Owner or Pet Parent: What title do you use?

Pet parent

Are you an owner, a pet parent or an in-home zoo keeper?

While legally we are the owners of our pets, these days many of us use other terms in casual conversation. Fur Mama, Pet Parent and Animal Guardian are just a few options. Pet parents want to acknowledge that the relationship we have with our pets is substantially different from the one we have with our vehicles, clothing and other things we “own.”

Living with pets has several similarities to living with children. It’s not really surprising that many of us use terms like pet parent, fur mama/dada and such as titles to refer to ourselves.

After all, we “raise” puppies and kittens. We “teach” obedience (sometimes), and engage in “potty” training new pets. These are the same terms that human parents use in reference to their human toddlers and children. What is interesting is the number of people I have run into who find such titles for pet parents personally offensive!

The main group of people I have met who do not care for these kinds of titles are parents of multiple human children.

I can understand when the objector is elderly. Attitudes towards pets have changed a lot in the last few decades. Someone who thinks a dog doesn’t belong in the house, let alone the bedroom, is unlikely to feel comfortable using a term like “pet parent” or “fur daddy.”

When the person objecting is my age or younger, though, I find it more intriguing, and I will surreptitiously dig into their reasoning, if I can do so without causing offense.

One reason is that they think being a parent of a human child is a really big deal and don’t like that pet parents have co-opted the term they think of as their own.

I can’t really argue with this. Although my calling myself a pet parent in no way diminishes another’s use of it for parenting human children, I can understand the mindset they are coming from. Being a parent of a human child IS a big deal, of course.

For all the similarities of parenting pets and human children, they are also dramatically different. That’s a whole other post, so I won’t delve into it here.

But when the person says “I didn’t give birth to Fluffy, so she is not my child and I am NOT her parent,” I usually want to pipe up and remind them that lots of human parents are not genetically or biologically linked to their children.

There is a whole lot more to being a parent of anything than just genes and gestation.

That’s just a dismissive way to say being a pet parent is far less substantial than having procreated in the human manner, and to insinuate that those of us who are closely bonded with our pets are being uppity to call ourselves their “pet parents.” I’ve even had people suggest that my close relationship with my pets is psychologically unsound.

The bond we have with our companion animals is unique. I do wish we had a term we could all agree upon to acknowledge this without anyone feeling diminished.I will continue to use my preferred term, pet parent. It is the term that most closely defines the kind of relationship I have with my Tribe.

What terms/titles do you use, and do you have an interesting one you have heard or created?

Get ready for the dog days of summer!

Dog days

This is the perfect time of year to get your dog ready for the summer adventures!

It is almost time for the Dog Days of Summer! The weather is getting better, the sun is shining and you are hankering for those wonderful warm days filled with adventures. Whether you like to hike, camp or take your dog to the lake or river, there are a few things you want to do before you hit the trails.

Here are 5 tips to ensure you will be ready for the Dog Days of Summer:
  • Get your dogs vaccines up-to-date now. Then you don’t have to worry about who you meet with on the trail, and if you need to board your dog this won’t hold you back!
  • Get the summer supply of flea/tick/heartworm prevention started (if you break for the winter). Those nasty parasites won’t have a chance to bum-out your summer-time fun!
  • Stock up on any sedatives you use for loud holidays. The 4th of July (aka The Week of Loud Explosions to my pets) is coming!
  • Take a few practice runs/hikes/swims before you head out with your dog for real. Just like us, dogs who have spent the winter being lazy need to work up to the harder stuff.
  • Check and stock-up the pet first-aid kit! You never know when you will need it handy. If your pet takes adventures with you, make sure to have a travel kit ready to bring with you.

The Dog Days of Summer are about to begin. I hope you have a fantastic Memorial Day! Enjoy it, and I hope this little post helps you get your pup ready for the summertime fun ahead.  Get prepared now and let the sun shine down on you and your dog!

Euthanasia: When it is time to say goodbye?

Euthanasia-when-is-it-time

It is hard to think about euthanasia

Maybe things have caught you off-guard, or perhaps you have been watching Fluffy slow down for years. You might have gotten some bad news at the vet, or you are watching from home wondering when you will have to make the final choice of euthanasia.

There are many different terms we use: euthanasia, putting them to sleep, sending them over the Rainbow Bridge. Whatever you call it, this is the hardest and most important decision you will ever make for your pet.

It is also a great privilege, to offer our pets a peaceful, pain-free passing.

I have participated in many euthanasias, and hard as they always are I truly believe it is a great, final gift we give our pets.

So how do you know when it is time? I can’t answer that question for you, and unless your pet is in a crisis situation, it is likely that your vet can’t give you an answer either. Every family has their own criteria and ever situation is unique. It is really about whether it is the right time for you based on the quality of life you want for your pet.

What I can do is share my personal criteria and how I talked about this topic with my clients at former veterinary clinics. I am going through this very situation with one of my own right now, so I empathize with how you are feeling. It hurts to say goodbye.

A quick word on “natural” death vs euthanasia

For the sake of this article, I am going to assume that your pet is not having a major health crisis, or if they are that they are currently stable (so basically not in hospital). If your pet is in critical condition, then you really need to talk to your veterinarian(s) to understand your pet’s condition and prognosis.

I also understand folks who prefer to let their pet pass naturally. Wouldn’t we all like Fluffy to go in her own time, peacefully, while asleep? Wouldn’t we all like to NOT have to make this decision and to let Fluffy make it on her own?

Problem is, a “natural” death is often not like the above scene, where we find Fluffy curled in a ball in the morning as if asleep.

I don’t want to be graphic or create any disturbing images in your mind. But a natural death is often protracted, frantic and very painful (for the pet and to witness). I have watched pets suffer for hours before the final, agonizing moments.

Given a choice, I will choose euthanasia for my pets every time. I could not bear to watch them go through a so-called natural death.

This is absolutely your choice, and I will not speak badly of anyone who chooses this option. Please know though, that if you wait until your pet is in this level of crisis before bringing them into a vet, a peaceful euthanasia will be much more difficult (or impossible) for the vet to perform.

Factors in the Euthanasia decision

There are three main things I factor into my decision to euthanize one of my furkids, and I encourage you to think about these as well (make a list if you need too):

  • Physical Health
  • Behavior
  • Quality of Life (for pet AND the whole family)

Physical Health

Obviously, sometimes the euthanasia discussion starts after getting really bad news from a vet. But even chronic, so-called manageable conditions can take a big toll on both pet and family and should not be left out of the conversation.

For diseases like diabetes, that require a great deal of work on the owners part and can be very expensive to manage (insulin for a large dog can easily cost hundreds of dollars a month), sometimes treatment is a less desirable option. You might also have a pet that is hard to medicate or provide treatment for.

