Category Archive

Pets

We know that sometimes a home just isn’t a home without a pet, and oftentimes pets have their own sets of needs, perks and home-enhancing features. These posts cover our furry, scaley, winged, offbeat friends.

4 myth-busting reality checks about fostering an animal

Fostering an animal means taking a homeless animal from a shelter or rescue and giving it a home with you until it gets adopted. It’s such a needed, life-saving process that a lot of people have questions and misconceptions about. I’m here to address them…

3 reasons guinea pigs are the perfect offbeat apartment pets

I’ve had all kinds of pets over the years — from cats, to goldfish, and everything in between. No matter how many other animals I’ve loved since then, I’ve always come back to guinea pigs. They’re a little more interesting than your run-of-the-mill hamster (in my humble opinion), and have a hell of a lot of personality. Best of all, they make a great addition to apartments or rental homes where it might not be feasible to adopt non-caged pets like dogs or cats.

Here’s why…

A clever (and pretty!) way to keep cats away from breakables

My cats like jumping up onto high shelves. Unfortunately, that’s where I prefer to keep my delicate collectables and assorted breakable things. Figurines, souvenirs, glassware, picture frames — all things a cat might knock off a shelf. But after finding some left-over perfume bottles, I came up with a way to stop the “Catzilla” moments that I dreaded.

9 tips for getting pets and babies to live together harmoniously

Six months after adopting Molly-Gator, a new baby herself, we were pregnant and realizing that my refusal to part with my animals was an anomaly among new parents, and relinquishing one’s pets was part and partial to the nesting process. So, if you are a pet owner and expecting a child, fear not! It can work. Don’t let pressures from friends, family, or the man on the street tell you any different. There are just some things you must keep in mind…

Netflix and chill, plus 6 more reasons why you should have a pet rat

Have you wanted a pet, but weren’t sure you had the time to care for a dog? Or maybe you don’t know if you want the 15 year commitment of a cat. Fish are great, and easy, but they don’t do much. Ferrets are cool, but they may not be legal where you live. Frogs are cute, but they can’t cuddle while you watch Netflix. The solution is rats. And before you say, “Ew!” keep reading.

Things to know before you bring potbellied pigs into your urban homestead

Are you thinking of adding a potbellied pig to your homestead? I have had my two potbellied pigs Clem and Tubbs chilling in my backyard for about three years now, and here is my advice to help you know if you are ready to bring a pig into your family.

What a dying dog and annoying parrot taught me about loyalty

It’s sad to say this, and I’m only saying this in retrospect, but I learned more about myself by watching my dying dog and annoying bird interact in that moment than I have by crying during an identity crisis. Maybe that makes me shallow or selfish or naive. Maybe I’m just not looking deep enough, I don’t know. But I learned a lot about loyalty from their interaction.

Is it possible to keep cats from chewing cords?

We have a pair of one year old, neutered, male kittens. They are amazing cats — friendly, cuddly, and affectionate. They’re practically perfect except for one giant problem: They chew cords. Any suggestions on how to break our cats of this cord chewing habit once and for all?