Journal

Most of what a dog or cat needs from you is quiet and daily. Start with what they are telling you: how to read dog body language and how to read cat body language explain what ears, tail, eyes and posture mean together rather than one at a time. From there, signs your dog is stressed and signs your cat is stressed cover what to change when the signals turn uncomfortable.

Knowing what they enjoy makes the rest easier. What dogs actually enjoy and what cats actually enjoy set out the handful of things that reliably land, and the companion pieces on what dogs quietly dislike and what cats quietly dislike cover the habits worth dropping. If a day feels restless, signs your dog is bored and why cats hide are the places to look first.

For health, we keep to what you can see at home. The weekly at-home health check for dogs and the cat version take a few minutes, checking your dog is a healthy weight and the same check for cats need only your hands, and signs a dog is in pain and signs a cat is in pain describe the changes that show up long before a limp.

None of this replaces a veterinarian. When to call the vet about a dog and when to call the vet about a cat separate the emergencies from the same-day calls, and what to bring to a vet visit helps you get more out of the appointment. To keep the year organised, see the preventive care calendar, the daily dog routine and daily cat routine, and the guides on how much sleep a dog needs and how much sleep a cat needs.