Cats and Coupons

Going back many years, maybe fifteen, I had a cat Nikki. He was a very affection and vocal male Seal Point Himalayan cat. Well, he always knew if one of use used pain relieving rub. Several times if my back was sore I’d have the husband rub some icy hot on it and I’d lay on the couch. Every time I had that on Nikki would come around and get excited by it. How crazy is that! I might not have found it strange had it been shaving cream, or even the best eye cream, but menthol rub? Strange! Do you use any personal products that your cat actually loves the scent of?

Some of the most effective things you can do to get in shape and lose weight is free – walking. One of my doctors once told me that you could eat exactly what you eat now and not gain weight by simply walking a mile a day. If you think you don’t have time in your busy work day to walk, you do. Take a walk on your break. I walk with a coworker twice a day, once for ten minutes and once for fifteen. It’s helping me with weight loss and I’m feeling pretty good. I don’t get out of breath like I used to. If the weather doesn’t permit walking outside, walk inside. I’m not referring to walking circles on your tile floor at home - leave that to the cat. Go to the mall or grocery store and walk it. You’ll feel better for having done it!

My brother has terrible teeth. One of them broke a little over a week ago. He went to the dentist last week and they started three root canals. He needs a lot of work done. I saw some great before and after shots from a Plano dentist but we’re too far away to go there. I know a woman that actually chose to have all of her teeth removed and permanent false ones put in. Seemed a bit extreme to me. Anyway.

Do you ever brush your cat’s teeth? I tried once and it did not go well. I admit I gave up. I should have tried harder, because it is important that pets have home dental care. I can’t imagine giving a cat false teeth. So who here has tips for brushing a cat’s teeth?

I never knew household pets could have acne. While surfing the web today I actually found articles indicating that cats can get acne. The information on PetPlace said it’s rather common and that it’s a lifelong condition limited to the chin and lips, and that it is diagnosed and treated by a vet. For dogs, it’s also limited to the chin and lips but is only from a few months old to about a year. I’ve never seen any over the counter acne solutions for pets in the store. Have you ever had a pet with acne?

There are many conditions cats can have that can’t be passed from cat to human, such as feline leukemia and feline mesothelioma. There are some diseases that can be passed from cats to humans, they are called feline zoonoses (Cat Human Disease). I was curious how many diseases could be passed from cat to human so I did some reading. While there is no one authoritative answer, the concensus is that there are five feline zoonoses that cat owners should be aware of - toxoplasmosis, tuberculosis, bacterial enteritis, skin problems and rabies. The most common way disease can be spread is through fleas, a scratch or a bite.

Yes you read that correctly. Diet pills. For dogs. I didn’t know that there was such a thing, did you? I was surfing the web today and came across a link to Slentrol, a diet pill for dogs made by Pfizer. We knew someone with a very overweight dog and their vet told them the safest way to help the dog lose weight was to monitor what foods and how much of them they gave the dog and to make sure he got lots of exercise. Would you put your dog on diet pills?

I was reading an MSNBC article from February about the contaminated peanuts. Basically the article mentioned that someone had given his dog tainted crackers and the dog died the next day from the salmonella. The article made me realize a couple of things I hadn’t thought of or hadn’t realized. Pets are susceptible to salmonella just like their owners. The pet can pass it to his owner by licking him. The CDC’s suggests that people do the following steps to keep themselves safe - regularly wash pet bowls, always thoroughly wash your hands after handling pet foods, avoid contact of human food and utensils with pet food,
and thorough cleaning of all cleaning surfaces.

Not all health plans are created equal. When I was young I thought that health insurance was health insurance. Now that I work in the industry I know better.You should be familiar with the details of your coverage before you need to use it. If you’re not sure what’s covered call the insurance company and ask. For any type of testing be sure you know beforehand if you need a precertification, preauthorization or reference number. Before visiting a specialist be sure you know if you need a referral. And always take down the name (and extension if possible) of the representative you spoke with. Knowing your insurance coverage can save you a lot of time and money.

 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.