Tips to Keep Pets Safe and Happy

Pets bring their owners much joy with their unconditional love. Like any living thing, they require care and maintenance.
Although the best way to take care of pets is to have them live inside with you, this is not always possible. For instance, I own several cats--which makes having all of them inside impossible. Therefore, some of these tips deal with the best way to care for not only indoor pets, but also outdoor pets.

Most pets, indoor or outdoor, will run to greet you when you leave or arrive home. Often, outdoor pets will approach you anytime you are outside. When they do, take time to pet them, comb their fur, talk to them, and reward them for coming to you by offering them snacks.

For both outdoor and indoor pets, get personalized collars with their name and your vet's phone number and address. If you can afford it, microchip your pets.

Whether an indoor or an outdoor pet, have your females spayed and your males neutered. This will prevent pets from wandering during mating seasons, cut down on the fighting between them, and reduce territorial marking. Male pets mark their territory by spraying a musky urine onto your foundation and landscaping, producing, as you can imagine, a strong pungent and very unpleasant smell.

If your pets are outdoor pets, make sure they have a place to sleep that is safe from other animals. Pets will be most at risk for being attacked by other animals or run over by vehicles at night, so call them before dusk, put them in the shelter and close the door so they can't get out and wander. Cats sleep 16 hours out of a 24 hour day, so in the daytime they hang around the house or yard. Believe it or not, you can train cats to come to you by whistling, instead of the typical "here kitty, here kitty." The sound of a whistle carries a lot further than "here kitty, here kitty." Once you whistle for them, reward them with food. Soon, every time you whistle, they will come.

Our cats sleep in cardboard boxes lined with old blankets or sweaters. I have tried straw, but found they defecated and urinated in the straw. Then, I tried pine pellets, but found some of my cats are allergic to the pine causing severe congestion. The blankets and the sweaters work well because they are easily replaced. Once their bedding is soiled, wash or replace with clean blankets or sweaters. You can purchase blankets and sweaters pretty cheaply at Salvation Army or Goodwill stores.

If you have an outdoor pet, put up a protective fence to keep the pet out of the road and/or take him to pet training to teach the pet not to leave the yard. Hartz sells several Yard Control and Fencing Systems. For cats, put pet resistant screening over the top of the fence to keep them in the yard.

Many people leave dogs in small cages for the entire day, but personally, I think this is inhumane. If you want to confine a dog for short time periods in a cage, that is one thing, but don't leave them there for a whole day. Better alternatives would be to build a large dog run, take them to doggy daycare (where they aren't caged), or hire someone to exercise them and play with them. If you live in or near Pontiac, Illinois, dog walking is a service that I provide as part of my errand services business.

For outdoor pets, make sure that your outdoor shelter is weather proof. If you live in a climate that stays cold for several months out of the year (like it does here in Central Illinois), place heat lamps, or even a space heater that turns off if tipped over, in their shelter. The heat lamps can be hung above where pets sleep. During the day, in Summer months, open the doors to the shelter, so it can cool off.

Feed your pets at least twice a day and vary their food from day to day. In other words, don't give them chicken flavored food everyday--alternate with turkey, tuna, and beef. (My cats like their dry food alternated with moist food.) Make sure that you are giving them food that will help in controlling hair balls (for cats) and probiotics to stimulate bowels. It is best, if they are outside pets, to feed them during the day. That way, there will not be food left out for pesky night critters like skunks, possums, and raccoons. At dusk, take any food that they don't eat and discard in a garbage bag, then place in a sealed garbage can. Always, always, make sure pets have fresh, cold water. You don't want to drink tepid water--neither do they. Don't forget to clean their dishes every day.

Provide shade for your pets to rest somewhere outside of their shelter. Areas that are free of vegetation, but shaded, work best, as these will also not be infested with fleas, ticks, mosquitoes and other pesky bugs. If you don't have trees, put up a patio umbrella or two. If you use pesticides anywhere on your property, make sure that these are not harmful to pets. Hartz Ultra Guard Yard and Kennel Spray can be used safely. To reduce fleas and ticks, provide places for your pet to sit that are vegetation free. My cats love to sit on my patio, which is shaded and cool during certain parts of the day.

Do use flea collars and check their fur for fleas and ticks. Check with your vet on the best way to treat fleas and ticks. Often, it is advised that you not use certain flea and tick powders or ointments on kittens, elderly, or fragile pets.

In extreme weather conditions, find a space for your pets that will be cool in the Summer and warm in the Winter, such as an enclosed porch. Even a large number of pets will tolerate being cooped up together for short time periods during extreme weather conditions.

If you have elderly, fragile, ill and young animals, keep them in an enclosed space with a controlled environment, separate from other pets.

By keeping pets in a controlled environment during severe hot or humid weather, they are protected from heatstroke. Signs of heat stroke include excessive panting, staring, glazed eyes, drooling, warm dry kin, high fever, rapid heartbeat, vomiting or even fainting or collapse.

If you see any of these signs, get your pet into an air conditioned area, offer them cool water, and call your vet. He or she can give you instructions on how to proceed. The vet may have you bring the pet in immediately. If someone else can go with you to the vet, have them drive while you try to get the pet's temperature down by applying cool, wet towels, and ice packs to the head. Using a thermometer, check your pet's temperature every five to ten minutes. Once the temperature is down, stop, or you could cause hypothermia in your pet.

Sources:

Hartz Ultra Guard Yard and Kennel Spray,http://www.petco.com/petco_Page_PC_productlist_Nav_631_N_22+4294956682.aspx

Yard Control and Fencing Systems,http://www.petco.com/petco_Page_PC_productlist_Nav_631_N_22+4294956682.aspx