Amy Shojai's Blog, page 129
September 3, 2012
Writing Evil, Translations & Scary Rhythm
Monday Mentions is the mash-up-day of all the neato-torpedo links and videos, pet schtuff and bling and writer-icity crappiocca collected over the past week. I hope you’re having an awesome Labor Day, and I’ve compiled some truly bizarre as well as helpful and fun links.
I’d also encourage you to check out this Lost And Found Book Give-Away on GoodReads, if you haven’t already done so. Be sure to scan down to the bottom of the post where you’ll find some terrific videos including WHAT IS EVIL? from best-selling thriller authors at Thrillerfest.
How would you answer that question–what is evil? I mean, other than a horrific deadline (shudder!). Please share!
WRITER-ICITY SCHTUFF
Job Opening–Editor for Veterinary E-Newsletter I know nuthin’ more about this but check it out if you’re interested
Kindle “India” Store Not All That Not yet, anyway. Read this enlightening post by David Gaughran
KOBO Partners with American Booksellers Association
Re-defining “Vanity Publishing” oh my can’t we all be friends?
Calculate Your Sales (or anyone else’s) with this nifty tool to evaluate amazon rank (thanks Diane Capri)
good advice from Lorie Huston
Check Your SEO a nifty tool to grade your effectiveness
Chicken Soup for the Soul Now Soup Nazis? Those who read this blog know why I’m no longer a fan of the CS folks, and now they’re getting into the food biz? Why not, they already license the name to pet food.
33 Things to Ask Before Hitting “Publish” wow, some awesome tips here for bloggers
Jump Back, Pirates–Proof YOU Own your Book a thread to help authors prove disputed ownership
PET SCHTUFF
Awesome Training Game–Fruits & Veggies Learn how your dog thinks during training by putting yourself in his “paws.” Thanks to Patricia Tirrell who shared her experiences working with dogs and inmates (yes, you read that right!)
Science Behind the Wet Dog Shake did you know the smaller the mammal, the faster it must shake to exert the ideal amount of force on the water droplets. For example, a mouse must shake at a rate of 30 times per second, a cat nine times per second, and a Labrador Retriever only four times per second.
Zoo Animals Trained to Help Themselves to take meds, give themselves tests, and more, awesome!
AVMA Pet Census Report from pet guru Steve Dale
Cats are GOOD for Your Health well of course they are! Just asked the Seren-Kitty 
Say WHAT? Don’t let your book be lost in translation!
Does Evil Exist? Speculation from best-selling thriller authors.
Writers and pet folks need to exercise and many of us enjoy music but…this is just disturbing on so many levels! Does it encourage you to get with the program?
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 tuned for more news about my forthcoming THRILLER, LOST & FOUND!
Filed under: Cat Behavior & Care, Dog Training & Care, Writing Advice & More Tagged: Al Giannini, Alma Katsu, Amy Shojai, John Lescroart, Lost And Found, Monday Mentions, Peter James, Readerpedia, T. Jefferson Parker, thriller, what is evil, William Landay, www.amyshojai.com
August 31, 2012
Cat Names 101
What would YOU name this lovely American Curl girl?
What do you call your feline friend? How did you come up with the name? After the great time with the Name That Dog and Cat for my upcoming thriller, I’m curious how more folks came up with your special pet names. My blog-pal over at asked this fun question about dog names and inspired me to ask y’all about kitty monikers.
PEDIGREE NAMES
Pedigree kitties are christened with a string of unique and entertaining names to designate the cattery, sometimes the breed or even the appearance. I still remember one of my all-time-fave cat names, “Celticurl’s Sinead O’Curler” for an American Curl feline.
THE HISTORICAL “CAT”
Did you know the words for “cat” seem surprisingly similar throughout the world. Historically, there appear to be three basic origins for the naming. The word for “cat” seems derived from sounds he makes, based on the actions of the animal, or associated with ancient cat-gods of the past.
Egyptians named the cat mau, which means “the seer” (from the word mau, “to see”). Perhaps these ancient people associated the cat’s unique eyes with an ability to view more than meets the eye.