If you have to battle with your pet every day to provide medications or other treatments, it may be so stressful for everyone that treating the problem may not be worth it to you.

Sometimes a pet develops multiple health issues that also impact each other. A cat with both kidney and thyroid disease is much more complicated to manage than a cat with just one of these problems. Treating one disease can often cause the other condition to be less treatable or even make it worse.

If you are having these kinds of problems with your pet, it is a good idea to have a frank discussion with your vet. There may be different medication or other kinds of options they can offer. If not, you need to know that as well.

This may sound crass, but if you can’t afford to treat your pet, or if they will not allow you to treat them, euthanasia might be a kinder option that just leaving them untreated. Ask your vet for advice.

Behavior

Once you have done an evaluation of your pet’s overall health concerns, it is time to look at how they are acting. This one is going to be all over the map, depending on your situation.

Sometimes a pet is acting quite normally up to the very end of its life; conversely, a pet’s behavior could be a major reason why you are reading this post and considering euthanasia.

I start by asking myself what has changed with their behavior, and over what time period.

This assumes you have already had your pet evaluated medically, so you know what (if any) health conditions might be playing into the behavior changes.

A cat that is urinating inappropriately, for instance, could be having bladder issues. Once those and other medical problems are eliminated, however, if the behavior continues then you have to ask yourself how much and how far you can manage their behavior.

Some behaviors can be very disruptive to the rest of the family. A older dog who wanders in circles around the room for hours in the middle of the night, seemingly lost or disoriented, can keep you from getting proper sleep. Your pet might be destructive, aggressive or even simply seem out of it a lot of the time.

List  the behaviors of concern, how long they have been going on, and if they are progressive (getting worse). List how you are dealing with them now. Look at your list. Be honest with yourself…can you take further steps, or have you done what you can realistically do?

It is absolutely, 100% ok to decide that you can’t do anything more for your pet’s  behavior and that it is time to let them go.

Some of us have the option of twisting our lives into pretzels to accommodate our pet’s negative behaviors. Lots of people don’t have this option.

A cat that is urinating inappropriately in the basement or bathroom might be manageable for some, while a cat who is urinating inappropriately on the living room couch or a human child’s bed might not be. If the behavior is out of control, and is causing stress for the rest of the family (or is potentially dangerous) then it is totally fair to consider the option of euthanasia.

Yes, sometimes rehoming a behavior-challenged but otherwise healthy pet is also an option. But this is not always a good option, especially if the pet is aggressive or very destructive. You might just be passing the problem onto another family instead of solving it.

I’m gonna say this: Some pets can not be saved from themselves.

Some are just off, mentally, for reasons we will never know and can not change. Euthanasia can be a gift in these circumstances.

Don’t feel guilty if you decide on euthanasia primarily due to behavioral concerns. If you are miserable living with you pet’s behavior, think of how miserable their life must be for them.

Quality of life: Put all the pieces together to make a full picture

So, you have had your vet check and know all the details of your pet’s health. You’ve looked at their behavior and how it has changed and over what time period. You know how your pets decline is effecting you and the rest of the family (animal and human).

Now look at the whole picture, at all these factors together.

What can your pet still do? How much do they get to do it, or otherwise enjoy themselves? Basically, do the positives of managing your pet’s problems outweigh the choice to euthanize?

The list considering your pet’s quality of life will differ not only for each family but for each member of the family. I really encourage all participants of the family to weigh in on quality of life considerations.

Even if you decide, after doing this family exercise, that you are not ready for the final decision just yet, it can help you define that line in the sand when things are no longer ok with your pet.

For instance, one client I worked with loved taking walks with his senior Labrador. For him the final straw was when his buddy could no longer walk with him, even when using strong pain medication. He believed his buddy was telling him it was time to let him go.

Knowing this line in the sand, knowing the final point at which you think your pet is enjoying things more than suffering, will help you plan for a controlled goodbye. It is much easier to set up an appointment with your vet for a euthanasia a few days in advance and then spend that time saying goodbye to Fluffy than being in a pet ER and having to make a crisis decision.

Final thoughts on Euthanasia

I believe that making the choice of when to euthanize is a primary responsibility of being a pet owner. Since our pets can’t talk to us and tell us how they are feeling, or why they are acting the way they are, all we can do is judge based on what we know of their condition from the vet and what we observe at home.

I also believe it is a gift we give them.

A planned euthanasia, with sedative medications given before the final injection, in a calm, quiet room, with the loving attendance of family and the veterinary staff, can be a beautiful thing to witness and participate in.

It is also the worst part of being a pet owner, no question. We love them so much, and lose them too soon.

You will notice that I don’t mention age as a separate factor in my euthanasia decisions. For me, age alone is not a factor in these decisions. Age obviously influences your pet’s overall health, and can certainly impact their behavior and quality of life. But a pet that is simply old, with no other problems or issues, is probably not a candidate for euthanasia outside of some limited circumstances.

As a vet I once worked with alway said: Old age is not a disease.

For all those who have lost a pet over the Rainbow Bridge, or who are, like me, in the contemplation phase: My heart is with you. I know it hurts. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help.

Senior Pets are Hard; Sometimes Very Hard

Senior pets are hard

Depending on your situation, parenting senior pets can be really challenging.

Not only do senior pets need more from us, physically, financially and emotionally, they age so much faster than we do that it usually takes us by surprise. One minute they are a puppy and then next it seems they have hit senior-time.

I am struggling with managing one of my seniors right now. I have several that are in the senior category (7 years of age, for most dogs & cats), and one who is not doing so well. It really is a day-to-day things with our Ajax. I’m afraid it won’t be too long until we have to make the final decision.

Life does not slow down when you have senior pets that need extra attention.

I also have a senior parent (I love you Momma!) who needs more help than she use to. Emotionally, the combo isn’t very easy to manage at times.

How do you stay sane? How do you manage a senior pet alongside all of the other curveballs that life tosses you? It is really all about life-balance, isn’t it?

When I get stuck in the moment, worried about all that my Ajax can’t do anymore, I try and refocus on the positives. Luckily, there are still a few things she can do and enjoy every day. Overall, I think she is still enjoying herself more than not. But the warning signs are creeping in.

How do you know when it is time to stop managing your pets health issues and allow them to pass peacefully?

I have some tips on how you can assess this here.

I will be posting a lot more on this topic, so keep an eye out. I don’t have easy answers, but there are a few suggestions I have that may help you. At the very least, know that you are not alone! We are in this senior-pet phase together!

The Worst Cat in the World

Worst Cat in the world


This is a true story. All names have been changed to protect the innocent…AND the guilty…DUM DUM.

