Cat owners are all too familiar with hacking and gagging sounds. Seconds after the noises begin, your cat might kindly gift you a slimy lump on the carpet. The occasional hairball is normal, but it’s worth looking into if your cat produces them all the time.

A lot of pet parents assume intestinal worms are nothing to worry about—they think all their sick pet needs is some medication, and they’re good to go. Adult pets might recover from worms unscathed, but the same can’t be said about puppies and kittens. What might be a minor nuisance to adult pets can prove fatal to fur babies that are just weeks old.

No one wants to imagine their fur baby scared, hungry and far from home. But the truth is, pets become lost every day—more so than anyone wants to admit. The finder might bring your pet to a shelter for identification, or they might try to claim it as their own.

Pet parents need to prioritize their fur baby’s cardiovascular system as much as their own. The heart, lungs and blood vessels are constantly working to keep your pet healthy. Any damage done to these vital organs can have devastating consequences. Cats and dogs are vulnerable to many of the cardiovascular diseases humans face, plus other threats like heartworms.

At first glance, your cat may seem fine. They polish off every meal, play with their toys and act like their usual, pleasant self. But cats are masters of deception, and your fur baby might be in more discomfort than they want you to believe. Don’t wait until warning signs arise—take the initiative by incorporating preventative health measures for every part of their body.

When it comes to boosting their pets’ health, pet owners aren’t always sure where to start. There’s so much information available, it’s hard to filter out the noise and focus on what matters the most.

Lots of yoga poses are named after animals—like cobra pose, swan pose and the ever-famous downward dog. Yogis have gotten so used to performing downward dog on their own that they’ve nearly forgotten who it’s named after! As it turns out, your furry friend is the perfect companion for a hot new trend called “doga.”

Parasitic worms live in every part of the world and are all too easy for pets to contract. However, it’s just as easy to prevent the spread from one animal to the next. A little bit of preventative care is all it takes to keep your pup worm-free and limit community spread.

Spaying and neutering are among the most common surgical procedures for pets, yet many owners don’t understand why they’re so important. This leads people to question the practice and potentially skip it altogether. However, there are many reasons why pet parents should spay or neuter their cats and dogs—both for their sake and for the community at large. Here are the top three reasons every pet parent should have their pets spayed or neutered.