So many cute Bunnies looking for a home ... 
Do you have room in your heart & home for a new Bunny family member?
(♥ Make sure to read my friend Robby's tips on "Rabbit Ownership" first though! ♥)



date Saturday, April 16, 2011

 




Blog the Change for Animals ♥ ... TBA ... please stay tuned!
(Sorry ... the Tax Man cometh ... ugh!) 





date Friday, April 15, 2011

 



Is there any thing worse than the smell of cat urine ...ewww.  When a cat urinates on rugs, carpets, or furnishings it can leave a very unpleasant distinctive cat smell that is hard to get rid of. This urine odor stimulates the cat to urinate in that area again, thus perpetuating the problem. Once you remove the odor permanently the cat will no longer keep going back to the same spot to re-offend.

Below is an easy, low cost and non-toxic formula for removing cat urine smells.



 

Items You Will Need ...

Water Paper Towels (White)
White Vinegar Spray Bottle (2)
Baking Soda Measuring Cup & Spoons
Hydrogen Peroxide (3% strength only << Important)             Scrub Brush (soft)
Liquid Dish Soap Rubber Gloves

Vacuum Cleaner


1.  If the cat has recently urinated on the carpet, first absorb as much of the cat urine as possible using paper towels or an old towel. Place clean WHITE paper towels (the ink may transfer-off of ones with prints) over the cat urine area and tread on them so as to absorb as much of the urine as possible. Blot ... do NOT rub. Repeat with dry towels until no more moisture can be absorbed.  

Areas of cat urine that have dried and previously gone undetected can be found with the aid of a black light (hand held black lights are quite inexpensive, usually costing between $15 - $25). The cat urine stains will fluoresce (look for a green or yellow glow) under the ultra violet light in a darkened room. Make sure to check around baseboards and even a few inches or more off the carpeted surface on walls and other vertical surfaces, as some animals may spray urine horizontally. To save the expense of a black light you can always use your nose to detect the source of the odor. Put your nose down close to the carpet and sniff away.

2.  Next, fill a spray bottle with a solution of  50% white vinegar and 50% water, then spray the area with the solution. Make sure you use enough of the solution to penetrate the fibers deep down. After applying the vinegar/water treatment, dry off the carpet as much as possible. You can assist drying by blotting (not rubbing) with paper towels as described above. If you own a wet/dry vacuum, you can use that to remove excess moisture too. 

 
3.  Sprinkle a handful of baking soda over the affected area.   

4. Gently mix  1/2 cup of hydrogen peroxide with 2-teaspoons of liquid dish soap. (not the caustic detergent that you put in a dishwasher) ... pour into a  small spray bottle.  Lightly spray on baking soda covered area. Gently work it in with a soft scrubbing brush or your fingers (be sure to wear rubber gloves) to dissolve the baking soda and work it down well into the carpet.   

5. Allow it to dry. Once dry the baking soda will vacuum up easily taking all the odors with it. 


Note - if the area was heavily/frequently urinated on by the cat, 
you may need to repeat steps 2-5 a few times.

~ Above method also works on dog urine. ~






Caution ... it is always a good idea to test the fabric/carpet for color fastness in an inconspicuous area, before cleaning.

Also, avoid using steam cleaners to clean urine odors from carpet or upholstery. The heat will permanently set the odor and the stain by bonding the protein into any man-made fibers.

Lastly, never use ammonia or ammonia-based products to clean-up pet accidents. One of the ingredients of urine is ammonia and your pet may well be encouraged to re-offend in the same area if it detects the smell of ammonia. Make sure to read labels ... many household cleaners contain ammonia.   



date Thursday, April 7, 2011

 

Photo -

They may look like a dog, but their striking yellow eyes & black-tipped bushy tail are a tell-tale signs that they are not.

According to a Star Tribune report from February 2010, coyotes are infiltrating the Minnesota Twin Cities metro area in record numbers. In the past several weeks there have been numerous reports of coyote sightings, and several attacks on pets have been reported in Golden Valley, St. Louis Park & Edina.


St. Louis Park Environmental Coordinator Jim Vaughan said coyotes have been reported near Minnehaha Creek, Westwood Nature Center, the Cedar Lake Trail and Oak Hill Park.

"They're covert for the most part," Vaughan said.

At this time of year, as coyotes pair up and create dens, they become territorial, Vaughan said. They could deem any canine in the area a threat.

