Archives for January 2014

Daisy in a Rare Quiet Moment

It is so cold outside that even I, the one and only Daisy Mae Harwell decided that it would feel good to snuggle up in my blankie.

Daisy Mae Getting Warm in her Blankie
I don’t really have a favorite blankie, but I let Mommy think I do.  BOL.

Vacation Ideas When You Have the Cold Weather Blues

Vacation Ideas When You Have the Cold Weather Blues

 

These single digit temps are for the birds….as in the ones who have flown south or west. We are not accustomed to these frigid temps.   Are you thinking of flying the coop? Ah, vacation here we come.  These are some of our favorite things to do and some of our favorite places to go. We have more vacation ideas when you have the cold weather blues.

We love Key West

We love Key West

 

 

The Southernmost Point in the Continental US makes for a great photo-op.

 

A cruise makes for some romantic dinners.

Romantic dining

Romantic dining

Water is not your thing? How about the hot desert sands of Arizona?  Just be careful around those ‘ole cacti!

No Touchie Cactus

No Touchie Cactus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No matter where you jet off to, be sure to make arrangements for the care of your fur babies. Even if it is frigid here we will take great care of them while you are gone. They will have great tales to share with you.

Beth & Luke playing in the snow

Beth & Luke playing in the snow

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How to “Pill” a Cat

How to “Pill” a Cat

Does your cat need daily medication?  Does little Susie take her pills willingly? cat-sniffing-tablet

 

 

Yeah, that’s what we thought too.  Recently we had a new client who needed medication for an overactive thyroid two times a day.  We surely needed to know how to pill a cat.

Like lambs led to the slaughter, we both bravely tried to administer said meds.  Billy was bitten first.  So up next, your intrepid pet sitter # 2.  The first time I wore thick outdoor gloves and bravely followed the instructions of the kitty parent to pry open her mouth and put pill inside and then massage the side of her neck.  Success!  But all good things must come to an end.  The next morning said kitty hissed at Billy so he left her alone until the evening visit.   I tried to bond with said kitty while she hid out under the end table. So far….so good.  She even allowed me to pet her.  Then her Beagle siblings came out of their crates to greet her.  Still all was well.  Then I made the fateful mistake of trying to brush away a tiny speck of dust…….and she pounced!  Ouch went that sharp canine tooth into the flesh of my hand. Those puncture wounds hurt.  And in my case, caused an infection.  Within two hours you could see the swelling and red streaks.  So, off to the doc for a tetanus shot and an antibiotic shot followed by 7 days of oral antibiotics.

Time to do some research on how to give meds to a cat.  First up a conversation with a long time pet sitter.  She asked how I would feel if a stranger picked me up and tried to shove a pill down my throat.  Now, I GET it!!  Enter her two favorite methods altered slightly by me. Here is our new take on giving pills to cats who own our clients.

Preferred Method #1:  Put the pill in a teaspoon of canned cat food and place in kitty’s bowl.  We will heartily recommend this method to all our clients even if their kitty usually eats dry kibble.  Besides, we learned that kitties need some canned food every day because they don’t naturally drink enough water to keep their little bowels in prime shape.

Preferred Method # 2:  If the medication can safely be crushed and dissolved, we will dissolve it in a small amount of hot water.  Next we will pour some tasty tuna water in the solution and moisten a few pieces of kibble.

Short of those methods we will have to decline clients whose cats need pills.  We don’t want to traumatize any precious fur babies and we don’t ever again want to be bitten by a cat!!

by coddlecreekpetservices on January 5, 2014 at