Thanks APS on Facebook for sharing this with us…

 Which resolutions are your cats keeping ?  Post in the comments below !

I will not flush the toilet while my human is in the shower.

I will not puff my entire body to twice its size for no reason after my humans watch a horror movie.

I will not slurp fish food from the surface of the aquarium.

I will not lean over to drink out of the tub, fall in, and then run screaming into the box of clumping cat litter.

I will not use the humans’ bathtub to store live mice for late-night snacks.

I will not eat large numbers of assorted bugs, then come home and barf them up so the humans can see that I’m getting plenty of roughage.

My human will never let me eat her pet rat, and I am at peace with that.

I will not help myself to Q-tips, and I will not attempt to stuff them down the drain to dispose of them.

I will not perch on my human’s chest in the middle of the night and stare into her eyes until she wakes up.

As fast as I am, I must remember that I cannot run through closed doors.

I will not back up off the front porch and fall into the bushes just as my human is explaining to his girlfriend how graceful I am.

I will remember that I am a walking static generator. My human does not need my help installing a new board in her computer.

Birds do not come from the bird feeder. I will not repeatedly knock it down and try to open it up to get the birds out.

I will remember that my human really will wake up and feed me. I do not have to pry his eyelids open with my claws.

I will remember that a warm pepperoni pizza is not a good place for a nap!

I will not hide behind the toilet so that I can pat the human on the backside when he sits down just to make him levitate.

I will not drag dirty socks up from the basement in the middle of the night, deposit them on the bed and yell at the top of my lungs so that my human can admire my “kill.”

If I sit in the sink while my human is brushing his teeth, I will not get angry when he spits toothpaste on me.

I will not complain that my butt is wet and that I am thirsty after sitting in my water bowl.

I will not knead my male human’s groin at 3 AM with claws extended. It seems to cause him some discomfort and he wakes up all grumpy.

I will not attempt to stop the human’s snoring by sticking my paws into his mouth.

I will not use my psychic powers to project myself into my human’s dreams when I am hungry, causing her to dream that I am a talking cat, and I can say “Where’s my supper!”

I will not run through the house with a condom wrapper in my mouth when my human’s grandmother is visiting.

I will not teach the parrot to meow in a loud and raucous manner.

When my young humans are playing with modeling clay, I will not remove solid waste from my litter tray and roll i

Female grey tabby and white cat resting on a box of cat litter. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

t onto the kitchen floor.

When the humans play darts, I will not leap into the air and attempt to catch them.

I will not display my worm collection on the kitchen floor on a rainy night. My human does not like finding it with her bare feet.

Related articles

• Senior Cats. Some Common Questions (therealowner.com)
• The Top Ten Reasons Dogs are Better Pets Than Cats (puppyburst.wordpress.com)

Please share this with anyone who has a pet !

Thank you Snap Printing !

Snap Southport

2/72 Nerang Street Southport 4215

Ph: 07 5532 0322

Fax: 07 5532 8339

Email: southport@snap.com.au

Web: www.southport.snap.com.au

Gold Coast (Photo credit: semuthutan)

Michelle Kingston, one of the Gold Coast’s BEST Personal Travel Managers will be at the Gold Coast Home and Lifestyle Expo on Saturday 24^th, from open to  close (8.30am to 5pm) ONLY.  She will have catalogues and brochures, and a fabulous hamper to give away.

What IS a Personal Travel Manager ?  Stop by Michelle’s stand on Saturday to be introduced to what it is Michelle does best !

In a nutshell, you will enjoy the convenience and security of having your own Personal Travel Manager who understands your unique travel requirements whether you are travelling for business or pleasure.

The Gold Coast Home Show and Lifestyle Expo – which will focus on all things for the home and outdoor living, plus health, fitness and wellbeing. Visitors to the event can expect quality homewares and furniture, giftware, alternative energy, kitchenware, blinds and furnishings, renovation ideas and concepts, home improvements, outdoor living, fitness, finance, pools, spas and many more products to enhance our lifestyles. View a great range of products and services all in the one location.

You can catch the Hot Tomato 1029ers on site from 10am with heaps of giveaways, plus there’s going to be balloons, face painting, onsite food courts, free entertainment and much more!

