Amy Shojai's Blog, page 28

Love Thrillers? Reminder about Emily Kimelman & Sydney Rye Series

Love Thrillers? Reminder about Emily Kimelman & Sydney Rye Series

👀 I spy a steal…I'm head-down in the plotting/writing of my next SEPTEMBER & SHADOW THRILLER #7! Lots of "schtuff" keeps sidetracking me from finishing DARE OR DIE, but hope to get the next story into your hands this spring. Meanwhile, here's a reminder I've lined up some more great books for your reading pleasure. If you love crime and thriller stories with dogs (hey, you're reading mine, right?) check out Emily Kimelman's gritty Sydney Rye Mysteries, too. Oh my doG, tail-waging grrrreat fun.

The tagline of the series gets me every time: Sydney Rye and her dog exact justice with a vengeance. The dog doesn’t die, but the bad guys do.

I get that question a lot about my September & Shadow thriller series, too. So I borrowed (stole?!) the line from Emily and include it whenever folks ask. I also loved what she says about the dog "aging out" in the book...that it's FICTION so the dog can live forever! (Heck, I just may steal that, too...don't hate me, Emily!). Read on for a great deal on her books!

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

How to Leash Train Cats

How to Leash Train Cats

Why would you want to leash train cats and confine kitties from stalking and pouncing? Isn’t that mean? Actually, it’s not cruel, but without proper introduction, it can be a wee bit scary. In my Complete Kitten Care book, I call this LIBERATION TRAINING. Teaching your new cat to walk on a leash is a safety issue, but also means they get to venture beyond the confines of your house and into the yard and beyond.

This week during a cat consult, a pet parent asked about training her cat to walk on a leash. It's always a good time to revisit the notion. An adult cat won't automatically understand the concept, though, so this blog not only explains the benefits of leash training to YOU, it also helps you purr-suade your cats to get a new leash on life. Sorry, couldn’t resist.

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

Dog Choking & Cat Choking: First Aid & Pet Heimlich Help

Dog Choking & Cat Choking: First Aid & Pet Heimlich Help

Have your pets ever choked on something they chew? Shadow-Pup loves to chew up inedible objects, no matter how much we supervise. Learn how to administer the pet Heimlich to save a life!

When Karma-Kat came to live with us, that put lots of cat toys within Magical-Dawg's reach. Seren had never been too keen on such things and she was already nine years old when Magic came as a puppy. He loved to swipe Seren’s “sparkle-balls” and ended up with sparkly poop. Once Karma’s toys added to the kitty quotient, the big ol’ dog had a field day seeing how many cat toys he could stuff into his jaws.

Bravo played with rocks. And the new puppy Shadow loves to chew sticks. He's already got one caught in the roof of his mouth. That's the perfect opportunity for choking, and a need for the pet Heimlich. I hope that we'll never need it, though. In case you do, read on!

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

Do Readers Care Why I Write

Do Readers Care Why I Write

Do readers care why writers write? One time at a writer conference, that question was asked and an overwhelming response was, "I write because I HAVE to write, it's  compulsion, I must write..." And an agent on the panel responded, "They have medication for that now."

Ba-da-boom. *rimshot*

My audience doesn't read. Well, unless you count dogs and cats chewing up or (ahem) "being creative" on paper. And of course, cats "read" by sitting on top of the words and absorbing the text through their furry nether regions.

Yvonne DiVita tagged me years ago in the "Why I Write" blog hop. I know Yvonne through the terrific BlogPaws.com organization she co-founded, but today you'll find Yvonne at NurturingBigIdeas. As I updated several out-of-date blog posts, I found this one as true today as when first written more than a decade ago. I talk more about my writer's journey at my website, but here's the crib notes. *s*

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

Scaredy Cat? Teaching Shrinking Violet Shy Cats

Scaredy Cat? Teaching Shrinking Violet Shy Cats

Do you have a scaredy cat? Working with fearful and scared cats can be a challenge. Does Sheba hiss at strangers? Does Tom dive under the bed when the doorbell rings? Do your kitties attack other pets (or humans)? What can you do to stop bad behavior if even a mild correction sends the cat into fearful meltdown? Alexa posted her Ask Amy question to my Facebook page, and the answer is in today's video.

Helping Shy & Scaredy Cats

We often feel that our fur-kids must have been abused and feel bad to make THEM feel bad. But they still need to know limits. One of my favorite ways to train is using positive rewards. Instead of waiting for kitty to scratch the wrong object and then interrupting the behavior--why not REWARD her when she scratches the RIGHT object?

Using kitty clicker training can also build confidence in shy cats by teaching them what happens is in their paws. Here are more tips for dealing with scared cats.

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

Feral Cats, Community Cats, TNR & New Research

Feral Cats, Community Cats, TNR & New Research

Some of my earliest bylines as a "pet journalist" appeared in Cat Fancy magazine. I got my first book contracts because a NYC editor read and liked a couple of my Cat Fancy articles. But the magazine sold in 2013, and published a final issue in 2015. Much of the content remains important and share-able. The last article I wrote for Cat Fancy (updated below) covered feral cats and TNR.

