Jennifer - AAP Migration Database

Cat Health

We know that the health of your cat or kitten is very important to you! That’s why we’ve assembled this directory to our blog articles that talk about cat health and kitten health.

Dog Basic Care

Here are some articles about basic dog and puppy care to help you care for your dog or puppy!

New Puppy Checklist: Before Adopting a Dog

A Guide to Welcoming Your New Dog

Are Shelter Pets for Adoption Healthy?

See more articles about Dog Behavior & Training here.

We cover a lot of dog and puppy topics in our blog articles! The ones we have listed here are our favorite dog tips that don’t really fall into the other categories, but are filled with lots of helping information!

Cat Tips

We cover a lot of cat and kitten topics in our blog articles! The ones we have listed here are our favorite cat tips that don’t really fall into the other categories, but are filled with lots of helping information!

DIY cat projects

Tips for Cats and Holidays

Cat Basic Care

Here are some articles about basic cat care to help you prepare and for when you’ve just adopted a cat or kitten!

New Kitten Checklist: Before Adopting a Cat

A Guide to Your New Cat or Kitten’s First Day

Bringing Home Your New Cat or Kitten

Happy Beginnings: Sweet Tater

Happily adopted dog with cat friend We know you love hearing from happy adopters who have used Adopt-a-Pet.com to find their new furry friend! Today we’re happy to share an email we received from Michelle, an adopter who found her new dog Sweet Tater through our Search Saver alert emails: “Thank you so much for your website. We signed up to have new pets that are available at our local shelter emailed to us and after looking at all those sad faces we finally went to Hillsborough County Animal Shelter and fell in love with a hound mix we have named Sweet Tater. She is perfect and the new love of our life. When we got there she only had a day or so left and we could not leave her there. We got her home and discovered she is super smart and the sweetest most grateful dog anyone could ask for. We would have never found her if we hadn’t signed up up your website. Again… THANK YOU SO MUCH. Our family feels complete now and it’s all because of you. – Keith and Michelle, Sweet Tater and her feline buddies Love and Azreal.” We’d love to hear from you too! Please email your Adopt-a-Pet.com Happy Beginning story and photos to info@cms.adoptapet.com.

puppy sleeping on leopard pillow brindle puppy in park

Did you like this article? Click an icon below to share it on Facebook, Twitter, and more!

The Miracle of Cat Nail Caps

It still amazes me how many cat owners, soon-to-be owners, fosters, and even rescuers are unaware of the miracle of cat nail caps. Then I remember that I too was once unaware of these scratch-preventing innovations. They now rank on my top 5 list of world’s best inventions along with electricity and hot running water! I do love telling a yet-to-be enlightened person about nail caps and watching their face light up recognizing the sheer brilliance of something so simple and yet so perfectly designed. Can you tell I’m a huge fan? If you fall into that category, let me tell you about cat nail caps!

Also called claw covers, claw caps, or nail covers, they are all made from durable yet bendable rubber-like plastic. They are shaped just like a cat’s or dog’s nails, but are hollow inside with an open end so they can slip on over your pet’s claws. Nowadays they come in many different sizes, ranging from kitten to extra large dog, though you may have to order them online (like at PetSmart.com) to find the options you desire. The standard clear ones are available in most retail pet supply stores, . If the clear ones aren’t fancy enough for you, they do come in various colors including glittery sparkles if you want to really have fun! I love it when shelters use pink and blue claw caps to dress up black pets and invite an educational discussion as to their function in a home.

I also love to explain to pet owners how easy nail caps make it to keep their furniture and themselves safe while scratch training their new cat or kitten. Also, aside from protecting your furniture, curtains and other belongings, nail caps can protect human babies, children, and other pet’s noses and eyes. If you are bringing a new cat into your home and have any of the above, I highly recommend applying nail caps on day one!

You do still need to know how to give your cat a “pawdicure” before applying by trimming your cat’s nails. You also need to keep an eye on them as the nail grows out and the cap eventually falls off in about 6 to 8 weeks so you can trim again. They are supposed to be made from a nontoxic material in case you don’t use the right amount of superglue (included in the packaging) when you apply them, and I personally like to apply right before feeding them so they are distracted while the glue dries enough to make them almost impossible to remove.

I’ve had years of practice applying them to all sorts of cats, and in the beginning I needed a helper to hold the cat. Still today if its a cat who I can’t wrangle for nail trimming by myself, I know I’ll need a helper to get the nail caps on too. Once I managed not to close the glue properly and had it dry out, but since I’ve always had plenty of glue left over after applying a whole pack, I just used another tube and there was plenty for both packs.

