The experts sometimes give us different opinions on this subject. You should have your cat spayed or neutered by six months of age.  Studies show that waiting until adulthood is not always best plus older cats require a longer recovery time. Kittens recover very fast and will be bouncing around again within a few days. After your cat is neutered or spayed, check the incision site for redness, pus or swelling which could be a sign of infection. See your vet if this occurs.

If your cat is older, make sure she has a comfortable place to rest after the surgery and pamper her with attention and treats.

The procedure is very routine and there are rarely complications.

Remember, your pets count!

If you’ve just adopted a new puppy, you must feed him carefully to ensure his proper development and growth. I’ve put together some guidelines for you to follow:

• When you purchase puppy food, the package should mention both AAFCO ( The Association of American Feeding Control Officials) and Animal feeding trials or tests. This should appear on the package or label. Most high-quality commercial dog foods provide the recommended amounts of nutrients.
• Soften the food for your pup by adding warm water or a commercially prepared milk replacement.
• Feed the pup three to four times a day until he is 5 to 6 months of age.
• Consult with your Vet to find out the correct amount to feed your pup at each feeding. Sometimes the package will provide guidelines based on your puppy’ size but I would still check with your Vet.
• Avoid overfeeding.
• If your pup is a large breed, use dog food specifically designed for this type of dog. This will encourage slow growth. Feed him puppy food for 12 – 18 months.
• Watch your pups weight gain. Puppies should gain between 2 and 4 grams per day during the first five months of life.
• After the your dog is 6 months of age, feed him twice a day for the rest of his life.
• Avoid feeding puppies cottage cheese, yogurt, commercial vitamins and minerals as they will not balance well with a commercial dog food diet.
• Excess dietary supplements cause nutritional imbalance and medical disorders, and some vitamins and minerals are toxic in high dosages. Feeding puppies too much calcium can cause skeletal diseases.

If you have any questions, always consult with your Veterinarian.

Remember, your pets count!

Obesity in cats is just as unhealthy as it is in humans. It not only shortens your cats lifespan but can cause many diseases including heart disease, arthritis and diabetes.Your vet will advise you if your cat is overweight and will also suggest a change in diet. Snacks should be given sparingly. I must admit that I fall short in this area. Snacks adds calories and are not that nutritious.

Always try to exercise your cat. Have him catch a toy at the end of a stick.  Cats loves this and it provides the exercise that indoor cats need. Overweight cats that  suddenly stop eating can develop a serious liver  condition Hepatic Lipidosis .  So reduce your cats weight by good food management and exercise. You will add years onto his life and he will look much better as well!

He’ll thank you for it.

Remember, your pets count!

If you own a cat, you’ve probably heard him purring many times. What does this mean?

 Purring is formed by the cat’s vocal cords and the muscles of the their larynx. Experts aren’t really sure what this sound means but it’s usually associated other people or cats and with contentment.  Here are some other situations when a cat purrs:

• When they are spending time with their owners.
• When they’re nursing kittens.
• When they greet other cat friends or people.
• When they’re sleepy.
• When they are in extreme pain. Yes they do purr when they are ill.
• When they’re stressed.

If your cat is healthy and is lying on your lap purring, you can be assured that his purrs are associated with something positive. He’s glad to have you as his owner and is very cozy and content lying in your lap.

Remember, your pets count!

Now a days we want to take our dogs everywhere. But which places are the best? In order for a city to be considered , it has to have lots of hotels where dogs are welcome as well as restaurants that will allow dogs to eat on their patios. Excellent veterinary care and an active humane society are also important elements of a pet friendly city. It must also be a place where there are a lot of dog centered activities. So which city wins?

According to NBC news, San Diego is the dog friendliest city in the U.S.  It was a wonderful climate. There’s a large selection of pet friendly and off leash beaches. One large shopping center has an off leash park and also provides a pet sitting service  that only charges $5 an hour while you shop and eat. There are lots of pet friendly restaurants in La Jolla. In addition, your dog may enjoy a kayaking excursion around La Jolla Bay — although pet life jackets are provided, dogs should be good swimmers.

So San Diego can be considered Dog town USA.

As you know, I have two cats.  I found my older cat Mollie, in 1999. She was huddled under a car in the parking lot of my apartment complex on a very damp October night. Actually there were two very tiny kittens under there. I came home from work, parked my car and heard tiny “meow.’s coming from under the car.  When I stooped down and looked under, one kitten came over to me, the other ran the other way. I picked her up and couldn’t believe how small she was. I took her inside, dried her off and the rest is history. I took her to the vet the next day and he said that she was barely five weeks old but in incredibly good health for an outside cat. She grew up to be my best friend. Now at 13 years old, she goes where ever I go. About 6 years later I adopted my second cat Millie who was about 9 weeks at the time. Millie is a small cat with the sweetest disposition. Unfortunately, Mollie never took to her new sister and the two are still rivals. Millie is actually very intimidated by Mollie.

