As the holiday season approaches, pet parents may question if it’s really such a bad thing to share the feast with four-legged family members. Pets are loved and it is the season for giving. Surely a little bit of turkey is okay, right? Nobody likes a holiday buzzkill. And among children and guests, it is […]
Holiday Food Pet Safety Read More »
On the flip side The cat’s use of scent to maintain social equilibrium can cause problems in the human-feline relationship. With paws stretched wide, claws extended, scratching releases pheromones that give off a strong scent that reassures cats their environment is safe. Usually not a problem until this innate drive is directed at your furniture.
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Pets are family. Now more than ever pet owners want to feed their dogs and cats as they feed themselves: natural and free-from. Pet food companies have acknowledged the inner circle status of pets by offering a broad range of solution-oriented diets boasting high quality ingredients to improve health at every stage of life. Owners
How Fresh Is Your Pet’s Kibble? Read More »
Baxter and Bitty could have stepped off the pages of the Bengal cat breed profile: sweet-natured, affectionate, playful, high energy, and exotically beautiful. Baxter was perennially outgoing, Bitty’s charm was masked by shyness around strangers, keeping her in the shadow of her spirited 14-pound brother. She followed him everywhere, including into trouble. I entered the
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The Penn professors had recently moved into a large Victorian-era house with Monkey, their 2-year-old gray tabby. He was small, lively and very cute. His special talent was scaling the seemingly impossible, a penchant aided by an extra toe on each snowy front paw. Monkey’s new home was a paradise of tall windows, stairways, mantels,
Never underestimate what your dog (or cat) can or will do when they want something badly enough. The Mischief-Maker is about Homer, a little dog that only wanted his owner’s time and attention but ended up feeling grumpy all the time because his favorite human was exasperated and exhausted by his persistent attempts to get
Is Your Pet Demanding? Read More »
Discouraging an insanely gifted athlete from popping up onto kitchen counters would seem a hopeless endeavor. Yet there are persistent, determined cat owners who have succeeded. If you happen to live with a cat more persistent and determined than you are — but the idea of a cat on kitchen counters drives you crazy —
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Standing between the kitchen sink and Sapphire’s feeding station is an island regularly used by a pet owner who loves to cook and a cat that appreciates its value as a social platform perfectly suited to her pint-size flair for brand placement. Of course, taking a walk on the countertop would be a mere trifle
The Litter Box Withholder introduces readers to Harry, a cat very easy to love. He is beautiful, friendly, and enjoys being cradled in his owners’ arms like a baby. So it’s no surprise that a few little meows at mealtime were met with smiles and extra attention. Harry’s keen interest in the intoxicating smell of
Can You Hear Me Now? Read More »
The first time I cared for Harry, he didn’t use his litter box until the third day. A big relief for both of us. Until then I was patting down patterned rugs, soft furnishings, checking under beds and inside closets convinced I would find proof Harry was thinking outside the box. He wasn’t and that
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On the several occasions Harold’s doting owners traveled together, their beloved tabby would make himself personally available only to sink his teeth into me. In Harold’s contrary world there were two kinds of people: the owners who loved and accepted him and the soft targets who visited. Among the latter group he was known as
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The majority of cats are faithful to their litter boxes. But when they aren’t, the reasons fall into two general categories: health problems and thinking-outside-the-box issues. In all cases taking the cat for a health checkup is the vet-recommended first step. If the problem is not health-related, a cat will use urine and feces to
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