"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened."
Anatole France (1844-1924)

The essence of this sentiment, that is not explained in the brief and elegant words is to have a relationship, a recognition, a shared existence and high regard, a bonded trust with an animal.

I get the impression you realize the less than complete ideal environment your room provides, but you are willing to call it home when not otherwise involved in life. Perhaps it is not a great location to ask another being to call home all of the time. The place where you want to keep your possible future pet and the time you have to devote to it appear better suited to managing a healthy self-contained environment where an animal that does not necessarily bond with you as important, can live, solitarily or ideally with others of its own kind - like an aquarium. You become involved with having to gain the knowledge and procedures to design, set up and maintain a healthy and working biosphere where beings can live and coexist. It requires work and dedication. You gain the presence of animals that depend on your skill and dedication, and the movement and presence of an aquatic environment can be very relaxing and enjoyable for you. However, this is a situation that makes you more of an observer than a participant.

Having an animal that you can play and interact with suggests a much higher level of awareness. Such an animal that could interact with you when you are there would find a lonely existence all the time you are gone. A huge gauge of success in doing right by a pet is not for it to merely live, but to thrive, that is to prosper and enjoy life - to have challenges, surprises, tasks, routines, and the occasional treats that make one moment in life different from another.

You don't mention the relationship with the feline and canine residents of your house. My thought is to work to building a relationship with one of them. They presumably have a complete life there already, but one of them might find you to be the best thing happening when you are around. Then you will have that friend that will be happy to see you when you arrive and choose to hang out and interact with you when you are home.

Are you aware of or have you tried these products?
They are both forms of tubing that is extra tough and infused with bad tasting compounds and a citrus scent that cats don't like (so you are not having to continually re-apply a repellent).

CritterCord
http://www.crittercord.com/

Chewsafe
http://www.cabletiesandmore.com/Chewsafe.php

dogs bark in excitement, but not in pure happiness. when dogs are simply happy to be outside, they sit or lie down and stare into the distance, a smug little look on their faces.

what does the barking sound like? is it a slow, steady "arf! [pause] arf! [pause] arf! [pause] arf!"? that's the ultimate bored-dog bark. it can be translated as "something happen! something happen now!" i don't think dogs think thoughts as complex as "i feel neglected by the person who owns me"... but boredom in itself can do irreparable harm.

i have a dog who was driven crazy by boredom in his first home: he was an un-neutered male australian shepherd, and he was left on a chain in the backyard all day and night. he's an absolute madman now. do you have an opportunity to intervene for this dog? if you can, that would be a great favor to the dog, the neighborhood, and the universe as a whole.

They are following the basic strategy of looking as large and as menacing as possible and studying their enemy. Remember, if you run, then you look like prey to a predator. This is the same advice given to us humans when we are in the presence of a bear or cougar - if you run then the predator will probably chase. When you are running you have only one course of action and that is to continue.

As Calvin observed about Hobbs, "cats are sharp on five out of six ends" and most dogs know that. As you said you are walking with your dog who is also moving at a leisurely speed (ambling), not exactly an attack mode, so the cat goes into its 'don't mess with me' posture as a first level of response.

The engines and the huge mass of the ferry produce sound at the very low (and probably ultra low) frequency range which many animals are much more tuned to perceiving than humans. When we ride the ferry people are often aware of the background hum and may feel some vibration in our chests and that is essentially from this low frequency vibrations. I suspect in a dog that almost feels like the vibration of a growl in their bodies and is probably not a comforting input. We know dogs and other animals respond to some sensory input before earthquakes and there is some supposition that it is ultra low frequency sound that may be part of that early warning just before ground movement occurs.

The experience on your own boat is probably not as body shaking or as low a frequency sensory input plus he has had much more experience there through his whole life. I suspect if you raised a pup regularly riding a ferry with good training and positive reinforcement that it may not be a big deal. However, with your older dog and his mature sensory system it may not be an easy reaction to overcome at this point in his life. His pattern of behavior and reactions to the experience is so well established.

