by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

June is adopt-a-shelter cat month and also known as kitten season, especially here on Long Island – where there are no natural predators (like coyote), and many feral cat communities across our isle.  We do have amazing groups of people, animal rescues and organizations that help with taking care of the feral cat colonies and do T and R programs (trap, spay/neuter, return).

However many of our animal shelters are very full with wonderful cats and kittens looking for their furever homes.  Recently we visited the Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation, (SASF), in Hampton Bays, NY to see their ‘Catio’ and meet many kittens 8 weeks and under.

If you are a cat afficiando, a cuteness warning overload if you click on the video below:

However, if you are thinking about adopting, SASF currently has 2 for 1 match making promotion happening this month – which is just the purrfect way to adopt two cats that are in need of that furever home.  After a potential adopter picks out a cat they fall in love with, the shelter will match that cat with their buddy so you can bring home 2 cats and the cats will have a life long companion.  Such a cute idea!  See the video here to learn more about it:

For more information on how you can adopt a cat from SASF go to www.SouthamptonAnimalShelter.com or call (631) 728-7387.

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Being prepared for an emergency with your pet:

• Have proper ID tags on your dog/cat with your Cell phone # on it.

• Make sure if your dog is microchiped  – that the microchip registered with your proper contact information (many people don’t realize this) read our post here “Is your pet’s Microchip registered?“

• Have a copy of your pets most recent veterinary records with you and an extra copy in your car, take a photo of them store them on your phone as well.

• If you have to evacuate – Do you know where you are going? Is it pet friendly shelter or hotel? Can you bring your pets with you?

• If you are staying with family or friends and they have pets you should bring your pets crate with you, (or go out and buy one now), to be able to give your pet a safe secure place to be incase the pets don’t get along.

• Have an extra crate in the trunk of your car – if you have to leave in a moments notice.

• Gas up you car before the storm is close and get some cash so you have it just in case.

• Have a recent, clear picture of your pet printed out – put in a ziplock baggie, (what if you can’t re-charge your phone?)

• Store pertinent contact information for Emergency Vets within a 50 mile radius of your home and Animal Shelters in your phone (and have printed out) – you may not have wifi – so being able to access your contact list is helpful.

• Have a bag prepared and ready to go with all your pets needs.

• Always have an extra collar and leash in you car and in this bag.  And in your car also.

• Have a 1^st aid kit prepared and in the bag – I keep one in my car too.
• Take a Pet CPR and 1st Aid class – being prepared ahead, knowing what to do can save a pets life.  Click here to see the next class coming up on Long Island.
• Have a week’s supply or more of pet food and water (if you feed raw realize that you may have to feed kibble in place of that raw food in case you’re power goes out or if you are staying somewhere with your pet that has no refrigeration for the raw food.)  Also a great option for Raw is the freeze dried raw food that doesn’t have to be refrigerated.

• Any medication your pet is taking – make sure you have refills of that ready to go – call your veterinarian now – better to be safe than sorry. (Many vets will call a pets prescription into a local pharmacy if you can get to the vet’s office or if you don’t live close to your vet.)

• Have towels and blankets in your car – incase your pet is wet and needs to be dried off.

• Have a crate, carrier or cage easily accessible if you need to leave in a hurry – and you can throw it in your car. (Many store our crates in not so easy to get to places – attics, basements, if you have to grab it in a moments notice).

During the storm – if you don’t have to evacuate and you’re riding it out at home as many of us will be – remember that:

• Many pets can be completely freaked out during storms. They feel the Barometric pressure, they hear the wind, rain and thunder.   So you and your family have to be diligent about keeping them safe, indoors and confined.

• Make sure your doors leading outside are secured – so your pet doesn’t sneak outside.

• If you have a gated yard, be sure to tie or bungy cord that gate shut, and if you absolutely have to take your pet out during the storm (this is Very much NOT suggested!).  If you do have to take them out for potty, have a properly secured collar or harness on, (that they can’t slip out of), and leash your pet to take them outside.   Wear gloves or tie your dog to you when going outside so the leash doesn’t slip out of your hands.

• I personally would wait to take my dog Cody outside or only let him go potty a few feet from the door and if you have wee-wee pads in the house – see if your pet would use them.

This is not about being paranoid – this is about being prepared!

For Long Islander’s you can click here for a list of Animal Shelters below:

Long Island Town Municipal Shelters – where lost pets could be:

Town of Babylon Animal Shelter
51 Lamar Street
West Babylon – 11702
631-643-9270

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

As we fall into autumn, our daily pet care can get pushed aside due to our increased busy schedules. Here are some reminders to help you and your pets ease into the new season:
Training:

• Now that your kids are back in school, or your work schedule is more intense – do take the time to do dog training sessions with your dog as a refresher for both of you.  New noises, different schedules, and lack of attention could make your dog anxious and not listen quite as well.

• Make the sessions short and sweet with plenty of praise and/or treats.  Work on ‘stays’ recalls like ‘come’ or ‘home’ if your do knows that command and ‘wait’ for teaching them to wait at the door, (school buses, kids, deliveries, etc.), and wait for when you are arriving at the park – your dog should know he has to ‘wait’ before he can jump out of the car – until you say so!

• It’s important to also do these sessions outside of the home, in the yard, and in a different location altogether – as most dogs may be amazing at home – but get them in a new environment – and that goes out the window!

• If you got a new puppy or adopted a dog over the summer now is the time, before the holidays creep up, to look into a group dog training class to help with doggie socialization and a more structured training environment.

