+49 9571 9400 117 info@pet-interiors.com

Dog shampoo for sensitive skin

May 8, 2024 | Dogs, General

If you don’t feel comfortable washing your dog with a shampoo whose list of ingredients you can’t even pronounce, here’s a great recipe for a homemade dog shampoo. All the ingredients are easy to get hold of, or you may have them at home anyway. The quantity is sufficient for a medium-sized dog, e.g. a Labrador.

 

Ingredients for dog shampoo:

  • 100 g rolled oats
  • 100 g baking powder
  • 400 ml cups of warm water
  • 1 teaspoon mild washing-up liquid from the health food shop
  • 5 drops of lavender or peppermint oil

Firstly, blend the oats in a food processor until they have the consistency of flour. Add the remaining ingredients and finish mixing.

Massage the shampoo into your dog’s wet coat for a few minutes before rinsing it out. The baking soda absorbs the dog’s odours, while the oat flakes soothe and cleanse the skin.

You will be amazed at how great your dog smells and how soft his coat has become.

After a soothing wash, the Golden Retriever puppy can relax on the cosy leather cushion

Rhodesian Ridgeback

Rhodesian Ridgeback

by | Aug 14, 2024 | ,

The Rhodesian Ridgeback is a medium-sized, very dignified and intelligent dog that quickly commands respect with its calm demeanor. It is native to southern Africa and shows no signs of shyness.

Beauceron dog breed

May 8, 2024 | Dogs, General

The Beauceron is a very original, powerful, robust and muscular dog, but without any sluggishness. It impresses with its stamina and incorruptibility. His nature is never angry, fearful or even shy. It is described in specialist literature as an excellent family dog. He prefers to be in the middle of the family or his pack and accompanies you wherever you go. Despite its size, the Beauceron is a sensitive and delicate dog. It is cautious and reserved with small children, older or anxious people. As a rule, people unknown to him are not harassed or even greeted stormily. However, if friendly contact is sought and he has met someone, he will greet them warmly. Kennels are absolutely unsuitable for the Beauceron breed.

Hunderasse Beauceron - Hundekissen - pet.interiors
The Beauceron is still a healthy, extremely robust breed with an average life expectancy of around 12 years.

Color strokes:

bicolored black-red – Bas rouge
tricolor black-red-grey – Harleqiun

Height

male: 65-70 cm
female: 61-68 cm

 

Why is my cat unclean?

Mar 11, 2024 | Cats, General

Is your cat messy and no longer using the litter tray? This behaviour can have various causes and in this article we will give you some useful tips. The first thing to do is to take your cat to the vet to rule out possible illness-related causes (cystitis, blockage of the urinary tract, etc.).

It is a myth that cats react uncleanly out of protest.

If your velvet paw refuses to go to the litter tray, there may be various reasons for its behaviour. A puddle on the floor or a major mishap on the carpet is annoying. It’s a myth that cats will mess out of protest. They use their urine to mark their territory in nature and in this way make it known that they are in heat. No cat pees or does its big business just for fun or even in protest within the living space. Please never scold your cat too quickly. There are reasons why your cat is behaving like this. Scolding can trigger additional stress in the cat, which in turn can lead to increased uncleanliness.

 

Possible reasons why the cat is behaving uncleanly:

 

  • Health problems
    Firstly, the vet must rule out possible illness-related causes. A bladder infection or blockage of the urinary tract can lead to unclean behaviour and must be treated as soon as possible.
  • Territory marking
    One reason for the uncleanliness may be that your cat is marking its territory.
    Normally cats only mark their territory in the wild. If other animals enter their territory (home), your cat will see the need to defend its territory. It is not uncommon for strange cats to enter unnoticed through the cat flap and dispute your cat’s living space.
  • Stress
    Cats are creatures of habit and hate any kind of change. Stress can be triggered by moving house, renovations, new furniture or a new flatmate (human or animal). Loud noises such as construction noise or loud music can also be a stress factor. Spend a lot of time with your tiger, give it attention and lots of cuddles to help it relax. More on this soon in Recognising and avoiding stress in cats.
White litter tray in the bathroom - Design - pet.interiors

A quiet place for the litter tray is important.

Cat toilet

There are several reasons why the litter tray can lead to uncleanliness.

  • Lack of cleanliness can be one reason why the cat reacts uncleanly. To prevent the litter tray from smelling unpleasant, it should be cleaned daily. Your velvet paw’s nose will also be pleased with a weekly deep clean.
  • The wrong cat litter is being used. The choice of cat litter is huge and the pet market offers a wide range of varieties. I will take up this topic in one of my next posts.
  • The litter tray is too small. The cat has grown or become older and now has too little space to move around in. Some cats don’t like closed toilets. Offer it an additional open toilet (bowl).
  • It is too restless on the toilet. Your cat loves to be left alone when you defecate. Children playing, other pets, a spinning washing machine, draughts or frightening objects, such as a hoover, can disturb the toilet and make the cat react uncleanly.
  • The cat has to share the toilet with others. In principle, there should be one more toilet in the household than there are cats. Cats are very reluctant to share their toilet with other animals.
  • The location of the toilet is unsuitable. If the toilet is next to the food, the cat will be reluctant to use the toilet. Draughts, loud noises or frightening objects also make cats reluctant to defecate in the toilet.

