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Saturday, October 24, 2009

Howl-O-Ween Dos and Don'ts


Here's hoping that you and your dog have a happy fun - and importantly - a safe Halloween. With a little preparation this should not be a problem.

Make sure to keep your Halloween decorations just out of reach. Cats especially love electrical cords. Pets are curious, anything that is shiny, crinkly twinkling is attention getting. Motion decorations can be hard to resist - but can also be scary for some dogs. I know that Kanji will definitely bark at any moving figures - it scars him (which I guess is the intention of those type of decorations.

Keep Halloween candy away from pets. Especially chocolate which is toxic to dogs and cats. Gum and candy with xylitol, an artificial sweetener, is known to be deadly. To be safe make sure you have treats for the pets around.

Candles in pumpkins can lead curious cats into dangerous situations - so maybe these are not such a good idea to have around. Teenagers can be especially cruel to animals during this time - acting out as pranksters or doing their devilish things. Don't leave your pet outside unsupervised (which is a good thing to do all year round), - better not to take any chances.

Every time the door bell rings Kanji goes ballistic - he is assuming someone is coming to visit him and he gets so excited. On Halloween you usually have a constantly ringing doorbell and a parade of strange costumed individuals. This can be overwhelming for some dogs and you may want to consider putting them in a room far away from the mayhem which might be happening. Give them a chew bone or a toy to try and distract them. If they get too stressed consider things like Happy Traveler or Rescue Remedy - natural remedies to relieve stress - we carry both at Cause to Paws.

If you are trick or treating with your dog (with or without a costume!) make sure they wear their collars and ID tags.

Have a Happy (and safe) Howl-O-Ween.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Shocking news: Electrical and phone cords are ticking time bombs

"Until you add a cat to your life you won't have realized how many cords there are in the average house. From curtain cords to lamps, computers, kitchen appliances, telephones, hair dryers or irons, they're everywhere. While cats all like to play with cords, kittens are especially vulnerable because they play with things by putting them in their mouth. If a kitten chews an electrical cord she can get burned or cause a house fire. If she gets tangled up in window blind cords she can get trapped and strangle. Make sure to always keep all types of household cords out of the reach of your little kitties."

by Tracie Hotchner, author of The Cat Bible

At Cause to Paws we often have customers come in and tell us how their cats are eating their computer wires - not realizing that cats like to chew. We have sold them little rubber bones, cat coils and even 3" bully sticks to help with their chewing needs. There are also lots of dangling teaser type cat toys which can take the place of the cords. Cats need to have play and interaction time, so it is important to have things available for them to play with, alone or with you. Our cat section is quite extensive to try and cover all these needs. We are constantly looking for new things to keep the cat busy - so they will avoid the household items.
Fling-Ama-String™…if cats had money, they'd buy one! Fling-Ama-String™ hangs on any standard door knob. It is battery-operated. One side of a long string is sewn to a flat elastic "conveyer belt' which is constantly rotating. The string flings in and out for kitty’s non-stop amusement. The toy has 2 speeds to satisfy the frisky or faint feline. Batteries not included.