Amy Shojai's Blog, page 105

How To Litter Box Train Your New Kitten

Pretty as a picture! Image Copr. Amy Shojai, CABC

Did you get a new baby cat over the holidays? Con-CATS-ulations! Most kittens come pre-programmed to “do the right thing” in the litter box, but there are some challenges with the little guys. You can avoid some of these issues (and hopefully prevent litter box whoopsies in adult cats) by teaching the baby from the start.

Today’s Ask Amy has some basic litter box training tips. How have you managed training for your new kittens? Mom-cat often teaches good bathroom behavior, but some kittens are orphans and you have to do the teaching. Please share your tips in the comments–and feel free to add some SQUEEE! cute kitten pix, too. Of course, the Complete Kitten Care book has many more details on all-things-kittens.

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered–post in the comments. Do you have a new kitten and need answers? Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, check out weekly FREE PUPPY CARE newsletter, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter. Stay up to date with the latest book give aways and appearances related to my  THRILLERS WITH BITE!

Pets New Years Resolutions

“More treetz, pleeze!” Image Copr. Amy Shojai, CABC

It’s 2014, wow. A new year is a time for reflection on the past, and resolutions for the future. This year has been incredibly rewarding on the pet-writing front. I’ve published three new nonfiction pet books in the ComPETability series, a debut dog-viewpoint thriller LOST AND FOUND, and I just sent my editor the copy edits for the sequel HIDE AND SEEK coming out later this month. None of this would have been possible without YOU, my wonderful readers and partners in furry-icity. My furry crew tells me it’s a good time to take stock of the past year from a pets’-eye-view, too, and the year to come.

The Magical-dawg romped through the year and had only one “emergency” that thank goodness turned out to be a bug bite reaction that resolved on his own. He’s now seven, so I suppose it’s time he started slowing down. Seren-kitty has reached the grand age of 16 and noticeably slowed down. This year she had her first major illness, break out with schnorkles in August and has continued to snort and snuffle ever since. She sleeps more, her black mask has turned cream, her claws click when she walks (arthritis makes it hard to keep them hidden) but pestering the dog keeps her engaged in life. I pray that the years will touch me as lightly as they have my little Siamese wannabe.

“More naps, alla the time. Oh, and treetz, too.” Image Copr. Amy Shojai, CABC

So here are New Year’s Resolutions from Magic and Seren, with commentary by Amy.

Magic:  “I will train my humans to toss toys with better aim.”

Amy: He insists on fetch both inside the house and out. So I resolve to keep breakables out of tossed-ball-range, and use only the soft stuffed toys to cut down on household damage.

Seren:  “I will train my humans to offer more treats, more often—away from the (spit) dawg.”

Amy: She’s accomplished this and has trained my husband to give her a taste of plain yogurt each morning. So I resolve to keep offering her treats as long as she asks—out of Magic nose-sniffing range. At her age, she deserves feeling like the queen.

Magic: “I will kill all squeakers and chew sticky-out wrong parts on toys.”

Amy: He amputates teddy-bear ears, and SQUEEEEEKS toys forever to drive us crazy. I resolve to find a Magic-proof squeaky stuffed toy—been looking for years now. And I found an “ultra-sonic” squeaky toy, and if it lasts, I’ll be delighted!

Seren: “I will stand on table tops, hassocks and Amy’s lap and cry and yowl to get the (spit) dawg in trouble.”

Amy: She used to enjoy late night gallops from my office down the stairs and back again, but that happens less frequently now. I resolve to keep Magic otherwise engaged so that Seren can enjoy her teasing perch antics for as long as she continues to want to harass the dog.

Magic: “I will grab all the water from the hose, and dig out water from the pool every day.”

Amy: To keep Magic from drinking tainted tank water we introduced hose tag to keep him cool, and found a wading pool for the hottest days. I resolve to find a bigger wading pool that holds more water to cool off my hot dog.

Seren: “I will drink from every water bowl in the house.”

Amy: Seren loves sipping from running water, and she has two “cat fountains” and a water bowl at every sink AND on the kitchen table—and drinks from my glass, given the chance. Her water consumption reduced once we got her diet adjusted for early kidney issues, but sipping water has become a greeting behavior and interactive activity for her. If we’re there, she visits and sips. I resolve to keep giving her the attention she wants, whether she sips or not.

Magic: “I will train Amy to play with the Frisbees—all 12 of them—ALL THE TIME!”

Amy: Magic obsessed over the Frisbees. He’s learned to catch and retrieve them, if Amy can throw them correctly. And yes, he’ll stack and carry as many as I throw. I resolve to keep a supply of fresh Frisbees handy for the times Magic loses them (or they’re stolen by coyotes).

