How do I find and register with a vet?
What actually distinguishes one practice from another, the out-of-hours question that matters most, and how registration works in practice.
beginner45 min5 min read
Pets
Everyday care questions with practical answers.
74 guides in Lifestyle
How do I introduce a new cat to my existing cat?
The staged introduction over two to six weeks, scent before sight and sight before contact, and the signals that mean go back a step.
intermediate1 hr6 min readHow do I keep pets safe at Christmas?
The specific Christmas hazards vets actually see, the decorations that cause surgery, and the household management that keeps a pet calm through a house full of people.
beginner30 min6 min readHow do I leave a dog alone at home without it being distressed?
Building alone-time in minutes rather than hours, telling boredom apart from real distress with a camera, and the four-hour guideline in practice.
intermediate30 min5 min readHow do I make a garden secure for a dog?
The three ways dogs get out — over, under and through — and how to close each one, plus the gate and hazard details people miss.
intermediate4 hr6 min readHow do I make a home comfortable for a nervous rescue dog?
Doing less rather than more in the first fortnight, the routine and the den that build security, and reading the signals that tell you to back off.
intermediate1 hr6 min readHow do I stop a puppy chewing everything?
Why puppies chew and for how long, managing the house instead of correcting the puppy, and giving the right textures at the right stage.
beginner30 min5 min readHow do I stop my cat scratching the furniture?
Why cats scratch, the post specification that actually gets used, and the four-week routine that moves the behaviour off the sofa.
beginner30 min5 min readHow do I trim a dog's claws safely?
Where the quick sits, how to take slivers rather than one cut, the black-claw problem, and the point at which this stops being a home job.
intermediate20 min6 min readHow much exercise does my dog actually need?
Realistic daily figures by size, breed type and age, the puppy rule that limits it, and why sniffing time counts more than distance.
beginner15 min6 min readWhat autumn things are dangerous to dogs and cats?
Vets see the same cluster of problems every autumn. What is actually dangerous, what is merely messy, and which ones need a phone call rather than a wait-and-see.
beginner15 min6 min readWhat do I need before bringing a kitten home?
The equipment, the one-room start that settles a kitten fastest, the vaccination and neutering timetable to ask about, and when a kitten can safely go outside.
beginner1 hr 30 min5 min readWhat do I need to keep chickens in a garden?
Not a legal minefield, but there are registration duties, a strict feeding law, deed restrictions and a fox problem — and the fox is the one that ends most attempts.
intermediate1 hr3 min readHow do I choose a cattery or kennels?
Boarding establishments are licensed by the local council and the licence and star rating are public. Visit unannounced, and book far earlier than feels necessary.
beginner45 min3 min readHow do I get a cat into a carrier and to the vet?
Choosing a carrier that opens from the top, making it part of the furniture so it is not an ambush, and the handling that gets a reluctant cat in without a fight.
intermediate20 min6 min readHow do I groom a dog at home?
Brushing routines matched to the coat type, the mats you must not cut, bathing that does not wreck the coat, and the points where home grooming stops.
beginner45 min6 min readHow do I introduce a dog and a cat?
Setting the house up so the cat is never trapped, teaching the dog that ignoring the cat pays, and the staged process over several weeks.
intermediate1 hr6 min readHow do I keep a dog safe in hot weather?
How to recognise and prevent overheating in dogs, the pavement test, and what to do in an emergency.
beginner15 min2 min readHow do I keep an outdoor cat safe?
The measures that genuinely reduce risk for a cat with outdoor access, ranked by how much difference they make, and the seasonal hazards.
beginner45 min6 min readHow do I look after a rabbit properly?
What a rabbit actually needs — space, a companion, and a diet that is mostly hay — plus the two emergencies every rabbit owner has to be able to recognise.
intermediate45 min6 min readHow do I look after an older cat?
The three conditions that dominate old age in cats, the very subtle signs of feline arthritis, and the home adjustments that keep an old cat comfortable.
beginner30 min6 min readHow do I look after an older dog?
When a dog counts as senior, the changes that are treatable rather than inevitable, and the practical adjustments at home that make the most difference.
beginner30 min5 min readHow do I look after guinea pigs properly?
Two rules do most of the work: never keep one alone, and never run out of hay. Everything else follows from those.
beginner45 min3 min readHow do I move house with a cat or dog?
Planning the move around the animals rather than around the boxes, the one-room arrival, and how long a cat needs indoors before it can be let out.
intermediate1 hr 30 min6 min read