This is for all you dog owners: Hill’s Healthy Mobility Challenge. At the Hill’s Pet Nutrition website, you can learn all about the best nutrition for your dog (and quite a number of other things). Science Diet is all I will buy for our little Yorkies, ever since the Chinese melamine in dog food tragedy and since I found out that some dog food will actually starve a dog to death. Some dog food is classified as “food,” but does not contain the necessary ingredients a dog needs to function. Science Diet is top of the line– it has omega-3 fatty acids, EPA, glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate to promote healthy joints (especially important for older dogs).

Science Diet also has lean proteins and antioxidants for good health. My vet says it’s the best on the market, and feeding your dog the best foods helps reduce health problems. That in turn reduces visits to the vet and costly vet bills! So I’m all in!

We really like Science Diet and the pups love it! I heartily recommend it, and if you ‘ve been waiting with baited breath for your moment to get some, definitely check out the website to get a $30 in Hill’s Healthy Mobility Coupon offers for Hill’s Science Diet dog food. And you can also enter a contest to win free dog food for a year! Hill’s is promoting the Healthy Mobility dog fod regimen–try Science Diet for 30 days and see if your dog’s vim and vigor improves. Check out Hill’s Pet Nutrition on Facebook, too, for more updated information.

10. Cats don’t bite and slobber all over you.
I tell my kids that “any provoked animal will bite,” but cats don’t bite as a first means of defense. Yeah, they scratch but dogs scratch AND bite. And dogs drool and slobber. Yuk!

I have never had a “slobbery” dog (I think it’s the big dogs that do that, mostly) but I’ve handled enough slimy tennis balls and squeaky toys from the neighbor dogs to be scarred for the rest of my life.

9. Cats don’t yelp, bark, howl, or growl.
Cats make the cutest little meows. They purr. Sometimes they may growl when threatened, but cats are almost always quiet.

We once adopted a cute little beagle, Daisy, and she was so cute. But beagles bark. A LOT. Poor Daisy couldn’t bark, although she tried like no tomorrow. The previous owner had her voice box removed! It was weird to see Daisy try to bark and bark and nothing would come out. The UPS man, who liked her a lot and would toss her a biscuit every time he delivered a package to the door, once said of Daisy, “I know she’s trying to tell me something, but I can’t figure out what it is!” As sad as Daisy’s predicament was, deep down I was glad she didn’t bark loudly. My neighbors would have had fits.

8. Cats use a litter box. Dogs dump it anywhere.
Cats can even be toilet trained. For all the training a dog must go through, someone please tell me why no one has even been able to train a dog to use the toilet. Or to AT LEAST not go all over the carpet. Yeah, yeah, a dog can roll over or get a stick, big whoop. How about controlling that bladder, huh?

I once had a dog who I brought indoors, thinking I could train her to be a polite and clean little indoor dog. She promptly puked all over my carpet and sat down to scrape her butt across the floor. She was outside the next day.

We went to PetSmart the other day, and in the parking lot my poor son stepped into a mound of dog doo. It was a honking big mound, and I scolded him for not watching his step. But then I gazed around the parking lot and saw a vast minefield of the stuff everywhere. How could we NOT miss it? Disgusting. Cats don’t do that!

7. Cats cost less than dogs.
Vet bills are lower (and visits are easier). Cat food is less expensive and cats eat less than dogs. Dogs need licenses and shots– and why? Because dogs are more dangerous that cats, since they are more easily provoked and more aggressive.

6. Cats don’t assault your house guests.
We all know what dogs do with new people.

5. Cats don’t stink. And they WASH.
Cats have the cutest little pink tongues. Who doesn’t like to have a cat come up and give them an affectionate little kiss on the hand or face? But do you want a St. Bernard or German Shepherd to come up and lick your face?

I’ve heard that the reason dogs smell is because of their oil glands. Well, just like toilet training, WHY the heck hasn’t this been resolved? If some knucklehead can remove my beagle’s voice box, why can’t we remove– or at least BREED out— the stinkiness of oil glands? What’s the purpose of, for example, sending a man to the moon while leaving us earthlings to suffer untold olfactory agony by dog stink? Something’s wrong here….

