How is old is your fish?

A cat is a predator. Its natural food is <g data-gr-id="94">prey</g> that it catches.  A cat’s tongue is scratchy because it is lined with papillae- tiny elevated backward hooks that help to hold its prey in place.

Cats are lactose intolerant. They cannot digest and break down cow’s milk proteins. They do like milk and cream though and will drink it if given. While a kitten won’t get affected by cow milk but once she is an adult, cow milk will cause gas, diarrhoea etc. You need to supplement her diet with many other foods.

Cows do grieve for loved ones and mother cows even cry for hours after being separated from her baby.

Scales, bones, fin rays and fish ear bones(otoliths) have all been used to determine the age of <g data-gr-id="103">fish,</g> since these and other bony parts of fish often form yearly rings (annuli) like those of a tree. However, otoliths generally provide the most accurate <g data-gr-id="102">ages,</g> particularly in old fish.

Most do. The sea horse is among the exceptions. Another is the shrimp fish of the Indian Ocean, which congregates in schools of several individuals and swims vertically, its long tube-like snout pointing directly upward. A catfish indigenous to the Nile and other African rivers also swims in the vertical posture.

The nature of fish “sleep” is an area of active research. While fish do not sleep in the same way that land mammals sleep, most fish do rest. Research shows that fish may reduce their activity and metabolism while remaining alert to danger. Some fish float in place, some wedge themselves into a secure spot in the mud or coral, and some even locate a suitable nest. These periods of “suspended animation” may perform the same restorative functions as sleep does in people.

<g data-gr-id="108">Yes</g> fish sleep. But <g data-gr-id="107">it’s not sleep</g> as we know it. They don’t have eyelids to close, they sometimes do it during the day, they don’t show the characteristic brainwave patterns like REM sleep seen in humans, and some, including most <g data-gr-id="106">sharks</g> have to keep swimming in their sleep.

But fishes do have a period of reduced activity and metabolism which seems to perform the same restorative functions as nocturnal sleep does in humans. Some are more obvious about it than others and actually rest on the bottom or in coral crevices, and parrotfish secrete a mucus “sleeping bag” around themselves before they go to sleep. If you get up quietly in the middle of the night you will find your goldfish in an almost trance- like state, hovering near the bottom of the tank making just the minimum correcting motions with its fins to maintain its position in the water column. If you put food in when they’re like this they take noticeably longer than usual to <g data-gr-id="110">respond,</g> as if they have trouble waking up.

I have a new house and six new dogs rescued from a shelter. Any tips on what to use in my house?

Welcome to the world of love, fun, hair shedding, mud and ticks. Keep very little furniture and that which is easily movable. If you have to have carpets, forget wool and cotton and go for all- synthetic fibres. Natural fibres absorb everything, and that guarantees stains and odours. No shag carpets which provide homes for fleas and ticks. Varied hues of the same colour hide dirt and stains the best.

Use light curtains that are well off the floor.Opt for tightly woven, smooth-surfaced upholstery. Such fabrics will resist a few claw marks and will not encourage furniture-scratching. Anything with a loose or open weave invites cats and dogs to pull at it, fiddle with it, claw or scratch it. You could also use washable slipcovers.

Make use of mats everywhere. Rubber-backed mats of synthetic pile collect dirt and moisture and clean easily. Use them just outside and inside the doors, <g data-gr-id="104">under dog</g> food dishes and in sleeping areas. You might look at nice car mats.

Brush the dogs every day. Grooming is good for your pet, good for your relationship with your pet and good for the general cleanliness of your home. Set time aside on a regular basis to comb and brush your pet, making a fuss over him as you do so he’ll come to love it. Not only will your pet be more attractive and happier for the extra attention but every piece of fur you snare you’ll spare from a future home on your floor or sofa.

Keep Dettol handy. If a dog urinates in the house, then clean and put Dettol on the surface. Dogs generally avoid the place. Otherwise, should the smell persist, they will do it again in the same area.

Most cow owners do not wash their hands, do not have soft hands or do not milk gently. Nor do they put any cream or lotion on the udders afterwards. More than 50% of cows’ udders become sore. They suffer from mastitis, an infection of the udders that cause swelling and makes milking excruciating.