Pet Markdowns

1) Cats can run at a speed of about 30 miles per hour
The fastest olympic runners top out at about 27 miles per hour.

2) Cats can’t taste foods that are sweet
If you gave your cat a big slice of cake, it wouldn’t taste any sweeter to her than would her regular food.

3) Egyptians at one time worshiped the cat
In ancient Egypt, the people would often even mummified cats when they died.

4) Issac Newton was the inventor of the cat flap
After watching his cat wanting to come in and then leave then come back in his house, he decided to create a device that the cat can use to do just this without leaving his home wide open to intruders; thus was invented the cat flap.

5) Cats can see pretty well in the dark
If you had a dimmer in your room and turned the lights down enough just to where you could hardly see anything, your cat would still be able to see even if you turned it down 6 times darker.

6) Cats can hear ultrasonic sounds
Unlike humans and dogs, cats can hear the language of mice that communicate with each other ultrasonically.

7) Whiskers are a guide for your cat so that he knows whether or not he can squeeze through tight spaces
If his whiskers bend too much in a tight space he will promptly go no further knowing that he may get trapped.

8 ) Cats require Taurine or they will go blind
The amino acid Taurine is essential for cats. It’s always in their food.

9) Your cat purrs constantly
Even when you don’t hear it, she is still purring just quieter.

10) Abe Lincoln loved cats
And during his presidency, he kept 4 cats with him in the White House.

A recent survey conducted by Lab 42 sheds some light on how much money folks spend on their pets throughout the year.

The results show that most people (35%) spend $500 – $1000 on their pets each year. 27% spend between $1000 and $2500, while the top spenders, which comprise only 1% of the population spend over $10,000 per year on their pets. Wow!

So where does the money go?

56% of the money goes to food and treats
No surprise here. Food isn’t cheap and it seems to be constantly going up in price. At least if you’re not buying the corn filled, carcinogenic preservative injected kind; you know, the stuff with the BHAs and BHTs inside. A 35lb bad of Nutro Natural Choice (and this is lower end quality food here) at Petco will cost you about $50. Now if you have a couple good size dogs, that bag won’t last very long so you can see how food is number 1 on the list.

21% goes to the vet and other health related items
The average vet bill costs somewhere between $80 – $120. Dog owners should get their pets tested annually for heartworms as well as a regular exam for anything else. The cost of vaccinations are part of this cost as well. Obviously $80 – $120 is for a perfectly healthy pet. Factor in illness and over the counter supplements and medications and you can see how the average yearly vet/health costs go right up.

5% goes to clothing
Clothing for pets has become a rising trend for pet owners. I actually have a neighbor that dresses her poodle in new threads everyday; no kidding. One day you’ll see Roxy, her poodle, in a hooded sweatshirt and the next day she’ll be rocking a plaid tee shirt. Pets in the United States and in many other parts of the world have become a part of the family, so it makes sense to see pet clothing as a part of this list.

4% goes to accessories
Pet accessories make up a lot of things like what pets wear like collars, leashes, and jewelry and products like carriers and beds. It’s hard to leave the pet store with just food because there’s always something eye catching that you just got to bring home. I can see how accessories is 4th on the list.

14% other

How to save on pet costs
You might think that reducing your food costs by moving down to low grade grocery store food will help but think again. Most foods found in groceries contain high amounts of corn and wheat fillers as their first ingredients as well as harmful preservatives like BHAs and BHTs, which have been found to cause cancer. Like on human food containers, the label should be read from top to bottom. The ingredients are sorted by what the food contains most to what the food contains least of. So if corn or wheat is at the top of the list, then that is what the food contains most. Look for food that shows chicken, beef, or lamb as the first ingredient without the word “meal” next to it. The reason why good quality food is so important is because it contributes to good health and lower vet bills. If we were to see in our survey results that most people spent very little on food, we would also see that vet/health costs as number 1 on our list, so it seems that most people are on the right track by spending most of their pet fund on good, quality foods.

