Monthly Archives: March 2012

In today’s article, we’ll explore the topic of hives. Last night, while relaxing in bed, my pit bull Cooper randomly broke out in hives. We successfully managed the allergic reaction with Benadryl and prednisone, but despite … Read More

Every bird owner should know about blood feathers: what they are, how to identify one and what to do if it starts to bleed! A broken blood feather can be a life-threatening situation for the bird, … Read More

When I was in college, a stranger came into my house through a basement window, stole valuables from myself and my roommates, and got away scot-free. While there is a strong sense of violation associated with … Read More

Many animal lovers (erroneously) use the terms “feral cat” and “stray cat” interchangeably. In reality, there are some major differences between ferals and strays. It’s important to understand these differences (and how to identify a feral … Read More

All too often, a cat owner who can no longer keep their pet will release the pet into the “wild” instead of rehoming the cat or bringing it to a shelter. In this article, we’ll explore … Read More

Virtually all pet rats in the United States are affected by a bacteria known as mycoplasma. This can cause a number of health problems, including breathing difficulties, pneumonia and a red discharge from the eyes, known … Read More

Caring for a pet’s incision following a surgery is an important part of the recovery process. Proper care, combined with monitoring, is vital, as inappropriate care may result in delayed healing or infection. Firstly, it’s important … Read More

Fabric is an economical, clean option for pet rat bedding, especially if you own “sphinx” or hairless rats. Fabric bedding has a number of benefits over traditional bedding materials such as woodchips and recycled paper bedding … Read More

Monitoring a pet’s incision after surgery is an important part of post-operative care. Infections, suture problems, and other issues can result in a life-threatening situation for the pet, so it’s vital that owners closely monitor the … Read More

Just like house cats, a stray or feral cat may develop an infection in their incision following a spaying or neutering procedure. Unfortunately, these cats often have more in common with wild animals (vs. your household … Read More

The approach for caring for a stray or feral cat after spaying or neutering will largely depend on the animal’s behavior. In the case of a fairly tame cat, it’s best to keep the cat for … Read More

In several recent articles, I’ve discussed the process for trapping adult strays and feral cats. But one issue that I have not discussed is trapping feral kittens and the mother. So today, I’ll discuss some of … Read More

Stray and feral cat caretakers may encounter a situation when they need to capture one of the colony members to treat an injury, illness or to spay or neuter the cat as part of a TNR … Read More

If you’re overseeing a feral cat colony, there will come a time when you need to trap a cat for spaying/neutering or for the care of an injury or illness. If you keep an animal for … Read More

If you’re a stray and feral cat caretaker, one of the main priorities will be spaying and neutering via a TNR — trap, neuter (or spay) and return program. In order to bring a feral or … Read More

Many communities offer low-cost or no-cost spay-neuter clinics available to stray and feral cat caretakers. In fact, yesterday, we had one of our ferals spayed at one of these clinics, which is run by the city’s … Read More