This year’s National Marine Week runs from 11th August to 19th August celebrating the UK’s marine life and environment. The UK has a fascinating undersea environment, being a home to crabs, anemones, fish, seals, dolphins, seabirds and all kinds of plants. Anyone who has ever enjoyed poking around in a rock-pool as a child will enjoy all the activities all over the UK to celebrate the UK’s seas and the life within them. The Wildlife Trust is running all kinds of events, from Seashore Safaris, and Rock-pool Rambles to Coastal Minibeast Safaris. Check with your local sealife centre for events running there. It’s an excellent excuse to hang around on a beach during the belated lovely August weather!
It's an unfortunate and perverse fact that a lot of pet food on the market has been formulated at the expense of the welfare and happiness of laboratory animals. While your furry little darling is purring away into his or her dinner, animals in labs are being tortured in order to test pet food safety...
The list of foods approved on the BUAV's Humane Pet Food Standard - although this has not been current since 2004 - is probably still the most definitive guide to what you should be buying from an ethical point of view. Like the companies on the Humane Household Products Standard and Humane Cosmetics Standard, the brands it approves must submit to an independent audit, thus ensuring that the claims of the company are verified.
More eco-friendly products for (wo)man's best friend, this time it's hemp toys from Earthdog. The company started out when two fanatical dog owners started to make unique and eco-friendly products for their own animals, a pack of 14 dogs rescued from various misfortunes. They use hemp, which is an ideal product for using with animals as not only is it natural and produced without chemicals but it's also incredibly strong.
Related: Reduce your dog's carbon pawprint with BioBags dog poop scoop bags
I just got a dog and it started me thinking about all the things I'll need, and if there are eco-friendly options. The first thing that came to mind was the poop scoop bags. I go out of my way to avoid plastic bags every minute of the day, so there's no way I'll be scooping my dog's poop up in a bag and adding it to landfill. There are several types of biodegradable bags available, including these ones by BioBags. Made from corn starch and vegetable oil they contain no plastics, and cost £7.50 for 100.
Related: Pero organic pet food | The Canine Cookie Company
Finally an answer to the eternal problem of cats killing. If your cat constantly brings you "gifts" of small animals and birds you might like to try the CatBib.
An independent University trial has shown that this lightweight bib cuts predation by 50%. The manufacturers claim that the CatBib: "gently interferes with your cat's hunting skills, without interfering with any other kitty activities."
"Lonesome George" is the last known surviving giant Pinta Tortoise from the island of Pinta in the Galapagos Islands. He has been dubbed the "rarest animal in the world". Earlier this year there was a ray of hope for George's romantic life. But new reports suggest that "Lonesome George" will have to remain lonely. Scientists were excited to find early in 2007 that on the nearby island of Isabela there was a male tortoise who seemed to be a cross between a Pinta male and an Isabela female. They were hopeful that this means they might find more Pinta tortoises on Isabela.
The amount of junk that is put into normal pet food has always troubled me. I mean, cats and dogs seem to enjoy the meat derivatives, but I certainly don't enjoy serving them up! Pero petfood's organic range is refreshingly different, with their list of ingredients reading more like something a human (albeit meat eater) would enjoy. For example their chicken and rice cat food contains over 26% organic chicken, plus organic honey and vegetables. Your pet will get all the essential ingredients it needs to maintain it's healthy, active lifestyle, without all the added nasties.
Related: VeggiePets | Eukanuba Special Care og Food | The Canine Cookie Company
Love your cat? Love your dog? Love the planet? Now you can love all three equally at the same time! Animal Pure produce and sell natural and organic pet care products for all cat and dog owners that care about their pets as well as the environment. Inspired by their adopted dog Rick, who suffers from skin allergies, the good people behind Animal Pure developed a range of products that is both organic and as chemical free as possible.
It's that time of year again, and while most people are rushing out to buy chocolate eggs by the dozen, there are some who'd prefer to get their loved ones a real live Easter Bunny.
