Category Archives: Information

Treating your cat this Valentine’s Day: Homemade treats for your feline companion

Valentine’s Day is all about celebrating the ones we love the most in life, whether they’re our partners, our friends, or even our pets. Cats make loyal and loving companions, so if you’re looking for a way to show your favourite feline just how much you care, this Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to treat them to something special. And there’s no better way to show you care than by putting the effort into making a gift with your own two hands.

Looking for some inspiration? The feline experts Catit are here to share three of the best treats you can make for your cat at home, as well as the purrfect shop-bought accompaniments to these homemade gifts.

Salmon heart-shaped biscuits

Giving your cat a tasty treat in the shape of the universal symbol for love is the perfect way to celebrate Valentine’s Day with them. As well as containing one of the most popular fishes with felines, these salmon biscuits are incredibly easy to make. Plus, you can even freeze excess dough for up to three months for future batches!

You only need three ingredients for these tasty feline treats: 140g of undrained canned salmon, 120g of flour (wholewheat or regular), and half a beaten egg. Then simply do the following to whip up these treats:

  1. Use a food processor to finely chop the salmon.
  2. Add the chopped salmon to a food mixer with half a beaten egg and the flour, stirring until it turns into dough. You can add a little extra water if it becomes too dry, and extra flour if it becomes too wet.
  3. Roll the dough out until it is about a quarter of an inch thick, and use a small heart-shaped cookie cutter to make your biscuits (to keep them small, use a cookie cutter no more than an inch big). This should make around 60 small biscuits, which will be plenty for your pet.
  4. Place the sheets on a tray lined with baking paper and cook at 175°C for twenty minutes.
  5. Leave the treats to stand and cool before giving your cat a taste.

You can store them in an airtight container for up to two weeks, which should give your pet plenty of time to enjoy them. If you want to share the love, you can even gift your loved one’s cats with a small bag of biscuits too!

Tuna cake

Sweet treats like chocolates and desserts are a staple of Valentine’s Day for humans. Cats tend to not have a sweet tooth, but this doesn’t mean they can’t join you while enjoying a dessert of their own with this tuna cake. While this may not sound appetising to us humans, rest assured that your cat is bound to love it!

To make this “dessert” for your cat, follow the steps below:

  1. Boil and thoroughly mash around 50g of sweet potato and leave it to cool. Keep it plain and avoid using any seasoning to prevent your pet from developing an upset stomach.
  2. Mix the sweet potato well with half a tin of drained tuna and a teaspoon of plain flour.
  3. Spoon the mixture into a round cookie-cutter and allow it to set in the fridge for about quarter of an hour before giving it to your cat.

Plain boiled sweet potato is completely safe for a cat to eat, but only in small portions at a time. For this reason, it’s best to split up this dessert in three portions to be enjoyed by your cat over the course of three days. Or if you’d rather, simply amend the quantities to make a smaller portion without leftovers.

A fancy meal

Just like us humans enjoy fine dining on this romantic day, your cat will no doubt appreciate getting treated to a fancy homemade meal. Of course, there’s no need to provide your pet with a five course Michelin Star level experience — simply giving them something a little different will be enough to impress them!

This can be a great way to treat your pet, and you can even give them the same meal as you! Try to give them a source of protein and some different types of vegetable in the dish. Cats love chicken, so boiled chicken breast with the skin removed could be a good option for your pet. But there are plenty of other types of meat and fish you could try, such as turkey, salmon, and sardines, so just choose the one your cat loves the most. You’ll find plenty of choice for veggies too, as it’s safe for cats to eat boiled and chopped carrots, peas, broccoli, green beans, pumpkin and more.  

The perfect accompaniments for your homemade treats

A homemade edible treat is sure to go down well with your cat this Valentine’s Day. But if you have a busy schedule and you don’t have the time, or you want to gift them with a little something extra, there are plenty of great shop-bought presents to choose for your pet, such as:

  • A heart shaped cat food bowl, to serve them their Valentine’s Day dinner in style.
  • A bow tie collar to help them look the part while enjoying their special meal.
  • A new toy for playing with on the day — just make sure to let their food digest before getting them too hyperactive!
  • Some catnip to keep them entertained.

You may also be interested in gifting them with a more practical gift, for both your sake and theirs. Something like a water fountain can make sure your pet never goes thirsty while you’re out of the house, plus it can be fun for them to investigate when they first come across it!

“Valentine’s Day isn’t just about showing the love to our significant others anymore, as many of us now use it as an opportunity to show all our loved ones how much we care. These homemade recipes require just a few ingredients and are simple to make, so even those pushed for time can turn their hand at making them if they wish.

