Weekly Tip - Cat Trees

I've shared Weekly Tip - Cat Trees

Message from petswest@gmail.com:

Click to open:

• Weekly Tip - Cat Trees

Your Neighborhood Pet Stores

Open 7 Days A Week

Weekly Tip

 

If you have a cat, you know about cat claws.  And cats need to exercise those claws.  You want them to do it somewhere other than your couch.  Cat trees are a great place that both you and your cat will be happy to use.

 

Cat scratch for a variety of reasons.  They communicate, relieve stress, and sharpen their claws by scratching.  They will stretch out their full bodies and re-align their spines while clawing.  They will usually claw up one or two places in the house.  It is our goal to focus on their claws on just one object - the cat tree.

 

“Cats tend to pick a small number of conspicuous objects in their environments to scratch such as trees, fence posts, the corner of the couch, etc., and return to them repeatedly. This is why the tree next door looks so scratched up and why your cat may find it difficult to leave your couch alone. The scratched surface leaves a highly visible mark that can be easily seen by other cats. In addition, cats have scent glands in their paws so that when they make scratching movements they leave odor cues that the cats can smell. The fact that cats leave scent marks by making scratching movements may be the reason that cats will continue to try to scratch objects even after they have been declawed. Declawed cats may still be leaving scent marks on objects they scratch.

We don’t know exactly what cats are communicating with their scratching. Both males and females do it, it is done inside and outside the home and even by cats living with no other cats around. It could be a territorial warning or just a marker that announces "Peaches lives here and is alive and well!" Cats don’t scratch up your furniture to spite you or just to be destructive, but for specific reasons, one of which is communicating. Cats also scratch to stretch, during play, and possibly as a greeting or to relieve frustration when prevented from doing other things they want to do.”  (http://www.animalbehavior.org/ABSAppliedBehavior/article-applied-behavior/why-cats-scratch-things)

 

How can I keep her from clawing my furniture? From Iams.com

Interrupt the behavior with a rattle can. Fill an empty soda can with pennies and tape the top shut. Shake the can or toss it near her. The noise will distract her and teach her that some behaviors result in loud noises. Also, give your cat a "legal" claw target, such as a scratching post to lessen her urge to claw the furniture.

 

You can use the rattle can method or you can also pick up a repellent spray.  Covering the forbidden object in tinfoil or double sided tape are also two other great methods for keeping kitty away from the furniture.  If you find your cat not using the cat tree right away, relax.  Sometimes kitty will be a little scared of the new object.  Try to leave it in one place to see if kitty will adjust.  Try using a catnip spray to arouse interest in the tree or just leave it there.  Just find a way that works for you and stick with it.  Consistency is key here.  If you allow your cat to scratch sometimes, but not all the time - both of you will be frustrated with the results.  

 

 

Visit our website at http://yourneighborhoodpetstore.com

Check out our blog at http://yourneighborhoodpetstore.blogspot.com

Friend us on Facebook by searching Desert Pet (Tucson) or Pets West

(Sierra Vista)

Sign up for our email list at http://groups.google.com/group/Neighborhoodpetstore?hl=en

Google Docs makes it easy to create, store and share online documents, spreadsheets and presentations.

Weekly Tip - Albino Bristlenose Plecos

I've shared Weekly Tip - Albino Bristlenose Plecos

Message from petswest@gmail.com:

Click to open:

• Weekly Tip - Albino Bristlenose Plecos

Your Neighborhood Pet Stores

Open 7 Days A Week

Weekly Tip

 

The albino bristlenose pleco is quickly becoming my algae eater of choice.  These guys do a great job of cleaning up your tank, without outgrowing it.  They are efficient, affordable, and easy to care for.

 

The bristlenose stays small.  Usually under 6 inches. The common algae eater - Liposarcus anisitsi - get big, real big.  The common pleco can easily get over 20 inches.  

 

Don’t let their small stature fool you.  They can really clean up in an aquarium.  You usally won’t need more than 3 or 4 depending on the size of tank.  I’ll usually recommend 1 for every 15 gallons of water.  Just make sure you’re feeding an algae wafer.

 

With a recent price drop, these fish have become much more affordable.  I used to recommend these when they were $20, now they are a steal at under $4!

 

The brislenose are pretty hardy.  Supplement their diet with some algae wafers so they don’t go hungry.  Use a quality water conditioner when you add water from the tap or bottle to help de-chlorinate and add electrolytes.  

 

 

Google Docs makes it easy to create, store and share online documents, spreadsheets and presentations.

Storm Stress?

One major problem many dog owners have is storm stress.  When it starts thundering, the dog starts whining - or worse.  My brother has a dog that starts getting real nervous well before the storm actually hits.  You have to be home with him or he will scratch the door until his nails bleed. 

We have two products that can help with this.  One is a homeopathic remedy call Storm Stress and one is a pheromone product called Comfort Zone.

Storm Stress is a safe effective remedy that promotes calm in pets exhibiting fear from thunderstorms, fireworks, and other loud noises.   You can re-dose every 15 minutes up to 4 doses.  This is a very fast acting product with a short window of effectiveness.  I gave this product to my brother's dog and it worked very well very quickly.  We did take advantage of the 15 re-dose as we could see some anxiety set in after 15 minutes.

The Comfort Zone product works like magic.  It comes in a spray that you would use in a crate for traveling or at home and also a plug in that would fill a room with pheromones.  It covers a wide variety of anxious behaviors that we would like our dogs to stop.  This would cover chewing, scratching, peeing, and barking when left alone.  It helps calm dogs by mimicking a natural pheromone that mothers secrete to reassure puppies that they are in safe surroundings.  By re-creating this pheromone we help dogs feel comfortable and reassured in their environment.  We've had lots of very positive response to this product.  

New Items

We've got a few new cool items in the store this week!

The New Fluval Chi is a great little 5 gallon kit.  It comes complete with a pump, light, filter and tank for $69.  Plus - you get a $10 gift card from us that you can use to fill up your new tank!

We have these new anti-gulp bowls in 3 sizes from Dog-It.  These will help your dog's digestion. 

These new light domes have a highly polished reflector.  This will double the UV output of any bulb.

The new Mind Games from Dogit will help your dog focus attention and energy to help reduce hyperactivity.