4. Cats are low maintenance.
It tickles me that men, in general, like their women “low” maintenance and yet get dogs that are “high” maintenance. Dogs need to be walked, they need frequent baths (see #5), they need collars and muzzles and leashes and carriers and brushings and good heavens I’m exhausted already!

Additionally, if you go away for the weekend, you can leave your cat and expect the house to be in one piece when you return. But would you leave a dog alone?

3. Cats are funnier.
When was the last time you rolled on the floor laughing over a “LOLDog” caption? Wait– what? You don’t know about LOLDogs? Gee, I wonder why!

This is funny??? And why are most LOLdog jokes about defecation or urination? Not funny.

I Can Haz Cheeseburger ROCKS. “LOLCats” has become a part of our vernacular. LOLCats are hilarious! LOLDogs are… not.

2. Cats get rid of vermin.
Mice, chipmunks, and house flies quake in fear when a cat resides in a home.

When we bought our house, the place had been vacant and in disrepair for a while. The wild critters had begun to invade. My husband and I would be sipping coffee in the evenings, talking, when we’d see mice boldly scamper across the floor. As soon as I got a cat, the mice problem was resolved. Our orange tabby, Milo, would sometimes let us know that he’d had a successful night by bestowing gifts to the man of the house. (Quick question: now how do cats know which human is the man of the house??? Anyway…). One morning, the husband rolled over in bed and discovered a slightly bloody little mouse lying on the mattress next to him. Purring with pride by the bedside was Milo. While the situation was disgusting, he actually single-pawedly got rid of the mouse problem. Good kitty.

1. Cats don’t eat poop.
‘Nuff said.

And there, my dear reader, are merely ten reasons why cats rule. I can think of many, many more. Can you?

Disclaimer: For you tender-hearted, dog-loving, misguided people out there– this was a post IN JEST. I mean no offense to folks who love dogs more than cats, despite my bewilderment about your dire predicament. I hope my post offers you some good reasons and will, in some humble way, contribute to your recovery.

Anyway, every dog and dog owner could use some dog obedience tips, right? According to the Dog Training Assistant, no dog is too old to learn new behavior. That’s very encouraging. :D Check out their list of tips, I thought it was very good. I especially like the “be positive” tip. It’s VERY hard to be positive when your dog is pooping its way across your carpet, I tell you what! But according to the article, dogs are NOT like humans and they do not respond well to punishment. And there’s an article about clicker training, too. I’ve heard about that working even with cats.

If you have a dog, check out the list. I found the advice extremely enlightening!

How do you drive your cat crazy who is driving you crazy?

Play bird calls on the computer!! Bird Radio!

*rubs hands and cackles*

My kitty, Livvy, has acquired THE most annoying habit– sitting in front of my computer monitor while I try to work. Grrrr!!! She may even lick the screen or scratch it with her paw. I am not often frustrated with my darling feline, but this nasty new habit makes me quite peevish. I keep moving her, but she insists on sitting there ALL. DAY. LONG.

In case you're wondering, YES, my keyboard and mouse ARE gunked up with cat hair. :-p

SO I found a website that plays bird calls… and LO and BEHOLD, she goes STRAIGHT toward the windows, back and forth, back and forth, and then BEHIND the computer monitor (where the speakers are). Look at that puzzled face!!
MUAHUAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!

"Which way did he go, which way did he go, George?" MUAHAHAH!

If you have a cat and want to drive him bananas, go to BirdJam and play some Bird Radio for the cat. It’s pretty entertaining to watch them go crazy, looking out the windows for birds. Hah hah!

The bird songs are so soothing, too. :D

Is it just ME? Seriously. Do the weeks fly by for everyone else, too?

I like Mondays, though. I love the fresh start, the new week, the horizon before me! But because I slacked off over the weekend, I have a ton of writing to do today. Ugh. WHY didn’t I do it all on Saturday? LOL

It’s time again for the fun meme, Meet Me on Monday, hosted by Java. Click the picture to see more participants.

By the way, I hope you have eaten today– because Java has MORE food questions this week! LOL

Questions:

1. What do you put on your hot dog?

Hee hee. This:

My daughter has two Yorkies (well, they are half Yorkie and half Maltese, so they are “Morkies.” She just got some cute sweaters for them, so they can go outside. She didn’t get the monkey outfit, but if I had one, I’d put it on the dogs. *snicker* They’re so ditzy, they’d never know the difference.

