Odd-eyed Pets

This is a Husky, one of the most common dogs with odd-eyes.

Heterochromia Iridum, commonly called odd-eyed, causes eyes to be different colors, is very rare in humans but more common in animals.

In dogs, certain breeds are more often to be odd-eyed then others. The three most commonly odd eyed dogs are Huskies, Australian Shepherd, and Catahoula Leopard Dogs. It is also seen in various other dogs, herding dogs, Great Danes, Chihuahuas, and some others.

With cats, Heterochromia Iridum is found virtually exclusively in the white ones. There is, in odd-eyed cats, a connection between deafness, and the odd-eyes. 30%- 40% of odd-eyed cats are deaf.

A Turkish Angora breed cat displaying Heterochromia Iridum.

   Odd-eyed dogs and cats make just as good pets as nomal eyed pets, although they are deaf sometimes.

What Your Vet Won't Tell You- Shots At Home!

Dogs and Cats don't enjoy trips to the vet. It is often stressful for them. Also, shots at a vet's are expensive. giving your dog or cat vaccines at home is less stressful for you and your pet, saves you plenty of money, and is a lot less hassle than taking your pet to a vet.

It will cost an average of $150 for shots for a puppy. Getting the shots online (Drs. Foster and Smith is one good vaccine seller), would cost closer to $15 (not counting the Rabies shot, you have to go to a vet for that).

For a kitten, Vet Shots will cost about $100. At home shots-  about $10 (again, not counting rabies).

The Drs. Foster and Smith website has videos and instructions on how to vaccinate cats and dogs. It is quite easy, but you do have to be careful.

How to deal with dog and cat fur

Ask anyone who has an indoor dog or cat what the worst part of keeping their pet indoors is, and they will most likely say "the shedding."

So, if you have an indoor dog or cat, how do you deal with all that fur? By the way, in case you haven't guessed, if you have a non-shedding breed, this post won't be very useful for you.

You want to be able for someone to walk into your house, sit down, and not know that you have a dog or cat before they see the pet itself! This is possible, with some work.

Here are some things that you can do:

                                       On the pet:

Buy a FURminator grooming tool. These de-shedding tools, really do remove hair. There is a video on the site, and a 4.6 out of 5 star rating on Amazon.com to show it. FURminator claims that the tools will not only remove the dead fur before it gets all over, but it reduces shedding to up to 90%. One Amazon.com review said that it got a grocery bag full or fur off of their two Goldens. Wow! A grocery bag full less fur around the house. There is one draw back: namely, the price! The newest model of de-shedding tool for medium sized, long haired dogs costs- $54! A tool for a small, long haired cat isn't much less- $44. Amazon has the tools for as little as $15, so if you want to save, don't buy off the website!

Vaccuming your pet: You may have read about doing this in the book "Ramona's World." I does work, on both cats and dogs, though it might take some training to get them to accept it. It will not hurt the pet, but they might find it a bit uncomfortable before they get used to it.  Use the upholstery attachment.

                                    

                                                               On Furniture

Train your pet to stay off the furniture: It's no harder than teaching your pet to stop doing anything else. 

If you don't mind having a pet on the furniture, try the wet rubber glove method: It's just what it sounds like: get a bucket of water and a rubber glove. Put the glove on, dip it in the bucket, and rub your gloved hand on a furry couch or chair. Dip the glove again to rinse it, and repeat.

Or, use a cover: Put a slip-cover or sheet over the couch. Then, just wash it when it gets too furry. Wash it with out any thing else in the washing machine! You can take it off when company is coming. Just keep your pet away when the cover is off.

                                                    On Carpet

Squirt the carpet before you vacuum: Mix a couple squirts of fabric softener with lukewarm water in a spray bottle. Then, shake and squirt. Don't get the carpet too wet, and let it dry before you vacuum. This will make it easier to vaccum up the fur.

Baking soda: Sprinkle this around before you vacuum. This makes it easier to vacuum all the fur, and will also make the room smell better.

                                            On Hardwood Floor and Tile

Sponge it: Try using a barely damped kitchen sponge on the floor. This will clump up the hair, and make it easier to clean up. Sweeping will only make it worse, as the fur will go all over- not something you want to happen in your kitchen!

Swivel Sweeper: This is kind of a cross between a broom and a vacuum, and will work moderately well on pet hair. 

I hope those tips were helpful.

Cat Claw Covers

So, you have a cat that is destroying your furniture. This is annoying and expensive, and many people think that they should go de-claw their destructive cat.

I am not an "animal activist" but I don't think that cats should be de-clawed. It hurts them pretty bad. Also, de-clawed cats often bite - cats with claws rarely do so. And a cat bite is a lot worse than a scratch. This could end up being a painful experience for both the cat and people. De-clawing also costs hundreds of dollars.

But it the cat is destroying furniture, what else can you do? The solution is an interest product called "Soft Paws". Soft Paws are glued onto the cats claws with fast drying glue.