Other historians speculate that the cat’s mewing vocalization inspired her to be called mau. In fact, China’s word for cat is miu–quite similar to the ancient Egyptian’s mau.
The powerful cat-headed gods of the times were alternately referred to as Bast, Bastet, Posht, or Pasht. Some people speculate that puss is a natural derivation of Posht or Pasht, while others believe “puss” evolved from the Latin words pusus and pusa, which mean “little boy” and “little girl.” Admit it–you sometimes call your cats by these endearments, don’t you?
Another version connects the French le puss to the Latin lepus, which means “hare.” In fact, “puss” was used in England to refer to both cats and hares well into the eighteenth century.
Romans called the cat felis from the root word felix, meaning “a good and auspicious omen” linked to magical divination. Later they used catta, the same name as the weasel, because both cats and weasels were used to catch rodents. Other words may come from the root word ghad which means “to grasp or catch.” Seems a perfect fit for our felines.
“CAT” AROUND THE WORLD
For fun, here are a few more words for “cat” from around the world:
Arabic, kittah; Armenian, gatz; Basque, catua; Cornish, kath; French, chat; German, katze, katti or ket; Greek, kata or catta; Italian, gatto; Polish, kot or gatto; Portuguese, gato; Russian, kots or koshka; Spanish, gato; Turkish, kedi; Welsh, kath.
SHARE YOUR MONIKER!
So what do you call your cat? Coat color inspires names like Rusty, Pumpkin or Ginger, Snowball, Cotton, Tabby and Midnight. If a cat is called Suede, Fluffy or Big Foot, what image does that conjure?
Attitude often prompts telling names as well. But don’t name him “Demon-Seed” or “Stupid” unless you want him to fulfill that prediction! Cats given positive names tend to have more positive relationships with their people.
Picking a great cat name can be fun. My little Siamese wannabe is Seren—short for Serendipity because it was such a happy accident we found each other. But I suspect cats also have a “secret name” we humans can’t pronounce.
Maybe that’s why they never come when called.
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 tuned for more news about my forthcoming THRILLER, LOST & FOUND!
Filed under: Cat Behavior & Care Tagged: Amy Shojai, cat history,
August 29, 2012
Woof Wednesday: West Nile & Puppy Parasite Prevention
I live just north of Dallas, Texas where the greatest number of West Nile cases are being reported. It’s scary–people have died. Horses at least have a preventative vaccine to help protect them. But what about dogs and cats?
Apparently while pets CAN contract the disease from mosquitoes and a few have been reported, symptoms typically are mild. But there’s no vaccination for pets, or for people. Some flea medications purport to help prevent or repel mosquitoes but it’s best to prevent buggy bites altogether. Petfinder.com has posted an excellent report on West Nile and pets here.
In fact, our dogs act like magnets for parasites. It’s not just fleas or those creepy-crawly ticks, either. If you have puppies (or kittens) there’s a good chance you’ll need to address roundworms, those spaghetti-like creatures passed in the potty deposite (urk!) because those can be a health risk to kids (double urk!). But the intestinal worms are just the tip of the buggy iceberg. Everything from ringworm (fungus) and mange mites that attack the skin, to protozoan parasites so tiny they’re hard to detect or even heartworms–also transmitted by mosquitoes–can affect dogs. Check out this Pet Peeves radio show with Dr. Wallace Graham for the latest on heartworms. I’ve compiled a roundup of more than a dozen articles covering everything you need to know about these most common puppy parasites here.
What about your dogs? How do you protect them from buggy hitchhikers? Magical-Dawg gets a monthly preventive called Revolution that helps prevent the lion’s share of these parasites. My cat Seren-dipity came to us with a case of ringworm–minor, thank goodness, and it resolved quickly.
As for West Nile virus, are you protecting your horses? What about your human family members? I’m one of those folks mosquitoes loves–Mom always said I must have “sweet blood.” So I stay inside during prime mosquito feeding at dawn and twilight. How do you “bite back” at the mosquito menace? Please share!