“Of course, one of the best gifts you can give your cat this Valentine’s Day is simply spending time with them. So, make sure to carve out some time in the day to show your feline companion some love and appreciation. Whether it’s by having a fancy meal with them, playing with their new (and old) toys together, or simply snuggling up on the sofa, it’s sure to show your pet just how much you care.”

  • Paul Trott, UK Marketing Manager at Catit

About the brand:

Catit’s mission is to provide practical, easy to use, and convenient products that meet the needs of fussy felines. Catit have developed original, award-winning products that satisfy a feline’s exacting standards, including drinking fountains, litter accessories, and their smart feeders that were recently featured on The Gadget Show. Catit also offer a selection of delicious and nutritious food products for your cat to enjoy, including the popular Creamy treat range.

For more information, please visit: https://catit.co.uk/

Not Just Pets sells a wide range of Catit products in both our shops in Frome and Larkhall (Bath) including wet and dry food, treats, toys, carriers and furniture. Pop in and have a chat about this fabulous range – and if you can’t see it in the shop, just ask and we can order it in. Watch the website for some new Catit additions, coming soon!

Call us on 01373 462068 and follow us on Facebook and Instagram too!

Seaside Snaps and Beach Beauties! In honour of #NationalDogDay

This month we invited our customers to have “holiday pics” taken in our #Frome store in honour of #NationalDogDay – how? We put up a beach backdrop and invited customers in with their dogs to take a frolic on the “beach” and get their seaside snap.

The result was fabulous – we have made a video of all the lovely doggies who took part and have a collage up in store of all the photos. Below we share some of those photos with you for your delight.

For the full album, head over to our Facebook page to check out the Seaside Snaps album here https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.782900763843733&type=3

Some owners were happy to have a lazy lounge on the beach too with their dogs and others let their pooches pose in the limelight.
Billy looking cool in his sunnies
Poppy’s owner was feeling the heat, so donned a hat!

We had 34 lovely doggies take part and they were all amazing!

Ursa sports a sunny lei

Our own Ursa took part – she loves the beach and couldn’t resist. She also picked a prop to use!

Uncle Bryn on the Beach, being an absolute angel.

One of the cutest candidates was certainly Uncle Bryn who was an absolute star on the day! Everyone loves Uncle Bryn.

Our HUGE thanks again to everyone who took part. As this hot weather continues, please remember to make sure your pet is kept cool and hydrated. We have plenty of cooling products in store and if you need advice about any of our products, just call us at the store (number below).

Checkout the cool and cute “Seaside Snaps” video here. https://fb.watch/mVukC97ZOP/

Don’t forget we also have a website at www.notjustpets.co.uk and please join us by following our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/NotJustPetsFrome. We also have a sister store at Larkhall – and a Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/NotJustPetsLarkhall.

Visit us in person in Frome at 1 Market Place, Frome, BA11 1AG, Tel: 01373 462068

or 3 Lambridge Buildings, Larkhall, Bath, BA1 6RS, Tel: 01225 447216

Not Just Pets moves to No. 1 Market Place!

So we have done it! In just under a month, we have moved from our old premises at Irongates, to the wonderfully bright and central spot known as No. 1 Market Place, Frome. It was a mammoth task which involved some tricky downsizing in some areas and expansion in others, but we hope our customers like the new, open shop space and layout. We took our graphics from our logo with us and the fabulous folk at N3 Display Graphics helped us come up with some vibrant vinyl designs for our windows. We hope you like them!

Large bright front windows

The new shop only differs from our old one in that we no longer sell animals, fish and reptiles – something we had to stop doing during the first lockdown. None of our other services have changed though and the most important thing we will continue to offer is FREE local delivery to our customers. We take telephone orders on 01373 462068 and customers can pay over the ‘phone or online via BACS or by PayPal, whichever is easiest. We love to see our customers though, so if you can, do pop in and say hi, you’ll be so welcome, owners and pets alike!

Customers and their dogs love coming in to the new shop!

We also offer a tag engraving service on-site and weighscales for your dog, plus we are more than happy to help you with harness and coat fitting, just ask! If you can’t find what you need in store, do please ask us – we will be more than happy to order something in and this usually only takes a day or two.

We have all Covid procedures in place to make it a safe environment for everyone and we ask customers for now to please wear a mask in store, unless exempt for medical reasons. So do come along to No. 1 Market Place and visit with us – but if you cannot come to us for any reason just ring to place your order – or why not check out our fabulous website at www.notjustpets.co.uk

Our cartoon dog shows people where to find us and we get to look out on to the Market Place!

Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NotJustPetsFrome and Instagram and Twitter at @NotJustPets

Guest Post: The Importance of Keeping your Pet Active


https://www.pexels.com/photo/action-beach-canine-cute-221414/

Keeping pets active is important for their general health, but it is very easy for some to become inactive. Like humans, pets have personalities, and some will be more susceptible to a little laziness. Unfortunately, one of the biggest problems that comes from inactivity is obesity, so all pet owners need to take steps to encourage their pets to stay more active. The following tips will help you do just that.

The problem with pet obesity Obesity in pets is certainly an issue in the UK. So much so, that figures released in 2016 showed that over 60% of vets said that obesity was the biggest welfare concern for pets. So making sure you keep your pet’s weight down is really important .


https://www.pexels.com/photo/bed-bedroom-cute-dog-545016/

One of the biggest causes of obesity in pets is overeating, but a lack of activity plays a major role too. Whilst awareness has improved, this is still a problem, and one that all pet owners need to be aware of.

Benefits of keeping your pet active

In addition to maintaining a healthy weight, there are plenty of other reasons to keep your pet active, including:

  • Reducing the ageing effect.
  • Maintaining healthy joints.
  • Teaching discipline.
  • Supporting good mental health and reducing anxiety.

https://pixabay.com/photos/cat-dark-coffee-lazy-lying-wood-1351612/

Activity is such a huge part of a pet’s life, but sometimes it can be difficult to do. With that in mind, here are some top tips to help keep your pet active:

  1. Encourage them to head outdoors

This one’s particularly aimed at dog and cat owners. Sometimes you’ll have a furry friend that flatly refuses to go outdoors and would rather just curl up on the sofa. So, you have to give them a reason to get out there. This is especially true with some cats, as they tend to do their own thing. Think about what you could put in your garden to make those first steps and encourage them to get out and explore.

  • Make the house a playground

Just like giving your pet a reason to go outside, you need to encourage them to exercise indoors too. With smaller pets like hamsters, it’s all about utilising tunnels, wheels, hoops and other DIY hamster toys. With cats it can be as simple as chasing some string around – even they won’t be able to resist that instinct! And for dogs, get yourself a rolled-up towel or piece of rope and have a good old game of tug of war.


https://pixabay.com/photos/animal-creature-critter-domestic-1239398/

Setting up activities in the home is great for everyday exercise, but it’s also really good when you can’t get out to exercise the dog. Whether it’s appalling weather, an illness or anything else that stops you both leaving the house, you’ll always have something to fall back on.

  1. It’s ok to treat

Finally, let’s talk about treats. But we’re trying to lower obesity, aren’t we? Yes we are, so that means using treats for rewards. Animals are as susceptible to conditioning as humans, so once they see the link between them running around and getting a treat, they’ll be more inclined to do so. There are plenty of products that release treats as a result of your pet doing the work, so you don’t even have to worry about regulating it yourself.


https://pixabay.com/photos/cat-raccoon-cat-feline-chair-look-1628424/

As you can see, it’s really important to keep your pet active, and you can play a big role. Whether it’s finding a way to get your cat to explore the great outdoors, playing tug of war with the dog, or making DIY hamster toys, try different things, and before you know it you’ll have a much livelier pet on your hands.

Images: www.pixabay.com, www.pexels.com

Don’t forget too that here at @NotJustPets we stock high quality, nutritious foods such as grain-free foods like Canagan for dogs and cats, low-fat, good quality pet treats as well as chondroitin and glucosamine supplements and treats for healthy joints. We also stock a vast range of interactive and other toys for your pet, from hamster to hound. Why not pop in to our stores in Frome and Larkhall or take a look at our website at www.notjustpets.co.uk or find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/notjustpetsFrome on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NotJustPets and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/notjustpets/

We are always happy to help with your pet queries. Get in touch via our website or email at bathpets@aol.com or telephone us on 01373 462068. Or simply pop in, you’ll be welcome!

Guest post – Keeping Dogs safe this Easter

Not Just Pets Guest Post for Easter

Keeping dogs safe at Easter time

Here at Not Just Pets we stock a wide range of dog safe chocolate Easter treats. These are great for encouraging your pet to join in the fun during the holidays. But there are also a great many hazards for dogs at Easter time. Here is a guest post that will explain more about these and how you can avoid a trip to the vet with your dog.

 

Hazards for dogs at Easter

The world is full of hazards for dogs, just as it is for humans and, just like for humans, most of the time we can avoid them. Knowing what poses a hazard to our four-legged friends is key to being able to keep them safe and avoid illness or an emergency trip to the vet.

