’Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house All the creatures were stirring, including the mouse And the dogs, the bunnies, the turtles and cats Awaiting the Big Guy (you know: white beard and a sack) They nibbled the cookies, set out with great care...
Last week’s column urged against giving parrots as holiday gifts, and that led to a long conversation with friend Marge. Based on that, I suspect I need to make my points again. First, parrots (even those bred in captivity) have a hard time transitioning from wild...
We all get plenty of emails selling us stuff, and this time of year there’s an obvious uptick in sales pitches tied to the holidays. Last week, weirdly, I received two about parrots and Christmas. The first advertised gifty paraphernalia emblazoned with sayings about...
Two cats allow me to share their home. Grateful for their generosity, in exchange I perform all sorts of menial tasks for them. Although not their favorite (nor mine), routine nail trimming is high on that list. These feline mani-pedi sessions occur every few weeks...
The trouble with clichés is, well, they’re clichés. By definition, they are trite and most often untrue. This is certainly relevant when it comes to animal clichés. Bats are not blind. Birds have voracious appetites, so saying someone “eats like a bird” is in fact the...
You’ve heard me say it before, and you’re going to hear me say it again (and again): spaying (technically an ovariohysterectomy performed on female dogs, cats and other pet animals) and neutering (surgical castration) is the best bet to reduce companion animal...