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 tuned for more news about my forthcoming THRILLER, LOST & FOUND!
Filed under: Dog Training & Care Tagged: Amy Shojai, dogs, fleas, mosquitoes, parasites, Pet Peeves radio, petfinder.com, puppies, puppies.About.com, ticks, West Nile, www.amyshojai.com
August 27, 2012
Monday Mentions: Catherine Coulter, Vicious Toads & Thriller Trailer!
Monday Mentions is the mash-up-day of all the neato-torpedo links and videos, pet schtuff and bling and writer-icity crappiocca collected over the past week. Some of this “schtuff” can be hard to categorize and may fit more than one topic so I urge you to at least scan them all.
My Internet finally came back up late last week. While it was down, here’s what I did:
You also won’t want to miss the awesome short video at the bottom of the post from Gayle Lynds interview with Catherine Coulter at this year’s Thrillerfest! Check out the shoes!
Before we get to the more serious stuff, enjoy this just-for-the-heck-of-it video. Serves ya right, if’n ya tease the toad…
WRITER-ICTY SCHTUFF
Warning Flags of Writing Contests from Writers Beware Blog
Serial Killers and Supernatural Powers lots of food for thought for authors–and others
A Celebration of BAD Writing fun stuff!
Author Activism & Critical Thinking more from Writers Beware
Develop the WRITE Biz Plan for You
What’s the Deal with KLOUT? are you better than a squirrel? Hmnnnn.
Links & Link Building Ops penalties, cautions and more here.
Plagiarism Check do a free search to protect your work!
PET SCHTUFF
Top 10 Animals that Attack Pets Heck, I need to do a roundup like this, I’ve written about skunks and scorpions and other nasties like snakes
The Smell of Fear and yes, even PLANTS have this, awesome article!
Chew Toy–ZOMBIE FOOT for Dogs, for the dog that has (almost) everything
Does Your Dog’s Back Need Help? 7 signs of disk disease
Sneaky-Pie for President why not a cat?
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 tuned for more news about my forthcoming THRILLER, LOST & FOUND!
Filed under: Cat Behavior & Care, Dog Training & Care, Writing Advice & More Tagged: Amy Shojai, Ask Amy, biting frog, biting toad, Catherine Coulter, Gayle Lynds, publishing advice, Thrillerfest, video, writing advice, www.amyshojai.com
August 24, 2012
Feline Friday: Why Cats Hate Vets & What To Do
Look into those eyes–and promise your cat a better vet experience! Image Copr. Karyl Cunningham
This whole week has been National Take Your Cat to the Vet Week, and today even the savvy dog folks like Magical Dawg and Fidose of Reality are promoting the idea. Dogs care about their cat buddies, too (even if they won’t always admit it!).
Cats get the short end of the health care stick. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, cats visit the vet much less frequently than dogs. It’s not that felines are healthier, although cats do hide illness better.
Cats also are insured less frequently, which is why Pets Best Insurance has launched a low cost feline-only illness cat insurance plan to help cat owners provide the best veterinary care to their pets. You can get a free quote here.
I also got an email on behalf of Healthy Paws Pet Insurance & Foundation noting that summertime claims often increase due to pets spending more time outside. Even healthy cats that are kept safe indoors need “well-cat” exams once or twice a year. But many cats hate the vet so much they morph into “Demon-Kitty.”
Cats protect themselves from stranger danger. What’s familiar is safe, while anything new or different raises kitty suspicions. A vet visit delivers a triple-whammy by changing the cat’s routine, environment, and exposure to strangers.
7 REASONS CAT HATE VETS & WHAT TO DO
Crate Expectations. Cats learn very quickly to recognize cause-and-effect. The appearance of the cat carrier prompts kitty disappearing acts if used only for vet visits. Make the carrier part of the furniture. Add a fuzzy bed or catnip toys inside, to create a pleasant association. Check out this award-winning video on cat crate training tips from Catalyst Council.
