Amy Shojai's Blog, page 135
April 18, 2012
Woof Wednesday: Dog Food Info & How To Stop Gassy Dogs
I’ve spent the past couple of weeks writing about pet food to help pet parents best choose what to put in the bowl. It’s up to owners to do research into what fits your furry wonder’s age and lifestyle. Do you know how many calories dogs need, for instance? The newest article answers questions about calories in dog food.
So I’ve provided a primer on how to read pet food labels. Bet you’ll learn some surprising things about what the label can tell you–and what it doesn’t say.
Do you know how they test the food? Animal testing, you betcha–and Magical-Dawg wants to come back as a food taste tester in their food trials. Read all about the testing here.
Pet food manufacturers can be creative when it comes to following the letter of the law and describing what’s in the food, too. Do you know what constitutes a GOOD food additive? Are there bad ones? Why would they even be in the food? Well, many of them are there not for the dog, but to get those of us with pocket books and thumbs to open the wallet and buy the food. Learn about pet food additives here.
Dogs aren’t the best decision makers, even if they had their own wallets. Heck, there’s a reason that at my house all the toilet lids stay CLOSED, and the waste baskets are set on countertops. Magical-Dawg eats just about anything. That, of course, can lead to (ahem) potent results. In fact, today’s Ask Amy video addresses that very issue.
How do you choose food for your dogs? Have they ever had aromatic emissions of the stinky kind? How did you handle that? 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 with excerpts from the forthcoming THRILLER, LOST & FOUND, and pet book give-aways!
Filed under: Ask Amy Videos, Dog Training & Care Tagged: Amy Shojai, Ask Amy, comparing dog food, dog food label, gassy dog, pet food, puppies, puppies.About.com, puppy care, www.amyshojai.com
April 16, 2012
Monday Mentions: Reading Monkeys, Chocolate Diet & Musical Cure
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.
I’m THIS CLOSE to releasing the next book in the COMPETABILITY series, this one on solving cat-to-cat problems. Also, I’ve written a whole series of pet food articles as we;; as first aid tips for the puppies.about.com site and will share the latest links in the Woof Wednesday and Feline Friday blogs so please bookmark and come back. The regular busy-ness will quadruple shortly because I’m due to receive edits on my LOST AND FOUND thriller by tomorrow, yay! Therefore, you may not see me around for a few days as I work hard to regain consciousness and then work through the suggested changes. Hey, that’s a regular part of the book process, don’t let anyone tell you any different.
WRITER-ICITY SCHTUFF
Research on Reading & Writing Trends
The Chocolate Diet why is this under writer-icity? because it’s a well-known fact that chocolate is BRAIN FOOD that fuels writers. Just sayin’
Poetry.com Returns–Beware! or at least caution. Read the Writer Beware post to learn more info.
Audible for Self-Pub’d Authors, is your book a candidate for an audio book?
Short Story Sales Tips still a good way to promote long fiction? Hmnnnn. Leads right into the next links.
World Of Myth looking for short stories and here’s a Short Story Contest for emerging writers
ITW’s “Love Is Murder” Collection Trailer Go to the Facebook page to “like” it to see this exclusive trailer–writers can learn some tips with this kewl video.
Blog Give-Aways, what to do and what not to do
MAN-DAY with hunks galore at Jillian Dodd’s awesome blog where today author Jen Talty expounds on her books’ hunky heroes (photo examples, squee!)
PET-ICITY SCHTUFF
Do Pets Go to Heaven? on the heels of Easter, three theology experts comment–a fascinating read. And that segues nicely into the next section about ghosts.
