Question:

What can I do to keep my kitten from being bored while I’m away at work?

Answer:

If you’re away for long hours and your cat is home alone, he may not be getting enough stimulation for his mental and physical well-being.

To banish boredom, provide your tabby with a variety of toys. Ping-pong balls and stuffed mice can do wonders to perk up your pet. Dry treats inside a cat ball are entertaining…and tasty, too! It’s a good idea to rotate toys every few days.

To give your kitty a room with a view, place a bird feeder outside a window with a sill. And to create more spots for your cat to climb and explore, set up a cat tree with platforms or a tall scratching post.
Remember, young or social cats may require more stimulation than older or solitary cats. But with your help, Boots can beat boredom!

– Dr. Larry McDaniel, DVM for the “Purina® Animal Instincts”

Question:

Do puppies have unique nutritional needs?

Answer:

All those wildly energetic antics we love to see in puppies require energy from food… lots of food. A three-to five-month-old puppy uses two to four times as much energy, pound for pound, as an adult dog. Puppies therefore need a highly digestible, energy- and nutrient-dense diet about four times a day.

On the other hand — or other paw — you don’t want to overfeed a puppy. Baby fat is neither cute nor healthy on a dog of any age. So when you’re feeding, follow label instructions and consider your canine’s lifestyle and activity levels. Consult your Veterinarian through all of your puppy’s growth stages, and remember — that puppy has some obedience tricks to learn, so save room for a few treats.

– Dr. Andrea Looney, DVM for the “Purina® Animal Instincts”

Question:

My puppy is getting big, but he thinks he’s still a lap dog. How can I teach him that sitting on my lap is no longer OK?

Answer:

That little puppy in your lap was so adorable. But time comes when your lap—no matter the size of the growing dog—is not the perfect place for an adult dog. So stop this canine behavior in its tracks, before lap sitting becomes a life-long habit.

Nothing personal, but you’ll want to treat your lap like any other piece of furniture: no dogs allowed here! Hopefully, by now, your puppy is learning the “off” command. As many times as it takes, firmly say “off!” With a little gentle help getting down.

The floor is a perfectly fine place for dogs. When your pup gets there, enthusiastic praise—“good doggie!” and a training treat—will change a canine mind: this lap dog thing is overrated anyhow.

– Dr. Larry McDaniel, DVM for the “Purina® Animal Instincts”

If temperatures are dropping and snow is in the forecast,the ASPCA recommends the following tips to keep your animal companions safe and sound:

• Never let your dog off leash on snow or ice, especially during a snowstorm. Canines may lose their scent in winter weather, and can easily become lost.
• Provide your companion animal with a warm place to sleep, far away from drafts and off the floor. Dog and cat beds with a warm blanket or pillow are especially cozy.
• Please keep cats inside! Felines who spend time outside can freeze, or become lost or injured. And some outdoor cats seek the warmth under the hoods of cars — so if there are any such kitties in your neighborhood, remember to bang loudly on the hood and wait a few seconds before starting your vehicle.
  
• Wipe off your dog’s legs and belly when she comes in out of the elements. This will remove any salt, antifreeze or other harmful chemicals that could hurt your dog should she ingest them when licking her paws.
• Puppies can’t handle the cold as well as adult dogs, and may be more difficult to housebreak during the winter.
• Electrically-heated pet beds are great, but only with human supervision. Animals will chew on cords, leading to electrocution and house fires.
• Remember exercise for your pets; it is too easy for everyone to stay inside, but they still need to walk and run.
• If your pet is outdoors, provide a warm place to shelter, and ensure unfrozen water to drink.

For many senior citizens, the days seem empty and endless. Many seniors, whose children live far away, and are busy with raising their own families, may go long periods of time without any contact with other people. But one thing that is almost certain to shred that veil of loneliness, is a dog or cat who needs companionship too.

Purina recognized an ideal match-up 20 years ago – seniors need companions and shelter dogs and cats need homes. Purina developed Pets for Seniors, an initiative to make it easier for seniors and shelter animals to come together. Purina donates $50 for each pet adoption through the program, to defray the cost of spaying or neutering and vaccinating, making pet adoptions at little or no cost to seniors. Around 200 animal shelters across the nation participate in the program.

