I feel bad I have forgotten to tell everyone how much I really love the Cloud Nine herbal shampoo from Halo — I have tried soooo many different ones and it genuinely stands out as superior in every way. Here’s my further thought about it from the blog on the HALO site:
http://blog.halopets.com/2010/07/29/pet-travel-tips-tv-appearance/
–Tracie Hotchner
I got a really great link to a non-profit website that is full of suggestions about how to find a lost cat. My book THE CAT BIBLE has many good suggestions on this topic (THE DOG BIBLE has them from the canine point of view) but sometimes it’s just more automatic to go to the computer. Jeanine, one of my CAT CHAT® listeners, recommended www.catsinthebag.org and it really may help bring your kitty-cat home.
–Tracie Hotchner
Tracie’s New Radio Show Authors On Animals starts June 14th at 7 Pm EST On Peconic Public Broadcasting.
Authors on Animals
I am so excited and proud to share a brand new radio show with you. I am sure you’ll enjoy listening to me interviewing all these talented and interesting authors. You can listen live Monday evening if you’re in the broadcast area for 88.3 or want to listen on the internet to live streaming at www.WLIU.org. But you can also go to www.AuthorsOnAnimals.com and listen there any time or download onto whatever gadget you have and listen when convenient.
Read the Press Release (PDF)
–Tracie Hotchner
My newest partner is the unique and fantastic TravelStix – one of those “how did I ever live without it?” products! A USB stick that looks like a credit card to hold all your pet’s important info.
Here’s a great review TravelStix just got at PeoplePets.com.
–Tracie Hotchner
One of my most wonderful Lady Truckers, Idella from Arkansas (who has bought and given away more Dog Bibles & Cat Bibles than almost anyone!) had her talented friends Troy and Ellen (parents of kitty Mel, seen on the truck wheel) paint a testament to CAT CHAT® on her purple 18-wheeler. The truck art also proudly displays the honor of her own two kitties being Cats of the Month on CAT CHAT®. Here are Idella’s comments on these photos:
I love all the comments I get on the truck and they ask about the Cat Chat® and Dog Talk®, so I get to promote your show and books all the time. I am waiting out a severe thunderstorm right now on my way to San Antonio…. Looks like it is over so will head that way now. You are the truck drivers’ highway hero when it comes to our pets.
Your Biggest Fan Forever,
Idella
Click images below to view larger versions:
Wow! My cheeks are burning and so are my ears! Karen Fazio is a terrific journalist and dog trainer whom I just invited on DOG TALK® to discuss her video of working with an aggressive Dobermann Pinscher and afterward she wrote this verbal bouquet to me. Gosh — if only I am half what she says I’ll be happy.
The ‘Real’ Dog Tainer of NJ (New Jersey Pets Blog)
–Tracie Hotchner
I wanted to share this correspondence because there are other people out there sharing Donna’s situation and it’s important that the rest of us do not rush to judgment. Donna is not a hoarder, and somehow I sensed that immediately from her comment on my Catster tip – she is a woman with an awful lot of cats looking for management solutions!
I love all of the info from your email, radio, literature etc.Yes, I have too many cats period. I am always afraid to bring up this type of subject because most people tell me to get rid of some of them. I think probably normal people do that. They can make that choice, release it and be comfortable. I however, psychologically cannot seem to do this. Every cat I have is a rescue and each one has a special place with me. They are so smart. They know their names and their individual routine. I do have them broken up into sub groups.Torti, no matter where she is, continues to mark. I recognize how important territory is to them. A lot of this is more noticeable because currently they are all indoor-it is really cold here. Normally the majority stay in the yard and seem to have their boundaries worked out. The felines have caused a lot of stress between my husband and I. I am not a “crazy cat lady “or a “hoarder”, but there has been a great deal of trauma in my life and rescuing them has kept me alive. I sincerely mean what I just said. There have been days I thought I need to jump off the rock, but then I look around and think what would happen to them am not saving them-they are saving me. When there is more order here, my husband and I fight less but it has gotten away from me. Besides this I do TNR with feral cats. At one time we were going to try to build something in the backyard for them but our finances are in bad shape.Actually,that is the source of my husband’s anger-money spent on pets. So Tracie, this is probably a lot more than you bargained for. I am hoping you can point me to some resources so I do not lose my entire family. Thank you so much for your support. Gratefully, Donna
My heart goes out to you- these are very tricky situations. As you noticed, I did NOT tell you to get rid of your cats or go see a social worker- even from your short posting I knew you were someone devoted to your cats and needed support, not rejection.
However, your human relationship must come first – because without that foundation how can you continue your cat part of your life?! And we have to acknowledge your husband’s perspective both physically and financially.
So one thing i recommend you stop doing ASAP is TNR – you don’t need to spend resources on that – unless it costs you nothing and gives you great satisfaction.
It is possible to build an outdoor enclosure and a cat house with lots of straw for bedding without spending a bunch of money.
But you have to have friends or family who can do all the labor.
