pets: Do pets know when we're sick? - 12/18/11 09:59 AM
Do pets know when we're sick?
Yesterday I the office I indulged in some of the Christmas goodies that people had brought. In a way I suppose it's kind of dangerous to eat stuff that people prepared without benefit of knowing how they prepared it. It's not like going to a restaurant that has an A rating and gets inspected regularly by the health authorities.
Something I ate yesterday didn't agree with me and I've been feeling horrible for the last 24 hours. What's interesting is that Zoey the Cool Cat seems to know because it doesn't matter where I go … (9 comments)

pets: A public service announcement from Zoey the Cool Cat - 09/07/11 08:43 AM
A public service announcement fromZoey the Cool Cat
I grew up with cats. Lots of them. Mom would take in any cat that crossed the boundary into our yard, even if the cat wasn't necessarily looking for a new home. A little milk and food, and that cat was hers!
Cats aren't stupid. They know that the best home is where food and drink magically show up with little effort on their part.
I never had a cat of my own until September 21, 2007. Almost a year earlier, on Thanksgiving 2006, a black cat came by our house and we … (10 comments)

pets: June 5 Open House for the National Cat Protection Society - 05/28/11 10:21 AM


June 5 Open House for theNational Cat Protection Society
The National Cat Protection Society will be holding an open house from 1:00 to 4:30 p.m. on June 5 at its Spring Valley shelter at 9031 Birch Street.

 
The National Cat Protection Society was founded in 1968 and is a non-profit, no-kill cat shelter specializing in caring for unwanted cats and kittens to allow them to live out their lives in comfort. Many of the cats and kittens need specialized care, either because of an injury, old age, or a medical condition.
Along with free food, a DJ … (3 comments)

pets: Out & About San Diego with Jim Frimmer, Your Mission Valley Realtor — Pictures from the 2011 Del Mar Cat Show - 01/23/11 02:17 PM
This is one of a series titledOut & About with Jim Frimmer, your Realtor in Mission Valley.Read others in this series by clicking on Out & About.

Pictures from the 2011 Del Mar Cat Show
Yesterday was spent at the cat show which ended its three-day run today. However, if you missed this show, the next cat show by the San Diego Cat Fanciers is August 6-7 at Liberty Station in Point Loma. While you're waiting for August to hurry up and get here, following are some pictures of the cats from this past weekend's cat show.



… (15 comments)

pets: Final two days to get your pets in the ActiveRain pet eBook - 01/01/11 01:58 PM

Final two days to get your pets in the ActiveRain pet eBook
2010 was the Chinese Year of the Tiger, so I spent the year collecting pictures of ActiveRain cats since we absolutely, positively know that they do most of the blogging here, right?
Since I got so many questions from other pets at ActiveRain, we decided to let the dogs in to play, too. As long as they promise not to chase the cats. Your pet snakes, spiders, hamsters, guinea pigs, iguanas, birds, and all are invited, too!
If you haven't posted a picture of your wonderful pet, please … (14 comments)

pets: This is the last month to let your pets come out to play! - 12/05/10 02:07 PM

This is the last month to let your pets come out to play!
Tiger Woods having a four-shot lead going into today's round and losing in a playoff reminded me that 2010 is the Chinese Year of the Tiger, and it started off with a bang with cheetahs and a tiger over in Florida.
Notwithstanding all that went on, have you let your kitties come out to play with all the other ActiveRain kitties? Cat-friendly dogs, snakes, birds, and other pets are also welcome, but they have to promise to step aside when a cat walks by.
You can see … (6 comments)

pets: Out & About San Diego with Jim Frimmer, Your Mission Valley Realtor — Union-Tribune Pet Expo 2011 - 12/05/10 12:52 PM


Union-Tribune Pet Expo 2011
The San Diego Union-Tribune Pet Expo takes up residence at thte Del Mar Fairgrounds in about six weeks, January 29-30.
This is a great event for pet vendors offering everything from pet food to pet collars to pet beds to actual pets. There are many ways to participate, including sponsorships, exhibits, and, of course, vendors, and if you have a cool seminar to put on for us pet lovers, well, you can do that, too!
Contact Lynn Banda at the San Diego Union-Tribune for more information: 619-293-2660 or lynn-banda@uniontrib.com.
    
    
All photos … (7 comments)

pets: Don't let the spooks spook your pets! - 10/31/10 06:48 AM

Don't let the spooks spook your pets!
I know we're all anticipating the little spooks arriving at our houses this evening looking for treats, and threatening tricks, but don't forget our other little spooks, more popularly known as pets.
All the noise — doorbells ringing, unknown voices, laughter, doors slamming, children screaming with excitement over their latest goodies —  can be very traumatic for our pets. Here are some tips to help your pets make it through the evening:
Keep your pets in a room far away from the Halloween action, preferably in a place that they are familiar with. If your pet is … (9 comments)

pets: Everyone has a castle - 08/16/10 02:02 AM
Zoey the Cool Cat always likes to remind me — and me, you — that every house is someone's home, and that home is their castle, regardless of how big or small or unseemly it might be to you and me.




