Before getting yourself a feathered friend, there are some things you need to answer first

• Can you still care for a bird?  Birds are social creatures, they also need time.So you must be very sure in your mind that you or your family members have enough time to devote to care for a bird.

• Is your home and your neighbours okay with some bird noise?  Birds can be extremely noisy in several occasions. And can disrupt some neighbours.  But you can pick a smaller bird which can still make some noise inside the house but not disrupt the neighbourhood.

• Do you have other pets?It is also a fact that some of the pets interact with each other easily posing no problems at all.  But also there are some pets who may harm the new pet due to jealousy.Your pet bird can easily be killed by a hostile cat or dog.  These are some factors you would have to consider.

Giving some thought over these questions and still able to identify that you would still like to have a pet bird, then let’s go over to the selection process.   When choosing the right bird, make sure to do some research about the birds.  There are some birds which are overly demanding in terms of social and physical needs, these birds are better kept in the wild. 

Some good bird choices would be canaries, finches, cockatiels, parakeets, and lovebirds. These breeds of birds have long been bred in captivity and have already resulted into some domestic breeds.  The good thing about these birds is that the supplies they need can readily be purchased. 

On the other hand there are some birds which are better left alone in the wild, like some breeds of parrots, macaws, cockatoos, and toucans.  These birds have not undergone the breeding process that the domesticated birds have experienced.  These birds tend to be demanding to live with.

When choosing your pet bird, consider the following factors:

• Size – the rule is that the bigger the bird the bigger the responsibilities.  If you are just starting to be a bird owner,  then it would be best to start with a smaller up until to medium size.How big will the housing be depends on the size of your bird and what is its other physical requirements.

• Nutrition- a bird fed accordingly can live up to fifty years!  It is important to provide the proper diet to your birds.   Bird not only feed on seeds, they also require fruits and vegetables and lots of water.  Bird seed are not enough for your bird.

• Housing -  let us apply the rule again, the larger the bird, the larger the cage it requires.  A proper cage should have the bars spaced closely enough, close enough so that bird heads would not get caught between bars and for small birds to escape the cage.  The cage should be spacious enough so that the bird can move freely and have enough exercise.

• Budget and finance – birds, as well as any other pet, can pose some financial obligations.  For birds, the cage, accessories, maintenance, food and veterinary care can be costly.  When looking for a bird, then you should make yourself familiar with the cost of raising one. You want to have a pet that you can afford.

• Time and maintenance- unlike to what other people think, birds are not really low-maintenance pets.  There are some pet birds which would require daily exercise and constant social interaction. Time and  maintenance would include feeding, cleaning the dishes and the cage. Some parrots show some behaviour problems if they do not receive regular attention from pet owners.

To eradicate our fears of these pet adoption myths, we should know the adoption and selection process done by animal rescue groups and shelters.We should be totally participative in the procedure of adoption to ensure the success of the pet adoption.

Rescue groups and shelters ask a lot of questions about the prospective pet parents or adopters.Two reasons are there for this: first, is to ensure that adopter is able to provide permanent home to the new pet and next is to ensure if he is capable of handling the responsibility and financial commitment required to keep a pet.The other reason is to ensure that the adopter and the pet would have a good match. They normally do it interviews or signing application forms. 

A best way to be sure what kind of pet the adopter is interested having, is doing a research on their own.  There are several questions that will help the adopter to determine the pet, like activeness, family composition, type of residence, or love for the outdoors. 

There are several websites that displays different animal characteristics and one the choice had been made, the adopter can inform the shelter or rescuers what animal they have in mind.  Shelter and rescuers can identify what breed of animals you might be interested in.  Also they have a selection of mixed bred pets that can also display the characteristics of an animal or pet you have in mind.

Some of the questions may even be intrusive of the adopter’s personal life, but the rescuers and shelter staff are just trying to make sure that these homeless animals’ interest will be top priority.  Another step that can be done to assist the adopter to be prepared with what to expect in the adoption process is by checking the websites of shelters and rescue groups.

There are also some shelters and rescuers that do a “yard check” before the pets are taken to their new homes.  It is quite necessary since shelters and rescue groups have full grown animals that need a larger size of place to roam and have physical activities.

Some even do veterinary check with the present or former vet clinics.  This is to ensure that current of previous pets were up-to-date with their shots, exams and other medical attention they require.  While there are others who require three character references in their application papers, aside from the veterinary to be really sure. 

After these have been completed with both parties satisfied, an adoption contract is presented as a final step in the process.A contract of adoption includes information like vaccination, required veterinary visits, diet, a required spay/neuter, continuation of medical treatment as per prescription (if applicable) and return clauses if the adopter wishes to return the pet.

To fully adopt the animal, a pet adoption fee is needed to conclude the process. Normally the price ranges from $75 to $200 dollars depending on the size, animal, and vetting costs.  After this, adopters and now-pet-parents get to take home their beloved pets. 

What Is A Tabby Cat?

A tabby cat is not a breed of cat, which many would assume.  It is, in fact, a color pattern.There are quite a few varities of tabby cats available in multiple breeds. Grey tabby cats, silver tabbies, even spotted ones.  It is still debated as to whether of not some form of this tabby pattern is genetic or even inheritable at all.  Scientists say that the pattern of a tabby cat is not related to the color at all, therefore the tabby pattern is a wide variety.  The only color cat that doesn’t come in a tabby pattern is a white cat.Many times the faint tabby pattern is visible on the black cat also.

A spotted tabby may not be a true tabby cat, but they are still classified as such.  Apparently, there is a modifier that breaks up the stripes of a Tabby making it appear spotted.  Interestingly enough, all of these different variations can be found in a wide variety of breeds, making the tabby cat a more interesting choice when compared to other types of cat.

Legend Has It

Some breeds of tabby have a distinguishable “M” on their foreheads.  There are several legends behind this “birthmark,” and most are religious based.According to myths Mary gave the “M” to the tabby cat in return to its services to baby Jesus , the other fraction claim that it was Mohammed that marked the tabby cat with “M “ after it warned him of an upcoming danger.  
Unhappily, the truth is that Mary spoke in Aramaic and Mohammed spoke Arabic, therefore none of them might have used the letter “M” to differentiate their names.  But the legend lives on, and is a fun story to share, giving your special pet a mystical purpose. 

This tidbit of information makes a tabby cat seem like the logical choice when shopping for your new pet.In addition to its great historical legends, and unique genetic disposition, these cats are a step ahead in terms of their features.