Have Yourself a very Purr-fect Christmas!

Hello Pet Friends!

I just want to wish each and everyone of you a very Merry Christmas!

xo
Janet~

Home for the Pawlidays~

Hello Sweet Friends!

If you live in Sacramento, CA and are interesting in adopting a cat or dog for free then hurry! They are offering free adoption until the end of December at Sacramento’s Front Street Animal Shelter. Read the article below. Happy Adopting!

Realtor Kim Pacini-Hauch offered to pay the adoption fees for animals from one Sacramento animal shelter. What happened next may require Kleenex.
This is not your run-of-the-mill feel good story. It’s evidence of how one simple good deed has the potential to save countless animals from being euthanized, or at the very least—enduring a lot of suffering.
If Pacini-Hauch’s name sounds familiar, Care2’s Steve Williams mentioned her in a much-needed good news piece last week.
Pacini-Hauch made headlines after offering to pay all the associated costs of adopting an animal from Sacramento’s Front Street Animal Shelter through the end of December.
Adoptions at Sacramento’s Front Street Animal Shelter (aptly named for its 2127 Front Street address) usually run $85 for dogs, $100 for puppies and $65 for cats.
Deemed “Home for the Pawlidays,” the shelter posted Pacini-Hauch’s generous offer to Facebook on Tuesday evening last week. By the next day, more than two million people had viewed it.
Pacini-Hauch’s simple act of kindness triggered what the Sacramento Bee described as “an overwhelming first-day response.”

Bobby Mann, a spokesman for the shelter, said more than 250 people were lined up when the shelter opened at noon the following day, and by mid-afternoon, a sign was posted announcing: “All cats adopted today.” By about 4:30 p.m., 20 cats and 21 dogs had already been adopted, according to Jenman Fong, a customer service representative.
Hundreds of animals found forever homes already. (Happy sniff.)
Since Pacini-Hauch’s gracious offer, the Sacramento shelter shared “We’re almost out of adoptable animals!” (Now there’s an announcement I wish every animal shelter in the world could make.)
But they’ll be full again soon. According to Mann, there are about 650 animals in foster care that will be brought into the shelter as space opens up.
Mann made it clear that it’s unlikely the shelter will run out of pets for people to adopt before the free adoption fee offer ends on Dec. 31. Sacramento’s Front Street Animal Shelter takes in about 11,000 unwanted animals annually. So for folks in the Sacramento area in search of a new furry friend, it’s not too late to adopt one there for free.
 
If you are thinking of taking advantage of this offer, expect to go through the same important adoption hoops. As the Sacramento Bee explains, “People seeking to adopt pets meet with shelter volunteers who counsel them on the responsibility and cost of pet ownership and try to match the pet with the prospective owner’s lifestyle.”
Before each animal goes off to its forever home, it is spayed or neutered, get shots, and receives a pet tag and city license.
 
Anyone, anywhere, can help local animal shelters
Regardless of where you live, there are local animal shelters throughout the U.S. and beyond that could use your help.
Adopting, if you are in a position to tackle all the responsibilities that come with pet ownership, is one way to help. Volunteering your time is another option. So is donating supplies and money, which brings us back to how this story all began.
One woman decided to make a generous financial donation, and then amazing things happened.
Noelle Cahill, who is a volunteer with another Sacramento shelter called Bradshaw Animal Shelter, put it really well:

“Pacini-Hauch made it possible for people with modest means to find love in the form of furry companionship. Sometimes you just need a little help to get a lot of love.”

I couldn’t have put it better myself.
Karma aside, Pacini-Hauch will probably get more than her share of free advertising from all of this, which is fine by me.
But a key takeaway from this story is the fact that it didn’t take much to get a whole lot of people to adopt animals in need. And now there are hundreds of animals enjoying their new forever homes.
That got me thinking—why limit this to Sacramento?
I did the math. Adoption fees at this particular shelter are an average of about $83 per pet. If 200 pets get adopted—that comes to over $16,000 in fees — way more than the average citizen can afford.
But many of us can afford to give just $35. If 474 people donate just $35 each, then that could work just the same.
What if people started organizing their friends and family to follow in Pacini-Hauch’s footsteps?
Maybe together you too could cover all (if not some) of your local animal shelter’s adoption fees. Perhaps even make headlines like Pacini-Hauch did. The end result could be just as heartwarming.
“Home for the Pawlidays” is a beautiful concept that can be implemented anywhere there are shelters filled with animals in need of forever homes, and at least one generous contributor who steps up to cover adoption costs for would-be adopters.
Of course it goes without saying, owning a pet is not only a huge responsibility, it can also be quite expensive. So here’s hoping that everyone who adopts an animal from a shelter is prepared for the financial obligations that come with it.
 