There are variations in how cats develop in social and other ways that are impacted by how long they stay with their mothers. Generally it is best to leave kittens with the mother until the age of 12 weeks. Many folks will rehome them earlier. Cats that knead excessively and show other unusual variations in social play may have been removed from their mothers and litter mates early.

The one that is being grabbed is still showing the kittenish reaction to being grabbed by the scruff (like by their mother) and acquiescing as if he is to be carried and moved. The brother has found out how this reaction allows him to command the situation. Without a doubt those needle sharp teeth of young cats are not too comfortable on the skin of the one being grabbed and hence the displeasure.

The underdevelopment (hypoplasia) of the cerebellum puts this cat at a bit of a disadvantage. The cerebellum is the structure of the brain (back of brain near exit of brain stem and spinal cord) where the oft used motor patterns are stored and called upon. This center of coordination is what allows one to unconsciously draw on familiar patterns of muscle use (running, jumping, walking, etc.) Think of it as the place that allows you coordinate multiple patterns allowing one to "chew gum and walk at the same time." The brain simply draws on a learned, tried and true pattern and puts it in play while allowing attention to other things. This could be why that cat is still showing such a 'carry response' to the grabbing of the neck as it is a basic reflex response that all kittens have and is still present and not been overwritten or integrated into more mature skills.

What you will note in your cat with the brain anomaly is jerky movement, apparent hesitation in going to do a normal motor event (jump down from the couch, running, and even in assuming postures when washing himself). That is because his center of learned and successful motor patterns is defective (underdeveloped) and not able to do a complete job, so he is always in the mode of not being able to accurately use his muscles in the manner dictated by common situations. In cats that are born "acerebellar" meaning born without a cerebellum entirely these events are approached as new challenges EVERY time and their movements are very immature and inexperienced always (typically they will face plant in jumping down every time as they never record the appropriate muscle skills for the task). Your cat may show improvement over time or skill at some movement patterns only or may just be the clumsy one his whole life.

His brother will probably always lord over him and take advantage as he has figured out his advantage. You can work to distract him or break up these neck grabbing instances as a way of helping your challenged cat to learn to stick up for himself. Immature litter mates will tumble and fight as play. You will have to discern over time and maturity that this is what is happening or whether it gets to a point where you will need to intervene. You will have to play 'parent' to these two for a long time. I bet it works out alright, just love them both and see if you can help them learn to treat each other right.

I am the so-called 'bird person' here and not the 'dog person', however the basic principles and process of animal training are certainly consistent across different classes of animals.

The plain truth is that, if your new across the street dog owner is not involved in training his dog to change this behavior then I would expect that this is what you will continue to experience. I suggest you have a friendly conversation with him expressing your concern for the dog's welfare and state of mind (and also your comfort in your home). You might want to also talk with all the other neighbors that might be disturbed by this dog's constant barking. You may all have to express your discomfort (and concern for the dog) to the police and/or animal control authorities to get action. If the owner is uncooperative in working at changing the behavior the aspects of visitation by authorities, warnings and imposition of fines can certainly be a motivator.

As easy as it is to dislike the dog, remember it is the owner, their care of their pet and willingness to be a good owner and good neighbor that is really the problem here.

You've heard of the Iditarod?

The only thing I'd watch is her paws. Make sure they don't get icy. Make sure she's moving around, too, and not just strolling and panting.

I'm no expert, but based on my experience your dog will regard a few hours in the snow as a highlight of her life. Throw some snowballs at her.

She gets lots of water when she gets home!

As a cat reaches geriatric years you may notice changes in its feeding habits, general mood, and overall patterns of rest, sleep and tolerance of being handled. They undergo changes in their digestive tract efficiency, energy levels, strength, stamina and joint health (with the possibility of pain in movement and being touched) very similar to our own life changes and body health late in life.

Having some variety in food always has an attraction especially for an animal that has well developed sense of smell like any evolved predatory species. Sharing some food of your own can be an added way to enhance you and your feline's bond. Having said that, what you feed your cat is important and as a general rule human food should be given as small treats and not be a major part of their diet. Our food is often higher in salt and carbohydrates (including some sugars) that may create problems for a cat's digestive system if they are allowed more than a small taste as a treat.

