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Archive for the 'Cats' Category

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Family cat in Oregon dies after getting swine flu

November 19th, 2009, 1:29 pm by Samantha Gowen, Pet Tales editor

swine-flu-virusA cat in Lebanon, Ore., is likely the first cat in the United States to have died as a result of the H1N1 virus, Oregon state veterinary officials said.

Raina Dey of the Oregon Veterinary Medical Association and state public health veterinarian Emilio DeBess said the 10-year-old cat likely contracted the H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu, from a human, The Eugene (Ore.) Register-Guard reported Thursday.

Read The Cat Doc’s column: “Can the family cat catch our colds” for advice on combating illness in your pet.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Cats • Elaine Wexler-Mitchell • Pet health • Pets • swine flu • vet • • • • • | 2 Comments »

Poll: Should employers offer pet insurance?

November 18th, 2009, 2:38 pm by Samantha Gowen, Pet Tales editor

caseymayo1While a lot of us are just hoping to hang on to our jobs in a tenuous economy, some of the rock-solid companies are offering a new perk in the employee package: health care for pets.

Companies like Google, Disney, AOL, HSBC, home improvement chain Home Depot and eBay offer health insurance for their employees’ cats and dogs, a niche market that has sprung up in the wake of a spike in costs for veterinary treatment.

“We do offer voluntary pet insurance as one of our benefits. Google is committed to helping our employees lead healthier lives, and we try to support personal well-being in a number of ways,” Google spokesman Jordan Newman told Agence France-Presse.

“We know that pets can be an important and valued part of our employees’ lives and we want them to have the option to enroll in this benefit,” he adds.

Should employers offer pet insurance as perk?
View Results

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Posted in: Cats • Dogs • Pet business • Pet health • Pets • insurance • poll • • • • • • • • | 1 Comment »

Cat plus cop makes for lively traffic stop

November 18th, 2009, 12:04 pm by Samantha Gowen, Pet Tales editor
YouTube Preview Image

Curiosity definitely got the best of this cat.

A Texas police officer had his patience tested Tuesday by a friendly feline. The officer was writing a routine speeding ticket when curiosity appears to overcome the cat, who climbs up the officer’s leg, his vest and eventually onto his head.

We admire the officer’s restraint. And our hats are off to the friendly farmer who clearly loves his cat!

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Posted in: Animals • Cats • Pets • Wacky news • video • • • • • | Post a Comment »

Reminder: Mature Match is about animal attraction

November 18th, 2009, 12:00 pm by Samantha Gowen, Pet Tales editor

Click on Cooper's photo to find out more about him.

The Mature Match event is happening this weekend. Get your date shoes on, folks!

Every year unwanted older pets are euthanized because nobody wants a middle-aged dog with a gray muzzle or a cat with bony hips.

Instead, we flock to the adorable bundles of fur with their puppy breath and tiny paws. They’re cute, trainable, healthy … you get the drift.

So, to lend an old(er) friend some help, the Orange County Animal Care shelter is hoping to match their mature pets with new owners at a special event.

The shelter is hosting a “Meet Your Mature Match” on Nov. 21 (a Saturday) — all day at the Orange facility.

Cats and dogs over the age of 3 will be available for adoption at a reduced price, according to Katie Ingram, spokeswoman for the shelter. Each pet will go home with a free microchip between their shoulders and a free flea treatment applied.

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Posted in: Animal shelters • Cats • Dogs • Events • Pets • Rescued • adopt • adoption • • • • | Post a Comment »

Poll: What do the pets do while we’re away?

November 17th, 2009, 3:21 pm by Samantha Gowen, Pet Tales editor

katy-snooze

odie-sleepsI forgot my cell phone this morning as I headed to work. I drove home, snuck back in quietly, and caught the animals …

… sleeping.

My sister and I once had a plan to install video cameras (or nanny-cams) around the house, so we could peek in on pets during the day. Do they play? Steal food? Wrestle?

Back when Katy was a puppy I’d come home to find shredded books and shoes. Now, she sleeps and dreams while the cats reclaim tissues from the trash and scatter shoelaces and mini mice across the living room floor.

Curious minds want to know:
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What do family pets do while we're away?
View Results

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Send me your pet photos! Follow the link below …

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Posted in: Cats • Dogs • Pets • Toys • forum • poll • • • • • • • • | 2 Comments »

The Limited debuts line of pet sweaters

November 17th, 2009, 12:15 pm by Samantha Gowen, Pet Tales editor

limited-sweaters

Just as cool weather sweeps across Orange County, The Limited reveals a new line of sweaters … for dogs.

limited-contestThe sweater campaign is woven into a contest, too. So dog owners, get your photos ready.

Sorry, Katy, no Limited sweaters for you, big girl. The largest size is made for dogs around 28 pounds.

The sweaters match items made for those of us that walk on two legs. The price is $24.50, no matter the size or style. Sizes range from 6 to 28 pounds, in small, medium and large.

The fashion retailer teamed up with social media company Brickfish to launch an online pet photo/story contest for consumers.

The “Fabulous Pet Names” contest involves submitting a photo of your pet along with the story behind its name for a chance to win prizes. Consumers can also share the entries on their social networking sites, like Facebook.

The contest ends Dec. 28.

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Posted in: Cats • Dogs • Events • Pet business • Pets • Photos • contest • fashion • gifts • • • • • • • | Post a Comment »

CARE teams up with Petsmart to save needy pets

November 13th, 2009, 4:24 pm by Samantha Gowen, Pet Tales editor

If you’re shopping at the neighborhood Petsmart this weekend, consider helping out a homeless pet.

