Ever wondered what your dog’s teeth look like? Take a look at our canine dental chart to explore dog teeth anatomy, the different types and what they’re used for.

If you’re expecting new bundles of fur arriving at your home soon, it can very exciting – and perhaps a little daunting too. You shouldn’t need to worry - pregnant cats are usually more than capable of taking care of themselves, although they will still need close care and attention from you during labour. As they often try to sneak away to give birth in private, you’ll need to keep a close eye on them in the last few weeks just in case! Speak to your vet if you have any concerns about pregnancy in cats, or are worried about your cat giving birth. Their advice should help to put your mind at rest. Here are some helpful tips from our Pet Care Team to help you be as prepared as possible for when your cat becomes a new mum. Preparing for the birth During the last two weeks of your cat’s pregnancy, make sure everyone else in the family knows to be calm and quiet around her, and to handle her with care – especially children, who can be understandably excited at the prospect of kittens to play with soon! Try to keep her as calm and inactive as possible during this time, and encourage her to relax in her special maternity bed. Even the snuggliest soft bed might not tempt her however, and some cats will reject your suggested birthing bed for a corner of a cupboard! Just make sure she has some choice on where to give birth and never try to move her from her chosen spot. Have help on hand Your cat’s labour should go smoothly, but it’s useful to have help on hand to keep her calm and in case she runs into any complications. Get hold of your vet's out-of-hours phone number prior to your cat giving birth, as delivery often happens during the night, or they might need an emergency helping hand. If mum does have problems delivering her kittens, you may need to take her to the vet, so make sure that you have access to transport. When you think labour might be approaching, it’s good to get a few things ready in advance, including a clean bowl of warm water, clean towels and cloths, dental floss and disposable gloves, together with a cat carrier and your vet’s details. It’s important to have these things to hand, just in case! If you need to move the kittens away from mum at any time, you’ll need to keep them warm. We recommend using a microwaveable beanie bag instead of a hot water bottle, as their sharp teeth and claws can cause punctures. Know what signs to look out for Impending labour can be tricky to spot. During the first stages of labour, the mum (queen) will become very restless, pace as if she is looking for something, and become very vocal. Contact your vet if you are unsure if labour has started, and keep a close eye on your cat in her final weeks and days of labour to make sure you know when and where she will give birth to her kittens.

As a cat lover, you’ll want your furry friend to lead a long, healthy, happy and active life. One of the best ways to achieve this is by making sure your cat’s diet has the right balance of the five major nutrient groups: protein, fats & oils, vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates. Cats are ‘obligate carnivores’, which means they need meat in their diet, so unlike dogs, they can never be vegetarian or vegan. Felines rely on protein as their main source of energy, and need higher levels of protein in their diet than dogs. Not only is meat a ready source of protein, it also provides three essential nutrients that cats can’t live without: taurine (for heart and vision), arachidonic acid (for skin and coat health) and Vitamin A (for coat and vision).

We all love puppies, right? It’s near impossible for any dog lover not to, surely. Wriggly, fluffy, loving and extremely cute – why wouldn’t you love them? Here at Purinawe adore the little rascals – and they’re not just adorable; they’re interesting, too. Read on to find out some of our favourite facts about puppies. 1. Born helpless You might expect puppies to be helpless when they’re born. (They’re babies, after all!) But did you know that they’re effectively born deaf and blind, with no teeth? It’s one of our favourite puppy facts! Even the famous canine sense of smell isn’t active when a puppy is born, and their eyes and ears are closed. Their eyes open when they are between 10 and 14 days old, with eyesight fully developing at about 7 weeks. 2. The first sense to develop is touch Born without most of their senses fully developed, the first sense that puppies develop is touch. Almost from the very moment they are born, a puppy’s mother will lick and nuzzle them, stimulating their sense of touch. Touch continues to be important for your puppy throughout their lives. 3. Puppies can be twins There are often many puppies in a litter, each genetically unique – but did you know that puppies can be twins? The first confirmed case of this was recorded in South Africa in 2016, with vet Kurt de Cramer delivering them via Caesarean section. Although it’s possible that there have been other unconfirmed cases of genetically identical canine twins, this was the first officially recorded instance of identical puppies being born. 4. They have baby teeth Another interesting puppy fact is that they lose their first set of teeth – meaning that these could (adorably) be called baby teeth. Your puppy’s baby teeth will be replaced with adult teeth at about 4 months of age. 5. Their coat colour may change as they grow A bit like humans, the colour of puppies’ coats may change as they get older. Patches of colour can shift and grow, and how they do so can depend on the breed. Dalmatians, for instance, don’t develop their famous spots until they are two or three weeks old. If your pup is purebred, then you’ll be able to more or less predict their appearance through how their parents look, but for crossbred or mixed breed pups, it can prove more complicated.

