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 Merlin and Emma With such lovely weather here in Central Indiana this past weekend I couldn’t help but get outside as much as I could. I’m sure you probably did the same. Due to a malfunctioning window screen things in the house got a bit less pleasant. Thanks to the screen issue my place became the “all you can eat” buffet for the local fly population. However, all is not lost when you have a houseful of pets. I have a dog and two cats all with fly catching expertise. Allow me to introduce Merlin. Merlin is my handsome 8+ year old hound mix whom I adopted about five years ago from a rural animal control facility. His ten dollar adoption fee was the best bargain I’ve ever found. Amongst the boy’s many talents is the ability to pick a fly out of the air. (Yeah, he eats it. He’s a dog!) Merlin has never been fast or athletic. So how does he do it? Simple- he’s got hound in him and those hound dawg jowls to prove it. Now those jowls actually do serve a purpose. They act as a funnel to send smells right up to his nose. Merlin smells the fly. He knows exactly where it is.
Merlin is not alone with his fly catching prowness. Perhaps the most predigious fly catcher of them all, Mickey (aka Mick da Cat) as a youngster had a unique strategy for taking down a fly. Mickey would leap in the air and knock a fly against the wall, stunning it. The fly would fall to the floor, where it became a quick protein snack for a hungry kitty. Mick’s better half, Emma has her own methodology for the pursuit of flies. Miss Em will generally wait until they come near her then smother the thing with her big mitten of a paw. The problem, well, the problem with this approach is that cats are curious. Emma cannot wait until the poor fly smothers to death in a mass of cat fur. No, she has to lift her paw and peek, do a quick check to make sure the fly is still there. Alas, the fly escapes. But this evening at least Emma is doing a brilliant job with the flies, and they keep her occupied until I finally come up with a rolled up newspaper and dispatch of the evil creatures with the efficiency of a mass murderer. I am generally a gentle soul, but put vermin in the house and it’s time to kill!
 Mickey
Okay, I get what you’re thinking. I bought something I’ve always wanted, perhaps went out to dinner at a nice restaurant. Nah, not me. How do I splurge? I buy expensive cat litter. It makes that one job (scooping) a little less painful AND this litter does a really good job of keeping things less stinky. The litter I currently use is Precious Cat Long Haired Cat Litter. It is a crystal based litter . What I like is that first of all, no scooping except for poop. This stuff just sucks up urine and makes it disappear. No pee smell.  What could be better? If you’re wondering, why special litter for long haired cats? Well, things can get a bit “sticky” back there. After seven years with Emma and Mickey, (the two greatest long haired Maine Coon Cats ever born) one gets tired of wiping their butts despite the great enduring love I feel for them.
Precious Cat (aka Dr. Elsey’s) makes seven types of cat litter. In addition to the long haired cat litter there are special litters for cats who don’t like using their litter box amongst others. (You can click the Precious Cat link above to learn more.) Each package contains a little booklet with “litter box solutions” for help in solving litter box problems with cats. My favorite “solution” for a cat that won’t use his/her litter box is to leave a litter box in the center of a room. I just don’t think I could ever have a litter box just sitting plain out in the open like that, could you?
If you find Precious Cat litter intriguing, you can actually try it for FREE. Yes, that’s right. FREE! It’s a nice little rebate courtesy of Dr. Elsey (who of course is a feline veterinarian). Just click here to be taken to the PDF form that you can download, print and mail in. If you have trouble with the file, I’d be glad to help. I’m not sure how long this rebate will be available so if the link isn’t working, well, ain’t nothin’ I can do. Meow for now.
We’ve all been in this situation. We’re driving down the road and see someone’s lost pet wandering about. Lots of times people think the best thing to do is let the animal find his/her way home. This is a bad idea. Most lost pets never find their way home OR to a shelter. The best thing to do is catch the animal to keep it safe. Of course, there are limits to this. Not all cats and dogs are friendly or want to be caught. But for those that are approachable- well, very likely you’ll save their life.
There is anxiety associated with catching a stray. I have picked up many strays but it still happens to me. As an example, say I find a dog. My mind immediately races. Will I be “stuck” with this dog? I often pray the dog has an ID tag so I can simply call the owner and take the dog home. If there’s no ID what do I do? Is the Hamilton County Humane Society open right now? Do I take the dog to my own home? The following is how I handle the situation. First, I always try to pick up a lost dog and keep a slip lead (a leash with built in collar) in my car at all times. If the dog has a collar/tags I check and call the owner. Nine times out of ten the dog does not have a tag. If no tag the next step is to stop at the closest vet and have the dog scanned for a microchip. Any vet will gladly do this for you. If you’re lucky you’ll find the owner and the pet will happily be reunited with their family. Here’s the tough part. If none of the above have worked, what do you do? In my situation since I have a multi-pet household and no real idea about the dog’s health or temperament I make it a rule not to introduce a stray to my own pets. This is for their safety and well being as well as the stray dog. Of course there is nothing wrong with keeping a stray in your home with your own pet if you’re comfortable with the situation and have less of a zoo than I do. If you choose to do this, please notify all of the local humane societies with a description of the animal so if someone is looking for them there’s a chance they’ll find their pet. The Indianapolis Star also offers found pet ads completely free of charge.
It is not a punishment to take a dog you find to the local humane society. It is not a pleasant place for a dog to spend time at, but it is clean, dry and there is food and medical care. Our local humane society currently has a no-kill policy and does not euthanize for space. In most communities you can call your local police and either they can arrange for someone to come get the animal and take him/her to the shelter or can refer you to an agency that can do that. Most often the thought of taking an animal to a shelter is what makes people decide to let an animal find it’s way home. We have to face facts- this rarely happens. Lost animals are, or will become, very stressed. They are lacking food and water and their surroundings are much different than what they’re used to. It is theorized that due to this stress lost pets tend to hide where they can’t be found, and weakness, hunger, vehicles and predators mean they meet an untimely and unpleasant demise. With that in mind, if you find a stray, stop the car and give it a chance to go home. I know they will certainly appreciate it and you can feel good about yourself too.
She’s not just a dog….she enters the yard, her voice booming. I mean BOOMING. It’s a Great Pyrenees aka Pyrenean Mountain Dog. A big white girl. Soon we hear the screams of delight. The little girl next door unable to say a word other than “Willow! Willow! It’s WILLOW!!!”
 Willow, My Great Pyrenees Dog
 Cats in the Shade Did you know there is actually a National Hairball Awareness Day? How could I have missed it? I find myself aware of hairballs frequently- awareness day not required. It’s simple. I go into the master bath in my home. Despite an expanse of linoleum to deposit hairballs my cats always choose my bath mat. You know, the little rug you step on when you get out of the shower to prevent yourself from falling on your butt. In my house these are no ordinary hairballs. These are 4-6 inch rockets of hair and spit and cat food, complete with a comet-like trail for dramatic effect. The worst time for hairball discovery is when stepping out of the shower. Imagine my surprise when there is nowhere to put my feet!
My kitties are big cats. Emma and Mickey are both Maine Coons in the twenty pound range. (Click here for a Wikipedia article on Maine Coons.) They make mighty big hairballs because they’re on a diet they’re eating Royal Canin food for fat cats. This food is indeed helping with their weight yet the low fat content doesn’t have enough grease to slide that hair out the proper end of the cat. My vet Dr. King suggested putting a fatty acid supplement on top of the food to help with this. My first thought was, hasn’t she ever had a cat? By international cat law any substance put on top of a cat food immediately makes that food inedible irregardless of the potential of death by starvation. I will give it shot however, just to prove that the international cat law still stands. Stay tuned.
Hello and welcome to my blog.
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