Most cats, if they have not been given milk products throughout their life, lose the ability to digest lactose, so giving milk products (including cheese) can give them some problems and you may note diarrhea or loose stools afterwards. Yogurt, effectively, has had the lactose digested by the bacterial culture in it but often has other things added to it and so giving a small taste and observing their reaction would be prudent. The milk proteins should be digestible without problem.

Tuna is a very high protein rich food and proteins require more action by the kidneys to remove the nitrogenous wastes (proteins are made of amino acids that include an -NH group that is eventually eliminated as ammonia in the urine) and requires larger quantities of water to process. So you may notice increased urine output and increased thirst in the process if you were to feed large meals of such a food. By the way, kidney problems and efficiency in filtering out waste products is often one tipping point for cats in their geriatric years.

Cat food for older cats is formulated for these types of changes in the systems of geriatric felines and reflect the makeup that the most recent research reflects as effective and appropriate.

With all of the above comments the most appropriate person to discuss diet with would be your veterinarian. If you cat has not been ill or has not been to the vet recently it might be prudent to go in for a well-cat check up and pose your questions about how to plan for the next phase of your cat's life.

Here are a couple of sites that discuss food for the older cat.

The Special Needs Of Older Cats Caring For Your Elderly Feline  

As Your Cat Ages - Normal changes seen with age in senior cats

Caring for the elderly cat

I always think it's really sweet when people come to the dog park because they just really want to hang out with dogs.
Since my dog died, I've been borrowing my dad's dog once in a while and taking him to the dog park because it's fun.

One of our cats was recently abducted possibly by a coyote or some other thing, and I've had animals that we've had to put to sleep in the past. I would say that each person handles their grief in their own way, and as the old cliché goes, time heals.

I often have had feelings of guilt about the timely and/or untimely demise of pet babies. I think it is a part of losing anyone that you love and care about. And it can be complicated when you have a pet put to sleep. You know in your brain that it is the most compassionate thing to do, but then a part of you thinks: what if ???!!!! what if kitty could have lived a little longer, etc.

I would say, just know that what you are going through is normal and keep in mind that your kitty had a great life with you while she was alive. Remind your husband that he wasn't having his cat killed, but that he was ending her suffering...

Also, I would suggest a possible art therapy project. Maybe work together on a collage of your favorite kitty photos, or make a photo album dedicated to your kitty...or even draw pictures of her. It may sound silly, but it can be a way to process difficult emotions, plus you can look back at it when you are missing your kitty.

It will sting less with time. Death is never easy.

I'm so sorry for your loss. Hang in there.

Your dog needs diversity training. Seriously. If he was only around white folks growing up, he probably just sees black people as notably unusual.

So he needs to hang out with black folks until it doesn't seem unusual to him. But how do you get your black family members to hang out with him when he gets all snarly? That's the sticky wicket.

Does your dog watch TV? Do you have BET?

The first difficulty here is I don't want to cover points that fail to recognize your experience with birds. However your Jenday and Blue Crown Conure experiences don't necessarily prepare one for dealing with the personality and force of an Umbie. You are certainly facing the same challenges that many larger parrot owners have had to deal with and I congratulate on being proactive and seeking to learn more. This is a situation that is certainly solvable and will just require the work of learning how to reinforce the behavior you want to see and extinguish that which is not working in your home.

First a note on the biting behavior. Biting occurs for myriad reasons but with minor exception learning to read your parrot's body language will clue you in on when a bite may occur. When I get an unexpected bite I stop and review in my mind trying to figure out what I missed, because invariably my bird has told me ahead of time that they were uncomfortable with what was going on. Sometimes at that moment when we give the "step up" command we are more focused on what we want and not looking carefully at what the bird is telling us at that time.