“Mag the Ghost wasn’t any easier to deal with in death than Mag the Terror had been in life. Living in Love, Texas, in her childhood home, wasn’t the end of the world, but Tali Cates can’t see the good things with her eyes clouded by murder and mayhem. Now living at home with her son and her mother and trying to support her family, Tali is faced with a vengeful ghost, intent on ruining her life unless she solves her murder. Now some very human elements are showing violent intent and Tali has to come face to face with the very things she tried to leave behind, her gifts and violence.” Privy to Murder by Carol Shenold
This fun mystery (yes, a ghost appears in an outhouse!) also includes a cat, so I asked my friend–author Carol Shenold–how pets figure in her fiction. I think many writers could learn something from her response:
The Cat Said What? I don’t mean you and your cat will sit down at a computer and write together. But, what if your cat shows up in your current WIP. How do you handle that? I know many writers who make animals into main characters in the books, complete with dialogue. Not good at that. Animals do sneak in because I live with three, but not as major players, more for comic relief, or just for fun. Besides, life is not complete without them.
I do feel like you have to judge your book, setting and character before putting in a pet, since the main character has to take care of it. It you are writing a thriller, adventure, horror story, will your character remember to feed and water the animal, take it for a walk, scoop the litter? If not, make sure someone else is around to take care of the cat or dog. Mention it once or twice. Or, make it the neighbor’s irritating pet that shows up at awkward times. The way your main character interacts with animals might give insight into character, or lack of.
Since my animals are part of my life, they do come into the books and have a little fun. I have to watch them or they might take over. In PRIVY TO MURDER, Tali’s kitten, Chaos, tries to take a bath with Tali whenever she can, preferably with bubbles. But when Aiden was around, she made herself scarce, not fond of males? Cat’s rule and Aiden has disappeared.”
Monkeys Taught To Read! Well, sorta kinda in a way–they do recognize words, how cool is that? I predict a whole new audience for my work…
National Fire Dog Memorial Statue Planned
New Kitten URI Treatment get ready for kitten season with this new info from UC-Davis
More DON’T HUG YOUR DOG DAY from dog behavior expert Marilyn Wolf, a similar take on the Purina Beneful bad promotion.
Purina Stinko Again? This time they did apologize for comparing a neighborhood to a stinky litterbox in a TidyCats NoMorePU campaign. Are the ad guys playing with catnip? Don’t tell me you didn’t inhale!
Is Cesar Milan Going To Fix Your Dog? an excellent post from veterinarian Dr. Rayya who explains the difference between behavioral problems and problem behaviors.
Some of y’all know that music is a HUGE part of my life. It seems to heal us and make us whole on so many levels. A friend sent me this video and I had to share with everyone. HANKY alert!
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 with excerpts from the forthcoming THRILLER, LOST & FOUND, and pet book give-aways!
Filed under: Cat Behavior & Care, Dog Training & Care, Writing Advice & More Tagged: Amy Shojai, cat care, chocolate diet, dog care, music cure, publishing advice, Purina, reading monkey, writing advice, writing tips, www.amyshojai.com
April 13, 2012
Feline Friday: Ask Amy~Why Cats Drool During Petting
Cats (especially show cats) can learn to tolerate and even appreciate hugs. What does this kitty's body language say? Look at the ears, the whiskers, the eyes...
This week’s Woof Wednesday post on hugging dogs garnered a LOT of attention and started some great discussions both here, at my puppies.about.com site, on Facebook and even in my IAABC email list among the behavior consultants. And it’s true that the “hugging rule” applies to cats, as well. Hugging is not generally considered a cat behavior that expresses affection, even though cats can learn to enjoy this. As others have said, it all depends upon the cat, the owner, and the circumstances (and also, how you define a “hug”).
But that begs the question, what do cats enjoy? And how do you know they like it? What do you do if a cat’s expression of affection or enjoyment doesn’t appeal to you–or even disgusts you?
WHY DOES MY CAT DROOL, EWWW!
How many folks have experienced a drooling, bubble-blowing saliva-spewing kitty? Since they’re much smaller than dogs, the drool factor may not be quite the same level as, say, a St. Bernard. Lovers of drooly dogs invest in drool-resistant attire and regularly hose down walls, furniture, or anything else within drool-flinging range.
I exaggerate, but not by much.
Cats also can turn on the water works. Sometimes that’s a sign of dental issues or sore mouths. While the sight of something tasty can get my Magical-Dog soaking wet with slobber-icity, the same thing rarely seems to happen with cats. When a cat feels stressed, excessive grooming may be a way he helps calm himself. That could require increased salivation, but I’m not aware of a direct link between drooling and stress.