Here you will find tips for the right litter tray.

If the cat is healthy and all disturbing factors have been eliminated, the cat’s uncleanliness should be a thing of the past.

 

White litter tray in the bathroom - Design - pet.interiors

Once all disruptive factors have been removed, the cat will use the toilet again.

What is the best cat litter?

Mar 11, 2024 | Cats, General

The choice of cat litter is huge. Mineral cat litter, silica litter, litter made from plant fibres, fine or coarse-grained, with or without fragrance, recyclable and the list goes on. The best cat litter is always the one that is accepted by your cat without reservation. The most expensive cat litter is useless if the cat becomes unclean and no longer uses the litter tray.

It’s not easy to make the right choice, so I’ve put together a short overview of all the important facts here. Thank goodness our Gisela is quite uncomplicated. First of all, we gave her a mineral cat litter, which worked immediately. It clumps very well and the litter very rarely needs to be changed completely. We made sure that it was unscented. Perfume additives can be perceived as pleasant by us human noses, but whether the cat sees it that way is questionable.

Poopoopeedo | Design-Cat-Toilet | pet.interiors

Poopoopeedo is a large, practical and beautiful litter tray.

The mineral cat litter is very popular as a classic clumping litter. The litter is available in different grain sizes, different compositions and with or without fragrances. The urine is well bound (liquid and odour) and the clumps can be easily removed from the litter tray. The mineral litter is very economical and lasts a long time, as only the clumps need to be removed from the toilet. It is therefore also quite inexpensive to buy. Anyone who has to do the shopping on foot or by bike will find the heavy weight of the litter a major disadvantage. It is also not the most environmentally friendly option. Mineral litter is not biodegradable and its clay components are extracted in open-cast mines. Pouring the litter into the toilet also creates a lot of dust, which can be harmful to health.

Compared to mineral cat litter, silica litter is much lighter. This is an advantage when buying, as the light crumbs tend to stick to the cat’s paws and spread around the home, which is a disadvantage.
Unpleasant odours bind quite well without the addition of fragrances. Another advantage is that the silicate litter creates less dust when the toilet is filled.
Unfortunately, the silicate litter does not clump, but the litter absorbs the cat’s urine, the heavier pellets settle at the bottom of the toilet and remain there until the entire litter is replaced. The silicate litter is also noisy when buried. If you are a light sleeper, this can be a problem at night in small flats. Another disadvantage is the higher price.

There are many different versions, from wood or plant fibres to corn kernels and paper litter. The advantages are all pretty much the same. They clump well, making the litter tray easy to clean. Even without fragrances, they absorb odours well, are light in weight and do not create dust. They are made from renewable raw materials and can be disposed of in the organic waste bin. Here too, the disadvantage is that the lighter weight means that the litter will be spread around the home by the cat’s paws. In addition, litter made from recycled paper may contain glue or printing ink and chemical additives.

How can I avoid cat litter crumbling?

Whether and how much cat litter is scrapped out of the toilet can have many causes:

  • Check the fill level in the litter tray. Too little litter can be the cause, as can too much litter.
  • A litter tray mat can catch a lot of litter.
  • If the cat has diarrhoea or a bladder infection, this can lead to excessive scratching when going to the toilet.
  • A large litter tray with a bonnet keeps the litter inside
  • The cat litter is too light, perhaps a change of litter will help

However, please do not experiment too much and too hectically one after the other. Cats are creatures of habit and need time to get used to new things.

You can find more information on choosing the right litter tray here.

Tips if your cat reacts uncleanly.

What does the cat’s hump mean?

Mar 11, 2024 | Cats, General

Pet cat hump - Design - pet.interiors

The cat hump is used to stretch extensively after a nap.

Cats communicate in their very own way and the cat hump is part of their body language. What is our cat trying to tell us? To be able to interpret the cat hump correctly, it is important to pay attention to the cat’s overall posture. Are their ears and hair erect or laid back? Is the cat moving or is it standing stock-still? We have observed the cat’s hump together with the rest of its body language and here are our findings.

 

This nap was good for you
After a relaxing nap, the cat likes to stretch and hunch over. The legs are stretched thoroughly and a long stretch brings them back to reality from the realm of dreams.

