2 Paws up Pet Sitting| Dog Walking and Dog Training Service

“You definitely have a lot of cats.” One of my friends growing up made this rather blunt observation as she watched our 11 cats (two mamas and nine kittens) scamper around our basement. “Why do you have cats anyway?” she wanted to know. I wonder if that’s a question all pet owners have been asked at one point or another. “Why do you have your pet anyway?” Well, back in the day as I was growing up, there were many reasons why I had cats. First off, cats were my favorite type of animal. They still are. So, of course I always wanted a cat. Second, we lived at the edge of our subdivision and our yard bordered a vast field. There were plenty of rodents that we wanted to keep away, so we kept cats as mousers. Both were very good reasons for having cats. But perhaps the best reason of all was my cats made me truly happy. For one, cats make great listeners. That came in especially handy in my teenage years when I had a lot of things I needed to work out. Nothing could bring pe...

Dear Friend,   You’ve had some questions about your cat and her litter box. She’s been avoiding it lately, and that has caused some problems around the house with eliminations outside of the litter box. I can understand your frustration. When she was just a kitten, she took to her litter box like a natural. Once she connected her natural need for digging and burying her waste with that box of sand in the corner, things seemed like they would be golden. Only now, they’re not so golden. In fact, they probably stink a little bit. Well, as you know, your cat is pretty finicky. She probably likes to have things just so: that sunny spot on the floor in the afternoons, a scratch on her favorite spot behind her ears, an undisturbed nap on the couch from 9 to 10 in the morning. Like the rest of us, your cat likes routine and normalcy, and she tends to notice and care about seemingly insignificant details and changes.   The root of your problem is that something is both...

So you found a flea on your dog. What do you do now? It’s safe to assume that where you find one flea, there will be many more. The presence of an adult flea, whether on your dog or in your home, indicates that you will have many more fleas in other stages of development, from eggs, to larvae, to pupae. Fast action is your best first response when seeking to divert a full-blown flea infestation. The sooner you remove the adult fleas, the fewer eggs they will be able to produce. However, you must also be prepared to treat and remove the next waves of adult fleas already on their way. Use the following methods repeatedly over a period of weeks to keep the flea populations down. First, remove the fleas from your dog. If you have spot-on flea treatment, apply it immediately to your pet. Certain flea treatments should be given 4 to 5 days before or after a bath since the dog’s skin oils are needed to make the treatment more effective. If you do not have any flea treatments ...

Whether or not you realize it or ever have. Animals have personalities like people and they are often more sensitive to their environments than people are. How many cats or dogs have you ever had that had the same personality? When was the last time that you thought about the fact that almost all of the animals that you have ever had in your life have had a different personality? When a cat or dog has passed away and you have thought about bringing in another animal are you always amazed at the differences from one animal to another? Some animals enjoy sleeping all day and partying all night. Have you ever heard your cats wake up at midnight and run through the house like something was chasing them? You awake the next day to find that everything that you thought you left on your desk is strewn about like your working space was hit by a tornado. Whatever the case might be one thing is for sure. You need to make a notation or take a photo of where you put all of your importa...