Cats and Coupons

 I am not a shoe lover. I despise shoe shopping because my feet are big and I can never find styles that I like that fit. I will be needing a pair of boots for the winter and will almost certainly have to shop online. With it getting colder here I’m starting to see people wearing their UGGs. I’ve always thought that Uggs look pretty warm and comfortable. The ones I like are shorter and have no zipper, I believe from their website they’re called the Short and the Mini. How easy are they to put on? I saw a new style with a zipper called the UGG Knightsbridge that has a zipper but they’re too tall and I don’t like them. Are they comfortable and durable enough to justify the expensive price? Also I have another question. Are UGGs comfortable and durable enough to justify the expensive price?I’d love to hear your replies, they might help me make my decision.

If you have an electric blanket, you might or might not be aware that pets and electric blankets don’t mix. Never put an electric blanket in your pet’s bed and don’t let them get too comfortable on yours. Your dog or cat might chew on the wire and cause electrocution. Or, a nail might accidentally damage the covering of the wire or the wire itself, making it unsafe to use. Be warm, but be safe.

If you’re a cat person and want to get a bit more exercise, consider bringing your cat along as an exercise partner. Walks are the best fat burners there are. You can train your cat to walk outdoors with you. Get your cat used to wearing a harness inside the house. Then add a leash (or rope) to the harness and let the cat walk around with it on for a few days to get used to the change in weight and feel. When he’s comfortable wearing the harness with the leash, pick up the leash and walk him around the house or yard. When your cat does well walking on the harness in the house try it in the yard during a quieter time of day. Once they’ve got that down you can try the side of a street. Bring treats.

I returned from my trip to Watkins Glen NY today. The cats seemed rather happy to see me. After we’d been home about two hours, I was checking my email and CJ was cuddling on the couch with his Dad. I heard Rennie start meowing. She persisted for a few minutes and I heard CJ trying to say something. His speech isn’t always the easiest to understand, but in this case we didn’t need to be futures trading experts to be able to tell that he was telling Rennie to “shhh, be quiet”. He’d been feeling a little under the weather since almost two hours before we got home so I guess he just wanted a little quiet. I thought it was pretty funny.

Did you ever notice that energy drinks are expensive and they’re never on sale? I don’t drink them, but my twelve year old TJ had one over a friend’s house and liked it. He’s a little upset with me because twice this week I wouldn’t buy one for him. I explained I don’t see any reason why a healthy, growing, athletic twelve year old like himself needs to drink that stuff. He likes Monster Energy Drink best. I checked their website and they don’t even list how much caffeine is in the can! He needs to drink those about as much as he needs diet pills. (That means he doesn’t need them.) Monster features sports figures on their website. Why are these companies making products with spokespeople that kids look up to when the kids shouldn’t have the product in the first place?

You might or might not know that many insurance companies will not cover prescription medications that help with weight loss. That makes no sense to me. Lots of insurance companies contribute to things like nutrition counseling, gym memberships and home exercise equipment. Why wouldn’t they pay on a prescription written by a doctor for a medical reason? These medications can be expensive, and it isn’t like there’s half off coupons or anything available for them. You’d think they’d rather pay toward something to help people take weight off rather than pay for the doctors care for the problems that come with being overweight.

I need to lose weight. My friend sent me a link to a $10 coupon for an over the counter weight loss product, Before I was willing to try it I spoke with my doctor and asked him what reliable, safe products might be available over the counter. Some people would say they’d sooner try the product than waste their money going to a doctor first. But I think it’s good to check with a doctor for a couple of reasons. A doctor can tell you how products will interact with any prescription meds you’re taking, what side effects the products might have and how the products might effect existing health conditions. A doctor writing a prescription is different than a company marketing something you can buy over the counter. I mean, how do you know who to believe? Take a product like Alli. Their site offers testimonials and a $10 coupon. That sounds tempting, until you read a review of Alli (click to read) that makes you not want to take it. I don’t know aobut you but I’ll believe my doctor every time.

I was explaining to my son today that it’s important to keep your hair clean and to not touch your face as part of an acne prevention routine. He’s got hair from my side of the family, which tends to be oily. Somehow we got onto the topic of our cats and we both wondered if dogs and cats ever get pimples. I’ve seen a lot of things in the pet store, but never acne treatment. So, does anyone know if cats and dogs can get pimples?

For anyone becoming eligible for Medicare, you’ll be faced with some decisions. One of the first things you’ll need to do is decide what coverage you want. Options include straight Medicare, hmos and medicare advantage plans. When evaluating options be sure to read the details, benefits, copayments and coinsurance information very carefully before choosing. Choose what fits your personal situation the best. If you’re not sure what to choose, ask someone for help. Choosing the wrong plan could end up costing you more money than you realize.