Go to the websites for” Purrfect fence” and “Cat fence In” and see if you can copy some aspect of their design.You basically want a large chicken house – wire mesh up and over the top – you could build it up against a side of your house, garage or shed that would support it.
You can build a little sandbox area for litter box. Buy prefab outdoor dog houses or build your own and bed them with straw and old sweatshirts etc. You could fit most of the cats in there – maybe you could ask friends if they have any rolls of wire – or have discounts at stores where you can get tall posts as supports.
I know it all adds up financially but would give you peace in the house and that means a great deal.
Tracie, I have to tell you, your email response, well, I am crying. It means so much to me that you would take the time to write this. What you said about support-I am just so grateful. Sometimes I feel like I am going to end up on one of those shows where animal control shows up and I am displayed as an eccentric unbalanced “Cat Lady”. On the outside it would seem I had the ideal childhood, but inside was a whole other story. I love my family-it’s not that. Things just happen sometimes when parents are occupied. My brother Mark, pretty much raised me.Well, he died of Aids about 4 years ago and I have not been the same since. So separation from things I love is too intense for me. My cats are my family. I could have the doors closed and hear a meow and I can tell you what cat it is-there are 23 of them. Each cat has its own relationship with me. They know their names,infact they are actually like dogs! My house is on a mildly slanted driveway. When I walk down to get the mail they follow me. Usually single file. A great story to share-about 2 streets over from my house is a field with a house way back on it.”Doris “a torti bobtail loves to hunt there. Plus a few of the adolescent males give her a hard time. Sometimes she will stay over there for a couple of days.Normally,if it is too long, late at night I go to the field and call her name. She comes through the field, I scoop her up and we drive home. One night I am calling her and waiting. Apparently 2 of my other cats heard me from afar. Next thing I know they are waiting with me for Doris. When she comes we all get in the car. Doris, George and “D”. They are not too keen about the vehicle but they trust me and we go back to the house….I have a lot of stories like this. I am highly in tune with my animals. They never cease to amaze me with their intelligence and affection. I recognize that their behavior is governed by their keen sensory equipment and that their responses are generally about getting their needs met. There is however an intimacy that I don’t have with humans. It is sad but it is a driving force that is just a part of who I am…I love your ideas and I will check out this info. Had I gotten this email I would have been so honored to call your show, just tell me when and I will SO look forward to it. Can I pass your info on to my friends in rescue???I have a dear friend Jane, she does TNR and has her own pet sitting business. Both of us speak “Cat” and she would love what you are doing. As far as the feral cats, I have 3 sites going right now. Most of them have been altered already. There is an ex-Vietnam vet who looks after them too, so the food cost is cut in half. But you are right, it would be a smart thing to curtail any trapping. As we all know the numbers climb so fast and in a small town the cats are noticeable so it is for their safety too. Not everyone likes them. I am from the West Coast and people are a little different about animals here.Tracie,thank you for NOT rejecting me. Your word choice was perfect. Suffice to say my husband has “a friend” elsewhere so the cats are a good way to keep distance between us. So this is a crappy time in my life.Anyway, I will call in. Thank you for letting me vent. I know very little about you but look so forward to what you do. I don’t know if you have a spiritual life but I feel certain God will bless you for all of your efforts-what a beautiful thing! Take Care! Donna
Thank goodness for GOOGLE ALERTS! I discovered the wonderful blog www.thephillydog.com – because she mentioned my radio show and the recommendation to use Platinum Performance joint supplement. Then I saw she even had a link to the DOG TALK® podcast, which was super cool. And I told her about the new food Proportions, for her little Yorkie Dash, who I learned from her blog has separation anxiety. I invited her to come on the show as a guest — when she replied I learned that ThePhillyDog was really Rebecca)
First off, I can’t tell you how flattered I am that you like my site, but I’m even more excited to get to meet you in person! I actually got The Dog Bible before I got Dash and read it front to back. I even passed it on to a friend when she got a puppy, it was such a lifesaver! I got really interested in pet nutrition after I lost my cat (unfortunately, I fed her cans of the tainted Iams after that melamine scandal). When I started listening to Dog Talk® I became obsessed about what Dash was eating. I actually called into the show a long, long time ago — I called about Dash’s awful problem with humping other dogs in the dog park! How funny is it that now I get to be on the show!!
