Happy Earth Day
April 22, 2009 by admin
Filed under Environment
Happy Earth Day 2009!
What are you doing for the environment today?
Disney’s “Earth” Already Making Big Impact on Environment
April 20, 2009 by admin
Filed under Environment
Disneynature’s first film “Earth” hits theaters on Earth Day, April 22 and the movie is already making a big impact on the environment. The studio has offered to plant one tree for every ticket sold during the film’s opening week.
So far, over 500,000 people have purchased advanced tickets which means over half a million trees are set to be planted to honor the movie.
The president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Group spoke with Access Hollywood saying, “With half a million new trees committed so far, Disneynature’s first film is already making an impact on the world- and ‘EARTH’ hasn’t even opened yet. We’re so pleased that moviegoers have embraced this film and our tree-planting initiative to this degree and we expect the numbers to keep climbing.”
The movie follows the stories of three animal families, a whale, polar bear and elephant, as they migrate and travel around the world and raise their offspring during their first year of life. It is narrated by actor James Earl Jones and was directed by Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield, the partners behind “Planet Earth.”
Homemade Diets for Pets
Homemade diets for pets have long been popular among a small group of pet owners. However, since the pet food recall involving melamine contaminated food in 2007, many more pet owners have started making their pet’s food themselves.
Advantages of using a homemade pet food diet
Many proponents of homemade pet food diets point to the fact that ingredients used to prepare these diets are fresh and no preservatives need to be added. Other pet owners prefer homemade diets because they feel the diets are more natural than the commercially available diets and are likely to provide the pet with more readily available nutrients. Another benefit is being able to choose the ingredients which go into the food for the pet. This can be especially important in cases where the pet suffers from allergies or other medical issues which make controlling the make-up of the diet quite important.
Many owners feel that homemade diets keep their pets healthier and many also feel that cooking for their pets allows them the opportunity to bond more deeply with the pet.
Disadvantages of using a homemade pet food diet
Homemade pet foods diets are labor intensive and can significantly add to the time which an owner must spend in caring for their pet. For pets, a well-balanced diet is essential for maintaining long-term health. If the homemade diet is lacking in essential nutrients, the pet may suffer as a result and the damage may be serious, even irreparable. Evaluating whether a homemade diet is balanced is difficult even for a boarded nutritionist and most pet owners are far from being experts in the subject of pet nutrition.
The vast majority of homemade diets prepared by pet owners are nutritionally inadequate for the pet.
Formulating a well-balanced homemade pet food diet - finding a solution
Recently, in response to an increased demand from pet owners, several companies have developed homemade pet food recipes which can be customized to meet your pet’s dietary needs. Companies such as Pet Diets and Balance It provide pet owners with the opportunity to develop and purchase customized recipes for their pets which are based on the owner’s feeding preferences.
These diets, available to pet owners, are generally formulated only for healthy adult pets. For puppies or kittens, geriatric or debilitated pets or pets which have medical issues, consultation with a veterinarian is generally not only recommended but mandatory.
Cat Refuses to Eat Meat and Fish
Dante (the cat shown above) refuses to touch traditional cat food of any kind in favor of foods such as melon, bananas, broccoli, rhubarb, asparagus, aubergine, Brussels sprouts, and uncooked potatoes. The two-year-old feline from the UK is so insistent on getting his five-a-day that he even raids the fruit bowl if he’s feeling peckish.
Experts confirmed Dante’s peculiar appetite was “extremely rare”. Maggie Roberts, director of veterinary services at the animal charity Cats Protection said, “This is extremely rare- I have never before heard of a cat that will not eat meat. Cats are obligate carnivores, and cannot be vegetarian.”
Dante was abandoned as a kitten and was found close to starvation in an alleyway by owner Becky Page, 21. Becky, a child minder, tried to fatten him up with tasty treats like chicken, tuna, seafood and biscuits. But she said Dante “wolfed down” a plate of leftover vegetables which had been left near her kitchen bin. Becky, who grows her own organic fruit and vegetables at her home in Tasburgh near Norwich, Norfolk said, “I tried feeding him meat, fish, and everything else cats usually like, but he turned his nose up at all of it. Just when I was thought nothing would work, I caught him wolfing down a plate of vegetables that I was going to throw out. Since then, he won’t go near anything fatty and prefers the things I grow in the garden.”
Becky, who lives with long-term partner Adam Carpenter, 26 added, “Dante is part of our family and although we have lots of other animals he is more human than any of them. He loves attention and loves being with us so the least I can do is let him have his favorite foods. I admit he has a very, very unique appetite- but he’s certainly healthy.” Sarah Medway, who runs www.craftycat.co.uk, a web site dedicated to cat behavior said, “I have never heard of a purely vegetarian cat. Nutritionally cats need to eat meat to survive. Unlike some other animals that can live quite happily on a vegetarian diet, cats are natural carnivores and are likely to look and hunt elsewhere to eat meat. There are certain nutrients that a cat needs that can’t be obtained from plant foods.” Mrs. Roberts from Cats Protection added, “Cats Protection advises that cats be fed a complete cat food, which provides all of the necessary nutrients in the right balance.”
Happy Easter
Happy Easter everyone. Hope you all have a great one.