My cat is The Worst Cat in the World.

Other people might have bad cats, destructive cats, the Cat from Hell etc. But they don’t have the full package that makes my cat The Worst Cat in the World.

If you had witnessed the contortions I have made in my life to accommodate this cat and keep him healthy, safe and happy, you would agree with me; he is a unique feline! This is a good thing, because I don’t think the world could survive two MC’s.

It isn’t just a matter of having a quirk or two, either. All cats have those and the internet is filled with one-off videos of cats showing their true nature: knocking things over, stealing food, or going into electric-cat mode when something scares them.

Hey, I like those videos too! And I agree, those cats have some skills. But they are nothing, NOTHING like living with The Worst Cat in the World.

The Acquisition

Let’s start with The Acquisition. Any cat called The Worst Cat in the World must have a good origin story, right? I mean, this is not the kind of cat who grows up normally or is just adopted off a pet ad on Craigslist when someone finds a litter of sick stray kittens.

No, those kinds of cats go on to become meme or YouTube viral and make their owners millions.

The Worst Cat in the World’s beginnings are shrouded in mystery. I know there is a story there. Maybe he was raised by undercover Russian spies who had to flee when the the Willamette Week’s high caliber journalists started looking into their real-estate deals?

Maybe he bitten as a kitten (a normal kitten then, of course) by a radioactive salmon swimming in the Reed Canyon that transformed him into The Worst Cat in the World?

Or aliens. He could be an alien. He is probably an alien.

It would make sense if this last one were true…it fits. It just does.

Picture this: Portland, Oregon. Winter of 2009.

The stock market has tanked, the housing crisis is off and running, mortgages are dropping like flies and sadly (and not mentioned much in the news media) pet animals are being abandoned all over the place as people lose their jobs and homes.

I’m living paycheck to paycheck, but pretty happy with things overall. Unlike a lot of folks I have stable housing (and not in a stable). I rent a room, along with my boyfriend Suckerfish, and share the commons with a buddy of mine in his house.

I have a cat, Queen Boo Boo. Suckerfish has a dog, Ajax. Our roommate has a cat and a dog. We make a nice happy little unofficial tribe.

On the day in question, I’m the first into work at the vet clinic. It is still dark outside, with no hint of daylight, and it is cold. When I pull in to park I see a box by the back door.

No, wait, it’s a pet crate, I realize.

Wrapped in a sheet. About the size of a medium dog crate, so not so small.

“Ohhhh, this is gonna be good” I think to myself. “Let’s play a game and guess what is in the Mystery Crate!”

Based on several prior experiences with the special subcategory of items referred to as “things found abandoned in boxes at the doors of vet clinics,” this will contain at least one and possibly a combination of the following:

  • A wild animal
  • A dead animal
  • A young animal
  • A litter of animals
  • A random assortment of bottles, cans, underwear and drug related paraphernalia (this clinic is in a really nice part of town. The strip club next door added so much ambiance to the ‘hood)

“It’s a wild animal or a litter, that’s my bet! If I win I will treat myself to some french fries!” I say aloud. Time to steel myself to peek under the sheet and see if I had won my bet.

I approach the crate. It is silent. I pull back the tightly wrapped sheet.

I see a bag of cat food, two nice new-looking bowls and…..a cat.

This cat takes one look at me, blinks sleepily, and then rushes to the door. It has a loud meow. And it is gorgeous!

Worst Cat in the world.2Big beautiful pale green eyes, open very wide, and a strange grey colored fur with paler stripes on the body and face. Short fur. I want this cat.

“It will be mine, oh yes….it will be mine” I think as I’m dragging the crate in the door. Proof that quoting Wayne’s World will lead to absurd situations…so surprising, NOT!

I set him up in a big cat kennel (yeah, I establish it is a “him”), with a litter box and some of his food. All the while he is loving me up. He won’t stop! The cat is head-butting me, crawling in my lap and arms, weaving between my legs. He is still meowing, but with a little less volume now that I’m paying attention to him.

This is the nicest, most friendly cat I have ever met. And he doesn’t seem to get startled at all. My coworkers start arriving, bringing an assortment of dogs and such with them (perk to working in vet med…bring-your-pets-to-work day is every day!), and it doesn’t bother him a bit. In fact, he acts more like a dog than a cat.

He doesn’t want to be in the kennel though. He cries loudly at the door when I lock him in.

“Listen, Mystery Cat, you just have to deal for a bit. I have to go earn some kibble. But chill man, we will find you a home, I promise.” Of course, I can’t promise it will be with me.

I’m a renter. My buddy is nice enough to allow Suckerfish and me to live in his house for a tiny amount of rent. I’m lucky that he lets us have the two pets we have. There is no way he will let me have another cat.

I know. I’ve asked.

The work day passes as it usually does, and I keep visiting with MC. Others pick up on the name and start calling him that as well. He gets an exam, and seems healthy. Age unknown; adult but not a senior. So, maybe 3-6 years old? Neutered. No fleas. He tests negative for the feline viruses (FeLv/FIV). Slightly chubby.

I head home to my “weekend.” I will be back on Thursday. The clinic is going to keep MC until we can foster or rehome him.

I spend my weekend working on my roommate to let me take in MC. I promise that it is just a temporary foster placement, until I can find him the home he deserves (this is why I can’t foster pets. The home he deserves is with me!).

When I arrive at work Thursday morning, there is a problem with MC. They tell me that he hasn’t used the litter box to pee since we found him.

That was Monday. It is Thursday. This cat hasn’t peed in three days!

He doesn’t seem distressed, though. MC is eating and drinking. He still runs out of the kennel at every chance and loves me up. He just refuses to pee in the litter box.

The kennel he is in isn’t huge, but it’s big enough to house a sleeping golden retriever. We board cats in them all the time. Surely that can’t be the problem, right?

The vet takes a look at him. No surprise that his bladder is huge. The vet suggests I take him into an empty exam room, give him a litter box and leave him for a half hour.

It works. It doesn’t take a half hour either. The second we get in the room and I put the box on the floor he leaps in and starts peeing…and peeing…and peeing. I think there was a good two inches of urine in the box when he finished.

This refusing to pee while in a kennel at the clinic was, I now recognize, the first sign that MC is determined to have things his way or not at all.

It is not the last time I see this trait.

Thursday afternoon, MC comes home with me. He screams the entire way home. I can’t adequately describe the sounds that he is making. There is no level of radio volume that can drown these sounds out. I’m even getting funny looks from people in the cars next to me at red lights. It was a fun hour for us both.

