Hank is a young, energetic, always into trouble kitten. I suggested that owner Lee try some new homemade toys to peak Hank's curiosity and maybe keep him out of the water bowl, the toilet paper, etc. Lee taped a shallow box shut, cut some holes in the top and placed toys inside. Hank loves it. Then he started adding toys to the box through the holes and trying to get them out too! His new nickname should be smartiepants. If anyone has any ideas on how to keep a smart cat occupied, please let me know so I can pass the ideas onto Lee.

My first entry in this blog was about a black lab named Kali. Her brother is Clark and this is his first story. (Something tells me there will be more Clark and Kali stories in the future)!

Clark, Kali and their mom now work at a horse farm in Blythewood. Great place for two energetic labs. One day at the farm Clark saw two canadian geese in a pond and he went in after them. So Clark is in the water and gaining on the two geese when the whole flock joins the two geese. Clark is a smart dog...He high-tailed it out of there! No one, not even crazy labs, mess with a flock of geese.

I get a lot of calls asking about what is the best way to remove the smell of urine from carpet. The trick is you need to remove the smell so that your pets can't smell it. Any carpet cleaner will do the trick for your nose but if you don't want your pet watering the carpet on a regular basis, you need to eliminate the odor completely.

So what does that? Any cleaner that is an enzyme based cleaner. A popular brand, Nature's Miracle, costs $23.99 per gallon at Petsmart. Petsmart's brand, Petzyme, costs $12.99 a gallon. Both work well. I recently discovered an even better deal - same type of cleaner. Unique is a liquid concentrate sold Vacuummart on Lake Murray Blvd. The bottle makes 3-4 gallons and the concentrate only costs $12.00. $12 for 3-4 gallons. I personally have used all three products and they are excellent.

Make sure when using one of these products that you follow the directions. Don't spray an area. Douse it. Pour it on. Soak the area and let it dry naturally. The product needs to go completely through the carpet and through the padding. Animals smell much better than humans so you need to irradicate the smell completely. Hence, I always buy by the gallon or now the concentrate.

I started Critter Care in September of 1990 and there are some of my first furry customers still around! I've listed them below but check the list. I'm looking at customers who started with me between 1990 and 1994. Let me know if I've missed anyone.

Max, the Marcum's cat

Dragon, the Knight's cat

Lady, the Pettus' horse

As I write, it's 20 degrees outside. Is it too cold for our pets to be outside? Jill, my australian shepherd says "no" and wants me to go outside and play with her. Joey, my poodle mix, and the three cats are happy to be inside all warm and toasty. We all think Jill is a nut. But her fur is different and she loves cold weather. I've yet to find a temperature in SC that is too cold for her taste.

What about your pets? Keeping in mind that animals and people are individuals with individual preferences...rabbits as a whole, love cold weather but do need a little house to get into. Many dogs like huskies and newfoundlands think cold weather is perfect weather. I know labs who love hot and cold alike. Cats...well, just ask your cat what he prefers. All outdoor pets need a small house to get into. Something just big enough for them to get into standing up and turn around a few times. You don't want the home too big because they need to be able to heat it with their body temperature.

The best dog house made, in my opinion, were the Igloos. True Igloos aren't made anymore but there are similar, though slightly inferior, products out there now. First look for a home that is just big enough for your pet. Make sure there aren't seams where heat can escape. Little vents up top are good. Give your pet good bedding. Something that doesn't freeze in the freezing weather. I like cedar chips - lots of them but not all pets do well with cedar. One customer's dog eats cedar. That's not good. Hay and blankets are other good options but know your pet and watch them closely for a few days. I know one dog who pulls bedding out of his house and chews it no matter what it is. He only gets a few cedar chips now. He also seems oblivous to the cold. Hopefully one day this three year old mutt will quit chewing.

So talk to your pets and see where they want to be in this cold. It's up to 21 degrees now. Wonder when Jill will decide that it's too hot to be outside?!