But some cats salivate when petted. The more they get petted, the greater the drippy flow. I really don’t know why some cats drool and blow bubbles while others don’t. They must simply be wired differently. The mechanism to turn on the water works has to do with the same pleasure triggers that prompt petted cats to knead/tread in satisfaction. Cats’ impulse to knead hearkens back to the sensation they felt when nursing, and eating would trigger salivation. So it’s not a huge jump to attribute salivating and drooling to these same pleasurable sensations. Drooling when petted is one more way cats show us love.
Do your cats drool? What are the circumstances? I’m curious if cats in the same household might “copy cat” behavior and more than one do this or is it primarily an individual issue? What are some other ways your cats show you they LIKE something? What else have I missed in the Ask Amy video below? 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 with excerpts from the forthcoming THRILLER, LOST & FOUND, and pet book give-aways!
Filed under: Ask Amy Videos, Cat Behavior & Care Tagged: Amy Shojai. www.amyshojai.com, Ask Amy, cat advice, cat behavior, cats, hugging cats, hugging dogs, video, why do cats drool when petted
April 11, 2012
Woof Wednesday: Cute Babies, Apple Pie & Hug Your Dog
I had another post set to go today. But then I took an ethical stand (say it ain't so!) and wrote what appears to be an incredibly unpopular post on my puppies.About.com site.
Oh dear heaven, by the comments I received you'd think that I said cute babies are evil, apple pie is poison and advocated BEATING YOUR DOG! Part of that has to do with folks reading only the title and ignoring the content of the message. Oh well. That drives home the importance of titles, I suppose.
You see, I took issue with a big-name pet food company that should know better. The Purina Beneful promotion titled "hug your dog day" encouraged folks to take pictures of themselves hugging their dogs and post them.
Sounds delightful, doesn't it? The promo really struck a chord with pet lovers. After all, who doesn't love a hug? Hugs mean love, hugs mean happy happy happy, hugs are tail-wagging expressions of the joy we share with dogs. Right? RIGHT?!
Uh, no.
WHY HUGS CAN BE DANGEROUS
There's a reason that veterinary behaviorists, dog trainers and savvy owners blanched when they learned about this promotion. Why is that? Because while hugs are a natural HUMAN expression of comfort and love, they can send the opposite signal to your dog.
Children get bitten in the face as a result of inappropriate dog interaction (often hugs). Learn ways to help prevent dog bites here. There are other safer, more appropriate ways to show affection to dogs that the dog actually prefers!
"Oh no, you stupid, clueless person–you're wrong wrong wrong, because MY DOG loves hugs, and every dog I've ever had loves hugs and everyone that I know has dogs that hug them back and loves hugs and…"
Good. In this case I would LOVE to be wrong! If you have a dog that loves hugs and hugs you back, bravo. But that also begs the question, how do you know your dog "loves hugs?"
DEFINING "HUGS" & WHY DOGS HUG
A hug is an embrace, right? Arms go around the body and squeeze–that's a hug. When do dogs clasp forelegs around another creature and squeeze? I can think of three scenarios:
Mating/Dominance displays
Prey capture
Fights/play fighting
So when your dog "hugs" you what is he saying? And what do your hugs tell him? As a vet tech years ago I was taught the "hug-restraint" technique to immobilize dogs for treatment, and I suspect the dogs were not fooled into thinking that was an expression of affection.
How do dogs actually show love? Here are 12 common ways.
Thank heavens our dogs for the most part are very flexible and forgive humans our sometimes clueless nature, LOL! I know that I'm grateful Magical-Dawg makes allowances when I don't understand what he's trying to tell me. At least with people, you can explain your intentions. That can be a challenge with dogs.
FORCING HUGS–IS IT FAIR?
