Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/102007
6A Daily News – Saturday, January 5, 2013 Pets health&activities Cats and the cable box — a hot issue Q: I have two cats who love to curl up, for hours on end, on our TV cable boxes for the heat. I doubt it does much for the cable boxes, which should be open on the top to dissipate the heat they generate. But does it hurt the cats, either through too much heat on their undersides, or through the electrical activity they're being subjected to? It's annoying to have the cable boxes off when we're not watching TV and have to wait five minutes or so for the system to boot up again. A: This is something I have pondered for years. My cats will curl up next to a radiator and go to sleep for hours, and they get so hot I am afraid their fur will burn off. Yet, they wake up and take a good stretch and all is well. My dogs will slumber next to my burning fireplace with their faces right up against the screen, and when I touch their heads, they are so hot I am afraid their brains will cook. Yet, through 45 years of watching dogs do this, I never saw one suffer. My vet says that as long as the animals are choosing those spots to sleep of their own will and can get up and walk away from the heat at any time, it is not an issue. As far as any problems for cats beyond heat from the cable boxes, I, too, was curious. A few years back, I went on a mission to find out about that, as my cats do the same thing. I really never got a straight answer from any- MCT photo body. The vets shrugged, and the cable box people just kept referring me to other departments. However, my cats that do sleep on them seem no worse for the wear. ——— Q: We have two feral stray cats that feed in our yard. Besides cat food, is it all right to give them our leftover meat scraps, such as beef, lamb or chicken? We have heard that pork, including ham products, are not good for cats in general. Is this true? A: Processed pork products such as ham and bacon have lots of salt and nitrates, so they are really not good for any human or animals except as an occasional treat. However, there is noth- ing at all wrong with a pork roast as long as it is properly cooked. Besides good cat food, with its added nutrients, you can supplement your cat's diet with this kind of meat as well as any other cooked meat. But a diet of just muscle meat does not have the required vitamins and minerals a dog or cat needs. It is important that it not make up more than a third of the cat's diet. ——— Q: My sister-in-law has a poodle, and she has not had any allergy symptoms with it in the house. She just bought another poodle and is highly allergic to this dog. Why is she allergic to one and not the other when they are the same breed? Is there any- thing she can do to try and keep the new poodle? A: There is so much anecdotal and unscientific reasoning about dog and cat allergies in the world that it boggles my mind. The issue with your sister-in-law probably has little to do with dog allergies. The new dog that was brought into the house should not be accused of causing her symptoms unless an allergist makes that diagnosis. I have seen so many animals that were put up for adoption because a human in the family started to sneeze or cough out of the blue and the pet got the blame without the human member of the family seeking a doctor's advice. Help understanding your dog By David Ranii The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.) (MCT) DURHAM — A new venture boasts it can strengthen the relationships between dog owners and their pets. Dog lovers who avail themselves of the company's service, which will be available over the Internet, will double as "citizen scientists" who contribute to our understanding of how man's best friends think – that is, canine cognition. Hence the name of the company: Dognition. A Duke University scientist, an entrepreneur and a large advertising agency have joined forces to create the venture. "I want to understand more about animal psychology and how we can help dogs have richer lives," said Brian Hare, co-founder and chief scientific officer. Hare is an associate professor in evolutionary anthropology at Duke and founder and director of the university's Canine Cognition Center. He's also the co-author, along with his wife, science journalist Vanessa Woods, of the upcoming book, "The Genius of Dogs: How Dogs Are Smarter Than You Think." It's being published Feb. 5 by Dutton, an imprint of the Penguin Group. Dognition is based on the premise that engaging in what the company calls "science-based games" can give dog owners new insights into their pets' behavior and bolster their relationships. If, for example, you discover that your beloved Butterball responds better to gestures than verbal commands, or vice-versa, you can adjust your communication accordingly. That's the practical side of things, but there's an emotional component as well. The founders of Dognition stress that people love their dogs and want to understand how they think, just as they want to know what makes their children or spouse tick. Dognition plans to offer an assessment test, available over the Internet – including an app for your smartphone – that dog owners can administer to determine their dogs' cognitive strengths and weaknesses and uncover new strategies for human-pet interaction. Each customer will receive a "Dognition Profile" report. The company plans to start free beta testing this week and launch to the public in January. The likely cost will be in the $40 to $60 range. "We have done