FasTags » Pet Articles & Info

Halloween Safety Tips for You and Your Pet

FasTags® Staff — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 19:08:46 +0000

Ten Halloween Safety Tips courtesy of Camp Bow Wow and FasTags®

Tula the Tulip, a simple and comfortable dog costume. Photo courtesy of Dee Monstah

Fido may look adorable in his new superhero costume, but that cape won’t necessarily keep him out of harm’s way. Dressing up your pet for Halloween can be harmful. Costumes should not constrict the animal’s movement, hearing or sight, or impede their ability to breathe, bark or meow. Also, it may be helpful to try on costumes before the big night. If your pet seems distressed or shows abnormal behavior, don’t bother.

FasTags adds that simple is best. Remember that it’s a dog or cat that you’re putting in a costume, not a stuffed animal.
Before you and Fido participate in any Halloween activities, take a closer look at his costume and make sure it does not have small, dangling or easily chewed-off pieces that he could choke on. Also, watch out for ill-fitting outfits which can get twisted on external objects or your pet, leading to injury.
Putting make-up or face paint on your pet can be harmful. Paints could potentially irritate their skin, or may be eaten. Even make-up that is non-toxic could cause stomachaches or worse.
Candy bags are strictly for the enjoyment of trick-or-treaters, not your pet. Chocolate in all forms, especially dark or baking chocolate, can be very dangerous for dogs and cats. Give your pooch their own Halloween candy by treating them to their favorite doggy snack. If you do suspect that your pet has ingested something toxic, please call your veterinarian or your local control center immediately.
Keep an eye out for decorative edible items like Halloween pumpkins and candy corn, when participating in this year’s festivities with your pet. While these are considered to be relatively nontoxic, they can be harmful, causing stomach upset in pets who nibble on them.
Do not take your pets trick or treating. It’s possible that your dog could get spooked by a ghost or goblin and a dog bite or fight could occur.

FasTags® also recommends that you make sure your dog is wearing a collar tag in addition to any microchips. If you dog is lost, many times local citizens don’t think to take them into a vet to be scanned for identification.
It is also a good idea to keep a leash handy if you are handing out candy and your dog is on the lively side. It’s easier to control them with the leash, than with your hip at the crack of your front door.
If you use a cage for your dog or cat during the evening events, be sure to take off all collars and tags before putting them inside to avoid the possibility of choking or other injuries.
Use common sense, take a few extra precautions to be safe, and have fun on you Halloween hauntings.

How to Feed and Care for Orphaned Kittens

FasTags® Staff — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:36:32 +0000

photo courtesy of Mitch Diatz - CC 2.0

Over the last 15 years, I have raised nine orphaned kittens. Four of them were two weeks old when their mother was killed; three others were only hours old when their mother died; two more kittens fell out of the nest in our barn when they were only a day old. Raising motherless kittens is not a difficult process, but it does require patience, time and plenty of TLC.

Here are some tips to help you raise your orphaned kittens:

Make a nest.

Normally, a mother cat spends many hours a day in the nest with her kittens, which helps her babies stay warm. Keeping the kittens warm is important because if they’re not warm enough, they won’t want to eat, and in fact, all of their bodily functions will slow down.

To keep your orphaned kittens warm, make a nest in a small box and line it with towels or old t-shirts or sweatshirts to help the babies conserve their body heat. Put a towel over the box to keep out the light. Female cats choose nests that are dark. If you don’t have a heat lamp, use a small 40-watt desk lamp and place it several feet above the box to help keep the kittens warm.

If the box is big enough, you can also use a jug or another large container filled with hot water to keep the babies warm. Place the jug in the box and then make a nest with towels beside it. Refill the jug when it cools off. You can use a quart jar as a “hot water bottle” too except that a quart jar cools off very quickly.