I don't have two-legged children. But I've witnessed gatherings where babies and toddlers get passed around to strangers who hug, pinch cheeks, bounce up and down, and ooh-and-aw over the cuticity. I think we've all seen kids wail in protest or fall silent with fear while a clueless relative or acquaintance –or a pediatrician?–insists on continued "loving but unwanted attention." When you were a kid, do you remember that certain relative who caused no end of angst because as a kid you had no choice but to put up with the hugs, smooches, and cheek pinches? At least with older children, parents can explain what's going on and help guide the adult (hopefully) into less scary interactions.
As much as we want to believe they read our minds and understand our words, dogs misunderstand a lot–and we misunderstand an equal portion of what they say. Hugs are supposed to express affection and love. So if a hug causes stress, fear, discomfort to the dog you adore, is it fair to inflict those feelings because it "feels good" to the owner?
BUT–MY DOG LOVES HUGS!
Yes, many dogs can learn to tolerate–or even love hugs from a trusted human. For those who have taken the time to do this, BRAVO! Many dogs also can learn to tolerate or love tooth brushing–so is it responsible for a company with dental products to promote sticking your hands in the dog's mouth, or is it better to explain how to do so safely?
Magical-dog loves close contact. He often pushes his head and shoulders into my lap or squeezes his face under my arm. Is he asking for a hug? I suspect it's this type of behavior that confuses many of us–but see, he controls that interaction. My arms haven't come down around him to capture/hold/prevent movement. So some of the confusion, I suspect, has to do with semantics and how people define a hug.
How do you know your dog "loves" hugs? What does your dog do when s/he receives a hug? Do you know what each of these signals mean? Are you sure? Click on a link or two to see if you're right!
Wags
Pants
Stiffens
Licks lips
Turns head away
Shows whites of eyes
My post seems to have hissed off a large number of folks who remain convinced their dogs love hugs. That's great. But my entire purpose with these blogs, my books, pet advocacy and more is to EMPOWER PET OWNERS TO MAKE INFORMED CHOICES.
To stand silent and do nothing hurts my soul. I was an expert witness in a dog bite trial where a child was severely injured by a dog she adored–and the dog adored her as well. Read about that in this blog post.
If hissing off some readers saves one child from the trauma of a bite, or one family from the heartbreak of losing a beloved dog by mis-reading intent–I'm fine with that.
Now then, I'll don my flame-resistant sparkles and prepare for comments. Do your dogs like hugs? How do you know? For trainers and behavior folks out there, how do you help people understand safe dog handling? 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 with excerpts from the forthcoming THRILLER, LOST & FOUND, and pet book give-aways!
Filed under: Dog Training & Care Tagged: Amy Shojai, beneful, dog behavior, dog behavior books, dog bite, dog training, hug your dog, puppies.About.com, Purina, www.amyshojai.com
April 9, 2012
Monday Mentions: Thrillers, Pets & Writing
Monday Mentions is the mash-up-day of all the TASTY 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.
WRITER-ICITY SCHTUFF
Why Small Presses Fail–and what to watch out for, from Writers Beware
Congrats to fellow ITW Debut Author Donna Galanti. Her thriller A Human Element released this month. This story, like its characters, is a hybrid that combines science fiction, suspense and romance. As a twin myself, I found that aspect of the story both chilling and fascinating. Read more here–and aspiring authors may wish to take a closer look at this publisher, too!
For more thrilling romance from well known authors, check out the upcoming collection. That's a must-read, to be sure, cain't wait! PW Starred Review says, in part: "If a person is known by the company she keeps, then the company of the 30 romance and suspense writers in this stellar all-original anthology speaks volumes about bestseller Brown. From Lori Armstrong's sexy "Holding Mercy" to Vicki Hinze's sweet "Wed to Death," there's romance aplenty. But there's also loads of suspense, including Lee Child's "I Heard a Romantic Story" and Cindy Gerard's "Dying to Score." Hankering for a flight of romantic fantasy? Take a trip to a bizarre Savannah neighborhood in Dianna Love's "Deadly Fixation" or to the Chicago of Patricia Rosemoor's "Hot Note." The action spans the globe, imparting a real feel for locales as diverse as the Mexican jungle; Halifax, Nova Scotia; London, England; and south Texas. There are familiar characters such as Allison Brennan's Lucy Kincaid ("Vacation Interrupted") and new ones readers are sure to want to see more of, like William Simon's Nicholas White ("Spider's Tango"). Chockablock with nifty plot twists, these stories aren't to be missed. (June)"
More from ITW--some of your fav thriller authors, check it out!