I’m fortunate, the two cats we have now don’t scratch the furniture. The reason I say fortunate is because we adopted them, so we really didn’t know what bad habits we might be getting. Anyway. Cats use their claws to defend themselves, so they sharpen them to keep them ready. That’s why a cat scratches its claws.

Unfortunately, cats claws can be very destructive. If your cats are scratching their claws on your furniture there is something you can try. Cats dislike citrus. Get yourself some lemon scented fabric spray and spritz the furniture with it. Also, be sure your cat knows where an acceptable place to scratch their claws is. Get the cat a scratching post or cat tower and put some catnip on it to get their attention. This is a common technique used to get cats to stop scratching furniture. Let me know if you’ve tried it and how it worked or if you need to try it.

While in the store getting cat food today I noticed some products for pets with incontinence problems. Now I know some puppies are harder to break than others and some people use training pads. And I knew a woman whose dog actually had a flow when she was in season, and she used doggie maxi pads fitted into a belt. But I’m sad to say I never really realized how many pets are out there with incontinence problems due to illness, handicaps and special needs. Once I thought about it it made sense. I mean, many people think of their pets as a member of the family. So, if there are incontinence products for people, why not for a cherished pet?  Products available for pets include disposable and reusable pet diapers, clothing, pads, liners and beds to name a few. Have you ever cared for a pet with an incontinence problem? Are there any products you found helpful?

If you have medical insurance there’s a good chance you have to pay a coinsurance for  diagnostic imaging like xrays, cat scans and mri’s. Sometimes a copay and a coinsurance are required.
When it comes to keeping out of pocket expenses down, many people know the two big rules regarding diagnostic imaging.
1. Before you have your test, be sure to check if you need a precertification.
2. When scheduling be sure you’re going to an in network provider.
But here’s one people may not have thought about. Check with your insurance carrier if you can use a physician who performs and reads his own tests. Here’s an example. I have a 20% coinsurance on all diagnostic imaging and a $30 copay on all visits to a physician’s office. By going to an orthopedist who does his own xrays or cat scans I now only pay $30 and 20% coinsurance. Had I gone to an orthopedist who didn’t I’d pay a $30 copay to him, a 20% coinsurance to the facility where I had the test done and another 20% coinsurance to the radiologist who read the test. Depending on who’s on your insurance policy and the amount of tests you have done this could really save some money. To protect yourself from unpleasant surprises, be sure you know your benefits before having any procedure or test done no matter what insurance you have.

Literally. I thought this article from nj.com was very cool and I wanted to Share Some Good Stuff.

If you’re like me, you’ve probably heard of the MilkBone company. They make doggie treats. What I didn’t know is what a very charitable, generous company they are. In 1997 MilkBone started a program called Canine Heroes, which is a nationwide program that provides assistance dogs to people with physical disabilities and provides dogs trained to detect bombs and drugs to law enforcement agencies. In celebration of MilkBones 100th anniversary, this month the company has donated another million dollars to the Canine Heroes program. Canine Heroes is an expensive program to run, so that money will be put to good use.

Canine Assistants are dogs are placed with people with disabilities and/or other special needs. The program has for types of dogs - service, companion, hearing and seizure response. People that receive an assistance dog also receive free pet food and veterinary care for life. It is estimated that the cost to train one dog is over $12,000 and the training can take more than a year. The article included brief interviews with two New Jersey families who have been fortunate enough to receive Canine Assistants.

MilkBone’s Police Dog program helps place police dogs into communities with little or no cost to the community receiving the dog. In eleven years the Police dog program has sponsored more than 450 police dogs across the country, for a nationwide benefit that’s worth more then $2 million. MilkBone also donated $5,000 to a local NJ Sheriff’s department Canine Assistance program, as well as partnering with Petsmart in donating a Dalmation to the department.

This article touched me on a number of different levels. I liked it enough that I spent some time on the Milkbone Heroes site reading about the programs. The article is a fabulous story about a program that touches many lives. The program is quite interesting, and needed. This is a great human interest story but it also hit home for me on a personal level, as I have a son with special needs. I really enjoyed watching the video on the Canine Assistants site. To watch it just click the words Our Inspiration.  What you see is truly inspiring and heart warming. It’s good stuff.

My middle youngest brother mentioned to me recently that he bought some fitness equipment, one of those all in one gyms they show on television. I must start by saying he isn’t out of shape, he’s underweight and you can see his ribs, so I don’t know what he was thinking when he got it. But I got to thinking that the shipping on those things must cost a small fortune. Why would you not find a comparable machine locally? I can’t see myself in a situation where I’d have something huge and heavy shipped. I always consider shipping costs when buying something over the internet. And, for all major purchases I almost always buy in person. Are there certain items you wouldn’t have shipped?