Car Rides. While humans see out windows and know what’s happening, the cats-eye-view from the carrier offers movement without warning. Odd sounds and being in a strange environment raises cat blood pressure and might even prompt motion sickness. Covering the view with a towel over the carrier’s door helps some cats. But simply taking Kitty for many short rides around the driveway (and never going to the vet!) followed by treats or games can diminish the nerves. Check out these 8 tips for car travel with cats.
Scary Smells. Cats experience life through their nose. The unfamiliar scent of the hospital—antiseptic, strangers, other animal’s fear—can ramp up kitty fright factor. A pheromone product like Comfort Zone with Feliway that the kitty sniffs can help sooth environmental stress. Feliway comes as a spray that can be spritzed on a towel inside the carrier.
Strange Pets. Nothing turns cats into hiss-terical claw-monsters like barking dogs or meowing cats. When confined inside the carrier, your frightened cat can’t flee, so the fight-or-flight instinct leaves few options. She may redirect her fear aggression on the nearest target—you, or the vet staff. Ask to schedule your cat’s exam early in the morning or at slow times to avoid a busy waiting room. Some vet practices have separate waiting rooms and entrances for cats and dogs so your pet never has to see or hear a strange critter. For my Seren-Kitty, the feline Thundershirt helped enormously to reduce kitty stress. I’ve even got a video of Seren wearing the thundershirt here.
Cold Table. While cats may hate getting into the carrier, being dumped on a cold metal table elevates the “strangeness” of the experience. After all, Kitty-Boy’s preferred lounging spots are the windowsill with a view, the soft top of the sofa, or a table underneath a warm lamp. Take along a towel or even the cat’s bed that smells like your cat to make the exam table more feline friendly. Some cat specialty practices have exam room windows with bird feeders outside, or water fountains and fish tanks for kitty viewing distraction.
Weird People. The vet and clinic staff love animals, but to your cat, they’re from Mars. Maybe they wear uniforms and smell like dogs (spit!), and don’t ask permission to pet. The cat might be handled by several different people—the vet tech for temperature or stool sample, for example, and later the veterinarian. Reducing the numbers of individual handlers may help. Scheduling enough time so the cat doesn’t feel rushed also can ease the tension.
Rude Handling. Having a cold thermometer inserted into kitty nether regions is no way to make friends. Needle sticks for vaccinations aren’t much fun, either, but are necessary. The veterinarian and staff often need to hurry the exam along. It’s up to owners to offer treats or toys during and immediately after any upsetting procedure to help change how your cat feels about the vet visit. It can be helpful to find a cat friendly practice–here’s a list to start you off.
Cats remember discomfort, fear, and bad experiences and expect them in the future. But they also remember GOOD experiences and anticipate accordingly.
Ask about bringing your kitten for “fun visits” to meet and get used to the vet and staff so they can simply play and be pet rather than examined and treated. Repeated happy visits take the scary out of the equation. Make vet visits more pleasant, and your cat will be happier—and healthier.
Do YOUR cats turn into “demon kitties” at the vet? How do you manage the angst? What about pet insurance, are your cats covered?
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 tuned for more news about my forthcoming THRILLER, LOST & FOUND!
Filed under: Cat Behavior & Care Tagged: Amy Shojai, cat behavior, cat care, cat Thundershirt, cats, cats and carriers, cats and veterinarians, Healthy Paws Pet Insurance, Pets Best Insurance, take your cat to the vet day, www.amyshojai.com
August 22, 2012
Woof Wednesday: Forced Vacation
“Do you gotta work? Play wif me instead? Pullleeeeeze?”
I think there’s a furry conspiracy afoot. Monday I lost my Internet connection which meant I spent most of the next day out of the house finding a “hot spot” to get work done. But once I returned home–with a week-in-advance caught up online–the pets ambushed me for EXTRA attention! They celebrated the fact the plastic-box-thingy I stare at nearly 24/7 had been shut down and put away. Even my Blackberry refused to download emails.