WEIRD-ICITY & FUN SCHTUFF
You Type, She Says in any language, fun to play.
Middle Eastern Poetry Meets Bollywood & More from my friend Carol Shenold's blog
Google to End Ebook ReSeller Program
PET-ICITY SCHTUFF
10 New Cat Health Studies Funded by Winn Feline Foundation
Ally Cat Allies Petition Re: Loews Hotels Killing Cats Animal friendly? really…
Cat World Records–most toes, longest whiskers, loudest purrs, oldest (38 years!) and more
ALLEY CAT RESCUE Hosts International Free Feral Cat Spay Day April 27, 2012
Lost German Cat Returns Home After 15 Years
High Cost of Cutting Edge Vet Care–would you do it?
I covered a lot of this cutting-edge care in my book. And I got my first hate mail as a result from somebody deeply offended that so much $$ might be spent on mere pets. What do you think? Have we gone too far? Or would you go into dept to fund health care for YOUR dogs and cats? 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 with excerpts from the forthcoming THRILLER, LOST & FOUND, and pet book give-aways!
Filed under: Cat Behavior & Care, Dog Training & Care, Writing Advice & More Tagged: Amy Shojai, cat care, dog care, Donna Galanti, ITW, Sandra Brown, Thrillers, veterinary, www.amyshojai.com
April 6, 2012
Feline Friday: Poop-alicious Remedies
When you have pets, shitake happens. (Hey, I figured the word "crappiocca" might have been over-used lately, so…)
One of the most common cat behavior complaints I get has to do with hit-or-miss litter box behavior. And it's one of the most misunderstood. There are so dang many reasons for Cutey-Cat to snub the litter box and even the felines who are faithful to potty training can get their tails in a twist over "sctuff" and–(ahem)–let their opinion be known.
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You can find some of the basics for solving litter box problems in my cats.About.com article on the subject. And the updated and expanded book ComPETability: Solving Behavior Problems In Your Cat-Dog Household has explanations and step-by-step how-to-solve advice, as well (kewl new cover, too, eh? 
) This week's Woof Wednesday advice about dogs snacking from litter boxes is covered in the book, with more details of course.
Thanks to one of my fav SweetTweet & bloggicity friends for sending me the Ask Amy question, below. It can be a challenge to offer advice in 3 minutes or less, so I hope the info helps.
So what other advice would y'all offer? Do you have kitties that baptize walls? Dig-dig-dig forever and then "get productive" behind the piano? How do you manage? I'll be adding two NEW books to the ComPETability series (for cat-to-cat and dog-to-dog behavior problems) so who knows? Your specific comments might make it into the book. Please share!
Gotta run, I have someone calling to interview me about–(wait for it) litter box problems! Like I said, it's been a week filled with crappiocca.
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 with excerpts from the forthcoming THRILLER, LOST & FOUND, and pet book give-aways!
Filed under: Ask Amy Videos, Cat Behavior & Care, Dog Training & Care Tagged: Amy Shojai, Ask Amy, cat behavior, cat books, cat pooping, competability, dog books, solving litter box problems, www.amyshojai.com
April 4, 2012
Woof Wednesday: Big Hairy Deal & Stop Litter Box Snacking
On Monday Mentions you saw my Hairball Celebrity Creature, and a number of folks had terrific guesses. Today you can find out just WHO that was supposed to be–featured on PeoplePets.com, a gallery of 9 of the hairy hopefuls are profiled.
To see the whole gallery plus the five finalists, and vote for your choice of winner, click on the logo, above.
In the spirit of Woof Wednesday, but with a nod to the cats, today's Ask Amy has a cross-species problem to address. Does your dog (urk!) snack from the litter box? Learn why dogs eat dung in this article. How do you keep Poochie away from the poo?