Local veterinary nurse, Hannah Burton, who runs Dog First Aid courses for dog owners and those who work with dogs across Bristol, Somerset, Bath and Dorset, is keen to spread the word about how to avoid doggy disaster over the Easter holidays.

Hannah says: “Having worked in a vet’s practice for many years I am all too familiar with how badly dogs can be affected by eating foods commonly found in the home. A dog coming across a stash of Easter Eggs hidden out of sight can have fatal consequences and nobody wants to spend the Easter weekend facing the loss of their dog.”

Below is some advice from Hannah on how to avoid hazards that are particularly prevalent over the Easter holidays.

Chocolate eggs

Now Christmas is behind us, we can be sure to find Easter eggs in our local supermarkets tempting us at the end of aisles.  Not only are these often kept hidden ‘en masse’ before Easter, but we find children receive so many Easter eggs they may have a hoard of their own somewhere!  And while discovering this hoard may be your dog’s idea of heaven – it can quickly turn to disaster.

Chocolate contains theobromine and caffeine, both of which are toxic to dogs.  Dark chocolate and cocoa powder are much higher in concentration of theobromine and caffeine – and therefore pose more of a threat – than milk or white chocolate. However, large enough quantities of milk chocolate still regularly get consumed during the Easter period to warrant presentation to vets for treatment.

If you arrive home to an array of wrappers and the dog is looking terribly guilty, it’s time to call Animal Poison Line or your vet, to find out whether or not the amount consumed constitutes risk of toxicity for their bodyweight.  If a risk is posed then a trip down to the surgery where your vet can induce vomiting is likely to be required, followed by monitoring for signs of poisoning, which include restlessness, increase in heart-rate, panting, pacing, vomiting, diarrhoea and increased drinking.

She may need to be admitted for further care including intra-venous fluids and other treatment as planned by your vet.

Untreated, signs of chocolate poisoning may progress to un-coordination, seizures, severe cardiac abnormalities, coma and death.  The high fat content of chocolate products may trigger pancreatitis in susceptible animals.

Sultanas, currants and raisins

Simnel cake and hot cross buns-a-plenty, Easter time presents more than average opportunities for our canine friends to snaffle some of these potentially toxic dried fruits. The toxicity of raisins, sultanas and grapes isn’t fully understood yet, as while some will prove fatal others won’t. But, it’s important to remember that just one raisin or grape can be enough to kill a dog of any size if they are unlucky.  Dogs that have eaten sultanas, currants or raisins need to be taken to a vet as soon as possible, where the vet can induce vomiting. Further treatment, including intra-venous fluids and monitoring kidney function may also be necessary.  Left untreated in susceptible individuals, signs include lethargy, loss of appetite, weakness, dehydration and increased drinking. By the time these symptoms occur it may already be too late to successfully treat the dog, and if kidney failure develops this can prove fatal.

Xylitol

Used more and more commonly in baked goods, the sweetener xylitol may not be on the doggy menu but end up being consumed by your dog inadvertently.  Eating products containing xylitol can cause hypoglycaemia, and possible liver damage.

The amount of xylitol the dog has eaten should be recorded and reported to Animal Poison Line or your vet – this will be useful in determining whether toxic signs will be expected and how severe they will be.  Where enough xylitol has been eaten, signs of hypoglycaemia can develop rapidly so it is imperative to seek veterinary attention as soon as possible, and before signs such as weakness, vomiting, lack of coordination, collapse, seizures and coma.  Affected animals should be hospitalised and treated.  Signs of liver damage include depression, jaundice, vomiting and clotting problems, and those showing severe liver damage may not recover despite treatment.

Easter plants

Easter plants and bulbs are given as gifts or kept at home around this time for ornamental purposes.  Many of these are toxic to dogs and if you suspect your dog may have eaten some you should contact your vet for advice.

What to do if you suspect your dog has ingested a poison or toxin, and what signs to look out for, are covered in Hannah’s Dog First Aid courses. To find out more about the courses, visit www.dog-first-aid.co.uk.

 

Not Just Pets stocks dog safe chocolate for any dogs that adore chocolate. Visit us in store and find out more.

We look forward to welcoming you in store soon;

remember we are open in our Bath store 7 days a week!

Any ideas and suggestions you have will be welcomed. You can follow us in many ways:

Facebook                Twitter             Pinterest

 We are now on Instagram! – notjustpets Follow us and see some fantastic photos!

We run regular photo competitions, quizzes, offers and promotions on our Facebook and Twitter pages, so why not “like” or “follow” us today! 

Get in touch via any of the above, or via our website or email at bathpets@aol.com or telephone us on 01225 461461. Or simply pop in, you’ll be welcome!