Radio silence meant I could concentrate on more important things. Like tossing the Frisbee. And petting the kitty.
How often do we bemoan having so little “free time” to spend doing what we truly want to do? And then when technology failure actually “gifts” us with a forced vacation, we gnash our teeth with frustration and can’t even enjoy the change of pace.
Well enough already. Yesterday at Panera Bread I published a puppy article about rabies risk and blogged about it. And then uploaded and scheduled two more puppies articles and blogs, plus THIS blog and two more future ones. I am sooooo done. Therefore, if the blogs over the next several days seem a weee bit short–well, that’s because~~~
I’m tossing a Frisbee for the Magical-Dawg, or running the hose for him, or rambling the 13 acres while he sniffs out adventures, or playing chase-the-feature with Seren-Kitty, or playing my piano/cello/singing or even READING for recreation for a change.
How do you deal with forced vacation? If you didn’t have deadlines, what would you do RIGHT THIS MINUTE? Please share…and you’ll be ready the next time the Internet or some other karma deals you an unexpected gift of free time.
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 tuned for more news about my forthcoming THRILLER, LOST & FOUND!
Filed under: Dog Training & Care Tagged: Amy Shojai, behavior, books, dog books, dogs, http://www.amyshojai.com, http://www.shojai.com, pet books, play, puppies.About.com, rabies, www.amyshojai.com
August 21, 2012
Tuesday Tips: Verizon Sucks, Panera’s Awesome & Thrillerfest Social Networking Tips
As y’all noticed, there were no Monday Mentions and instead today you’ll find terrific video from a Thrillerfest panel about social networking featuring Alma Katsu, Jessica Barraco, Claire Goldwitz, Kevin Kaiser, Kristen Lamb, Meryl Moss and Matt Schwartz. Share-share-share, there’s tons of fantastic advice in this short video! Do you agree? What has worked for you? Offer your hot tips in the comments.
Today, though, I’m doing my “social networking” from Panera Bread. That’s because yesterday, my Internet connection went “ker-flooey.” That’s a techie term that translated means VERIZON SUCK-ETH BIGTIME!
I spent nearly 2 hours on the phone with the V-guys, turning connections on and off, typing in weird combos of letters and numbers, inserting plug A into slot C — you get the picture. Ultimately nothing was fixed. They make you jump through all those hoops even when they KNOW there’s a network-wide problem. Finally I convinced them that tech supported needed to FIX the furshluggener problem, and they scheduled me a tech-guy to come to the house. . .
Next Tuesday. Sometime before 5 pm.
WHAT?!!! My entire work life not to mention income is derived from online connections. And the earliest possible time they have to get me back to work is 9 days? I spoke to a supervisor. Same thing– “thank you for understanding, we’re so very sorry, that’s the earliest, we’ll put you on a list if there’s a cancellation/somebody’s in the area/yada-yada.”
This morning not even my Blackberry could download email, due to not enough network coverage. Huh? Over the weekend it was fine but by this morning the network went flooey? Ri-ight.
It begs a question I’d now ask of the panel (below). What do you do to supplement online networking in case, you know, it goes ker-flooey? Have any of y’all had longtime outages? How did you manage? I discovered when I logged on here at Panera Bread that there also were connections from the nearby Wendy’s and several other hot-spots. But I recall the days of dial-up and no coffee shop options.
Zombie apocalypse? No worries. Crazed cats? That’s nuthin. Pushy pooches? Fuggedaboutit. Shut off my internet? NOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooo!
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 tuned for more news about my forthcoming THRILLER, LOST & FOUND!
Filed under: Ask Amy Videos, Writing Advice & More Tagged: Amy Shojai, how to write, internet outages, social networking, Thrillerfest, writing advice, www.amyshojai.com
August 17, 2012
Feline Friday: 10 People Foods for Cats
Kitty snackage–and yes, she did taste the strawberries and decided they weren’t acceptable.