What a wonderful gift this would make too! Just think of sweet children or a family out there that would love to have a cat or dog. Please share this article with anyone you know that loves animals. Anything to help these sweet pets find a home. 

Thanks so much and have a purr-fect week!
xo
Janet

Freshpet Holiday Feast - 13 Dogs and 1 Cat Eating with Human Hands

A little something to make you smile. Happy Thanksgiving!

Foods You Shouldn't Feed To Pets On Thanksgiving~

 
Happy Tuesday Sweet Friends!

I found another great article by Susan Bird at Care2.com and thought I would share it. It's perfect to help all parents of furry babies on Thanksgiving.
Enjoy!
1. Turkey Skin and Undercooked Meat

Feeding pets small bits of white meat, the leanest type of meat, is fine. However, don’t offer your dog or cat any turkey skin. You may not realize how it has been seasoned, and that may be a fatal mistake. If the turkey has spent hours being rubbed and basted in things like onion, sage and garlic, the skin has been soaking up the very things that are most toxic to dogs and cats. In addition, salmonella is a real threat if you toss your pet a piece of raw or undercooked meat. Don’t do it.
2. Stuffing and Gravy

The ingredients that go into gravies and stuffing can be a cornucopia of toxicity for dogs and cats. How do you make yours? If you use mushrooms, onions, sage, leeks, chives, garlic, scallions, pepper or a variety of other ingredients, don’t even think about giving stuffing or gravy to your dogs and cats.
Many of these ingredients are downright toxic to their little systems, while others won’t kill them but will make them very uncomfortable if eaten to excess. Sage in particular, a seasoning we use quite a bit at Thanksgiving, gives cats an upset tummy and messes with their central nervous systems. Just say no.
3. Cranberry Sauce

Love This? Never Miss Another Story.

Cranberries themselves are fine for pets. Indeed, you’ll find them as ingredients in some commercial pet foods. Cranberries fight urinary tract infections and contain a number of healthy vitamins. When cranberries are turned into a holiday sauce, however, at lot of that goodness goes out the window.
Canned cranberry sauces contain huge amounts of sugar or high fructose corn syrup. Look at the label if that surprises you. Even homemade sauces go heavy on the sugar. Homemade versions also contain ingredients you might not know about that are bad for animals, such as raisins and certain nuts. The bottom line here is be careful about any cranberry sauce you give to your pets.
4. Green Bean Casserole

Regular green beans make a nice, healthy snack for Rover or Mr. Tinkles. It’s when they go into a flavorful Thanksgiving casserole that the problems begin. Other common ingredients for green bean casserole include mushroom soup and a fried onion topping. Dogs and cats can’t have those ingredients, so no spoonfuls of casserole, please.
5. Turkey Bones

This one should go without saying, but it’s good to be reminded every year. Never feed cooked bones to your pets. At best, they can cause vomiting. At worst, they splinter easily and can injure or even puncture the stomach and intestines.
6. Bread Dough and Cake Batter

Remember what happens to dough when it gets warm? It rises. You don’t want that happening inside the stomach of a dog or cat. There will be vomiting and painful abdominal bloating. Bread dough and cake batter also often contain raw eggs, which can carry salmonella. Neither pets nor humans should eat these things in their raw state. Yes, cookie dough batter, I’m talking to you, too. Sorry.
7. Mashed Potatoes

Potatoes all by themselves are fine in moderation. What you need to watch out for are all the ingredients that go into the mashed version. If your pet is lactose intolerant, the milk and butter you’re adding can give your furry friend diarrhea and an upset tummy. In addition, watch out for flavorings. Any added garlic or onion, even in powder form, is toxic to animals.
8. Fruit Salads


Be careful when friends and family bring over their scrumptious Waldorf salad — or any salad with fruits. If there are grapes or raisins in the mix, your pet can’t have any. Grapes can cause serious and sometimes fatal kidney problems for dogs. Watch for the nuts, too.
9. Walnuts and Macadamia Nuts

Many nuts are fine for dogs in moderation, but walnuts and macadamia nuts decidedly are not. Macadamia nut toxicosis can cause neurological symptoms, vomiting and lethargy. Walnuts can cause gastric problems and may contain mycotoxins that cause seizures and neurological symptoms. Because of their fatty content, even other types of nuts if fed too often can cause problems like pancreatitis over time. Be careful and judicious about nuts.
10. Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Pie