But when it comes to food…. well. I like ketchup AND mustard on my dog. I don’t like buns (too bread-y) so I tuck the dog in a wrap or eat it plain. I don’t eat hot dogs very often, though. When I was a kid, we were told hot dogs were made from goats’ eyes.

2. Do you play Sudoku?

I tried, a while back. I lost interest because a) I prefer word games, and b) I never have time to play games! I am always working on something. But that’s OK, I take pleasure in my work. My husband is a Sudoku FIEND. He loves math and will play math puzzles– JUST FOR FUN! Yes, I married a strange one!

3. What is your favorite vegetable?

OH! What to choose, what to choose!!! When I was a kid, I hated veggies and only ate them because I’d be punished if I didn’t eat them. I am making up for lost time, now! I love Brussels sprouts! Edamame! OH YUM. Snow peas! Cucumbers! Kale! I love it all!

4. Do you color your hair?

Nope. That reminds me, I need to get it cut and maybe permed… I work such long hours that I often forget to make time for “me.” I used to use some kind of summer highlight stuff, since I was outside gardening all the time. I haven’t done that in a few years. Besides, I’m getting some gray/white hairs mixed in with my dark hair now… what would I color my hair?

5. What is your favorite brand of clothing?
Brand? Um…. I don’t know. Whatever is on sale, lol. White Stag at Walmart has been good for me. I can’t wear jeans anymore, because they bind the spine right at lumbar #4 and #5, lol.

I look forward to reading your answers, if you played along! :D Have a great Monday!

This constitutes discrimination and encourages violence toward mailmen! Look what litter we found floating around in our yard:

My husband was emotionally scarred after seeing this. He is a mailman, and he has had his share of close encounters with monster dogs. He could tell you some stories, Cujo-style, I tell ya. He’s worn out a number of good men’s shoes from his exploits.

OK, OK, I’m joking. He’s not emotionally scarred, not for life, anyway. He’ll get over it, lol. :gangpunch:

But look closely at the wrapper. There are crackers for DOGS to EAT, in the shapes of mailmen and repairmen! Isn’t that kind of rude? I mean, what if the crackers were in shapes of babies and old ladies? Wouldn’t that be kind of offensive? But somehow, dogs devouring shapes of mailmen are OK?

:blink:

It’s such a cruel, cruel world out there. But at least he’s getting plenty of exercise and new running shoes every couple of months.

Buy.com has a much better price (no surprises there). Regular prices at Buy.com are better than sales at the pet stores… although Buy.com has lots of stuff on sale regularly, too.

Look at these ADORABLE doggie duds! They even have little booties for dogs, LOL!

I am very partial to the Monkey Costume, hahah! Those Yorkies sometimes drive me bananas…

Buy.com has a ton of pet supplies: besides warm sweaters and costumes, they have toys, treats, nutritional supplements, pet food, pet supplies, kennels, carriers, everything. They have a nice selection of collars, MUCH better than WallyWorld and the other places. I have to get another collar and leash for the dogs… maybe something extra special for Livvy, since she is so graciously sharing hers…

Oh well, I pass this information on to you in case you need some baby gates, or know someone who does. It’s KidSafeInc.com. They have EVERYTHING: pressure gates, stairway gates (which are very nice), extra wide gates, pet gates, etc etc. The list is endless and so are the styles of gates. Some can be very pricey ($100) but others are very affordable. And they have way more than just baby gates– the driveway safety nets are SO cool– make sure your kids never leave the mouth of the driveway near traffic again. They also have very convenient sliding door gates, too. KidSafeInc.com also has tons and tons of other stuff, too: bed rails, fire escape ladders, pool alarms, kitchen cabinet locks, first aid kits, baby monitors, etc. Lots and lots of stuff, all top of the line. The KidCo gates are really nice. I am sick of clambering over my cheapo wooden gates (and the dogs sometimes knock them down). The sliding door gates look like a terrific alternative.

Pass the word on to any mom or dad (or dog owner) who needs some safety supplies or gates. This stuff also makes really nice baby shower gifts. You can learn more about KidSafe on their blog, or follow them on Twitter, YouTube, etc. Nice!

Good prices right now! Check it out if so inclined. I have saved good money at Buy.com. Plus, they have great service and free shipping on a lot of stuff.