During the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, many businesses and stores run food drives for canned and non-perishable food items to be donated to those who are less fortunate and not able to afford a Thanksgiving meal on their own.

For animal lovers, this can mean a double dose of giving: along with donating some canned goods or a sack of groceries at the grocery store, consider dropping off an unopened bag or cans of cat or dog food, or even a bag of litter to your local Humane Society or pet shelter as well.
Not only do the food and supplies …read more

With three cats in the house (and a litter of foster kittens!), I’m always on the look-out for neat new toys and tools that I think our felines will appreciate or benefit from, and these cat lounger/scratchers from Bergan are not only beneficial to cats, but they’re eco-friendly as well!

Made of 100% post consumer recycled materials, the scratcher, which resembles egg cartons, contains no glues or chemicals and is completely feline friendly. It can be scratched, shredded, slept on and played with, and when it’s reached the end of its lifespan it can be put out on the curb …read more

This may become a regular series, the way we’re going! We had our home inspection this morning for the kitten fostering we’ve been looking into, and have been approved!

Within the next few hours we’ll be getting a litter of four kittens who will likely only be with us overnight, as we’ll have to take them into Petco tomorrow for an adoption event, and there’s a very good chance they’ll all find new homes. I’m very excited just the same, and think this is going to be a great experience for all of us.
If you’re interested in cat fostering, get …read more

Up until today it was thought household pets couldn’t catch the H1N1 virus (also known as swine flu), but an Iowa cat has just proved earlier assumptions wrong!

The 13-year-old indoor house cat, who has fully recovered from the illness, reportedly caught the virus from one of two human household members who were sick with H1N1. It isn’t believed that the cat has passed the virus on to anyone — or anything! — else. An IDPH Public Health veterinarian says it’s actually not that unexpected, and that other flu strains have been found in cats before.
Up until today the H1N1 virus …read more

Yesterday my family and I stopped at the pet store to pick up some dog food. In the front of the store they had cages set up with cats and kittens available for adoption, so of course we had to take a little detour.

While my girls ooh’d and ahh’d over the kittens, my husband and I got to talking with one of the volunteers about the three cats we already have. Though we’re not “in the market” for any more pets we do miss having kittens around (and the girls have never had kittens!), the volunteer mentioned that they can …read more

It’s a busy time of year for pets and their people. From keeping dogs and cats safe from changes going on outside to making sure inside hazards such as decorations and foods are kept out of reach, we can all use a few reminders and helpful hints now and then!

~ Getting You and Your Pets Ready for Winter at Janet Roper
~ 13 Halloween Pet Safety Tips from Petside
~ Preparing Your Pet for Winter at 4 the Love of Animals
~ Diabetes in Pets from Dolittler
~ World’s Largest Scooby Snack at Dogs Trust
~ What Is Natural Pet Food? from Scratchings and Sniffings
~ …read more

Simon Tofield, creator of the online animation shorts titled “Simon’s Cat,” has created a brand new one for his fans! The short, hand-drawn animations have quite the following, and several of the videos have already won awards.
“Hot Spot” was created to celebrate the release of Simon’s book, titled, of course, “Simon’s Cat.” The 40-second video shows the lengths that his feline friend will go to to get the warm spot under the desk lamp. I wonder who rang the doorbell?
Check out the other “Simon’s Cat” shorts, including Fly Guy, TV Dinner, Let Me In!, Wake Up!, and even one about …read more

Autumn seems to finally be starting here in the desert southwest US and, much like us, our two dogs are wanting to be outside in the cooler air and sunshine a bit more!

With the cooler weather comes not a few holidays that will keep us on our toes as far as what our pets have access to, but there are outside factors as well that we need to be extra vigilant about:
~ Beware of foxtail inhalation from Speaking for Spot
~ 3 steps to heal chapped dog paw pads from The Lab Brats Dog Blog
~ Dog finds its family from Petville
~ …read more

One of my favorite pet-related sites online, Petfinder.com, is sponsoring a Halloween photo contest especially for pets!

The Howl-O-Ween Photo Contest is searching for the best costumes in three categories: 1) Do It Yourself, 2) Celebrity Look-a-Likes and 3) Pets & Kids.
Photos can be submitted to petfinder.com/halloween until October 31, and the winner will receive a Bissell SpotBot Pet Compact Deep Cleaner and cleaning formula. (Check out my review of it here!)
You can check out the entries that have already been submitted here, and Petfinder has even provided a few tips to get your creativity flowing~
~ Raining Cats and Dogs: Dress …read more

The American Humane Society has released its list of annual reminders for pet owners for the upcoming Halloween season. Though many of us know most of the precautions by heart, it never hurts to to get a bit of a refresher — our four-legged family members are worth it!

~ Let your pets celebrate Halloween with you! Bring out the pet treats and grab a small piece before you open the door to trick-or-treaters. If your pup sits without making a fuss when the door is opened, give them the treat.
~ Go easy on the costumes. Instead of a constrictive …read more