Feral Cats, Community Cats, TNR & New Research

There are an estimated 60 to 100 million free-roaming feral and community cats in the United States. They caterwaul from alleyways, give birth in woodpiles, and slink beneath dumpsters, eking out a meager existence on the scraps of civilization. Nobody knows how many live homeless and unloved, but wherever cats gather, controversy soon follows.

Caring cat lovers tried many “solutions” and opinions abound regarding the best way to deal with un-owned and feral felines. In the last decade, a small army of dedicated and caring cat advocates, including Riverfront Cats, and the Feral Cat Project (which lists several success stories!) believes that TNR is a viable and ethical answer.

New strategies are needed that move beyond trap/neuter/release programs. "The importance of finding viable, safe, humane and cost-effective techniques for nonsurgical sterilization in community cats cannot be overstated," said Dr. Kathy Tietje, Vice President of Scientific Operations at Morris Animal Foundation. Two studies recently approved by Morris Animal Foundation addresses this issue with nonsurgical methods to control reproductive capacity. "We're excited about these innovative projects and their impact on population control of this specific group of cats." The projects begin in 2023 and should last 12-24 months.

Reducing the number of cats entering the shelter system and improving overall feline health outcomes are the primary drivers behind these new studies. An additional benefit will be reducing the environmental impact of free-roaming, community cats through humane population control. The project at the University of Georgia is aimed at developing an oral vaccine to decrease male cat fertility by reducing reproductive hormone levels. The Tufts University project focuses on decreasing hormone levels in female cats through an injectable medication. Until then, TNR continues to lead the charge for feral cat welfare.

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

2023 New Year Goals–from the Pets

2023 New Year Goals–from the Pets

Each year, rather than making New Year resolutions, I plan for goals—and hope that the journey along the way proves equally rewarding. Rather than say, “lose weight” I instead want to strive for good health. This year, I made some changes and they're starting to pay off. For 2023, I plan to continue that trend, concentrating on what gives me and my family joy, letting go of past angst, and challenging myself to grab for that next shiny object.

I have new books planned, at least one and maybe two thrillers for 2023. Perhaps another nonfiction book, too. And I just finished a fun and exhilarating run performing in WHITE CHRISTMAS at the local theater and also had the first experience of playing bass (on keyboard) in the Rocky Horror show band. Many things remain outside human control, but if you don't DARE to try something new, you never know what might be possible. I'm looking for new possibilities for 2023, building on the joys of the past with hope for the future.

I treasure my resilient family—my husband, y'all know as "M," my brothers and their families, including a delightful great nephew and great niece, and my young-at-heart 95-year-old artist father. He still struggles with losing Mom—we all do, but him especially. Now we more often remember with smiles of the happy memories.

We have high hopes for 2023—and the hope shines strong in part because of the special pets of our past, our present, and sometimes the surprise pets that show up when you need them most.

It’s also become a tradition to take stock of the past year from a pets’-eye-view, and the year to come. Throughout the challenges, our pets keep us laughing even through tears. Look for the surprise blessings that bring joy despite the heartache. So here are New Year Pet Goals from Karma-Kat, Shadow-Pup, and a couple from the spirits of Bravo-Dawg, Magical-Dawg, and Seren-Kitty, with commentary by Amy.

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

Why Tabby Wears An M–A Christmas Cats Story

Why Tabby Wears An M–A Christmas Cats Story

It's become a tradition on the blog (and in my PETiQuette newspaper column) to share my favorite Christmas cat story this time of the year. This touching legend, included in Complete Kitten Care book, tells the story of a simple Tabby cat, and her gift on the very first Christmas day to a special mother and child. My own special tabby boy honors this page--notice the "M" on Karma's brow...Enjoy!

Please be safe if you're traveling. And help keep your cat calm during the holidays with these tips. May your holidays be blessed.

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

Merry Cat-Mas & Doggy Ho-Ho-Ho! Here’s How to Create a Tree for the Pets

Merry Cat-Mas & Doggy Ho-Ho-Ho! Here’s How to Create a Tree for the Pets

Have you decked the halls yet with your howl-iday decor? What do the pets think? Have they joined in the spirit of ho-ho-ho and wreaked havoc? Or do they ignore the festivities?

The Christmas tree might as well be an early holiday gift to your cats and dogs. Pets can’t resist the urge to sniff, claw, water—and scale the branches to reach the highest possible perch. Don’t blame your cat or dog. It’s normal for cats to compete for the top spot (literally and figuratively) to secure their place in kitty society, and dogs may want to “mark” the convenient indoor doggy signpost.

Protect your precious memories by pet-proofing to prevent breakage (yes, this happened to me!) And give your pets something "legal" to enjoy. Here's how to create pet safe holiday fun for cats and dogs.

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

Cold Weather Pet Protection Tips

Cold Weather Pet Protection Tips

Cold weather pet protection becomes more in winter weather. Here in North Texas we're bracing for temps to drop. Forecasts predict dangerously cold weather all over the country. Wind chill makes it even more uncomfortable or even dangerous for our dogs and cats.

Outside animals, like feral cats or stray dogs, suffer greatly from hypothermia or frostbite. House pets used to warm indoor temps need extra help, too. It seemed like a good time to remind everyone about cold weather pet protection.

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