Cutting Edge Articles & News Stories

The initial thing you need to know about providing for your dog, cat or other pet when you inevitably pass away is that nobody, including a very wealthy person, can leavefunds directly to their pet in their will.

They are simply not allowed to own property in any way, shape or form.

However, you can create a trust for your animal if you so desire. And you do not have to be rich to do it, either.
In broad terms, A trust splits the financial and caregiver roles, which can have advantages over leaving money directly.

You see, Leaving money to a friend to care for a pet sets up a conflict between the pet and the money, according to an attorney who deals in this kind of thing.
The court simply might refuse to enforce the mandate to care for the animal,  and then the funds will still belong to the “caretaker”

By way of comparison, trusts separate the function of the trustee – who handles the money – and the caretaker of the animal in question. This makes it much, much easier to resolve certain specific types of issues which can come up from time to time,
such as selecting an alternative caretaker if needed.
Another benefit of a trust is that a will simply does not take effect until after your death, and of course after probate as well. A trust, in contrast, becomes effective the moment it is made. What that means is a trust can care for your animal if you are alive but are somehow incapacitated.
All in all, regulations for trusts vary depending on the state involved. Fortunately, most states have laws which specifically recognize pet trusts. In any event, an attorney may create one using the laws of another state.

When setting up a particular trust, realize the current expenses for the care of your animal – difficulties may be caused by leaving too much money or too little. Also realize ahead of time exactly what particulars you want to be contained in the agreement in question.

The various responsibility of trustee can usually be handled by a bank, so the primary consideration is in the actual process of selecting a caretaker. Be cognizent of the life expectancy of the animals and caregiver alike.
Obviously, the life spans of the different types of animals can vary greatly.

According to a story which ran in ‘The Gateway’ (from journalist Allison Graham),
the latest research seems to suggest that cat memory is largely molded not so much by sight but by action.
This is a discovery of profound performance.
Canadian researcher Keir Pearson analyses the way in which our brains control how we know where an object is in relation to our physical bodies.
 The experimental concept of testing
whether a cat has to perform an action or can merely see an object to remember it is one of the primary emphasis of Neurophysiology as a discipline.
The initial experiment which she attempted was composed of a cat stepping over an object with its front legs. It was then distracted with food for as long as possible while straddling the barrier. She then removed the object in question while the cat was eating,
and then got the cat to continue to move forward. Each time this test was performed, the cat moved forward by raising its hind legs as if stepping over the obstacle in the experiment.
Later on the feline was brought to the object so that it could see it but not step over it. If the cat was distracted for a shorter time span, it would still remeber it and lift its hind legs as done in the initial experiment.
Because of the results in these particular tests, researchers have additional ideas regarding how these discoveries will benefit individuals. She explained that this study aids us in comprehending certain things about our own behaviour. For example, how we can go down stairs without actually needing to see them,
 to being able to find where we parked our automobiles in a big parking lot, and so on.
Much more relevent, perhaps, are the possibilities of what this research may do for our own wellness generally. Individuals with cognitive disorders, for instance cannot keep track of objects in their environment.
They ” might be able to develop some sort of test to see whether there’s a memory decline in these patients to do with knowledge of where objects are”.

Vets across the nation are warning dog owners that their beloved animals may be at risk of sickness from
certain jerky treats which are being produced in, guess where? Yes, you know, in China.
I’m sure that you were shocked. You know, the quality of the goods from that country is just first rate,
is it not? Just 6 months ago, tainted pet food made from Chinese ingredients sickened and killed dogs and cats alike and led to a huge nationwide recall.
More recently, however, vets have noticed troubling cases of dogs becoming ill after eating Chinese-made jerky treats. The symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea and also lethargy.
There have been jno fatalities as of yet, fortunately.
The AVMA has been kind enouph to post an alert on their website. It hopes to gather data swiftly from members on whether or not there is an issue and how big it really is.
The organization is advising owners to “use their best judgment.”
The FDA is cognizent of customer complaints related particularly to the chicken jerky treats and is vigourously investigating the issue, Michael Herndon stated.
 The agency is testing many samples of jerky treats for pets for various chemical and microbiological contaminants such as melamine, the industrial chemical that led to the pet-food recall earlier in 2007. If you are looking for all natural, human grade pet products, try premium dog food, treats and supplements from Life’s Abundance brand.
To this point, it has not detected any contaminants.
No other types of pet treats have been implicated t this point in time. No list of brand or product names of the affected treats is currently available. The Pet Food Institute, an industry organization, is not cognizent
 of any issues with pet treats, spokesman Kurt Gallagher said.

According to a story by esteemed writer Mark Robison of the Reno Gazette Journal newspaper
of Nevada, it was reported that some forty percent or so of the animals killed by the Nevada Humane Society are in fact feral cats.
The article went on to state that the NHS is attempting to lessen the quantity of these creatures which are eliminated in the barn cat program.
Essentially, you tell the NHS how many barn cats you want and the organization then sprays-neuters & vaccinates the cats on your behalf.
Pretty nifty program, is it not?
You sign a contract with a relatively large amount of stipulations. A primary requirement is to keep the feline in a confined space
for a minimum of 2 weeks so that he or she will accept this location as home.
Specifically, they need to be contained somewhere such as a cage and feel secure about their food source. This is what really keeps them around once they are released into their new environment.
This relocation effort is perhaps the most importany aspect of the program.
In addition, you have to agree to provide daily food & also water, to acquire veterinary care if required,
to return the animal if you cannot keep it any longer, and several othger health stipulations.
All in all, Feral cats are usually the result of domestic cats which have been abandoned or perhaps lost.
Their offspring are generally unsocialized and grow up to be of the “wild” feral variety of the species.
 They are essentially like most other wild animals, being quite able to find shelter,
 a steady food source and ultimately survive in their particular environment.
They are very aware of predators in the same way that most wild animals are.
 And this specific life experience gives them a far greater rate of survival in a barn type of setting
than a domestic cat who is lost.