I get him home and set him up in a spare room. I don’t know how he will react to our pets, and I don’t want any problems. I’m trying to follow all the rules of introducing a new pet to a pet-filled household. All for naught, because he refuses to stay in the room.

The house is old, and the spare room door is a little hinkey. It closes, but the latch is really tricky and usually doesn’t catch unless you slam the door hard. And then it is hard to pop back open.

I hang out with MC for a while, he cuddles and explores and keeps coming back for more attention. Finally I head to leave and lock him in by shutting the door. Time to give the other animals some attention and relax with a book for a bit.

A few minutes later, as I lay on the couch…Plop! MC lands on on my chest and plunks himself down. His fur is up my nose. I can’t hear him him purring, but I can feel a little rumble. Ok then, I know his opinion.

We try the room thing again a few minutes later. This time I watch the door after I close it. I see his paw snake into the crack under the door. A little twist of the paw, a little claw action and the door pops open.

He has just revealed another tool in his Swiss Army knife-like collection of abilities he uses to taunt humans.

“Thumbs? Who needs thumbs? Silly human,” I imagine him saying to me.

He stares up at me with his strange, wide-open eyes.

We try several more rounds of this game over the next few days. I know how to train cats, and I am determined to convince him to just stay in that room for a little while. He is equally determined to teach me that I know nothing about determination or training cats. He wins.

I tell myself I’m giving up because there is really no reason to keep him separated from the rest of the tribe. He is not bothered by any of our animals. MC is a really chill cat, in a anxious sort of way. He is active and curious, but he doesn’t get startled or scared like most cats do.

When Ajax rushes towards him on their first meeting, barking and trying to chase him, he just stands there looking at her with his big, odd eyes. He isn’t worried.

“Hey, is that any way to greet your new roommate?” he seems to be asking her.

Suckerfish falls in love with MC on the first night. He is not a cat guy (he thinks), but THIS cat! How can you not love this cat? It just isn’t possible for any of us.

“We should get a house, so we can keep MC,” Suckerfish says to me one evening.

“Well, yeah, I want to keep him too. But we can’t afford to buy a house. And what kind of people buy a house in this market? Things are going to get worse before they get better. We would be underwater in our mortgage before we even moved in!” I say in reply.

“We should keep him,” Suckerfish insists.

“No, we are not buying a house to keep a cat! We can’t afford to buy a house, anyway.” I end the conversation sadly.

Turns out I was wrong about that too. The happiest I have ever been to be wrong!

A month later, we bought a house. And we kept the cat.

We got married too. That’s another story, however, entitled “How my mortgage broker became my marriage broker.”

After we moved in and settled down, it became clear that MC is not a normal cat in other ways. He is not stealthy or athletic. MC does not give off the sleek, contented predator vibe that so many cats naturally possess.

MC is downright clumsy, unable to do things successfully that normal cats don’t think twice about doing. He loses his balance jumping the foot between the couch and the coffee table. He falls off things on a regular basis. Not tricky things, either.

He is so careful, too!

That’s what makes it so funny to watch him biff it.

Here is a typical set of MC-moves: he decides he wants to go from the kitchen into the living room and onto the couch. The easy way to do this is to walk from the kitchen into the living room, around (or over) the coffee table and then onto the couch. It’s all of 6 feet from the kitchen door. But no, cats have their own logic.

The dogs are in the living room as well (we added a golden retriever to the tribal mix the summer we bought the house). He isn’t afraid of them, but he doesn’t feel like walking around them on the floor. They like to hassle him. So he jumps up onto the TV stand. And misses. It is only a foot and a half off the ground. He can stand on his hind legs and his head and shoulders are well clear of the top, but that tiny hop is still beyond his balance this time.

The dogs see him and start to get interested in the proceedings. He makes a successful second attempt. He sits there for a few minutes, blocking the video game that I’m playing on the TV. Then he saunters over towards the other corner of the stand, knocking over the soundbar in the process.

The dogs are now very interested in him.

He carefully measures the 6 inches between the stand and speaker, which are about the same height. MC thinks about it for another minute, then steps across. He almost falls off the speaker but manages to stay on. The dogs have now joined the fun.

They stand there before him, wagging tails and egging him on. His next move is up the bookcase. It’s one of those folding, 3-foot high deals you see in every college student apartment. He spends a few minutes ignoring the dogs while doing complex physics equations in his head. It’s time to make his move.

He reaches up and puts his paws on the top shelf. Remember, he is already elevated on the speaker. He just needs a little jump and…

He somehow manages to knock all the books off the shelf, onto the dogs below, while simultaneously hitting the “OFF” button on the speaker, which also turns off the TV right at the moment I am in a heavy fight with a troll. Then he lands on the pile of books n’ dogs.

A minute later he takes three steps from the pile, arrives at the couch, jumps up and settles down in his spot. The 15 minute trip from the kitchen has really tired him out.

Sharpening his kitchen tools.

Ok, you will agree that I have an unusual cat. So far, though, I haven’t mentioned anything that could justify my claim that he is The Worst Cat in the World.

So he can open doors with his paw if they are not securely latched (yes, that was not a one time trick. He is really, really good at it). Annoying, possibly dangerous if it is the wrong door, but not a huge deal.

He is clumsy, sure, but other cats are clumsy too.

The litter box thing is weird but not really an issue in the home; he uses the litter boxes in the house normally.

He is a big love and gets on great with the other dogs and cat, so what’s the problem?

It took time, but as the months passed he revealed his his true passion in life to us.

Food.

I have never known a cat that is as food motivated as MC. And he isn’t the kind of food motivated pet that would be trainable, oh no. I’ve tried that.

It doesn’t begin immediately after we move into the new house. The whole pattern takes time to develop. It starts when I noticed that things left on the kitchen counter are on the floor when I get home from work. Then I see that the cabinets and even drawers are getting left open as well.

There was half a bag of chips that Suckerfish left on the side crate that got mysteriously emptied (some people have the table-kind of side tables. In our house we have the huge dog kennel that doubles as a side table. It is the only place in the living room that the golden’s tail can’t knock over drinks).

Then MC starts jumping up on the kitchen counter right in front of me.

Now that doesn’t fly in my house. Cats should not be on kitchen counters. My other cat has been trained from kittenhood that counters were a no-cat zone. So I know what to do when MC stars doing this.

I get a spray bottle, fill it with water, and wait. Sure enough, there he goes onto the counter, brazen as can be! I ready my weapon and unleash the fury on him, shouting “Get Off!” as I hose him down.

He ignores me. Or rather, he looks at me with his usual, wide-eyed expression. And then continues to explore the counter. He is not a fan of the showers, but it doesn’t bother him enough to drive him off.