DJ

For all you cat lovers who would love to train your cat so you can show off how smart they are or for a more practical reason - call your cat when it's time to go to the vet or to count heads before leaving the house, it is possible. For most cats, anyway. It's fairly easy if your cat is food motivated. If that's not your cat, find out what motivates them. A favorite toy or activity with you? A game of laser tag?

Once you've discovered your cat's motivational button, give your cat a command. At my house it's "cat treat." Do this around the same time every day. We do this just before bed at my house. The cats, dogs too, come running for their nightly treat. Once the cats have this time down, do it occasionally at various times during the day but always reward them. Out of my three cats, I can count on two of them to come when called if it's not in the evening. Yogi, my rebel, sometimes will; sometimes won't.

At my vet's recommendation, I read the book Felinestein. It got me thinking and watching one of my cats more closely. Seems Panda knows several commands including "back." I"m working with her now to see what all she knows so later I'll post what she knows. What verbal commands or hand signals does your cat know? E-mail me at djscrittercare@sc.rr.com or post a comment.

You know the trash cans you step on and the lid opens? The metal ones. They come in different sizes. Two of my three litter boxes have one of these little cans beside them. That way I can scoop litter for about a week before filling a bag and taking it outside. Saves on bags and saves on time. No smell since the cans are the metal ones with secure lids.

Yesterday was Thanksgiving Day and I realized I should share my thankful dog story. There's a mutt named Jake who thanks whoever feeds him every meal. EVERY meal when you put his bowl down Jake will look at the bowl, look you in the eye and he eats. Always. He does it with his owners and with his pet sitters. He's a sweetie and a pleasure to care for. Such a good mannered dog!

One of my former pet sitters used to refer to scooping litter boxes as sifting for treasure. So today as I was sifting for treasure, I thought about the many boxes I sift and what makes a favorite place to sift.

First there's the rambuncous kitten. You never know what you might find. I've sifted a few toys. And there's the cat who thinks that if you're busy sifting, that's the perfect time to make a deposit. Never scoop a deposting cat. You'll be cleaning up a bigger mess!

Mostly what makes a good sifting box is the litter. My absolute favorite litter is scoopable. Wheat and some of the others (like pine or newspaper) isn't bad but scoopable is scoopable. A box with a flat bottom, no liner and good litter is the best. What makes for good litter? You should be able to scoop a clump of litter and violently shake it in your scooper and it not fall apart. If you can't do that, change litter. My favorite is Pets Pride by Kroger. Not Cats Pride. Other good scooping brands are Ever Scoop and Arm and Hammer. Give your litter the shake test. You'll know if your litter makes the grade or not.

Pet sitters new to the business report that the first thing they change after a year of pet sitting is the type of litter and no liner for their own cats. We see how many people do things and sample via our customers what works and what doesn't. Pet sitters like scoopable litter...and no liner.

One complaint of scoopable litter that I hear is the cost. What I've discovered is that most people don't realize just how scoopable works. And how well it works. If you're scooping out all the pee and poop, there's no reason to change your litter. Sound foreign? You're not using scoopable. My cats had scoopable litter in their boxes for 10 years before I ever had to give them a totally fresh supply and then it was because I tried another brand and it was awful. If the litter doesn't clump all the urine, you're going to have to change out your litter and it will be more expensive. One of my cats urinates on the back, inside corner of the boxes so I do wash my boxes but I can put the same litter back in. It's clean since I've scooped all the "business" out.

Think of changing things on your cats? Do it gradually. Have one box with the old style and change out one box at a time. Rarely a cat will object and you want them to still have a place to go that makes them comfortable. Most cats take to the scoopable and won't use their old box anymore. Choice is a good thing until you know what your cats like.

This post is dedicated to kitten Hank. Hank thinks that if I'm sifting in the box, that he should be depositing. If I pick up his water bowl out of the basket that holds it in place, then he should be in the basket. If I sit on the edge of the tub, he should be in the tub. If I'm washing dishes, he should be in the sink. So thank you Hank for the idea and inspiration!

DJ, Hank and Jack's pet sitter