Every year RSPCA centres throughout Britain (SSPCA in Scotland) fill up with unwanted rabbits, discarded by families who had no idea the commitment it takes to look after these cute little creatures.
It used to be that your dog would vomit (and maybe eat it) and there wasn't much you could do but spread out extra newspapers. Now, you can feed your dog Eukanuba Special Care, with Omega-3, Omega-6, and other natural goodness, so that at least his vomit will be more nutritious. So if you find the Dog Deli bespoke stuff a tad pricey but still want to go above the typical high street, it probably won't bankrupt you (but it probably won't clean up any easier than the usual stuff). [GT]
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Cardboard is an ideal material for cat toys, since in my experience all cats ever love to sharpen their claws on or chew it. Since all you cardboard furniture haters say you can cut up any old appliance box into a thing of beauty and a joy forever, you'll love the Marmalade cardboard cat toy DIY - print the template, attach to scrap cardboard, and put together as many cardboard mice, jacks or balls as your feline companion can take. Or you can get a pre-made cardboard mouse DIY kit (if that even makes sense) sent to you in exchange for agreeing to get marketing noise from Marmalade (which isn't a bad deal if for some reason the print-out DIY doesn't work out for you). [GT]
Marmalade cardboard cat toy DIY [via NOTCOT]
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Providing organic dinner and treats to the canine gourmand, the Canine Cookie Company (ack, beware that LOUD music!) provides nibbles like Celebratory Bones or After Dinner Mints (for the dog of dubious breath) or dinner cookies from the Variety Jar like chicken tikka mutt-sala. [GT]
Related stories: Cookies - the organic, allergy-free variety | 2006 roundup #36: the Catbib saves birds | The Dog Deli premium meaty snacks
We all have to make sacrifices in the cause of living domestically within wild Nature, and sometimes these sacrifices involve putting reverse capes made of neoprene on our cats. Funnily, the cats don't mind the Catbib in the slightest, and my Bester seemed to actually consider his an adornment. What the Catbib does, though, is disrupt the cat's balance just enough to make it really difficult for them to sneak up on birds, thus preserving the songbird population without need to declaw (boo!) your feline friend. Not only do they work, but they're only $9 USD, and if you send a picture of your pet wearing one, they'll send you a second one free. [GT]
Original story: Review: The CatBib saves birds and makes cats happy
It's just barely not too late to order from 3r Living and still get it in time for Christmas (providing you spring for 3 day shipping or faster). So if you haven't shopped for Cleo or Spike yet - your cat or dog, that is - consider the Hemp dog bone, Oatmeal pet shampoo or Mrs Meyers Pet Litter Freshener. And somehow manage not to stick reindeer ears on the cat this year? [GT]
Related stories: Lovely Organics at Bridalwave | Steebergs Wedding Token | GreenKarat ethical assays
Posh pet nosh Iams (and boy does that cat look like a smaller version of mine own Lacerda) has around 2,000 animal shelters going at the international level in their Home 4 the Holidays drive to place orphaned cats and dogs in loving homes. Last December, their one millionth pet was adopted - a cat in Florida. This year's pet drive goes on until January 2, and with your new friend you get an adoption kit with some leaflets and some free pet food. Kittens are nice, sure, for about six months, and then you've got to live with them for the next ten to twenty years. Shelter cats, on the other hand, are so grateful that you've saved them from, let's be honest, a situation between death and near-death, that they wake up every day full of astonishment that the world is so fantastic. (At least, that's how Lacerda behaves; we found him, nigh-starved, in the kitchen one day, bolting down food from the communal cat dish, and he was so incredibly lovely that we couldn't be parted from him. I've met many wonderful shelter cats since then and although kittens are cute, with an older cat you know what you're getting - with extra love.) [GT]
Home 4 the Holidays orphaned pet drive
Related stories: Put your chicken (or rabbit, or guinea pig) in an Omlet (Omlet Eglu) | The Dog Deli premium meaty snacks | Eat chocolate, prevent animal cruelty
From: Green graffiti - It's all in the mossage