Be sure your Pet doesn't "FALL" into Danger

While Fall is a great time to be outdoors and have fun with your pets, please beware of some dangers that the fall weather brings.
1.  Compost Pile -- Composting is a great way to reuse and recycle your yard waste.  Unfortunately, decomposing organic material may contain mycotoxins that can cause hyperthermia, agitation, excessive panting or drooling, and even seizures.  Be sure to place your compost pile in an area where your dog or cat will not be able to access it.

2.  Rat/Mice Poisions -- As the cool weather arrives, mice and rats like to make their way indoors.  Since most of us don't care to share our abode with those types of furry creatures, the natural response is to set out poison.  Always place traps or poisons in an area that is not accessible to your pet.

3.  Cold weather -- Pets that are used to being indoors are susceptible to the cold weather, especially if they have a short coat.  A Dog and Two Cats has a nice selection of sweaters, coats, and booties that will keep your pet warm, fashionable, and safe this winter.

4.  Mushrooms -- Fall is the perfect time for mushrooms to begin to sprout in your yard.  Always be on the lookout for mushrooms because many are toxic to dogs!  Mushroom poisoning can result in vomiting, diarrhea, severe digestive problems or even liver failure.

5.  Antifreeze -- Each year more than 10,000 dogs and cats are accidentally poisoned with antifreeze.  Pets are attracted to the sweet taste and it only takes 1-2 teaspoons to kill a cat and 3 to kill a dog.  If your car leaks antifreeze, please have it fixed. Also, keep extra antifreeze out of the reach of your pets.

6.  Holiday Plants -- Many holiday plants have proven to be dangerous to pets.  A quick list to avoid includes:  holly, amaryllis, mistletoe, poinsettia, Christmas and Thanksgiving cactus, chrysanthemum, and burning bush. 

Fall is a great season to enjoy many activities.  Just make sure that this season is just as enjoyable for your pets!

A Dog and Two Cats is celebrating the beginning of Fall with their "FALL into Savings" with some fantastic deals!  Don't wait too long because quantities are limited!

Summer Time Tips

On this first day of summer, our friends have a few valuable summertime ideas and tips to share with you.

1.  Invite some friends over for a dip in the pool.

2.  Find creative ways to stay cool.














3.  Adequately protect yourself from the dangers of UV rays.

4.  When sunbathing, don't forget to turn over every 30 minutes.

5.  Take time to have a little cool refreshment!

Enjoy your summer!!!

Your Friends at A Dog and Two Cats.com.

Fitness & Your Pet!

I want to talk about exercise both for you and your pet.  Finding the motivation to exercise, for me, is almost has hard as keeping Lindsey Lohan in rehab. Now you may be thinking, “great, another article about what I should be doing.”  No, I’m not here to beat anyone up about exercise.  My intent is to focus on “fitness”.  A good diet, mental stimulation, socializing and simply being a part of the family, is very important in keeping both you and your pet “fit”. 

 

Let’s talk about dogs first. 

We all know what can happen when we don’t give our pets the avenues to expend their energy.  They can become destructive, anxious or frustrated, causing numerous behavior problems.  Dogs especially, retain a certain amount of work ethic and the desire to “keep busy” so it’s deeply ingrained their DNA.

We all know the benefits of walking and the exercise that it provides.  Experts say you should walk your pet daily.  That’s great if you do, wonderful in fact.  But on those days when it’s just not appealing or convenient, then why not just play?   Fitness and exercise are not just a health issues.  They can have a significant effect on your pet’s day-to-day behavior as well. 

Playing with your pet has several benefits.  There is exercise being exerted when you play, by both you and your pet.  There’s usually some mental stimulation especially if you incorporate some training sessions.  I go over and over the training that my beloved Golden Retriever, “Jazz”, has already received in an attempt to keep her sharp.  We love to teach her cute new tricks and she’s always happy to participate.  The whole family gets involved and it’s a great way to spend a little time together as a family. 

Other “disguised” exercises would be swimming, playing fetch, hide & seek or other games and going to dog parks.   All great ways to have a little fun while keeping fitness as the main objective.  If the weather’s bad, don’t let that stifle your pet’s exercise program.  Buy them a treadmill…why not?!  A Dog and Two Cats offers a Motorized Exercise Treadmill for your pets.  This treadmill was selected as the Top Pet Fitness and Weight Loss Product by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP).  Check out this video:

How much exercise does your dog need? 

