Persnickety-Pets Apr Newsletter

IS PET FOOD KILLING YOUR PET?

Pet owners across the nation have recently experienced the heart-stopping, lump in your throat moment when you thought that perhaps you were feeding your beloved pet poison! Pet brands that you have known and trusted are coming forth and voluntarily recalling tainted pet food and treats, now seemingly in alarming numbers. More and more brands and types of foods are being disclosed, and for pet owners this is very scary. Some pet owners I know are refusing to purchase commercial pet foods and are making their dogs and cats homemade meals from ingredients that they can control. Although this is perhaps the best way to ensure your pet is getting untainted foods it may not be nutritional enough to maintain your pet's stamina, coat, vital organs, and health unless you are working with a qualified pet nutrionalist. Because dogs and cats are different species than humans, they require a different balance of nutrition to maintain their optimal health.

It may not be feasible for all pet owners to go the natural route when feeding their pets. Many familiar brand names are listed in the recall, including well-known Iams, Eukanuba, Hills Diet, Science Diet, Alpo, Mighty Dog, Purina, Proctor & Gamble, and store brands, such as WalMart, Winn Dixie, Food Lion, Publix, Wegmans, and others. Fortunately the Food and Drug Administration has set up a hotline for pet owners who have questions regarding the recent recalls and have web links you can visit to get the latest information on the tainted pet food crisis. There is also a number to call to report if you pet has become victim to the recent poisonings. Pet owners whose pets have consumed any of the listed pet foods and showing symptoms such as vomiting, lethargy and extreme thirst are being told to take them to the veteranarian immediately.

The recall is mainly for 'cuts and gravy' food sold in cans and pouches. Also be notified that some treats are now being recalled too. Many articles written on the pet food recall indicate that tainted wheat gluten added to many dog and cat food foil pouches and cans is the ingredient that is causing the sicknesses and deaths. Like many pet owners, I am now scrutinizing the ingredients in not only the dog food I buy, but also the treats. Here are some of the products and websites you can investigate in an attempt to keep your pet safe from the current hazards of pet foods:

Click here for more information on PET FOOD RECALLS:

Click here check by BRAND NAME (if you click on the brand names it will take you to a site that gives dates, manufacturing numbers, etc., to look for in your affected pet food.

CATS: JUST SAY NO!! :-)

Do your think your cat is on drugs? Zoning out on that Whacky Grass? You may if you have ever witnessed a cat and its catnip. Catnip is a non addictive, harmless herb that just over 50% of cats react to. Whether your cat responds to catnip or not, is genetically determined. The reaction that most cats have to catnip, includes rubbing, rolling around, purring and a sense of euphoria. The active ingredient in Catnip (Nepeta cataria) is nepetalactone, and the behavior it produces is short-lived, lasting only a few minutes. Kittens do not respond to catnip until they are about three or four months of age.

Since many cats are attracted to catnip, it is often a good idea to rub some on a scratching post or a new toy. That way, the cat puts its scent on the new object, thereby increasing the chances that it will use or play with the new object.

Catnip is available in many forms, including the actual herb, in concentrated sprays,

and even in bubbles, which is a blast to watch.

OSCAR MANIA.......by Kathy Graham Warren

It was Sunday morning and I was deep in the clutches of the kind of sleep that envelopes you completely, just before you are rudely and crudely awakened. Clutching to the last remnants of a wonderful dream, somewhere in the distance I heard my husband's insistent and slightly hysterical voice yelling for me to wake up. My first panicked thought at 4:30 in the morning was that the house was on fire, and my husband was trying to save me!! So, heaving comforter and sheets to the wind, I leaped out of bed, barely missed cracking my head on the ceiling fan, and landed on the floor in a big lump because my feet were still asleep. My husband, Lloyd, was standing over me yelling "Get up Kathy, quick!! Ned's trying to commit suicide!"

Ned and Ted are my two Oscars that I've raised since they were baby minnows. Now they weighed about a pound apiece, and probably would have made a good fish fry if I'd had the notion. But I loved Ned and Ted. They played with me like dolphins do - eating from my hand, and playing fetch. I would flip a ping pong ball into the tank and they would chase it all around, bringing it back to me. In the last year, Ned and Ted had gotten too big for their britches (or I guess I should say, fins). They bickered once in a while and took jabs at each other, and designated which side of the tank was whose, As long as they didn't cross the imaginary line they were okay. However, sometime in the middle of this particular night, Ned, or maybe Ted, had challenged the other to a free-for-all. My husband who sometimes has insomnia was sitting in the family room watching TV when he heard them start to fight. He said they knocked over all the castles and plastic plants, and then started banging on the side of the tank as they chased each other around. Suddenly Ned, thinking he was the son of Flipper, sailed straight out of the tank, taking the overhead light with him. He landed with a big splat right at my husband's feet. Lloyd gasped, jumped up, leaped over the flopping fish, and hurried to wake me up. My hero!

When the pins and needles finally left my feet, I hobbled into the family room and there was Ned, slapping his tail against the tile and not at all in a good mood. Wearing no shoes, or contact lenses, I had to be careful where I stepped, or who I stepped on. In my half-blinded state I finally managed to scoop Ned into a bucket with the aid of a dustpan (Ned is too big for a standard fish net). It took both Lloyd and I to lift him up and get him back into the aquarium in one piece. He had a bunch of nicks and several patches of missing scales, but he didn't look too bad. Ted was gloating. My heart had quit jack-hammering and I was ready to crawl back into bed. I told everyone goodnight and hoped that my landlubber fish would be okay later in the morning when I would be more ready to take on flapping fish and Oscar tantrums.

