Pet Holiday Gifts List (for their people too)

Whistle: Wonderful gift (Photo by Whistle)

I was watching Santa Buddies with my sons while decorating the Christmas tree and couldn't avoid thinking about what to give to all the pets we have in our family. That kind of distraction redirected my attention to all the dogs I wanted to adopt after the Thanksgiving Fox special show Cause For Paws.

Of course, the first thing to think about was something related to their health, and the gift to come up in my list is Whistle for all the dogs we have around. It's a real cool gadget, developed by the coolest guys in San Francisco. It makes it possible to know what is going on with your dog while you are away (by mobile phone through a nice app) or when you are very close to him. You can monitor the heart rate and know how much time the dog spent playing, sleeping and doing all activities.

The other gift that I am buying for my own pets, of course, is PetziConnect, which will be able to connect me to my cats while I am away at work and traveling. The device makes it possible for you to call your pet through a mobile app and dispense some treats while watching them fetch it. At the same time, I will be able to take photos of them and post it to the social network. Sounds like lots of fun and I can't wait to use it.

PetziConnect is ready to be ordered. Can't wait to connect to pets while away.

ZeeDog: creative and functional gifts (Photo ZeeDog website)

My other choice of a good gift to give is by Zee Dog. Their well-designed toys and accessories are so cute that I wish they would make clothes for my kids, too! These guys know how to make creative stuff like Banana Fruitz, a nice toy to fill up with healthy snacks. I also would love to add this awesome bed to it. It's looking great for all pets, and I am sure that my big white Angora won't mind one of their beds:  the one with "I am the boss" printed looks like just what he needs.

A yearly subscription of Dr. Elsey's cat litter is something I am considering to ask Santa Paws to send to me. After years of searching for the best cat litter ever, I found out about this one, which happens to be really the one everybody approves in the house.  I also will give couple of Lazy Pet Window Perches to some feline parents and maybe consider this fancy scratcher by Pet Fusion to my cats!

GoPro Fetch - See what they see (Photo GoPro website)

For my adventurer friends I will GoPro. Their owners will have a blast seeing through their pets' point of view. I am sure this will help to make their bond stronger.


Last, but not least, I would also buy lots of gifts for the pets I would like to adopt. But currently I have no more room for any pet in our lives. But I can sponsor a pet while they are waiting for a permanent home. For that I will go to Petfinder.com. When I am ready to adopt I will go to choose one furry friend from  Cat Town Cafe cats and a beautiful dog from Humane Society of Silicon Valley.

Guest Blogger: Diary of a Cat Rescuer

  Rosa - Photos by David Kirk

By Leigh Kirk*

Rescue never sleeps. At any given moment, everywhere in our communities, animals’ lives are in jeopardy either in our shelters or on our streets. And it’s always the rescue calls that come in at off hours —7:30 a.m., late at night, a Sunday — that are the most dire.

When you get involved in rescue, it kind of feels like an infinite black hole that sucks you deeper and farther from “normal” life as you know it. It’s really hard to get a day off.

One particular Sunday a couple of months ago, we decided to try and catch a break and not answer the phone. We deserve one day off, right?  At 10:30a.m. the phone rang. I think we were making vegan waffles.  Two hours later, we broke down and listened to the voicemail from a stranger named Rosa.  So much for a Sunday off.

I called Rosa back. In response to a Facebook plea for help, she had just driven 20 miles to pick up a beautiful young orange female cat with her front leg almost severed. A car accident was suspected.  She had since been sighted for two weeks living in this condition on the streets while caring for her kittens. 

My phone chimed. Pictures of this beautiful orange cat with her broken leg arrived by text. As bad as they were, they didn’t quite prepare me for the grizzly sight that greeted us when we met Rosa. We had arranged to meet at our only emergency clinic open on a Sunday. The photos we took at the emergency hospital proved even too graphic to post on our fundraising page for this kitty’s medical expenses. Her front left leg was almost completely severed and the tissue on the lower half of the leg had died during her time on the street.

We learned further that this very sweet and brave kitty had been abandoned in this state by her owner who had moved across town.

We had no choice but to sign up for a night of expensive hospitalization and triage.  It’s always nerve-wracking not knowing where the funds will come from for what could be an expensive medical rescue.  Thanks to the work and commitment of an active volunteer and the strength of her community network, we rallied support to help cover her bills.

