One must be patient and consistent when teaching a cat to handshake.  And one must ALSO have yummy cat treats, of course!

To teach your cat to shake, first be armed and ready.  Purchase a few jars of chicken baby food and a rubber tipped baby spoon.  Then gently touch your cat’s paw while saying “shake.”  The minute your cat moves his or her paw, give your kitty some baby food on a spoon.  Continue this for a few days, eventually putting your finger gently under your cat’s paw from behind so kitty will lift the paw upwards in your hand.

Remember patience?  Continue being patient, trying this every day until your cat lifts his or her paw when you say, “shake.”  Good Kitty!

Falcons, eagles, owls, condors, hawks, ospreys and vultures are all raptors, which are birds of prey.  Raptors migrate from September through April.  Some raptors can carry one half to two-thirds of their body weight.

Hawks average about two pounds in size and great horned owls weigh between two to five pounds. Great horned owls and red-tailed hawks are not known to attack small pets.    However if they are hungry enough or are inexperienced in hunting they might attempt an attack.

A dog or cat may be able to bite or scratch their way out of a bird attack.  This might even dissuade a bird from attacking a second time.  But if you live in an area where birds of prey circle, it would be wise to watch your small pet when it is outside.

An eagle weighs between eight to ten pounds and can carry four to five pounds of weight.  It was reported that a cat collar with bell intact was once found in an eagle’s nest.  A hungry eagle can easily pick up a small dog or cat that weighs less than five pounds.  The AKC weight standard for a Chihuahua is 4 to 6 pounds, making this small dog a hungry eagle target.

But how do you keep your pet safe outdoors when raptors are nearby?  Walking your dog on a leash while holding an umbrella may ward off a predator.  You can also place mirrors or mirrored gazing balls in your back yard.  Hawks are territorial birds and could see their reflection as another bird hunting, thereby sending them to another hunting ground.  You can also enclose a small walking area with wood and chicken wire or cover your dog’s area with bird netting.

Cats generally roam a back yard, making them harder to contain and keep safe.  It is always best to keep your cat indoors, particularly if you have raptors nearby.  But it is fairly uncommon for a raptor to hunt for cats, many of which would be too large to carry while flying.

Could a bird of prey carry of a small dog or cat?  Yes, this is always a possibility, but probably only those weighing under five pounds.  Raptors are not generally looking for dogs and cats as a meal.  But when in doubt, always stay with your pet outdoors, or keep your dog and cat in a protected area.

Yes, cats are hunters.  And this means dead critters if you let them outdoors.  This is especially distressing for animal lovers who enjoy both domesticated animals as well as wild birds and other outdoor creatures.

The very best way to keep a cat from killing wild birds and animals is to simply keep the cat indoors.  This is a healthy option for the cat that will certainly increase your feline’s life expectancy.  But for some cats, outdoors is a way of life.

To reduce your cat’s chances of a kill, purchase a breakaway collar and attach a bell to it.  A study was actually conducted following outdoor cats both with and without bells.  The cats wearing bells only killed about half as many as those without bells.

So give the birds a fighting chance – bell your kitty cat to save a few feathered lives.

There are a few things a cat owner can do to make medicine time a bit easier.  Your first line of defense is the element of surprise.  When kitty isn’t watching, get yourself a large towel, the medication and any further supplies you will need. 

For pills, we suggest purchasing a Pill Popper, making things a bit more easier for both you and the cat.  Pill poppers hold the pill in a soft tipped end.  You push a “syringe” down as you hold the tip towards the back of your cat’s throat.  The pill literally “pops” out into a place that makes it hard for your cat to spit out the pill. 

Take a towel and quickly scoop up your kitty, swaddling him or her in the towel.  This protects you from scratches and the cat from being injured.  Talk softly while moving quickly.  Try to hold your cat on his or her back like a swaddled baby resting in your arms.  Carefully use your thumb and forefinger on either side of your cats mouth to open it.  Pop the pill into your cat’s mouth and hold the mouth closed until you see the pill is swallowed. Never cover your cat’s nose during this process.  Sometimes you can gently stroke your cat’s neck in a downward position to help the pill go down. 

Some people are able to disguise medicine in a bit of food.  This is not always a good idea.  If your cat does not finish the food you won’t know how much of a dose he or she has taken.  Furthermore if the food trick does not work, you are out one very important dose of medicine. 

For oral liquid medication, use the towel trick – again, having the medicine at your side and ready to administer.  And if you have someone near you that can be your partner in crime, certainly make use of their services.  Four hands are often better than two when it comes to giving a cat a pill!

Ten cats and dogs have died from eating the recalled food, while an unknown number of others have suffered from vomiting and kidney failure.

The manufacturer has posted a recall list at http://www.menufoods.com/recall and has two phone numbers consumers can call – 866-463-6738 and 866-895-2708. According to Menu Foods, the cause of these serious health problems is a rat poison found in the wet food.

Please visit the link supplied to determine if the dog or cat food you have is tainted. With over 48 brand names, you just might have a can, pouch or bag that is potentially life threatening to your pet.

What is Lyme Disease?