I'm in the process of completely revising my ComPETability book to be even more prescriptive, and some of the tips from the book are presented in the video, below. What are some other ways you handle the problem? 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 with excerpts from the forthcoming THRILLER, LOST & FOUND, and pet book give-aways!
Filed under: Ask Amy Videos, Cat Behavior & Care, Dog Training & Care Tagged: Amy Shojai, Ask Amy, cat behavior, cat care, competability, dog behavior, dog care, dogs eating from litter box, Furminator, George Clooney, hairballs, how to stop dogs litter box snacking, PeoplePets.com, pet books, video, why dogs eat poop, www.amyshojai.com
April 2, 2012
Monday Mentions: Hairball Creatures, Writer-icity & Pee Champion
Monday Mentions is the mash-up-day of all the TASTY 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.
WEIRD-ICITY SCHTUFF
Just who IS that celebrity look-alike? And what kind of craft items were used? Can you guess?
For the last three years, RomeotheCat.com and FURminator have teamed up to celebrate National Hairball Awareness Day in April. The event is designed to raise awareness about the prevention of hairballs through grooming and is always a lot of fun! This year, bloggers were challenged to make a celebrity look-alike hairball creature using the fur collected from using the FURminator de-shedding tool. I'd already used one for the Magical-Dawg and loved it, and they sent me one designed especially for kitties (review to come later this month).
So I am very pleased and oh-so-proud to announce that my hairy-icity (above) is one of the 10 creatures chosen to be featured on PeoplePets.com, and the five finalists will be open to viewer votes on the FURminator FB page!
That's why I got my Seren-kitty and Magical-Dawg to make a (hack-cough-sneeze) furry contribution. The FURminator corporate team will vote on their favorite Hairball Celebrity, and the winner will receive a $1K donation for the cat-related non profit of their choice–and I've chosen the Winn Feline Foundation, an organization dedicated to funding health research for all cats. So here's hoping that the (ahem) creation above makes it into the top 5. Even if my creature fails to make the fuzzy cut, it's a great cause for some worthy cat organization. I'll keep you posted.
Meanwhile, anybody care to hazard a guess who that spittin' image celebrity look alike might be?
Here's some more awesome Monday Mentions.
Drug Shrinks ALL Tumors (people & pets)
How to Get Science Write/Right
REVIEW SCHTUFF
Cats Can't Shoot is the second book in Clea Simon's Pru Marlowe "pet noir" series, and I was fortunate to receive an ARC. Clea is a prolific author of three mystery series, and includes cats in her work (yay!). Pru Marlowe is an animal behaviorist with a talent for "hearing" the thoughts of critters around her–cats, dogs, ferrets and more–but of course there are translation problems that cause misunderstandings. When a white Persian cat is accused of murder–setting off an antique dueling pistol that kills the owner–Pru sets out to discover what really happened. Since the Persian perp refuses to "talk" (cat got her tongue?), Pru meets with a host of furry residents hoping to get the inside scoop. This is a fun mystery with a quirky strong heroine and unique premise. I liked Pru better than many of the critters, though, since many of the pet voices seemed snarky and held little affection for humans (granted, often with good reason!). Many of the animal conversations got interrupted before any real information could be given, which was frustrating not only to Pru but also to the reader. Clea has NAILED the animal behavior content, and obviously has great affection for all-things-furry. Fans of cozy cat mysteries will lap this up like cream as they second-guess if cats really CAN shoot–and who framed this Persian beauty and why.
Clea also sent me a review copy of Grey Expectations, the fourth title in her Dulcie Schwartz feline mystery series. This isn't your usual cozy mystery and could honestly be called a litter-ary puzzle, since Harvard Grad student Dulcie is working on her dissertation covering a 1790′s gothic novel. When a student friend calls frantic for help, and then disappears, Dulcie is thrust into a search for her missing friend that may be tied to the theft of a priceless manuscript, with both good guys and bad guys suspecting Dulcie played a part. Dulcie is aided by tips and advice from her new kitten as well as the ghost of a dearly departed cat Mr. Grey, who speak to her in waking dreams with sometimes cryptic messages. Murder most foul, mistaken identities and red herrings keep the pages turning in this cozy amateur sleuth story. When Dulcie's attacker is knocked cold with a leather-bound folio of Ben Jonson plays by the mouse-like librarian, I nearly fell over laughing with delight! Highly recommended.