Now that you know about the miracle of nail caps, tell your friends! You don’t need to declaw a cat to make their paws always be soft and avoid sharp claws.

Did you like this article? Click an icon below to share it on Facebook, Twitter, and more!

Keeping the Peace in a Multi-Dog Home

Ever wonder how some people can live with a pack of three, four, or even more dogs who all get along? Maybe you’re reading this article because you have a dog and are wondering how you can adopt or foster a new dog and be sure that they will get along well, if not become best friends. Dog to dog aggression was very much a mystery to me when I started working with shelter dogs as a volunteer. To educate myself I read books, took training classes, watched videos, and attended workshops — but that was before BadRap.org had their online resources available! They include what I think of as the essential articles for Multi Dog Homes. Though BadRap’s primary focus is Pit Bulls, their basic truths about dog behavior do not breed discriminate. The down-to-earth advice helps people in understanding levels of dog aggression, how to safely introduce a new dog into a home with one or more dogs, and most of all how to keep the peace in a multi-dog home.

Since there is a lot information on their website, I’ll share three pages that I’ve bookmarked for sharing with potential and current dog fosters and adopters.

1. Understanding Different Dog Tolerance Levels
Normally, I’m not a big fan of labels. But understanding the different dog tolerance levels (like how friendly a dog is towards other dogs) is incredibly helpful if you are thinking of adding a new dog to your mix. Plus there’s a bell curve graph.

2. Slow Dog-to-Dog Introductions
Before I read this article’s six steps, I thought I could never integrate a new foster dog because of my dog “aggressive” older adult dog. This article gave me hope, and a plan. I followed the steps with a very dog social shy adolescent foster dog, and was able to progress from crating and rotating, through walks together, to short sessions out in the yard off leash. It felt like a miracle! I continue to use these steps with my dog now for every new dog I foster. How far we get each time depends on the dogs’ chemistry… and how long I have them before they get adopted!

3. Living Peaceably in a Multi-Dog Home
This is the main page of their multi dog library. It briefly touches on choosing well for good chemistry, being the boss, separating dogs before leaving, avoiding fight triggers, breaking up fights, but it starts out with one of my favorite parts, the not-to-be-missed…

The Golden Rules of Multi-Dog Management

Select your pets carefully. Some dog pairs have great chemistry while others are Jerry Springer material – Nothing but conflict and strife.
Maintain a strong leadership role so the dogs respect your house rules.
Especially while dogs are getting to know each other, separate before you leave the house.
Know the most common fight triggers and work to prevent them.
Know how to break up a fight, then promise yourself you’ll never let them get into anything bigger than a spat.
Involve everyone in the household in multi-dog management.
Understand that dog dynamics can and do shift along with life changes.
Give your dogs individual attention to strengthen bonds.
Proper intros between new dogs are KEY.

In addition to all the above, consulting with a professional dog trainer or behaviorist is recommended especially if you are struggling with multi dog introductions or peaceful co-existing, or before you add a new dog to a home with another dog.

If you’re ready, you find a dog (or two) to adopt at www.adoptapet.com!

Adopting Other Pets

Looking to Adopt a Pet?

Search for adoptable pets like rabbits, horses, birds, and guinea pigs near you. If you don’t see the perfect pet right away, sign up with your email address in the New Pet Alerts box to get email notifications for new adoptable pets once a day. Get started. Thank you for adopting a pet!

Below are some awesome articles to help you adopt and care for a horse, rabbit, bird, guinea pig, hamster, turtle, pig, or other pet.

Rabbits

rabbit and bunny being held by man and woman

Bunny Vs. Rabbit? Learn the Difference

indoor bunny on sofa has longer lifespan

How Long Do Rabbits Live?

Guide to Caring for a Rabbit

Birds

Pigs

Adopting A Pet Pig

Turtles

Basic Aquatic Turtle Care

Gerbils & Guinea Pigs

Ferrets

Don’t Be Alarmed By Common Ferret Behaviors

Adopting a Cat

Find a Cat to Adopt

Search for adoptable cats and kittens near you. If you don’t see the perfect cat right away, sign up with your email address in the New Pet Alerts box to get email notifications for new adoptable cats once a day. Get started. Thank you for adopting a pet!

Below are some articles to help you when you’re getting ready to adopt a cat or have already adopted a cat.

Before adopting a cat

How to Adopt a Cat

How to Choose a Cat: Picking the Right Cat for You

What to Know Before Adopting a Cat

Cat breeds

Largest Domestic Cat Breeds

9 Fluffy Cat Breeds Ready to Snuggle

Cutest Cat Breeds

Author: Jennifer