By Robert Benjamin
In the 1950s in England, a stray cat gave birth to a litter of kittens with a curly coat. Through crossbreeding and inbreeding, this interesting trait was maintained, resulting in today's Devon Rex. It was once thought that the same mutation caused this and the Cornish Rex mutation (the fine, curly coat), but genetic testing has shown that this is not the case, making the Devon Rex a separate and distinct breed of cat. Due to crossbreeding, Devon Rexes come a wide variety of colors including black, white, blue, red, cream, chocolate, lilac, and caramel. They can also have various markings and patterns such as smoke, tabby, tortie, bi-color, tri-color and pointed. The Devon Rex coat can also come in a variety of coverings.
Some Devon Rexes are completed covered in the soft fur and others only have the occasional tuft. Some coats are curlier than others but all are soft and thin. Though Devon Rexes do not shed nearly as much as other breeds that are more densely coated, they do have some hair on them and will, therefore, shed. This makes them more suitable for those with allergies, but they are not a hypoallergenic cat.
Devon Rexes, on average, will weigh about six to nine pounds and are muscular. They will live about thirteen years. This outgoing cat is a performer. Devon Rexes like being the center of attention and will engage in many antics including jumping to high places, riding on the shoulders of their human companions and stealing food. Despite their antics, Devon Rexes are good family pets and adaptable to most situations.
Though active, they do well in apartment settings. Due to the delicate nature of their hair, a Devon Rex should be kept indoors. The sparse coat is insufficient to protect it from sunburn or cold. Grooming is done infrequently but when done, must be done carefully as the hair will break easily. Although very healthy, Devon Rexes can inherit genetic problems, such as cardiomyopathy, luxating patella, hip dysplasia, and spasticity.
There is a website that has great information on Devon Rex and most other breeds of cats. It has details that pertain to a cat breeds health, grooming, living conditions, best food choices and more, the website is called: Dog And Cat Facts, and can be found at this url:
http://www.dogandcatfacts.com
By Robert W. Benjamin
Copyright © 2006
You may publish this article in your ezine, newsletter on your web site as long as it is reprinted in its entirety and without modification except for formatting needs or grammar corrections.
About the author:
Robert W. Benjamin has been in the software business on the internet for over 5 years, and has been producing low-cost software for the past 25+ years. He first released products on the AMIGA and C64 computer systems in the late 1970's-80's.
RB59 Software
http://www.rb59.com/software
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com
The Horrors of Commercial Pet Food: What Every Dog and Cat Owner Should Know
By: Sylvia Riley
Copyright 2006 Sylvia Riley
Some of the ingredients that end up in commercial pet foods are truly shocking. What’s more, many of these will not appear on the label and others are hidden under umbrella terms such as ‘meat meal’ and ‘meat by-products’. How can this happen? The pet food industry is highly unregulated. As Ann Martin, author of Foods Pets Die For, writes in her article The Pet Food Industry and its Questionable Practices, ‘Governments in the USA and Canada regulate the labeling of the food, the name and address of the company, the weight of the product, and whether it is made for a dog or cat - nothing more.’
The meats used in pet food can be extremely low grade and unfit for human consumption. Summarized as the ‘4 D’s’ (dead, diseased, disabled and dying), these can include roadkill, zoo animals and infected and cancerous meats.
At the rendering plants ingredients are highly heated and processed, destroying nutrients and enzymes, with strong preservatives added which do not appear on the labels. These include fat stabilizers such as BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) and BHT (butylated hydroxytolulene), both of which are known to cause liver and kidney dysfunction and Ethoxyquin, a suspected cancer-causing agent. Semi-moist dog foods may also contain propylene glycol, a relation to ethylene glycol (anti-freeze), which can destroy red blood cells.
Pets in your pet food
Though reportedly not the case today, it is well recorded that dogs and cats have ended up in dog and cat food. In his 1990 article How Dogs and Cats Get Recycled Into Pet Food, John Eckhouse, an investigative reporter, wrote: ‘Each year, millions of dead American dogs and cats are processed along with billions of pounds of other animal materials by companies known as renderers. The finished products -- tallow and meat meals -- serve as raw materials for thousands of items that include cosmetics and pet food.’