Take a moment right here to read this document and review Sally Blanchard's "Important Concepts of Nurturing Guidance in Living with Companion Parrots" Sally represents an older perspective on working with parrots and does not speak in the strict sense the way more academic behaviorists do, but the principles behing these concepts are good and in a context that make sense for many people. She also has a book called "The Beak Book" that deals specifically with biting, causes and ways to address it.

In the larger picture remember that parrots thrive on routine and predictable situations. You need to build in regularity of action and verbal cues in being around your bird. For instance, after being out for breakfast and together time I now look at my birds and say "it's playtime in your house time" and my male Poicephalus steps up and now says "time" in his small voice and my female Grey often simultaneously flies over to her cage and climbs in on her own. This has come to be by repetition, using consistent cues/actions with praise and reward for their actions. Even though my Grey is not overly enthusiastic about being in the shower with me, she is kind to my fingers and we have a routine. Also she knows when I say the words "all done" and I place her on the shower curtain rod that she is done getting wet for that session and will settle right down to watching me shower and shaking herself off. Sticking to this routine has helped make getting a shower a much less stressful time for her, she will acquiesce to my request to step onto my hand going to the shower and right on to my upstretched hand from the curtain rod afterwards without problem.

It is not uncommon for a bird to be able to work with one member of a couple when the 'most preferred' individual is not present and then be overtly solicitous to the preferred member when they are present. Cockatoos can become sexually excited by certain kinds of handling and it is important to understand that stroking the bird the full length of its body or any excessive petting under the wings can be very stimulating and contributing to the resistance and emotional reaction that Spike was exhibiting when your husband asked him to step up (and he may have seen that the intended effort was to have him go back to his cage). Are you sure of the sex of your Umbie? Was testing done for you or just related to you when you first obtained him. One drop of blood on a paper and $20 is all you need for reliable sex testing by Zoogen. Returning to the cage compliance can be reinforced by preferred rewards left in the food bowl or given directly to the bird as it returns. If the bird is grasping the preferred treat (almond in the shell, for example) as it is placed in the cage then the beak is otherwise occupied.

Now a true behaviorist is strictly going to talk about reinforcing selected behaviors, extinguishing others that you consider undesirable, and understanding the concepts of how this is done is very important. Timing on giving reinforcement or the bridge to reinforcement is very important. Any behavior you see your Umbie using with regularity is there because it has been reinforced. You may not realize that you are actually reinforcing behavior you don't want, but it is that process that keeps those behaviors active. Screaming is one of those behaviors that can be so disruptive and so easily reinforced. Let me assure you that it is possible to get to that point where Spike is not filling your home with unending earsplitting raucous calls.

At this point read the following piece by Barbara Heidenreich entilted "Wow. That Bird Sure Can Scream!". Be sure to read through the bio information at the end of the piece about Barbara's credentials and take note of the other books written by her, which are also recommended (“Good Bird! A Guide to Solving Behavior Problems in Companion Parrots” and “The Parrot Problem Solver. Finding Solutions to Aggressive Behavior”). In this piece you will note she references the book “Don’t Shoot the Dog” by Karen Pryor. This is a great book to get from your library and review for the basics in animal training and how to understand the implementation of these principles to get to where you want to go with Spike.

Getting bit is no fun and an Umbrella Cockatoo certainly has a formidable beak. Your husband has the right to expect not to be bit by Spike. We get angry, upset and confrontational at those moments and those points of drama can be very reinforcing for the bird. At those moments, keeping cool, getting the bird to a secure space without emotional outburst and removing himself is best. The long lesson here would be that the bird did not get what they wanted in the interaction. They wanted to be with him and he is now gone. Then the screaming follows because it is the next behavior that usually gets it some attention.

When my female Grey came to us she would make an Alexandrine alarm call three times (very loud) and then a man's voice would come out her yelling, "KNOCK IT OFF!". My spouse said "What do we do?" and I said "ignore it". The alarm calls disappeared but the statement remained and she now uses it when the Poicephalus buzzes her with a close flyover (which we think is great and obviously our actions help reinforce it).

