Amy Shojai's Blog, page 18

How to Stop MEOWING! 6 Ways to Silence Loud Mouth Cats

How to Stop MEOWING! 6 Ways to Silence Loud Mouth Cats

Is a new cat in your future? Each spring and fall, kitten season may bless you with a new feline friend. But can you predict talkative cats? You wonder, why does my cat meow so much? Heck, cat meowing may be one way cats show love. My Siamese wannabe Seren lived to be 21 years old, and she talked constantly. We relished her kitty conversations, but some cats over-indulge, and pet parents want to stop cat meowing.

Karma-Kat rarely talks unless we address him and doesn't randomly meow. Mostly, Karma comments center around FOOD and TREATS. He also meows at Shadow--thank goodness the noise doesn't scare him! Yes, he understands the words, and his "meow" is typically a "yes, please" answer to our questions. Oh, and Karma "announces" when he uses the (ahem) facilities. Trinity-Kitten meows LOUDLY anytime food enters the picture. What about your cats?

AMY SHOJAI'S Bling, Bitches & Blood - Practical Solutions for Pets Problems & Publishing

Audio Books on Chirp $1 Day Sale!

Audio Books on Chirp $1 Day Sale!

Get 100 books for $1 each! You choose your pick of the litter-ati, and enjoy your new favorite audiobooks!

Yes, my first-in-series thriller LOST AND FOUND is part of the deal. To celebrate, I've also discounted the rest of the audiobooks in the series on Chirp.

Don't wait--this sale only lasts TWO DAYS!

AMY SHOJAI'S Bling, Bitches & Blood - Practical Solutions for Pets Problems & Publishing

Pet Poison Alert! 199 Poison Pet Plants & What to Do

Pet Poison Alert! 199 Poison Pet Plants & What to Do

This month, we celebrate Pet Poison Prevention Awareness Month. Here in Texas, many folks spend this time of year preparing for spring gardens. I just spent several hours preparing a flower bed and seeding with wildflowers. And we continue to update our rose garden after we had to dig out old roses (many infected with rose rosetta disease, arg!), and continue to plant new ones. My jonquils, and other bulb plants now poke shy heads above the mulch, ready for a burst of color.

Shadow-Pup helped! And Karma-Kat will enjoy any cut flowers I bring in later. That's why I'm so careful about exactly what we plant, and the kinds brought inside for our own and pet enjoyment. I had some lovely patio container plants last fall and wanted to bring them inside for the winter. Unfortunately, I couldn't risk plants toxic to pets.

AMY SHOJAI'S Bling, Bitches & Blood - Practical Solutions for Pets Problems & Publishing

Opt for a Chocolate Easter Bunny Instead of Adopting One!

Opt for a Chocolate Easter Bunny Instead of Adopting One!

Easter bunny, anyone? Awwww...nothing sweeter than baby bunnies. Well, baby anything, right? Our "Cottontail Mountain" home already has rabbits everywhere, especially in our garden. Shadow-Pup, sadly, wants to hunt them so we must monitor him as the babies appear Easter bunnies appear.

Karma-Kat loves watching "bunny TV" out the back patio windows. I think he'd love to have one come inside to *ahem* cuddle and play. NOT! Just like other animal companions, it takes more than admiration to make bunny love positive for everyone.

Easter is not the time for a spur of the moment furry gift. People purchased chicks and ducklings and baby bunnies by the score each year, some dyed in ridiculous colors, almost as gag gifts although they are living creatures with very specific care needs. A rabbit is more than an Easter bunny joke. Here's what you need to know when considering a bunny as a pet.

AMY SHOJAI'S Bling, Bitches & Blood - Practical Solutions for Pets Problems & Publishing

Yale Vaccine Improves Bone Cancer Survivability

Yale Vaccine Improves Bone Cancer Survivability

This past week, I received a press release from Yale (copied in part, below) sharing hopeful information about a new vaccine to treat osteosarcoma. As many readers know, we lost our Bravo-Dawg to that horrible disease. After amputation of his leg, and successful chemotherapy, he ultimately died of another cancer (hemangiosarcoma). So anytime I receive good news about these horrible diseases, I'm eager to share.