The next day we transported her, leg bandaged, to our regular rescue vet. Thank God they generously support the work we do with deep discounts, allowing us to rescue as many animals as the money will stretch to cover. She promptly received the leg amputation she needed to survive. There was no other option. Her recovery was nothing short of miraculous. Seeing resilience and zest for life in the face of this trauma was a true inspiration.

We needed to name her, this was no longer just another cat off the streets.  Orange female cats are unusual – most are male. We wanted a strong female name for her, this orange mother, who cared for her three identical orange boy kittens under those challenging conditions. After some mulling, we decided upon Rosa, the name of the compassionate woman who drove 20 miles to rescue her in response to a Facebook post from a stranger. And we were drawn to the legacy of Rosa Parks, another strong female figure who fought in the face of adversity.

As dark as animal rescue can be, an almost constant dragging on the soul, there are also the moments of light; the people who give, the animals who survive and live lives filled with love, and the community members who choose to rally and give their support for homeless and vulnerable animal in need.

I went back to the apartment complex to find (the cat) Rosa’s kittens.  Rosa (the street rescuer) had asked the kids who lived there to catch them. I arrived after dark to find two of the three kittens in an old white birdcage and the third sibling hanging close to his two jailed siblings. Oh no, I couldn't leave one kitten behind! Saying a prayer, I set a spare humane cat trap that I had in the car.  Little did I realize how much the kittens were starving, so less than a few minutes later, I had the third loose baby in the trap. Off we drove into a much needed sunset. Rosa and her three boy kittens, all orange like her, never looked back. 

Less than three months later, all have been adopted into loving homes, with two of the boys going as a pair, and Rosa flying home to Canada with her new parents. A family of five adopted children await her, a family who understands what it is like to overcome adversity and to find a loving family.

Rosa's kitties (By David Kirk)

* Our guest blogger Leigh Kirk is the president of Forever Meow , dedicated to rescue and save feral and abandoned cats. To read more about Rosa, go to Rosa's Rescue Facebook page.

How to Keep a Snake (or two or three - or 24!))

Diedra (All photos courtesy of Guy W.  www.facebook.com/SelectEctotherms)

When Guy was 6 years old, he caught a snake in a park in Sacramento, California. And he loved the experience. But his mom was not so enthusiastic about his idea of having a pet snake. So she got him a turtle. Throughout his childhood he always had pets like most of us do: a hamster, a rabbit, a cat and dog. Plus the turtle. Mr Wassather, as the boys call him, is a teacher at my kids' school, had to wait up to grow up to get what he wanted. And he got it: there was Darwin, his first ball python, when he was 20 years old.

                                                    Vassa, by GW

And now... He currently has six adults and 18 babies snakes, and a Mexican red-knee tarantula! There's Vassa and Diedra, a pair of ball pythons (Python regius), and Griff and Mira, a pair of Amazon tree boas (Corallus hortulanus), and a pair of black-tail cribos (Drymarchon melanurus), Coal and Negra. The babies (ball pythons and Amazon tree boas) do not have names, but are all 3-4 months old.  They live in a separate room in his home, in locking cages, with the comforts of a five star hotel for snakes: temperature controlled, locking cages, and a very passionate owner who takes care of them.

I confess that I still have a long way to go to be able to get physically close to a snake, but I couldn't hold my curiosity to understand how it all works. Guy was kind enough to share his passion and knowledge and maybe he will inspire me to change my feelings about them.  My kids were lucky to see and touch one of his ball pythons at school. Both of the boys think snakes are cool, not scary,  and have no problems about touching them!  I also would love to do that some day. But before that I needed to understand more about them. So, here's Guy's interview for Petzi:

When did you realize you wanted snakes as pets?

Since I was a little kid I would read books about reptiles, and just tried to learn everything I could about them. When I began studying anthropology and evolution in college, I again became fascinated by snakes due to their unique body shapes, and incredibly slow metabolisms (I have had males go off feed for 4 months during the breeding season! They don't eat the entire time, yet hardly loose any noticeable body tone!). I first brought a snake in for a lesson when I was doing my student teaching. The students were totally engaged, and learned much about snakes and reptiles in general in a hands-on way. The longer I keep snakes, the more I see the importance for education about them, and the classroom is the perfect place to reach dozens of students (and even some parents and teachers!). I also love going out and finding snakes, lizards, amphibians, and invertebrates in the wild. We have many species that are common here, such as: pacific gopher snakes, king snakes, northern pacific rattlesnakes, a variety of salamanders and newts, and even scorpions and tarantulas!

