Does Your Child Want to Become a Vet? (Sponsored Guest Post)

Being a veterinarian is an incredibly beautiful, challenging, and rewarding career choice. If your child wants to follow the path of an animal vet, then the best thing you can do to help is encourage them to attend a vet camp.

What’s better for an aspiring veterinarian than a week-long, hands-on training camp at Auburn University? They’ll learn everything they need to know to get a true feeling of what being a vet is like in the modern workplace.

Junior high students, including those who will be entering this year, will be able to follow specific programs that’ll drive their passion for animals further while also understanding the realities of the job. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience that any future vet shouldn’t pass up!

What are the Benefits of this Vet Camp Contest?

The three contestants who win the grand prize will have their entire stay paid for. This includes housing, meals, and payments required for the education. While normally this would cost thousands of dollars, your child could have it all for free!

Everyone loves animals, but it takes a special person to work with them during hard times. If you truly believe that your child has what it takes, then have them apply for the possibility of taking massive leaps and bounds towards their goal.

Auburn University is one of the most well-known schools in the country with a vet program, which is another reason why this can’t be passed up! However, such a perfect opportunity wouldn’t be possible without the help of Royal Canin and the people at Vet Set Go.

Who is Royal Canin?

Royal Canin is a pet company that focuses their efforts on the bettering of animal lives around the world. From their nutritionally-packed foods to their constant push for animal rights, protection, and love, this company is working for animals of the past, present, and future.

We all know that veterinarians play an irreplaceable role in the lives of our beloved pets, as well as wildlife in all environments. In order to ensure the health and wellness of animals as long as possible, they’re willing to cover the costs of such an educational trip.

How to You Can Enter

Prior to applying, make sure your child is entering 6^th through 8^th grade during the Fall of 2019. These are the only available years for entry.

To apply, your child must write up to 300 words describing why they want to attend the vet camp. Be sure that they include personal experiences with animals, the reason(s) why they love animals so much, how they’ve helped animals in the past or present, and why they want to learn how to become a vet.

Finally, snap a picture of them with their favorite animal as a testament to their friendship! Submit the application yourself once your child is finished, as an adult of 18+ years must accompany a child during the application process.

That’s it, you’re all set! Good luck, and don’t forget to encourage your child to pursue their dreams of becoming a veterinarian!

For more information go to https://www.vetsetgo.com/about/become-a-vet-camp-contest-2019

A Crisis Averted!

As many of you know, Cody suffers from allergies.  He is on a veterinary diet, but I am inclined to think, and the vet will be revisiting this, that his allergies are in fact, seasonal and not diet related. Approximately every three months Cody breaks out in miserable "hot spots", red, oozing patches on the top of his head, just above his ears.

If you look at Cody's head
you will see the "evil hot spot"

When Cody has a flare up the vet begins a course of Prednisolone which  often involves approx. 10 days of pills.

In our household, I am the "piller." My husband does not know how, nor is he comfortable "pilling" a cat. **Note:this is particularly upsetting because Cody is easier to "pill" than any cat I have ever seen. You simply trick him with food, grab him and plop the pill in his mouth. Cody is food-obsessed and it works like a charm, EVERY TIME.

A week or so before BlogPaws, I was obsessed with Cody's head, knowing it was nearing time for him to have another flare-up. I was on the alert.  My husband was a wreck. He kept telling me to "quit putting this out in the Universe." Every time poor Cody just passed within my view, I would say "Let me look at your head!" Two nights before I was to leave for BlogPaws it happened. The evil "hot spot" appeared. I promptly went into maniac mode.

I paged my vet, who, being the angel that he is, promptly returned my call. I began crying and shrieking  "Cody is having another flare-up, I am scheduled to leave for a conference in the next two days and my husband cannot pill a cat! What am I going to do?" I had missed last years conference due to a kidney stone attack and there was no way I was going to miss the conference two years in a row.

Vet to the rescue! He had me bring Cody in first thing in the morning. While waiting, I noticed changes that had been made to their remodeled facility.