Doctor of weterianry medicine Wendell Belfield in Foods Not Fit For a Pet (Earth Island Journal, 1996), reports that ‘federal and state agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration and medical groups such as the American Veterinary Medical Association and the California Veterinary Medical Association, confirm that pets, on a routine basis, are rendered after they die in animal shelters or are disposed of by health authorities, and the end product frequently finds its way into pet food.’
Toxic Grains
The very use of grains in pet food is questionable as grains are ill-suited to the digestive physiology of carnivores. This is especially so for cats who are obligatory carnivores and meet their glucose requirements through amino acids in their diet. Further, the grains used in dog and cat foods may contain mycotoxins, fungi that can cause chronic conditions and even death in both humans and animals. As the grains used in pet food are low grade, they are dealt with last in the handling process and because of this are often left in storage where insects, mites and mycotoxic molds can grow.
The consumption of dead mites can cause skin allergies. If your pet has skin allergies, change their diet first before turning to steroids which can be seriously detrimental to your pets health.
Alfatoxin poisoning, a common mycotoxin that grows on corn as well as other foods, has been reported for over 50 years. Vomotoxin is another mycotoxin found in wheat products. Where large doses of mycotoxins can cause cancer and even rapid death, small continuous amounts may suppress the immune system and damage organs over time, leading to long-term chronic health conditions.
Just recently at the end of 2005, over 100 dogs were killed in the United States because of alfatoxin found in pet food, with some 19 brands of Diamond dog food being recalled. It is likely there were many more deaths than those reported, and as alfatoxin attacks the liver it is likely surviving dogs may develop chronic liver disease or liver cancer in the future.
Toxic Chemicals
The toxin sodium pentobarbital, a chemical is used to euthanize animals and pets, has been found in commercial pet foods. The US Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine performed two studies (1998 and 2000) to test for pentobarbital. Of the 74 samples analysed, over half were found to contain pentobarbital. What’s more, none of the 43 brands and product lines that tested positive warned of its presence on their labels.
The FDA researchers also tested the food for the presence of dogs or cats but reported none present. It was believed the pentobarbital residues were entering pet foods from euthanized, rendered cattle or even horses.
The FDA say the small amounts of the drug found in these foods were harmless, but not all veterinarians agree. Long-term continual doses, even at small levels may be increase the onset of chronic and degenerative diseases.
Aside from the toxins and base ingredients of commercial pet foods, these harshly processed and high-carbohydrate products in no way match the natural diets dogs and cats would have eaten in the wild. They are species-inappropriate and ill-suited to canine and feline physiology. I recommend healthy, homemade, raw diets or optimum natural, holistic alternatives for the health and well-being of your dog and cat. Before embarking on a raw food diet (otherwise known as BARF – ‘biologically adequate raw food’), thoroughly research the area first as nutritional balance is essential.
Article Source: http://articlekarma.com
NATURAL NUTRITION GUIDE FOR DOGS AND CATS: www.pet-nutrition-guide.com MIRACLE SUPERFOODS: www.miracle-superfoods.com
Copyright 2006 Sylvia Riley
Some of the ingredients that end up in commercial pet foods are truly shocking. What’s more, many of these will not appear on the label and others are hidden under umbrella terms such as ‘meat meal’ and ‘meat by-products’. How can this happen? The pet food industry is highly unregulated. As Ann Martin, author of Foods Pets Die For, writes in her article The Pet Food Industry and its Questionable Practices, ‘Governments in the USA and Canada regulate the labeling of the food, the name and address of the company, the weight of the product, and whether it is made for a dog or cat - nothing more.’
The meats used in pet food can be extremely low grade and unfit for human consumption. Summarized as the ‘4 D’s’ (dead, diseased, disabled and dying), these can include roadkill, zoo animals and infected and cancerous meats.