Gold Coast Home Show and Lifestyle Expo
GOLD COAST CONVENTION & EXHIBITION CENTRE
Saturday 24th & Sunday 25th March 2012

OPEN HOURS: Saturday 8.30am – 5pm, Sunday 8.30am – 4pm
COST: Adults $8, Seniors $6, Children Free with an adult
Parking: Parking is available at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre

Image via Wikipedia

Today’s blog post is with thanks to Kate (one of my many “Facebook friends”) who posted the following status update.

A FRIENDS DOG IS FROFFING AT THE MOUTH SUSPECTED TOAD WAT DO U DO ABOUT IT WASH THE MOUTH OUT AS MUCH AS POSIBLE AND WAT ELSE

If you suspect your dog is suffering from toad poisoning, you can flush his mouth with water from a garden hose. Try not to let the water run down his nose or throat by rinsing from the side of his mouth and holding his head down so the water runs out of his mouth. Gently rub the gums and inside of his mouth until the slimy feeling is gone.TRY TO NOT LET THE WATER RUN DOWN HIS NOSE OR THROAT !

I do hope that this dog is ok, unfortunately time is of the essence in Cane Toad poisoning cases.

The following is a Guest Blog Post by Gold Coast Carpet Cleaning

Prevention is better than cure right?

For this reason, learning how to prevent pet urine stains will help you stay ahead of the game and keep your carpet cleaner and healthier.

Pets can be caught short, untrained or just sick, either way, there are many reasons why a pet may urinate on the carpet.  What we need to do is to find a way to stop the most obvious pet peeing problems.

1. Shut The Door

Pick the rooms you don’t want your pets in and keep them closed, if they can’t get in, then you can be sure they wont pee on the carpet.

2. Train them

Some pets can be trained to know where they can and can’t do their business.  The first place they need to know is your clean carpet is completely off limits.

Whatever punishment you deem fit to work is up to you, but there are many good animal training websites available.

A trained pet may still have accidents but they will be far less often than if you had not trained them in the first place.

A note from Gold Coast Pet Sitting — We crossed out the “whatever punishment” sentence as we do not advocate “fear” based or “aggressive” tactics for training.  Positive reinforcement training is overall better for your pet as well as yourself.  We naturally recommend seeking the assistance of Dogs By Katja for any pee-ing misbehaviours.  Katja is an internationally trained and highly experienced dog psychologist thus she will be able to find out the real reason behind your pups’ problem(s) … and provide a personalised training programme suited to them. 

3. Barriers

You can buy barriers that prevent small pets getting past them, which is very useful when trying to keep pets out.  Once they get bigger, you will have a decision to make, go bigger or get rid of the barriers.

4. Keep litter boxes close

By doing this your pet wont have to go wandering into your bedroom to make a little business and not the good kind of business.

All in all, it is good to give your pets some freedom, but too little freedom and they will pee on the carpet, too much discipline and you may get bitten.

If you can not get out pet stains you can call a Gold Coast Carpet Cleaner to help

For more on getting stains out try Gold Coast Carpet Stain Removal

Related articles

• Cleaning Up Family pet Urine on the Fleece coat Carpet (uclaislamicstudies.com)
• Confused.com top 10 tips for preventing pet damage to your home (confused.com)
• How to get rid of cat urine smell (sfgate.com)

Image via Wikipedia

So… your pet-kid has diabetes.  If your pet-kid is young or generally youthful you do have a higher chance of it overcoming it (did you know that ? Interesting huh?) however for older pets it is generally going to be something that will be with them for their rest of their senior years.

Life as you know it has forever changed.

Take a deep breath in ….  and relax.

The bond a diabetic cat forms with its owner (the one who is always giving the shots and generally keeping up2date with it all) is unlike any other bond IMO.  I’ve experienced it myself with Puddy – Marnie’s predecessor. For two and half years, just like you, I was stressed whilst on holidays or doing any sort of travel… or even just attending an event locally which happened to coincide  at the time when an injection was due to be administered that day (the second shot). I can empathise.

You can now maintain your sanity, your pets’ health and have quality, loving professional care at a reasonable cost !