My cat Seren(dipity) never met a meal she didn’t like—including my own. Once she even decided to taste the hot mustard dip from my plate. Have you ever seen a cat LEVITATE?! Kitty foaming at the mouth is no laughing matter except the little squirt came back for seconds!
We love to indulge our kitties but people food can carry risks. Fortunately our cats appear less likely than dogs to taste-test toxic treats like chocolate, macadamia nuts, avocados, or raisons/grapes. Artificial sweeteners keep owners lean but any goodies sweetened with Xylitol could cause kitty liver failure. Thank goodness cats don’t easily detect or care about sweet flavors.
Seren manages to keep her svelt 6-pound figure even when the aroma of baking and roasting turns her purrs to begging. Responsible pet parents can offer healthy choices from the table. In fact, many holistic veterinarians recommend these foods as a natural way to treat your feline friend.
Treats typically shouldn’t make up more than about 10 percent of the pet’s total diet. So if you plan to offer table food, reduce the cat’s regular ration. Tiny amounts offered very gradually work best to avoid upset tummies.
Lean Meats. Lean chicken is a feline favorite. A hunk of firm beef means your cat must chew rather than gulp, which can scrub teeth for dental health. Turkey contains tryptophan, a natural sleep aid that works to calm excited pets during holiday visits.
Fish. Many cats adore fish. Salmon, shrimp and oysters may be a holiday favorite for both humans and pets. Be careful of tuna (offer only the water-packed variety) because the strong flavor can almost be addictive.
Organ meats. Don’t toss out the giblets when you roast your holiday bird. Heart, liver and gizzards are power-packed with vitamins and minerals that cats relish.
Green garnish. Cats are carnivores but often enjoy grazing on such things as fresh wheat grass and catnip. A few enjoy green beans—but hold the too-rich mushroom sauce. Serving olives? Your cat may not eat them, but many felines react to olives like catnip. Offer some parsley for greens munching felines—it will also freshen kitty breath.
Stew. Leftover turkey soup cooked with spinach, green beans, mushrooms and slivers of beets (for liver health) makes a great treat and top dressing for regular food. A bit of garlic for flavor is fine, too, as it contains vitamin B—just don’t overdo as too much of onion or garlic can cause anemia.
Sweet potatoes. High fiber sweet potato soothes upset tummies, and can be a tasty treat for cats. Cats don’t have much of a sweet tooth, though, so hold the sugary marshmallow—that’s not healthy for them.
Canned pumpkin. Cats seem to love pumpkin. The high fiber also works as a great natural remedy for hairballs, diarrhea or constipation. Use the canned (plain nonflavored) version, divide servings into ice cube trays and freeze—and thaw only the amount needed.
Yogurt. You’d think milk would be on the treat list, but many cats develop diarrhea from more than a tiny taste. A better milk-based treat is plain unflavored yogurt. Yogurt also helps maintain the beneficial bacteria in the stomach that keeps digestion healthy.
Fruit. Not all cats like fruit but those that do can benefit from the vitamins. Kitties often enjoy cantaloupe and strawberries or bananas. Most cats HATE the smell of citrus and you’ll risk hissing the cat off by offering such things.
Ginger. Ginger is a natural remedy that counters nausea, in case Kitty has car sick problems from the trip to Grandma’s house. But most cats won’t be interested in gingerbread or ginger cookies. Try offering a tiny taste of no-sugar whipped cream mixed with ginger as a special treat that soothes the tummy troubles.
Every cat has different tastes—and nutritional needs. Be sure to ask your veterinarian before “treating” your fur-kids. Remember you wouldn’t allow your human kid to munch exclusively on rich desserts or gravy, so balance your table-love with healthy moderation.
What table foods do your cats love? Do they counter-surf and serve themselves from the human smorgasbord? How do you foil the refrigerator raiders? 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, listen to the weekly radio show, check out weekly FREE PUPPY CARE newsletter, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter. Stay tuned for more news about my forthcoming THRILLER, LOST & FOUND!