All you have to do is trim the nails (the hardest part- you should have two people- one to hold the cat and one to so the cutting), glue the covers on, and keep your cat occupied for a few minutes to let the adhesive dry. The Soft Paws website has pictures of how to do this.

The covers come in many colors: white, orange, pink, grey, black, yellow, red, green. There are brightly colored ones and pastels. There are even muti-colored ones and ones with glitter. You can have all the covers the same color or have a variety. If you prefer a more natural look, you can get clear covers.

The name brand Soft Paws cost about $25 (including shipping and handling). And, since you will probably only be doing the front paws, the kit will last 4-6 months. This can be pricy, since you will be spending $50- $100 per year per cat.

On Ebay, though, you can get a kit that will last 2-3 months for only a dollar or two. The shipping is usually free! So, you'd be spending more like $6-$12 - much, much cheaper.

So, your furniture isn't scratched and your cat isn't hurt one bit. You can also get neat colors of covers.

You can also use these for dogs that scratch the floor or door and for rabbits that kick, but this isn't very common.

Another Heartbreaking Trip to a Humane Society

The first thing you notice when you drive up to the Central Missouri Humane Society (the closest humane society to us now that we've moved), are dogs. These are the lucky dogs- the get both a tiny indoor room and a tiny outdoor run. Very small dogs and younger puppies only have an indoor place room- the rooms are the same size for dogs of any size. This is evened out by dogs like the Great Dane having a room to themselves and keeping litters of small puppies together.

Several Chihuahuas undergoing "temperament testing" lived in tiny cages, as do the rabbits. Even tinier cages held a rat and a guinea pig. There was also a ferret. There was a sign on his cage saying "vet staff" either it belonged to the vet staff as a pet, or was being treated.

The worst part was the cats! A tiny cage about the size of a medium sized bird cage held a mother cat and three kittens.

Ever sadder was the behavior of the animals! A rabbit was chewing on the newspaper lining in its cage out of sheer boredom.

An adorable black and white cat (a tuxedo cat, explained a volunteer, "all dressed up- now he just needs a place to go.") was sticking its paws through the cage bars, just wanting to be petted. How I wished that I could give it that place!

A litter of lab mix puppies were whining like crazy in front of the cage door. A couple dogs were barking and trying to knock out their "room" doors. Four Rottweiler mix pups, large, tough looking dogs, were making a pathetic squeaking noise.

I wish that I could foster some of these animals. This is a "low killing" shelter. They will euthanize animals if the shelter is getting crowded, unless someone fosters them. for a time they were killing all bulldogs, pitbulls, and bull terriers as soon as they got them. It was only until recently that they became adoptable.

I wish that I would be able to help some of these poor animals.

Help! My pet has matted fur!

Mats are the scourge of long-haired dogs, cats, rabbits, and guinea pigs. They make the animal look bad, can be uncomfortable to the animal, and can make the area under the mat become dirty and infected.

If you groom your long-haired pet every day, you will probably not have a problem with mats. But if you rescued a stray dog or cat, got your rabbit or guinea pig from a pet store where it was not given proper grooming, or have not been properly and thoroughly grooming your pet, mats are a common problem.

With all matted pets there are two important things to remember! The first is, never give an the pet a bath before all the mats are gone and the pet is thoroughly groomed. The mats will become far harder to get out! Also, do not use scissors if the mat is close to the skin. It is very easy to cut your pet this way!

With dogs and cats that only have one or two smaller mats, you can use a mat rake (a sharp tool for breaking up mats like this one, though advertised for dogs, it can be used for cats). These tools are sharp, so be careful!

If the dog or cat is very badly matted, you will have to shave off the entire coat. The animal will look strange and it can take quite a while to grow back, but in this case it is the only thing to do. If you do not own a pet clipper, you will have to take your pet to a groomer and have a professional groomer do it. It will be expencive but your have to do it.

With a rabbit or guinea pig, brushing the mat out is too painful (I tried this on a friend's matted pig once and it was squealing horribly so I stopped.) If the mat is small you can very slowly and carefully cut it out, but usually, you should shave it. If the groomer doesn't do small animals, see if a vet will do it.

When the mats are taken care of, but the animal was not shaved,groom it well and then give it a bath (a dry bath for rabbits and cats!)

If the pet was totally shaved, wipe it's skin with a wet cloth and check for infection (this is common with badly matted fur).

 

Most popular cat names

Yesterday I posted about the most popular cat names of 2011. Today I have the top ten cat names.

1. Kitty
2. Tiger
3. Bella
4. Kitten
5. Smokey
6. Max
7. Tigger 
8. Shadow
9. Cloe
10. Lucy

Notice that "Bella", "Max", and "Lucy" were also on the top 10 names for dogs. I prefer unusual pet names.

All the names of my cousin's cats begin with "V". She currently owns "Venus", "Velocity", and "Vanilla" and a few years ago she rescued a kitten named "Variable".