Pumpkin and sweet potatoes are just fine for pets, especially dogs. In fact, veterinarians often recommend feeding raw pumpkin to settle a nervous digestive system. Sweet potatoes turn out to be better for animals (and us) than other potatoes because of their lower glycemic index. However, the holiday pies, casseroles and yam dishes made with these ingredients are a different story.
Most recipes for pumpkin pie and sweet potato pie call for nutmeg and cinnamon. While humans love nutmeg for all sorts of reasons, it’s dangerous for dogs. Nutmeg contains a toxin called myristicin, which in large amounts can cause seizures and problems with the central nervous system.
Cinnamon — if ingested in large powdered amounts or via an essential oil — can cause diarrhea, liver disease, vomiting and low blood sugar. Dogs that eat too much can even die, so keep those pies out of reach and don’t feed forkfuls to your best friend. In particular, keep the ingredient bottles well away from pets, too.
Thanksgiving is a day for fun, friends and family. If you want to include your dog or cat in the food extravaganza, do it right:

• Offer up raw carrots, broccoli, a bit of well-cooked white meat if you must, but not the indulgent foods you’re feasting upon.
• Tell your visiting guests — especially the kids — not to feed your pets from their plates. Explain why.
• Feed pets only reasonable amounts of any safe people-food treats.
• Be sure you know what ingredients are in the foods you’re letting your pets eat.

Wishing everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving!
xo
Janet~

Sounds that Cats Make-Meow!

I found this article at Care2.com and thought I would share it. Hope you enjoy it.

Do you talk to your kitty? Does your kitty talk to you?  If you’ve had a cat friend for at least a few months, you probably know that your feline emits different sounds, depending on whether she wants food, is in a state of hyper-excitement because she’s in hunting mode, or is mad at you.
Right now, as I write this, my cat Sargent Pepper is curled up on the sofa, snoring softly. Another sound!
Experts believe cats have about 100 vocalizations, which they use to talk to us humans because we can’t read their body language, which includes subtle ear movements and tail twitches. Instead they use their own words to let us know what they’re feeling and what they want. Let’s check out some of these sounds.

1.  The Meow
Kittens are much more likely to meow than adults. Check out the video below and you’ll see what I mean. As newborns, kittens cannot hear or see, so they make this noise to get their mother’s attention. Although adult cats rarely meow at each other, it’s possible they may meow at us just to get our attention.

2.  The Hiss
This is a terrifying sound,  and one that every cat parent has heard at some point. It can be loud or soft depending on the cat and the situation. Even if your cat is the sweetest little kitty on the planet, he has probably hissed if he has ever felt threatened or needed to send a warning to another animal or to a human.
 
3.  The Purr
For many pet owners, that purr is the unmistakable signal that their feline is happy and healthy. That may be true, but there are other reasons too: older cats purr when they play or approach other cats, signaling they are friendly. Cats also purr when they are distressed or afraid. Experts believe that this is the way cats reassure and calm themselves.
 
4.  The Chatter
You know that sound your cat makes when she’s trapped indoors, staring out the window at the squirrels or birds outside? The sound is one of both excitement and frustration, since she can’t get outside to chase those creatures.
 
5.  The Yowl
This sound is eerie, almost nightmarish. I remember being woken in the middle of the night by two cats yowling in the attic above me when I was vacationing in France. It took me a long time to get back to sleep. Cats mostly yowl when they are in heat; this desperate sound is made to attract any passing tomcats.
 
6.  The Bip
When Sargent Pepper wants my attention, but really has nothing to say, she makes a “bip” or “eek” sound. Then she just stares at me, waiting for me to make the next move. If I’m working at home on my computer, it usually means she’s going to leap up and walk across my keyboard.


7. The Trill
Not all cats do this, but when they do, it’s something between a meow and a purr. My cat Jaspar used to do this whenever I got home, letting me know he was annoyed that I’d left him alone all day, but that he was still pleased to see me.

Don't you just love kitties no matter what sound they make??? I sure do!

Have a purr-fect day!
xo
Janet

Tips For A Scare Free Halloween With Your Pet~

 
Halloween used to be a holiday celebrated mostly by kids. A couple of decades ago adults started dressing up as well, and over the past few years, pets have increasingly been participating in the festivities. In fact, about 20 million Americans are expected to spend $350 million this year on Halloween costumes for their pets.
Frightening, isn’t it? Not quite as scary is the fact that pet costume contests and parades across the country actually raise lots of money for animal shelters and worthy causes. Two of the biggest are the Tompkins Square Halloween Parade in New York City and the Haute Dog Howl’oween Parade in Long Beach, Calif.