As a professional pet carer who has also previously been a pet-parent to a diabetic cat (especially a senior one!), I understand there is more to “it” than just giving an injection once or twice (usually twice) a day.  I also understand (and have the knowledge with thanks to being trained by Dr Kevin from Gold Coast Vet Surgery at the time) about the different types of insulin, never to shake the bottle (NEVER! only roll it), keeping the bottle in the fridge at all times, how to properly measure (and the different needles), “safe” locations for the injection, the time window you can safely administer, and so forth.

Also, with thanks to my real life experience with Puddy (RIP), I’m also quite confident in how to handle pets that have been recently diagnosed thus have not been regulated as yet (needing weekly check-ups with the vet before going monthly).  We will be happy to tailor a package for your needs where pet taxi to and from the vet, the time at the vet as well as the pet sitting can be affordable.  Naturally, we can easily keep you updated and happy to even make the appointments on your behalf.

Your cat or dog who dislikes strangers .. will this be a problem?   With thanks to being raised around cats with all types of personalities as well as my extensive experience as a professional pet carer I personally will know how to handle this situation so as to try to keep the stress (due to the diabetic condition) minimal (and my safety/sanity intact too – lol!!).  I understand how important it is for diabetic cats to keep stress levels low as well as that they MUST have that injection (remember – I understand the “safe time window”).

For unfriendly diabetic animals we would usually recommend our overnight pet/house sitting service which is more affordable than two pet sitting visits and better psychologically for your diabetic pet-kid.  If you do feel the overnight pet/house sitting option is most suitable for your situation, since only currently myself (Aunty Vanessa – the owner) has the experience you will need to book as far in advance as possible (at least four months in advance if possible) to ensure my personal availability.

The best news is that Gold Coast Pet Sitting will not charge extra for giving insulin shots !

As with all of our prices they are all inclusive, one price, full service.

In the end, as with any pet-parent (special needs or not), our mission is to give you the opportunity and freedom to take a much needed vacation, trip out of town or be able to attend local functions easily ………… ultimately giving you, the pet-parent, peace of mind that your pet-kid(s) are receiving quality, loving, compassionate, professional care ….  contact us today to receive your personalised, obligation free quote !

Other links that may be of interest…..

• Need A Lift? Gold Coast Pet Sitting Does A Pet Taxi (goldcoastpets.com.au)
• Caring for Your Diabetic Cat (therealowner.com)
• Insulin Treatment for Gestational Diabetes (everydayhealth.com)
• The Triple Protection of Hiring a Professional Pet Sitter (Guest Blog Post) (goldcoastpets.com.au)
• Reversing Diabetes – Can Diabetes be Reversed? (447 words) (fitnesstipsforlife.com)

Doggie babysitters sure do exist! Gone are the days when the only babysitter that comes to your house are for the two legged (human) kids. Gold Coast Pet Sitting offers pet sitting by the hour with your own personal doggie babysitter.

Being a doggie baby sitter is an awesome job! We have gotten requests for this service numerous times and have been able to accommodate on a case by case basis for many years. Now, we are officially announcing that you can call a doggie babysitter for your pet! Service is in your home and we can walk, play, swim, cuddle, etc. with your fur baby.

Just like the two legged kids, it is billed hourly starting from $80 for 2-3 hours then $25 per hour there-after. Please try to give us as much heads up notice as possible so we can be there as your own personal doggie babystter!

We get it. Sometimes you don’t want your fur kid to stay home alone. So let us come and be your personal doggie babysitter.

Contact us today !

How ? Easy… A profession dog behaviourist or trainer can save you money….

• By providing guidance through the process of choosing and finding the right dog for you and your family.

• Helping you in the purchase of dog supplies.

• Show you how to avoid or stop your dog’s behavioral issues.

• A well-trained dog will come when called and not escape. This will save you a lot of undue stress !

To save money and to be happier, Always consider using a professional dog trainer or behaviourist. Contact us for recommendations to some of the best trainers and behaviourists on the Gold Coast !

Related articles

• Ask the Dog Trainer-Dog Dental Care is Important (tcpalm.com)
• Precisely How Leading Dog Trainers Take Care Of Pet Dogs (animaltopics.com)

cute dog on table (Photo credit: epSos.de)

Source: Wag the Dog Facebook page

This is a joke – so keep reading!

