Lazy Saturday's

I will be honest, one of our favorite things to do with our pets is have a lazy Saturday where we all lay on the couch and spend time together. The dogs and cat love this because they have the opportunity to get a ton of attention and they almost always get some sort of fantastic treat, like a pig ear or a peanut butter bone.

What is your favorite thing to do with your animals?

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How to Give a Cat a Bath

Very often I find my blog post topics in my Facebook feed and this blog post is no exception.

The question posed was "how do I give my cat a bath?" Of course the obvious answer is to send your cat to the groomer and have them do it, but what about the satisfaction you are missing out on when you can say "hey, I did that myself!"

Well I am here to help you out.

If giving your cat a bath isn't an urgent need, it is smart to get your cat used to the bathroom, specifically the bath tub before you try and give them a bath. Over the course of a few days try out these helpful steps:

• A few days before the actual bath, put them in the bathtub and let them wonder around. Make sure you close the door to the bathroom. Also make sure you pet them while they are in the tub.
• On the next day, fill up the tub with a half inch of water and put your cat in and let them wonder around, repeating the same actions from the day before.
  
• The next day after that, fill up the tub with two inches of water and put your cat in, repeating the same actions.
• Finally, fill up the tub and scrub away. Your cat might be a little weary for the first bathing session, but if you make it a regular - once a month thing, they will get used to it in no time.

If you need to give your cat a bath right away try this:

• Adopt a calm attitude, this will help ease your cat's anxiety.
• Gently set your cat in an already filled tub with about two inches of water.
  
• Give your cat free-rein of the tub - as much as you can.
• Scrub away, avoiding the eyes and the ears.
  
• Use a cup to rinse your cat - this makes the bath so much quicker.
  

Keep in mind, cats get irritated with stuff fast, the quicker the bath the better.

Who knows, your cat might come begging to you to give them a bath, you might even find them sneaking in on you in the shower because they love it so much!

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Potty Mishaps

If you're anything like me, you probably hate it when your animal potties in the house when they know they shouldn't.

Although it doesn't happen very often anymore, it can be very irritating when it does happen. Here are a few tips that will help your pet remember when to alleviate themselves.

Dog:

• Even the best behaved and well-trained dogs have accidents. Make sure not to leave them alone in the house for extended periods of time - this is the time when they are most likely to have an accident.
• Make sure you are sticking to their potty schedule. Understand that if you get home from work late, that an accident might happen.
  
• If you find an accident in the house, rather than rubbing their nose in it (that never works you know), gently remind them where to go by taking them outside. If they go outside, make sure to really get excited and commend them for choosing the right spot.
  

Cat:

• Have you recently moved their litter box? If so, you might need to make sure they know where it is and that it is in a safe, quiet and private part of the house.
• Make sure their box is clean. many cats won't "go" if their box is dirty.

Do you have any other helpful suggestions to help your pet stay potty-trained?

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Does Your Dog Need a Playmate?

No, we aren't planning on getting another dog and we definitely aren't getting rid of any of our babies, but I saw this very question posed by a Facebook friend and I thought I would share my opinion on the matter.

While it is true that dogs are pack animals and they love the company of other dogs, in my personal opinion, do not get another dog if the following statements are applicable to your first dog:

• You do not have time for your dog.
• You do not walk your dog.
• You do not play with your dog.
• You yell or hit your dog.
  
• You do not have money to pay for food.
  
• You can't afford to take your dog to the vet.
• You can't afford to pay for medical bills if something minor happens to your dog (This statement is not applicable to large medical bills, I understand that a $2,000 medical bill is a lot for many of us to handle).
  

It is a misnomer that getting a playmate for your dog if you don't have time to play or walk with them will suddenly curb their boredom. What will happen is that you will have two dogs that you don't play with and feel guilty about.

However, I would encourage you to get another dog if and only if you have time for your current dog and if you can say yes to each item on the above list.

Having a dog is not only a pleasure, but it is a responsibility, and an important one at that. Make sure you are spending time with your dog.

There are many things you can do to entertain your dog that really don't even take that much time, things that will also help your relationship.

• If you don't have time for a walk on a particular day, give them a special treat that will occupy their mind.
• Teach them a new trick, you will be surprised what they can learn in 10 minutes.
• Head out into your backyard and sit on the grass; see how much your dog loves you being down at their level.
• Take a nap with your dog.

So, what do you think? Have any of you ever gotten a playmate for your dog and regretted it?

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