Seren: “I will sleep more, hiss less. Except around the dog.”

Amy: Seren’s blue bed rests on the dining room table under a stained glass lamp shade.  It’s out of reach of her nemesis, and a favorite spot especially on chilly winter days. I resolve to invest in light bulbs to keep the kitty “heat lamp” on at all times.

Magic: “I will go for a ride forever!”

Amy: Magic continues his love affair with the Magic-Mobile. I resolve to give Magic a car ride at least every other day, pending good weather.

Seren: “I will torment the dawg (hiss) at every opportunity! And pretend I don’t like him.”

Amy: Seren’s favorite game is to get Magic in trouble. But her hiss quotient has reduced this past year, and she’s allowed more actual dog-sniffs than ever in the past. Part of that may be her arthritis makes it hard to leap away, so she puts up with it. But she also “flips” and rolls in front of Magic so…I think he’s grown on her! I resolve to “pretend” that I don’t notice Seren actually sorta-kinda-in-a-way likes the (hiss) dog.

Seren: “I will train Amy there’s more to nine lives than paw-tapping and staring at a boxy computer-thing. Like catnip. And whisker-kisses.”

Magic: “I will train Amy that naps together are a good thing. So are tummy rubs.”

Amy: I resolve to listen to my furry wonders. What about you?

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered–post in the comments. Do you have a new kitten and need answers? Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, check out weekly FREE PUPPY CARE newsletter, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter. Stay up to date with the latest book give aways and appearances related to my  THRILLERS WITH BITE!

Monday Mentions: Writer-icity Plans & Garden Goals

My desk is clean! (for the next few days, anyway…). Keeping the “old” desktop on the left for now, since it has the music writing software, but otherwise relying on the new one (on the desk treadmill on the right). And yes, plan to do lots more tread-milling!

Only one more day until 2014, wowzer! I’ve spent the last week or so getting caught up, cleaning out files, and clearing my desk (and brain) for the new year’s projects. I even got a new desktop computer (the old one got a nearly terminal case of hiccups). How about you?

One project will revamp our rose garden. About 15 years ago we started out with around 700 antique roses, and since then, drought and grasshoppers and weeds–and sadly, neglect (it takes a LOT of time!)–has left us with maybe 450 or so. They’re glorious when they bloom but would do best having a full-time gardener which we can’t afford. So, the revamp. Fewer but better cared for plants will allow for us to do more with designs and dog-space-play-areas and suchlike. Got those stone-cast bird feeders for Christmas and can’t wait to get them set up. Hubby has plans for inside-the-house stuff, too.

I’ve also got a number of writing projects on the to-do list, in addition to this blog, the puppies.about.com site and my weekly P’ETiQuette newspaper column.

My co-author and I plan to finish, cast and produce STRAYS, THE MUSICAL this year.
My next thriller HIDE AND SEEK should launch very soon, which means I must write the third book in the series SHOW AND TELL.
I’ve ideas for a NEW thriller series, again with some critter viewpoint characters.
I’d also like to publish COMPLETE PUPPY CARE book (what do you think? is that a good idea? as companion to the kitten book *s*).
Audio books for new titles, the last ComPETability title and the two aging pet books are on my to-do list as well.
Plans are in the works for some On-Demand Webinar classes for both pet-centric topics and writer-icity info.
I also plan to publish two very short chapter excerpts from the two aging pet books and make them perma-free (or as close to that as possible) dealing with pet loss and bereavement. So many of my colleagues and friends have faced this recently and I know it’s in my future as well. *sigh*

So, what’s on your New Year’s to-do list? Do tell!

Monday Mentions is the mash-up-day of all the neato-torpedo writer links and videos, pet schtuff and bling and writer-icity crappiocca collected over the past week. Because of the holidays, there are not as many links as usual…but that will pick up in the coming weeks. For new followers to the blog, welcome! and you can expect more cat and dog specific schtuff later in the week on Wednesday and Friday. For now…enjoy the YouTube cute-icity at the end!

WRITER-ICITY SCHTUFF

MUST READ Tips from Best-Selling Indie Authors

Crime & Science Radio with Doug Lyle, MD and Jan Burke interview Katherine Ramsland and others

Looking Back, Looking Forward At Publishing an interesting blog on the state of publishing

10 Weird Victorian Deaths should give fiction writers some ideas…from the always interesting DP Lyle

PET-CENTRIC SCHTUFF

Ice Melt Products for Pets a great list of what to do and what not to do from Dr. Lorie Huston

my interview on Purrfect Cat Names a fun new website

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered–post in the comments. Do you have a new kitten and need answers? Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, check out weekly FREE PUPPY CARE newsletter, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter. Stay up to date with the latest book give aways and appearances related to my  THRILLERS WITH BITE!

