Coddled Critters

08/28/2024

Zyla has claimed them.

08/19/2024

I have not been sharing pictures of my beautiful babies that are already 6 weeks old! This little boy was 2 pounds 5 ounces at 6 weeks. He should stay pretty small. He's so cute and fluffy!

12/02/2023

TWO redfoot hatchlings that are Rafi x Azri babies. I have had redfoots 20 years and these are the 1st babies. 😀

06/02/2023

The Dog Genome Project is still recruiting participants from both breeds. Dogs that do and those that do not show repetitive behaviors are welcome!

Herding breeds have undergone intense selection to hone their abilities to manage and move livestock. Occasionally these behaviors occur repetitively or intensely even outside of a herding context. Examples of such behaviors include circling or spinning, light/shadow chasing, heel nipping, or reaction to movement.

The NHGRI Dog Genome Project at NIH (Bethesda, MD, USA), under the direction of Dr. Elaine Ostrander, is recruiting the participation of owners of herding breed dogs to collect behavioral data. Initial participation involves the completion of a behavior survey. Select owners may be contacted for follow-up or to request a DNA sample from their dog for inclusion in the next stage of the study.

Please contact Dr. Dayna Dreger by email at [email protected] with questions or to request access to the survey.

05/19/2023

03/24/2023

How to Give a Cat a Pill
1. Pick up cat and cradle it in the crook of your left arm as if holding a baby.
Position right forefinger and thumb on either side of cat's mouth and gently apply pressure to cheeks while holding
pill in right hand. As cat opens mouth, pop pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow.
2. Retrieve pill from floor and cat from behind sofa. Cradle cat in left arm and repeat process.
3. Retrieve cat from bedroom, and throw soggy pill away.
4. Take new pill from foil wrap, cradle cat in left arm, holding rear paws tightly with left hand.
Force jaws open and push pill to back of mouth with right forefinger. Hold mouth shut for a count of ten.
5. Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of wardrobe. Call spouse in from the garden.
6. Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly between knees, hold front and rear paws. Ignore low growls emitted by
cat. Get spouse to hold head firmly with one hand while forcing wooden ruler into mouth. Drop pill down ruler and
rub cat's throat vigorously.
7. Retrieve cat from curtain rail. Get another pill from foil wrap. Make note to buy new ruler and repair curtains.
Carefully sweep shattered figurines and vases from hearth and set to one side for gluing later.
8. Wrap cat in large towel and get spouse to lie on cat with head just visible from below armpit.
Put pill in end of drinking straw, force mouth open with pencil and blow down drinking straw
9. Check label to make sure pill not harmful to humans and drink one beer to take taste away. Apply band-aid to
spouse's forearm and remove blood from carpet with cold water and soap.
10. Retrieve cat from neighbour's shed. Get another pill. Open another beer. Place cat in cupboard, and close door
onto neck, to leave head showing. Force mouth open with dessert spoon. Flick pill down throat with elastic band.
11. Fetch screwdriver from garage and put cupboard door back on hinges. Drink beer. Fetch bottle of scotch. Pour
shot, drink. Apply cold compress to cheek and check records for date of last tetanus shot. Apply whiskey compress
to cheek to disinfect. Toss back another shot. Throw tee-shirt away and fetch new one from bedroom.
12. Call fire department to retrieve the damn cat from the top of the tree across the road. Apologize to neighbour
who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid cat. Take last pill from foil wrap.
13. Using heavy-duty pruning gloves from shed, tie the little *& #%^'s front paws to rear paws with garden twine
and bind tightly to leg of dining table. Push pill into mouth followed by large piece of filet steak. Be rough about it.
Hold head vertically and pour two pints of water down throat to wash pill down.
14. Consume remainder of scotch. Get spouse to drive you to the emergency room. Sit quietly while doctor stitches
fingers and forearm and removes pill remnants from right eye. Call furniture shop on way home to order new table.
15. Arrange for SPCA to collect mutant cat from hell and call local pet shop to see if they have any hamsters.

03/24/2023

How To Give A Dog A Pill
1. Wrap it in bacon.
2. Toss it in the air.

02/06/2023

I have puppies! Zyla is being a great mom, but I was surprised to discover Kaizen is a devoted dad!

02/06/2023

This super easy petsit took 2 hours because Doodle wasn't allowing me to get up. This is typical of the kind of care I give. (Honestly I "could" get up but I didn't have anywhere else I needed to be...)

02/06/2023

01/29/2023

Kaizen loves going on playdates

01/19/2023

Limited in MY home Cat Boarding is now an option. I have 3 cages prepared. They are taller than me. Each one has a cat tree, shelves, litter box, food bowls and even a water fountain to help encourage your baby to drink. Each also has it's own blanket that can be left up for curious cats and cover the cages of babies that are stressed.

12/28/2022

Emergency shelters made with cardboard box. It can be a lifesaver for outdoor cats. EMERGENCY SHELTER
When time is of the essence - a bad storm or sudden cold snap may be arriving soon - an adequate temporary shelter can be quickly put together. You'll need a cardboard box, a plastic drop cloth at least 3 millimeters thick or contractor trash bags that are three millimeters thick, duct tape and shredded newspaper. Follow these instructions:

(1) Take the cardboard box and tape all the seams shut with duct tape. Cardboard is actually good insulation.
(2) Wrap the box completely with the drop cloth or trash bags, making as few seams as possible. Secure onto the box with duct tape, liberally and tightly wrapping the tape around the sides of the box and sealing any seams in the plastic. This will make the shelter waterproof.
(3) Cut a doorway in one of the shorter sides of the box approximately 6 inches by 6 inches, leaving the bottom of the doorway a few inches above the bottom of the box to prevent flooding. Use duct tape to secure the loose plastic around the opening you just made.
(4) Place shredded newspaper inside the box, filling it up to the bottom of the doorway in front and a little higher towards the back. The cats will gain added warmth by burrowing into the newspaper.

For added insulation, start by placing a slightly smaller cardboard box inside a larger one and fill the gap between them with rolled-up newspaper. Then proceed with steps 1 through 4, above, being sure to cut the doorway through both boxes. If possible, place your cardboard shelter beneath something that will shield it, like a porch or tree. Raise it off the ground a few inches by placing it on a pallet, bricks or something similar. Weigh the shelter down with a heavy rock or a few bricks, but nothing heavy enough to crush the roof. Once the crisis has passed, replace with more permanent shelter.

12/21/2022

12/20/2022

Suitacle recovery suit.

How brilliant!

If your dog has surgery, this suit keeps the area that was operated on covered. They’re like little pajamas the cover the area, so there’s no licking or biting on the wound or area that was operated on.

I’m sure some of you know about these, but it was worth mentioning because they are Lifesavers.

Our sweet model below is wearing a shark suiticle.

Cool huh!