 

Leave me alone
If the cat is afraid or feels threatened, it reacts immediately with its cat hump and uses this as a magnifying trick. The enemy should immediately recognise that it has an opponent ready to fight. If the hair is raised and properly fluffed up, the ears laid back, the claws extended and the legs stretched out, the cat’s hump is a single threatening gesture. If it then runs sideways to make itself look even bigger, there is only one correct reaction to its behaviour: To leave the cat alone at all costs. If the cat encounters a dog in this way, it is smarter to confront the dog than to trigger the dog’s hunting instinct by fleeing.

 

I am ready to mate
Cats that are ready to mate combine the cat hump with a steeply raised tail and a wiggling rump. They release small amounts of scent to mark their territory. The young male cat supplements this behaviour with howling to signal his willingness to mate to the female cats in the vicinity.

 

I have pain
A cat’s hump can also have health reasons. If you notice a continuous hump in your cat or tomcat for several days, there may be health reasons for this. Perhaps your tiger has been injured in a fight, has an inflammation or a deformation of the spine, as is also the case in humans. If you notice any of these signs, please consult a vet straight away.

 

Play with me
Does your kitten do a few funny jumps combined with running sideways and a cat hump? If there are no threatening gestures such as extending its claws, raising its hair and hissing, it is an invitation to play.

 

More cuddles please
Does your cat hump you when you stroke it?
Then it wants more attention and enjoys being cuddled. It strokes your legs with its hump, purrs and nudges your hand to signal that it wants more and is happy.

 

There are many variants of the cat hump and only one of them is really a threat. The different types are easy to interpret and, with a little practice, easy to decipher.

Home-baked dog biscuit with quark and egg

Feb 29, 2024 | Dogs, General, Recipes

Today I felt like baking some dog treats again. Our 2-legged family members are not always convinced of my baking skills. But the dog is happy about a homemade dog biscuit. Quark, egg, oat flakes, spelled flour and peanut oil are always in the house for today’s recipe. Instead of peanut oil you can also use pumpkin or olive oil. Sunflower oil is not good for dogs. The better the quality of the ingredients, the better for your pet.

This recipe can also be downloaded at the bottom of the page.

 

Every dog loves homemade dog biscuits.

 

Ingredients:

  • 150 g Quark
    Quark is a great addition to the dog’s diet. Quark is rich in proteins that dogs can process well and digest easily. The lactose content is quite low, but it contains lactic acid bacteria but hardly any milk sugar. Most dogs tolerate quark very well. If your four-legged friend tends to be overweight, choose the lean version so that the dog biscuit won’t hit your hips.
  • 1 Egg
    Eggs provide the dog with important nutrients. They are rich in protein and fat and are characterized by a high proportion of essential fat and amino acids. Amino acids can support the dog’s metabolism, promote the regeneration of muscle tissue and stimulate cell formation. The fatty acids it contains give the fur a healthy shine. The cholesterol and lecithin contained in the egg yolk are required for cell formation. Chicken eggs should only be served to the dog boiled or, as in this case, baked in dog biscuits.
  • 200 g Wholemeal spelt flour
    Spelled consists predominantly of carbohydrates in the form of starch. It has a high proportion of protein and a lot of B vitamins. Potassium and magnesium are also included, as are the trace elements iron and phosphorus. Because it has a high level of resistance, it can be grown with almost no pesticides and insecticides and is therefore contaminated with few environmental toxins.
  • 100 g Oat Flakes
    Oats are particularly easy to digest and digestible. The special fiber stimulates intestinal activity with sufficient fluid intake. Compared to other common grains, oats have the highest content of potassium and magnesium, B group vitamins, iron, manganese, phosphorus, zinc and copper. It also contains protein that is easy for your dog to digest.
  • 50 ml Sesame Oil
    With all oils, you should ensure that they are cold pressed and not refined. Of course, organic products are better suited to supplement your diet. Sesame oil is not always on the radar for dog nutrition. It is very well tolerated because it is a vegetable oil. It has a positive effect on blood lipid levels. It has a high Omega 6 content, so it should only be used sparingly. If you don’t have sesame oil in the house, replace it with olive, pumpkin, rapeseed or linseed oil.

 

Preparation:

  1. Work all the ingredients into a smooth dough.
  2. Separate a small part of the dough and shape into a roll.
  3. Cut off small slices and place on a baking tray.
  4. Bake at 180°C for approx. 20 mins.

 

Important: The biscuits must be stored in an airy place so that they don’t go mouldy!

The finished dog biscuits

Recipe

Recipe download
Rhodesian Ridgeback

Rhodesian Ridgeback

by | Aug 14, 2024 | ,

The Rhodesian Ridgeback is a medium-sized, very dignified and intelligent dog that quickly commands respect with its calm demeanor. It is native to southern Africa and shows no signs of shyness.

Beauceron dog breed

Beauceron dog breed

by | May 8, 2024 | ,

The Beauceron is a very original, powerful, robust and muscular dog, but without any sluggishness. It impresses with its stamina and incorruptibility.