Use an eyedropper or a syringe to feed the kittens.The first time I raised orphaned kittens, I discovered that the small nursing bottles available at vet clinics were too big. The kittens couldn’t get their mouths around the nipples. So, at first, for newborn kittens, I used an eyedropper. As the kittens grew bigger, a syringe worked very well, the kind of syringe for giving injections (without the needle of course!). I started out with the 3 cc size and used larger syringes when the kittens grew bigger. The tip of a syringe is about the size of a cat’s nipple, and my kittens eventually sucked hard enough on the end of the syringe to draw the plunger down by themselves. Check with your vet clinic to see if any used syringes are available or to see if you can buy new syringes from the clinic.

A word of caution: Whether you’re feeding with an eyedropper or a syringe, be careful to give only a few drops at a time. My veterinarian told me that if the kittens were given too much formula at once (more than they could swallow), they might inhale it. Inhaling formula will make your kittens much more susceptible to pneumonia.

Along the way, I have also discovered that it is best to feed the kittens as much as they want to eat. They will settle down and sleep until the next feeding if they are getting enough to eat. Tiny kittens will start out taking maybe 1 CC at a time. As they grow bigger, they will eat around 12 CCs at a time (usually in several different helpings).

Kittens learn very quickly that food comes from the syringe you hold in your hand. If you are having trouble getting them to take the formula from the syringe, let nuzzle in the palm of your hand for a few seconds or let them suck on your fingers. Then introduce the syringe and let them suck on it while you very slowly press the plunger down.

Feed the kittens KMR or kitty formula that you have mixed yourself.KMR, the canned cat milk replacer, is available at most vet clinics in either a premixed or dry form. It is specifically formulated for kittens to provide all the nutrients they need. Follow the directions on the label. The amount to feed is determined by body weight. My newborn kittens weighed three ounces each, and for the first several days, they only needed a half an eyedropper of KMR at a time.

My vet clinic also gave me a recipe for “kitten formula.” After the first can of KMR, this is what all of my kittens have been raised on.

Here is the recipe for Kitten Formula

1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon white corn syrup
1 egg yolk
a pinch of salt

Mix in a blender and mix it up far enough in advance so the bubbles will have time to dissipate.
Warm over medium heat. Heat the formula so it feels slightly warm to the touch. All of my kittens have refused to swallow the formula if it was too cold or too warm. The same was true for KMR.

Feed your kittens on a regular schedule three times a day.Mother cats nurse their kittens every couple of hours. The veterinarian I consulted cautioned me not to feed them that often. “They won’t eat well and you’ll get frustrated and they’ll get frustrated and it will be harder on everybody,” he said. He was right. Feeding the kittens three times per day worked out very well.

Groom your kittens with a warm, wet washcloth and help them to empty their bladders and their bowels.Young kittens are unable to empty their bladders or move their bowels, so you’ll have to help them. Use a warm, wet washcloth and wipe under their tails until they have emptied their bladders and/or moved their bowels. Be prepared to use as many as four washcloths for each kitten. If they only have to empty their bladders, you won’t need that many. If they have to empty their bowels, look out — it could get messy! Smaller washcloths that you can wring out with one hand while you hold onto a squirming kitten with the other work best. I put the washcloths in a pail of warm water and put the pail where I can reach it easily.

Young kittens also do not know how to groom themselves, and after a day or two of eating kitten formula, they become sticky from the formula that inevitably dribbles down their chins. From time to time, use a warm, wet washcloth to wipe off the formula, but be careful not to get the kittens TOO wet or it will be hard for them to stay warm.

Provide a litter pan when they’re four weeks old.Cats have a strong instinct to use material that they can scratch around in when they have to empty their bladders and move their bowels. By the time the kittens are four weeks old, they will already be thinking in this direction and providing them with a litter pan will help them get the idea. You might still have to assist them with a washcloth for a while, but it won’t be long before they are using the litter pan.

Kitty litter in an aluminum pie plate works well to start out. As the kittens grow bigger, use a bigger container for a litter box.

Start feeding solid food when the kittens are about six weeks old.Kittens that are raised by their mothers probably will start eating sooner than six weeks, but you will be able to provide more milk than their mothers would have available.