I couldn't tell you if the Feliway worked, because Cody is quite good at the vet and always has been. I did like the effort on the part of our vet to make their environment more comforting to the cats that visit that are much higher strung than Cody. Cody has thankfully always been a "take things in stride" kind of cat, mostly if there is food involved!

While I waited for the vet to enter the exam room, I  surveyed the new "cat friendly" decor:

And...it was time to test it out with Cody who wasn't impressed with the "new digs" at all! 

It was mean Mama who put him up on the ledge, he did NOT go there willingly!

Cody wanted NONE of this new "cat-friendly" exam room. He disliked it so much that he actively sought out the comfort of his PTU.


Before shooting this video Cody DID get back in the PTU because I had left the PTU door open! After unceremoniously "dumping" him on the table, I locked the PTU door to prevent a re-entry!

But Cody wasn't going to give up!

"I know I can get in here!"

"It has to open, I know it has to!"

"Now where did that latch go?"

"They got me...I'm trapped"

And then we got him!

Thankfully all turned out well, Cody was given a steroid shot (which normally we don't use, but due to my husband not being able to "pill" him, we had no choice.)

Cody returned home,  I left for BlogPaws the following morning in TEARS because I had never left home with one of my pets not being well.  I was even more upset than I would have been leaving under normal circumstances.

Cody's Dad did a great job on "head patrol." I called numerous times a day for updates, and aside from a few terrifying  "I'm not sure how his head is" reports, when I returned home he was completely healed!

A Crisis Averted!

It's Be Kind To Animals Week!!!

Hi every furry it's Cody! See that photo? Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about! I think it is great that a week is devoted to being kind to animals but I think that kindness should be shown to animals EVERY DAY!

Photo courtesy of http://behumane.org/component/content/article/2-uncategorised/82-be-kind-to-animals

There are many ways that every one can be kind to animals for now I am going to talk about how my Mom and Dad are kind to animals!

Mom rescued my Grandpa Bobo when he was a stray kitty. She found him in a blizzard and he ended up living with Mom for 18 years!

Mom adopted me from an adoption event at Petco back in 2007. She gave me a furever home and I know I am one lucky kitty!

Mom keeps me up-to-date on vet visits and vaccinations.

Daddy feeds me a delicious (grain-free) breakfast and Mom feeds me a (grain-free) dinner. Mom also makes sure that I have a few snacks throughout the day.

I have comfy beds to sleep in, windows to sunbathe in, kisses and cuddles and a home where I KNOW I am loved!

Mom and Dad try to keep items that could be harmful to me, away from me! Some of these are:

• CHOCOLATE
• ONIONS
• GARLIC
• POISONOUS PLANTS
• STRING
• DENTAL FLOSS
• BELLS ON TOYS
• HANDLES ON PAPER BAGS

Just to name a few!

Mom tries to donate to various animal causes throughout the year and to kitties around the blog-o-sphere that she reads about that are in need.

Once or twice a year Mom goes through my toys and donates lightly-used toys toys that I never play with, to kitties that are less fortunate.

See those toys in the bag in the photo above?

Also the scratcher?

Mom donated those to the kitty above

and some other kitties!

They are having a great time!

I know that many of you have humans who do all sorts of things that show kindness  to animals, I would love hearing about them in the comments! Give me a meow-out!!

Love,
Cody

Royal Canin To Donate Bowls of Cat Food Through Live Tweets Generated At BlogPaws! And A "Sneak Peek" at their NEWEST FOOD LINE!

Hi everyone! It's Cody and I am grinning like the Cheshire cat with news I am about to share with you that I received from my furiends at Royal Canin today!

As many  ok 3 or 4 of you MOL, know that have been reading my blog for the past 2 years, I am a Royal Canin guy through and through. I have been eating their Veterinary formula bagged and canned rabbit ever since I developed allergies. I love my Royal Canin cat food and have been known to be relentless in my never-ending quest for more of it!

It was only natural that I would be one of the cool cats that were chosen to hear about some things going on with Royal Canin,  and I am SUPER excited to share this impawtant news with you!

You can see we buy the INDUSTRIAL
SERIOUS EATIN' size
OF ROYAL CANIN!