At the rendering plants ingredients are highly heated and processed, destroying nutrients and enzymes, with strong preservatives added which do not appear on the labels. These include fat stabilizers such as BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) and BHT (butylated hydroxytolulene), both of which are known to cause liver and kidney dysfunction and Ethoxyquin, a suspected cancer-causing agent. Semi-moist dog foods may also contain propylene glycol, a relation to ethylene glycol (anti-freeze), which can destroy red blood cells.
Pets in your pet food
Though reportedly not the case today, it is well recorded that dogs and cats have ended up in dog and cat food. In his 1990 article How Dogs and Cats Get Recycled Into Pet Food, John Eckhouse, an investigative reporter, wrote: ‘Each year, millions of dead American dogs and cats are processed along with billions of pounds of other animal materials by companies known as renderers. The finished products -- tallow and meat meals -- serve as raw materials for thousands of items that include cosmetics and pet food.’
Doctor of weterianry medicine Wendell Belfield in Foods Not Fit For a Pet (Earth Island Journal, 1996), reports that ‘federal and state agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration and medical groups such as the American Veterinary Medical Association and the California Veterinary Medical Association, confirm that pets, on a routine basis, are rendered after they die in animal shelters or are disposed of by health authorities, and the end product frequently finds its way into pet food.’
Toxic Grains
The very use of grains in pet food is questionable as grains are ill-suited to the digestive physiology of carnivores. This is especially so for cats who are obligatory carnivores and meet their glucose requirements through amino acids in their diet. Further, the grains used in dog and cat foods may contain mycotoxins, fungi that can cause chronic conditions and even death in both humans and animals. As the grains used in pet food are low grade, they are dealt with last in the handling process and because of this are often left in storage where insects, mites and mycotoxic molds can grow.
The consumption of dead mites can cause skin allergies. If your pet has skin allergies, change their diet first before turning to steroids which can be seriously detrimental to your pets health.
Alfatoxin poisoning, a common mycotoxin that grows on corn as well as other foods, has been reported for over 50 years. Vomotoxin is another mycotoxin found in wheat products. Where large doses of mycotoxins can cause cancer and even rapid death, small continuous amounts may suppress the immune system and damage organs over time, leading to long-term chronic health conditions.
Just recently at the end of 2005, over 100 dogs were killed in the United States because of alfatoxin found in pet food, with some 19 brands of Diamond dog food being recalled. It is likely there were many more deaths than those reported, and as alfatoxin attacks the liver it is likely surviving dogs may develop chronic liver disease or liver cancer in the future.
Toxic Chemicals
The toxin sodium pentobarbital, a chemical is used to euthanize animals and pets, has been found in commercial pet foods. The US Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine performed two studies (1998 and 2000) to test for pentobarbital. Of the 74 samples analysed, over half were found to contain pentobarbital. What’s more, none of the 43 brands and product lines that tested positive warned of its presence on their labels.
The FDA researchers also tested the food for the presence of dogs or cats but reported none present. It was believed the pentobarbital residues were entering pet foods from euthanized, rendered cattle or even horses.
The FDA say the small amounts of the drug found in these foods were harmless, but not all veterinarians agree. Long-term continual doses, even at small levels may be increase the onset of chronic and degenerative diseases.
Aside from the toxins and base ingredients of commercial pet foods, these harshly processed and high-carbohydrate products in no way match the natural diets dogs and cats would have eaten in the wild. They are species-inappropriate and ill-suited to canine and feline physiology. I recommend healthy, homemade, raw diets or optimum natural, holistic alternatives for the health and well-being of your dog and cat. Before embarking on a raw food diet (otherwise known as BARF – ‘biologically adequate raw food’), thoroughly research the area first as nutritional balance is essential.
Article Source: http://articlekarma.com
NATURAL NUTRITION GUIDE FOR DOGS AND CATS: www.pet-nutrition-guide.com MIRACLE SUPERFOODS: www.miracle-superfoods.com
Common Cat Breeds for Everyday People
By: Jack Moundon
More than the previous thousands of days, cats have pretty much handled their breeding themselves. In the origin, they were used for target to chase and execute the rodents. Since the year’s growth, people began to breed cats more to our liking. At this present, there are numerous specific types of cats - which you are able to tell if you stare personally.