When your kittens have gotten their teeth, you can begin feeding them solid food. If you want to feed dry food, a good quality kitten chow will work fine. Kitten chow has all of the nutrients and protein that they need to keep growing. Kitten chow also is made in tiny kitten-bite-sized pieces. To tempt their appetites and to give them a “treat,” you can also try a little canned kitty food. Be sure to provide fresh water for your kittens to drink, as well. And until the kittens are eating solid food regularly, supplement their caloric intake with kitten formula. By this time, you won’t have to feed them with a syringe. You can put the formula into a small saucer, and once they discover where it is and what it is, they will drink by themselves.

Be prepared to be surprised and amazed by your kitten.

Kittens grow very quickly, and on some days, you will think they are growing right before your very eyes.
Kittens get their eyes open when they’re about 10 days old.
They will start purring when they are as young as 6 days old.
Kittens will start other “kitty behaviors” such as shaking their heads, attempting to groom and lifting a hind food to scratch behind their ears when they are between two to three weeks old.
Young kittens will sometimes get the hiccups (!) while you are feeding them.
Young kittens are like baby humans, in a way. Their days consist of eating, sleeping and emptying their bowels and bladders. After the kittens have gotten enough to eat and have had their bodily functions taken care of, when you put them back in the “nest,” they will sleep or rest quietly until you are ready to feed them again. If they are restless and crying and meowing, they might need a little more to eat, or they might have to empty their bladders or move their bowels, or they might feel cold.
As the kittens grow older, they will be awake for longer periods of time and will eventually start playing with each other.
By the time the kittens are four weeks old, you will most likely have to move them into a bigger box, if not sooner, because the first one will be too small and they will know how to get out on their own!

If you have any questions concerning the raising of orphaned kittens, you can e-mail me at bigpines@ruralroute2.com

LeAnn R. Ralph is the author of the books: *Christmas in Dairyland (True Stories from a Wisconsin Farm)* (trade paperback) and *Preserve Your Family History (A Step-by-Step Guide for Writing Oral Histories)* (e-book; 66 pages). To read sample chapters and to sign up for the FREE! monthly newsletter, Rural Route 2 News & Updates, visit — http://ruralroute2.com

The Dharma of an Introverted Dog

FasTags® Staff — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:28:17 +0000

One of our best kept secrets as introverts is that often our pets mean more to us than some of the people in our lives. Pets can be the perfect companion for an introvert and I don’t think we should apologize for this. Pets are quiet, like us. They enjoy curling up with us for a good read by the fire. They’re always enthusiastic and available for a walk in the park or a hike in the woods. And they can go for long periods of time without verbal communication!

Chocolate Lab courtesy of Jen and a camera/flickr

Pets can be deeply meaningful as well. Phyllis explains how a chocolate Labrador retriever named Ygraine helped her through the worst time in her life. This is called dharma, because a dog’s dharma is to be a loving companion to a person.

Phylllis is an introverted classical pianist from Pittsburgh. In her later years, she has also become a coach and counselor. After the tragic death of her 21-year-old son, Phylllis was unable to bear the company of human beings and took great solace in Ygraine’s love and understanding. Ygraine is her Chocolate Lab.

Phyllis begins, “It is very hard to lose a child. To lose a child at the age of 21, they say, is the worst thing that can happen. That, among other words spoken to me over the course of my grieving, made it through the fog as “meant well” but words were of little use or comfort.

“Though I’m a coach and counselor, I speak in the first person, because it’s different for each grieving parent and a situation where you are inevitably alone. You walk under a different sun. I happened to be living alone at the time.

“The pain is so different from anything else, and so visceral, one of the things I had to deal with was terror at ever loving like that again in the face of loss. Yes, even at the ripe old age of 52. I didn’t want to ever care like that again. My willingness to connect with people was tenuous.

“My therapist helped me because he didn’t demand words. My sister helped me because she didn’t demand words and because we go way back. . . . I was between the living and the dead.