    

The Longest Lived Pets

I thought it might be interesting to find out what the longest life spans for different pet animals are. Here are the results of my searching! Some of these ages may not be official, or the owner might might not have told the truth about their pet's age.

Dog: 29
Cat:  31
Budgie: 29
Cockatoo: 120
Box turtle: 123
Koi fish: 220
Red Eared Slider turtle: 85
Guinea pig: nearly 15
Rabbit: 16
 

Dollar Store Cat Supplies

In a resent post, I wrote about how you can save money by buying dog supplies at a dollar store, and I compared the prices of Petsmart and Dollar Tree.

 Here are the prices of cat supplies at  Petsmart.

Cat brush: $7
Cat collar: $4
Cat scratcher: $10
Small toys (6): $4
Bowls: $10
Litter scoop: $7

Total: $47

Cat brush: $1
Cat collar: $1
Cat scratcher: $1
Small toys (6): $1
Bowls: $2
Litter scoop: $1

Total: $7

The savings are $40 

Main Coon Cat

My favorite kind of pure bred cat is the Main Coon. They are very beautiful cats, especially the orange ones.

Main Coons tend to be very sweet cats, but they can be skittish. 

The hardest part about Main Coons is their long fur. They shed a lot and they need lots of grooming. I once saw a Main Coon cat at a dog grooming place, but most cat owners don't go that far.

This is the most common Main Coon coloring.

This is an orange Main Coon kitten.

A good thing about Main Coons is that they are readily available. Although purebred cats are often shockingly expensive, you can find them in shelters. During the short time that I worked at a cat rescue, there were at different times three Main Coon cats and one Main Coon kitten.

Foster a Pet

Pet keeping can be expensive. Would you like to take a pet into your home - free? I have some questions and answers about fostering pets.

Where can I get pets to foster?  Animal shelters or Humane Societies will probably have pets to foster.

What pets can I foster? The animals that are usually fostered are dogs, cats, rodents, rabbits, ferrets, or birds.

You may be able to foster puppies to young to be adopted, like these puppies, along with the litter's mother.

What are some problems with fostering? Eventually you will have to give the pet to someone else. This can be sad, especially if you have had the animal for several months.You will probably also have to pay for some pet keeping costs.

What will the shelter pay for? The shelter will probably cover the following: food, vet bills, and litter (if needed.) If you go on vacation, you can often just return the animal to the shelter, saving you the cost of a pet sitter.

What will I pay for? You will probably have to pay for a cage or kennel, bed (for a dog or cat), and toys.

How can I foster a pet? Anywhere from days to months.Some animals never get adopted. Sometimes the shelter will take the animal back after a while, but you might be able to foster it again later. If someone decides to adopt the pet you are fostering, you will have to, of course, give it to them. then you can foster another pet!

Fostering a pet is a great idea. A house is a much better place for a pet then a shelter. (If you haven't already done so, check out my post A Trip to the Humane Society) I personally would like to foster small birds and small mammals.

Hairless Cats

Sphynx Cat

.

 The Sphynx  and the Peterbald are the two most common hairless cat breeds. They can often be kept by people with allergies to cats. Other then their inability to tolerate very hot or cold temperatures, these cats are usually healthy. Despite their looks, they are friendly cats and love to be with people.
  The Sphynx breed was created by breeding two mutant, hairless females to Devon Rexs. The Peterbald breed was created by an experiment in which a hairless cat was bred to an Oriental Shorthair.
   Hairless cats must be kept indoors. Owners must be very careful about the temperature in their house.  These cats often wear coats in the winter. Even though they obviously do not need to be brushed, hairless cats need frequent baths, as skin problems occur in these breeds.

Does Anyone Want Rudy?

   I volunteer once a week at All Paws Rescue. (http://www.allpawsrescue.info/) I take care of rescued cats at a pet store. Rudy has been with the  rescue for a long time. Probably no one wants Rudy because of how he looks. People also want kittens, not cats. Rudy is only four years old, which is still quite young for a cat.

  But Rudy is much more friendly than he looks. He will come right up to us and rub his head on us. He doesn't like to be picked up or held and petted. He hates being returned to his cage. He loves catnip, cat trees, and being out of his cage. He would love to have a house to run around!

You can see Rudy's Petfinder page here: http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/19270864. 


 

About the Zookeeper

My name is...The Zookeeper.

I am 11 years old. I’ve loved animals all my life and I got my first pets when I was nine.

I do not have a dog or cat – yet - but I currently own three adorable animals: a budgie named Kiki and two baby turtles named Yertle and Myrtle. I also volunteer with cats at a rescue. I have kept numerous reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates. I love to write and take pictures so I decided to write a blog all about animals!



I know a lot about animals from personal experience with my pets and with those belonging to others. I also read books and do research online.

On this blog you will find:

Videos about animals
Pictures of various animals
Informative articles
Tips for pet keepers
Money saving ideas
And more!

If you have pets (or love them) this is the perfect place to find out more about animals of all kinds!