|  For those of us who own a cat knows that odors and in particular cat odor removal can be a real problem. Litter boxes, small pet cages, urine and other “accidents”, can give your home a distasteful smell. Thorough cleaning is important, and there are strategies and products that can help with even the most stubborn cat odors.
Some problem odors may be more immovable. There are a wide range of products on the market claiming to cut your cat odor removal time by more then half, some of them contain enzymes that will break down the source of the odor. Used correctly, and in some worst cases with more than one application, these can work. Other solutions include scrubbing the carpet or other effected areas with diluted liquid laundry detergent, or with various all-purpose cleaners. Test an not easily seen area of the carpet before applying, because the product may cause discoloration. Why does my cat’s urine have such an intense stench? A cat’s urine has that super strong stench because of protein contained in it. When cat urine dries on the carpet it forms crystals and those crystals are the reason for your serious cat urine odor. Continue Reading »
 Now that I’m retired, I plan on traveling a lot. I’m not going to go so far as to buy a huge motor home and essentially live out on the road for months at a time, but I do plan on logging hundreds of miles behind the wheel. Driving to the various destinations on my list of must-see places is not only more economical than flying, but will also give me a chance to go on last-minute detours if I come across anything interesting. Plus, it’s easier to bring my dogs along with me — provided I can find pet friendly hotels to stay at along the way.
I know some people think that traveling with pets is a hassle, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I would just be too lonely if I didn’t have my pooches keeping me company 24/7. Besides, I just don’t think I’d be able to enjoy a vacation knowing they were locked up in a boarding kennel somewhere back home. Dogs love the open road just as much as people do, and now that there are more and more pet friendly hotels popping up, I can bring them along. Still, vacationing with dogs takes quite a bit more planning than doing it solo. For instance, I can’t take it for granted that I’ll find pet friendly hotels all along my route, so I have to search the Internet first. Before I even get in the car, I calculate how many miles I think I can put in per day, and then try to find pet friendly hotels in the area I expect to end up in. Then I book a room, and repeat the process for every other stop on my upcoming journey. Continue Reading »
Personally, I’m not a pet owner per se. I have a deep love for fish, however, and I think that they make the perfect pets. No walking, no litter boxes. The only detriment to owning fish seems to be the excessive and intensive aquarium care involved. But let me tell you, daily aquarium care can be so simple and easy that you could probably prefer all the necessary aquarium care each day in about the time it takes to read this article. Aquarium care has never been easier. Maintaining the water levels is the most intensive part of aquarium care. Having a proper filter goes along way to keeping the aquatic environment clean and fresh for your finned friends. In addition, proper air pumps help keep the oxygen levels in the water up so that your fish have plenty of “air to breathe”. This equipment is designed to need minimal care and generally speaking, you’ll notice when they’re not working by cloudy or dirty water. As you do your daily feedings (more on this in a second), you should take a glance at the temperature of the water. Aquarium care is usually about maintain a consistency so make sure that the thermometer doesn’t vary often or at all throughout the day. Lighting usually isn’t necessary unless you have some water plants in your aquarium. Care for the fish as far as the light goes is usually sufficient through natural or regular room lights. In fact, too much light will increase algae growth. Too much algae will cause lots of problems so make sure that even if you do have a light for your plants you aren’t too generous with the amount of light given. Continue Reading »
 My husband and I just moved into a new home. The home isn’t actually new. It was built in 1953. I immediately fell in love with this small, ranch home once I walked in the door. The home is modest and it was in terrible shape when we first visited it, but once I saw the magnificent hardwood floors, I knew that this was the house for us.
We had a lot of obstacles to overcome after buying the home. I am allergic to fleas and the house was infested. We don’t have pets, but the former owner had two large dogs and three cats. The only rooms that had carpeting were the smaller of the two bedrooms and the bathroom. We removed the rugs and what did we find in the small bedroom? More hardwood floors! I was aggravated that the home was in such disarray, but the hardwood floors immediately elevated my mood. The previous owner was not very clean. We had to bomb the house twice to get rid of the fleas. She left abruptly without taking the time to take care of the fleas herself. She also had no time to clean the home. Ever. My lovely hardwood floors were saturated with urine in some areas and they were covered with dirt. Nevertheless, the hardwood floors still managed to appeal to me. My biggest concern was getting them back in good condition. The first thing I needed to address was the smell. I am fussy about odors and I’m not used to being around pets, so the urine smell had to go immediately. My husband covered the basement floor with epoxy paint. Ironically the strong chemical odors that would make a normal person run out of the home made me very happy. I was just glad that the pet smells were gone, at least downstairs. But what about my precious hardwood floors? I decided to do a little research before I did anything rash. The flea infestation may have been a good thing because I couldn’t stay in the home until they were gone. This gave me time to read about removing pet odors from hardwood floors. I am very glad that I researched before I cleaned the floors because it could have led to disaster. I discovered that you should never wash hardwood floor that have been sprayed by pets. Some cleaning agents may make the odors worse. Others can lock the odors into the wood and they can never be removed. My first instinct was to use a cleaner like Murphy’s Oil soap, but this is one of the cleaning products that can lock pet odors into the wood. Continue Reading »
 Most parents with young children feel a certain amount of reluctance to bring home a little kitty or puppy for the kids … very young children tend to be rambunctious with each other and don’t realize the fragility of small animals. There’s a difference between a three year old tumbling around on the floor with his four year old sibling and a three year old using the little kitty as a pillow! There’s also inherent dangers in the little animal using his natural survival instincts to ward off a child – kitty may take a swipe with his claws, while Rover may decide to take a little nip.
