Archive for January, 2010
Dog ear care. Prevent infections and the use of pet medication
Ear care is usually one of the easiest dog grooming tasks that you may do but it is a very necessary task. Unless your dog hunts, swims or has ear problems, ear cleaning needs to be done every few weeks. It’s a good idea to do it when you give your dog a bath.
Clean the outermost area of your dogs ears with a Q tip or a cotton swab that is dampened with water. You can even use a small amount of baby oil. To clean further inside the ear, you should use an ear cleaning solution. Ask your vet which is the best one to use. To do this, put the solution bottle between our palms to warm it first. Then squirt the prescribed amount into your dogs ear canal. Gently message the base of the ear. Remove any dirt or wax with a dry cotton ball or swab.
If you keep your dogs ears clean, you will prevent infections and problems down the road. You will also save on vet and pet medication bills.
Cats arching their back. They do this even indoors after they get up from a long knap in their cat bed.
You’ve seen the sillouette on halloween decorations, the scary cat with the arched back with its hair standing on end. You’ve probably seen your cat doing the same thing. Arching the back, fluffing the hair on the back and tail and turning sideways will make your cat appear larger than it really is. When the cat starts to hiss and snarl, a feint hearted aggressor may go running. Even if your cat spends all of his time in the protected environment of your home, playing with their cat toys and sleeping in their nice warm cat bed, they will still arch their back when stretching. Why do they do this? It could simply feel good but it could be instinctual so that they are able to protect themselves from a future threat if they’re backed into a corner. This is normal behavior so don’t be alarmed unless you are the one that the cat is arching his back and hissing at!
Finding a Lost Cat
Losing your cat is scary but the best thing to do is stay calm and start looking for your pet right away! The longer you wait, the further away she could wander. Most cats will hide when they become stressed or lost. First call her and look in all of her hiding spaces in the house like closets, under the bed etc. If she has gotten, out, start your search in your own neighborhood. Listen carefully for your cats meow. Talk to neighbors who might have seen her and check in cat hiding spots like under porches. Try sprinkling some of her cat litter out front. She may be able to follow her own scent right back to your door. Most lost cats do find their way home. It’s a good idea to contact your local cat shelter and post missing cat flyers if she isn’t back soon. My cats are indoor cats and one time when she was a young girl, my small cat Millie wound up on my neighbors terrace. I happened to hear her cry. Some how, she climbed over the railing and got onto the terrace. Luckily my neighbor was home and I got her right away. I know, the experience can be scary! Always microchip your pets, it could be lifesaving!
Remember, pets are family!
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It was early on a Saturday morning in the late eighties.I was living in Hoboken, NJ at the time. Normally,since it was only about 5:00am, my Chihuahua was fast asleep at the foot of my bed. Today was different. He began running around the room barking and barking. He then jumped on me in the bed and insisted that I get up. I was baffled by this change in behavior and thought that he may be sick. Just at that moment, there was a loud noise, the bed shook and everything was calm again including my dog. It sounded like an explosion. I got up went in the hallway to see what had happened but found nothing. I later found out that at that time, there was a small earthquake in Westchester County, NY about 25 miles to the north. I felt the effects of this small quake and my dog knew it was going to happen before it did. How did he know?
Many people believe that dogs and even cats have a special sense and can feel or predict earthquakes. A German scientist, Helmut Tributsch once published an article about animal behavior and earthquakes. It theorized that the flow of icons – electrically charged air – created by the friction of the earth’s underground plates rubbing together just prior to earthquakes might be detectable to animals. The reason he gives is that animals have drier body surfaces than humans. Tributsch believes that animals are more sensitive to the electrostatic charges that precede earthquakes.
There are lots of examples of animals acting strangely before earthquakes. No has proven without a doubt that dogs and cats can predict earthquakes. If you live in an earthquake prone zone, write down the next time your dog or cat acts funny. You may be able to see for yourself whether your pet has this ability. Think of the help this could be to geophysicists and seismologists!
The next time your dog is running around barking, don’t run for the dog leash too quickly.
When you cat talks to you. What is she saying besides “I want to get out of this cat carrier?”
A few moments ago, my older cat Mollie, got up from the chair that she was sitting on and came over to me and began a long series of “Meows.” She had already eaten so I knew that she wasn’t hungry. I pet her but she still was walking around “meowing.” What was she trying to tell me? A cat’s meow is not just a simple cat sound but rather a sophisticated method of communication. A cat’s meow is as individual as the voice of a person. Some cats are very quiet while other are very talkative. A Siamese cat is known their shrill wail. You can always distinguish the difference from that of other cats.
