Amy Shojai's Blog, page 107

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!

Ask Amy: Why Do Cats Sleep Under the Bed?

“You can’t see me!” Image copr. Amy Shojai, CABC

For many of us, it’s the cats that sleep ON the bed with us…and on the pillow…and on your head…that crowd us out of dreamland that prompt quizzical looks. But today’s Ask Amy addresses those felines that prefer the company of dust bunnies to humans. What’s up with that?

Do your cats have weird sleeping spots? What’s the oddest place your cat likes to nap? Seren-Kitty (as I write this) is cuddled up in her blue bed on the table beneath the stained glass lampshade. These days she prefers warmth and soft surfaces, but in her youth Seren hung out on damp towels on the tile tub surround in the bathroom. Oh, and do your kitties argue over prime sleep spots? I think Magical-Dawg is lucky that Seren hasn’t kicked him out of his favorite dog bed!

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: Why Does My Dog Hug & Lean?

There was a bit of controversy last year over a big pet products brand that promoted “Hug Your Dog Day” and got a lot of flack over it (including from me!). But what if it’s the DOG that does the hugging? What does it mean when your pooch leans against you (some can knock you flat!). Today’s Ask Amy addresses the question.

Does your dog lean on you? How about hugging? Adolescent pooches may want to hug your leg (ahem!) but that’s a subject for another Ask Amy. More dog behavior answers are found in my ComPETability: Dogs book, too, but how do you handle the situation?

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: Ice, Ice and…oh yeah, Ice

The current four inches of sleet turned to solid ice on the drive keep us homebound…and some has melted.

Finally it’s melting!

  Morning, Sweet Peeps! I’ve been stuck in the house since Thursday with Ice-ageddon here in North Texas. Nowhere to go, lots of soup being made (and eaten), and Magical-Dawg bored out of his furry skull. There are LOTS of links today since I’ve been saving up.

Did I mention, my husband also home during this time? Five days. All day long. With the TV on…oh, my. Since I work from home, and actually continued to “try” to work, it’s been a weeee bit of a challenge to have someone here. I have made headway on my revisions for LOST AND FOUND sequel HIDE AND SEEK, but not nearly as much as hoped. Oh, and now I have a cover for the book, thanks to my wonderful publisher and feedback from some of my Facebook fans! This time there’s a Maine Coon cat on the cover, along with Shadow, the GSD! Yee-haw! (see, if you “like” that page, you’ll stay up to date on some breaking news schtuff…)

Stay tuned, because once the revisions are completed I plan to reach out to y’all for some pre-publication reads for possible reviews both here on the blog and from Facebook Fans and newsletter subscribers. YOU are the reason the first book was a success–and I want you to get first look at the sequel. (Winners of the Name That Dog and Name That Cat contest get the book first, of course!).

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. Lots of videos today, including a moving horseback ride, Pug-icity, and a way-kewl fun music video at the bottom for all you theater and Wizard of Oz lovers, don’t miss it! Check out 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

SCRATCH Jane Friedman’s new Webzine on how writers can make $$

Author Media Kit How To Info

All Classic Books Scam, Writer Beware!

 ”So Yew Want Tew Be A Riter?” some hilarious outtakes from published novels, courtesy of the always entertaining Colin Falconer.

Make ‘Em Good–AND Bad  the duality of character traits from Becca Puglisi

Mokule’ia Writers Retreat--Hawaii anyone? *s*

Designing Book Covers that Sell Books

 Password Guidelines for Online Protection

 2014 Writers League of Texas Agent/Editor Conference

PET-CENTRIC SCHTUFF

New Dog Bite Study Confirms Husbandry A Major (Preventable) Factor

 My Life With Snoopy a book review from Dakota’s Den blog (Shelties know good literature…) You’ll recognize the author, too.

How FIP Affects Cat Immunity

Now “Bird Brain” Is A Compliment check out this parrot intelligence study from Harvard

Jackson Gallaxy, host of MY CAT FROM HELL has launched a new weekly “Cat Mojo” YouTube series, starting TODAY! Here’s the trailer:

Get your Kleenex read for this AMAZING RIDE, bareback and bridleless, a true partnership…in memory of the man who taught her how:

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!

Ask Amy: How Do I Teach Cat Claw Etiquette?

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Seren “owns” this old chair. Image Copr. Amy Shojai, CABC

Will you welcome a new purr-fect cuddly kitten into your life this holiday season? One of the most common questions I get as a cat behavior consultant is, “How can I stop my cat from clawing the furniture?”