How do you interact with snakes?

I do consider them all my pets, although the fact that reptiles are such different animals slightly changes the way I interact with them. That being said, I'd be lying if I said I don't talk to them! I know they don't have external ears, and that they do not vocalize to communicate (other than hissing, which indicates a defensive reaction to stress), so I know they get absolutely nothing from me talking to them (unlike many mammals), but I still find myself talking to them all the time! Most of my time interacting with the snakes is during general cage maintenance (changing waters, cleaning cages, weighing them). Having so many snakes requires a large amount of time to take care of! In general, snakes are more content to be left undisturbed, assuming all of their needs are being met in their cage (proper temperature, humidity, security, etc). I spend a good amount of time observing the snakes in their cages--while certain species may exhibit specific behaviors, there are individual differences as well, and observing them exploring their cages is a great way to learn more about them!

Can you share something about their personalities? 

Griff (Photo by GW at www.facebook.com/SelectEctotherms

My ball pythons are my most placid snakes. When I take them out, I will let them crawl around and explore for a little bit (always supervised!) before I put them back in their cages. These are the snakes that I bring to school whenever we are learning about snakes. My Amazon tree boas can be more active when being held, and being that they are an arboreal species, feel most secure when their tail is securely wrapped around something. They also possess large infrared heat pits along their upper and lower jaws which are very sensitive. They use these for feeding, but because they can be more defensive, this leads to them sometimes biting because they see a large warm hand coming in to grab them. Once they are out of the cage though, they are content to explore so long as you are holding them in a way that allows them to feel secure. My black tail cribos are my favorite to handle -- they are active, alert, and fast. I handle them the most often because in the wild they can have a range of many miles, so it is important to make sure they get time to burn some calories, as life in captivity isn't nearly as energy expensive as living in the wild.

How do you choose the types of snakes to take care of?

My first snake was chosen when I was  learning about ball pythons. One day, I saw a pet store had them on sale for only 30 dollars, so I researched the care requirements and went out and bought the snake and all the needed supplies. I then learned how many different color and pattern mutations there were in ball pythons (called "morphs" -- governed by Mendelian inheritance -- dominant, incomplete dominant, recessive, etc. mutations), and was fascinated by the variety. Learning about all of the different combinations that different "morph" ball pythons could produce led me to get my second snake (Diedra) and later my third (Vassa). Last year was my first year breeding snakes, and it was amazing to see little baby snakes coming out of eggs! It was also exciting that because of the genetics of ball python mutations, I knew what the babies could possibly look like. Then I began to learn about Amazon tree boas, and how they naturally occur in many different colors, but it is not yet understood what determines their appearance. I found it amazing that two grey snakes could produce any variety of red, yellow, orange, or grey snakes. I got Griff around a year and a half later, and this was my first year of breeding Amazon tree boas. Twelve of the babies I currently have are from Griff and Mira. Griff is a light grey animal with purple hues, while Mira is a heavily patterned orange, and their babies range from dark grey/ black to bright orange/ red! What drew me to the cribos is how active and alert they are. They also require much more work than my other snakes, which presents more of an enjoyable challenge. 

Would you describe snake's keepers as introverts, extroverts or really they are not like "cat" person or "dog" person stereotypes?

In my experience, people do not typically have very fond feelings towards snakes, let alone those who choose to keep them. This comes from many things: phobias, bad experiences, misinformation, etc. This is one of the reasons I enjoy being able to educate students and parents on facts about reptiles throughout different science units in the classroom. That being said, there are many different types of people who keep snakes and other reptiles, and for a variety of reasons. In my experience, it's a pretty even split between people who are very outgoing and people who are more introverted, much like anything else in life.

What are the resources a new snake person should know before having one?