It’s hard to say.  Factors like overall health and age can determine the amount needed.  For example a pup will need a lot more than a 7 year old.  Some general rules of thumb:

• Active breeds need a minimum of 30 minutes of hard aerobic exercise most days of the week, preferably daily.
• Not all toy or small breeds get enough exercise inside the house (contrary to popular belief). Pugs, for example, are prone to obesity and need much more exercise than they usually get.
• It's not safe to go out in extremely hot or cold weather. During such periods, stay inside and teach tricks to engage your dog's mind, throw toys, or run up and down the stairs together.
• Good exercise uses both mental and physical muscles. Exploring a new hiking trail, for example, engages your dog's mind as well as his body.
• Live by the philosophy that a tired dog is a good dog.

Why you should play with your Cat

• Interactive playing (you playing with your cat) lets your cat hone his hunting skills: seeking the enemy target, making the stealthy approach, pouncing with conviction, relishing the victory.
• Exercise from playing helps your cat maintain a healthy weight.
• Playing is a positive way for your cat to release negative energy or aggression.
• Interactive playing strengthens the bond between your cat and you.
• Playing helps a shy cat gain confidence.
• A hearty play session is a good way to ease your cat's transition to a new home.

How to exercise your indoor Cat. 

Your prince or princess lives in the safe happiness within the warm sanctuary of your home.  Day-to-day living just doesn’t involve tremendous output of calories.  BUT, exercise is just as important for your cat’s health as it is for yours.  Get creative!

Here are some tips:   

Set up a climbing area such as a cat tree house.  We sell them on our site and they are fantastic!  Or cat hotel, scratching post or elevated beds.   Let your cat climb and play to his or her heart’s content.  It’s great exercise for your pet. 

We sell great cat toys on our site that are both interactive and just plain fun.  There are laser beam toys, puzzles and feather poles & catnip toys, all great ways to engage and exercise your cats. 

The Bottom Line

The thing is, nobody gave our pets “the memo” on all of the benefits of fitness & exercise. Without someone to lead the way, they’re not going to run laps nor do leg lifts in their spare time. So as a wonderful pet parent, part of our job is ensuring our furry family members get safe, enjoyable exercise on a regular basis--whether they’re cats or dogs.   All pets need some physical activity to live a happy, healthy life.  As always, consult your vet first before starting an exercise routine. 

The Making of a Dog Collar

A Dog and Two Cats is now offering a collection of fine handmade beaded collars from Kenya.  The goal of the Kenyan Collection is to demonstrate that products made in Africa can compete in the global marketplace, while at the same time creating employment for the artisans, in the hope that they will have an investment in, and an opportunity to change, their own future and the future of their children. The company generates income for over 200 Kenyans who otherwise might earn as little as $1,500 a year.

Joan Schultz, the owner, was living in Kenya when a group of Maasai herded 13 of their precious cattle to the US Embassy in Nairobi to express their condolences to the families affected by the events of September 11.  “The gift of the cattle, which are so precious to the Maasai, was a way to say how wrong that event was and how sorry they were for our losses.  It made me realize that we all have 'gifts' to share and we do what we can to make a difference to help each other in spite of our own constraints.”   What we are doing is not charity or a hand-out, but just as the Maasai and many other Kenyans extended their hand in sympathy and concern in their own way, we are reciprocating in our way by providing guidance and presenting their talents to a demanding market.

Ms. Schultz notes that many Kenyans live on less than $1,000 a year. “We contemplated setting up as a non-profit to take advantage of the tax breaks and fund raising opportunities available. But to the Kenyans we represent, that sounded like another way to ask for money or to manage expectations about the products they produce,” Joan stated. “They want to change the image of Kenya as a country with its hand out, one with few real business opportunities”.

This venture brings interest in Kenya and its culture, employs Americans directly and indirectly and provides a product that allows us to adorn our pets that bring joy, better health and service to our lives.  They also regularly donate collars to rescue and service companion organizations for fund raising or to bring attention to a special adoptable pet. “We don’t want your donations” explains Ms. Schultz, “what we want is for you to feel good about every aspect of your purchase from The Kenyan Collection, especially knowing that your money goes a long way in influencing the lives of others.”


