PetSugar

Do Tell: Is Your Pet a Bug Catcher?

PetSugar — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:00:00 -0700

While it's important to keep pets away from insects with stingers like wasps, many doggies and kitties like Milo here loooooooove to chase the moving creatures. No matter if they never catch them, the joy is in the pursuit, right?

Do your furry friends love chasing flying bugs? Tell me all about it in your comments below!

The Cat in the Hat . . . Literally

PetSugar — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 03:00:17 -0700

It's one of my favorite felines in the entire universe, BellaSugar's Milo! Whether they're being stinky or silly, I love hearing tales of both of her cats. And, OMG, score (!) when she shared these super cute piccys with me. Always thinking of her furry friends, she picked up some fun accessories for her pets at Target (for just $2.99 each) – and, of course, the requisite supermodel session ensued! See some more pictures of Milo and his brother, Minou, modeling another nautical look when you read more.

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The CitiKitty Toilet Diaries: Part One

BellaSugar — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 07:00:54 -0800

Hey everyone. BellaSugar here. I love my cats Milo and Minou to pieces. What I don't love about them is their frequent, fetid fecal droppings. They do this thing I call the Circle of Poo: One poops, then the other has to check it out. And then that kitty has to poop in solidarity. Then the other has to have a look, raising the ante by squeezing out another little pooplet. And so on. (Too much information? Yeah, well, there's too much cat poop in my life.)

About six weeks ago, I remembered reading about people who toilet train their cats. I think you know where this is going. The traditional method, as described by jazz musician Charles Mingus, involves keeping a litter box over the toilet. That seemed like too much work, so instead, I decided to try CitiKitty ($29), a feline toilet training kit. The website was filled with photos of happy kitties neatly depositing their mess into a toilet, which gave me great hope. Surely, Milo and Minou would be able to use the loo in a similar way, right? Right?

To find out how the first few weeks have been going, read more

Even though Milo and Minou are of above-average intelligence, I decided to take things nice and slow with the CitiKitty. The device itself is a lightweight plastic reservoir that sits over the toilet bowl. It has perforations that get punched out over the training period. The idea is that as the cats use the bowl, the hole in the middle gets bigger, and eventually, the kitty will just do his business directly in the toilet. Simple!

Except... it wasn't. For the first week, I used Milo and Minou's regular litter in the CitiKitty and had no problems. I praised them when they peed and pooped in it. (I spent a lot of time cleaning up litter, too.) When I switched their regular litter with flushable World's Best Cat Litter-a misnomer if ever one existed-they turned up their noses. Although they'd pee happily, they wouldn't poop. Milo would meow forlornly and walk around the house looking for somewhere to unload his bowels. Even though I kept putting him on the toilet seat, he refused to poop anywhere except in the bathtub. Ditto Minou.

So I went back to square one, back to their regular litter box. This time, I gave them about a week and a half to get accustomed to the World's Best Cat Litter. They pooped like crazy in there, so I thought we were ready to try it with the CitiKitty again. Last night, I gave them lots of treats and showed them the WBCL in the CitiKitty. At 6am today, I woke to the sound of tiny paws on ceramic. And sure enough, there was Milo, shamefully trying to cover the steaming pile of poop that he'd just produced in the bathtub.

So far, not so good. The boys have no problem peeing with the CitiKity, but I can't seem to get them to do Number Two. Like they say, you can lead a cat to the crapper, but you can't make it stink. I still have high (delusional?) hopes for toilet training the boys. Anybody have suggestions on how I can get them to poo on the CitiKitty?

I Need Your Help . . . Is the Vet After My Money?

PetSugar — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:30:56 -0700

Eeks! Mom to my two favorite kitties, Milo and Minou, just came to me with a recent problem. BellaSugar's felines went in for an annual checkup with a new vet . . . and she left hundreds of dollars later (with more recommended tests possibly to come) wondering if her kitties weren't so healthy after all.

She'd suspected Milo had hairballs because he was vomiting up a long, squiggly grayish thing. The vet insisted on several tests (totaling $500) only to tell her . . . "yup, it's hairballs – brush him more and give him hairball formula food." It doesn't stop there – learn what was recommended for Minou in Bella's own words when you read more.

At this point, she says Minou’s heart rate is too high and that his heart looks enlarged “from a certain angle.” She wants me to do a pricey kitty EKG and a kitty ultrasound. After the way she handled Milo - rushing the poor thing through tests that he clearly did not need - I don’t want to spend a lot of time and money putting sweet Minou through tests that might not even be necessary. I want the best for my pets’ health, but c’mon - would you trust this vet?

I know there were some red flags going up for me – good vets should make you, and your pets, feel comfortable – so I'm thinking a second opinion is a good bet. What do you think?

Cat Astrology!

