Pet Health

We know that some of you strongly endorse the idea that our pets are better off eating only uncooked “raw” foods. We are not taking a position on that, but you should know that there is a risk. We took this information directly from the Food and Drug Administration website. It’s technical but important to know. The FDA is alerting pet owners to a history of four recalls of and multiple complaints associated with Darwin’s Natural and ZooLogics pet foods, manufactured by Arrow Reliance Inc., under the name Darwin’s Natural Pet Products, from 2016 to February 10, 2018.

Bella is just as adorable in person as she looks in this picture. She’s about a year and a half old and playful as a kitten. She has soft touchable fur, which is a good thing because she loves being held and snuggling with her people. She loves to climb, as you can see, all the better to get your attention.

Like everyone else we know, we have been following the #MeToo movement, as long-time leaders in every segment of society have come crashing down in the wake of horrific allegations about their behavior toward women and girls. And as important as this movement has become, we never imagined it had anything to do with our little column on animal welfare and care for pets. But then a few weeks ago, we began to see news reports with allegations against Wayne Pacelle, the president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States.

I am so annoyed. I took my new cat to a veterinarian for the first time and she told me that I have to have her vaccinated against rabies. Doesn’t she know that rabies vaccinations cause cancer? Esmerelda never goes outside so why would I expose her to a known cancer risk to avoid a non-existent rabies risk?

Lilo and Stitch are sister and brother. They love each other so much, they have made a formal request to be adopted together! Stitch is a gorgeous all-black kitten who is as playful and rambunctious as can be. Lilo is a curious, black and white cow-spotted beauty.

Buddy is a kitten we rescued from a feral situation back in October with his brothers and sister. We have spent several months socializing with them and encouraging positive human interactions. Buddy is very handsome, but still a scared little boy.

Continuing on about making 2018 the Year of Kindness, another purpose of this column is to provide animal lovers with information about upcoming legislation, good or bad, that affects animals. Because sometimes you just have to make people do what is right or make them stop doing what is wrong. You need to be heard on these legislative initiatives and the very best way to make yourself heard is to simply call your local legislator.

He was rescued from under a trailer out in the country after his elderly owner had to go to a nursing home. You would think he had been a pampered house cat his whole life (well except for his bunged up ear, probably from being attacked by an animal or maybe frost bite.) He is a sturdy handsome Tuxedo who loves people, complete strangers even.

Continuing on about making 2018 the Year of Kindness, part of the point of this column is to provide guidance and advice to pet owners about their own pets and their responsibilities toward them. We know, because we see it every day, that sometimes, no matter how much you love your pets, you may have to make the hard choice to give them up. Maybe you lost your job, or your house, or you have a sudden illness in the family, or someone in the family develops a serious allergy.