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Training Your Kitten
Training a kitten is usually about establishing and reinforcing boundaries and household rules. Using positive reinforcement to train your kitten is the best way to get your message across to your new feline companion. For every “no,” they need a “yes.” Avoid punishing or speaking harshly which will only scare your kitten. Never, ever hit or shake your kitten. Instead, ignore your kitten when she’s behaving badly and give her affection, treats and praise to reward her good behavior. If ignoring isn’t an option, redirect your kitten’s attention to something else. For example, if your kitten bites or scratches your hand, give her a toy to play with instead. If…
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So You Got a New Kitten…
Since this is usually where your pet ownership journey starts, I thought this would be a good beginning topic for this blog (puppies coming soon!). During the summer, which is in full force in my area of Texas, our area shelters are full of kittens looking for new homes. It’s a great time to find that special furry addition to your family and it allows your kids to form some early bonds with those kitties as they are spending time home away form school during their summer break. If you’ve considered bringing home a feline friend, you might have questions on how to integrate a new pet into your life…
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My Furbabies – Loki
Loki is the only pet that I bought from a breeder. I will very likely never do this again, but who knows! He was a Bengal cat and he was absolutely gorgeous. He was my husband’s cat. My hubby spent some time researching cat breeds and decided that a Bengal was just the cat for him. This cat was a riot! We got him when he was about 10 weeks old and he was everything that my hubby wanted, curious, playful, protective, dog-like, and loving. Loki brought ringworm into my house. This silly vet ignored the breeder’s Persians that were isolated “because of some skin things” in the same home.…
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My Furbabies – Lone Star
So I think the best place to start is my personal furbabies, so that you know how my own pet owner experience developed. I have practiced veterinary medicine since 2000, but I have been a pet owner since 1992. When I was in college, I adopted a kitten and was quickly exposed to pet ownership and veterinary medicine as a young adult. I remember taking my dog to the mobile vet with my dad for shots as a child, but really didn’t have any significant experience in a veterinary setting at a young age. My first furbaby was a siamese mix male cat and I named him Lone Star. He…