When the weather gets warmer, your cat will probably want to drink more water. However, on occasion, if your cat is drinking a lot it may signal an underlying problem. Read on to find out about your cat’s water intake, and how to spot any problems. How much should cats drink? Every cat is different, and each one will drink different amounts depending on their lifestyle, health, and environmental factors. For example, a cat that lives inside a cool house may not drink quite as much as a very active cat who spends a lot of time outside. Your vet will be able to tell you roughly how much water your cat needs based on their diet, lifestyle, and physical health. Bear in mind that a lot of your cat’s water intake might come from their food. Wet cat food already contains some water, so a cat who has a wet food diet won’t need to drink as much as a cat who only eats dry food. Dry food contains very little water, so they need to make up for it by drinking enough. Your cat should instinctively know that they need more water and should drink enough to make up for it – after all, they feel thirst just like we do. There are plenty of other factors that will affect how much your cat drinks. Like us, they’ll drink more if it’s hot, or if they’ve been physically very active, so take these things into account. Check out the guide below and find out roughly how much your cat should drink per day depending on their weight:

Kittens are sensitive creatures with a fussy side they often like to show off at dinner time. So if you’re wondering why is my kitten not eating, here are the most common explanations. You’ve got everything set up and ready for the new arrival. The best kitten food sat waiting in the cupboard next to delicious kitten treats – the perfect training rewards. No doubt you can’t wait to see your little cat feasting on the glorious meal. Yet sometimes what you’ll see instead is the new kitten not eating and woefully ignoring the bowl of food in front of them. When kittens turn their nose up at their food, we immediately think something must be wrong with the meal itself. Maybe it’s too hot, too cold, too wet, not wet enough, not the right variety of fish, or the wrong flavour, colour and smell. But in fact, there can be many reasons why a fussy eater will refuse the meal in front of them. It doesn’t always mean they’re disappointed with your taste in kitten food! Here are some common explanations for a kitten not eating. Why is my kitten not eating? Type of bowl Kittens don’t like their whiskers touching the sides of the bowl every time they dip in to eat. Although the syndrome “whiskers fatigue” is still being studied, there is one thing we know for sure – whiskers are extremely sensitive antennas that help kittens extract useful information from their environment. Activating them several times during their meal could in theory put them off their food. This is why it’s recommended to choose food bowls that are wide and shallow, to keep those precious whiskers from touching the dish. Location Where you put their food bowl can be just as important as what you put in it. If you’re seeing your new kitten not eating, consider the location of the bowl. Make sure it’s away from the litter box and in an area where the footfall is at minimum, so they can eat without being disturbed. If there are other pets in the house, remember that the hunting instinct still alive in your kitten makes them prefer a solitary dinner. Place your pets’ food bowls well apart and see if your kitten will consider giving the food another chance. Cleanliness A kitten not eating their meal might also be related to a dish that has not been properly washed. Make sure you use detergent and rinse well with water to clean up the kitten’s food bowl after every meal. You can also go for ceramic bowls as these don’t hold on to the food’s smell as plastic ones do.