Nonetheless, kids have a great deal of natural curiosity of the animal kingdom. Setting up a gold fish bowl is one safe way to teach kids about pets and pet care. The gold fish bowl doesn’t require extensive equipment. The bowl and a little food keeps everyone happy. Gold fish are fairly sturdy creatures and young kids can begin to learn that they need to provide some care and develop some respect for the needs of other living critters. With appropriate supervision, toddlers learn not to overfeed their little creatures and watch them thrive. By the time those toddlers have learned about the goldfish needs, they’re ready to graduate to a more complex fresh water fish environment – a 5 or 10 gallon fresh water aquarium is an ideal transition to your kids knowledge of animal life. Unlike the gold fish bowl, the fresh water aquarium can accommodate a dozen or more little fish, with different habits, along with additional requirements for care. The new and larger aquarium becomes an exciting project for youngsters. Both you and the kids have acquired confidence in their ability to take care of this more advanced foray into the world of animals. The equipment required for a fresh water aquarium is minimal: a 5-gallon to 10-gallon tank, a hood, filtration system, pump and lighting is about all you need for this project. Shop the classifieds and garage sales for used aquariums. You’ll find some real bargains there. If you’re buying a used fresh water aquarium setup, be sure the tank has no leaks or cracks. An acrylic aquarium is a safer bet than one made of glass, as the chance of breakage is eliminated. Before you purchase any fish, you’ll need to create a habitable environment. This phase involves thoroughly cleaning the tank, whether new or used. Rinse the aquarium well with fresh water several times, scrubbing down the sides and bottom, to clear out any dust or algae. Now it’s time to pay a visit, with the kids, to your local aquarium shop. You’ll need aquarium gravel sufficient to cover the bottom to a depth of two to three inches. As with any aquarium, the fresh water aquarium occupants need to have some plants in which to hide or doze. For the beginning aquarium enthusiast, plastic plants are preferable to live plants, requiring little maintenance. When it’s time to clean the aquarium, it’s an easy matter to remove, clean and replace the plastic plants. Let the kids pick the plants, along with a few ceramic accessories, such as a bridge or little ‘house’, which in addition to being decorative, provide additional hiding spots. Continue Reading »
 Pet Insurance For Dogs According to the best pet insurance reviews, there are certain pet insurance companies that rate high for cat insurance, but are not as high for dog insurance or vice versa. If individuals are only looking to purchase dog insurance, it is important to look through these reviews to find the best pet insurance for dogs. Sometimes the wording of the reviews or the fine print on the insurance policies can be confusing, so individuals are wise to go to several sites and also to ask their veterinarian what companies that they recommend, since they are often familiar with problems that their clients experience with different companies and which ones seem to be the best. Dog Friendly Two of the best pet insurance plans for dogs that are provided by Pet Plan. Continue Reading »
There are several good reasons why VPI vet insurance (Vetrinary Pet Insurance) plans are a good fit for most pet owners. For one, VPI is the largest as well as oldest and most trusted choice when it comes to vet insurance. VPI has been insuring pets in the US since 1982 and it can also boast of having as many as four hundred thousand plus pets on its insurance rolls (that’s a lot of pets). Don’t Wait Until Your Pet Get’s Sick One of the most important factors in regard to insuring your pet is that you should not wait for the pet to fall ill or become injured before seeking vet insurance. The delay will cost you as you will not be able to find the best coverage for your pet’s care. VPI vet insurance is a health insurance plan that protects your pets and takes care of cost of treating them for unexpected ailments. VPI plans cover the cost of annual check-ups, routine vet care and emergency treatment. Continue Reading »
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