PetSugar — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 12:15:22 -0800

Now usually I check out DearSugar for my horoscope fix, but when I spotted this chart for our four-legged friends, I couldn't resist sharing the cuteness with you. I loved all the comments about the anatomy of a cat brain, and I can't wait to hear your take on astrology for kitties! Because I've only got a pup, I asked my pal, BellaSugar about her two furry felines, Milo and Minou. Turns out this handsome fella (Milo) just celebrated his birthday on Mar. 2! Bella laughingly agreed with the Pisces description of "touchy, devoted, sweet natured, adaptable, and unpredictable" - I guess he's very lovey . . . but only when he wants to be. Curious to know about the other signs, just read more.

Aries (Mar. 21 - Apr. 20): bold, athletic, adaptable, impatient, and impulsive
Taurus (Apr. 21 - May 21): affectionate, patient, stubborn, strong willed, and quiet
Gemini (May 22 - June 21): agile, alert, restless, vocal, and fickle
Cancer (June 22 - July 23): loyal, gentle, grumpy, clingy, and devoted
Leo (July 24 - Aug. 23): fearless, energetic, dominant, demanding, and gregarious
Virgo (Aug. 24 - Sept. 23): shy, aloof, intelligent, charming, and finicky
Libra (Sept. 24 - Oct. 23): easygoing, peaceful, lovable, people oriented, and smart
Scorpio (Oct. 24 - Nov. 2): responsive, independent, possessive, strong willed, and loving
Sagittarius (Nov. 23 - Dec. 21): free spirited, playful, amusing, curious, and friendly
Capricorn (Dec. 22 - Jan. 20): reserved, cold, territorial, good natured, and patient
Aquarius (Jan. 21 - Feb. 19): independent, rebellious, people oriented, aloof, and outgoing
Pisces (Feb. 20 - Mar. 20): touchy, devoted, sweet natured, adaptable, and unpredictable

Pet Peeves: Can You Help Kitty Think Inside the Box?

PetSugar — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 07:00:32 -0800

One of our readers needs your help! Kiki tee has a little kitty with a big problem with the litterbox. Read his story, and share suggestions with us in your comments below!

We adopted Milo when he was about three months old, after he just had one of his back legs amputated. He always knew how and when to use his litter tray, but doesn't seem to know how to position himself when going to the toilet. He doesn't arch his back but instead crouches down close to the litter and, as a result, he keeps coming out of his box with an awful lot of what is supposed to stay in the box. . . stuck to him. And I'm talking both kinds of stuff that you want in the box (and not on your floor, your sofa, your windowsill, or any other place he makes it to before I have a chance to tackle him with a packet of baby wipes) on his tail, his leg, and sometimes his belly.

At first we thought it was a balance issue, but as this problem continues, it seems that isn't the case. . . and Milo doesn't seem at all bothered about it. He makes no attempt to clean himself off, which strikes me as odd because I thought cats were supposed to be so clean! We want him to be an indoor cat because of his missing leg, but I swear if I have to spend one more evening on my hands and knees sniffing my way around the house with a sponge and antibacterial spray, I will scream!

I love my kitty dearly, but I'd also love to keep him (and my home) clean – does anyone have any advice for me?

Housecat Housecall Premieres This Saturday!

PetSugar — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 00:30:57 -0700

That's right, doggies aren't the only ones getting their own reality show! Stay tuned for a new show on Animal Planet called Housecat Housecall, where experienced vets help real families solve issues with their furry friends. I haven't gotten a sneak peek at the series yet, but I'm imagining it to be a bit like Supernanny for the four-legged parents who need HELP. Find out more, and catch a glimpse of its first feline star when you read more.

Experienced vets including Dr. Katrina Warren, an Australian celebrity vet (seen up top), and her colleagues Dr. Debbie Horwitz and Dr. Stacy Fuchino, help real families tackle those problems we know all too well like excessive licking and unwanted early morning wake-up calls. This is Obi-Wan, the feline that will star in the first episode – he's a cutey, wonder what his problem is? Not all kitties love the camera like Milo, so I'll bet it will be a tad tricky to catch the cats in "the act." Housecat Housecall airs on Animal Planet on Saturdays at 9 a.m. and 7 a.m. on Sundays. Will you check it out?

Source

Does Your Pet Try to "Use" the Toilet?

PetSugar — Tue, 13 May 2008 00:30:51 -0700

So I already addressed toilet paper and poor Bella's failed toilet training attempt of Milo and Minou but what about the toilet itself?! Many pets show interest in the ~~magical fountain~~ toilet . . . either drinking the water or, like this clever cat, flushing it! Do your pets exhibit any of these bizarre behaviors?

Share in your comments below!

Pets of the Week

GiggleSugar — Fri, 18 May 2007 16:07:40 -0700

No, you're not seeing double. Tallulah's on the left and Milo's on the right. Candycr got more than she bargained for when she and her fiancé went to adopt a kitten. Once she saw how bonded Tallulah was to her little bro, they had to take them both home. (Collective "awwwww!" heard 'round the world.) These little fuzzies look pretty soft, and I love the splashes of orange on their faces. Cute!

(Is your pet GiggleSugar material? Visit our Pet of the Week group and post your favorite pet pics and stories.)