Kitty Kat Update

Here is a photo of Charlie who is almost as big as Miso. He is not yet 5 months old but is as big as many small breed full grown cats. It is the Maine Coone mix, I think. He is also very mellow which is typical of the breed.

They both have full run of the house now, even at night when I am away on overnights. I do think they enjoy each others' company, although Miso does hiss and whack now and again as Charlie wants to play with  her. Miso hasn't learned to play with him yet. I get them playing with the feather flyer frequently to facilitate this in hopes that it will lead to more organically induced play.

TRAINING TO CUDDLE
I am also hoping they will be cuddle buddies at some point. To this end I have been feeding them a small amount of daily "treats". I put the kibble in one dish so they have to get very close to one another while enjoying it. Hopefully, this will lead to them enjoying closeness at other times during the day. One day I intend to display a photo of them cuddling each other.

FOOD & WATER
I use "Before BG grain" brand Salmon kibble as reinforcements but not much of it.  It is good stuff. They go CRAZY over it but I prefer they eat a raw diet which I purchase exclusively from Mantis on Michigan Ave in Ypsi. Miso likes to drink from a glass so I keep it full for Charlie and her. 

WEIGHT
I have been struggling with Miso's weight since day one. She has now finally trimmed up to the perfect weight in my opinion.  When you pick her up she feels spungy, not hard, in the stomache. I've accomplished her weight loss by keeping her on a raw food diet. Mantis sells me frozen patties that her and Charlie share daily. They are able to self monitor, as the food has no addictive properties and they only eat when they are hungry. And, of course, when I  offer them a small amount of kibble to reinforce their closeness.

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Charlie & Miso in Harmony

Less than one month ago, I brought Charlie home to live with Miso and I. Miso is about 5  years old and  Charlie was born mid July of this year.

There were some concerns due to the reason I had Miso in the first place. Miso had come to live with me 2 years ago after having attacked the other cat in her household three times. These attacks were vicious enough to send him to the hospital for stitches to his back each time.

As their pet care giver, it was not nearly as pleasant visiting them due to the new arrangement that was called for. I had to split my time into two sessions; one with Miso in the basement and the other session with her "brother" upstairs.

Curiously, the attacks were brought on after several years of living together. The first attack occured just after they brought the other kitty back from the hospital with bandaged paws from having been declawed. Miso has always been declawed back and front, so this must have upset the balance of power between the two somehow.

I hadn't considered getting another kitty until now because of Miso's rough history. But for the past year, I've felt bad about leaving Miso at home so much of the time, especially when I am away for vacation  overnight stays. She has seemed to calm down quite a bit and I sometimes imagine a nurturing instict in her.

Since I've always wanted a Maine Coone cat, I went onto Petfinder.com and put in the information. I asked for a male kitten and it turned out that Charlie fit the description. He was also less than an hour away from my home.

I let a few friends know that I was going to be introducing a new kitten to my household and the best advice I received was to let the kitties get acquainted from under a door first. This way they aren't as overwhelmed. They can get accustommed to new smells before having to negotiate space and territory.

Of course there was lots of hissing at first, especially from my Miso. I tried to stay away from their encounters as much as possible and to let nature take its course, all the while watching for signs of true aggression on Miso's part. Gradually I opened my full home to both of them whenever I am at home.

It was also suggested by my Petfinder.com mom, that I keep Miso's routine intact as much as possible. That has proven to be the best advice I could have received.

The most drama that occurred was when Miso would hiss and growl and wack her paw very loudly in front of Charlie which created a startlingly loud popping noise. Very quickly and to my amazement, Miso seems to have taken a shine to little Charlie and I recently caught her butting her head up to him affectionately.

We are now to the point where Charlie and Miso can be on the bed together and co-exist contentedly. I am still careful not to leave them alone in the house for too long together but I am optimistic about the future. I look forward to the day when I can pack up for an overnight knowing that the two of them will keep each other company until I return the next day.

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Finding a New Home for Your Pet

I recently received an email containing a photo and plea for help from a woman who was moving to Europe and could not take her two beautiful, well behaved labs with her. These sweet babies were very attached to each other and it was awful to think they might have to be separated to find them good homes. She was desperate to find them a good home where they could continue to live together.

I received the message from a friend and assumed this friend knew the woman who sent the original plea for help and thereby forwarded the message to a couple of other freinds. Unfortunately, the person who sent it to me arrived at the same conclusion when he received the message, and no one checked snopes.com to determine the message's validity. The animals had already found a new home YEARS ago. 

Although these kinds of "hoaxes" are not malicious, they get started, in part, because the original author doesn't think to include an easy way for people to check back to see if a home had already been found for their beloved pets. It is very easy to send a message to friends who inadvertantly proliferate the message in an attempt to help.

Unfortunately, there is no easy way, via email, to let others' know when the search is no longer necessary, the message gathers momentum and continues on its merry way. Now, anytime I get an email and don't know the original sender, I check snopes.com to see if the email is still legitimate. If I had such a pressing need as finding a new home for Miso, I'd include a website or blog for people to check in and get updates before they pass on the email.

This strategy might keep me from having to change my email address as the message makes its way across the world, illiciting help from hundreds of animal lovers. Besides helping me keep my life simple, providing a check back link is just a considerate thing to do.

