Fear Free Happy Homes
Reading Time: 3 minutes Growing up, we had the cutest little black-and-white Shih Tzu named Caterpillar. He was good-natured and playful, pulling toilet paper from the roll until it unraveled and climbing on top of our board games so he could become the center of attention. As he aged, Caterpillar gradually began to lose his hearing. It was difficult […]
Reading Time: 4 minutes Whenever cat foster Carolyn Mitchell used to turn on her bathroom faucet to wash her hands, an orange and white cat named Spike would rush to her side. “He would come screaming in,” she recalls. “He wanted to drink out of the sink.” Spike refused to drink or eat out of small bowls because he […]
Reading Time: 5 minutes I’ve always been the vet for my pets, handling their medical needs and surgeries as they aged and ensuring that their care was as Fear Free as possible. When I became a relief vet in 2020, filling in at different clinics around my area, I no longer brought my pets to work. I took on […]
Reading Time: 4 minutes Every year, you send out the same holiday cards. Recently, you’ve been getting more photo print cards of entire families and you want to try it out. You need to get everyone to the photography studio, including your cat because, after all, she’s part of your family. You’d love some single shots of kitty, too, […]
Reading Time: 4 minutes Cats are famously difficult to medicate successfully. Fortunately, compounding medications and customizing them to a cat’s particular tastes is becoming more common. Such meds allow veterinarians to better treat their feline patients and pet parents to successfully administer the treatment. Cats are particularly sensitive to bitter tastes, and many cat parents often recount their devious […]
Reading Time: < 1 minutes The phrase “fighting like cats and dogs” isn’t really accurate. In our experience, cats and dogs can become best friends–if they’re introduced properly. This handout provides guidelines on ways to set up your household to facilitate introductions, keep cats safe during the meet-and-greet, avoid mistakes, and ensure that everyone gets their fair share of attention.
Reading Time: 5 minutes While I hate exercising in general, walking our Poodle mix Dorie around our neighborhood is a pleasure because I love seeing all of her senses engaged. She’s sniffing the air, sniffing the ground, holding her cottony tail high, and like the Terminator, constantly scanning for enemies. Squirrels and grackles both incite Dorie’s wrath, but by […]
Reading Time: < 1 minutes It’s a never-ending conflict: Your cat jumps onto the kitchen counter or dining room table, you tell her to get off, and she ignores you. It doesn’t have to be that way. In our handout, we explain why cats are attracted to these areas and the best ways to “purr-suade” them to perch elsewhere.
Reading Time: < 1 minutes Is your cat relaxed, interested, anxious, getting scared, or ready to run under the bed? You can tell a lot by reading body language and paying attention to vocalizations. In our handout, we offer tips on how to recognize whether your cat’s level of fear, anxiety, or stress is escalating. If you have concerns, talk […]
Reading Time: < 1 minutes A cat’s claws are formidable weapons. Cats keep them sharpened and groomed by scratching–ideally on a scratching post–but to protect our own delicate skin from accidental scratches, it’s also important to keep claws trimmed. In our handout, we offer advice on how to accustom your cat to the process, offer the best rewards, and trim […]