Your husband removing himself for a couple of days is probably not a period of time that will serve any direct learning objective that you have for Spike, but he must be confident in handling the bird when he returns and using a t-stick or other protective hard perch for Spike to step up on at those times when your husband thinks a bite might occur is one method that can work. There is nothing about proper training techniques that require you to be hurt by Spike. Take precautions as needed. Your husband is going to be the most important person in extinguishing the screaming behavior and understanding the process and being commited to working on it is critical. With the screaming behavior resolved through training, establishing the other routines of how you would like mornings and daily life work on weekends can be much easier to deal with.

I have the book resources mentioned above as well as several of the Good Bird! training DVDs by Barbara Heidenreich. I would recommend getting them (use the library). If you were close to me and there was an easy way to share them I could lend them to you. As with anything, reading and learning the information is one thing, working on the training is the most important part (but you must understand how best to reinforce what behaviors you want and not the ones you want to extinguish). I could also arrange for you to talk to people far more experienced than I in training larger birds if that would be helpful. Contact me directly using the the NWEBS website.

It is difficult to anticipate the most important points to make with this not being a dialogue but I hope that this helps. Remember, there is a huge experienced community of bird owners out there that would be happy to help you in working with your bird. All of the situations and behaviors you described can be addressed and resolved with proper work. This is doable. Properly applied, the appropriate behavior training methods can be very powerful.

I'm so sorry to hear about your loss, K.

Your cat will get used to being in a night soon - they are creatures of habit. Also she will be asleep for most of the night, so don't worry about her being bored.

Misty is right, she is probably missing her friend, as you are. Give her lots of love and attention.

It's a Lovebird, Genus Agapornis.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lovebird

I am going to say Peach-faced Lovebird (Agapornis roseicollis) and that is probably right.

When you look it up you will think I was wrong because the coloration is so pale. It is one species where there are lots of color morphs in the pet trade because of selective breeding. They are given various names dependent on the resultant coloration.

Examples of Peach-faced Lovebird color morphs

Lovebirds are quite intelligent and can have very endearing personalities and make great pets. Some folks will report that they can also be little stinkers when it comes to dealing with humans. There are many factors that impact this and whether they are single bird pets or kept as a pair or with others can be a big factor.

That situation was a set-up. My guess is that shelf is a favorite spot for that bird and they probably ran through that a few times before filming. Notice the waste basket was so carefully placed so the turtle had a landing spot. Also the bird looks over the edge to see where the turtle wound up.

To really get a good perspective on lovebirds you need to talk to an experienced lovebird person, which I am not (but I could find one for you if you wanted).

Note: I wrote this response right away but my internet connection went down and just came back.

You can make your own easily and for cheap!

http://www.dogtreatkitchen.com/peanut-butter-dog-biscuit-recipe.html

First of all, I commend you for adopting! Have you taken her to the vet? If she is the kind of cat that is paralyzed by fear at the vet's office, chances are she'll do fine with any groomer. They will trim nails at the vet and might brush if you ask, but chances are they will charge you like 20 dollars for the nail trim. Ridiculous, but true in mine and others' experiences.

It may not be that your cat has issues but just simply hates to be brushed. It's something she's not used to and most kitties aren't terribly fond of having their bodies touched in ways they're not accustomed to. You might have to try to get her used to the brush slowly, like doing one stroke with the brush and then giving her some pets and/or a treat so she associates brushing with positive things. You could also try different types of brushes. The Zoom Groom, a cat-shaped rubber brush, is a popular choice for short-haired cats.

Unfortunately I don't have a groomer or know of any, but if you can find a groomer with a good reputation in general, you could try calling and describing what's going on with your cat and ask them if they are okay with taking that on. I think any groomer worth his or her salt should be able to handle an animal that doesn't like to be groomed--I would guess that (with cats at least) the majority of their furry clients aren't too thrilled about the whole thing.

Good luck!

You probably don't want to hear this, but get him checked out by your vet. My geriatric kitty did the same thing, and it turned out she was diabetic. Once we got that under control with diet and insulin (thereby reducing the volume of pee to normal), she was back to peeing inside the box.