Responsible reptile keeping is crucial in today's climate --there are many extremist groups that are funding legislation against pet ownership, and reptile keepers have been under fire in the recent years. The United States Associate of Reptile Keepers (www.usark.org) is a group that is dedicated to preserving the responsible keeping of reptiles in the US. Record keeping is also something many reptile keepers make a practice of, myself included, I record feedings, sheds, cleanings, and water changes. This helps ensure every animal is being provided for properly, and is invaluable should a snake get sick and require veterinary care. Record keeping is especially important when breeding, to ensure the lineage of the babies is tracked. This becomes crucial with species that are no longer being imported, due to the fact that inbreeding is more of an issue due to a finite gene pool. Whenever you are buying a snake, it is always important to ask about the parents of the animal and their lineage. If anything, this ensures that the person you are acquiring the animal from knows the health history, and that they are knowledgeable about the care for the species. 

Guy Wassather 

Now a little FAQ about snakes prepared by Guy for Petzi:

• What do they eat? Most eat appropriate sized frozen thawed (more humane for the food, safer for the snake) mice or rats. The cribos enjoy a more varied diet, including frozen thawed day old chicks and  fish (whole and fillets from the store).  
• Do they ever escape? No! Snakes do not escape on their own. They escape due to inadequate housing, or irresponsible handling practices (letting snakes roam around unsupervised).
• What happens when they get sick?-There are vets that specialize in reptile and exotic animal care. I have had to take Mira and Diedra to the vet before, but just as preventative measures, and it turned out nothing was wrong. It is important to have an experienced, knowledgeable vet in your area! 
• Do snakes feel slimy? No. The iridescence of their scales may make them appear slimy, but they are actually dry and typically smooth.

A Dog Like You

By Anna Muggiati

Don't you love to watch people with their dogs? I do. It's always fascinating to see how they might look like their owners, or vice-versa. Sometimes it's the way they walk. Sometimes it's the expression in their eyes, or maybe it's just a personality thing. Here's a little about some pets and owners

Ju and Hugo (by AMugg)

My sister Ju, who lives with Hugo, a cute tiny Italian Greyhound tells me that it all makes sense. She was maybe not aware of his demanding personality (specially when he was a puppy), but had some information about the breed: "I knew he would be calm, wouldn't smell or shed and would be adequate to my lifestyle". Now she can see how similar they are personality-wise: "We are both introverted, scared (of new people), curious, warm and have a very strong personality", she says.

Ann and Clark (Courtesy of Ann's Family)

My neighbor Ann tells that her canine family member Clark, an elegant and good looking tall Doberman Pincher was chosen because of his breed: "Dobermans tend to be outgoing, inquisitive, intelligent, friendly, loyal and energetic. They want to be with people and love to be the center of attention. If they don't get attention, they will do things to get it. I call them 80lb toddlers in dog suits! Generally they are not couch potatoes, not to say that they don't enjoy a good lay around and snuggle on the couch, but they would rather be doing something and preferably with their family", she explains. And she sees lots of similarities between hers and his personality: "I am outgoing and would rather be with people doing something. But still enjoy curling up and snuggling. Clark is always underfoot as if asking 'what are you doing?' constantly. I tend to be like that as well, especially in my parenting!", tells the mom of two children.

Perry: fun and cute (by AMugg)

Perry the fluffy Bichon Frisée, has been growing up in my friend's, Marcia's, home since he was tiny. After researching and finding out about the breed, Marcia and her daughter Bella finally decided to choose him while visiting a reliable breeder, when he showed his "happy hyper" personality jumping on them. She even tells that Perry managed to conquer her husband, who was not fully convinced about having a dog: "He was the one calming him when he had to spend the night in a crate, and the one taking him to the vet with no complaints (while he wouldn't be so calm about taking one of our three children to the pediatrician", she recalls). According to Marcia, he really has a bit of everyone's personality: "He is playful, social and agitated, like all of us, and maybe really looks like Marcello, my younger son ..."

A very thoughtful selfie (by Dave Gilles)

Smokey, a good looking purebred Australian Shepard, who was once our pet of the month, is also a a four-legged family member who had a little of everybody, as his so-called daddy Dave describes: "He is like everyone in the family, but not specifically like one person. He has small traits like each one of us, playful, controlling, demanding and nervous at different times." Dave also describes how Smokey's choice was a good one: "His personality did help us adopt him, even though we did not have much time to get to know him. We always wanted an Aussie and knew what they were like. We wanted a smart dog, because they have complicated personalities, which makes them more of a family member than a pet".