An older, tired-looking dog wandered into a a neighbour’s house. The neighbour could tell he was well-fed and well cared from and had a good home. He calmly walked into the house and curled up in the corner and fell asleep.  An hour later, he went to the door to be let out.

Related articles

• Hilarious anonymous notes left on neighbours’ doors (dailymail.co.uk)

I’ve always held the belief in using other peoples’ knowledge and experience to help supplement where there are weaknesses in my own especially when it comes to the care of pets.  It’s because all the pet carers that I have met over the years including many vet nurses has exposed me to the fact that we all have our “thing”.   For some people it is elderly animals, others it is horses, others it is reptiles and for Alex from Gold Coast Guinea Pig Rescue …. it’s the piggies.

It’s for this reason that I support her rescue as well as recently met up with Noah’s Art Pet Resort too.

Thus I was doing an overnight pet sitting stay in January where I noticed one of the Guinea Pigs had lost fur as well as had flakey skin.  I’m a tactile person, thus one of the reasons I personally am suited to this line of work because I love and enjoy being hands-on ….. if I had just “looked in” and never tried to pick up this piggie I wouldn’t have noticed it.

None – the – less, I wanted to be of assistance to the piggie.  I knew there must be something I could do during my stay that would help with its condition so I email-ed Alex !

I’m creating this blog post for the benefit of other pet carers as well as Guinea Pig guardians/parents/carers….

It sounds like a fungal skin condition to me and the treatment required is a twice weekly bath in Malaseb shampoo (you can get this from vets, produce stores and pet shops). You saturate the piggy from the neck down in warm water (use a shallow dish like a kitty litter tray, or the laundry tub) then lather well with the Malaseb. While still lathered up, wrap the piggy in a towel and sit with him on your knee for ten minutes, then rinse off. This must be done every three days for at least three weeks, may be more, until the flakiness goes away and the hair begins to grow back. Then do once a week for a couple more weeks, just to be sure it’s cleared up.

I also asked Alex if there was anything that she felt was missing from their diet (as the piggies were on commercial piggie mix and carrot only).

From the sounds of their diet, there could also be some vitamin ‘c’ deficiency going on. Guinea pigs are like humans and can’t manufacture their own vit ‘c’ so need to have it included in their diet every day. While carrots have a little, those fruit and veg highest in ‘c’ are tomatoes, yellow and red capsicum, kiwi fruit, strawberries, broccoli (but only a small to medium floret every couple of days as too much can cause bloat plus it’s also high in calcium, too much of which can give gps bladder stones), parsley (same applies to parsley as to broccoli except for the bloat part). They should be fed a variety of fruit and veg, changing every day. Grapes, watermelon, rockmelon, honeydew melon (all with the rind on), banana and banana skin, corn (about a quarter of a cob per piggy once or twice a week), plus the corn husks anytime (high in fibre), cucumber, cos lettuce, gourmet lettuce, chinese and other types of cabbage, bok choy, cauliflower and leaves, (the same applies to cabbage and cauliflower as to broccoli re the bloat so only a small amount and only one type per meal). Celery and celery leaves (cut the celery into about 1 cm lengths), basil, dill, coriander, lemon grass, cherries (pitted).

The only things they shouldn’t be fed are iceberg lettuce, potatoes, mushrooms, avocados, chillies, and anything in the onion family. And they definitely should be taken off the commercial mix and put onto either my food or Oxbow pellets (or both). Plus be given a constant supply of grassy hay (Happy Paws have that too).

If you’re looking for somewhere to board your piggies whilst you’re away contact Gold Coast Guinea Pig Rescue or Noah’s Ark Pet Resort.   If you would prefer someone to visit your piggies at your home whilst you’re away, we here at Gold Coast Pet Sitting would be happy to accommodate you – contact us today !

Related articles

• Gold Coast Guinea Pig Rescue’s TOP TIPS to help your piggies survive the heat (goldcoastpets.com.au)
• URGENT NOTE from Gold Coast Guinea Pig Rescue (goldcoastpets.com.au)