That didn’t go as expected. So I pick him up and put him down on the floor. He jumps back up (he somehow manages this without falling). I put him down. He jumps up. We continue this dance for a while, until he decides to go check out the food situation in the living room.

Long story short, the spray bottle never works on him.

Oh, if I catch him unaware he might startle slightly, but it never gets him off the counter. With every other cat I’ve used this technique on, they get to the point where they see the spray bottle coming and they run! Not MC.

The only time using water has worked to get him off the counter was when I used the sink hose on him. Full blast. And it only worked because he was soaked and slipped off.

So I step it up a notch. I try the tape move, you know, using masking tape with the sticky side up taped to the counter. Cats are suppose to hate the sticky feeling and avoid it. MC might hate it, but it doesn’t stop him from counter surfing. And it is really hard to use your kitchen if the counters are covered in sticky tape.

Finally I get a product called Scat Cat. It is basically a really expensive can of compressed air. The top screws on, and has a motion sensor attached. When something crosses the path, it sends out a blast of air that is supposed to scare the cat away.

MC jumps on the counter, gets blasted with air, loses his balance and falls off. Now THIS has gotten his attention! He does not jump right back up. He studies things for a few minutes. Then he jumps up in another spot-BLAST-and jumps back down. His tail is twitching. He is annoyed. He is not on the counter.

Success!

Except…

Sure, the Scat Cat works for a while. We burn through a lot of expensive air. Thing is, they don’t have a huge range. It’s impossible to cover the entire kitchen with it. And MC isn’t the only thing that sets it off. Every time Suckerfish or I go into the kitchen we get blasted as well.

Still, in the kitchen counter wars, I’m happy to have won a battle. Especially because it is my last victory.

Within a few weeks, MC knows the range of the Scat, and has figured out where the air is coming from. He starts to come in at it from the side, so it doesn’t trigger.

He sits there and waves his paw in front of it, until it runs out of air. Then he can counter surf to his heart’s content! Or he comes up behind it and knocks it into the sink. Same result, really.

It eventually becomes cost prohibitive to spend $20 on packs of compressed air that last 20 minutes a piece.

The Scat Cat is retired.

The counter surfing picks up. We can’t leave any food on the counter now. MC learns to play tag-team with the golden retriever, Deuce.

Say there is a loaf of bread accidentally left out. MC will get on the counter and chew on it for a while, eating all the bread and plastic he can until the golden see’s what he is up to. Then MC will knock the bread off the counter to the floor, where Deuce finishes the job.

We discover that MC shares something else in common with Suckerfish: a deep, abiding love for McDonalds cheeseburgers. He is almost frantic when we bring McDonalds into the house! We have to start hiding food in the microwave and oven to keep him out of it.

Until the day I watched him open the microwave to get to the McDonalds hidden inside. I wish I had this on video.

The microwave is located in a small cubby built into the wall of the kitchen. There is no counter in front of it. Just the hole the unit fits into. It is at counter height, so around 4 feet off the ground.

It opens by pulling on the handle, which is just a cut-out that your fingers slip up into. Reach in, pull towards yourself, and it’s open.

MC knew there were McDonalds cheeseburgers in there. He had already tried to “help” Suckerfish eat a couple of them. He was determined to get to them.

By this point in our relationship, I have learned to take his determination seriously.

But still, there is NO WAY he is going to be able to do this!

He does it. It takes him 20 minutes, and a bunch of tries. He may be clumsy, but he is also highly motivated!

He jumps straight up in the air in front of the wall and microwave and tries to get his front paw under the handle while simultaneously kicking off the wall with his rear feet. Once he finally figures out the timing BAM! That sucker is open.

I’m standing in the kitchen doorway watching the show. Unlike normal cats, who act sneaky when they are doing something they shouldn’t be doing, MC has never been shy to misbehave right in front of me.

So now the microwave is no longer a safe-haven for food. I’ve never seen him repeat this trick, but I have no doubt he could do it again if he wanted to.

Then there is the oven, the last bastion of safe food-storage left in the kitchen. We arrive back from a trip to discover our old natural gas stove top and oven combo unit is no longer working. The joys of homeownership. I love the new unit, though, so all ends well.

Or so I thought.

I wake up one morning soon after, to the smell of rotten eggs. Half-awake, I follow my nose to the kitchen. There I find my new kitchen unit…with two of the burners on full blast pumping gas into the house. Since it is a gas stove top, you have to leave the knob in the ignition position until the flame catches. These two burners are both on “High” with no flame. Awesome.

I turn things off, open windows and make sure that the furnace does not turn on and blow us all up. I’m trying to figure it out; how did this happened? How long have these things been on?

Long enough that I smelled the gas in the bedroom (with the door closed).

Ok, Suckerfish and I were asleep. The dogs were gated in the bedroom with us. The two cats were the only animals outside of the bedroom. I usually kick MC out of the room about an hour before my alarm goes off, because he goes into food-mode and starts knocking things around trying to get me to get up and feed him.

This is one war he consistently loses, by the way, and I am proud to be the winner.

He can rampage all he wants in the morning. I’ll just kick him out of the room and go back to sleep. Winner!

By process of deduction, it had to have been one of the two cats. And I know that Boo Boo probably didn’t do it. So that leaves MC…

Sure enough, over the next few weeks I find the burners turned on several more times; no flames, just gas filling the room.

I never catch MC doing it, so I have no idea if he is hitting the knobs accidentally, while jumping up onto the stove, or if it is a more deliberate move on his part. Eventually I just remove the knobs when I’m not using the stove top. People do this all the time for toddlers. I’m doing it for my cat.

What else can you do when your cat is trying to blow-up the house?

Living with The Worst Cat in the World.

Years pass by. The kitchen rampages have gotten worse. MC usually starts to amp up about two hours before dinner time (by the time we feed him, at same time every day, he is screaming at us continuously) and carry on for a good couple of hours after dinner as well.

Post dinnertime is his prime-time for kitchen mischief. He has learned to knock things off the counter in hopes that they break open and provide him with something tasty.

This is a different behavior from knocking things off the coffee table or side crate, by the way. He does that just to make sure we are paying attention to him. Knocking things about in the kitchen is all about food.

The light-weight plastic butter keeper doesn’t last long. A glass version works better, but he still manages to knock the heavy lid off and get to the butter sometimes.

One day I come home and find a previously unopened jar of pickles (it had been in the cabinet) smashed to bits on the kitchen floor. There was a bit of juice amid the glass shards, but no pickles left.

Yes, he ate a jar of pickles. A cat. An obligate carnivore.

I guess he didn’t get that memo.