View the entire collection on our website.

March Madness

Lions and Tigers and Dogs! Oh, My! While it is often said that "March comes in like a Lion and out like a Lamb", we suspect that college basketball fans may not share that same opinion. As competition reaches fear pitch, teams are vying for the top four spots. Winning those coveted victories to emerge as one of the final four teams is the top of the mountain top. Every fan knows that, right?

March Madness began with a tournament in 1908 and Henry V Porter wrote an article called “March Madness”. From that article he wrote: "A little March madness may complement and contribute to sanity and help keep society on an even keel". We couldn’t agree more.

If you are like most college basketball fans who follow the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, you’ve already noticed lots of “Cats” & “Dogs” are usually invited to the “Big Dance.” Why, you might wonder? Well, could it be that “Cats” have the characteristics of ferocity, determination, and competitiveness and “Dogs” those of courage, aggressiveness & true grit.

No wonder colleges choose either of these for their mascots!

Which Teams Have Dog or Cat Mascots?

The 2010 tournament started with 64 teams, and 21 of those teams were some kind of cat or dog mascot. That’s about 33% off all the teams in the tournament! (20% “Cats” & 13% “Dogs”) Here’s a list of the 2010 tournament teams that have battle-ready catalysts or dogmatic determination for team spirit:

• Kentucky Wildcats

• Wofford Terriers

• Washington Huskies

• New Mexico Lobos

• Clemson Tigers

• Missouri Tigers
• Texas A&M Aggies
• Siena Saints
• Old Dominion Monarchs
• Sam Houston St Bearkats
• Villanova Wildcats
• Northern Iowa Panthers
• Tennessee Volunteers
• Georgetown Hoyas
• Ohio Cougars
• Vermont Catamounts
• Gonzaga Bulldogs
• Butler Bulldogs
• Pittsburgh Panthers
• Brigham Young Cougars
• Kansas St Wildcats

So what does this have to do with our other ”significant other”?  Well, felines & canines know how to get into the game too. However, unlike us, they don’t have a whole month dedicated to the sport like March Madness. Instead, dogs & cats playing basketball just get their “15-minutes of fame” through the waves of the Internet.

If you surf the Internet for videos on dogs or cats playing basketball, you will see a wide range of talent. Some felines and canines can dribble, others rebound, and a few shoot. Our personal favorite? The “alley oops” (See videos below).

We don’t care who wins, but we’re sure hoping it’s some kind of cat or dog! Fans like to get the whole family involved, especially our pets!

Whoever you cheer for, good luck and visit our website. You can check out the “team sports” section under Dress Up, Dine or Play for the team specific jerseys, bowls, collars and more. We have the dog toys or cat toys ready too! Go Team!

Don't Call Me "HAL" -itosis that is....

Many people overlook dental hygiene for their pets because they just expect them to have bad breath!  Dental hygiene is just as important to your pet’s overall heath as things like nutrition, proper exercise and routine grooming.

Since February is Pet Dental Month, I thought it would be a good idea to spend a little time talking about dental care for your dogs and cats. Did you know that 85% of adult cats and dogs are affected by periodontal disease?  Plaque builds up on the teeth and turns into tartar, or calculus. These areas grow bacteria and eat away at the teeth and gums. Halitosis, periodontal disease, oral pain and tooth loss can occur. However, the bacteria not only cause disease in the mouth – they can also affect other parts of the body, like the heart and kidneys. The most important thing to do is try to prevent dental disease by regular maintenance of your pet’s teeth.

There are several things you can do to help keep your dog or cat’s teeth in good shape. Start a dental care routine as early as possible in your pet’s life so they can get used to the feeling of having their teeth brushed and inspected.

1. NEVER brush your pet’s teeth with human toothpaste!! Use special toothpaste made specifically for your dog or cat. This toothpaste gives you a remedy for your pet's bad breath; even if your pets swallow the toothpaste, it will not harm them because of its harmless formulation; and pets are attracted to toothpaste because of the flavors like poultry and beef. 

A Dog and Two Cats.com offers an anti-tartar toothpaste that has a delicious poultry taste (for dogs and cats), a “Kissable” toothpaste for dogs that is all-natural with a vanilla flavor and a Dental Care Kit for Cats that contains a malt flavored toothpaste.

