Give Your Cat A Pill And Live To Tell The Tale

This is a subject which has been the source of much humour - we've all seen the posters, read the stories or maybe even got the t-shirt, saying how if you need to give your cat a pill, you'd better stand by for a wrecked house and several scars!

I know the truth here all too well - one of my 2 cats was ok with pills, not terrific but ok. The other one though, he was a different story, and we used to have many a 'discussion' about him taking his pill!

I then decided to tap into the 'information highway' as the internet was first called, to see if there was a solution there. There was, it worked for me every time since, and I'm now about to tell you...

I call it the 'washing machine method' because if you imagine moving your washing machine around your kitchen, it's a case of a gentle push here, a slow nudge there.

When delivery men come with a new one though, they just plonk it down, give it a mighty shove and it goes where they decide it will go in about 5 seconds. It's this combination of technique and belief that you will tap into when it's next time for your cat to take a pill.

The technique is that used by vets. If a vet has to give a cat a pill, there is no asking the cat! There is no mollycoddling, the cat gets the pill 'inserted', and this is how you do it.
Firstly prepare the technique mentally. Know exactly what you will be doing, and how, because it will be done in 2 seconds. Don't try and prepare the cat, cats are way to smart for this and they will win.

If you hold the cat and grab its upper cheekbones from above using your thumb and finger of the same hand, you can then bring the cat's head to a vertical looking up position. In this position a cat has no power over its lower jaw, and it will hang open.

You then use your other hand, rest a finger on the bottom flat teeth, and simply open the mouth. Remember the cat cannot stop you doing this due to factual muscle location. Then you put the pill far enough inside the mouth to go past the tongue.
Shut the mouth and hold it shut, stroke the throat to encourage swallowing, and that it is!
This technique takes 2 seconds, no more.

When you approach it, you need to believe it will work - put off any negative thoughts - again the cat will pick up on it, and you will lose.

The technique isn't painful for the cat, it isn't even particularly uncomfortable as it involves no strain - it's over so quickly that the cat is usually left thinking 'something happened here, but I am not sure what'!

Discovering this tip was great for me, and for the cat, much less stress all round, so next time your cat needs a pill popping, remember the washing machine method and and you can live to tell the tale, too!

For more information and resources for cats, cat breeds or anything else related to your favorite pet, go to http://www.yourspecialpets.com/cats.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dorothy_Santoro

You Know You're a Pet Sitter When...

You know you're a pet sitter when...

You keep punching your client's garage code into your own garage keypad.

You shop for pants that are "muddy paw" color.

You tell your spouse about the cute things that Cookie or Buttons or Sparky did today.

You never eat lunch at lunchtime, and if you want to meet a fellow pet sitter for lunch its at 3:00 PM.

You call your kids Cookie or Buttons or Sparky.

You recognize a dog at the dog park that you took care of for another pet sitter, but you don't know the owner.

You've forgotten what it feels like to sleep in on the weekends.

You think it's a great day if you can get a vacation dog to eat, pee, and poo all at one visit.

Without thinking about it, you comfortably and consistently journal about the color and firmness of a dog's poo.

Items in your trunk include your favorite brand of poop bags, a bag of kitty litter that can also help if you're stuck in the snow, a dustpan, dog treats, a crumpled copy of Pets World magazine, a snowscraper, sunscreen, and a rain hat.

You temporarily forget if your own pet is a he or she.

You describe the weather as "t-shirt, sunscreen and water bottle", "sweater", "2 sweaters, a coat, mittens, and snow boots" weather.

When driving somewhere with a friend you constantly interrupt the conversation with wild gesturing and exclamations of "That's where Sparky lives!" or "That street over there is where Cookie likes to take her walks!"

You know where all the free poop bag dispensers are in your town.

You have all your pets' birthdays on your calendar.

And when you blog, the word poop gets mentioned 4 times in one post!

Blog Rush

This has nothing to do with petsitting, but everything to do with blogging. Since this is a blog, I feel comfortable posting this here, especially because it looks like a really cool way to get more traffic to my blog.

It’s similar to ad exchanges, but it’s targeted towards your blog content. If it sounds interesting, just click on the tab at the bottom of the blogosphere box down on the right side of my blog and listen to the video. The video explains it very well, much better than I could!

Happy Blogging,
Peggy

Doggie Hangman

Do you know your dog breeds? When you've got a few minutes, test yourself with this dog hangman link.
http://www.arcamax.com/games/hangman?wordlist=Dogs

Fun Facts About Dogs

by Natalie Loeffler

10 Fascinating Facts about Dogs

• How fast is a dog? Most domestic dogs are capable of reaching speeds up to about nineteen miles per hour when running at full speed, but members of the Greyhound family are the fastest, they're able to reach speeds up to forty-four miles per hour!

• Have you noticed how dogs lick their private parts a lot? Although this may seem perverse, it serves an important purpose. The dog's genitourinary tract will not function without the stimulation that comes from frequent licking. Not so bad now – huh?

• Why do dogs love lakes, but not rain? Dogs often hesitate before venturing into the rain. It's not because they're afraid of getting wet, but because the rain amplifies sound and hurts their sensitive ears.

To read more:
http://www.kennelmenot.net/Petsitting_Articles/Dog_Facts/dog_facts.html

Doggie Splash

Next Sunday, before they drain the swimming pool for the winter, my town is opening up one of the pools for our four-legged friends. How cool is that? The dogs get to splash around in the pool (hence the name Doggie Splash) for up to 4 hours. The pool is big but designed for younger kids. It's not very deep and one side does not have an edge. You can walk into it like you're at the beach, but minus the waves. I wonder how many dogs they let in and if the pet owners get to swim too.