a lot of research around pricing, and that price is not an impediment to people wanting to do this," said CEO Kip Frey. Indeed, Dognition is going after one of the few markets that has proved to be recession-proof. The American Pet Product Association reports that spending on pets has risen 4.8 percent or more in recent years and projects that spending will rise 3.7 percent to $52.87 billion this year. The collective data that Dognition accumulate also hold the promise of expanding our scientific understanding of dogs, Hare said. Academic centers such as the one he leads at Duke only have the capacity to test a few hundred dogs a year, so opening up such tests to dog owners worldwide via the Internet has the scientist practically drooling. "We're going to make amazing discoveries," he said Training is key for wild animals, just like the family dog By Kathy Antoniotti Akron Beacon Journal (MCT) AKRON, Ohio — Boo's world turned upside down when Athena moved in last spring to share the large barn owl enclosure at the Akron Zoo. After getting a new roommate, the raptor, who had seemed happy splitting her digs with the male owl that died of old age, inexplicably became aggressive when zoo staff entered her habitat, said owl trainer Shannon Benedict of Stow, Ohio. "Whenever anyone goes in the cage, she starts shrieking and screaming so loudly you can hear her all over the zoo," she explained. She asked nationally recognized animal behaviorist Dr. Grey Stafford for help to curb the owl's obvious stress. Stafford, author of the book "Zoomility: Keeper Tales of Training with Positive Reinforcement," visited the zoo recently to conduct a behavior training seminar for the public and help staff members find solutions for stubborn behavior issues. "It's an opportunity for our staff members to talk to someone who's been at it for 22 years," said mammal curator Eric Albers. When the group arrived at the barn owl habitat, they saw Boo quietly resting in a nest MCT photo Lisa Melnik, wild animal keeper, gets "Zheng," a Red Panda, to stand and be weighed at the Akron Zoo, Nov. 2. Bull & Gelding Sale CUSTOM DAILY EDITIONS published only in the DAILY NEWS RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY Fresh coverage 5 days Tuesday, January 22 Wednesday, January 23 Thursday, January 24 Friday, January 25 & Saturday, January 26 Deadline for 5x Flights: Friday, January 18 at Noon Contact your Advertising Representative today (530) 527-2151 box while her nemesis, Athena, had claimed Boo's favorite perch. Benedict acknowledged she hit a roadblock while trying to help the bird learn to cope with the newcomer. "Are there any fights between the two?" Stafford asked. Boo never confronts Athena, "just me," Benedict said. "Well, she's taking it out on you," Stafford told her. Stafford suggested Benedict try feeding the bird frequently during the day so she would associate the food Benedict was giving her with positive feelings. Eventually, the nocturnal hunter's daytime world would begin to revolve around seeing Benedict, who repre- sents food, and she would obsess less about her perceived territorial rights being violated, he said. "When you leave, they should know the food leaves, too," he said. Stafford began his zoological career as a trainer at Sea World in Aurora, Ohio. He said his methods work with all animals, including domestic cats. "They are just like the big cats here — the lions and jaguars — when it comes to training." They are still felines, Albers reminded a visitor. "These guys are not all that different, but they can take your face off," he said. It takes a lot of training to get a snow leopard to back up to the bars on its cage to await the piercing pain of an inoculation by needle, but that's the goal, said Stafford. "We're teaching animals to participate in their own care," he said. Animal keepers today want to avoid anesthetics for routine exams and inoculations. An anesthetic, as well as the stress of having it administered, may skew blood test results, Stafford said. Tara Gifford, the zoo's animal training consultant who works with zoo staff members one day a week, concurred with Stafford. "Any time you can get a good look at an animal without anesthesia is good for the animal's welfare," she said while observing Zheng, a red panda, standing on a scale for the price of a raisin. Lisa Melnik, primary trainer for the red pandas, demonstrated how she encourages 4-yearold Zheng when she enters his habitat for daily training sessions. "As always, we remember they are wild animals. We know the subtle signs of frustration and know when to back off," she said. Stafford's message of positive reinforcement training with Zoomility's three R's — request, response, reinforce — has earned praise from TV personality Jack Hanna, director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo, who wrote the foreword in Stafford's book. "His work in zoos, oceanariums, and television has enabled him to apply the same principles of reinforcement training to dozens of exotic and endangered species. Along the way, he's helped many pet owners and professionals provide better care for their animals through positive reinforcement," Hanna wrote. While food may be the incentive for many animals, it doesn't always work; some animals may require other inducements, said Stafford. "Reinforcement can be done with toys, attention from the teacher, or a particular scent," he said. That's why visitors to the zoo's website shouldn't be surprised that the donation "wish list" includes perfumes for its scent-loving residents.