2.  Plaque begins to turn into tartar / calculus within 24-48 hours, so daily brushing is recommended for dogs.  Every other day cleaning provides control of tartar in most cats.   When brushing use a “finger brush” or special long toothbrush designed for use on your pets. When starting out with brushings, the finger brush can help ease your dog into it, as these do not feel as awkward as hard brushes. 

We have several toothbrushes to choose from.  A “Kissable” toothbrush for dogs with a double headed toothbrush that makes it easy to clean all 3 sides of the tooth (also comes with toothpaste); a Dental Care Kit for Cats that has a toothbrush specifically designed for cats, a finger brush, gauze pads, and toothpaste; and a double-headed toothbrush for dogs that also comes with toothpaste.

3. Before you begin, ask your veterinarian to show you some techniques to make tooth brushing easier on you and your pet.

If you are not able to brush your pet’s teeth, don’t be discouraged because there are many new products on the market to help maintain good tooth health.  Consider using special dental treats and/or sprays and gels that can be used to help prevent tartar. There is also a dental rinse that can be added to your pet’s water bowl.  The goal of all these products is to help slow the progression of the periodontal disease.

A Dog and Two Cats.com carries gels, sprays, dental rinses, and dental treats to help you in your pet’s dental health.  Check out our N-Bones Pearly Whites Dental Bone or Bone-A-Mints for dogs. 

Pearly Whites contain clove, a natural astringent, to kill the bacteria that causes tartar buildup. Calcium carbonate and vitamin D3 have been added to build strong and healthy teeth while tri-calcium phosphate will remove tartar during chewing. With the breath freshening powder of peppermint and parsley, your companion can show off those pearly whites with cool minty fresh breath.

Bone-A-Mints® Wheat Free removes plaque, tartar and freshens breath for unbeatable triple action power. Peppermint, parsley, fennel, dill and chlorophyll freshens breath while tri-calcium phosphate is used to remove plaque and tartar during chewing. Now there is an "Everyday" breath freshening treat for companions with allergies to wheat.

For your feline companions try our “Breath Fresh” Dental Rinse or our Oral Care Spray.

The Dental Rinse is a special blend of purified water, food-grade yucca extract and mint oil help reduce odor-causing bacteria, eliminate bad breath and minimize digestive tract odors.  Easy to use - just add it daily to your cat's water.

Our peppermint flavored Oral Care Spray removes plaque and tartar from your pet's teeth--no toothbrush required! Made with all-natural, holistic ingredients, Oral Care Spray safely removes plaque and tartar, reverses oral disease, promotes healthy gums, brightens teeth and kills the bacteria that causes bad breath. We guarantee a 100% refund of your purchase price if you are not satisfied and when you return the unused portion.

Many vets encourage you to bring your pet in annually for teeth cleaning. If you take the time at home to keep your pet’s teeth clean, this should prevent excessive professional cleanings from your vet.  However, the vet will check for other dental problems that may occur such as cavities, broken or extra teeth, severe oral cavity inflammation, and mouth cancer.  So... don’t neglect those vet visits!

Maybe, just maybe, your pet will enjoy the toothbrushing experience as much as this cat:   

Don't forget that A Dog and Two Cats.com is offering a 10% discount on all dog and cat wellness products the entire month of February!
Just enter the code "HEALTH" during checkout.

Happy Cleaning!!

Your Friends at A Dog and Two Cats.com

Apps for the Pet Lover

OK, raise your paws if you’re a smart phone user!  I must confess that I’m addicted….  My whole life is now cataloged on my iPad – appointments, to do lists, medicines, medical history, passwords, stocks, budgets and on it goes.  So why was I surprised when I began to find app after app for pets??  There are literally thousands of apps pertaining to dogs, cats and their owners, ranging from functional to fun.  Here is a brief list of some of the interesting ones that I’ve discovered:

Organizers

PetMinder - Make no bones about it — managing the needs of a dog requires organization. If you’re not naturally gifted with the o-skill, then try PetMinder which schedules reminders for events related to your pet, such as vaccinations, grooming, training sessions, play dates and more, with e-mail reminders available to give you the timely nudge you might need.