Pet supplies

Did you get your pet a summer collar or perhaps too much swimming in the pool, lake or salt water?  Time to purchase a new collar for the fall and winter – be sure the collar is fitted properly.  If you forgot to take their collar off in the summer while they were swimming, chances are the metal hardware you attach your leash to may be rusted and break.  Or the fabric or leather is not as strong anymore.  Investing in a good collar for the fall and winter is important to keep your pet safe.

If you have a cat that goes outside or gets into things, make sure their collar is a breakaway collar so it can safely come off if they get caught on something.  And if your cat is an indoor-outdoor cat, put a bell on that collar too – to give the birds at your bird feeder chance to hear them coming!

Did your pet loose his or her ID tags? While many pets these days are microchipped, it is still important to have an up to date ID tag with current phone number, (cell phone is best as most people don’t change their cell number), and email address.  One great new product that you can get is the Twigo pet tag. This fun new tag requires no engraving and are instantly personalize-able with a ballpoint pen – simply write, boil and wear. The tags self-attach and are completely silent, ideal for those who dislike the jingling noise and remove their pet’s tags while inside the house.

Clothing – remember when it used to seem crazy to dress our pets?  That notion is a thing of the past as our pets are pampered, live inside with us and are used to AC and heat.  So in the cooler weather, your pet may need a properly fitted coat to go on that walk to go potty.  Last winter was brutally cold here on LI and I had to put two coats on my dog to walk him – his short hair would not have kept him warm for long outside. Raincoats are a great option to – to keep your pup from getting soaked and less time for you to dry them off when you get back inside.

Seasonal allergies

You may be sneezing at ragweed; did you know your pets could also be affected by seasonal allergies?  They can loose their fur, be scratching and chewing themselves raw.  Bring your pet to a good veterinarian who is an expert in allergies and have your pet tested.  It may be food they are allergic to – or it could be seasonal – knowing is the power you will have to properly treat your pet and not play a guessing game.

Pests

This time of year is the perfect time to go for a long walk in the woods with your dog, see the fall foliage – and check for ticks.  Yep, ticks are out until the temperature drops below freezing.  So after that hike, check your dog thoroughly before you go back into the house, bring a flea and tick comb or tick spoon with you so you can remove that tick promptly.  You should also check in-between your pets paw pads, not just for ticks but sticks, stones, splinters, rocks and any cuts or scraps so you can treat them.

By Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Two different events in New York City on Saturday, September 28, 2013 brought in pet lovers from all over the tri-state area.  The first was Best Friends Animal Society’s Strutt your Mutt fundraising dog walk – held at Pier 84 on Hudson River Park – hundreds of people and their pets strutted 2 miles to help raise funds for homeless pets. It was a beautiful day – you could not have asked for more goregous weather over looking the Hudson River.

The event is held all over the country all to help Best Friends continue to do the great work they do.

If you missed the event you can still send in a donation here, and put a save the date on your calendar for next year.  A fantastic event and breathtaking NYC location!
For more pictures on Strutt your Mutt, click here!

Just a few blocks away at the Jacob Javits Center, the American Kennel Club (AKC) held their annual ‘Meet the breeds‘ event where dogs and cats (and their owners or breeders) from around the country were their educating the public about their breeds. More than 200 different kinds of dogs and cats were at the show.

During the event there were many vendors to visit and a lot of different shows on the show floor – from agility demos, cart pulling dogs, police K9 units, obedience, a cat fashion show…yes I said cat fashion show, and much more!

One thing that you may not realize is, many of the breeders at the event are also associated with breed specific rescue groups whether it is a dog or cat.  I saw different booths with information on rescue groups for their breed, and listened to couple of passionate dog breeders who are also heavily involved with rescue.

It is a great event to see breeds you might not have ever heard of, like the hound above which is a Hamiltonstovare, or if you just love seeing cats and dogs hamming it up in one place.  One thing I will say is, if next year you plan on going to the event and bringing your human kids with you – please remind them of their manners in petting the animals, to always ask before they pet, and to not be overly pushy, etc.  I witnessed a few incidents of parents have zero control over their kids and some of the pet owners having to instruct them ‘not to hit the cat over the head with a cat toy,’ I kid you not! (This pet pro got hit in the face with a cat toy by one unruly child, ugh!)

I think it is a great place to bring your children to see, learn and enjoy pets – but some guidence ahead of time will make for a  better experience overall!

To see many more pictures from Meet the Breeds, click here!

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

If you are a cat owner you know that awful sound of your poor kitty trying to hack up a hairball.  It not only sounds scary, but can be painful for the cat, and not so pretty for your decor.   National Hairball Awareness day, April 26, 2013, brings attention to this common condition in cats. (yes there is a day for everything now! but this is no hacking, oops laughing matter, ack!)

Cats get hairball from constantly grooming themselves and can form a hairball in their stomach – in which they then can vomit back up.

To help prevent your cat from getting hairballs you can do the following:

• Brushing your cat regularly with a cat brush or a kitty deshedding FURminator helps get rid of the loose cat hair that they would likely ingest.
• Feed your cat a healthy diet.  (Not sure what a healthly diet is for your cat, contact Holistic Veterinarian and pet nutrition expert Dr. Michel A. Selmer of Advanced Animal Care Center - he can help!)
  
• There are also hairball lubricants on the market which you can try – follow the directions – but a home remedy that always help my cat was a tiny bit of olive oil – she lapped it right up.
• Consult with your veterinarian if your cat is coughing a lot and nothing comes up – it could be a more serious problem like asthma.
• And pay attention to your cats habits and behavior in general – if a behavior changes or something new arises in your cat – consult your vet!  Cats are very good at hiding aliments or illnesses – so regulary veterinary care is important!

Wishing you and your kitty less hairballs!