A dog or cat in the home gives a senior a friend to love, care for, and interact with everyday. A pet’s unpredictability breaks up stale routines and creates joyful moments of spontaneity, and provides something delightful to look forward to each day. A pet can dig up satisfying feelings that were buried – feelings of being relevant, needed and useful. The physical benefits are as important as the emotional ones. Seniors who have pets have significantly lower systolic and diastolic blood pressures*. And those with dogs tend to walk longer each day than their peers without dogs.

Seniors Show Their Love for the Pets for Seniors Initiative

The Pets for Seniors initiative, originally called Partners for Pets, had remarkable and surprising success right from the beginning. Soon after it launched, three different senior citizens were so moved by their pets and this initiative that they left money in their wills to support it, so that other seniors could experience the same joy.

“We were honored and humbled that people would trust us so much to leave money to support this program,” said Brenda Bax, Brand Director of Purina Pets for People®, “We’ve kept it going for 20 years and I think that reflects the values and principles of Purina. We are a company of pet lovers and we know it’s the right thing to do. It’s our longest-running program, and it has been viable all these years regardless of company profits or buy-outs.” Purina’s partnership with ARF can help any senior with pet adoptions.

Anyone over age 60 is eligible to adopt a dog or cat at little or no cost through Pets for People, even if they do not live near a participating animal shelter. Through Purina’s partnership with Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF), all you need is to complete a form, and pet adoption fees can be reimbursed.

If you know of a senior adult who is living alone, consider enriching his or her life by suggesting adopting a furry companion through Pets for Seniors. We say suggest, please do not purchase. Often times they won’t say, “No” but don’t want or can’t handle the responsibility.

*Source: Animal Rescue Foundation

 (ARF)

Anyone who believes that never had a cat!

No one can “prove” that a cat feels love anymore than it can be proven that a person feels love. Love is one of those things that cannot be proven.

Cats, of course, show affection—other than just when a meal is about to be served. Unless a cat has had a traumatic history with humans, she will seek out her owner for affection in the form of play, stroking or perhaps a chat.

With Love, Cats Are More Like People Than Dogs

Cats do what pleases them and show affection to their owners on their own terms. Because of this, some say that cats are unattached, unaffectionate and unloving—as evidence, they won’t even come when called.

These people are comparing cats to dogs.

Think about one of the human relationships, where there is no question about love, such as between mother and child. When the child calls from another room, and mom is occupied, she may not even notice. If she does, she’s most likely to call back, “Just a minute!” Unless she believes her child is in danger, she not going to go bounding into the other room wildly excited to see what he wants. So coming when called is not a sign or test of love and devotion.

Or, a mother hugs and kisses her child, and the kid happily hugs and kisses back, and then squirms out of her arms. That doesn’t mean the child is unaffectionate and detached; it just means she’s had enough loving for now. Cats, like people, have their boundaries.

Do cats form an attachment?

Cats form strong attachment to their owners. There are many known cases where the owner had to leave, or died, and the cat showed signs of distress. Cats have been known to sit at the owner’s bedroom door meowing. They’ve gone into hiding. They’ve even refused to eat. Some perfectly healthy cats have had such a strong attachment that they simply died after the loss of their owner, the only cause seeming to be a broken heart.

But the most remarkable evidence of a cat’s love for his owner, are the documented incidences of cats traveling hundreds or thousands of miles to places they’ve never been, and finding their owners.

Cats show love through understanding

On a less dramatic note—many cat owners say that their cat knows when they are upset and will give comfort. Cats have even licked away tears. If the cat were truly self-centered, she would stay away until the owner was more in a frame to please her. Though it may never be proven scientifically, those who give love and devotion to their cats, get the same in return. Sometimes more.

Scientists avoid the subject because part of what sets humans apart from the animals is our ability to experience feelings. To say that animals actually have feelings, in the same way we do, would change everything – perhaps disrupt our entire position and standing in the animal kingdom.

However, any dog owner knows that dogs love completely and have a greater capacity for love than most people. If one were to describe the main characteristics of a dog, they would have to be:

1.   strong affection

2.   warm attachment

3.   unselfish loyalty and benevolent concern for others

Wait a minute – those are the Merriam-Webster Dictionary definitions of love. So there isn’t a question of whether dogs love, the mystery is how they have such an enormous capacity for it.