“And then Ygraine helped me.

“My surviving son gave me Ygraine. Chocolate Labs, as they say, are really people. They’re just the right size, and they are very one-person dogs. My son had her perfectly trained and actually offered me either of his Labs, Bailey or Milo. Bailey came first. When I would cry, Bailey would force her head into my lap, just push and push, and insinuate her way in. This didn’t work for me. It was “too much.” I then had to care about her, as much as I did about myself, because of her giving, and I couldn’t tolerate that at the time.

“Milo came second. She was the second dog in my son’s household, and acted like the second dog. She was shy and quiet and kind of puzzled about things. I really think she’s an introvert like me. She was used to Bailey doing the interpreting of “people language.” If you told her to “sit,” she would look over at Bailey to see what that meant. They thought she was ‘quirky,’ and preferred her less. Sometimes human introverts get the same reaction, I think!

Sleeping Chocolate Lab courtesy of Nick M/Flickr CC 2.0

“I immediately renamed her “Ygraine,” and let her stay with me. She was just “around”, in an unobtrusive sort of way. She needed to be tended to a little, just enough – - her food and water, daily walks, and letting her in and out. She moved with me. If I was working, she slept in her bed on the side of the office. When I went to bed, she went to bed. If I forgot her feeding time, she leapt up on the back of my chair and ‘told me.’ If I was staying up late, or all night, she would go on and go to bed. She kept decent life-rhythms. She knew how to be a dog, though I had momentarily forgotten how to be a person. That’s stabilizing.

“I’m an intellectual; I like to know what’s going on. I’d read a beautiful book called ‘A General Theory of Love,’ that talked about how we mammals (dogs, cats and people) operate on an open-loop feedback system. We cannot regulate our life forces alone; we need each other. It’s not good to live alone; in fact it’s quite detrimental to your health. This can be hard for an introvert at any time, but especially at a time like this. You need a mammal around to look into their sentient eyes and see life, and orient to it. That’s the scientific explanation.

“The personal explanation is that it was comforting to have a quiet, undemanding sentient presence in the house when I could not tolerate having a person around. I knew I could meet the rudimentary needs of an animal, though not the more complex needs of a person, while I licked my own wounds. Dogs don’t care about words. She didn’t ask me to comment upon my condition or to tell her how I was doing, or what it’s like to lose a son, or even what I planned to do that day. We were together and in the moment. Neither of us had plans for the future.

“Ygraine is a huntress who is often attacked by her prey. One night she was crying in pain, suddenly, and I saw her groin was swollen and she couldn’t move. Some creature had bitten her. She weighs 65 lbs. and I couldn’t lift her. I pushed her over blankets and tried to pull her across the floor, but that didn’t work. It was 3 a.m. and she needed to get to the vet.

“Finally, in desperation, I looked into her eyes and told her, wordlessly, “Ygraine I want to help you and I cannot do this. You must get to the car so I can take care of you.” Silently she got up and got herself outside and up into the car. Even though it was excruciatingly painful, she didn’t even whimper. When we got to the vet’s she wouldn’t move, and when the man came out to lift her out of the car, she cried.

“She became “my” dog almost immediately and stuck by my side if we went for a walk, or if a repairman came in.

“Best of all, when I went to visit my son and brought her along, he told me how she had thrived and blossomed under my care, how she had come into her own and was a different dog.

“Your job, as a parent, is to keep your child alive. If nothing else, you should be able to keep your child alive. When they die, you have failed. This feeling is primordial and has nothing to do with intellect or explanation. Ygraine restored my faith in my ability to nurture life. She was faithful to dog dharma, as one of my clients told me, living her purpose of being a loving companion. And a more extroverted dog would have been just impossible. I loved Ygraine most of all because she was an introvert like me.