Clearly there are more than 70 different cat breeds these days, which are documented all the way during cat registries. Around 40 breeds are some registries that will recognize, and they rule out the other breeds such as tigers. There are also many different breeds such as the wild cats that have a longer hair.
In the history, there are several cat breeds that have origin. Several Japanese breeds, like the Japanese Bobtail can be traced back more than 1,000 years in olden times. Cats were really common and well famous all over the Medieval Japan. Although these days, the whole world and throughout Japan are a myth.
In North America, more common cat breeds that are found include the alley cat, Persian cat and long haired cat, as well as Siamese cats are common. Siamese cats are well-known to be destructive and to have a nasty temper. Most admired cats are the Persian cats – they truly adore companions, although they are very expense, depending on where you buy it and what type it is.
Alley cats are found in North America and it is the most common cat breeds. In fact, some different cat breeds, even though most people specify to them as alley cats. Alley cats are good pets and among the most bred. They are homeless and hundreds of thousand of them have nothing to do but mostly to breed.
The easiest technique to tell what breed he or she may be look like is mainly identifying the color, although some people choose that basically but isn’t as easy to recognize. For instance, Siamese and Persian cats have unusual looks. A Siamese cat is almost black all over its body and easily too recognized by their hair and extreme color. Persian cats are known easily on their body type and hair.
There has been quite a small number of breeds come along past hundred years. Cats were one of the most famous first pets. Lots of people own cats around the world. Many people like more cats over any other pet such as dogs. No matter breed of cat you own and be sure to get a pet that make us a great friend or a buddy for many years to come.
Article Source: http://articlekarma.com
Jack Moundon is the owner of Cat Central , Helpul information about cats health problems and meanings about their common behavior. Great gift for cat lovers and helping you cat stay healthy.
More than the previous thousands of days, cats have pretty much handled their breeding themselves. In the origin, they were used for target to chase and execute the rodents. Since the year’s growth, people began to breed cats more to our liking. At this present, there are numerous specific types of cats - which you are able to tell if you stare personally.
Clearly there are more than 70 different cat breeds these days, which are documented all the way during cat registries. Around 40 breeds are some registries that will recognize, and they rule out the other breeds such as tigers. There are also many different breeds such as the wild cats that have a longer hair.
In the history, there are several cat breeds that have origin. Several Japanese breeds, like the Japanese Bobtail can be traced back more than 1,000 years in olden times. Cats were really common and well famous all over the Medieval Japan. Although these days, the whole world and throughout Japan are a myth.
In North America, more common cat breeds that are found include the alley cat, Persian cat and long haired cat, as well as Siamese cats are common. Siamese cats are well-known to be destructive and to have a nasty temper. Most admired cats are the Persian cats – they truly adore companions, although they are very expense, depending on where you buy it and what type it is.
Alley cats are found in North America and it is the most common cat breeds. In fact, some different cat breeds, even though most people specify to them as alley cats. Alley cats are good pets and among the most bred. They are homeless and hundreds of thousand of them have nothing to do but mostly to breed.
The easiest technique to tell what breed he or she may be look like is mainly identifying the color, although some people choose that basically but isn’t as easy to recognize. For instance, Siamese and Persian cats have unusual looks. A Siamese cat is almost black all over its body and easily too recognized by their hair and extreme color. Persian cats are known easily on their body type and hair.
There has been quite a small number of breeds come along past hundred years. Cats were one of the most famous first pets. Lots of people own cats around the world. Many people like more cats over any other pet such as dogs. No matter breed of cat you own and be sure to get a pet that make us a great friend or a buddy for many years to come.
Article Source: http://articlekarma.com
Jack Moundon is the owner of Cat Central , Helpul information about cats health problems and meanings about their common behavior. Great gift for cat lovers and helping you cat stay healthy.