Answer your cat’s questions and become an expert at reading their mood by observing facial expressions, ears, and eyes. Although you and your cat may speak different languages, it doesn’t mean you can’t communicate with each other. While every cat is different, there is a common code of expression—a set of signals—that you can learn to read easily.

Indicators such as the look in your cat’s eyes, the tone of her voice, the position of her ears and the motion of her tail can provide important clues regarding your companion’s feelings and intentions. For example, if your cat raises his or her head and then lowers it, someone is getting too close or if your cat points his ears and opens his eyes this means it is play time.

As you become more familiar with your cat’s behavioral tendencies, you will begin to better understand their language, like if your cat crouches low to the ground, he is feeling uncomfortable. If your cat stands on his toes, you are probably being asked to pick him up and everyone knows that raised hair on the back and a puffed-out tail are universal signs of hostility or defensiveness. If you sense your cat is tired, Simple Solution® makes a Thermal Cat Cushion that will accommodate exhaustion. This self-warming cushion utilizes a space-age material with a reflective surface that reflects the pet’s own body heat back to the animal. The plush fur pad cover is reversible and self-heating on both sides.

Answer Your Cat’s Question Day is all about listening to your cat’s needs. You can learn a lot from your cat’s wide vocabulary of chirps and meows. You will know when it is time to get up, when your cat is feeling affectionate, or when your cat is hungry. Sometimes your cat might not even have something to tell you but will simply meow in passing just to say hello. Also pay attention to your cat’s actions like when he stops using the litter box – this could mean he is getting a bladder infection. Cats associate the litter box with the pain they feel when urinating and avoid it all costs. Other things that might disturb your cat might have to do with a change in routine. Whatever it is, make sure you are paying attention the signs so you can best serve the needs of your cat.

According to an article in USA Today, three hundred shelters across the nation are celebrating Change a Pet’s Life Day on Saturday, Jan. 24, in an effort to support shelters and rescue groups as well as entice possible adopters. As part of the nationwide promotion, fees for the first 10 adoptions at each participating shelter will be paid by a sponsor.

USA Today states that eight million pets a year enter shelters and many experts believe that our economy will increase pet surrender rates. So many wonderful and amazing dogs and cats are waiting for a home and loving family. You can Google “Change a Pet’s Life Day” and find several websites to find a local pet shelter near you.

If you are interested in pet adoption and plan on coming home with a new furry friend this week, Simple Solution^® has a Puppy Housetraining Kit that will come in handy. Most likely your new friend will need some help becoming accustomed to the new house and Simple Solution’s kit has the gear you’ll need to help them get acquainted.

The kit includes Simple Solution® JumpStart Training Pads which use your pet’s own “language” to encourage dog’s instinctive marking behavior for quick housetraining results. The kit also includes the Unofficial Guide to Housetraining Your Puppy as well as Bags on Board^® dispenser, a great item that makes picking up after your pet simple and convenient.

- Now that the holidays have passed, it is time to cut back on the treats and refocus on a healthy diet for your pet -

A common New Year’s Resolution for humans is to cut back on the sweets and refocus their diet on healthy, fulfilling foods. Similar to people, pets need a healthy diet too and overweight issues or bad eating habits can lead to health problems. To avoid these potential health risks, come up with a healthy diet plan for your pet. Some tips and healthy recipes are listed below to help you get started. Also, talking to your veterinarian can help you develop a diet and exercise plan to keep your pet fit and trim for the New Year!

• If your pet has had one too many treats this holiday season, try feeding him low-calorie treats. Your pet might enjoy fruits and raw vegetables such as apples, oranges, carrots, broccoli, potatoes and green beans.
• Refrain from giving your pet table unhealthy scraps! Our food usually contains fat, salt and other ingredients that are damaging to your pet’s health and could even cause indigestion or diarrhea.