I will sign up for the Proportions. I’m ALWAYS on the look out for new products, etc. Funny — I did get the anxiety wrap (the Thundershirt) and it cut down a little bit on Dash’s shaking (he now shakes when he senses I’m leaving. sigh) but didn’t seem to help otherwise. But I only tried it a few times, so I’m going to give it a few more tries. This separation anxiety really got out of control when I got laid off from work and was home all the time. He is literally a “velcro” dog. He is now staying with my parents out in the suburbs (too many complaints to my landlord about the barking). He has NO separation anxiety problems there. He is calmer, more secure. It’s frustrating. When I go out to visit, within a few days he’s back to his anxious, hyper self. So clearly the problem is me. I just don’t know what I’m doing wrong. We’ve taken training classes together and even agility class — he was such a superstar! I’m sure that now I’m totally doing the “dance” with him, which isn’t helping — he senses I’m leaving, I sense he’s getting panicked, I start feeling anxious about that, he senses my anxiety, etc. You know, aside from the separation anxiety he is an amazing little dog and the inspiration behind everything I’ve been doing! Going to go sign up for the Proportions right now…
So I wrote her back:
I do remember you calling in about the humping!! Too funny… and small world, as they say. First of all, Anxiety Wrap is a brand name and a unique design and not the Thundershirt which is a pretender and not a well-designed product as it is really just a coat — it misses the whole scientific basis of the design of the Anxiety Wrap, which is compression of the whole torso and back legs (like a continuous hug). You need to call Susan the designer of AW who will spend time on the phone with you discussing handling the problem, which I think you can overcome with the Wrap and some Spirit Essences and behavior modification.
Rebecca replied:
I will give Anxiety Wrap a call. There really isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to help him overcome this issue. Ha — well except anything Cesar Milan recommended. A friend called me last night to tell me that Cesar was dealing with a dog who had separation anxiety and to turn it on. I shudder to think what he might do to a poor dog that had separation anxiety…
Wow. Just listened to your show on iTunes about anxiety (don’t know how I missed it). I actually cried, because I realized I really am crippled by Dash’s separation anxiety. When I leave, his barks sound as though someone is literally skinning him alive. And so I completely structured my life around it. When he is with me I don’t go out, I end up only going to places where I can take him, etc. And I swear I don’t baby him, don’t let him sleep with me, don’t let him in the bathroom or let him be near me when I get dressed. I completely ignore him for almost 15 minutes when I get home until he calms down. He always gets at least 1/2 hour walk before I leave. Crating seemed to make the barking much worse, so I stopped crating him. The Clomicalm (along with doing all of these things) seemed to take an edge off, but when I didn’t see a significant improvement I stopped giving it to him.
Interestingly, when I was working there were days that he held it together and didn’t freak out (I started taping him). If I kept to an EXACT routine when getting ready for work he would slink under the bed and stay there until I got home. And not bark all day. However, if I ever were to just pick up and leave to run an errand he would absolutely go nuclear. I would never just come and go as I pleased because he would freak out.
So, I’m looking forward to meeting The Philly Dog on the air and sharing some more tips for her separation anxiety management — and seeing how Dash liked Proportions.
—Tracie Hotchner
Recent feedback from readers/listeners:
Sheila Scores Vectra as “First Shield” at Banfield:
Thanks for saying hello to me on the WOR show last night. Interesting show. I wanted to tell you that I did find First Shield (Vectra) at Pet Smart. They have a Banfield Hospital. It was only 6 miles from my house. It is in a shopping mall that I go to all the time. I just want to thank you again and it would be great if you could be on TV. You are that good. Sheila from Roosevelt, NJ.
I got this from Nancy in Napa CA — one of my CAT CHAT® listeners who also listens to the podcasts of my other two radio shows. It really is a small world!
I am anxious to listen to your Dog Talk® & Cat Chat® tonight, tomorrow for me, with Dr. Pierson. Reading Dr. Pierson’s “kitty crack” dissertation on the web last May is what me aware of its harmfulness to kitties — which eventually led to your website—and to you–amazing!
I got this gentle correction and suggestion from Bambi, a DOG TALK® listener who had brought to my attention that Petfinder.com has been infiltrated by puppy mill producers claiming the dogs are “for adoption” but at a very high fee (i.e. they are selling them). But Bambi wrote this so that in my zeal to expose the “puppy mill pimps” on the Internet that I did not paint all of PetFinder with the same brush. I stand corrected and hope people will continue to look for their new best four-legged friends on the petfinder.com website.
I urge you to re-address the petfinder issue both on your show and on your website. I found the notice about some kerry blues dogs coming from puppy mills only once and when searching for a kerry blue rescue in Texas for a friend. I actually look at petfinder quite often when I fantasize about a companion for Terrible Bean. You’ll never find such a warning on craigslist, of course, or any other places that less streetwise folks may be vulnerable to.
When I mentioned that warning on the kerry blue page, I took it as a positive thing, that petfinder does want to bring awareness up, unlike some other pet source venues.
You’ve played such an important part already in doing this and I hope you will once again remind listeners/readers that caveat emptor is a universal concept and that petfinder is actually one of the few places trying to police itself against any unsavory postings.
As written, your post now may be interpreted as if petfinder itself, one of the most powerful places for fosters and shelters to come together to find homes for unwanted pets and farm animals, may be corrupt and this may have a detrimental affect on placing adoptable animals.
You have such a powerful voice, you are a market maker, if you will, as much as an announcer on CNBC relaying financial and investment information. So many of us rely on you for bringing us such incredibly interesting and useful, often critical, information, and I thank you for that.
Please reconsider how this particular information is projected/worded.
As always, thank you for being our animals’ and our best friend!
–Bambi