Back to School Time!

Our furry friend in New Jersey! Thanks Pat!

Now that it's September and all school age kids go back to school, don't forget about your pets!  Sometimes, kids are given the duties of taking care of their best furry friends during the summer and when they aren't around anymore during the day, the chores must be taken over by someone else.  A caregiver that can be a neighbor, a relative or of course, the pet parents.

Try to keep your pets on as close a schedule as possible.  They like that and they're bodies become acclimated to the schedule and become hungry at a certain time everyday.  Usually, they'll be sure to remind of this time in one way or another.  By barking at you or their food bowl or with some cats, biting or licking their pet parent's hair! lol  Remember, they only have limited ways of communicating to you.

Gates help keep pets safe

Remember to keep toys available to them so that they do not use rugs and furniture or whatever else they can sink their teeth into when they get bored.  You can get all types of dog and cat toys at your local pet store or even the grocery store.  Make sure you also get some interactive toys for them so they can play by themselves.  Also, you can keep them in crates and pens or separate them from the rest of the house with gates if you need to do that.

Our little furry friends are part of the family and they need you to help them and take care of them.  In return, they'll love you forever unconditionally!

Tiffany Star!

Tiffany Star loves her new Bergan Turbo Track!

 This is a story about a sweet, beautiful, loving Ragdoll cat.  One day this little cat, named Tiffany Star, received a present in the mail which her mother (owner) ordered for her.  Tiff was so excited.  However, she had to wait until her mother put it together.  It was a Bergan Turbo Track from FurryPetStore.com!  It came with a little ball that Tiff pushed around the track with her little paw.  She rolled over and jumped, and just had a ball.  Not only did she love this Turbo Track, but, she got daily exercise from playing with it.  Since her devoted owner worked, the Turbo Track gave Tiffy something to do while her mother (owner) was gone. 

Tiffany is 8 years old, so it’s so good to keep her physically and mentally healthy.  You can change the way Turbo Track is laid out, just to make it interesting.

Tiffany love to help the ball along a little quicker!

 The moral to this story is that every little kitty should have a Turbo Track.  It’s safe, you can’t eat it (unless the dog sees it), and it doesn’t take up a lot of room.  It’s just a fun, healthy toy for your little, furry friend.  Thanks, FurryPetStore.com!!!  Tiffany thanks you, too!!

Thanks sooooo much to Joy for writing a guest blog for FurryPetStore.com!  We're so happy that Tiffany Star loves her Bergan Turbo Track!  

Pet Pens

Midwest Small Animal Exercise Pen

Pet pens come in all sizes and varieties of colors and depending on the size, they can can very cheap or very expensive.

Pens can be used to keep your dog in an enclosed area while you are at work so that he can move around and exercise and stretch.  This is very important for your dog.  Being in a small crate all day can make him very excitable and rambunctious when you let him out finally. 

Another reason for owning a pet pen is to keep puppies contained in one area of your house so that they do not get into trouble and chew and/or swallow items that can harm them before they are trained.  If they are still nursing, buy a pen so that the mother can still jump inside the pen, but the pups cannot get out of it.

Midwest Small Pet Playpen

Crates can be very small and your dog can become very frustrated and irritable or depressed inside of one for hours on end while you are at work or simply not home.  They can start to bite on the crate and tear it apart and swallow harmful pieces.  They can urinate in it and lay in it for hours which of course is not healthy. 

Pet pens are a very good way to keep you and your home organized and clean while at the same time making your dog or puppy happy!

How to Play?

Bergan Starchaser TurboScratcher

Interesting enough, there actually is a way to play with kittens and cats.  You don't want them to become aggressive and attack you or your guests.

Never use your hands to play with them.  You are teaching them that it's ok to bite and scratch a human hand.  Use toys to play with them.  You can roll a ball away from them so they can chase after it or use a toy with a poll with a feather attached to it at the end.  This way you are using the cat's natural instincts to hunt.

If your cat or kitten starts to bite or scratch your hand, walk away.   You can say "No" and walk away.  You do not have to shout and definitely do not hit or slap at your cat.  This will make matters much, much worse and could turn into a nightmare of a problem.  Always positive reinforcement!  Just walk away for a few minutes every time your cat bites or scratches you and he will learn that if he bites or scratches his human friend, he will lose his playing buddy and all the attention.  He will soon learn not to do that action.

Cat Dancer Cat Charmer

There are many types of toys out there, either in your local stores or online.  Just make sure that when you take your new cat toy out of the package that there are no parts or pieces of the toy that your cat will swallow and choke on.  Cut off all parts that you think could harm your cat such as loose eyes, tags and prices and sometimes even tails!  Some cats just love to chew off and swallow tails of little toy mice.  Just pay attention to your new toy and what it looked like when you gave it to your cat and you will soon learn what he likes to chew off of it.   Interactive toys are also a great alternative so that your cat can play by himself and keep himself amused when your not at home or asleep.

Petmate Cat Wheel

Good luck and have fun playing with your cats!  It's so rewarding and a healthy way for your cat to exercise too!