Disaster Preparedness for Pets

FasTags® Staff — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 22:21:36 +0000

Hurricanes, floods, wildfires, hazardous material spills; disasters can strike anytime, anywhere. If you think you will never have to evacuate unless you live in a flood plain, near an earthquake fault line or in a coastal area, you may be tragically mistaken. It is imperative that you make preparations to evacuate your family and your pets in any situation. In the event of a disaster, proper preparation will pay off with the safety of your family and pets.

Brisk in Slidell - Photo by DiveOfficer/Flickr

If You Evacuate, Take Your Pets

The single most important thing you can do to protect your pets is to take them with you when you evacuate. Animals left behind in a disaster can easily be injured, lost, or killed. Animals left inside your home can escape through storm-damaged areas, such as broken windows. Animals turned loose to fend for themselves are likely to become victims of exposure, starvation, predators, contaminated food or water, or accidents. Leaving dogs tied or chained outside in a disaster is a death sentence.

If you leave, even if you think you may be gone only for a few hours, take your animals. Once you leave, you have no way of knowing how long you’ll be kept out of the area, and you may not be able to go back for your pets.
Leave early; don’t wait for a mandatory evacuation order. An unnecessary trip is far better than waiting too long to leave safely with your pets. If you wait to be evacuated by emergency officials, you may be told to leave your pets behind.

Don’t Forget ID

Your pets should be wearing up-to-date identification at all times. It’s a good idea to include the phone number of a friend or relative outside your immediate area; if your pet is lost, you’ll want to provide a number on the tag that will be answered even if you’re out of your home.

This is a great time to use your FasTags® to ID your pet!

Find a Safe Place Ahead of Time

Because evacuation shelters generally don’t accept pets (except for service animals), you must plan ahead to ensure that your family and pets will have a safe place to stay. Don’t wait until disaster strikes to do your research.

Contact hotels and motels outside your immediate area to check policies on accepting pets. Ask about any restrictions on number, size, and species. Ask if “no pet” policies would be waived in an emergency. Make a list of pet-friendly places and keep it handy. Call ahead for a reservation as soon as you think you might have to leave your home.
Check with friends, relatives, or others outside your immediate area. Ask if they would be able to shelter you and your animals or just your animals, if necessary. If you have more than one pet, you may have to be prepared to house them separately.
Make a list of boarding facilities and veterinary offices that might be able to shelter animals in emergencies; include 24-hour telephone numbers.
Ask your local animal shelter if it provides foster care or shelter for pets in an emergency. This should be your last resort, as shelters have limited resources and are likely to be stretched to their limits during an emergency.

If You Don’t Evacuate

If your family and pets must wait out a storm or other disaster at home, identify a safe area of your home where you can all stay together.

Keep dogs on leashes and cats in carriers, and make sure they are wearing identification.
Have any medications and a supply of pet food and water inside watertight containers, along with your other emergency supplies.

As the Disaster Approaches

Don’t wait until the last minute to get ready. Warnings of hurricanes or other disasters may be issued hours, or even days, in advance.

Call to confirm emergency shelter arrangements for you and your pets.
Bring pets into the house and confine them so you can leave with them quickly if necessary. Make sure each pet and pet carrier has up-to-date identification and contact information. Include information about your temporary shelter location.

Make sure your disaster supplies are ready to go, including your pet disaster kit.

In Case You’re Not Home

An evacuation order may come, or a disaster may strike, when you’re at work or out of the house.

Make arrangements well in advance for a trusted neighbor to take your pets and meet you at a specified location. Be sure the person is comfortable with your pets, knows where your animals are likely to be, knows where your disaster supplies are kept, and has a key to your home.

If you use a pet-sitting service, it may be able to help, but discuss the possibility well in advance.

After the Storm

Planning and preparation will help you weather the disaster, but your home may be a very different place afterward, whether you have taken shelter at home or elsewhere.

