a dog or a cat.

Cats are very agile and capable of exploring and exercising themselves, in fact, it’s quite hard to train a cat to behave on a lead like a dog unless you start from a young age. Cats and dogs may occasionally play together, but this won’t count significantly towards their total calories burnt by exercise.

Diet

Again, this one should be obvious, but diet has a profound effect on mood in all mammals. Our moods are regulated by chemicals in the brain known as neurotransmitters. The most well-known of these are serotonin and dopamine. Our best current models of depression suggest that an imbalance in certain neurotransmitters leads to depressed mood states and anxiety disorders, which are often comorbid. These neurotransmitters are synthesized from certain types of chemicals known as ‘essential amino acids’. They are substances that our body needs as precursors to produce a variety of neurotransmitters and other chemicals, which are essential to our functioning. If these amino acids aren’t there then the brain cannot produce neurotransmitters it needs to maintain the delicate balance. This is just as true for other mammals.

Obviously, the signs of depression are often harder to spot in animals for the simple reason that they cannot communicate their feelings with speech. However, if you notice a sudden decrease in your pet’s general mobility and sociability, your dog is suddenly reluctant to walk, or your cat begins hiding away rather than exploring, these could be signs your animal is depressed.

Supplements

There is now a wide range of substances you can buy to add to your pet’s food or to administer to them separately that are purported to improve their overall health and well-being. One type of herbal supplement for dogs that is getting a buzz today is Canna-Pet, a natural supplement that is made from hemp. While it is hemp-based, it does not create a high in pets. Instead, it is made out of CBD, which has no psychoactive effects. Canna-Pet can be used to help pets in serious pain and has also been recommended by some vets to help pets suffering from anxiety or cancer.

Looking after cats and dogs is a great joy as they both make for excellent companions and offer something unique to their owner. If you look after your pets well and pay attention to their needs, they will live long into old age. They are also fantastic for children as a way of learning about responsibility and, ultimately, loss.

*This is a collaboration post