Bits for Pets Blog

A cat missing for eight week has been reunited with his owners in south Wales home after being found 130 miles away.

Tigger vanished from his home in Sully near Cardiff, in June.

After four weeks of poster appeals for information, his owner almost gave up hope of finding him until she got a call from a Hampshire couple.

Their son living near Sully, found Tigger and they took the “stray” home. During a vet check-up, Tigger’s details emerged thanks to a microchip.

On first getting the call to say the cat was so far away, Tigger’s owner Linda Short said: “I couldn’t believe it I thought how the hell did he get to Hampshire? Unless he jumped into a taxi of course, how did he get there?

“It is just amazing, it is just a miracle, we are thrilled.”

She explained how Tigger began his travels earlier in the summer.

“He disappeared early June and ended up in a little village near Cowbridge, and after wandering around the village, a very kind gentleman in the village took him in gave him shelter in an old chicken coop in his back garden.

“His parents came to stay from Hampshire, thought he was a lovely cat and didn’t like the fact he had no where to go so they took him back to Hampshire with them.

“The lady in Hampshire took him along to her local vet to have him checked over and the vet scanned him and he is micro chipped so they discovered he belonged to us and let us know.

“I think he was delighted to come home but I think he enjoyed his little holiday to Hampshire as well.

Click Here! For the full story

A Saudi man’s attempt to smuggle live reptiles out of Egypt in his hand luggage has been foiled by horrified security officers at Cairo airport.

Snakes, chameleons and baby crocodiles were found in the 22-year-old’s bags as he tried to board a Saudi-bound flight.

Police had become suspicious when X-ray machines at the departure gate gave odd readings. Among the reptiles they found was a cobra, squirming to escape.

The animals were confiscated and turned over to Cairo Zoo.

Brief panic

The passenger, who said he was unaware that transporting live reptiles was illegal in Egypt, was later allowed to return to Riyadh, the Saudi capital.

He had claimed the animals were needed for scientific research.

Witnesses told Egyptian state news agency Mena how the discovery triggered a brief panic among security personnel at the airport.

Mena reported that the haul included about 250 baby crocodiles.

“This is the largest smuggling attempt of Nile crocodiles in the whole of aviation history,” the agency quoted airport vet Yusef Mamduh as saying.

In May, another Saudi national was caught carrying 700 live snakes in his hand luggage at the Cairo airport.

Click Here! for the full story

IT IS a case of double trouble for Duo the two-nosed dog.

Not only does the Staffordshire bull terrier have two noses, he is also looking for a new home.

Potential new owners are being put off because of the loveable dog’s harelip.

The three-year-old was either lost or abandoned by his previous owners and was handed over to the Newcastle Dog and Cat Shelter by police.

Staff at the centre in Benton, Newcastle-upon-Tyne- who named him Duo because of his double nose - are having problems finding a home for the well-trained dog because of his unique appearance.

Michelle Pyle, head of fundraising at the centre, said: “We’ve had a few people come and see him and say he’s a freak.

“Duo is not a freak, he’s just unusual. Not many people can say they’ve got a dog like that.”

Duo’s double-nose is caused by a condition which in humans is called a harelip, but rarely occurs to such an extent in animals.

Ms Pyle said vets had not seen a harelip to such an extent in a dog before.

Click Here! For the full story

We have tried to help make things as easy as possible for new bunny and cavy owners, by introducing a selection of starter kits ranging in price from Basic to Deluxe. Our kits include all the basics such as water bottle, ceramic feeding dish, hay and bedding, but some kits also include bunny warrens, wooden log cabin retreats, toys, hides, cleaning products and more!

Take a look at our selections to provide your new pet with some much needed hutch accessories, or use to update your animals current accessories.

Guinea Pig starter kits
Rabbit starter kits

When asked by Keep Britain Tidy, the public cited it as totally unacceptable not to clean-up your dog’s mess and as a top spending priority for councils over other environmental blights such as litter, fly-tipping and graffiti.

Ian Clayton, Deputy Chief Executive, Keep Britain Tidy said: “There is widespread upset across the nation about dog fouling. Many people find it highly offensive. Some parents are concerned that when their children go out to play in their local park, they will come back with dog fouling on their shoes, clothes or person.”

Dog fouling is a scourge on one in ten areas with its occurrence increasing by 2% in the last year. It is mainly found in public open spaces like parks and recreational fields – the areas where children play and local sporting events, such as football leagues, take place.

Keep Britain Tidy believes that for everyone to enjoy pristine parks and spotless streets – free from dog mess – all owners should take responsibility and clean up after their dog. And, that includes teaching children that when they take their dog for a walk, they have to clean up its poo. It is not an excuse for an owner to say that their dog ran off and fouled out of sight.

There have been various approaches by councils to help eradicate dog fouling and encourage people to clean-up after their pet. They include spraying piles of dog mess with yellow paint or sticking a flag in it to raise awareness. And some have even resorted to banning dogs from particular areas or ordering owners to keep them on the lead.

“Leaving your dog mess on the streets and in parks for others to endure is not acceptable. There is no excuse for not being a responsible owner, everyone should pick up after their pooch” added Ian.

Click Here! For the full story

A man has been questioned by police at LaGuardia airport in New York after smuggling a monkey onto a flight from Florida by hiding it under his hat.

Passengers spotted the animal when it climbed out and perched on the man’s ponytail, Spirit Airlines spokeswoman Alison Russell told reporters.

Ms Russell said the monkey - a marmoset - spent the remainder of the flight in the man’s seat and was well-behaved.

It is unclear whether the unnamed man will face any criminal charges.

The man’s journey originated in Lima, Peru. Ms Russell said it was not known how the man avoided detection there, and during a several-hour stopover in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

When passengers noticed the fist-sized primate on the flight, they asked the man “if he knew he had a monkey on him”, Ms Russell said.

New York animal control officials said the monkey appeared to be healthy, the Associated Press news agency reported.

It said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was planning to quarantine the animal for a month.

Click Here! For the full story