Ask Amy: Soothing Pets Noise Phobia

Puppies often feel scared by unexpected loud noises. Image Copr. A Tail Of Two/Flickr

Do your dogs shiver and shake at loud noises? Thunder, fireworks, even gunshots can turn them into quivering puddles. And with New Years celebrations just around the corner (with the fireworks some folks like to set off), it seems a good time to revisit this common issue. Today’s Ask Amy offers an overview, and here you can find 12 tips for solving noise fears with additional links and info.

What have I missed? Anything else that helps your fearful dog (or cat?). Yes, cats can be frightened, too! Do tell…

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered? Do you have a new kitten and need answers? Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, check out weekly FREE PUPPY CARE newsletter, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter.

Why Tabby Wears An M–A Christmas Cat Story

I know y’all are probably fed up with the “special sales” announcements being flogged for the past several weeks. But for those with pet peeves and interest in adding to your pet-centric library, this week I’ve got ALL of my kindle pet titles on sale.

I’m looking for a few more reviews of the book on the left, so I’m offering free review copies of ComPETability(Cat-Dog) for a limited time from StoryCartel, if you click here.

And the two “bundles” of books, below, are each featured as a Kindle Countdown Sale, starting at $2.99 later today (at about noon, I think) and going up by increments over the next week. Get the cat book bundle here, and the dog/cat bundle here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s become a tradition on the blog (and in my PETiQuette newspaper column) to share one of my favorite Christmas stories. This touching legend, included in Complete Kitten Care, (in the cat-book bundle, above) tells the story of a simple Tabby cat, and her gift on the very first Christmas day to a special mother and child. Enjoy!

Please be safe if you’re traveling. May your holidays be blessed.

Why Tabby Wears An M

There was no snow that night in Bethlehem. Instead, the small cat watched a star-spangled sky from her perch in the window of a stable. She liked the stable, for it was a warm safe place to raise her furry babies, and the innkeeper sometimes left scraps out for her to nibble. Tabby wasn’t particularly distinctive, and most humans didn’t look at her twice. After all, her short gray/black fur was quite common. But Tabby’s striped coat hid a heart bigger than cats twice her size.

This night, though, Tabby was out of sorts, for she’d not been able to hunt and catch dinner. Travelers had poured into town for days, so noisy they disturbed decent cat-folks’ rest. Why, they’d even invaded Tabby‟s quiet stable, a place she had before shared only with other furry creatures. Tabby hadn’t minded the human couple—they were calmer than most. She’d left that morning for her usual rounds, but when she returned, the stable was packed with people.

From her perch on the window, Tabby watched the last of the strangers leave. She slipped from the window, and padded silently inside—and froze!

“Meewwww, meewww, meewww,” cried a tiny voice.

A kitten? Tabby’s ears turn this way and that to find the sound of the kitten’s voice. It came from the manger, the very place Tabby often made her own bed. A woman knelt beside the manger, intent on the small mewling that arose from within. Tabby was drawn by the kittenish sound, though she knew her own furry babies were grown to cat-hood. She tiptoed forward very slowly, and passed by a wooly burro, a warm cow, and all the other animals.

The woman looked up, and saw the striped cat. “Oh, little cat,” she murmured, “my baby cannot sleep, and nothing calms him this night.” She sighed, and turned back to the manger. “How grateful would I be to anyone able to bring him sweet dreams.”

And, as Tabby watched, each stable animal stepped forward in turn and tried to soothe the woman’s baby. But the kittenish sounds continued, and finally Tabby could contain herself no longer.

Quickly, she washed herself—paws, face, behind the ears, to the very tip of her tail (so as not to offend the child’s mother)—and then shyly stepped forward. She leaped gracefully to the manger, and stared into the face of the most beautiful baby (human or kitten!) she’d ever seen. He cooed and smiled, waving his tiny hands at Tabby, and she very carefully drew in her claws and settled beside him. Forgotten was her empty tummy; she could only hear her heart calling out to this sweet human-kitten.

And Tabby began to purr.

The wondrous cat-song filled the stable with overwhelming emotion. The animals listened with awe, and the child’s mother smiled as her baby quietly went to sleep.

The child’s mother placed her hand gently on the purring Tabby’s forehead. “Blessings upon you, Tabby-cat, for this sweet gift given to me and my child,” she said. And where she’d touched Tabby’s brow, there appeared an M—the sign of the Madonna’s benediction.

