Mews, Pups, & Peeps

And here is a little blurb about my partnership with The Cat's Pajamas Cat Sitting earlier this year 😺

😻 You are very welcomed to reach out if you would like me to resume visitations with your sweet kittos🥰 I miss them all dearly!! 🫶💝🫶

Warm fuzzies,

~ Catsitter Christina

P.S. ~ Although The Cat's Pajamas does not offer care for puppers, I would absolutely take up invites to see my doggo friends again and catch up with you/their peeps! 🥰

😻 !!!ANNOUNCEMENT!!! 😻
I'm very pleased to introduce Christina as my new business partner! I've known Christina for 6 years as a fellow pet sitter, and she has been my personal cat sitter for 4 years. My cats ADORE her and our clients' cats do too. ❤ She has a special touch with kitties... I've seen it in person! 😻 Christina has been working in the pet care industry for over 15 years as a pet sitter, groomer and dog trainer. Her interests include pet photography and cat and dog behavior modification. She is a Fear Free® Certified Veterinary and Groomer Professional and maintains an active Pet CPR & First Aid certification. Additionally, Christina is an advocate of music therapy for animal health, having personally observed the benefits its role can have on shy and fearful animals. 🎶 She is currently a mother of 2 hound-dog mixes, including a 14-year-old tripawd. 💕 While there are currently no kitties in her household, she adores them and would like to someday adopt the oldest most special needs kitty in a rural shelter. ❤😻
"I'm truly excited to be joining a successful, well established cat sitting business and I look forward to growing the business with Christine! This is absolutely the next best step in my career as a professional cat sitter." - Christina
Please join me in welcoming Christina to The Cat's Pajamas Cat Sitting. Together, we ARE the Cat's Pajamas. 😻

When people first envisage adding a dog to their families they often have a picture in their minds of going to places like parks or beaches and watching their dog having fun playing with lots of other dogs. An aspect of living with dogs frequently mentioned is the social effect of going out and meeting other people with their dogs.

There are indeed dogs that like lots of other dogs and who are happy to play with just about anyone they encounter. The truth is, however, that these social butterfly dogs are more of an exception than a general reality.

Sociability in dogs (and in humans) exists on a spectrum. Those dogs who seem to love everyone are at one end of the scale. At the other end are the dogs who are not interested in or, for some reason, really do not want to interact with others. Most dogs (again, like humans) sit somewhere between these two extremes.

Working out exactly where our dogs fit in this spectrum can take careful observation and understanding. There are some dogs who, to those who have a good understanding of behaviour and communication in dogs, go racing up to others with unfriendly intentions but whose people may think are friendly and want to play.

For these reasons it’s so important to make sure that our dogs have good recall and that we are considerate of others in the area. Our dogs should not approach unknown dogs without checking with their humans whether the dog is likely to want to interact (and if they say yes, it is still important to watch the dogs to make sure they are happy). Off lead dogs should also not be allowed to run up to dogs who are on lead – this may be for many reasons, and they deserve to enjoy their time out in the world happily as much as every other dog.

I have shared my life with dogs who have sat at both ends of the social spectrum and many spots in between and have found joy in being with them and exploring the world in whichever ways they have enjoyed the most.

Whatever you and your dog enjoy together is absolutely fine.

For those non-volunteers who were at Minnesota Basset Rescue's Bow Wow Luau event last weekend whose photos I took, please message me a picture of your pup and I will send you your photos. I know I gave this page out to a few of you so I hope you see this and get in touch! 😀🐶🤩

~ Christina

Send a message to learn more

It’s time to pass on the cocoa mulch. This type of mulch is made from cocoa bean hulls. Although popular due to its attractive color and odor, it also attracts dogs with its sweet, chocolate smell. Depending on the amount, ingestion can cause a range of clinical signs from vomiting and diarrhea, to muscle tremors, elevated heart rate, hyperactivity, and even seizures. Instead consider shredded pine or cedar bark which are less toxic alternatives!

🎈💔🌈🎈

Today, on National Hairball Day, let's take a moment to acknowledge the importance of feline grooming and digestive health. While hairballs may seem like a nuisance, they can indicate underlying issues. If your cat has frequent hairballs, schedule a checkup with your veterinarian to discuss the potential causes. Learn more about hairballs at https://bit.ly/3NqUUtL.

This is SO important 💯

Training should never make those involved uncomfortable, anxious, or scared. That includes both human and dog.

It can sadly be easy to assume that a trainer is giving the best advice because they are a professional and so must know what they are doing.

The thing is that there are trainers who have not kept up to date with how our knowledge and understanding of how dogs learn and their emotional capacity over the last few decades and so, although they think they are doing things correctly, they are causing fear and discomfort to dogs and showing caregivers out of date advice that might harm the relationship between human and dog.

Even worse there are those who don't care. They market themselves based on 'quick fixes' and appealing to ego, talking about dominance, needing to be the boss, the 'alpha' or the 'pack leader'. They claim that they are imitating natural behaviour and treating dogs like the 'tame wolves that they are'.

Dogs are not wolves - related, yes, but with thousands of years of evolution to live alongside humans that distance them from their modern cousins. Dogs do not operate a strict hierarchy, there is no set breeding pair (which is what in fact defines the alpha wolves in wolf packs) and, perhaps most importantly, dogs know that we are not dogs.