Don’t allow your pets to roam loose. Familiar landmarks and smells might be gone, and your pet will probably be disoriented. Pets can easily get lost in such situations.
For a few days, keep dogs on leashes and keep cats in carriers inside the house. If your house is damaged, they could escape and become lost.
Be patient with your pets after a disaster. Try to get them back into their normal routines as soon as possible, and be ready for behavioral problems that may result from the stress of the situation. If behavioral problems persist, or if your pet seems to be having any health problems, talk to your veterinarian.

Evacuation Planning:

You may not be in a flood zone or have to flee wildfire, but even a hazardous material incident on a nearby street could force you to evacuate. It pays to be prepared!

Disaster Supply Checklist for Pets

Every member of your family should know what he or she needs to take when you evacuate. You also need to prepare supplies for your pet. Stock up on non-perishables well ahead of time, add perishable items at the last minute, and have everything ready to go at a moment’s notice. Keep everything accessible, stored in sturdy containers (duffel bags, covered trash containers, etc.) that can be carried easily.

In your disaster kit, you should include:

Medications and medical records stored in a waterproof container and a first aid kit. A pet first aid book is also good to include.
Sturdy leashes, harnesses, and carriers to transport pets safely and to ensure that your pets can’t escape. Carriers should be large enough for the animal to stand comfortably, turn around, and lie down. Your pet may have to stay in the carrier for hours at a time while you have taken shelter away from home. Be sure to have a secure cage with no loose objects inside it to accommodate smaller pets. These may require blankets or towels for bedding and warmth, and other special items.
Current photos and descriptions of your pets to help others identify them in case you and your pets become separated and to prove that they are yours.
Food and water for at least three days for each pet, bowls, cat litter and litter box, and a manual can opener.
Information on feeding schedules, medical conditions, behavior problems, and the name and number of your veterinarian in case you have to board your pets or place them in foster care.
Pet beds and toys, if you can easily take them, to reduce stress.

Other useful items include newspapers, paper towels, plastic trash bags, grooming items, and household bleach.

Other Evacuation Tips

All mobile home residents should evacuate at the first sign of a disaster.

Evacuate to the safest location you can that’s as close as possible to home. Long-distance evacuation can be a problem when highways are crowded.

When planning for hurricanes, identify your evacuation zone and level to determine if and when you would have to evacuate. Be prepared for one category higher than the one being forecast, because hurricanes often increase in strength just before making landfall.

Your local humane organization or local emergency management agency may be able to provide you with information about your community’s disaster response plans.

Source: The Humane Society

Stop! Don’t Give Your Cat That Chocolate

FasTags® Staff — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 16:04:05 +0000

Just because certain foods, such as chocolate, are enjoyed by humans and are perfectly safe for us, it does not mean they are suitable for cats. Chocolate contains chemicals which rarely cause problems for humans, but for cats and other domestic pets, these chemicals can, in rare cases, be deadly.

One problem is that cats in general find chocolate very tasty and so, it is important not to feed it to them, otherwise they will eat what you give them up to the point where it poisons them.

Chocolate contains the compound theobromine, which is a diuretic as well as a cardiac stimulant. This can cause the pet’s heart rate to increase or it may cause the heart to beat irregularly, both of which can be dangerous to the animal. The level of theobromine present in chocolate varies depending on the type of chocolate. For example, dark chocolate contains higher levels than milk chocolate and so could pose a greater risk to your pet.

Cat eating chocolate by Alex Goodey

“Where’s the harm? My cat seems to enjoy chocolate and it’s only a small piece.”

There are many problems that can result from feeding a cat chocolate. Chocolate is relatively high in calories so it can contribute to the development of obesity in your cat. A cat can lose its appetite for it’s normal food if it eats chocolate. The largest problem is though the fact that chocolate contains the chemical theobromine as mentioned above. If this chemical builds up in the cats system, it can be potentially lethal, and one reason for this is that cats cannot clear theobromine from their bodies as quickly as people can.

Many cat owners would simply expect their pet to develop an upset stomach after eating a large amount of chocolate but few realize its lethal potential.