He discovers that he can knock over the kitchen garbage can, pry open the locked lid and feast on any leavings. The only way we can keep him out of the garbage is to fill the bottom with 50 pounds of slate rock we have lying around. Now it is too heavy to tip over. Seriously.

Any plates, bowls or flatware that are not immediately placed in the dishwasher will be licked clean. He will demolish a stack of dirty plates in the sink to get to anything lickable.

He has learned to open the dog food bin and help himself (and Deuce) to the kibble. At first, I thought Suckerfish was leaving it unlatched after feeding the tribe. Until I caught MC unlocking it one evening.

So we have to turn it so the latch faces the wall. This works…IF the container is always pushed flush to the wall, and IF the bin isn’t empty enough that MC can push it out on his own.

I have recorded a few of these adventures. In one video, there is an inch between the dog food bin and the wall. You can see MC’s paw reach up and flip the latch open. A minute later he is opening the lid and jumping inside.

Another video I have recorded is just about one of the funniest things I have ever seen him do, and I’m glad I thought to catch it.

It was a weekend morning, early, just after getting up and feeding everyone. I’m hanging on the couch, reading a book and drinking coffee. I’m facing the side crate we use as a table. I see with my peripheral vision that MC is on the crate, and he is doing something odd. So I look up for a better view…and find him standing there with a full size chip bag inverted over his head!

The bag is empty. Suckerfish left it up there while he was gaming the night before.

At first I think the bag is stuck on his head. But MC is also making these weird bobbing motions, so the bag is rocking up and down a bit but not hard enough to fall off. It takes me a second, and then I realize that he is shaking the crumbs down from the bottom of the bag and licking them up.

I laugh so hard I almost fall off the couch! I have since seen him do this a bunch of times.

It is another one of his patented moves.

Living with an animal like this is an exercise in frustration. No matter what I do to try and keep him out of things, he finds a way around my obstructions.

I try using those puzzle devices for pets, where they have to figure out how to get to the food hidden inside. Seems like a natural fit for a cat like him, right?

My other cats enjoy these activities, but not MC, oh no! He is not going to work for cat food. Perhaps if I used McDonalds cheeseburgers instead, he would play. He will actually skip eating his dinner if I try and use a maze bowl or other puzzle device on him.

His mischief can not be channeled. I give up. After 5 years, I give up.

And then he throws another curve-ball our way…

Strike one…Strike two!

Worst Cat in the world hospitalOne night 4 years ago, he blocks (can’t pee), suddenly and with no warning. No signs before that he is having any problems. One minute he can pee fine, the next he is frantically unable to pass urine.

Despite regular blood work and urine tests, we have never detected any crystals or infections in his bladder. After he blocks, of course his urine is filled with crystals.

He spends two nights in the hospital, and once it is clear that his block is not simple and that we will not be able to bring him home as expected, we are faced with an emergency decision: either we move him to a specialty surgeon and have a major, radical operation done, or we euthanize him.

Four thousand dollars and some change later, I’ve learned a new thing about MC, and he is home and recovering.

I’ve learned that he really does care about us. He is such a friendly cat that it has always been hard to tell if he felt anything special for his tribe, or was just happy to have folks to hang around with.

When I go to pick him up from the surgeons, they mention that he has refused to eat for them. MC not eat?? That is so not like him.

Now I’m worried.

They take me back to say “Hi.” I can tell he is drugged to the gills. He doesn’t even recognize me at first. As soon as I open the kennel he sees it is me, head-butts me and starts purring loudly. Between purrs and head-butts and trying to get in my arms, he gulps down bites of food.

I guess he just needed me there to inspire his appetite. Or he thought I had abandoned him…after all, he had been abandoned at a vet clinic before!

This is the first time I have ever heard him purr. Before this, his purr was almost subsonic. I would feel it, if he was lying on me, but even if he was against my head I couldn’t hear it.

Now he purrs often, loudly enough to hear and not just feel. He also has taken to sleeping on my pillow or even in my arms every night.

Yes, he missed us. He is bonded to us. Four thousand dollars hurt, for sure. But having him in our lives is priceless.

You get use to living with The Worst Cat in the World.

MC still rampages around the kitchen, and even jumps up while I’m trying to prep things. He has regular urinary crisis’ and is on a veterinary urinary diet, for all the good it does a cat that eats everything he shouldn’t! MC is now under foot so often that we step on him at least once a day. Then he screams at us…but stays underfoot

I may have played with this story a bit here and there, to help it flow. But everything I have written about MC is true, and if anything I have left things out. I have not embellished MC’s behavior. This is a true story.

Now you know, I really do have The Worst Cat in the World. He might be an alien in disguise, conducting experiments on us as he drives us crazy with his antics. He is the most amazing, loving cat; his saving grace, because I don’t think we could handle living with him otherwise.

It is this unique mixture of Big Love and Pure Asshole that makes him The Worst Cat in the World.

Urine trouble now! Cats and urinary problems

Urinary-problems-cat

What does it look like at home, when a cat first starts having urinary problems?

Urinary problems are common in cats. It usually starts with frequent trips to the litter box. Your cat may look like they are trying to poop but not producing anything (called “straining”). If you are watching closely, or if you scoop your litter box frequently (you do scoop frequently, right?) you might notice small, marble-sized clumps of litter/urine instead of the usual fist-sized masses your cat usually produces.

The urine might be reddish in color or you might see small blood clots/droplets in the litter box or other places your cat hangs out. Your cat may be agitated, vocalizing, or licking their groin.

These signs all point to your cat having, as one vet I worked with called it, a pee-pee problem. Is it just a urinary tract infection? What should you do?

Head to the vet for an exam and tests.

If your cat is not passing any urine (is “blocked” as we say in vet med) then this is a MEDICAL EMERGENCY and you need to get your cat into a vet NOW. Yes, even in the middle of the night. No, it can not wait until your regular vet opens in the morning. Just go to the emergency veterinary hospital NOW.

If your cat is passing small amounts of urine, acting normally, eating/drinking and not vomiting, then you could possibly wait 12 hours or so until you can get an appointment with your regular vet. It is a decision I once made for myself, and it had a good outcome for me.

It is much better to not risk it. Be very careful to watch your cat closely in the meanwhile. A cat can go from peeing a little to not peeing at all in an instant. As I mention above, this turns things from urgent to a MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Your cat could die. No joke, and the damage is faster than you might believe.

If the only symptom your cat is showing is a tendency to urinate in places other than their litter box, then you should still have them evaluated by your vet. It isn’t an emergency, but there could be medical reasons for the behavior. You definitely want to get that sorted ASAP, before the behavior becomes entrenched.