Dogs Give Unconditional Love
Dogs taken from abusive situations hold no grudges toward the human race. A half an ounce of kindness from a new person results in an abundance of affection from the formerly mistreated dog. Humans rarely have the capacity to so completely forgive and love under those circumstances.

Probably the biggest reason the dog has become man’s best friend is because we know that when it comes to love, a dog can always outdo us. The highest form of love, agape love, which is completely unconditional, is something that people often have to work at or grow into. Agape love seems to come naturally between parent and child, but it’s more difficult between husband and wife, and harder still between friends. To love someone regardless of what wrongs they have done you is very difficult for humans.

A dog, however, is born with an endless capacity for unconditional love, and doesn’t even have to work at it. You can be a complete grouch, ignore your dog, and refuse him your love. When you decide you’re ready to be sociable again, your dog doesn’t pay you back by ignoring you too. He’s just happy you’re there. More amazing still, is that the love that dogs and owners feel for each other lasts a lifetime. This is the ideal love humans strive for, but often fail at.

This is why we need dogs. They do something for us that rarely a human companion can do. No matter how much you mess up your life, or how much wrong you do, no matter how many mistakes you make or how often you make them, regardless of your looks, income or social standing, your dog never judges you. He always thinks you are wonderful and loves you with all his heart.

Last year, we collected 799 pounds of food for SnowCap! Our goal this year is 1200 pounds! 

SnowCap Community Charities helps the needy in our East County community. For more information, visit http://www.snowcap.org/.

Needed:

• Dry dog food
• Dry cat food
• Canned dog food
• Canned cat food
• Any non-perishable people food

Collars, leashes, and beds are also welcome, but not in as much need. If you are purchasing food to donate, large bags of dry food go the farthest, as SnowCap opens them and distributes ziploc bags. We are also accepting cash donations, which will purchase even more pet food!

Anyone who has spent time with a disabled dog or cat knows that a disability detracts little from a pet’s ability to live a normal happy life. Puppies and kittens who are born with a disability, or acquire it early in life, have no idea they’re different. They simply adapt. The most common pet disabilities are deafness, blindness or loss of a limb.

Deaf Cats and Dogs
Since dogs and cats normally have such a tremendous sense of hearing, it would seem that a loss of this sense would be devastating. But, dogs and cats adapt quite well, and become more sensitive to vibrations they feel. And like all dogs and cats, they are excellent readers of body language, so communicating with them is not as difficult as you may imagine.

Deaf pets may not respond to their owner’s spoken words, such as announcing dinnertime, but they read the signals like any other pet. The owner may call their pet by clapping their hands or stomping their feet. Some use a flashlight for visual commands. If you have trained your dog to respond to hand signals, deafness is no barrier to good behavior.

Blind Dogs and Cats
Often, when people adopt a puppy or kitten, they don’t realize their pet is blind or deaf right away. Puppies and kittens tend to be a little clumsy and distracted anyway, so bumping into things or not responding when called may be chalked up to normal infantile behavior. Then they adapt, and learn to navigate the house and communicate with their owner so well, it may take closer observation to discover the disability.

Owners of blind pets usually are careful to keep all furniture in the same place at all times, and even pad sharp edges of furniture. Food and water bowls, litter box, pet bed, and toy stash all need to be in the exact same place for the pet to easily find what she needs.

Three-Legged Dogs and Cats
Seeing a three-legged dog or cat may make you feel sad, but most of them are perfectly adept at doing everything four-legged dogs and cats do. Rather than sad, feel glad these animals are still here in spite of whatever caused the loss of the limb. These guys are survivors!

Most three-legged dogs and cats don’t need any special accommodations to live normal lives – other than making extra sure they maintain a healthy weight. Their body weight has one less leg to bear it, which causes more stress on the other leg joints.

Love a Disabled Pet
Why are we telling you all this? Because we think every dog or cat deserves to have a good life in a loving home, and should not be overlooked in animal shelters because of a disability. When you go to a shelter or breeder to find your next perfect pet to love, we hope you’re open to the idea that your perfect pet may have some imperfections!