Royal Canin is a "Friends Of BlogPaws Sponsor" and is a long-time supporter of shelter pets. For those of you who will be going to BlogPaws, (I will be there in FLAT form and Mom will be there in FAT form but I digress), Royal Canin has created a "kitty cam" and will be broadcasting live cat action video from the open-cage cat rescue, Clowder House Foundation, in St.Louis, MO.

Here comes the part that will help the kitties! For everyone who stops by the Royal Canin booth at BlogPaws and TWEETS #RoyalCaninGives, they will donate a bowl of their HOT-OFF-THE-PRESSES-NEW SPAYED/NEUTERED line of foods, to the adoptable, on-screen cats of the Clowder House! How cool is that!? I am sure Mom will be standing loitering there tweeting her little heart out! If you are going to BlogPaws you need to be doing the same!

Did ya catch the part about the NEW line of food that Royal Canin will be giving a "sneak peak" at for the lucky cats attending BlogPaws? The SPAYED/NEUTERED line of food was developed because while we all know the multitude of reasons why spaying/neutering is so impawtant, it brings with it some changes to kitties. A couple of those changes are a decrease in energy and an INCREASE of appetite! I have first-paw experience about that! The Royal Canin NEW SPAYED/NEUTERED line of food will be the FIRST line of food specifically tailored for spayed and neutered cats!!

BlogPaws attendees get to try it before ANYBODY ELSE! What I wouldn't give to have Royal Canin install a "Mommy Cam" so I could see live-action video of Mommy with her face in the bowl of cat food tasting it!!! Now THAT would be a show, but once again, I digress...


Sooo BlogPaws kitty peeps be sure to stop by the Royal Canin booth and help the shelter kitties and my mom when she gets tired from tweeting #RoyalCaninGives for the entire conference!


I was not compensated for this post. I already am a customer of Royal Canin. They didn't even give me one piece of rabbit kibble for writing this, not a one. Because of that, Mom had better score some Royal Canin swag at BlogPaws....just sayin'....

You're "It!"

Now THIS is unusual! THIS is a FIRST! We were just "tagged" by our friend Sammy from One Spoiled Cat and due to having NOTHING prepared for today, for the FIRST TIME- EVER we aren't going to take a gazillion months to respond!

The first requirement of this blog post is  that we answer TEN "BURNING" questions about us! We decided that since this blog is a joint venture, Cody and I would BOTH answer! Here goes!


1) Describe yourself in 7 words:
Cody- cuddly,  loving, determined, intelligent, adorable, lazy and fearless.
Mom- ditto, ditto, ditto, ditto, funny, focused and stubborn.

2) What keeps you up at night?
Cody- my never-ending quest for food
Mom-playing "Words With Friends"

3)  Who would I like to be?
Cody- "King of the Forrrrrrrrrrrreeeeesssst!!!!"


Mom-  the next winner of either Mega Millions or Power Ball

4)  What am I wearing now?
Cody- the finest quality silver gray tabby fur
Mom- gray Lions sweatpants, gray and blue Super Bowl sweatshirt from 2006.

5)  What scares me?
Cody- the thought of  Mom's canned Royal Canin Veterinary Formula canned rabbit running out.
Mom-  the way that I look without makeup as I look right now while I am typing this!

6)  The best and worst of blogging:
Cody- all of the fun kitties, doggies and their pawrents that I have met!
Mom- best? The people and their pets that I have met along the way both online and in person.  Worst? Self-imposed deadlines which translates to pressure that I have created for MYSELF. Bottom line? "WHO CARES?"  As far as blogging goes, NONE of us are nearly as important as we think that we are.


7) The last website I visited:
Cody-www.hotcatsforonenight.com
Mom-One Spoiled Cat told ya! I literally came from there, directly here and started typing! It's a MIRACLE!