Well…you won’t stop the clawing, but you can redirect to a “legal” target. Today’s Ask Amy has some tips. What other techniques have worked for your fur-kids? Please share!

And for all the must-knows on kitten care, check out my Complete Kitten Care book (or “gift” it to someone who needs help with their new kitten!).

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.

A Day In The Life…Of A Pet Writer

“What’s wrong with this picture….IT’S EMPTY!!!” Image Copr. Amy Shojai, CABC

This morning as I stared into the face of my grinning German shepherd and dodged his bruising tail flagellations, I envied him. And I envied my Siamese wannabe who still hadn’t roused herself from her daily 16-plus-hour sleep marathon. I mean, I really had a moment of green-eyed angst that Magic lives a dog’s life and Seren lives in a dream-world (literally!) while my husband and I bust our buttons keeping them in kibble. But is this a fair assessment? Just for fun, here’s a comparison.

Dog’s Morning: Runs through the field baptizing everything in sight. “Helps” collect the newspaper at the front gate. Eats breakfast. Takes a nap.

Cat’s Morning: “Helps” make Amy’s bed. Relocates to printer. Sleeps.

Seren is determined to break her all-time sleep record. Image Copr. Amy Shojai, CABC

Human’s Morning: Slaps bug bites from tromping through field after the dog. Collects newspaper while keeping dog from lunging at morning traffic. Fills dog bowl, reads paper. Eats breakfast. Fends off doggy begging for leftovers. Fills cat bowl—wonders where cat is. Showers, checks email, writes. Twitters. Writes some more. Checks email again. Facebook posts. Writes. Answers phone, hangs up on telemarketer. Stares at computer screen.

Dog’s Noon: Barks. It’s Frisbee time! Goes outside, plays fetch. Plays fetch some more. Baptizes stuff. Runs into tank. Comes inside. Shakes off stinky water. Plays tug with towel. Naps.

Cat’s Noon: Moves from printer to front cat tree perch. Checks food options. Sleeps.

Amy’s Noon: Applies bug bite ointment to shins. Wipes down walls, floor, appliances from dog shake-off of dirty water. Fixes lunch. Fends off begging dog. Fends off begging cat. Writes.

Dog’s Afternoon: Barks. Time to play—Frisbee? Ball? Chase the hose? Car ride? Yes yes yes YES!

Amy’s Afternoon: Checks email. Takes dog for car ride to check snail mail. Argues with dog about driving. Goes to gas station. Argues with dog about staying in car. Goes into post office. Comes out of post office. Makes dog move from driver seat. Drives home. Wipes dog drool off car windows. Fills the dog bowl. Writes. Writes some more. Grateful for dog naps.

Cat’s Afternoon: Checks food bowl, nothing’s changed. Crunches several bites. Empties bowl. Checks dog toys. Checks empty dog bowl. Checks dog bed. Revels in dog absence. Hears dog coming home. Races to second cat tree to glare. Sleeps.

Dog’s Evening: Hasn’t played in HOURS, going through serious play-withdrawal!

Amy’s Evening: Shuts down computer. Runs dog outside. Tries to wear dog out. Fails. Brings dog inside. Dumps dog toys, one by one, off of lap where dog deposits them. Tries to eat dinner.

Cat’s Evening: Wakes up. Checks empty food bowl. Meows. Meows some more. Looks for dog, and meows again to get dog’s attention. Hisses when dog approaches. Cat smile when dog gets in trouble. Leaps to Amy’s chair to check her dinner. Human food sucks. But dog wants it. Dares dog to approach. Hisses.

Dog’s Night: Brings balls (thirteen different kinds), four stuffed toys, three Frisbees and five chew bones into living room. Thrusts them one by one into human’s laps. Again. And again. Waits with expectation. Can’t believe nobody understands the play invite. Humans aren’t very bright. Sighs. Grabs consolation bear and sucks like a pacifier.

Cat’s Night: Glares at dog. Races around up and down stairs. Thumps toys. Scratches—loudly—on upstairs cat tree. Riles up dog. Success! Only cats know the right way to play! Dog gets in trouble. Cat’s job is done. She sleeps.

Amy’s Night: Dreams about Frisbees, writing, and lap-purring cats.

Would I really trade places with my fur-kids? Hmnn. Maybe the better question is would they trade with me? After all, I’ve got thumbs to open doors and food bags, scritch hard to reach itchy spots, drive cars and flip Frisbees.

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.