Further problems which can arise from chocolate poisoning are Diuresis (increased urine production), diarrhea, lethargy, vomiting, depression, and muscle tremors. These are signs which must be recognized by any cat owner so that the cat is not fed too much chocolate.

Treatment for chocolate poisoning in its advanced stage can be very unpleasant for both the cat and the owner of the cat, so it is much better to be safe and to cut down chocolate consumption of your cat to a minimum. If you do have worries that your cat has consumed large quantities of human chocolate it would be wise to consult your vet – pronto. Spotting the symptoms early on can be very beneficial and can give the cat a much better chance of surviving any poisoning which may have occurred.

If you wish to feed your cat chocolate, there are alternate “chocolate” treats for cats which are produced by some pet food manufacturers. They will either use a vegetable substitute made to taste and look like chocolate, or they will take out the theobromine, or use greatly reduced, safe levels in the chocolate treats they produce. While a very small amount of chocolate may not be harmful to some cats, it is always safest to avoid giving any to them at all.

Larry Chamberlain is a lifelong lover of cats and lives in London England. He is the webmaster and owner of http://www.best-cat-art.com Where you will find great cat art, cat art prints, cat posters, cat figurines and cat related gifts.

Does Your Pet Wear a Cat Flea Collar?

FasTags® Staff — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 13:29:08 +0000

Do you believe that you are doing the best you can for your pet by buying a cat flea collar for her? I certainly do but have you noticed that most cat flea collars don’t seem to work? They don’t seem to last for a day let alone the three or four months that they claim they will. I’ve no idea why this is the case but I can suggest some different ways of dealing with the problem.

There is something else that I don’t like about cat flea collars, or dog flea collars. They contain poison to kill the fleas. This poison can affect humans by causing irritation or soreness. If these cat collars can do this to humans then they might have a similar effect on your pet and we wouldn’t want that would we?

So what else can you do about the fleas? You can try a shampoo that is designed to kill fleas, if your cat will let you that is. Personally I’ve never met a cat that likes getting wet, they turn into teeth and claw monsters, so trying to give her a shampoo is out of the question. Oh and if you do try this, don’t expect your cat to talk to you again for the next few days.

My vet recommends treating cats with a product that stops the fleas reproducing. You need to apply this substance to the back of your cat’s neck every 3 months for it to be effective. You have to remember that this does not kill the fleas but it does stop them multiplying so you should see a reduction in fleas after a few months and you can make this happen a lot quicker if you remove the fleas by combing them out.

If you love your cat as much as I love mine then you will find that there is nothing better than a daily use of the flea comb. I find it soothing and a great stress reliever. I think that my cat likes it too even though she will tell me off if I do it for too long. If your cat has a flea problem then you will see them on the comb. The hard part is catching and killing them before they vanish by jumping away. When you catch them you must crush them in between two hard surfaces.

Don’t forget to treat your carpets and furniture. Fleas will jump off your cat and live in your carpets and furniture until another animal comes along. It’s very important that you spray everything with a suitable anti-flea spray. Make sure that you follow the instructions on the label before you use it.

So if your pet has fleas then consider using some of the remedies that I’ve mentioned above before you go out and buy a cat flea collar.

For more about cat collars and all things to do with cats please visit http://thecatcollar.com

Recalled Dog and Cat Food

FasTags® Staff — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 15:28:45 +0000

Trying to figure out which pet foods have been recalled? We can help. The following list from the FDA lists which dog and cat foods have been recalled for having tainted rice protein.

Pet Food Recall List from the FDA
According to an FDA recall notice dated April 19, 2007, the Wilbur-Ellis Company issued a recall for all products using rice protein that they imported from China. The rice protein was apparently contaminated by melamine, which has proved to be enormously toxic.

Please take a look at the list, find your pet food manufacturer (if they are listed), and click on their link to see which of their products has been affected. If your pet’s food is on the recall list, you may want to have your vet run some tests on your pet, especially if it is showing signs of lethargy.

We wish everyone the best and we hope that this list will help you protect your pet’s health.