8) What is the one thing I would change about myself:
Cody- to be ALLERGY-FREE so that I could eat allllll different kinds of food!
Mom- to be less of a control-freak

9) Slankets yes or no?
Cody- What in the hell is a slanket???
Mom- ditto

10) Tell us something about the person who tagged you:
Cody- Sammy is the coolest cat. He is wise beyond his years. He has a really great blog that if you haven't checked it out, you sure should! He says he is "spoiled" but he really isn't, he is just treated the way ALL cats should be treated, as the Gods and Goddesses in furry little suits that we ARE!

Sammy as a baby,
his baby basket and his Mom! (Pam!)

Mom- Where do I begin? Sammy's Mom (Pam) is an incredibly talented woman. She is a writer (who I will be featuring on February 24th, save the date!), she is an artist, (she sent me the most BEAUTIFUL NOTE CARDS!!) , she is loving, kind, fun, warm and she possesses a quality that makes her a kindred spirit of mine, the quality of never ceasing to think like a child. If you maintain the untainted child-like quality of being able to be excited about things that you see and experience and never lose your ability to imagine, or have a laugh that starts from deep within your belly,  then in my opinion, you HAVE IT ALL!!! Pam also has another blog (The Magic Forest Chronicle) that features just those things:

Now....we must tag some other folks....no pressure...seriously none...if you don't want to do this then just pussyfoot on by as if you never have seen this post! (For some of you I KNOW that "pussyfooting on by" isn't a problem! MOL!!)

CAT WISDOM 101

OUR LIFE BY ERIC & FLYNN

FEELING BEACHIE

ROSIE LARGER THAN LIFE

HART STORIES BY MEG S. HART

MARIO'S MEOWSINGS

NERISSA'S LIFE

If  we didn't list you here no worries!!!! There are some of you who have jumped through these hoops so many times that the thought  of having to do one of these again would make you want to scratch our eyes out if you had to purrticipate, and since we value our eye-sight and our lives, we  neglected to mention you.

There are still others that  we could mention who we follow and comment on regularly that we KNOW NEVER visit, (we are observant and snide cusses...hehehe)  so what would be the point of listing them? MOL!, and still others whose blogs aren't set up for this kind of blog post and we respect that completely.

And...well, if you don't meet any of the above criteria....we're just plain tired of typing right now.

Happy 15th Birthday Petfinder! Help Petfinder.com get 15,000 pets adopted this weekend!!

Cody and I are honored to devote our Blog The Change blog post to helping Petfinder get 15,000 pets adopted this weekend!!

  "Pet finder is the  virtual home of 358,825 adoptable pets from 13,534 adoption groups"


Adopting a pet that needs a home is one of the most rewarding gifts you can  give yourself, as well as the precious furry one.


I adopted Cody on July 28th, 2007 and there isn't a day that goes by that his snuggles, nose taps, purrs, kitty kisses and clownish ways don't fill my heart with  a love that only an animal can evoke. He helped to heal me. I had lost my beloved Bobo July 2nd, 2007 and could no longer bear to live my life without the love and comfort of a cat.


 Our pets love us unconditionally. They don't care how much money we have,  how talented we are, where we live or what we look like. They just want to love US, warts and all.


  All living creatures are gifts from God.  They deserve to live a life brimming with security and love. Animals cannot speak for themselves, so it is up to us, to utilize to our fullest ability, the gift of speech that we have been given (and our opposable thumbs) to speak for them. It is our responsiblity to love them. It is our responsiblity to help them.


With all that these precious babies bring to OUR lives, it is the least we can do for THEM.




Won't you open your home and heart to a new addition?


Here are some adorable pets to tempt you! They are all located in West Bloomfield, Michigan at "Almost Home" You may email them at almosthome1965@aol.com or fill out an online application on their website here

"Callie"

"Callie is one of a kind! She is a large Calico, yes, she has a bit of a tummy and she would hate me for talking about her weight. She hopes to one day be a dainty slim gal, so in her new home, she would like to go on a bit of a diet. She likes to play and goof around with other kitties. Callie is a great girl with a very sweet personality. She is going to fit in very quickly into a new loving home!" 

"Spooky"
"Spooky is a tenderhearted, sweetie pie 2-3 year old male Tabby. He is a golden boy! Spooky loves other kitties and will do great in a home with a buddy cat to play and have fun with. He is a true blue companion who will brighten all of your days!"