My experience base is with larger parrots so I also contacted a club member that specializes in the smaller psittacines to confirm my advice and learn more.

First of all we are entering Spring and the days are lengthening. Most of us are starting to see changes in the behavior of our birds. My guys are just starting to molt some of their contour feathers. In budgerigars (AKA budgies or commonly, parakeets) this is the time they will show interest in nesting behavior and reproductive hormones may run high, hence the egg laying. Your birds are of the right age to become sexually mature. Sometimes the presence of another bird close by (cagemate) can help in triggering the egg laying process (even though the other bird is also a female), but the drive to protect the eggs will set the one that is laying the eggs against the other. The attention to the "bird in the mirror" is also related to this protective drive so you may want to remove the mirror for now.

You MUST SEPARATE the two females before you have a serious injury or death of one of your birds. You will need another cage similar to the one you are using now or adequate to housing just one bird. You can place the cage in close proximity so they are still aware of each other, but you NEED to give them each their own space. This will not always be true, but for this season and with this current situation they need to be apart from one another now.

Even though you are not providing a nest box she will attempt to "nest" in other ways, tearing up newspaper that she can reach at the bottom of the cage, tearing parts from an available toy, even digging in the food dish (you may want to try a different kind of food container that is not as large if she is trying to get in it). Try to limit her access to those nest making materials as these activities pop up (don't strip normal toys from the cage, the general environment can remain the same). Leave the eggs she lays where she gathers them on the cage bottom. She probably will not sit on them but if she does there is no harm and that activity will preclude her from laying more. If you remove the eggs she will continue to lay more and the danger is in having one not exit normally from her body, called becoming "egg bound". This condition is very serious and death is likely without a visit to an avian vet. Leave the eggs for two to three weeks (normal hatching time is about 17-21 days) unless you are convinced that she is not paying any attention to them at all. But, initially they need to stay to stop the egg laying process. After they do not hatch she will lose interest and may break them herself and you can remove them.

The male budgie has a blue cere and sometimes it may just appear as a blue line or border so look carefully - that may help you in figuring out the sex of the other bird. The crusty cere can be something simple or may be indicative of other health problems. First, simply let this bird bathe a couple of times in close succession over a couple of days and see if that helps. We don't often realize how often they need to bathe and if not given access to water in a dish (pie plate, etc) or gently sprayed or misted regularly they can have some difficulty clearing dust from their nares. Being through a cold spell recently the relative humidity of our homes has been very low unless you are using a humidifier or attending to it in other ways. Dry air can cause respiratory problems and this may just be the result of the dry environment we have had indoors recently.  My resource person mentioned the importance of a cuttlebone for self grooming of the beak and face and also perhaps to scape some of it into the water bowl to increase calcium intake somewhat. Egg laying can be very taxing nutritionally on a bird (creating the egg and shell not to mention the molting of feathers this time of year) so be sure you are giving your birds a good diet.

Please feel free to contact me through the club website if you want to be referred to someone to mentor you in the process of working through this situation or in caring for your birds in general. Also I would be interested to know how this all works out for you and your birds and to expand my own knowledge. Contact me through this page.

I know there are different levels of complexity of messages within any animal species communication system, especially among individuals that are part of a social, family or feeding/hunting group. Individual state of mind, location of food, danger, locating other family/social group members, etc. are all possibilities.

Dogs in a neighborhood are related in species but not necessarily in any formal hierarchy or commonly cooperative group. Certainly individuals recognize each other by voice and I suspect the calling out of those are answering one another is a form of "I hear you and I am out here also." A strange dog's voice can certainly elicit more attention from the regular neighborhood dog population by virtue of individuals working to identify this new voice and state their own presence and territory.

On a lighter side I always enjoyed the Gary Larson cartoon showing the scientist that invented the animal translator device finding out what dogs are really saying. As he walked through a neighborhood dogs barking in all locations are saying, "Hey, hey, hey, hey."

I have had marvelous close relationships with members of different species of animals over my life but for me, now, there is no substitute for being greeted or communicated to in my own language. When I go downstairs in the morning I hear "Hellooooo" and from a different location a bright "Good Morning!".