… (15 comments)

pets: Where does Zoey the Cool Cat rank? - 07/11/10 03:02 PM
According to Veterinary Pet Insurance, the most popular name for pets is Max. Whatever happened to Spot, Rover, Fido, and Lassie?
Apparently classic pet names have given way to human names, possibly because human names make our pets seem more like part of the family.
However, Veterinary Pet Insurance also reports some of the more unusual names, such as Snag L. Tooth, Ginger Snap, and Munchie. Then, of course, there are the typical pet names provided by college students: Cold One, Brew, Little Sh*t, Pizza, and Cheeseburger.
Unfortunately, I couldn't find the complete list so I don't know where Zoey the … (9 comments)

pets: She's a natural poser - 06/24/10 12:36 PM
One of the comments in a recent post of mine asked me if I had to pose Zoey the Cool Cat.
Zoey the Cool Cat doesn't need any encouragement whatsoever for posing.
This was the picture that elicited the comment:

 
We've had Zoey the Cool Cat since September 20, 2007, and we've never had to pose her for anything. We just have to have our handy dandy cameras at the ready for whenever she decides to pose.
Lately, Zoey the Cool Cat has been in a posing mode. I really do think she knows when the camera is nearby … (14 comments)

pets: What you see isn't necessarily what you get - 05/30/10 03:29 PM
When we bought our first house, we were looking for something that had an unkempt yard, something without the curb appeal, something where my other half could do some gardening.
I also found out that he firmly believed that if the outside was unkempt, then the inside would be livable since that's obviously where the owners spent all their time.
That doesn’t always work, but I have learned that what you see on the outside isn’t always what you get on the inside.
For example, one of the houses in my neighborhood that I walk by often has this door mat on … (8 comments)

pets: The joys of having a cat - 05/27/10 07:05 AM
I grew up in a family of cats, so I'm always only the lookout for things about cats: books, knick-knacks, statues, sayings....
Just about anything related to cats.
While my husband and I were out celebrating our sixteenth anniversary yesterday, I found two cute sayings about cats and had the person with the handy dandy Canon Rebel XSi take a picture of them.
Since I also play the piano, I like the first one best and now consider Albert Schweitzer my new best friend. 


♫♪♫♫♪♫
If you're looking for a great San Diego Realtor, well,let me Google one for … (30 comments)

pets: My mom's two new cats - 04/18/10 04:17 PM
My family has always had cats. Usually they came around to our house and adopted us, but we didn't have any problem enticing them to stay with good food, water and milk, and friendly meows.
Within the last year my mom and her boyfriend had both of their cats die. One was a black cat and the other was a tuxedo cat.
After going about a month as a catless family, they got two cats late last month, and I got to meet them last Thursday.
One is a male orange tabby, Buddy, that is 11 months old, and the other is … (17 comments)

pets: How to store and organize your cats - 03/14/10 04:33 PM
My mom and her boyfriend recently had to euthanize their last black cat, a tuxedo named, what else, "Tuxedo."
Tuxedo and his littermate, another black cat named Midnight, were 15 years old. Midnight had to be euthanized late last year.
They are catless at the moment, but we had supper with them yesterday and they announced that they are going to get another cat, "or two, or three, or four.... we'll see what happens."
Maybe that's why they sent me this picture today:

 
♫♫♪♫♫

If you're looking for a great San Diego Realtor, well,let me Google one for … (9 comments)

pets: Dog and cat sales to be banned in West Hollywood, California - 03/07/10 02:53 PM
Southern California's answer to the City of Berkeley and San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury District is West Hollywood.
All three areas are known to be a little out of the ordinary, a little quirky, a little unusual....
West Hollywood recognizes pets as companions and their owners as guardians, but in an effort to curb the sale of cats and dogs from "kitty factories" and "puppy mills," beginning September 1, 2010, the sale of cats and dogs within the city limits will be illegal. Pet shops will be permitted to offer animals from shelters, similar to what many pet shops here in San Diego … (5 comments)

pets: February 20 is "Love Your Pet Day" - 02/17/10 01:19 PM
Although we have a cat in our household, we do everything we can to ensure that she doesn't get spoiled and try to run the household.
That doesn't mean we're successful, though.
Anyway, if you haven't yet spoiled your pet, you get to practice on February 20 since it is "Love Your Pet Day."
Here are twelve things you can do to show your pet just exactly how much you truly love that little guy or gal:
Feed it something delicious Don't give it a bath Don't cut its toenails Buy it a new toy Let it out if it wants … (21 comments)

pets: I just have to be patient. - 02/12/10 01:07 PM
Zoey the Cool Cat loves the early mornings around the house because the birds are chirping and flying around outside and the sun is shining in the windows.
There is a ledge outside the home office windows where a little lizard usually comes out to relax once the sun comes up.
For the past few days, the little lizard has been late, which causes Zoey the Cool Cat to strike this pose on one of the desks:
 
You can see the sadness on her face, wondering why her little lizard friend hasn't come out to play yet. She'll calmly sit there for … (16 comments)

pets: If it's in my empire, it's mine! - 02/07/10 01:07 PM
In preparation for the Super Bowl, I went to Trader Joe's.
My recommendation is that if you go to the store, plan ahead and don't go an hour before game time. That seems to be when everyone else goes.
Anyway, going to Trader Joe's means that I came home with sacks.
When it comes to sacks and boxes, especially if they are new, well, all I have to say is that there is a real cool cat that makes this place her empire, and if it's in her empire, it's hers:
    
    
… (14 comments)

pets: Calling all dog owners and dog lovers! - 01/31/10 01:27 PM
I was reading an article today titled "Military dogs in Afghanistan short on chow."
Dogs have been used in combat since World War I to find bombs, the missing, and the dead. In Afghanistan they are doing heavy duty work searching for roadside bombs and improvised explosive devices.
The United States has about 2,800 military dogs, the largest canine force in the world. Military dogs and those working on police and rescue units need special dog food because of their energy-draining missions. They can't just eat scraps like our backyard dogs can. Unfortunately, when it comes to moving supplies into Afghanistan, … (4 comments)