The most common meow is the cry for attention. Usually when any of my cats cry, they want some kind of attention. My younger cat, Millie will sit on top of the headboard of my bed and cry for me to get up if I’m not up by a certain time. Today, I got up at 8:00am. I’m usually up at 6:00 or 7:00am so according to Millie, I was an hour late and she let me hear about it!
If the meowing occurs when you come home, your cat is probably glad to see you and wants to be pet. Funny, my cats never meow when I come home. Maybe they are not happy to see me.
A female cat in heat will cry and meow constantly to advertise her availability to prospective males.
Sometimes, a cat will make a strange chattering sound when they see prey but discover that the prey is unreachable. My younger cat Millie does this all the time. She sits at the window early in the morning and sees birds or squirrels that she can not reach.
One quick note. If you have a cat that is very quiet and all of a sudden it starts meowing, this could indicate that it is sick and should be checked out by a vet.
Don’t worry if you cat is meowing in her cat carrier. We all know that most cats do not like being in there.
Tomorrow, can your cat or dog predict an earthquake?
Oriental Cats – Yes they are playful so make sure you have plenty of cat toys on hand.
The Oriental is a breed of cat that has special unique characteristics. The Oriental is distantly related to the Siamese but its’ solid color coat does not have the dark points of the Siamese. They come in both short hair and long hair variety. The Oriental has a long, sleek body and is very intelligent. The typical Oriental can still develop intense relationships with humans. People who love their Oriental cats list four main characteristics.
- active
- playful
- affectionate
- vocal
Get out those cat toys because if your Oriental cat wants to play, you’ll be the first to hear about it!
Pet Insurance it can help with pet medication and medical expenses.
Do cats snore? There’s no pet medication that will cure this one!
Most of us are willing to admit that we were abuptly woken up in the middle of the night to the sound of an on coming train! Yes, loud snoring. Let me tell you about being woken up out of a deep sleep to that same sound. Only there wasn’t any spouse or significant other lying next to me. I had my little furry friend Mollie lying near my feet keeping me nice and warm on a cold night in Delaware. The loud sound was Mollie snoring. I could never believe that a cat could snore. As I lie awake, she was sound asleep snoring up a sound. Do you know that I had to wake her up to stop her from snoring just like you would a spouse or significant other! So the answer to this very pressing question is yes cats do snore. A study that was conducted at the Mayo Clinic discovered this terrible truth. Of the people who allow their pets to sleep with them, snoring was reported in 21 percent of dogs and 7 percent of cats. My Mollie is one of that 7%. So if there is no one in your bedroom except your cat, you’re not dreaming if you think you hear snoring and there is no ghost lying next to you. It’s only your furry little friend who is getting a much better nights sleep than you are at this point. No, there is no pet medication that can cure your cats problem and there are no nose strips for cats.
Get Your Dog Out of Your Bed
Dogs love to be cuddly and warm. This is clear when they incessantly burrow under blankets and snuggle in bed with you. But dogs that shed a lot or have flea problems may not be welcome in bed with you. You can curb this behavior by buying your dog a super warm, comfortable bed that they simply won’t want to get out of.
A fleece dog bed is the perfect solution. A soft fleece bed with cushions will fill his need for surrounding warmth, harkening back to his days as a puppy sleeping with his littermates. Look for a bed that features non-pilling fleece and is machine-washable. Your dog—and your bed—will thank you!
Etiquette for city dogs – not the ones with the diamond studded dog leashes!
Before you hit the streets with your city dog, make sure that you teach him a few basic commands. “Sit” and “stay” always works when you’re waiting for a traffic light to change. “Heel” keeps in close to you when you need control on crowded city streets. “Leave it” is helpful if he picks up something that he shouldn’t eat. “Come” can be a life saver if he slips through his leash. As a city dog owner, it’s really up to you to keep your dog out of harms way. Make sure that you are respectful of other people you may meet. Not everyone is a dog lover even some dogs can be wary of your dog. Always ask before you let your dog approaches someone or another dog. Most important, you should learn you citys’ leash, license and pooper scooper laws. They are written to protect you, your dog and the entire community. City etiquette is not just for those “shi shi” dogs with the fancy clothing and diamond studded dog leashes but it’s for all dog owners who live in a city environment.