However, as KC Theisen, director of pet care issues for the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), warns, “The things that make Halloween a treat for people — noises, smells, trick-or-treaters at the door and people in costumes — can overwhelm many pets.”
This is why animal shelters and veterinarians are usually very busy this time of year, dealing with pets who have run away or gotten sick from eating Halloween candy or decorations.
To help ensure you enjoy a scare-free Halloween with your pet, here are some important safety tips from the HSUS, ASPCA, American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and other experts.
Pet Costume Dos and Don’ts

• Don’t force your pet to wear a costume. “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!),” recommends the ASPCA.
• Do not put a mask on your dog or cat, or anything that covers your pet’s eyes or ears.
• Do carefully examine the costume and remove any small, dangling pieces your pet could chew and choke on. “Also, ill-fitting outfits can get twisted on external objects or your pet, leading to injury,” adds the ASPCA.
• Do try a couple of dress rehearsals and observe your pet in the costume. If your dog or cat seems distressed (look for signs like a tucked-in tail, folded-down ears and eyes looking sideways), forget about a costume. Instead…
• Do simply have your pet wear a fancy collar or bandana instead of a full costume. “Collar-wearing dogs and cats are already used to the feel of something around their necks, so they aren’t likely to be very bothered by a scarf or other neck accessory,” says Dr. Karen Becker, a veterinarian and animal advocate.
• Do consider having your dog or cat’s costume be “nudist” if wearing anything bothers your pet.

 
Make Halloween Night Less Spooky for Your Pet

• Unless your dog or cat is super social, put your pet in another room before trick-or-treaters start ringing the doorbell. “While you’re enjoying the fun, make sure your pets have a safe haven in a room where they can feel safe, comfortable and relaxed—and that they are tucked away from any hazards,” Theisen advises.
• Do the same if you’re hosting a Halloween party. “Masks and costumes change how people look and smell to a pet, so even familiar people may become frightening,” says the HSUS.
• If your super social dog or cat stays with you as you hand out treats, make sure your pet doesn’t bolt outside when you open the door.
• No matter how social your pet is, keep your dog and cat indoors at home, especially while you’re out trick-or-treating. “Dogs can be easily excited by the Halloween commotion, and a bite or a lost dog will quickly end the evening’s fun,” notes the HSUS.
• Make sure your pet is microchipped and wearing a collar with ID on Halloween night, “in case s/he escapes through the open door while you’re distracted with trick-or-treaters,” the AVMA advises.
• It’s important to keep trick-or-treating bounty, especially chocolate and sugarless gum, in a high cabinet away from your pets. “Chocolate in all forms—especially dark or baking chocolate—can be very dangerous for dogs and cats,” warns the ASPCA. “Candies containing the artificial sweetener xylitol can also cause problems.”
• If your pet does devour the contents of a trick-or-treat bag, immediately call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (888-426-4435).
• Although they’re generally safe, don’t let your pet nibble on real pumpkins, because they may cause stomach upset. And if you put a real candle inside that real pumpkin, keep it far away from your pet.
• If you’re hanging Halloween lights, make sure the cords are out of your pet’s reach to prevent electrical shock if they’re chewed.
• The ASPCA warns that the following Halloween decorations can be dangerous for pets: glow sticks and fake blood, because they can be poisonous; fake cobwebs, which can choke or entangle pets and wildlife; and potpourri and scented candles, which are both toxic to birds.

Hope you enjoyed this article published by Care2.com
Keep your pets safe and have a very Happy Halloween! 
p.s. Here is a little something to make you smile...enjoy!
 

xo
Janet~

Pumpkin carrying dog costume

 
Just a little something I thought would make you smile today. And in case you are interested in purchasing this costume here is a link...
https://www.wish.com/c/56d644729f7dc04897b6f1f7?hide_login_modal=true&from_ad=pla1&gclid=CjwKEAjw-abABRDquOTJi8qdojwSJABt1S1O1uN09tXcaD4Y-iqtIJUXSZkXo4Bc1uFrnd68f3BpbBoCEhPw_wcB

Have a wonderful day!
xo
Janet~

Cat Squeezes Himself Into Box

I just love a cat in a box, don't you? lol Just a little something to brighten your day!

xo

Janet~

These 39 Cats Have Insanely Cool Fur Patterns! How Beautiful!

Happy Monday Sweet Friends!



I'm so very sorry I haven't posted in such a long time. A lot has happened since my last post. My father passed away then I moved to a new home and time has just flown by. I never stop loving animals no matter what. So I will try my best to start posting fun things and information about cat and other animals. After all they are God's creatures and they deserve our love and attention. :)

I hope you enjoy the link below. Talk about gorgeous cats!

Enjoy and have a wonderful day!






These 39 Cats Have Insanely Cool Fur Patterns! Whoa!



Until next time,

xo

Janet~