Brushing your pets is paramount in keeping their skin and coat healthy and tangle-free. Below are a couple of links with information about brushing your dogs coat. The same techniques can be used for cats. However, cats tend to mat up much more quickly than dogs so it is important to keep on top of it. 

​Key Points:

• Brush up and away from the skin so you don't repeatedly drag the tines of the brush against the tender skin and cause redness.
• Use line brushing as described in the below links
• The ears, collar area, legs (especially inner legs) and tail are the most prone to matting.
• Be gentle and do several sessions if your pet is very matted and/or sensitive.
• Reward with treats and love so they know brushing is a good thing.
• Be sure to get down to the skin because that is where the mats form.
• If your dog is very matted it is kinder to let us shave them than to brush it out. 
• NEVER cut out mats with scissors, as you could cut the skin inadvertently, causing a vet bill.

https://www.preventivevet.com/dogs/how-to-care-for-your-dogs-coat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWrFLxAjJWQ

​Please feel free to email me at marilyn@prettypetsnm.com if you have any questions.

I now only have three kitties, as one of them passed away in September, Triffid. She would have loved to play in the catio and it was being built while she was sick, but unfortunately didn't live long enough to enjoy it.

But Sabastion, Noodles, and, of course, Pumpkin love to go out into the secure area and climb onto the perches to catch the sun or to climb around under the bushes to explore. I love to see them enjoy their new extension to their home.

I feel very fortunate that I was able to provide my kitties with an enriching environment that they could enjoy. 

As far as city codes, I had to have the catio no closer than 15 feet from the edge of my property line and had to make it under 120 square feet to meet fire code. It may be different for your neighborhood. I installed a custom made window that has a cat door in it so they can come and go into the catio. Also, I had a locking door knob (as I have a full screen door installed in it) that locks automatically from the outside, but is always unlocked from the inside in the case that I have to use that bedroom window as a fire exit.

The Audobon Society promotes catios. In other cities, Austin and Portland, as well as others, I believe. They have yearly catio tours where people can go and view catios around town that people have made. The Audobon Society encourages catios because roaming outdoor cats are decimating city bird populations. Catios allow cats the enjoyment of the outdoors, while keeping the cats safe from cars, predators and other dangers, they protect the bird population and help to prevent the spread of disease from cats encountering other cats or wildlife. 

I would like to encourage anyone who has cats to consider installing a catio. It doesn't have to be as large as the one here, some are simple window boxes. My cats love it and I am happy I was able to fulfill my promise to Pumpkin (and to myself).

Recently I learned of Blue’s, liver failure. He is my oldest dog, a 13 year old shepherd mix. His liver is smaller than normal. And apparently, bloodwork can not detect liver failure until 70% of the liver is compromised because dogs bodies compensate so well.

This takes me back to when I have heard the bad news of an aging pet. I remember all the extra effort to make them comfortable and the fear of the impending loss.

End of life decisions are very difficult to make. We speak of quality of life vs. quantity. Each dog has their own specific ability to manage pain. Evolution has given dogs and cats the ability to look healthy up until either they fail, or we intervene with a cure or treatment for their condition. Just because a dog is showing pain, however, doesn’t mean it is time to put them down. Pain can be managed and so can nausea and other issues to a degree. The will to live is strong in animals just as it is in humans. That is what makes the decision to let them pass so difficult.

Each of us has our own tolerance to pain and suffering. In fact, it is amazing the tolerance people have to suffering. Of course, that doesn’t mean it is quality living. We can’t help but project onto our pets what we are feeling when we see them struggling, as this is how we try to understand them. And our human compassion makes it hard for us to see them in pain.

There is, however, an objective way to track your pets pain and discomfort as well as understanding how they are feeling about how they are feeling. The scales have psychological and behavioral cues as well as how the pet responds to palpitation, which can give you a good idea of how much pain your pet is experiencing.

Using this scale periodically a couple times a week when you are facing the difficult decision can help you to track how your pet is really doing . Keeping track of the scores can help you tell and when your pet has more bad days than good ones and more unhappy times than before. It makes it a bit easier to understand what your pet needs.

Many other things factor into our decision. How many times we have gone through it, what our experiences have been, how attached we are to our pet, and our own will to live.

It is never an easy decision. Most veterinarians will give you an idea of when to put your pet down to relieve their suffering. But ultimately you have to make the decision and when you do, listen to your intuition, try talking with your pet. Sit with them for a while. You will make the right decision because your love for your pet will guide your choice.

Cat Pain Scale PDF  http://www.csuanimalcancercenter.org/assets/files/csu_acute_pain_scale_feline.pdf

Dog Pain Scale PDF
http://www.csuanimalcancercenter.org/assets/files/csu_acute_pain_scale_canine.pdfl