Filed under: Cat Behavior & Care Tagged: Amy Shojai, cat behavior, cat food, cat training, cat treats, cats, people food for cats, poison foods for pets, www.amyshojai.com
August 15, 2012
Woof Wednesday: Furry Fountain of Youth
My first shepherd lived over 13 years and remained sharp and responsive right up to the last day. And yes, I still miss him…
Dogs cared for throughout their early years live longer than ever before. It’s not unusual for Toy-breed dogs to live into their mid-to-late teens and even big dogs today enjoy a decade or more of happy life with a loving owner. A longer life, though, can leave your dog befuddled when canine brains turn to mush.
Dogs aged 11 to 16 are most likely to develop Canine Cognitive Dysfunction (CCD), sort of the doggy version of Alzheimer’s Disease. CCD is a medical condition in which a starch-like waxy protein called beta amyloid collects in the brain and causes behavior changes.
Affected dogs become disoriented, wander, cry and pace, and can become lost in the house when out of your sight. Their behavior can change from confident to frightened, and the awake/sleep cycles may turn upside down. Dogs can forget house training, how to find the door or be unable to tell you when they need to “go.” And most heartbreaking of all, senile dogs lose interest in petting, ignore their beloved owners or furry friends, and might not recognize you.
Treating Doggy Senility
While there’s no cure for CCD, the drug Anipryl (selegiline hydrochloride) is FDA-approved to treat cognitive dysfunction in dogs. According to veterinary researchers, about 1/3rd of treated dogs return to normal, another 1/3rd are somewhat helped and the final 1/3rd aren’t helped at all. There also are special diets designed to help turn back the clock on canine senility. Sadly, even improved dogs eventually revert and again develop senility signs.
7 Tips To Keep Canine Brains Youthful
A longer life is not necessarily a better life, especially if your dog no longer recognizes you. But there are ways to help your dog stay connected with the world and ward off signs of CCD, simply by exercising his brain.
Brain function studies in dogs proved that problem-solving activities kept them sharp, connected to the world around them, and even extended their lifespan. Just as with people, canine mental and physical stimulation drastically improves your dog’s cognitive function. “Use it or lose it” applies to dogs just as it does to humans. Here are 10 tips to keep King mentally spry into his old age.
Don’t delay. Keep dogs both mentally and physically spry from puppyhood on. That helps prevent or at least slow brain aging changes. Magical-Dawg is six-years-YOUNG and I’m determined to keep his brain active. Otherwise, he finds trouble.
Make Play A Daily Treat. Interactive games keep your dog engaged with you and reward him for responding. Toys don’t need to be expensive, either. Old socks become tug toys and used tennis balls work great for fetch. They’re even more attractive if old and they smell like the owner.
Slim Pudgy Pooches. Overweight dogs have trouble exercising and avoid moving which can allow joints—and brains—to rust. Ask your vet for a slimming program that’s safe for your overweight canine. Fortunately, Magic hasn’t had a weight problem and continues to have a waist. I just wish that I had the same metabolism!
Adopt Another Pet. Proper introductions of a playful younger cat or dog can serve as a furry fountain of youth to an old-fogey dog. Even if he’s irked at the young whippersnapper, keeping Junior-Pet in line can keep your dog sharp. (Actually, I think Magical-Dawg has “youthened” the Seren-kitty’s c’attitude, and yes–cats can also suffer from senility.)
Practice Commands. Just because he’s old doesn’t mean he can’t perform. Practice the pleasures that make King’s heart leap for joy—for obedience champions, put him through his paces. If he has trouble, adjust the Frisbee toss or vault heights. Make necessary accommodations so he can still succeed and feel like the champion he is.
Treats for Tricks. Teach the old dog new tricks using healthy treat rewards. Make treats smelly so he won’t have to strain old eyes to see.
Give A Challenge. Puzzle toys that dispense treats turn meals into fun games. For food fanatics, puzzle toys encourage activity and brain-teasing challenges that exercise problem solving abilities.
We can’t predict any dog’s lifespan. When a special dog reaches senior citizenship, we treasure our time together even more. Keeping your dog mentally active helps keep dogs connected with life—and us. And that ensures their golden years sparkle.