Firebelly toads are called toads because of their bumpy skin but as you accurately have noted they are really frogs.

Frogs absorb chemicals from their environment easily through their skin so first point would be to suspect features of the new tank and its furnishings as possible source of problem. However you mention that only one of the two is showing a change in behavior, which is curious.

Did you scrupulously clean the new rocks before using them. Rinsing and scrubbing with lots of water (avoid using strong soaps or detergents because any residue of that could really be a problem) - even boiling and/or baking them in an oven at below 250° could be a way of making sure they carry no unwanted organisms or substances. Assuming you purchased the rocks to be used with frogs I won't worry about the type of rock (minerals) that they are being exposed to but you may want to think about that also. Anything that would give off a strong salt or other ion element (formerly salt water environment rocks) could affect health.

The new tank must also be prepared and cleaned properly and you need to make sure the water you use for their soaking area has been properly seasoned or filtered to eliminate chlorine.

The aspects of sensitivity of frogs through contact with substances through their skin extends to you also. They can become agitated because of human hand oils and you may experience skin reactions them also (always wash you hands well after touching them). Handling them should be kept to an absolute minimum and use of clean latex or sterile gloves would be recommended.

The fire in your building could put some pretty toxic soup chemicals into the air and that could wind up in the water and surface of their environment so you may want to work carefully to be sure it is very clean.

If you still have their former environment set up I think transferring the listless one back to it to see if there is any change might be a good idea. If you think that your home was contaminated by the smoke then that may not have any real benefit.

Remember they need water area, dry land area and moss to hide in. Temperature is important but higher daytime temps (72°–78°F) and lower nighttime temps (65°F) are normal with a basking area going as high as 75–85°F (very localized, be careful). They need a source of UVB light to facilitate uptake of calcium (full spectrum fluorescent bulbs) but the use of heat lamps for temperature has to be applied carefully.

As you try to revive this listless frog don't go zero to sixty in split seconds, warm the environment slowly so that the return to a more normal range of temperatures is gradual.

Lastly come up with a method to keep their temperature needs more constant if a power outage was to happen again. Using hot water in milk jugs placed around their tank could provide local warmth and even having a plan to relocate the tank to a friend's house where you can set it up for identical conditions to how you have it at home can work.

I hope some of this helps.

Be sure to comment back as the state of your frogs resolves - I am always interested in how these cases resolve.

As a source of more knowledge and expertise I recommend contacting folks through the Pacific Northwest Herpetological Society (PNHS).
Information about their activities and meetings can be reviewed at:
http://www.pnwhs.org/

I would highly doubt you will find any veterinarian that does not know you or your cat (as the patient) that will prescribe medications sight unseen to confirm your diagnosis or appropriateness of treatment.

You might find an applicable product online such as through 1-800-PETMEDS.

http://www.1800petmeds.com/Wormers-cat74.html?source=cat

I am sure you can find other sources of veterinary medicines available online.
You do so at your own risk and the risk of your cat's health and life also.
I have to say that so you go forward realizing the possible consequences of your actions.

I hope this helps.

Depending on the airline, there is a bunch of stuff you have to do if you want to bring your cat on the plane. Read the rules carefully so there are no surprises at the airport to minimize stress! Assuming you know what airline you're flying, here are a few links:

Alaska/Horizon
American Airlines
US Airways
Delta
Continental
United

In general, you'll have to pay a fee (about $100) to fly your cat one-way either in the baggage area or cabin. Call the airline to reserve a "slot" for your cat; some flights don't allow pets in the cabin or as cargo at all, or only one of the two. They have to fit in a carrier of particular dimensions with specific requirements (your cat has to be able to stand up and turn around in it, for example) and you should bring a carrier that fits the requirements with you.

You'll need to make a vet appointment to get a Health Certificate and a current rabies vaccine and take the paperwork with you to the airport. You can talk to the vet about sedatives; if your cat is calm she may not need them.

