purrfect purrfectKatsation
"The more
people I meet, the more I like my cat," goes an anonymous
saying. Now this is a site for all sorts of cats -- Himalayan,
Persian or just the stray tom. Though cats
generally look after themselves, kittens
sometimes need the human touch, so very useful here are the tips
for looking after kittens like trimming their nails, bathing them
and cleaning their face and ears. Other sections include silly
kitty stories, a gift shop, cat products, cat novelties, and
stores stocking cat books, health products and e-toys. The
variety of articles on cats -- nutritional solutions for cats
with liver diseases, living with pet allergies, pets and children,
etc -- are very informative. There are good links to other cat-related
sites here.
Pets.com
When the famous Petstore.com went into the red, it merged with
Pets.com which is an online retailer of pet products, information
and resources. It offers a broad product selection and expert
advice from a staff of pet-industry experts and veterinarians.
The whole focus of the site is to give consumers the confidence
that they are providing their pets with the best possible care.
The range of pets covered here include cats, fish, ferrets, dogs,
birds, reptiles and small pets. The last include bunnies, guinea
pigs and white mice. Believe me, keeping a mouse is the quickest
way to traumatise your city friends. The attractive site design
sees a delightful pop-up of the pet when your run your mouse over
a category. The staff of veterinarians and pet experts here
provide consumers with pet-related info through topical articles,
regular columns on pets' health and well-being and helpful
reference resources. And while here, you can pick up the Sock
Puppet for $20.
Havahart
While
keeping birds in cages is strictly no-no, you can still enjoy the
company of birds by feeding the wild ones that come to your
windows or gardens. Now this is a site which talks of treating
birds not as cage creatures but as free-flying ones. So log in
here if you want to know how to set up a bird feeder, tips for
keeping the feeding station clean and what seed to use to attract
various species of birds to your feeder. For the last, there is a
chart giving the bird species and the type of seed. Most of the
birds listed are North American, but if you have a bird book,
like Salim Ali's Book of Indian Birds, you can identify similar
Indian species. Though we have talked here only about the bird
section of this site, you can also get info on stray cats, dogs,
and 'nuisance animals.' Find out more about the last at the site
itself.
Petvets
"I've
seen a look in dogs’ eyes, a quickly vanishing look of
amazed contempt, and I am convinced that basically dogs think
humans are nuts," wrote John Steinbeck and I got that quote
from the pet quote of the day section of the Harmony Animal
Hospital's Website, Petvets. The Florida, USA-based hospital is
geared to "give that special member of your family
comprehensive, state-of-the-art care... with a personal touch."
The virtual hospital has sections for dogs, cats, birds, exotics,
reptiles and small animals. Besides the articles found here, you
can try the site's library which contains hundreds of other pet-care articles. Then you can send pet postcards, check out pet
stories and pet astrology, or play with or even create a virtual
dog.
I-love-dogs
The
USP of this site is the extensive directory of dog Websites, with
the top 50 dogsites rated. The directory is divided into 20 neat
categories like All About Dogs, Dog Humour, Dog Art and Graphics,
Dog Health and even Dog Personal Pages. If you have a doggie page,
you are welcome to send it in. Besides these links, there is much
at the site itself worth checking out. There are postcards which
can be sent, dog comics to be read, dog games to be played, a dog
community to join and some doggie software you can download for
free. The last consists of screen savers, wallpapers and desk-top
themes
Fresh
Aquarium
It is true that you can't take a gold fish for a walk, but fishes
kept in a home aquarium are still favourite pets which can give
you hours of pleasure just watching them. Those who are fond of
these colourful creatures of the deep can well take advantage of
the Fresh Aquarium site from About.com. There is a beginners
corner which gives basic info about setting up your fish tank.
Then there are descriptions of various fish disease, a section
devoted to breeding fish and a chat room where you can share info
about fish breeding. The FAQ section generally takes you to
aquarium sites where you can get info on specifics relating to
keeping fish. For example, there is the Aquaria Dictionary which
aquaints you with aquarium-related terms, Stocking Guidelines
tells you about healthy stocking for aquariums and yet another
site explains the scientific and provisional names for fish.
Contact: Manuel Fernandes
Updated 2/July/2000