Fear Free Happy Homes
Reading Time: 2 minutes When the phone rings, does your cat come running? At our house, we still have a land line with a long cord, in addition to our cell phones. My Karma-Kat tries to bite through the phone cord whenever I’m in a conversation. Some cat lovers report that their kitties become aggressive around the telephone. Thankfully, most […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes For dogs, jumping up is a normal behavior. They often licks other’s faces in greeting. Since most dogs can’t easily reach us, they leap to offer their version of a polite canine “howdy” and solicit attention. Many folks think jumping up is cute, at least when the pet is a pup. That attraction wanes when […]
Reading Time: 2 minutes Here in Texas, the warm weather continues to bring big-bug migrations from outside to the living room. The cats are thrilled with cricket carcasses and the occasional disoriented field mouse that takes a deadly detour. Thank goodness, both Karma-Kat and Seren-Kitty haven’t presented me with anything beyond a cricket drumstick. But it’s not unusual for […]
Reading Time: 2 minutes Our cats sometimes challenge the most insightful among us to figure out what’s behind a weird and wacky behavior. Felines always have a good reason for doing what they do. But a given behavior doesn’t always mean what you think, including why cats follow us to the bathroom. CAT POTTY BUDDIES Dogs do this, too, […]
Reading Time: 2 minutes Dogs often indulge in the habit of dung eating, technically called coprophagia. Mother dogs keep the nest free of smells by eating waste from puppies. As a result, many puppies copy the behavior when young, and may indulge in dung-eating of their own or other animal’s feces. Most pups outgrow the behavior, but some dogs […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes Fear and stress play important roles in the ability to function, for humans and dogs. Fear, for instance, helps to protect from danger. Stress aids in reacting to and learning from threats and improves memory. Too much fear, stress and anxiety isn’t healthy, though. Excess stress and anxiety affect the immune system, negatively influencing both […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes My four-year-old Karma-Kat easily puts on weight, but is a model for picky eaters everywhere. In contrast, my 21-year-old Seren-Kitty weighs barely six pounds, eats everything, and wants to munch constantly. How does your cat fit in this spectrum? While there are exceptions to every rule, most cats follow in their ancestor’s pawprints. Blame how […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes If your dog has land to ramble, there’s a good chance he’ll encounter a skunk. City dogs aren’t immune, since wildlife often ignores property boundaries to have babies under your front porch. It’s understandable when clueless dogs get skunked during a close encounter of the stinky kind. But why do they repeat the dirty deed […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes Background information about your pup can help the veterinary staff better care for the little guy. And whether the pup acts healthy or is under the weather, it’s important to bring samples from your baby’s (ahem) output for the vet to evaluate. Here’s what you should plan on bringing to the visit. Documentation Shelters and […]
Reading Time: 2 minutes Congratulations on your new bundle of joy. Have you scheduled your puppy’s first veterinary visit? Puppies are works in progress, eager to explore their new world, but it takes a team to protect them. Thankfully, a puppy’s “cute factor” makes it easy to forgive expected mistakes. But puppies need more than “cute” to protect their […]