All cats have different dispositions but I learned after I adopted Millie that there are certain circumstances where one cat may not take to the other.  In my case, the cats are two females of different ages that were adopted at different times. This isn’t the best situation. There is a better chance that two males will bond much better than two females. There is also a better chance that a male and female will bond easier than two females.

The best thing to do is adopt two kittens from the same litter. They will form a lifetime bond and be permanent companions to one another.

Remember, your pets count!

You just adopted a Dalmatian but I bet there are several things that you didn’t know about this popular dog breed.

• All Dalmatian puppies are born without spots.
• Dalmatians were famous for being the “Firehouse dog. They were featuring in many older commercials riding in the fire truck.
• Authoritative writers place the Dalmatian’s first positive entry in Dalmatia, a region in the west of the former country of Yugoslavia, now Croatia, in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
• The Dalmatian is also known as the spotted coach dog, the Carriage Dog, the Plum Pudding Dog, and the Spotted Dick.
• There is no evidence that this breed originated from Dalmatia.
• The Dalmatian has been used as a dog of war, shepherd, a sporting dog and he has been used as a bird dog, a trail hound, a retriever and in packs for boar and stag hunting.
• The Dalmatian has great memory. That’s why he’s been performing various acts in circuses all over the world.

Now that your an expert on the Dalmatian, enjoy your new pet!

Remember, your pets count!

Believe it or not, indoor cats love to play. Playing is not only healthy for them, but it gives them a chance to bring our the hunter inside of them.  Cats are far sighted animals who really don’t see that well close up. They can detect movement from over 120 feet away, even in very dim light. Their ability to hear is way beyond humans and even dogs.  So how do you play with your cat? One of the best games involves waving feather wand toys or other cat toys that require your cat to leap in the air and try to capture the flying object in her front paws. Select a safe, spacious area of your home so that your cat does not fly into any furniture. My younger cat Millie plays with her feather toy every night. I also bought her a new toy and attached it to the end of the stick making it much longer and giving her the ability the leap high in the air. She loves it, it’s great exercise and keeps her healthy and happy.

Remember, your pets count!

Today, while I was at lunch, there was a conversation about pets getting sick and the cost of medical care. The subject came up of making the difficult decision to put your pet down instead of incurring the high medical costs. One person mentioned that she would not spend the money to keep her dog alive and put him down if he became sick. She would not even pay for insulin or anything. Of course, I didn’t agree with her at all.

There was a survey conducted in April which involved 1,112 pet owners around the country. This information was obtained from The New York Times Well section.

Most pet owners (62 percent) said they would likely pay for pet health care even if the cost reached $500, but that means more than a third of pet owners said that might be too much to spend on an animal.

What if the bill for veterinary care reached $1,000? Fewer than half of pet owners said they were very likely to spend that much at the vet. Only a third said it was very likely they would pay a $2,000 vet bill.

Once the cost of saving a sick pet reached $5,000, most pet owners said they would stop treatment. Only 22 percent said they were very likely to pick up $5,000 in veterinary costs to treat a sick dog or cat.

This author feels that if the pet’s prognosis is a positive one and the pet will not live in pain and will make a full recovery, then I would go through any means to keep it alive. Even if it drained my bank account. We love our pets. They are a part of our family so it’s only fair that we do what we can to provide for their well being. I know that many pet owners may feel differently but as I close each blog with, your pets count!

Does your cat sometimes behave a little strange? Mine does.  Sometimes in the middle of the night, she meows for no apparent reason. I think that she wants me to get up so she’s not alone. This is attention seeking behavior. She’s sometimes make a racket with her toys in the middle of the night. My cat also pushes things off the night stand. She is telling me that it’s time for me to get up and she doesn’t want me to sleep any longer. I once had a BOSE wave radio on my nightstand. My cat learned how to turn in on, not only that, but she would increase the volume so it sounded like a symphony at 3:00 in the morning. I’m sure that delighted my neighbors! I once watched what she was doing. She would turn the radio on, then looked at me to see if I noticed. If I did not wake up, she would increase the volume with her paw until I literally jumped out of bed! Needless to say, the BOSE is gone. It’s stashed in one of my closets. Molly wins again!

Remember, your pets count!