Once the vet visit and any recommended tests or procedures have been done you will have a better idea of what you cat is up against. In addition to doing a urinalysis, your vet may also recommend bloodwork to check kidney and other organ function. Kidney problems can mimic the symptoms of a urinary tract infection, for instance, but are treated differently.

Blocked Cat

If the vets determine that your cat is blocked, then you are looking at a minimum of 24-48 hours of hospitalization along with the associated procedures. Your cat will have a urinary catheter placed to drain urine from the bladder and an IV catheter placed in a leg to give fluids.  Read more about the treatment(s) of blocked cats here.

Why do cats have urinary problems?

There are a lot of reasons why cats can develop issues with their bladders. Most of these reasons (genetic, gender, environment) are things we can’t really control or have limited control over.

A certain proportion of cats are just going to have these issues. The majority of cats that actually block are male, but female cats can become blocked as well. Any cat can have urinary problems, and they often pop up out of the blue.

UTI?

So why does this happen? Sometimes, just like humans, cats can get urinary tract infections , or UTI’s (they use their tongue as toilet paper, after all). If things go on long enough, or if your cat has more chronic issues (such as crystals-read below), then the infection can lead to a very irritated bladder that produces a lot of mucus.

This mucus, along with any other debris mixed in, can actually get stuck on the way out as your pet is peeing, limiting or preventing them from emptying their bladder.

Male cats (especially neutered males) are more likely to block simply because they have a “kink” in their tube (their urethra) where it turns to exit out of the body, sort of like “>”. Female cats just have a straight line out “–”. That kink is narrow enough that debris from the bladder can block it.

Just picture a long Mack truck trying to navigate a very tight turn on a narrow road with no sidewalks or shoulders, and you get the idea. Traffic jam time.

Crystals or stones?

Another reason for urinary problems are the above mentioned crystals. Some pets (yep, dogs can have these as well) start to develop microscopic crystals in their urine. These crystals, think sand, abrade and irritate the bladder and urethra, which causes swelling and often times leads to visible blood in the urine. This swelling narrows the urethra further, making it even more likely that a male cat will block.

Just think about what it must feel like to pee sand. Ouch! No wonder they are agitated!

Sometimes crystals will clump together and form stones in the bladder. Eventually the stones can grow big enough that only a veterinarian with a scalpel can get them out. They can also grow to the perfect size to get into the urethra but not out. Then your cat can’t pee. Emergency time.

Crystals can form in urine for a variety of reasons. Truthfully, vets don’t usually know why this happens. Luckily, the treatments work for many pets and often the problem can be managed and prevented from happening again.

Treatment Overview

Urinary tract infections (UTI’s) are treated with antibiotics and pain medications, and if your vet finds that your cat is producing crystals in their urine, they may recommend dietary changes or even a veterinary therapeutic diet (aka a prescription diet). If your cat has blocked then the long term implications are a bit more serious; it is possible that your cat may block again.

If your cat has problems with their bladder that can’t be traced to a diagnosis like a UTI or crystals/stones, your cat might have what is called FIC (Feline Idiopathic Cystitis) or FLUTD (Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease), which basically means they have issues with their bladder for undetermined reasons. Your vet may still recommend dietary changes or a prescription diet, medications and/or supplements to help manage the condition.

What if there are no medical reasons for my cat’s inappropriate urination?

Inappropriate urination is when your cat is peeing in your home in places other than their litter box. It can happen for medical reasons but it can also become an entrenched behavior that can be very frustrating to deal with. I am planning another post that specifically addresses this behavior and a few solutions that often help control it. You may need to limit your cat’s access to parts of your house for a while, until you can get your cat to stop the behavior. .

Advice for managing cats with urinary problems

I am also living with a urinary cat, so I will be posting more on this topic in the future! I don’t want to leave this post without giving you some personal advice for dealing with a cat with urinary problems.

There is hope. My number-one piece of advice to someone dealing with this problem is to work on reducing your cat’s stress. Try a pheromone product like Feliway and/or a supplement such as Zylkene

If you can, I would also make sure your cat is getting enough water, preferably through their diet. I personally believe that cats do much better eating a canned “wet food” diet instead of a dry kibble and this is especially true for urinary cats. Cats have a low thirst drive and have evolved to get most of their water needs met through their diet; canned food is closer to their preferred diet of small rodents than kibble is. For more about the medical side of feeding a cat click here.

Stressed cats in the Springtime…is it raining kittens?

Springtime stress in cats

Spring is in the air; the flowers are blooming and the outdoor cats are on the prowl.

It is the time of year when vet clinics can expect emergency calls about stressed cats acting out. There is another name for this time of year: it is Blocked-Cat Season!

What does this look like, to a pet parent at home? Click here for more information on urinary problems in cats.

Spring is also the time of year that vet clinics often get calls about cats just acting strange. They might seem agitated when looking out the window (tail thrashing, fur around the scruff standing up, vocalizing more than usual).

Maybe they have started some destructive claw-sharpening maneuvers on the living room furniture or carpets.

You might discover that your cat is choosing to eliminate in a corner of the basement instead of his litter box.

Of course, it is always a good idea to have your cat checked by a vet if their behavior changes suddenly. Cats tend to be good at hiding it when they don’t feel well, and often don’t show overt symptoms until they really don’t feel well.

But sometimes these behavior changes don’t indicate a medical issue so much as show that your cat is feeling stressed. Luckily, there are things you can do to reduce stress, if that is the primary problem.

You can help your stressed cat!

First, try and figure out WHAT is causing the cat to feel so stressed, if you can. Click here to see a partial list of feline stressors.

Second, once you think you have an idea of what might be causing your cat to react, try to get rid of the problem. It is not always an option, of course. If your cat is upset about a new addition to the household, for instance, they might just have to learn how to deal with it. Read on, all is not lost.

Third, if you can’t figure out what is causing the problem (and have had a vet check for medical issues) or you know what it is but can’t get rid of the problem (you are not returning the new couch or sending the infant back with the stork), then try a pheromone-releasing product or a stress-reducing nutraceutical (over-the-counter nutritional supplement meant for a therapeutic purpose) like Zylkene. They help, and sometimes they help a lot.

Of course, stress in cats is not limited to springtime. But there is a reason why vets often see an uptick in these problems in the Spring…and it happened to one of mine.

One April a few years ago, I knew MC seemed more stressed than usual (he is a high-stress cat under normal circumstances). He is also, after all, The Worst Cat in the World.

MC’s stress lead directly to life-threatening health problems. He spent several days in hospital and had a major operation. He survived. We got lucky, there are no two ways about it.

Why was my cat stressed?

MC healed well and came home to a long recovery, but we still hadn’t figured out what had caused him to block. Until one I was leaving the house and saw this:

This beautiful ball of fluff is my neighbors darling cat Belle, and she had adopted my tree as her favorite place to birdwatch.

