Did you ever notice that pictures intended to portray happy, healthy people frequently include a dog? I was on a site offering quotes for bcbsnc when I realized this. Why don’t we see more pictures in ads showing cats? The feel and sound of a cat purring is absolutely amazing, as any cat lover will tell you. And it’s also been proven that they can have a very positive effect on a person’s health. I want to see more cats!
Rennie looks like she’s lost some weight again. She’s always been on the thin side but right now she’s looking like she’s taken phentermine diet pills for kitties. It’s only just starting to get hot here and flea season isn’t hopping (ha ha) yet. She doesn’t much like the dry food. She really loves the wet. I usually mix the dry and wet foods together but I’ve caught her literally moving the dry food around so she only gets the wet. I think I’m going to put her back on the kitty vitamins. I hate to start messing with the dry food at the risk of causing other problems. I’ve fed them Purina Kitten Chow since I got them. I guess I’ll try and find a box to try just for her.
Pet health insurance is becoming more and more popular. I didn’t know until today that there are also different forms of pet life insurance. Some companies offer cheap term life insurance rates for pets. When the pet dies the policy covers expenses such as cremation. There is also apparanetly another type of pet life insurance policy that will pay money to the owner. From what I read this is a more expensive type of policy and it’s more for show animals.
Hill’s has a coupon on their website for $5 off of Science Diet Nature’s Best pet food. There’s a coupon for cat food and another for dog food. To get the coupon you need to register for a free account. After doing that you’ll be able to print your coupon. The cat food coupon that I printed is $5 off a 3 pound or larger bag and expires on 06/24/09.
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 had hamsters when I was young. Wow can they multiply!!! I always got a kick out of playing with them. My Mom was a great sport. I was always begging her to buy pieces of tube for their house or something. Of course we bought them an exercise wheel. Heck, I would have asked Mom to buy them a treadmill if hamsters used treadmills,
I found a site called the Hamster Hideout. The site is full of information and resources all about hamsters. Topics covered include bedding, cages, accessories, feeding, handling, grooming and health. There’s also some games, ecards and downloads. If you’re into hamsters or want to learn more about them check out the Hamster Hideout.
I saw something new in the grocery store this past week that just cracked me up. It was Fresh Bites dog food. This isn’t your typical dog food in a bag or can, this stuff is refrigerated. Yes, right in the middle of the pet aisle in Shop Rite now sits a refrigerated case the size of a single wide soda cooler. The food comes in containers of bite sized pieces or a roll that you slice (like liverwurst). The stuff is expensive, one roll was about $7! I love my pets but that’s ridiculous.
While I was surfing today I cam across a site from the United Kingdom for an organization called the PDSA, a veterinary charity. The charity selects eight animals to compete in an annual Pet Fit Club competition, sort of like a Biggest Loser for pets. In November 2008 the organization selected seven dogs and one cat for the 100 day diet and fitness regimen. I thought only one of the dogs looked really big but the cat is absolutely immense! No question of the cat having gotten into any weight loss pills, that’s for sure. The competition should be ending soon, I’m curious to see who’s the biggest loser.
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.
Does your cat or dog prefer your things to their own? I’ve found that’s usually the case in our house. I buy the dog a bed, he sleeps on the couch. That same dog has always tried to con us into feeding him table food. I buy the cat a scratching post, he uses the laundry basket. I found a store that carries all sorts of sports gifts and found a really nice blanket I’d love to get for TJ. I realized the cat would probably spend more time on or under it than TJ would so I didn’t get it. Maybe I should order the cat a people blanket….
I’d never heard of peternity leave until today. Peternity leave is the pet lover’s version of maternity leave - time off of work to care for an animal. I read on WSJ that there are companies based outside of the US that offer time to care for a new or ill pet, as well as grieve the loss of a pet. I understand offering an employee a day or two off to deal with the death of an animal. But to offer employees time off to care for new animals? I don’t see the need. I know someone who had constantly gets new pets. At one point she had 8 pets. At some point there’d be a job being held for someone that would be more appropriately given to someone that needed it. If a person can’t deal with the responsibility of a new animal they shouldn’t get one.
Found Animals is a California based non-profit organization that is trying to raise awareness of pet overpopulation through the use of creative thinking and community partnerships. They are only focusing to reduce the amount of euthanasia within part of the Los Angeles area. If effective they then plan on rolling out the model within other communities. They are attempting to educate the public and promote the idea that every animal be spayed or neutered.
By now most of you have probably heard about the salmonella found in peanut butter made by the Peanut Corporation Of america. Many companies have recalled products containing peanut butter made at this company’s Blakely, Georgia plant. The recalls have expanded to include some dog treats, so check the salmonella page on the FDA website to be sure you haven’t got dog treats from that plant.
When winter arrives, as it has here in the Northeast, the outdoors can be a dangerous place for pets. Whenever possible allow your pets indoors during the cold. If you have an outdoor pet that absolutely cannot be allowed indoors, consider these five tips.
You are responsible for providing the best care possible to your pet, even if it is an outdoor one. After all, they can’t just plug in an electric blanket like a person inside can.
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