From that day forward, all proper tabby cats are honored with an M on their brow for the great service they performed that first Christmas night. And Christmas nights often find Tabby cats staring into the night, purring as they recall a very special child their ancestor once sang to sleep.

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered? Do you have a new kitten and need answers? Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, listen to the weekly radio show, check out weekly FREE PUPPY CARE newsletter, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter. Stay up to date with the latest book give aways and appearances related to my  THRILLERS WITH BITE!

Merry Christmas Video from Amy, Magical-Dawg & Seren-Kitty!

Monday Mentions: Festive-icity & Re-charging

Are you ready for Christmas? I’m very late decorating this year but did manage to create some new wreaths for the windows outside the house. Today, my hubby has to work so I’ll be scurrying around creating indoor festive-icity including wrapping gifts for him and the fur-kids, too.

Oh, and be sure to check back on Christmas Day’s blog for an extra special post. *s*

This is the first day in many weeks that I’m caught up with my to-do list. That will last until January 1st, and then once again I’ll be on the hamster wheel. I need the breather, as I’m sure many of y’all do, and my wish for you is for peace and joy and love for those who make your life meaningful–that is, the family you were born into and the chosen family (two-leggers, four-leggers, furred and otherwise) that multiplies life’s awesomeness in countless ways.

Monday Mentions is the mash-up-day of all the neato-torpedo writer links and videos, pet schtuff and bling and writer-icity crappiocca collected over the past week. Check out the fun videos including the THRILLERFEST video at the bottom, too.  For new followers to the blog, welcome! and you can expect more cat and dog specific schtuff later in the week on Wednesday and Friday.

WRITER-ICITY SCHTUFF

 Starting A Writer Platform…before you publish, a class from Writers League of Texas

 Quill Shift Literary Agency weirdness incarnate from Writer Beware

 3-D Book Covers a very cool new (free) tool for authors!

PET-CENTRIC SCHTUFF

 Top Ten Holiday Dangers for Cats from the always awesome Catalyst Council

5 Tips for Managing Fido During the Howl-idays from Dr. Sophia Yin (a great funny video, too!)

 Pet Video Contest–Win An iPad Mini from Good News For Pets

How To Administer Fluids something many of us with sick baby kitties or doggies, or aging pets need to know

2010 Thrillerfest Interview

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered–post in the comments. Do you have a new kitten and need answers? Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, check out weekly FREE PUPPY CARE newsletter, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter. Stay up to date with the latest book give aways and appearances related to my  THRILLERS WITH BITE!

Cat-mas Tree Safety

Santa Paws can get into trouble–so give your cat “legal” opportunities! Image Copr. Karla Spence/Flickr

When we “deck the halls …” our pets think the effort is for their benefit. Cats climb Christmas trees while dogs (ahem) water them—or worse, eat them. The result is a holiday that’s anything but merry.

The attraction is natural. Cats love heights, they enjoy batting objects that move, the twinkling lights draw them to investigate, and cats and dogs (like small children) delight in doing the opposite of what “mom and dad” want. A tree offers a great perching/hiding opportunity, and has all those lovely, sparkly “toys” strung through the branches. Trees end up toppled, presents and decorations damaged, and sometimes pets are hurt.

Dogs and especially puppies are notorious for chewing up and swallowing decorations or even the lights. Cats don’t do it as often, it only takes once. Chewing tree lights, swallowing tinsel, eating tree needles or other holiday décor can kill a pet.

PET TREE SAFETY

First, make sure all breakables or dangerous decorations (string, hooks, garlands, icicles) are not on lower branches, but situated out of pet paw-reach. To keep cats and dogs away from illegal targets, make the area surrounding the tree unattractive. There are several options, and some work for certain pets and not for others. Aluminum foil is a great deterrent for many cats since they dislike walking on that odd-feeling surface. Silver foil also offers a festive holiday look.

Many of the same tips for puppies work to keep cats away from the tree, as well. Refer to these tips–including ways to create a puppy-safe tree.

For cats, you can also use the pet’s sense of smell to keep her away from the tree. Citrus scents are off-putting to some cats so scattering orange or lemon peels (or potpourri) around the base of the tree may help. Vicks Vapo Rub (menthol smell) also works as a good pet repellent. Dip cotton balls in the ointment and stick in the lower branches of your tree. Be aware that some cats actually LIKE the smell/flavor and it’s not good for them to eat it so supervise your cats.