I think it's pretty safe to bring your cat on the plane if she's healthy. If she's too big to fit comfortably in a carrier under the seat, she'll probably have to go in cargo per the airline regulations.

Good luck!

Let me offer you some support on a couple of different levels.

First off I appreciate your concern about moving the animal that is about to vomit as you don't want to accidently cause the animal to aspirate any vomitus. If you are able to scoop your hand under the back feet with one hand and support the animal's chest or forefeet with the other (keeping them in essentially the same position as it is crouching in to begin with) you can probably move them safely to the more preferred substrate. But the success of that is all in the timing with what is happening at the moment. Sometimes this kind of quick move just surprises and frightens the cat so it isn't a good option.

We found that it was probably kinder (and usually faster) to just get something in front of the cat to catch the barf. Having a few sheets of newspaper handy in those locations to just grab and slide in front of them can work very well. Then cleanup can be just folding the paper up. Sometimes kitty will run or move when you try this so you have to be quick and easy about it, even timing it so that you get it there when they are just about to eject so they don't run.

Next, of course, is trying to figure out what is causing the need to barf. Hair ingestion during washing (hairballs) is a big one and getting your cat used to being combed or brushed with an appropriate instrument (visit your local pet or cat emporium to find the right item) during those times when they are shedding a lot of underfur is the key. It has to be an enjoyable experience for them (and you), so take your time in developing that as a frequent routine. There are also remedies that help the fur to be passed through the gut without needing to be ejected by mouth, tasty paste that a cat will eat that catches the hair and helps it pass through. I defer to your vet for the best advice there.

We discovered that our cat was horking down whole kibbles of dry food without breaking them up or chewing them at all. The advice we got from our vet was to put some large round stones (clean river rock larger than food size) in the food bowl. The cat had to pick up individual kibbles to eat and thus slowed down in eating and as a result the food was better masticated and less barfing occurred.

Try outdoor fabrics like Sunbrella - they are relatively indestructible. Also, leather and suede are very durable especially if you don't need your sofa to look pristine - it'll scratch but that'll add to the "patina". I've heard Ultrasuede and microfibre are also good, but I would recommend going to Joannes and buying a yard of it to test on your current sofa. Drape it over the arm or back and see if it attracts your cats- in fact you could do this with other fabric types you want to test out. Another alternative is to slipcover your sofa so at least when guests come over you can whip off the destroyed slipcover and have an untouched sofa underneath. This is a toughy though, as most fabrics will be suscesptible.

I have three cats and a toddler - and two leather sofas, so that's my vote. I do try to keep my cats nails trimmed which I do myself with a big nail trimmer (the kind for people not cats). You just need to trim off the sharp tips and keep away from the pink part.

Good luck!

Pretty much. Though it's more likely about smell than germs per se. She's reasserting her scent over yours. Secretly she loves you though, and probably wants more of your scent, so you can look at it as 'she's lovingly prepping herself for the next onslaught of lovely human scent'. ;)

My kitten loved to suckle a fuzzy blanket; the nubs of fuzz probably felt like nipples to her. She slowly stopped doing it, and, about a year ago, when I'd try to leave it out for her, she'd drag it and leave it at the entrance to her litter box. That seemed as good a sign as any that she'd outgrown it.

The suckling impulse seems pretty normal. I think I'd just monitor her to make sure she's not biting her nipples or suckling them raw.

Well, Fnarf would suggest taxidermy, but I think you're better off with the towel. You could get a shitload of those chamois towels they sell at Costco - a gazillion for 15 bucks - that are super absorbent and just keep 'em on hand for when Kitty wants to gets his love groove on.

You'll find the yellow towels in the automotive section. I use 'em on baby drool, which is even more copious than feline drool.

It's not the solution you're looking for, but it's probably your only real option.

You've been lucky. I suggest you read the information about toxicity of the alkaloid, theobromine. It appears that for a larger dog like yours, she would need to ingest nearly a pound of chocolate to get a fatal dose. Knowing how dangerous it is for dogs, cats, and birds, we should be vigilant and not allow our pets to eat any of it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theobromine

The liger.