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tente palla con appositi appigli per consentire al cane di
afferrare l’oggetto senza impazzire sulle superfici sferiche.
E le novità non mancano anche per i gatti, sotto forma di
divertimento statico con tiragraffi sempre più fantasiosi ed
esteticamente interessanti (foto 15), o per un divertimento
più dinamico con percorsi a ostacoli (foto 16) in stile agility, adatti sia all’esterno sia indoor.
LA VITA NELL’ALDILÀ. Quella della sepoltura è una pratica
filosofica e religiosa presente nel nostro bagaglio culturale
fin dalla preistoria. Negli ultimi anni si è fatto sempre più
pressante il desiderio di dare degne esequie anche ai
nostri piccoli amici, compagni di una vita. Soprattutto
nelle città si è assistito a un fiorire, accanto a quelle “a uso
umano”, di agenzie funebri e cimiteri per animali per far
fronte all’esigenza crescente di accompagnare degnamente nell’aldilà anche i nostri pelosetti. In questo nuovo
scenario si è ben presto presentato il problema di creare
adeguati giacigli per il riposo eterno che, spesso e volentieri, sono vere e proprie opere d’arte e di ingegno.
Si parte da soluzioni più semplici ed economiche, come i
piccoli contenitori in cartone biodegradabile (foto 17) o le
piccole urne in ceramica o legno adatte a ricevere le
ceneri dopo la cremazione, fino a delle vere e proprie
bare di dimensioni variabili per proteggere il nostro piccolo amico dalle ingiurie del tempo.
Con questo sistema è possibile dare degna sepoltura ai
nostri affetti e ricordarli per sempre nel nostro giardino
oppure negli appositi cimiteri, soprattutto se accompagnati da lapidi personalizzate utili per non dimenticare mai
chi ci ha dato tanto.
IGIENE DEL PET E DELLA CASA. Anche il segmento igiene è
ricco di novità. Difficile districarsi tra i numerosi prodotti per
l’igiene, la cura e la bellezza del nostro animale, reperibili
sotto forma di spray, lozioni e creme (foto 18) o di prodotti
repellenti per insetti di origine naturale (foto 19).
Di particolare interesse sono i prodotti per dissuadere l’urinazione dentro casa e per la disinfezione e l’igiene degli
ambienti (foto 20), così come gli additivi deodoranti per le
lettiere del gatto che, è risaputo, non sempre emettono
profumi gratificanti.
Per gli animali più difficili esistono in commercio prodotti a
base di feromoni che contengono DAP o altre sostanze naturali, il cui scopo è di dare tranquillità all’animale e renderlo
più propenso alla socializzazione, liberandolo dallo stress.
Infine, quando è necessario, invece di ricorrere al classico
collare elisabettiano per evitare che il cane possa leccarsi
o mordicchiarsi, c’è il nuovo collare salvagente (foto 21),
fra l’altro utile anche in caso di naufragio.
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in trips and holidays. In case of short trips and training sessions that
may require a sort of “reward”, the snack dispenser (picture 8) is certainly useful. The kibbles, however, cause thirst: water is necessary and
it is more pleasant if fresh, so why should you do without the thermal
bottle with convenient hook?
And since you cannot help the dog drink from your hands, someone has
replaced the inconvenient plastic containers or dishes with a collapsible bowl (picture 9) that takes up little space and ensures convenience
and hygiene.
FULL COMFORT. If you watch tv spots about beds and mattresses, you
immediately feel like sleeping relaxed; no doubt that good sleep is fundamental for good physical and mental health.
Pets are no exception and, when choosing their beds, you must find the
good combination of comfort and design. Soft and comfortable, now
they are richly stuffed and perfectly complying with the living room or
bedroom (picture 10).
The new range Black-White (picture 11) ensures high quality, elegance
and design innovation. The Record range comes in three different sizes
and shapes (oval, cradle-style and rectangular with back) for excellent
comfort.
The “couch” version adds a special touch to the living room. The heated mats (picture 12) are excellent for the dogs that always feel cold they will have nothing to envy to their owners’ heated blanket anymore.
LET’S PLAY. Latins used to say “Mens sana in corpore sano” (literally, a
healthy mind in a healthy body). In dogs and cats playtime combines
physical training and development of the cognitive ability; in short, a
fundamental pastime for their psychomotor condition.
Also the playtime concept is evolving and fantasy must and cannot
miss. What is the dog’s beloved game? Pulling. Who has never played
tug-of-war with his dog? But not all ropes are the same… Gladiator (picture 13) includes a plastic bottle that combines the traditional strength
trial between dog and owner and the stimulus deriving from the sound
of the squeezed bottle. Further, the refill is very cheap.
Also a sort of stuffed sausage with large handle may be very useful to
let the dog play and even to tone up the muscles of the owner’s arm!
What about the dog’s passion for plush toys? They are usually bitten,
made into pieces and the stuffing is spread all over the floor. A range of
unstuffed toys has been designed to solve this problem.
And if you wish to play with your dog with a ball, Booga Ball (picture 14)
is really excellent with its special grip that helps the dog grasp it without getting mad because of the spherical surface.
New toys are now available also for cats, like the fancy and interesting
scratchers (picture 15) or the dynamic obstacle course (picture 16) that
can be placed indoors or outdoors.
LIFE AFTER LIFE. Burying is a philosophical and religious gesture that
is part of our cultural heritage since prehistory. In recent years the
desire to hold funeral rites for the beloved pets has become increasingly evident. A growing number of funeral homes and cemeteries for
pets are appearing especially in cities to meet the demand to accompany pets in the afterworld with love. For this reason the demand of specific beddings for their eternal rest has arisen quickly. Those products
are sometimes real artworks.
The simplest and cheapest solutions are small, biodegradable cardboard boxes (picture 17) or small ceramic or wood urns to keep the
ashes after cremation; but the industry supplies also real coffins of different sizes to protect the small friend from the ravages of time.
Appropriate burying is therefore now possible in our garden or in special cemeteries, especially if accompanied by customised gravestones
meant to permanently remind the little beloved ones.
PET AND HOME CARE. Also the care industry is proposing good new
products. They are many, in most cases designed for the pet care and
beauty and available as sprays, lotions and creams (picture 18); also
new insect repellents of animal origin are available (picture 19).
Very interesting are the products that teach pets not to urinate indoors
and that disinfect and clean the house (picture 20) as well as deodorizers for the cat litter.
Products with pheromones containing DAP and other natural substances are designed to keep anxious pets quiet and free them from
stress.
Last but not least, instead of using the traditional rigid Elizabethan collar, when necessary, try the new inflatable collar (picture 21), which can
also be useful in case of shipwreck.
WITH THE CAT IN MIND. The new cat litter frontier is the water closet,
where a sort of lifebuoy has landed to teach the cat to be as good as us
at doing his business. But in order to urinate you need to drink a lot and
cats are usually lazy; this causes many pathologies of the low urinary
tract; a stimulus to drink may come from the automatic fountains that
ensure fresh water and a playing occasion.
