Mars Petcare today unveiled two new programs to support startup innovation and the next generation of disruptors in the pet care industry. Leap Venture Studio (Leap) in partnership with Michelson Found Animals and 

Whether tabby or calico, Siamese or Russian Blue, every cat owner loves their cat for their individual characteristics and personality. Now, cat owners and breeders have a new tool at hand to better understand their cat’s unique health and well-being, down to the DNA.

Dogs like to move! In fact, when not asleep, it’s hard to get them to remain very still at all. If they are not actively walking or running, then wagging tails, endless sniffing and other body movements are pretty much continuous. That is all as it should be, but it presents a bit of problem to researchers and veterinarians who might want to find out what is going on inside a dog’s body. If a pooch can’t stay still, it is very hard to use scanning or x-ray techniques to take a look at internal structures and processes.

October 2012 - The international peer-reviewed journal Behavioral Ecology published online a piece of exciting collaborative research from the WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition, the University of Sydney (Australia) and the Institute of Natural Sciences at Massey University (New Zealand).

The research, conducted at the WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition, demonstrated that a diet high in moisture boosts a cat’s total daily water intake to a level that cannot be achieved by simply providing drinking water alongside dry food. The higher daily water intake resulted in increased urine volume and dilution. Urine dilution has shown to be beneficial in reducing the risk of urinary stone disease in cats.

A collaborative team of researchers has found that cats are able to consume a diet relatively high in fat without raising cholesterol levels. The research also showed that, as long as cats’ daily calorie intake remains constant, increasing the proportion of fat in the diet will not affect the likelihood of weight gain. The findings advance understanding of how cats handle dietary fat and reinforce the differences between the nutritional needs of cats and humans.

Young people are often sagely advised that their schooldays are the “best days of their life”, but could they be made even better by the addition of a non-human classmate? In some schools, along with computers, pencils and textbooks you may see a furry face, wiry whiskers or a wagging tail. Increasingly, pets are taking on a role in the classroom with claims that they help pupils concentrate on their work, reduce stress and promote better focus on the teacher. But how strong is the evidence for the benefits of these “animal-assisted interventions”?

6th December 2016: Pets account for millions of pounds worth of economic activity in the UK and may reduce National Health Service (NHS) costs by nearly two and a half billion pounds, according to a new report published today. Drawing on multiple sources, and written by internationally respected animal welfare and business experts, "Companion Animal Economics" comprehensively documents the economic impact of pets in the UK - the first time such an assessment has been made for nearly 40 years.

According to the World Health Organisation, childhood obesity is one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century.

Creative solutions can enable older adults to spend more time with pets enjoying the emotional and physical benefits that this bonding experience can bring. Researchers at the Waltham Petcare Science Institute, University of Montana and Ohio State University have released new recommendations that highlight potential solutions to overcome both perceived and real barriers to pet ownership.