Clothing and accessories are left up to you. If you want to save money here buy less of the stuff your pet doesn’t need. For the things that your pets do need, then like food, cheaper is not always better. Spending a few extra dollars on a product that you know will last longer makes more sense. A good example of this is Kong dog toys. If you have a dog with a very strong bite like my dog does, then Kong toys are the way to go. They do cost a bit more than the others but Kong toys are known to last years with the strongest biters compared to their fragile toy counterparts.

Following the great success of the popular cat cave beds that have been around for a few years now, often found in your local pet store’s pet furniture section, dog cave beds are now being sold. These are great for small to medium-small size dogs that are the type that like to sleep under beds or other furniture or under blankets. The top cover provides your dog a sense of security, which is why they are under the furniture in the first place. Like their cat cave counterparts, they are often made of foam inside and cotton or polyester outside. The dog cave beds are generally larger for obvious reasons ranging from about 24 inches to 36 inches in diameter. Many of the ones I’ve seen have detachable tops so that washing is easier. The tops are generally supported by a wire frame so that it stays in a fixed position hovering above your dog; this is different than the cat type, which is often not supported.

I’ve seen these in most Petcos and Petsmarts and 1 of the 5 mom and pop pet shops that I’ve visited.

When asked most people tend to answer bed bugs. But, in reality fleas should be the more dreaded of the two. Why you ask, well because unlike bed bugs, fleas are known to transmit diseases to humans from animals such as dogs and cats. Notable types are cat scratch fever, typhus, bubonic plague, and tapeworms.

Spring and Summer are typically when fleas are most active both because of the rise in temperature and also because people tend to take their pets out with them more often like on hiking trips. Often hiding in grass outdoors, the fleas jump up to 4 feet high onto your pets as they walk past.

In your home, the fleas have their favorite spots to infest besides on your pet. Rugs and carpets are where fleas can most often be found. Another often overlooked location of the home is on the curtains, where fleas and mites I might add, enjoy the warmth from the sun and the dust particles that build over time on the curtain’s surface. Another popular location for fleas can be found in vehicles. Pets travel in cars too and fleas will embed themselves within the carpet of your car when they get the chance. Needless to say, all of these places need to be cleaned thoroughly and often when you have pets.

A few products that help keep fleas at bay are pennyroyal, Dawn lemon scented soap, Borax soap, cedar wood chips, Avon Skin So Soft bath oil, lemongrass, lavender, citronella, and finally eucalyptus leaves. Other products that are made specifically for ridding fleas are flea traps, flea combs, collars, flea sprays for your pets and separate sprays for their bedding, in addition and arguably most importantly flea medications such as Advantage and Frontline.

According to 1 vet hospital in Maryland during 2008, they reported to have treated 137 dog snake bites and 67 cat snake bites. Snake bites can often be fatal to your pet, so knowing the signs of a snake bite is important.

10 symptoms of snake bite in your pet include:

• Sudden weakness and collapse
• Shaking of the muscles and trouble blinking
• Vomiting
• Loss of bladder control
• Dilated pupils
• Blood in urine
• Salivation, drooling, frothing
• Loss of bowel control
• Respiratory distress
• Paralysis

Dogs usually are bitten by running through tall grass and by hunting and chasing snakes.

Reduce the risk:

• Keep your dog leashed when walking near bushes, wetlands, and dunes
• Keep your property safe from objects and rubbish piles that snakes could hide
• Keep the grass cut
• Build a snake proof fence

If your pet is bitten you should keep calm and quiet so not to increase fear in your dog which could speed the movement of venom throughout your pet’s bloodstream. You should keep your pet still. There’s a 90% survival rate if you immediately take your pet to the vet. IF the snake is dead, you should take it with you.

What not to do
Do not wash the wound.
Do not approach the snake if it’s alive.
Do not kill the snake but do get a good look at it if possible.
Do not panic.

If you don’t know what type of snake bit your pet, the vet will identify it with a blood test.

Case study: How George, a dog, survived a snake bite