We are a part of a family unit together, but we are not the same, so dogs do not think of us in those terms. And, if we look at the definition of dominance as being the one in charge, the one who controls access to food and other resources, it quickly becomes clear that in human homes, we are most definitely the dominant individuals.

Our dogs' lives are short and our time with them precious, so if you find your trainer is making either of you uncomfortable, walk away. Find a trainer who works with behaviour in a gentle way, not using fear and suppression behaviours by force, but who shows the dog what we would like instead.

🐰💓 Sharing on behalf of Momma bun-buns everywhere 💓🐰

We have received several messages regarding “abandoned” kits recently. Please, please, please DO NOT remove babies from their nests unless they’re obviously abandoned or injured. Keep in mind, momma rabbits will feed their babies only two times a day, approximately five minutes per feeding. The kicker? Momma takes off in an effort to take attention off her nest. Most nests are not abandoned at all! Want to confirm baby buns are abandoned? Place a few strands of yarn over the nest. If they’re moved, momma’s been home. If they remain after 24 hours, there may be a problem. If you have any concerns about wild rabbits you’ve encountered, please contact your local wildlife rehabilitation center. If you’re local, preferred experts can be found at Wildlife Rehabilitation Center (Roseville). Let’s make Spring a healthy and safe time for all our rabbit friends, wild and domestic!

Oh, this whole situation breaks my heart into so many directions 💔 😔 However, there is light and healing too, and of the many of them is this reconnecting of a bond once stolen but not forgotten 💝

Please click to open the Tri County Humane Society's page and share the story. Your share to your network could be a connection between one of these stolen cats and their parent/family 💞

Out of a tough situation, we're finding a lot of positives: We're happy to share we've reunited another cat from the Crosby case with his home!
Cougar went missing from his Sartell home in October; his family thought they recognized him as part of the 90-plus cats that arrived at Tri-County Humane Society from Crosby. They came and reclaimed him right away today. As you can tell from this picture, he's happy to be with his people again. (A KARE 11 news crew was at our shelter filming during the reclaim; keep an eye out for their story soon!)
Note: We know this is emotional, but please refrain from negative comments about this situation or speculation.

Photo credit: Ashley Johnson
320-252-0896
www.tricountyhumanesociety.org

❄️ 💓🐦💖 ❄️
Re-shared from our own Wildlife Science Center here in Minnesota, who shared the following from Raptor Education Group, Inc.:

"Our region has unusual weather AGAIN. Birds started migrating back to our area early, as they responded to the warmer temperatures. Suddenly, we have "Winter" all over again, with snow, strong winds and frigid temperatures. Many birds such as robins and other insect eaters have unfortunately arrived. It is impossible to get worms and insects from frozen ground. They will need supplemental food to get through predicted cold period.

Most insectivores don't have the ability to crack seeds. Many birds such as robins eat from the ground rather than feeders. Clear the snow or put tarps under trees or on the lawn prior to the snow. Scatter their food under trees or lawn areas. Platform feeders 6-8 inches from the ground can be used. Wild bird seed works for many birds but not robins or most insectivores.

You can feed:
1. Suet Bites, Suet Nuggets or cut up a frozen block of suet and serve the crumbles.
2. Chopped apples (they can break small pieces apart even when they are frozen.)
3.Mealworms - dried or live
4. Fresh or Frozen fruit
5. Sunflower chips and hearts (not shelled)
6. Raisins
(The last two suggestions are not typically "bird" food, however can be used in urgent situations or for those that do not have the other items on hand or live in more
remote areas and have limited accessibility.)
7. Fried hamburger crumbled [& rinsed well to remove grease]
8. Scrambled eggs (made with water not milk)

Taking good care of our optimistic early migrants is important. They will repay you with song and beauty.

Thank you for caring and looking out for our avian friends."

Photo credit: Raptor Education Group, Inc.

If you know, you know! Looks like high 40s next week!! 🫣

*If I am visiting your pupperoonie today, just let me know where to find the scooper, if you have it, and I will tend to them for you 😊 As usual, no additional charge needed - I can't promise I'll get them all in the time I have for the visit, but I can still help lessen the load for ya 🙂

😼

😍 Cuties from today 💗

A koala for sweeter-than-candy Stelly-Belly because she chose her 🐨 toy from her basket to greet me with for her walk today! Every time I open the door to get her, she is there to wiggle, yip, and squeal in delight before she races down the hallway, whips a left and then runs back to me with a chosen toy just for me to throw! 🤩🥰✨️💝🤩 That's "our thing" 😍 What is that never-fail special-something your kiddo does with you? ☺️

Thanks for celebrating my birthday with me, Benson, Freya, Grace, and Tilly!!! 🥰🤩🥳💖🤩🥰
*make sure to click the photo so you can see all of them 😻

(This is actually from Friday - I'm just a little late on sharing 😉)

Stella truly is one of the most intelligent and sweet pups around, and I am so lucky to call her my friend for eight years 🥰
Thank you, Bonnie, for taking time to share your thoughts about me and my care for Princess Stelly Bean 🤩