Categories
Cats Life at Home

Are Cats Picky Eaters? Here’s the Scoop

Article

Reading Time: 3 minutes Nature is pretty smart. To survive, creatures are designed to crave the food and behavior that they need to be healthy. For example, humans are a social species, and we are omnivores. We evolved to eat a variety of foods served three times a day with the company of others. Humans sometimes have a hard […]

Categories
Dogs Training & Grooming

How Seizure-Alert Dogs Do Their Job

Article

Reading Time: 4 minutes When Olivia Emenaker decided to train her Basset Hound, Dublin, to alert her before she had a seizure, it was partly because he seemed to already have a talent for it on his own. At the time, she was living with her mother, because her seizures made it unsafe for her to live on her […]

Categories
Dogs Life at Home Training & Grooming

Home Grooming Can Be a Bonding Experience

Article

Reading Time: 3 minutes Whenever I comb my 9-pound Poodle, Peach, she cranes her neck, coos with pleasure, and wiggles her way into my lap to be as close as possible. She doesn’t approve when I try to comb her legs and feet, but having her neck combed when she’s not wearing a collar sends her into rapture. My […]

Categories
Life at Home

Opening the Door to More Pet-Friendly Housing

Article

Reading Time: 7 minutes News flash! A recent survey shows that pet owners make excellent, responsible tenants. They stay longer, get along well with their neighbors, and take the responsibility of their pets seriously, resulting in far less property damage than is purported to occur. Plus, most pet parents pay for such damage out of their own pockets! So […]

Categories
Cats Dogs Veterinary Care

How Your Pet’s Weight Affects Fear, Anxiety, and Stress

Article

Reading Time: 3 minutes If you’re a pet parent who finds it hard to resist that furry little face gazing up at you for treats, you’re not alone. The 2018 National Pet Obesity Survey estimates that almost 60 percent of cats and about 56 percent of dogs are overweight or obese. The same survey also indicated that the majority […]

Categories
Dogs Fears & Anxieties Training & Grooming

Monster Alert! Helping Your Dog Overcome Fear of the Vacuum Cleaner

Article

Reading Time: 3 minutes “The monster must DIE!” At least, that’s what I imagined the Chow mix was thinking as she launched herself at the vacuum cleaner, growling and snapping as if she were taking on a zombie horde. I cued the owner to shut off the machine. “You’re right,” I nodded. “She hates the vacuum cleaner.” Now that […]

Categories
Cats Life at Home

While You Were Sleeping

Article

Reading Time: 3 minutes Three years ago, I bought a Foxelli trail cam so I could view what types of wildlife were on our property. I was surprised. I had no idea of the variety of animals in our backyard. When I needed to bring the camera in to change batteries, I wanted to test it to ensure I […]

Categories
Dogs Training & Grooming

Pandemic Pups Learn About Visitors

Article

Reading Time: 5 minutes Now that vaccination rates are rising, you may be starting to think about having visitors come to your home again. This may be a big surprise for your recently acquired dog. “It’s the classic pandemic puppy story,” says Beth Harpaz. “My husband and I wanted a dog to bring some joy into our boring pandemic […]

Categories
Cats Shelters & Fostering

Cats Wanted; Dogs Need Not Apply

Article

Reading Time: 3 minutes Like humans, animals need a purpose in life. Although dogs are often in the spotlight for the jobs they do, cats are not to be outshone. Working cats have their own areas of expertise, going beyond the familiar entry-level job of barn cat. As a feral cat rescue and socialization facility, the Kitty Bungalow Charm […]

Categories
Cats Dogs Life at Home Travel & Safety

Is It Okay for Pets to Eat Cicadas? Mostly, the Bugs are Harmless

Article

Reading Time: 2 minutes Depending on where you happen to live, your neighborhood may seem like a horror movie come to life. Millions of cicadas from Brood X, or the 17-year cicadas, will swarm and create a cacophony louder than several jackhammers. They are annoying to us but otherwise harmless, although some dogs consider them an opportunity for a […]