Sharing what I’ve learned about cats & dogs, after many years as a professional vet tech, groomer, breeder, kennel owner, international transporter, and pet owner
Recently my two old male Ragdoll cats are showing their age. They are brothers, about 15 years old now, the two kittens I kept from my last litter years ago. Call them seniors, geriatrics, or just old, but as elderly cats they have special needs now. What changes as a cat ages, and what are those … Continue reading What to do When You Have an Elderly Cat
Denning is a natural instinct for dogs – just watch a dog afraid of a thunderstorm. The first thing they do is hide behind or under something to feel protected. For puppies, crate training is most often associated with house breaking, but a crate can be a friend for life when needed. A crate is … Continue reading How to Crate Train a Puppy
Seems like we always have a couple feral cats hanging around. Feral cats, different from stray cats in that they were never owned by anyone, and are wild and untouchable, and not adoptable. Maybe we only catch them on a trail cam outside, but occasionally we see them. Right now I have a couple feral … Continue reading Caring for Feral Cats: Bitty Kitty and Tom
Ticks are common throughout much of the USA as well as the rest of the world. They prefer fairly humid conditions but it must be at least 45F/ 7 C degrees to survive and reproduce. In really cold or hot weather they are less active. So in the fall, I see more of them after … Continue reading It’s Fall – and Ticks are out!
Our pets grow old before our eyes, with a life span much shorter than we would like. So what should you do for an aging pet? Help ease them into old age comfortably and as healthy as possible. Here's some ideas. Watch for changes in behavior - is your dog suddenly stiff when getting up … Continue reading What Should I being doing for my Senior Pet?
Sometimes it is obvious when your pet is not feeling well, but other times it may just be a feeling you have based on your pets behavior. Trust you instincts. As a pet owner, you know your pet better than anyone else. If you think your dog or cat is “just not right”, chances are … Continue reading How Can I tell If My Pet is Sick?
Let's face it - a dog or cat can be a lot quicker on their feet than we normally give them credit for. So it pays to have some pet identification measures ready: It only takes a few seconds to be out an open door, through a window, jump form a vehicle or haul them … Continue reading Pet Identification and getting lost pets back home
There are two major categories of cat aggression – aggression against people and aggression against other cats Aggression with People Cats may demonstrate aggression toward people for a couple of reason. One is the they have not been socialized well. If they are afraid of being handles and touched, they may react out of fear … Continue reading Cat Aggression with other Pets and People
Our male Border Collie Speck is deaf. Never having had a deaf pet before, it took me a bit of time to figure it out. For starters he seemed very stubborn as a puppy. He never listened to me. Occasionally my husband's deep and louder voice would get his attention. He seemed willing to learn, … Continue reading How to deal with a Deaf Pet
I caught this story on line - what a great idea. I can only hope more places would "adopt" the idea. Pets give a senior citizen a reason to get up in the morning, to have a purpose, namely to care for another leaving being. Older pets have shorter lifespan, and so a senior person … Continue reading Senior Pets for Senior Citizens