WRITER-ICITY SCHTUFF
Astraea Press Open for Submissions
The Complete Digital Author Online Workshop taught by Bob Mayer and Jen Talty
Children's & YA Hardcover Sales Up 69%
Big 5 Publishers & Apple Close to Agency Settlement Deal
Inside Look at PublishAmerica's "Literary Agent" Program from Author Beware (yep, you guessed it–steer clear!)
Logline Contest from Backspace Writers Conference
When Should Writers Work for Free
Twitter Hashtags for Writers and also How To Make Your Tweets Stand Out (hmnnn, is that really something to do?
On Copyediting–A Writer's Best Friend
PET SCHTUFF
All Things Cats–Reader's Choice Award Winners!
Meeting Jackson Galaxy, fun blogs from a starstruck (and great writer) fan!
Finally, does anyone out there have a pee-crazy pooch? Take a look at this video and then decide if you have a problem to match, LOL!
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 with excerpts from the forthcoming THRILLER, LOST & FOUND, and pet book give-aways!
Filed under: Cat Behavior & Care, Dog Training & Care, Writing Advice & More Tagged: Amy Shojai, cat behavior, cat books, cat care, cat grooming, cat hairballs, Furminator, PeoplePets.com, romeothecat, writing advice, www.amyshojai.com
March 29, 2012
Thoughty Thursday: Kittens, Curious Cat Facts & Author Trivia
This week seems to be all about cute kittens and that's due to my WANA friend Ali Dent and her awesome blog. She offered to review my book Complete Kitten Care and then followed up today with an author interview (gulp!).
Truly, to me kittens and cats are way more interesting than authors. And to prove that fact, here's some curious kitten trivia from the book:
Newborn kittens can't regulate body temperature.
Although blind and deaf at birth, newborns scent-mark Mom-cat's milk bar and usually return to the same nipple each time.
The prime socialization period for kittens is 2-7 weeks of age (BEFORE they go to new homes)!
A four-month-old kitten can go into heat and become pregnant.
Kittens "talk" more with silent body language and scent than with spits, hisses, purrs or meows.
Meows tend to be aimed more at humans than at other cats.
Learn more in the book, of course. And if you're very bored and want to find out what makes this weird pet-centric writer work, please visit Ali Dent's blog for her interview with me–AMY SHOJAI, THE UNTOLD STORY!
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 with excerpts from the forthcoming THRILLER, LOST & FOUND, and pet book give-aways!
Filed under: Cat Behavior & Care Tagged: Ali Dent, Amy Shojai, author interview, cat trivia, Complete Kitten Care, cute kittens
March 28, 2012
Woof Wednesday: How Dogs Show Happiness
"Happiness is...my own bed, chew toy, ball, snuggles..." Copr. JuliusM
It goes beyond the wagging tail or the slurping face-lick. Canine happiness can be expressed in many ways. In fact, our dogs show their love toward us in a variety of ways (here are 14 ways cats show love, too!).
We should think about our pets' happiness every day, not just on special occasions like Valentine's or Mother's Day. It doesn't take much to treat them with love.
It's important to remember that pets are individuals with unique personalities. They're like furry snowflakes, with no two alike. Here are some examples of how dogs show us they're happy.
How do your dogs show happiness? How many kinds of tail wags do they have (check out the Ask Amy below). Do they play a special game, or beg attention, or dream with their furry toes a-twitching as they chase dream squirrels? 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 with excerpts from the forthcoming THRILLER, LOST & FOUND, and pet book give-aways!
Filed under: Ask Amy Videos, Dog Training & Care Tagged: Amy Shojai. www.amyshojai.com, dog behavior, dog communication, havanese, how dogs show happiness, how dogs show love, puppies, what do tail wags mean, why do dogs wag