"That's why they seem to be more aggressive at this time," Vaughan said.

This year's winter also contained so much snow cover that coyotes may have become desperate to find food, he added.

"In the past we've had pretty mild winters with low snow cover so they can find other things to eat without coming into people's backyards, so to speak," he said.


There have been many discussions on what to do about the "coyote problem", but PREVENTION is the best measure, in-my-opinion.


Coyotes go where the food is, so ...

  • Don't leave a compost bin accessible & keep your garbage cans securely closed/latched/tied to a post (store in the garage , if possible) ... For garbage pickup days, garbage should be put out that morning (not the night before, where they can be tipped over and feasted from)
  • Enclose your bags of bird seed in secure metal containers (if stored outside/in-shed), use squirrel-proof bird feeders, clean-up any spilled bird seed (which attracts squirrels), and use seeds squirrels generally dislike (i.e. thistle & safflower seeds)
  • Keep weeds & brush cut down
  • Do NOT feed wildlife such as deer & squirrels
  • Eliminate piles of "stuff" in your yard (to discourage mice population)
  • Keep grills clean
  • Fence your gardens (coyotes like veg, fruit & berries)
  • Walk your dogs on a leash in a well-lighted area at night, and carry a whistle and/or a pop can with some pennies in it (to shake at & scare-off coyotes that might approach you)
  • Keep your cats INSIDE
  • Do NOT feed or water your pets outside
  • Harass (by chasing, shouting, spray with water hose, throw sticks, blow whistle or air horn, etc.) any coyotes that do not immediately run from people
  • Lastly, NEVER feed the coyotes ... their fear of us is what keeps us safe from them.

The above tips will not only lessen the likelihood of coyotes in your yard, but raccoons too (known for carrying rabies). Which reminds me ... make sure your pets are up-to-date on their rabies, distemper, and parvo vaccinations. Some dogs and cats survive coyote attacks only to succumb to a preventable illness.

Also, not only are small breed dogs (and cats) at higher risk of harm, but so are puppies & senior dogs ... who need to watch out for owls and hawks too.

By-the-way ... notice I said "higher risk" ... Coyotes are pack animals and their packs have no problem taking down all sized dogs. Our family has personally lost several small & medium sized dogs (Poodle, Sheltie & American Staffordshire Terrier) to coyote attacks.

Best to keep cats inside & all doggies on a leash, or in your supervised 6-foot privacy fenced yard.

~Pamela~



For more information about urban coyotes, please visit the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources website, City of Bloomington website, Urbancoyoteresearch.com, or the United Wildlife Control website.

date Tuesday, April 5, 2011

 

I received this awesome ad from Toshiba today, and just had to share it with you all!
How cool is this!?! A laptop for dogs! What a GREAT idea!
Now I do not have to borrow Mom's all the time.

Love it,
~Zena~

Introducing: PetBook K9 - The world's first laptop for dogs







Some models include:


Durable Casing

Delicious and Durable 100% Organic Rawhide Casing

A highly robust and long-lasting enclosure made of vitamin-enriched
100% digestible organic rawhide keeps his data safe and tasty.



DoggycamBuilt-in DoggyCam for Inter-Canine Video Conferencing

With a fully integrated 3.2 megapixel doggycam with mic, socializing
can happen anytime, anywhere — his 3:00am barking outbursts are
now a thing of the past.



Pawprint Reader Offers Added Security and Convenience
Pawprint ReaderForget complicated usernames and passwords. A simple swipe
of the paw lets you safely log in to your system and access important
files and programs.

 

 

 

Works great with ...

Pet Pack for Dogs

Pet Pack for Dogs

The Pet Pack is perfectly designed to fit all doggy shapes
and sizes and comes in several exciting colors.


bark2txt Software

Bark-to-Text Software

Easily convert your barks to text using innovative ruff recognition.
Send emails or create documents three times faster than most dogs
can type with up to 99% accuracy.



More top features...

Bone Shaped Touchpad
Bone-Shaped Touchpad Provides Easy Browsing and Navigation
An oversized, chemical-free touchpad makes canine computing fun and protects sensitive paw pads.


Slobber Resistant
Slobber Resistant Design
A suite of SlobberGuard technologies protects your investment against overabundant salivation, unfortunate accidents and spills.


date Friday, April 1, 2011

 
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