I'm happy to report that Ned healed nicely - the vet gave him some antibiotics and his scales grew back. His dislike for Ted never went away, so I advertised them in the paper to go to a new home. They are in their new digs now, a 400 gallon tank, I think you can say they will be happy ever after - it'll take them a day or two just to find each other in that place!!

ROLLER POOPIES - A CAT'S GAME

Cat Roller Poopies - Rules of Play

1. One or more cats and/or kittens may compete.

2. Poopies used must be good and dry, and preferably rounded and small, in order to roll properly and fit into the various goals.

3. A non-carpeted floor should be used as the playing court.

4. Game is to be played at night, just as owners are about to fall asleep.

5. Object of the game: 250 points to be scored within an 8 hour period of time

Scoring

1. Retrieval of poopies from the litter pan: 2. Dribbling Poopies:

A. Two-paw retrieval.............................2 pts A. Non-stop to within 4 feet of litter pan.......3 pts

B. One-paw retrieval.............................5 pts B. Non-stop across the kitchen floor.............5 pts

C. Retrieval of inadequate or mushy poopie.....minus 5 pts C. Non-stop from pan, through kitchen and into living

room............................................7 pts D, Same as C, done in the presence of the owner's dinner guests...................................10 pts

3. Goals in Roller Poopies: 4. Passing of Poopies (In the air at least 2 seconds)

A. Under stove or refrigerator...................5 pts A. One kitty toss in the air...................3 pts B. Under furniture with 1" clearance............10 pts B. Completed forward pass....................5 pts

C. Dead center of food plate....................15 pts C. If Poopie shatters on impact..............10 pts

D. Water dish....................................25 pts

BONUS POINTS

Water Dish Goals

1) for every hour before discovery...5 pts

2) It nearly dissolves before discovery...10 Pts

3) If owner gags when dumping...15 pts

For placing in 3AM path to bathroom, so owner steps in it with bare feet.....10 pts

If stepped on with fleshy part of arch.....15 pts

NIGHT-TIME BONUS:

1) after lights out.....5 pts

2) after 2 PM....10 ptS

3) If owner confiscates it,

having another poopie in play with 10 minutes....15 pts

PET OF THE MONTH:

My name is Samson (Sammy to all of my friends!). I am a Maine Coon Cat and weigh 20 pounds. My momma named me right! I have a brother Leo (we are half brothers) who needs to know that I am boss. I am two months older than he is and also 5 pounds heavier. My momma calls me the "Alpha Male" in the house. so I have to live up to that nickname! She also says that I am quite the slug, lovable, gregarious and a character.

I am very friendly and am quite the lover. Just scratch under my chin and between my ears and you will get me to purr (quite loudly, in fact)! I am quite the sleeper; 3/4 of my day is spent catching my Zzzzzz's. I am a lover, not a fighter and know no stranger. I especially love it when my parents have party! Everyone is sooooo nice; they pet me and cuddle me! Leo doesn't know what he is missing by hiding out! When that doorbell rings, he runs and hides in his closet.

I especially love it when my mommy and daddy goes away on trips so my surrogate mother Kathy can come in to take care of me. She never sees Leo, he is such a scaredy cat! He hides in the closet whenever anybody comes over. I am glad 'cause then I get all of the attention....she likes to brush and pet me and I don't mind this at all! She gives me treats and after she leaves, I go and steal Leo's treats that she leaves out for him. HA! I just love the treats!

I hope that Persnickety Pets thinks I am the Pet of the Month....I need another toy to put in my basket. Hmmm, maybe it will have catnip in it, which is definately my favorite!

I will try to keep my toes crossed; I have to uncross them when my momma trims my nails every month!

Samson O'Neil

Maine coon Cats:

One of the oldest natural breeds in North America, the Maine Coon is generally regarded as a native of the state of Maine (in fact, the Maine Coon is the official Maine State Cat).

Most breeders today believe that the breed originated in matings between pre-existing shorthaired domestic cats and overseas longhairs (perhaps Angora types introduced by New England seamen, or longhairs brought to America by the Vikings)

Its glossy coat, heavy and water-resistant, is like that of no other breed, and must be felt to be appreciated. It is longer on the ruff, stomach and britches to protect against wet and snow, and shorter on the back and neck to guard against tangling in the underbrush.

These are indeed tall, muscular, big-boned cats; males commonly reach 13 to 18 pounds, with females normally weighing about 9 to 12 pounds. Add to that two or three inches of winter coat, and people will swear that they're looking at one big cat.

Coming in a variety of colors, Maine coons are people oriented, wanting nothing more than to hang out with "their people".

DOG HUMOR:

One fall day Bill is out raking leaves when he notices a hearse drive slowly by. Following the first hearse was a second hearse, which was followed by a man walking solemnly by, followed by a dog, and then about 200 men walking in single file.

Intriqued, Bill went up to the man following the second hearse and asked him who was in the first hearse. "My wife", the man replied. "I'm sorry", said Bill. "What happened to her?" "My dog bit her and she died." Bill then asked the man who was in the second hearse. The man replied, "My mother-in-law, the dog bit her and she died as well."

Bill thought about this for awhile and finally asked the man, "Can I borrow your dog?"

To which the man replied, "Get in line."