While the occasional sneeze from your cat is completely normal and is no cause for concern, frequent sneezing might catch your attention. For humans, sneezing is a normal response to irritation in the nasal passages - the body’s way of removing an irritant from the nose. If your cat’s sneezing won’t go away, or if other symptoms such as a runny nose or eyes or coughing occur along with the sneezing, it might be time for a visit to your vet. What is cat sneezing? Sneezing is an explosive expulsion of air from the mouth and nose. Sometimes a shower of discharge is also sprayed out. This can be clear, or it may be bloodstained or even yellow or green if an infection is present.

Hearing a cat meowing at night is not uncommon – but if you are a cat owner and it’s your cat that is meowing at night, it may be something that you are concerned about. Also known as night vocalisation or night calling, if your cat is meowing at night it can be a problem if it is a sign of their discomfort or it’s disturbing your rest. Read on to find out more about the reasons that your cat may be being particularly vocal at night. It’s widely known that cats are night owls. It seems that the moment we switch off the light they get straight to sprinting around the house –like the cat version of dog zoomies. When they’re getting up to their night time antics they may also meow a lot. And, sometimes your cat meowing at night can be extremely disruptive and get in the way of you getting your much-needed rest. If your feline friend does this and you’re wondering why does my cat meow at night and what can I do about it? We’ve got the answers to your questions! Here at Purina, we’ve put together this guide to tell you all you need to know. Why does my cat meow at night? If you have a cat yowling at night, it’s only natural that you’ll be wondering why they do it. There are six common reasons why your kitty may be doing this, including: 1. Cats are naturally more active at night Your cat’s meowing at night may have much to do with the fact that they are naturally more active at certain hours of the night. Although it’s popularly thought that cats are nocturnal, this is not strictly true. However, they are crepuscular – meaning that they are naturally most active at dusk and dawn. Although many cats do adapt to the routine of their owners, this crepuscular tendency means that your cat may be especially active in the early hours of the morning, when the rest of the house is asleep. Younger cats have an increased tendency to be active at night, as their instincts tell them that this is a great time to hunt. As they mature, though, it is likely that their rhythm will adapt to that of the rest of the household, which may hopefully mean less cat meowing at night. 2. Your cat may be bored or unstimulated Cat crying at night may be simply because they’re bored – or because they haven’t tired themselves out during the day. Active play before bedtime may help to ensure that they are more tired out at night, as will trying to keep their minds active and happy during the day. Cat meowing at night can essentially be attention-seeking behaviour.

It's a common misconception that cats will only wag their tails when they're angry, but there's actually loads of reasons why they may do this. Find out everything you need to know about cat tail language in this article. A cat’s body language can often be hard to decipher. Cats are very complex and the way they tell you how they feel isn’t always obvious. It’s really easy to misread your cat’s behaviour, which can often result in being swatted away by an unhappy kitty when you go in for a pet at the wrong time. One thing in particular that can help you understand how your furry friend is feeling is their tail. Contrary to popular belief, a cat’s tail is actually really expressive and can give you an invaluable insight into if they’re feeling playful, happy or scared. Keep reading to discover the secrets behind cat tail language and discover more about your cat’s emotions. Why do cats wag their tails? Unlike dogs, cats often wag their tails when they are angry or upset, but it’s not always the case. Cat tail language is really sophisticated and can be an excellent indicator to your kitty’s emotions. By paying attention to the direction and speed of your cat’s wagging tail, as well as the rest of their body, you can usually get a good grasp as to how they’re feeling. See our list of possible explanations as to why your cat is wagging their tail.

Cats can be quite tricky when it comes to food with some happily eating anything and others turning their noses up at everything. Read our article on what cats should eat and what they need in their diet to ensure they’re healthy and happy. Some cats can be finicky eaters, sticking their nose up at foods that don’t satisfy their taste buds, whereas others will happily gobble down the same dish day after day. Each cat is unique in their preference and it’s important to understand what cats like to eat to ensure that they’re getting all the nutrients they need to thrive.