We have different ways of keeping animals. You can keep them inside or outside. Pets are with our animals who are domesticated and kept by people. Although dogs and cats are the first animals we think about if we hear the word "pet" they are not the only ones.
Dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, genuine pigs, hamsters, rats, ferrets, skunks, snakes, fishes, spiders, raccoons, mice, pigs and even snails are kept inside. Next to these pets with us, chickens, cows, pigs, goats, horses and sheep are kept too. Some are pets and just kept out of a hobby while others make life easier by helping the owner.
If it comes to the most famous pets the dogs and cats most of them are not kept inside only although this is the new norm or... normal if you like. The idea a dog or cat kept inside is more healthy and above all happier isn't per se true. Animals kept inside have to live by the owners' rules 24/7 if they like it or not. This can be annoying or stressful for the pet but the owner too. Watching an animal 24/7, raising it, spending quality time with it because there are no other animals of the same species around isn't an easy task. It tired one out and it's normal not to be in the mood to always be available. Next to a full-time job, a family and the house chores there is hardly time left to meet family and friends and if it comes to it most of us prefer to spend time with our species too instead of staying home with the dog or cat.
Animals, pets are great. Once trained they are easy and they rarely have hard feelings if you went out for the entire day. Dogs are always happy to see you even if you hardly care about them. They jump for joy and happiness if you give them their food and a pat on the head after you are part of their pack and if you did it well you are even the alfa, their leader.
Cats aren't that different from dogs. They can be trained and taught it's not allowed to climb on the furniture or steal food. Just like dogs they will greet you and be happy if you are back home. For sure it's easier to keep a cat than a dog. Cats will not bark like dogs and annoy the neighbours, they don't eat as much and are easier if it comes to "letting them out" and enjoying themselves. It all depends on the breed but cats are not as playful as dogs (shorter period) and both aren't as playful as ferrets.
How to keep your pet healthy?
It's hard to tell if good food only does the trick but it is a good start. I am not going to tell you what you need to feed your animal since that depends on the species.
It may be clear a predator is a carnivore and carnivores eat... meat! Meat is easy to digest, contains everything this animal needs and with the right food, the high amount of poop will disappear. With meat, an animal will not drink as much and might pee more. The stool will look different besides all those allergies will never show or disappear. It's shocking how many pets suffer from health issues just because of what we feed them. Expensive food made in factories, food that doesn't measure the need of the species at all. A good example is the grains in dog and cat food but also spinach for the cat and what do you think about grains and seeds sold to owners of ferrets as if these 100% carnivores are rats! We owners believe it's healthy because what is sold to us shows a picture of a healthy animal, the kind of pet we have. In reality, we are feeding it cheap trash, food that makes our animals feel sick, food that infects their intestines and makes them overweighted. We think we know better and avoid seeing the nature of the pet we dearly love. Let it catch its food is not done in the modern world not even if two mice a day or one bird would keep it healthy.
The right food is necessary to keep an animal healthy besides if it comes to it BARF (Bones And Raw Food) isn't as bad as it sounds plus it's cheaper and it gives your pet something to do!
If you ever visited a Zoo you for sure have noticed the stereotypical behaviour of many animals locked in the show. Behaviour is caused by us humans because we didn't only cage them but took away their natural environment, behaviour and search/fight for food too.
Outside, out in the wild, animals don't eat regularly, twice or even three times a day. At times they eat nothing and there are times they stuff themselves with more than is good for them but this doesn't harm them because their instinct tells them when to stop eating when it is time to rest or... to hide. Look at the teeth and you know what kind of food the animal should eat.
Avoid stress
If you are a sensible person you know what causes stress. Most animals kept suffering from stress especially those kept by loud, stressful and hyperactive people. Keep in mind that animals who can hear most likely hear way better than you. They hear everything which means everything can cause them stress. Cars, trains far away, other dogs, cats, sheep, voices, tv, radio, parties, fireworks, fights, vacuum cleaners, dishwashers and so on. They can and will get used to it if you act as if it's normal but this doesn't mean it is normal. Animals need a peaceful environment just like we people. They need a safe place of their own. A place safe enough to sleep, find some rest without being disturbed... by people.
For many years I travelled with my animals (ferrets, skunks, owls) to show them at special events and educate people about their behaviour. Visitors were frequently not allowed to hold every animal 24/7. Not because the animals were aggressive but because they needed their rest. What counts for us counts for the animals we keep too. It is not hard to imagine it is no fun, can be very stressful and it infects the mood if you are wakened up every few minutes. Animals aren't little humans. Just like us, they have their biorhythm, lifestyle, likes and dislikes. We frequently believe our animal is happy with how we treat it because it keeps eating pie and whipped cream with us and it does sleep in our bed or we hold it but it's not said this is the case. Some are more patient than others but it doesn't mean they have stress, they can't get enough from you as an owner or we do not infect its health, well being with our behaviour.
For sure most pets accept more from us than any human would do. They listen to your complaints, stand by you if you feel sad or depressed and even if you are angry again they are around. All those moments people let you down your pet is on standby. Like that ferret that was locked into a closet for 7 months, came out more dead than alive but still cuddled.
Don't let us pretend we are the better race, we are the only ones who know what is good for those animals we keep. Let us trust on animal instinct. The truth is many start with an animal they know nothing about. The weirdest questions are asked and the weirdest information is spread faster than anyone can imagine. How strange it is we keep animals we know nothing about. We don't even take the time to observe them which isn't too much asked since pets are not only there to brighten up our lives but they need to be taken care of. Taking care, feeding them, keeping them healthy takes time especially if you have no money to consult a vet weekly.
How to take care?
There is a lot you can do yourself. Grooming, feeding, clipping nails. Cleaning eyes and fighting fleas, ticks, worms and so on. You do not need expensive medication for that as long as you are consequent and care about a bit of hygiene. To those who want to keep animals, it's better to learn as much as possible themselves. It's also good to keep in mind that if nature can't do the job the pet might not be very healthy or (for example) this isn't the dog you should breed with.
Clean or dirty water both can be good. Dogs and many other animals love to drink out of dirty pools and they won't get ill. So ask yourself if a disinfected dog his immune system is functional enough to keep it healthy if a bacterial infection or virus shows up or if that type of water contains something your animal needs. If it nearly dies after being in the rain or has 20 bladder infections a year there is something seriously wrong.
The idea that indoor pets become older and are more healthy than their species living outside or in the wild isn't true. Cats who live outside even those not being castrated and/or vaccinated are stronger and healthier. In many cases, they are not as fat either and an overweight pet is seen as animal abuse by our Animal Protection and so is a dirty house or one filled with fleas. These are plagues that still show as soon as the family arrives back home after a few weeks of vacation or after an empty house (sold) is entered.
Besides worms, fleas, ticks there are illnesses we humans infect our animals with or we can get from them. These illnesses are called zoonosis and influenza (not a cold) is one of them just like corona and HIV.
Btw Many pets suffer from heart failure and cancer. We can blame the breed for it or the food but in my personal opinion, too much stress causes it too. We keep animals under circumstances not every animal is happy with and this unhappiness needs to be ventilated. If not by 'unacceptable' behaviour it will be through sickness.
No wonder our dog is losing its hair, my dad-in-law always shouts at it.