Pet Master Free - The ultimate organizer to keep track all of your pets’ health and details.  Add personal details, medication tracking, list of allergies, medical contacts (as well as groomer, sitter, etc), regular appointments, identification tracking and notes.

Pet Tracker -Keep track of your pet’s vital information. With Paw Card, you can create unlimited profiles for your dogs, cats, and other pets. Track your pet’s medications and weight (including graphs). Create notes and journal entries. Save veterinary contacts and vaccination history. Record identification tags and medical conditions.  Easily email your pet’s paw card to the dog walker, pet sitter, or vet.

Health

Pet First Aid - This app is loaded with detailed videos and step-by-step illustrations so you’ll know exactly what to do when caring for your pet. Videos include: restraint, muzzling, CPR, bandaging, and more.  There’s also a separate Cat First Aid app and Dog First Aid app.

Cat Symptoms (or Dog Symptoms) - The PetMD Topic Center gives you fast and convenient access to hundreds of Cat or Dog Health Topics on the go. You can either select a category like for example “Behavioral” or “Digestive” and browse the related topics in that category or use the search function to look for keywords.

Veterinary terms - The PetMD Veterinary Terms will help you to look up over 2000 animal health related issues and find an easy-to-understand plain English explanation. The dictionary works for any animal and will help you decode those complicated veterinary terms.

Locator

Dog Park Finder - The Dog Park Finder displays local dog parks and search results in both map and list forms. Park details include 5 star ratings, fenced and un-fenced markers, hours and days of operation and many other notes and features of the dog park.

Off Leash - As dog owners will know, the most fun your furry friend can have, aside from sniffing other dog’s butts, is to be let off the leash to run riot in a dog park, in which case the former may well happen. In order to help you locate such places – regardless of your zip code – pet food maker Eukanuba’s “Off Leash” app locates the five nearest to your location and provides driving directions to get there.

Pet Services Finder - Searching for the nearest Veterinarian, Groomer or Dog Park? Need a Dog Walker? PetMDʼs Finder helps you locate all services for your petsʼ needs.  You can select any categories and the application will show you the closest service by zip code or relative to your current position. Choose from a list or see the locations displayed on a map with directions.

Petcentric Places - Gives animal lovers an easy to use tool to find pet friendly places and information anytime, anywhere. Want to find your closest dog park? Need to call a local veterinarian? Petcentric Places is here for you.

Looking for a Pet

Cat Breedopedia - PetMD’s Cat Breedopedia is a library of 35+ Cats available at your fingertips. From Abyssinian to York Chocolate, you will find a detailed description of every breed including pictures.  Every Cat breeds contains a detailed description with physical characteristics, personality and temperament, care, health advice is well as the history and background.

Pet Dossier - A digital organizer for your dog, cat, bird, fish, critter and other animals’ information!  This application allows you to have your pet’s essential information available at your fingertips. Keep track of your pet’s medical history, medications, and appointments and be able to email this information directly to your pet’s caregivers. Life can be hectic and it is nice to know that you have Pet Dossier to help you take care of the details.  The cool thing is that 25% of the sale goes to support ASPCA!

Obedience and Training

Dog Obedience - Discover Proven Ways And Methods You Can Use To Get Them To Change! Dogs are still and will always be man's best friend, but they also have to act like it. Increasingly bad behavior will not help them stay in the good graces of their owner. Dog owners that are looking for a solution to the madness will need to adapt to behavioral training methods that will make your dog do a 360 degree turnaround.

Dog Tricks - Dog training is one of those activities best done little and often, so having an app right on your phone with a dog log of training activity means if you have a spare 10 minutes you can fire it up, see the photo and video walk-throughs and give your pooch the chance to practice, whether it be simple tricks such as sitting, or circus-level dog skills like the hoop jump.

It’s funny, but I couldn’t find a single app for training cats.  Wonder why?? *grins*

Games & Entertainment

Dog Translator - Ever wonder what your dog might be trying to tell you? Dog Translator is a Dog-to-English translator that allows your dog to communicate to you in a way that's easy for you to understand.

Cat Translator - The Cat Translator is an entertaining tool to help you learn Catspeak so that you can better understand and communicate with cats. (It is also a great party trick when you would rather communicate to other humans through the voice of a cat!)  This app has a comprehensive library of English phrases that are accurately translated to Catspeak (meows).  This will have you laughing, repeating, and most importantly, understanding meows in no time!