I’m a big fan of baby gates, too. Most cats can hop over, or crawl under/through the barriers so choose one that fits your cat family. You can stack short gates to make it tall enough to thwart nearly all high-flying felines.

CREATING A CAT-MAS TREE

Giving tree-climbing kitties a legal object to scale, such as cat furniture taller than the Christmas tree, often prompts them to leave your tree alone. Cats don’t care if it’s expensive or homemade, either. Take a step ladder, put a cat bed on the paint rack for napping, and tie kitty toys to the ladder steps for an irresistible feline playground.

If you really don’t mind having kittens as tree ornaments, attach guy-wires or twine to protect topple-prone trees from the cat’s airborne assault. Just make sure the ornaments are pet safe, with no swallow-able parts.

You could even offer the pets a small tree of his/her own, decorated with catnip mice and doggy treats, to keep the fur-kids in the family happy. Include empty boxes and lots of wadded up paper for kitten hide and seek fun.

How do you keep your cats from turning the holiday tree into a kitty playground? Do tell! And…have a pet-safe Christmas!

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered? Do you have a new kitten and need answers? Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, check out weekly FREE PUPPY CARE newsletter, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter.

Ask Amy: Choosing Safe Dog Toys

Magic surgically removes squeakers, so I have to diligently supervise playtime. Image Copr. Amy Shojai, CABC

With the holiday season upon us, many dog lovers look forward to “gifting” their dogs with fun toys. But what’s safe, and what isn’t? How do you make sure your pets’ playtime doesn’t turn into tragedy?

Today’s Ask Amy addresses the issue of choking, and I want to also include a link to first aid tips for pet choking. You’ll find lots of other life saving tips in the book The First Aid Companion for Dogs & Cats (hope you’ll never need it!

Has your pet ever choked on something? What did you do? How do you check out toys for your dogs (and cats) before gifting? Do tell!

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered? Do you have a new kitten and need answers? Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, check out weekly FREE PUPPY CARE newsletter, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter.

Monday Mentions: Merry Cat-mas & More

Cat wine for the holidays benefiting Riverfront Cats! Click the picture to learn more. Image courtesy of Riverfront Cats

We’ve finally thawed out of the melted ice-mageddon of being stuck a week inside. I was able to get all the way through my first pass revisions on HIDE AND SEEK, and sent that back to my editor. I also got the cover of the book WOOT! (it’s been discussed over at my Facebook page so you might want to ramble over there…and maybe like the page to stay up to date *s*).

The week stuck inside put me behind on several things, though, so I’m playing catch up on shopping and other schtuff. How are you doing with holiday plans? Caught up, behind, to-do lists out the watsits? I have to share one personal note that puts this season a bit more into perspective. The son of one of my church members has been in the hospital the last week, comatose and no measurable brain activity. Finally on Friday the family made the difficult decision to stop life support–he continued to breathe, and his heart continued to beat. Our Pastor gave him last rites. Of course the whole church family and community has lifted him up in prayer and Saturday . . . he woke up and spoke to his mother! Now then, go hug your kids (two-legged and otherwise) and thank God for our many blessings. (Commercial over…)

Monday Mentions is the mash-up-day of all the neato-torpedo writer links and videos, pet schtuff and bling and writer-icity crappiocca collected over the past week. Check out the fun holiday videos at the bottom as well as the THRILLERFEST video. For new followers to the blog, welcome! and you can expect more cat and dog specific schtuff later in the week on Wednesday and Friday.

WRITER-ICITY SCHTUFF

 Write. Publish. Repeat. Words to live by, for authors and by authors.

Book Baby Has New Free Option check it out

 Bob Mayer on Outliers of Publishing

Entrepreneurial How-tos from Amazon & The Creative Pen

 Unforgettable Copy thanks to Andrea Dorn for sharing this

Writing An Anthology With Others the good, the stressful and the awesome, thanks to Jenny Hansen

Writer Beware: Crowdfunded Anthologies

PET-CENTRIC SCHTUFF

Find Out About Zeuterin Injections to sterilize dogs…webinar TODAY! especially for veterinarians and shelter staff

Feral Cats Take Over Nativity well…it’s warm, it’s dry and God created cats that way so…

Of Mice And…Mice you gotta see these mice chess pieces from the awesome Piper Bayard

 Shop With Adopt-A-Shelter and percentage goes to your shelter! Great story…and great cause.

Thanks to Diane Capri for the video!

2010 Thrillerfest Interview

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered–post in the comments. Do you have a new kitten and need answers? Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, check out weekly FREE PUPPY CARE newsletter, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter. Stay up to date with the latest book give aways and appearances related to my  THRILLERS WITH BITE!