No wonder MC was so upset! He had been watching her taunt him from the window. He must have been thinking “How dare she trespass on my property!” It doesn’t even matter that he is an indoor-only cat and has never been in the front yard.

I had a quick discussion with my neighbor and Ms Belle was confined to her own yard. The primary problem was solved (this time) and stress reduction followed for MC.

If your have a stressed cat in the springtime, check around and see if there are outdoor cats hanging around.

As the weather gets nicer, the outdoor cats in my neighborhood become more visible. In Portland it sometimes seems like it rains kittens and cats in the Spring.

List of things that Stess Cats Out

11 things that stress cats out

11 Things that could be taking the chill out of your cat!

Cats don’t generally deal well with change, which is one of the things they have in common with children. If your cat is acting stressed, here are a few of things things that might be causing it concern (in no particular order):

  • Fleas/parasites
  • A guest is visiting
  • A new roommate, human or animal, has joined your tribe
  • A new piece of furniture, or a change in furniture location
  • Home repairs or renovations. Yes, even your neighbor’s renovations can stress your cat out!
  • Human’s schedule has changed (sleeping in on weekends included-your cat is convinced you have died and forgotten to feed him first)
  • Holiday decorations inside or outside of the home
  • Repeated loud noises, like fireworks or jack hammers etc
  • Roomba or other kind of robotic household device that moves around independently
  • Balloons/Inflatable toys
  • Sudden change in human’s appearance-shaved a beard, got a new hat etc

This list is only a partial list, because in truth it is never ending! Each cat is going to have it’s own unique list of things that stress it out, and like the contrary creatures they are, your cat may react one time and not another.

They key is to try and think of what has changed recently, from your cat’s perspective. Don’t forget to consider factors outside of your house as well. Even weather changes can inadvertently lead to a stressed cat. Click here for more on Springtime stress in cats!

Zylkene Capsules Product Review

Zylkene

Zylkene 225mg capsules

What does it claim to do?

Zylkene claims to reduce stress-related behaviors in some cats and dogs. It is marketed specifically for periods of high stress, such as for grooming appointments or moving into a new home. You can also use it for longer-term issues like anxiety and fear-based behaviors.

What is it made from?

Zylkene is a nutraceutical, which is a high quality supplement that is over the counter (no prescription needed) and is usually used for a therapeutic purpose (in this case, stress-reduction).

Zylkene is made from cow’s milk which has been processed into a powder and treated in such a way that the protein structure is broken into little tiny bits (hydrolyzed). I spoke with the company that makes Zylkene, and they confirmed that this product is safe for pets with food allergies, since the milk proteins would be too small for the immune system to recognize and react to. If you pet has severe food allergies, I would still check with your vet before trying it.

There are a bunch of studies that indicate that milk proteins can lower the stress-response in many mammals, including humans. The mechanism(s) that might explain why are currently being examined, but several different milk-based supplements are out there that make similar claims to Zylkene (including some designed for humans).

If you are interested in the science behind the use of milk proteins as a “functional” food, here is a good place to start.

How is it used?

Follow the dosing instructions. Usually one or more capsules are given to your pet once a day.  You can open the capsules and add the powder added directly to their food. I ordered the 225mg capsules, so my cat takes approximately 75mg or one-third of a capsule with breakfast every morning.

My experience with Zylkene…

I have been using this product for over a month with my cat MC, The Worst Cat in the World. My primary reason for using it is to reduce his anxiety and stress, especially in the evenings. He goes on hours-long rampages in the kitchen after dinner, every night. I was hoping this product would stop or at least lower the behavior a notch or two.

It has worked for me!

No, it does not make him a normal cat. He is still the Worst Cat in the World. But from the first day he started this supplement I have noticed a difference in his after-dinner behavior.

He still goes in the kitchen, gets on the counters and gets into stuff. He does it less, though, and he is much less frantic about the whole thing. Instead of two hours of tearing into the kitchen screaming at me, he spends 10 minutes checking things out. He might meow, but not the full-throated scream. I can calm him down with some pets and attention. That never worked before I started using Zylkene.

I believe that overall he seems a bit more relaxed. He does not seemed drugged or out-of-it or anything like that. It is a subtle but noticeable change. The effects seemed stronger the first week he was taking it, but even 5 weeks in I still see the results.

It is easy to give him, as I just mix the dose with his morning wet food. He doesn’t see it in there. I have not noticed any side effects.

Recommend?

Yes, I would recommend Zylkene for cats and dogs. It isn’t a miracle product and does not claim to be. It can’t turn a Cujo into a Lassie. But if your pet has problems with situational or general anxiety or stress, it might help. You can use Zylkene along with a pheromone-based product like Feliway or Adaptil for additional stress reduction. It can also be used in conjunction with behavioral medications. Always check with your vet if you are unsure.

But if your pet is reactive to situations or is overall just a stressed kind of furbaby, it is worth a try! I plan to use this product in all of my dogs for the 4th of July, and will update this review after that.

Where can you get it?

I ordered it off Amazon.com, though your local pet shop or vet may have it in stock.

Check out the manufacturer website here.

Welcome to My Wicked Tribe!

My Wicked tribe

Thanks for checking out my site, and welcome!

My Wicked Tribe, or just the Tribe, is the group name I use for my collection of crazy, zany and silly pet animals. Over the years these pets have included everything from fish, reptiles, amphibians, rodents, birds and rabbits up to the current crop of chickens, cats and dogs. You can learn more about me and my current Tribe here.

This site is geared for pet parents, particularly those owned by a dog or cat, who are not in veterinary medicine. It is for people who are looking for help with their pet challenges. Especially the challenges of managing multiple pets with kids in the house. If you feel overwhelmed by all of the information that is floating around on the internet, then this site is for you!

I want to help you be the best pet parent you can be. By sharing my personal experiences with you I hope to give you some tools you can use to solve your pet-related problems.

I also hope you find these posts entertaining. Sometimes, all you can do is laugh at the insane situations that having pets will get you into!

This is not a medical website and I can not give you medical advice.

I am not a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM). I can, however, offer you the perspective and experience of someone who worked in veterinary medicine for 10 years. Think of me as that vet-working friend you text at 8pm to ask about flea control.

Please use this site in conjunction with, not instead of, your regular veterinarian.

I am open to comments about and ideas for this site! I have a list of things I think would be useful to write about, but I do intend this to be a long-term project. So if I haven’t written about something you are interested yet, let me know!

You can find my summary blog page here.

Come on in and join My Wicked Tribe

To read our disclosures, click here. To read our TOS and privacy notice, click here.
Scroll Up