horseshoes in the sand

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Alternative to Declawing

As a cat owner you all know of what can be one of the worst aspects of owning a cat...their claws. They can ruin the nicest piece of furniture in your house without even batting an eye. A lot of people resort to declawing cats in order to avoid this problem. What they don't know is what a gruesome procedure it is. Even after the very painful surgery, every step the cat will make the rest of their life will be met with agony. Also cats that are declawed often become fearful and resort to biting as a line of defense. Cats that have been declawed often start spraying around your house to mark their territory out of boredom and to mark their territory...ewwww! There are many alternatives to declawing--one of which is buying a scratching post. Adam made Antigua a scratching post and she LOVES it and has not sharpened her claws on a piece of furniture since. Check out our scratching post we made. Another alternative is Soft Claws--they are cute nails you place on your cat's paws to keep them from scratching.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Spaying Antigua

Today Antigua did her part to insure that she won't produce any kittens that will end up in shelters and on the streets. She was spayed through the low cost clinic in Memphis that spays and neuters cats and dogs at a nominal price. The Mid-South Spay and Neuter Services is located @ 854 Goodman St She might not be happy now, but she is going to be healthier cat because of her surgery! Check out their website for more information so you can get your cat or dog spayed and neutered. http://www.spaymemphis.org/

If you live in Utah check out No More Homeless Pets to find out information. Both Lilo and Memphis were spayed and neutered there and they took great care of our puppies.

Here are the top 10 reasons for you to spay or neuter your animal according to the ASPCA

Your female pet will live a longer, healthier life.
Spaying helps prevent uterine infections and breast cancer, which is fatal in about 50 percent of dogs and 90 percent of cats. Spaying your pet before her first heat offers the best protection from these diseases.
Neutering provides major health benefits for your male.
Besides preventing unwanted litters, neutering your male companion prevents testicular cancer, if done before six months of age.
Your spayed female won't go into heat.
While cycles can vary, female felines usually go into heat four to five days every three weeks during breeding season. In an effort to advertise for mates, they'll yowl and urinate more frequently—sometimes all over the house!
Your male dog won't want to roam away from home.
An intact male will do just about anything to find a mate! That includes digging his way under the fence and making like Houdini to escape from the house. And once he's free to roam, he risks injury in traffic and fights with other males.
Your neutered male will be much better behaved.
Neutered cats and dogs focus their attention on their human families. On the other hand, unneutered dogs and cats may mark their territory by spraying strong-smelling urine all over the house. Many aggression problems can be avoided by early neutering.
Spaying or neutering will NOT make your pet fat.
Don’t use that old excuse! Lack of exercise and overfeeding will cause your pet to pack on the extra pounds—not neutering. Your pet will remain fit and trim as long as you continue to provide exercise and monitor food intake.
It is highly cost-effective.
The cost of your pet's spay/neuter surgery is a lot less than the cost of having and caring for a litter. It also beats the cost of treatment when your unneutered tom escapes and gets into fights with the neighborhood stray!
Spaying and neutering your pet is good for the community.
Stray animals pose a real problem in many parts of the country. They can prey on wildlife, cause car accidents, damage the local fauna and frighten children. Spaying and neutering packs a powerful punch in reducing the number of animals on the streets.
Your pet doesn't need to have a litter for your children to learn about the miracle of birth.
Letting your pet produce offspring you have no intention of keeping is not a good lesson for your children—especially when so many unwanted animals end up in shelters. There are tons of books and videos available to teach your children about birth in a more responsible way.
Spaying and neutering helps fight pet overpopulation.
Every year, millions of cats and dogs of all ages and breeds are euthanized or suffer as strays. These high numbers are the result of unplanned litters that could have been prevented by spaying or neutering.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Mother/Daughter Cruise

This month me and my mom went on a mother/daughter vacation for 2 weeks. We shared lots of laughs and got suntans without the husbands around.

We went to see Black Eyed Peas @ the Houston Rodeo...Eddie still might think they are called the Yellow Squashes ;)

My mom and Eddie got us action seats where we had manure flung all over us and our food...It was GREAT!

Cruising is hard

Goodbye Galveston

Grand Cayman

Snorkeling at Grand Cayman

Grand Cayman

Stingray City in Grand Cayman

Grand Cayman

Huge female stingray in Grand Cayman

Stingray kisses @ Grand Cayman

Grand Cayman

Real Mexican Food in Cozumel

Grand Cayman

Our crazy bus friver hit a motorcyclist on the road...and kept going!!! OMG!

Jamaica

Ys Waterfalls in Jamaica

I forced my mom to watch Up @ midnight on the Lido deck

My moon date with Adam where we made a date to look up @ the moon at the same time

My mom broke her toe @ Stingray City and managed to walk all over the place without complaint! She is such a trooper!

BEST VACATION EVER!

Memphis Zoo

A couple of months ago we went to the Memphis Zoo. The Memphis Zoo was voted the #1 Zoo in the U.S. this year by TripAdvisor. They sure have come a long way from 15 years ago. All the animals were extremly active the day we went. The grizzley bears scuffled and played in the water. The wolves walked right up to us. The sea otters LOVED Adam and followed him whereever he would walk while "chirping" at him. We saw the new baby giraffe come out that was born a couple of weeks previous and boy was she a cutie! Here are a fews pics from our day at the zoo. My camera was dying while we were there so we didn't get that many pictures.