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Words to live by

It was this time of year in 2006 that I purchased my first DBA "Mrs. Doolittle's Pet Sitting Service". It has served me well for me for the last three years and many people have told me that they love the name.

I decided to start using Mrs. Doolittle because I wanted to convey my skills for animal communication to potiential clients. I wanted to connect with those animal companions who value a strong connection to their little friends.

A few months ago, it dawned on me that "Wag More" was an even better message to potential moms and dads. Although animals love to be talked with, just being with them and making sure they get enough exercize and attention is the far more important goal.

Since there are no other "Wag More" services in the Ann Arbor area, I purchased a new DBA that will allow me to do business as Wag More Pet Care Service. It is the same service, just a more mature name.

There is another service named Wagmore in Chicago. I discovered while researching possible new website addresses. From the website, it sounds like a fantastic service. They even provide pet photography which is something I try to do in an amateur fashion when I have time.

Although I do hope my new chosen business name is well received, the most important aspect of my service is quality care. That will never change as long as I am the owner.

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Automatic Feeders Cats/Dogs

Routine is important to animals. Since my schedule varies from day to day, and Miso cannot be free fed, I have purchased an automatic feeder to deposit food for her twice daily. She always knows when to expect her meals and she will usually greet her new issue with exuberance.

Even though this handy little gadget was quite pricey, early on I learned that there are problems with it. Although battery operated (and the batteries last a long time - 6 months or so!), once in awhile the little turn shaft that rotates the feedings will stick, leaving Miso wanting. I learned about the glitch when I walked in to my home one day from a busy overnight, and she was meowing for food (which she rarely does!).

Now I am careful to check the level after every feeding and smooth out the top of the food at the receptacle. That way, when the next deposit is made, a dent in the food will be observed. If the top of the food is still level after it was programmed to drop, I am aware of the malfunction and can feed Miso myself, albeit late.

To repair a stuck feeder, empty out the food and tip it upside down. Jiggle the turn shaft a bit to unloosen any particles that might be in the way of allowing it to function correctly.

I never rely on this handy instrument to feed Miso on those rare occasions that I am on vacation. I hire a pet sitter to look in on her once a day and have her check the feeder as described above.
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Appliance Tip for Pet Owners

It is important to take the time to clean our animals' water fountains. I've noticed that most of my clients who use these wonderful wells for their pets, aren't cleaning them. After about 6 months with no cleaning, the pets' fur begins to clog up the motor.

Even though it has a filter, the motor should be taken out and cleaned once a month to get all of the fur out. The hair slows the water from entering the chamber and forces the motor to work harder. After a while, the stream will start to become thin and the motor gets louder.

It is easy to clean and it only takes about 10 minutes. Make sure the plug is disconnected from the outlet and disassemble the unit. It is very intuitive and does not have many part at all.

The fountains that I have worked with (many different brands) all pop apart pretty easily. The most important part to clean, is the motor itself. It pops out and sometimes has a smaller plastic screen on it that is also removable. You may see a wad of fur on it so take a paper towel and clean it off. Then rinse it. Make sure you run the motor under the faucet and force water through both the intake and outlet to ensure any particles of bacteria are whisked away.

If this does not sound like fun for you (it really only takes about 10 minutes), hire my pet sitting service (Ann Arbor area readers) and I will do it for you. We often perform these sorts of small tasks when we are in client's homes because we want to make life easier for you and your pet.

Clouds

I witnessed the amazing sky as I was tooling around town the other day. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

They reminded me of hot cereal. That evening I mixed some cooked basmati rice in a blender and added soy milk, salt and maple syrup! Yum.

The darkness in the upper left is my phone jacket in the way of camera eye. I hate it when that happens.

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Dog Whisperer | National Geographic Channel

Cesar has written a new book. Here is the link to his show and other information

Dog Whisperer follows Cesar Millan, renowned dog behavior expert, as he goes directly into the homes of dog owners - without any prior information about the dog's case - and documents the remarkable transformations that take place under Ces

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My Fab Four

I'm staying with my 4 kitty friends again. This is Bella (short for Queen Isabella). She just LOVES to be outdoors. Today she has to stay inside because it is rainy. She did go out on the deck for about an hour this morning.

I've had a rough couple of weeks due to having to replace my phone twice because the same puppy damaged it (my bad), and also having to say good bye to some long time doggie clients.

I am ready for a much better week and getting caught up on some major office work. I am thinking of organizing my service so that I can hire people to help me with office work and I can take on more animal charges which I love. I had better get busy.

Vacation Overnight Fun!

I'm having a great time with my two Viscla's and Bassett hound family.

Finding Time to Post

I was shocked to see the date on my last post. During the little free time I have, I've been giving too much away to Facebook, learning about people in and out of my life. Lots of fun but not so productive or even relaxing, for that matter.

The "random things you might not know about me" has been going around Facebook. I don't really enjoy the game of being tagged, but thought it was fun coming up with obscure things about myself to post both here and Facebook that I've since deleted. Yes, there is such a thing as too much information. :)

Happy New Year!

Wow! The weeks just FLEW by. This is my busy season so I have been averaging about 4-5 hours of sleep each night. I finally got a good night's sleep last night. I am now rested and ready for a productive and eventful 2009!

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