How do you keep your older dog’s brain nimble? Are there special games or activities that you enjoy doing together? In my forthcoming thriller, a tracking dog still has the “nose” despite his age–and I based that on an interview with a tracking dog expert (profiled in the Aging Dog book) who continued to track even though he’d gone blind! Of course, you can find all the must-knows about old dog care in the book. But many tips are common sense–please share!
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 tuned for more news about my forthcoming THRILLER, LOST & FOUND!
Filed under: Dog Training & Care Tagged: alzheimers, Amy Shojai, canine cognitive problems, Complete Care for Your Aging Dog, dog books, dog care, dog training, old dogs, www.amyshojai.com
August 13, 2012
Monday Mentions: Lee Child, Reacher & Speeding To Publish
The long promised short clips from the 2012 Thrillerfest finally will be posted–and here’s the first, with the awesome Kathleen Antrim interviewing Lee Child about his Jack Reacher novels–and the movie. Honestly, I can’t imagine having written so many novels. It’s waaaaay different than writing nonfiction, and my first thriller has just about done me in.
I’m gasping, filled with Sisyphus-icity as the launch date draws near for my thriller. After screwing up my courage and sending out oh-so-polite requests for well known folks to read and maybe offer a kind word about the book, I’ve been blessed beyond my wildest dreams. But I can’t slow down. This hamster wheel is on a roll and speeding up.
So this past week, Dr. Marty Becker, D.P. Lyle and James Rollins kind words were included with polite invitations to savvy book reviewers to take an advance look. For a book to be successful it must be found, so authors can’t afford to be shy.
In the days and weeks ahead, I’ll post some of my efforts in the hopes it might also help others traveling similar publishing journeys. Fair warning–I may ask for your help because it takes a tribe to get folks to notice a new book. And I know y’all have the power to get schtuff noticed, especially thrillers with bite.
On to our regularly scheduled Monday Mentions, the mash-up-day of all the neato-torpedo links and videos, pet schtuff and bling and writer-icity crappiocca collected over the past week. Some of this “schtuff” can be hard to categorize and may fit more than one topic so I urge you to at least scan them all. The second short video of SQUEE! cute cats is sure to relieve stress (it did mine, anyway!).
WRITER-ICTY SCHTUFF
Agent as Publisher–Sorta-Kinda
New Kindleboards Blog this is something to watch, Indies!
Bonfire of the Straw Man an awesome post from David Gaughran that debunks some of the strangest arguments AGAINST indies
5 Keys to Writing Success from social media maven Kristin Lamb
Panic Attacks and help for writers and other creative folks from Kristin Nador
8 Easy Social Media Tips from Jenny Hansen
The Science of Disgust who knew it was a protective mechanism?
How To Self Pub and Ebook some good general info
NetGalley for reviewers finding great books
FAKE Reviews? Say it ain’t so!
50 Shades of Grateful a peek into new (old) realms for writers from Tameri Etherton
PET-ICITY SCHTUFF
Recalled Metal Pet Bowls …can you say RADIOACTIVE?! Sheesh
Call for Winn Feline Foundation Research Grants
Readers Raise Funds to Save Bookstore Cat Awwwwwwwww…
Dog Training Controversy–Or Not? Great blog for those with questions!
Video of Mugsy-Cat Fighting Gators wow
Kitty Cams what the cats do–but is the evidence skewed? Check out this one that proves not all cats are killers and then decide.
Wonderful fun video below the Lee Child interview, sort of a cat’s eye review of a new cat tree, from Janea Kelly. Enjoy!
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 tuned for more news about my forthcoming THRILLER, LOST & FOUND!
Filed under: Cat Behavior & Care, Dog Training & Care, Writing Advice & More Tagged: Amy Shojai, cat behavior, cats, dog training, dogs, Jack Reacher, Kathleen Antrim, Lee Child, Lost And Found, pet books, pets, thriller, Thrillerfest, writing advice, www.amyshojai.com