Virutal Dog (or Virtual Cat) - Adopt your virtual pet home today! Virtual Cat (or Dog) will be your best friend as long as you keep him fed, play with him, and pay attention to him. Don’t start slacking though if you neglect your pet, he’ll be off to pet heaven with the others.

Fail Dog - If you own a dog, chances are you have a sense of humor. We’ve saved the last slot for the very funny iPhone app from the Fail Dogs blog, promising chortles galore as you browse the galleries of dogs that fail so very badly at being just that. Enjoy!

Games for Cats

Yes, you read that correctly. Apps designed for your cat to play!!  (For this category I couldn’t find a single dog app. Hmm…)

Cat Toy - Dear human. It is required that you bring me this new cat toy. I have heard that it has a mouse that squeaks, a butterfly that flaps, a spider that splats and a laser pointer, and that all these react to my paw's touch. I am intrigued. Bring this toy to me and I will see whether it amuses me to play with it.

Games for Cats - Chase a laser! Chase a mouse! See how many points your cat can rack up.  This crazy fast action packed game will keep your cat (and your guests) entertained for hours.

Apps for Cats - Is your pet fascinated my moving things? App For Cats will make you laugh as your best friend tries to figure out what is going on. Touch the little critters and they make a noise and speed up.  Shake the device to get a different background and creature.

Social Networks

Do you love Facebook?  If so, you might be interested in these:

Catbook - It's a community of over 1 million cat lovers and over 700,000 cats on Facebook.  Keep a diary of your cat's life, locate other cats by breed or location, and then "friend" them. Make friends with dogs, horses, ferrets and even fish. Share in discussion groups. Lost your cat? Use "Meow Alerts" to let everyone in the vicinity know right away and how to contact you.

Dogbook - It's a community of over 2 million dog lovers on Facebook.  Keep a diary of your dog's life, locate other dogs by breed or location, and then "friend" them. Make other cats, horses, fish and even ferrets their friend as well. Find parks nearby and share stories, photos and more. Lost your dog? Found a dog? Use "Arf Alerts" to let everyone in the vicinity know right away and how to contact you.



Let us know if you have some favorite pet apps!  We love to hear from you.

Welcome to our blog

We thought that it would be appropriate for our first blog to introduce ourselves to the cyber world.  I’m Charlotte Barnett and my business partner is Sherry Watts.  We’re co-owners of an online store offering unique, hard to find and unusual pet products for dog and cat lovers, all within one shopping experience called “ADogAndTwoCats.com”.  It’s a rather unusual name, but since Sherry has a beautiful Golden Retriever named “Jazz” and I have two domestic shorthair cats named “Boomer” and “Mandy”, we thought the name made sense.  :-)

We decided to create ADogAndTwoCats.com, after not being able to find the unique, fun, entertaining, and healthy pet products we wanted for our pets, all in one place. Our company offers a variety of high end, high style pet products for dog and cat owners who share our company’s philosophy of ‘they’re not just pets, they’re family”.  The other thing that sets us apart from the crowd is that we are totally focused on customer service.  YOU and your pets come first!!

Now for the really important stuff…. Let us introduce our pets! 

Sherry:  Jazz is a 6 year old dark red Golden Retriever.  We got her as a pup and she “picked” us!  She’s very athletic and loves to play with other dog friends .  She also loves boating and the water.  If the boat stops, she’s in for a swim!  She’s our “baby girl”. 

Charlotte:  Boomer is an 11 year old domestic shorthair.  My best friend found him up a tree when he was about 6 weeks ago, rescued him, and he's led a wonderful life ever since.  When my best friend passed away nine years ago, he became a part of my family.  Boomer is very out-going, friendly and loves to be with people.

Mandy was a gift to me and what a precious gift.  She is definitely the queen of the house and is so smart.  Mandy's shy and not too trusting of new people, but once she gets to know you, she's extremely loving.  She bats her eyes at me when she wants attention. (It's so cute!)

Our hope is that you will follow our blog and feel free to let us know what you think.  We're excited about this new "journey" that we're on and can't wait to connect with you.

Charlotte