You'll want to watch the video that profiles Hunter, a SAR dog that received this diagnosis. Because of his owner's prompt attention and insistence and outreach to Yale, the Golden Retriever received the experimental treatment developed by Yale researcher Mark Mamula, and has enjoyed a survival time double that of most dogs with this diagnosis. Read more about this hopeful advance in the blog!

AMY SHOJAI'S Bling, Bitches & Blood - Practical Solutions for Pets Problems & Publishing

Dog Digging Disasters: Why Do Dogs Dig Holes & How to Stop Excavations

Dog Digging Disasters: Why Do Dogs Dig Holes & How to Stop Excavations

Dogs excavate for a variety of reasons. Dog digging is a natural canine behavior that developed as a means of survival. With spring coming soon, and digging gardens in my future, my Shadow-Pup wants to help digging and kicking up dirt. Some dog breeds dig holes more than others do, so read on for more details if you have a digging dog.

Learn more about why dogs dig, and how you can manage this normal canine behavior.

AMY SHOJAI'S Bling, Bitches & Blood - Practical Solutions for Pets Problems & Publishing

Easter Dangers for Pets: Toxic Lilies, Chocolate, and Bunnies

Easter Dangers for Pets: Toxic Lilies, Chocolate, and Bunnies

It occurred to me a roundup blog post made the most sense to put important information about Easter dangers for pets in one, easy-to-find location. I'm sure most dog and cat lovers know the basics. But this way, if y'all need to share information with new pet adopters, you'll have one link. What do you think?

This includes all the must knows about Easter lilies pet danger, Easter candy dangers like chocolate poisoning, and even concerns about Easter bunnies. Read on!

AMY SHOJAI'S Bling, Bitches & Blood - Practical Solutions for Pets Problems & Publishing

Litter Box Training: How to Potty Train Cats & Kittens

Litter Box Training: How to Potty Train Cats & Kittens

Kitten litter box training tops the list for frequently asked questions from new kitten owners. Planning ahead can save cat lovers lots of heartache by preventing litter box problems before they happen with kitten potty training..

Cats are very smart. They usually teach US rather than the other way around. Here's how to trick train your tabby.

Whenever new kittens come to your home, it's important to figure out what they know, plus help them learn the new rules of the house. When you have other cats (after proper cat introductions, of course!) the older felines can help teach the youngsters the rules. How to train cats to the litter box usually comes naturally, but these tips can help with potty training your cat.

AMY SHOJAI'S Bling, Bitches & Blood - Practical Solutions for Pets Problems & Publishing

Dog Vomiting: How to Treat Puppy Vomiting At Home

Dog Vomiting: How to Treat Puppy Vomiting At Home

A vomiting dog or puppy vomiting can be very dangerous for your pet, and while we don't like to talk about it, pet vomit is a fact of life. Dogs tend to vomit more readily than almost all other animals. (The cats just started snickering . . . ) When we brought a new puppy into our house, we became even more alert to the issue.

Water Binging Vomit

Bravo-Dawg used to vomit due to high-energy play immediately after eating--or gulping down buckets of water. We learned to keep him calm for at least a half-hour after meals, and to interrupt his water-binging antics.

With tiny puppies, it's even more important for them to get a health evaluation more quickly since they can get even sicker quicker than the bigger or adult dogs. Puppy vomiting is even more serious when accompanied by diarrhea. It's important to understand why dogs vomit, and whether or not to treat puppy vomiting at home.

AMY SHOJAI'S Bling, Bitches & Blood - Practical Solutions for Pets Problems & Publishing

How to Promote Cat Purrs for National Cat Health Month

How to Promote Cat Purrs for National Cat Health Month

February is National Cat Health Month. In the past, I've also written about the CATalyst Council declaring September to be Happy Healthy Cat Month, dedicated to finding ways to keep kitty companions happy, healthy and purring all year long. Keeping cats healthy should be the focus all year long, don't you think? After all, they offer all kinds of health benefits to us.

Cats love us in countless ways, and we want to return the favor. All cat "parents" want to keep their felines healthy and happy, and I've updated my list based on what Karma-Kat demands and I know he needs. Check out the CAT-egorical Enrichment info! In the comments, please let me know which ones you already do -- or share some feline favs from your furry crew!

AMY SHOJAI'S Bling, Bitches & Blood - Practical Solutions for Pets Problems & Publishing