Young deer ticks, part of the Ixodes family, are so tiny you will not even see them on your pet. Your dog or cat can be contracting the disease through the tick without you ever knowing it. As the tick is attached to your pet (the host), the bacteria will transmit from the tick to your animal. Normally, the bacteria will not be transferred until the tick has been feeding for about ten hours. But again, this tiny tick can be on your dog or cat for days without you ever having seen it.

This is a picture of an adult deer tick. Remember, nymph deer ticks are smaller than the head of a pin and can be completely undetectable on a dog or cat.

Symptoms of Lyme Disease in your Dog or Cat

* Loss of neuromuscular function. This usually begins in the back and moves forward. The first signs may be a limp in the back leg, progressing to all the legs in as little as three days.
* Fatigue
* Loss of Appetite
* Lethargy
* Paralysis
* Pain in muscles and joints.
* Fever

Serious cases of Lyme Disease can cause paralysis as well as muscle and heart tissue damage, possibly resulting in death. If your dog or cat forms a limp, have it seen immediately to rule out Lyme Disease. Treatment should begin in the first week of the disease for the greatest chance of success in curing the animal.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Lyme Disease in Dogs and Cats

Treatment for Lyme Disease normally involves a long round of antibiotics. Amoxicillin, Tetracycline or Doxycycline are the most commonly used drugs to treat Lyme Disease in dogs and cats. Animals used to be treated for three weeks – but studies now show the dog or cat MUST be treated for at least three weeks AFTER ALL SYMPTOMS OF LYME DISEASE HAVE SUBSIDED. It was found that animals only treated for three weeks were not cured and shortly presented the same symptoms of Lyme Disease. If your pet has any symptoms of Lyme Disease, the bacteria is still present in the animal.

Lyme Disease Prevention

Non-toxic yard sprays are available commercially. If your dog or cat runs in any grassy or wooded areas, consider spraying with one of these non-toxic products. Brush your pet’s fur before you let the animal indoors. Inspect your animal every evening for ticks – looking extremely closely for tiny dots no bigger than the head of a pin. Remove ticks immediately.

To safely remove a tick, use tweezers and place them on the head of the tick, as close to the animal’s skin as possible. Gently pull, making sure the head is intact with the body once it is removed. If the head or a portion of it remains in the animal, take it to a veterinarian right away. Keep the tick in a labeled bag for at least two weeks before disposing of it, as the tick can be tested for Lyme Disease if your animal’s test is negative. While waiting for test results on the tick, your animal should already be placed on antibiotics.

* Teeth for tartar/gum swelling
* Ears for mites or fungus problems
* Body for ringworm
* Standard blood work
* Fecal exam for worms
* Vaccinations
* Eyes for normal pupil response and normal retinal appearance
* Weight, heart rate, temperature

Sometimes it is hard to locate all the urine. Interestingly, dog and cat urine will glow under a black light. You can purchase a special urine black light detector, which can be expensive, or get a black light bulb and place it in one of your nearby lamps.

Once you have determined the area your pet has urinated in, immediately blot it with newspaper or paper towels. Do not rub, but rather hold the paper firmly on the stain. Rubbing will cause the urine to move further down into your carpet or furniture. Once the paper is saturated, place more on the spot and hold firmly. Continue this process until you have removed as much of the urine as possible.
If you have a steam cleaner (some available at local stores for under $100), use this next. A wet/dry shop vac will also work well. Either use the cleaning solution that came with your vac, or add one tablespoon of clothes detergent to the water. Tide works very well. Steam clean the area and blot out all of the remaining liquid.

It is possible this procedure will not remove all of the urine odor. In this case, you may wish to purchase an organic urine odor remover. There are many brands to be found online and in pet stores, such as Outright Pet Stain Eliminator, Urine-Off, Incredible or Urine Gone (which comes with a black light). Follow the instructions on the bottle, but be sure to spot test an area of your furniture or rug – you don’t want to accidentally bleach out the color.

There are also things you can use from around the house to remove urine odor:

* Peroxide and water.
* Vinegar and water.
* Detergents made to remove odors from diapers.
* Dishwashing liquid, vinegar and water, mixed.

Never use ammonia to clean pet stains and urine. This will attract your pet back to the spot for further elimination.

For an easy cat urine odor removal recipe, go to Agoosa.Com!

# Struvite Crystals – These occur more often in urine that is of a neutral to alkaline pH. To prevent this, a cat with neutral to alkaline pH is fed a diet that has a more acid pH. This will acidify the urine and help to prevent Struvite crystals.
# Calcium Oxalate Crystals – These are formed when a cat’s urine has an acid pH. These are more prevalent today because cat foods tend to have a more acid pH in an attempt to prevent Struvite crystals.

The acidity scale goes from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral. Feeding your cat a diet that is between 6 and 7 may help to prevent Struvite crystals without forming Calcium Oxalate crystals.

You can test your cat’s pH with store-bought litmus papers. Normally, a pH should be around 6.5 for your cat’s urine. Of course, only your veterinarian can tell you what the ideal pH is for your particular cat.

Another way to prevent crystals is to provide your cat with plenty of water. Water will help to dilute the minerals that can cause crystal formation. Place several bowls of water around your house, and be sure the cat’s whiskers do not touch the sides of the bowls. Change the water one to two times a day.

Cat urinary tract infections can be life threatening, and should only be evaluated and treated by your cat’s veterinarian. Never attempt treatment and or prevention without the supervision of a veterinarian.