For those of you in south Orange County (or anywhere else), you can visit the animals of CARE at the San Juan Capistrano store location.

Capistrano Animal Rescue Effort will take part in the PetSmart’s “Holiday National Adoption Event,” which will be held today through Sunday.

Petsmart — with the help of local rescue groups and animal shelters — hopes to connect more than 1,000 homeless pets with new families this weekend.

CARE associates will be at the store from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday with adoptable animals recovered from Orange County Animal Services.  All animals have been spay/neutered, fitted with a microchip ID, have their required immunizations and been examined by a vet.

And to assist new “pet parents” with caring for their new family member, PetSmart will provide every dog and cat adopter with free samples from Pro Plan®, Tidy Cats® and PetSmart.

PetSmart is located at 33963 Doheny Park Road (Camino Capistrano) in San Juan Capistrano.  For more information on the event, contact PetSmart at (949) 443-5336.

For information on CARE, visit www.capoanimalrescue.com or call 949-240-1735.

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Posted in: Animal shelters • Cats • Dogs • Events • PetSmart • Pets • Rescue groups • adopt • adoption • fundraiser • • • • | Post a Comment »

The Cat Doc: Can the family cat catch our colds?

November 12th, 2009, 7:00 pm by Samantha Gowen, Pet Tales editor

newwexler-sigWe humans are at the start of our cold and flu season, and owners are asking me whether or not their cats can catch their colds.

The answer is probably not — at least not if you are dealing with a viral infection.

The common cold that we contract is a virus, and most viruses are species specific, which means humans get human viruses and cats get cat viruses. Unfortunately, cures for human upper respiratory viruses do not exist, so treatment involves relieving symptoms and trying to prevent secondary bacterial infections. The same holds true for “kitty colds”.

Just like with our human colds, kitty colds are contagious to other cats, and it is common for multiple cats to be affected in a household.

Kitty colds caused by viruses usually cause sneezing and a clear discharge from the nose and/or eyes. A more serious upper respiratory infection (a combination of a virus and a bacterial infection) in a cat would be characterized by fever, enlarged lymph nodes, yellow to green discharge from the eyes and nose, and loss of appetite. Antibiotics would be needed if these additional symptoms were present, and they would fight the bacterial component of the infection.

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Posted in: Cats • Elaine Wexler-Mitchell • Pet health • Pets • swine flu • vet • • • • | Post a Comment »

Tallest and ugliest pets will entertain at expo

November 12th, 2009, 11:35 am by Samantha Gowen, Pet Tales editor

worlds-ugliestWhere can you meet the world’s ugliest dog, the world’s tallest cat and the world’s tallest puppy all in one place?

Los Angeles, of course!

The Pomona Fairplex is hosting the West Coast Pet Expo this weekend. Pet and animal lovers can get their fill of vendors, demonstrations and information.

Here are some of the exhibits that might tempt you to drive north:

  • Bring the kids for a pony ride
  • Audition for National Geographic’s, “The Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan” (a video of your pet in action is required)
  • Meet Scout, a canine actor from the Disney movie “Air Bud”
  • Take your picture with Brewster, the World’s Tallest Puppy
  • Meet the USC Mascot Traveler®
  • Watch a one of a kind cat agility competition
  • See the new “dog friendly” Honda Element
  • Enter raffle for fishing boat and trailer valued at $35,000

raffle-boatTickets will cost $10 for adults at the door and $6 for seniors and children. Purchase adult tickets online, in advance, and you’ll save a few bucks.

The $2-off discount on tickets is available online until midnight TODAY and include automatic entry into boat raffle.

NOTE: Family pets are NOT ALLOWED, so leave them at home. Only pets and animals associated with the vendors and exhibitors are allowed at the expo.

For more information head over to the event’s Web site.

The Fairplex is located at: 1101 W. McKinley Ave., Pomona, CA 91768,
(909) 623-3111.

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Posted in: Cats • Community • Dogs • Events • Pets • communicator • dog demonstrations • fashion • k-9 officer • raffle • • • • | 4 Comments »

Pet poll: Can cats and dog really be friends?

November 11th, 2009, 6:23 pm by Samantha Gowen, Pet Tales editor

flipkaty_0430

sams-sig1I’ve been negotiating truces on a daily basis since I took in the pregnant, stray cat I call Mama.

My dog, Katy, is a big hunk of nice. (That’s her in the photo above with the late Flip.) She has lived with cats her entire life. Mostly the cats stay out of her way and vice versa. Every once and a while, the animal species collide: Someone gets stepped on and a swat is thrown.

The advent of Mama and her kittens has stressed Katy’s gentle spirit. She’s taken refuge atop my bed and underneath the kitchen table.

The kittens (we’re down to just one, thankfully) took a lot of pleasure leaping on the dog while she slept. Mama lurks around corners and waits to pounce. Katy just turns tail and tries to avoid it all.

maybe-kitten

Perhaps in time, everything will work itself out. I AM IN CHARGE, so I believe they will learn to live together — eventually. For now, training and negotiations continue.

(Mama’s last kitten, seen at right, needs a home. E-mail pets editor Samantha Gowen if you’re crazy about cats! He’s sweet, 10 weeks old, dog savvy and potty trained.)

If anyone out there has tips or tricks to blend the beasts, please share!

And don’t forget to take our poll …
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Can dogs and cats really be friends?
View Results

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Posted in: Cats • Dogs • Pets • Samantha Gowen • poll | 2 Comments »

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