A lady and her kitties strolling in the surf. Really!
Archive for the 'Cats' Category
The Humane Society of the U.S. has great advice on how to keep your pets safe July 4th.
The days after the Fourth of July are the busiest for shelters as they’re flooded with animals who ran away because of fireworks. I’ve noticed a rash of lost posters appears every year in the week following the holiday. For every lost poster, there is a person who never thought it would happen to them. Don’t let it be you and your pet.
Remember to plan for your pets when you’re making your own plans for the 4th of July.
- make sure they have i.d.—tags & a microchip
- don’t take your dog to fireworks displays
- keep cats inside
- keep dogs inside, a dog that has never jumped a fence or tunneled under one can do it in a panic
- if you know your pet is terrified of fireworks, consult your vet ahead of time about herbal anti-anxiety remedies or medication
- consider trying a pheromone dispenser or an Anxiety Wrap
- if your fireworks go off at an unexpected time and your dog panics, get her into an enclosed space whether it’s your house or your car (don’t leave her in an unairconditioned car!)
If your pet panics and runs away, this very thorough article has excellent advice, including putting out items scented strongly with your smells and your pet’s like your dirty clothes and your pets bedding or your cat’s litterbox. Post on Pets911.com. And watch out for scams.
Check out these great instructions for a beefy cat scratching post/cat tree. It’s a no-frills, utilitarian design, but it looks easy to build and that it will last forever. You can make it fancier by painting the shelf supports and by the color carpet you use to cover the shelves. And if you don’t cover the center post in sisal, you could paint it too.
You will need a drill, a saw, and a good staple gun (I recommend an electric one to make sure you get the staples sunk deep.) And be sure to stagger the shelves and make them large enough that your cat can actually climb the tree.
Don’t miss these previous posts on a DIY cat tree and a DIY scratching post.
Jacob the cat went missing in February 2005. The cat was microchipped, but the contact information was out of date. Jacob is back with his owner though because shelter staff were able to find her Facebook page and send her a message. Cool!
Rat droppings
Feds seized undisclosed pet food products at an Illinois PETCO warehouse at the request of the FDA because they were stored in unsanitary conditions. In April, the FDA found “widespread and active rodent and bird infestation”. Apparently PETCO didn’t take these findings too seriously since a second inspection in May found “continuing and widespread infestation”—including “live and dead rodents and birds on or around the food containers, some of which had been gnawed and defiled by excrement”.
This one warehouse supplies 16 states:
- Alabama
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Wisconsin
Although no illnesses have been reported yet, the FDA warns that people who have handled PETCO products in these states should thoroughly wash their hands in hot, soapy water. Surfaces and food bowl that came in contact with PETCO products should also be washed. Products packaged in can and glass containers should also be thoroughly washed.
If your pet has become sick from eating PETCO food, you need to file a complaint with your local FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator. I would assume that this also applies if people have become sick as a result of handling these products.
At this time, PETCO has nothing on its website about the raid.
