Safety Tips: Halloween edition

Halloween is today! ...and while this may be a fun holiday for you humans, it’s not always fun for us fur kids. Below are some tips from the ASPCA.to help you keep your fur kids safe this Halloween.

1. No tricks, no treats: That bowl of candy is for trick-or-treaters, not for Scruffy and Fluffy. Chocolate in all forms—especially dark or baking chocolate—can be very dangerous for dogs and cats. Candies containing the artificial sweetener xylitol can also cause problems. If you do suspect your pet has ingested something toxic, please call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435.

2. Popular Halloween plants such as pumpkins and decorative corn are considered to be relatively nontoxic, but they can produce stomach upset in pets who nibble on them.

3. Wires and cords from electric lights and other decorations should be kept out of reach of your pets. If chewed, your pet might suffer cuts or burns, or receive a possibly life-threatening electrical shock.

4. A carved pumpkin certainly is festive, but do exercise caution if you choose to add a candle. Pets can easily knock a lit pumpkin over and cause a fire. Curious kittens especially run the risk of getting burned or singed by candle flames.

5. Dress-up can be a big mess-up for some pets. Please don't put your dog or cat in a costume UNLESS you know he or she loves it (yup, a few pets are real hams!). For pets who prefer their “birthday suits,” however, wearing a costume may cause undue stress.

6. If you do dress up your pet, make sure the costume isn't annoying or unsafe. It should not constrict the animal's movement or hearing, or impede his ability to breathe, bark or meow. Also, be sure to try on costumes before the big night. If your pet seems distressed, allergic or shows abnormal behavior, consider letting him go au naturale or donning a festive bandana.

7. Take a closer look at your pet’s costume and make sure it does not have small, dangling or easily chewed-off pieces that he could choke on. Also, ill-fitting outfits can get twisted on external objects or your pet, leading to injury.

8. All but the most social dogs and cats should be kept in a separate room away from the front door during peak trick-or-treating hours. Too many strangers can be scary and stressful for pets.

9. When opening the door for trick-or-treaters, take care that your cat or dog doesn't dart outside.

10. IDs, please! Always make sure your dog or cat has proper identification. If for any reason your pet escapes and becomes lost, a collar and tags and/or a microchip can be a lifesaver, increasing the chances that he or she will be returned to you.

More information about pet safety can be found at http://www.aspca.org/.

Happy Halloween pals! 

Love CJ and Mia

Thanks mom for not dressing me up in a costume! If you want to dress Mia up as a dog that's ok with me! :)

Sun puddle!

It's fall and that means temps are getting cooler and the windows can be open a little more frequently. Mom opened the window this afternoon and Mia & I wasted no time in finding a sun puddle!

Keeping Pets Healthy and Happy through the Fall and Winter Months

Mom!!! Are you trying to say I'm fat??? I don't think I like mom reading these blog things... 

So mom was reading a blog post recently from the Blogpaws Community about keeping pets happy and healthy in the fall/winter months.  Here is the message:

It’s September and that means falling leaves and autumn scents are in the air. Soon, the temps will fall and the days will get shorter. As dedicated pet parents, you know our pets will go through changes as well.

Fall weather means cooler nights, crisper days, and pets who need to be protected from a variety of things: From ticks and fleas to keeping in shape as outdoor time lessens. Do you know if your pet is the perfect weight?

What? I AM perfect just the way I am! Ignore the fat tummy! 

Our friends at Hill’s^® encourage you and your pet to #GetHealthyHappy and share tips with your readers so their pets are healthy and happy, too!

Here are three tips to keep your pet at the perfect weight as we head into fall:

• Create indoor games to play with pets as the thermometer drops outside
• Visit the vet for a post summer and pre winter checkup and talk with your vet about ways to stay active in cooler weather
• Is your pet’s food nutritionally balanced? Nutrient excesses and deficiencies can lead to health problems. Hill's Science Diet offers a variety of formulated diets to help with many different health conditions. They have diets for dogs that can help manage weight, oral health, and mobility. For cats, Hill's Science Diet offers food to help manage weight, oral health, and even hairballs. 

You mean kitties get to go outside? Sisfur Mia and I only get deck time occasionally! We want to know what this outside world is!!! (With exception to my venture outside after our horrible fire in 2012 I haven't been outside much.) 

CJ enjoying some deck time.

Mia enjoying some deck time.

I don't really play much anymore. Mia likes to play though. Mom will throw her a toy to chase or wave some wand toys around for her to chase. I might play for a minute or 2 and then I call it quits. I don't mind watching Mia run around the place though! She's more youthful than me....

We aren't going to talk about the V. E. T. I know if mom gets the carrier out that means a trip to the V. E. T. I don't even want to think about that place! 

Mom does make sure we eat good, healthy food. Science Diet has been part of our routine for quite a while. We have even learned to share...

I let Mia lick the sauce up first then I scoop in for the good stuff (meat!). Oh and mom said to ignore the dirty floor.

Thanks for providing these great tips BlogPaws Community and Hill’s^®!

For more information about cat care please visit Hill’s^® at: http://www.hillspet.com/cat-care.html.

Lazy Caturday

Dangit mom can't you do anything right?!? Mom didn't notice until today (Monday) that my handsome picture didn't upload when she posted Lazy Caturday! Grr... where can I get a reliable typist???

Just me and my shadow (it was early this morning when I woke mom up to feed me. How dare she let my bowl get half empty!). And Sisfur Mia is around here somewhere... Probably hiding under a blankie...

Happy Lazy Caturday pals!

Happy Birthday to my human!

Thankful Thursday

We are thankful for... nom, nom, nom.

Oh and mom says not to pay attention to the dirty floor! Have a good day pals!

Caturday Fun!

I jumped in the shower with mom (she knows not to shut the bathroom door or she will have unhappy kitties!). I'm now a very wet kitty! Mia just sat on the toilet seat and watched the fun...

Happy Caturday pals! Stay dry!