"Zelda"

"Gorgeous! Zelda is a female long hair white & black adult cat. She is so sweet, but is still learning to trust people. She is currently in foster care learning how to live like a normal lucky house cat! :) She is just a bit timid. She would do best in a home that she can stretch out and feel safe & comfortable. She does very well with other kitties and lives with a few right now. "

"Rusty"

"Check out our handsome boy Rusty! He is an adult male, short hair orange tabby. Rusty was found living in an abandoned apartment. He hadn't eaten or drank anything in days. Needless to say, when Rusty finally made it to the shelter, he quickly devoured a full bowl of food and lapped up an entire bowl of water and immediately asked for more. Rusty truly is a very spunky guy, and one thing neat about him is that he is polydactyl, which means he has an extra toe on each of his front paws. It looks like he's wearing mittens! He is full of silly personality and is going to keep his new family forever entertained! Rusty is not one of those scaredy-cats, he likes to be in the middle of the action! If you are looking for a cat who "acts like a dog", then you have met your match! :) Rusty deserves a wonderful forever home where he will always feel love and kindness, where he will never again know hunger, thirst, and loneliness. If you would like to give Rusty all the love he deserves, please come to the shelter to meet him. He's waiting patiently for you."




Send all CAT inquiries to: almosthome1965@aol.com

You  may also fill out an online application here

You may visit Petfinder's birthday page here

HOT OFF THE PRESS! BREAKING NEWS!! Cody and I are THRILLED to announce that we are the lucky WINNERS of the Royal Canin/Petco "GOGO" promotion that Romeo the Cat featured on his blog! (See the original post here) We won $1000 which is being mailed directly to ALMOST HOME, that is where the kitties above are living until they find their furever home! You can read all about the contest winners on Romeo's blog right here. Cody and I have a particular fondness for both Royal Canin and Petco. Cody eats Royal Canin's food and Cody was adopted from a rescue that was at a Petco that used to be near our home, on July 28th, 2007.  We are thrilled and PROUD to be able to give back!

Everything You Wanted To Know About Us...Or Not...We Were Asked To Play A Fun "Meme!"

Mom and I don't usually do "Memes" (is that how you even spell it? MOL!), but some super special friends of ours asked us to pawticipate and we just couldn't say no. Well, we could say no  but we decided not to because we love these friends of ours and we would like them to remain our friends! MOL! We don't want them comin' after us!

The friends who asked us to pawticipate are Chloe And Cecil and Nellie from The Cat From Hell. Do you blame us for not saying no? When you have a kitty asking you to do something, and they are from a blog named "The Cat From Hell", you do what they TELL you to do. If not, you risk sleeping with the fishies!

Ok on to the Meme. We have to answer the following questions. Both Mom and I are going to answer!

1) Where do you like to hang out?

Mom's answer:

and

My Answer:

Sleeping on Mama's Tummy

2) Who Is Your Kitty Crush?

Mom's Answer:

Mr.Puddy!!!

Mom is COMPLETELY smitten with him!

It is ridiculous!

Someone should tell Mom she is a human

NOT a CAT!

My Answer:

Katy Perry
If she kissed a Cody,
she'd like it!

3) What is your favorite scent?

Mom's answer:

My Answer:

Royal Canin Feline
Green Pea & Rabbit Formula

4) What is your favorite TV show?

Mom's Answer:

My Answer:
Garfield & Friends

5) What Is Your Favorite Movie?

Mom's Answer:

My Answer:

The Lion King

6) What Is Your Best Piece Of Feline Advice?

Mom's Answer:

"Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up.

 It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed...

every morning a lion wakes up.

 It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death.

 It doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle...

when the sun comes up, you'd better be running."

My Answer:

"When in doubt,

blame the dog"

Now I am supposed to pass this on to 3 other kitty friends that I would like to learn more about, a lot of them have had this already. Here are 3 that I don't think did. I hope I am right!

1) Alex from Feeling Beachie

2) Zee & Zoey

3) Spitty from Spitty Speaks