Although homemade meals take a lot of dedication, it is important to whip up a nice healthy dinner for your pet every now and then. Many people don’t feel like they know enough to prepare a completely balanced meal that meets the required needs for a dog or cat. A few healthy, easy-to-prepare recipes from healthyrecipesforpets.com are listed below for your pet to enjoy:

For Your Dog

Beef and Rice Moochies

Preparation & Cooking

1 jar baby food, dinner, vegetables and beef, strained

2 1/2 cups flour, all-purpose

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup rice

1 package unflavored gelatin

1 whole egg

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup powdered milk

1 package yeast

1/4 cup warm water

1 beef bouillon cube

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Mix dry ingredients in large bowl. Add yeast, egg, oil, baby food and dissolved beef bouillon. Mix well. Mixture will be very dry, knead with hands until it forms a ball. Roll out on floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness, cut in 1 or 2 inch circles. Bake on un-greased cookie sheet 30 minutes at 300 degrees. Store in refrigerator.

For Your Cat

Chicken Soup

Preparation & Cooking

1 chicken liver

1 giblet

1 chicken heart

1 chicken neck

1 teaspoon of finely chopped parsley

2 cup of water

Combine 1 chicken liver, 1 giblet, 1 chicken heart, 1 chicken neck, 2 cups water and 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley. Cover and simmer until the giblet is tender. Chop all the meat for dogs removing bones and mix with kibble; for cats, grind the meat in the blender.

One of the most exciting events for a family or an individual is bringing home a new puppy. Who could resist those tiny wagging tails, big adoring eyes–and those unsightly yellow puddles and chewed up shoes!  Puppy obedience training is a necessary part of pet ownership. It’s very difficult to live with an animal that hasn’t been housetrained. For the best results and easy living, you should train your puppy as soon as you bring him or her home.

Housetraining a puppy requires time, watchfulness, patience and persistence. Nearly every puppy will have an accident in the house, but this is part of raising a puppy and should be expected. The more consistent you are in following the basic housetraining procedures, the faster your puppy will learn acceptable behavior. It may take several weeks to housetrain your puppy and with some of the smaller breeds it might take longer.

There are several methods of housetraining.  One effective method is to use training pads. Training pads are great for pets with working parents, pets living in apartments or extreme temperatures and pets just wanting to hang out indoors with you. 

Simple Solution® JumpStart Training Pads use your pet’s own “language” to encourage dog’s instinctive marking behavior and the durable lining protects your floors. Whenever you see the puppy starting into their “pre-potty pattern,” such as walking around and sniffing the floor, you gently pick them up without talking and carry them over to the pad and then praise them when they go to the bathroom.

When all goes well and they are using the Simple Solution^® JumpStart Training Pads consistently, you can either use training pads as a permanent indoor elimination solution or make the transition to the outdoors.  To train your pup to go outside, slowly move the pad closer and closer to the door while reducing the size of the elimination area (fold the pad in half, then in quarters).  In a few short weeks, your pup will have the routine down.

Now that the holiday season has passed and all the elaborate meals, holiday treats and extra calories have been consumed, it is time to get out and exercise! When you make plans to achieve your New Year’s resolution to become fit for the 2009 year, don’t forget that your dog has probably been eating a surplus of leftovers and could use the exercise too! In order to maintain accountability in your workout schedule, fitness experts always recommend a workout buddy and who better to assist you in your plan to become fit than that furry pal of yours?

It is well documented that in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle we need to eat right and get the proper amount of exercise. The same is true for our dogs. Consistent running or walking helps prevent heart disease for both you and your pet and will also promote strength in bones and muscles helping to ward off arthritis while at the same time maintain a healthy weight.

Supporting a healthy lifestyle for both our dogs and ourselves also requires natural nutrition, adequate rest, social interaction with other dogs and humans and avoidance of toxins and stressful environments.

While exercising outdoors, it is important to clean up after your pet – not only will you keep your community clean, but you can also prevent or decrease health problems affecting your pets or your family. Bags on Board® dispenser is a great item that makes picking up after your pet simple and convenient. Bags on Board® has a compact, refillable dispenser with a roll of 15 large doggie clean-up bags that conveniently attaches to any kind of leash – standard or retractable allowing you to clean up after your pet wherever you go.

In addition to making sure your dog is maintaining a healthy lifestyle, it is important to remember that providing love and regular attention to your pet is one of the most crucial components to not only his health and happiness, but yours too. Loneliness and aggression are common in dogs that have not received proper care. As you walk your dog, give him a nice affectionate pat on the head or simply curl up together on the couch to make sure he is receiving the necessary treatment that will benefit both your health as well as his.