Akira, by AMugg

Maryanne, who lives with my brother, three cats and the calm Akira, says that the adorable Shihtzu was the right choice: "When we chose him we took in consideration of the breed's characteristics, but when they are puppies you can't really figure how they will turn, although when Akira had offsprings we could immediately identify which one was calm, agitated etc.", she clarifies. And add to the debate nature and nurture:" I don't think that his personality is similar to ours. I believe that how he was raised and the attention he gets really had influenced him to adapt to our lifestyle".

So here are some personality tests for you to have fun with:

• Find what  dog you would be with this LOL tool by Buzzfeed: http://www.buzzfeed.com/chelseamarshall/what-kind-of-dog-are-you
• IVillage has also a cute test which is really might surprise you: http://www.ivillage.com/what-kind-dog-are-you/7-q-291403
• Quzimeme has a cute test too: http://www.quizmeme.com/dogbreed/quiz.php. I loved my result there: I am one dog like Smokey!!! 

Smokey. Always so handsome!

My Cat Cafe World Trip- Part One

By Anna Muggiati

Forget about my former travel plans to visit all the alive panda bears when I become an old lady. When I reach my 70's, I will celebrate my birthday to be an official cat lady visiting cat cafes around the world.

So, before you start asking yourself what exactly is a cat cafe, I will be brief: It's a place where you go for a cappuccino or a tea and might be able to pet or just watch cats going around doing their cute kitty activities, or just being adorable. Most of them are also a cat adoption center and have partnerships with rescue groups and shelters.

So my cat cafe travel plan starts here and on the next and final part I will enlist the cat cafes I want to visit in Asia and the MiddleEast -- and probably the one that is the birthplace of this amazing concept, in Taiwan! For now some in North America and Europe!

 The first cat cafe in the US: Lauren's photo at Cat Town Cafe from their Facebook page

Cat Town Cafe - Oakland, California - That will be easy. It opened last week and it is the first cat cafe in the US! I will try to get there as soon as I can make a reservation. For this one, I won't have to wait for the international trip, as I live about an hour away by car. I am really excited about this one, and to be lucky enough to meet the founders soon, as Adam Myatt, aka as The Catman of West Oakland made a extensive search of cat cafes in Japan to find inspiration.

KItTea - San Francisco, California - I am thrilled that this project is going well and is successfully raising money to open its doors soon. The concept is to have about 10 cats around, all for adoption, while giving them a high quality of life. The place has a bit of a different idea on relaxation, so a kettle of tea will replace the noisy coffee machines and will have a dream like environment for their resident kitties.

The Cat Cafe - San Diego - Also fundraising, it has a similar plan as the other cat cafes that are also an adoption center. Looking forward to go there, as in San Diego I can see also pandas (my original project).

Café des Chats, Montreal, Canada- Opened very recently it looks like a very nice place. Very good looking cats are available for petting while coffee is served. They were all adopted. Can't wait to visit there!

Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium, London - Nested in one of the artsy neighborhoods of London, they are serving tea while their rescued cats are having fun. No adoptions there, but gazing their beauties is going to be awesome. Really elegant!

Les Café des Chats, Paris, France - At the heart of Marais, this promises to be more of a gourmet experience, as cats stroll along. Opened last year, the café offers also a brunch, and has very restrictive rules about their adopted cats. Sounds like an intriguing visit.

La Gatoteca, Madrid - Ok, now they got me on this one. Not just coffee and cats, but also Yoga classes with the cats!!! Also, they have cats for adoption, and an extensive list of courses for humans to understand about cats.

Neko Café - Turin, Italy - I hope I that when I get there I will meet cats as cute as Felix, Matisse and Fausto! The first Italian cat café has an extensive menu and you can actually have dinner there as they specialize in vegan and vegetarian organic dishes! From the web, the Italian Cat café is by far the one that has the most detailed FAQ and a very well humored one. Just check it out : http://www.nekocafe.it/faq-neko-cafe

Café Neko - Vienna, Austria - I had to go to Yelp to see what this is really about. The reviews are awesome and the place looks like the ultimate cool spot to be sipping hot drinks and tasting japanese delicacies.