Usually cats neither need nor do they like a bath. Though they do a very good job to keep themselves clean, it can happen that they get overly dirty.

It can be a real challenge to give your Kitty a bath since most hate it, get really stressed out and aggressive. The gentle way to clean a cat’s overly dirty coat is to sprinkle corn starch all over (be careful to not sprinkle on the eyes and nose!), and then brush it through the fur. Corn starch traps the dirt and when your cat grooms herself, the dirt lifts right out.

Corn starch is not harmful to pets and much cheaper than some products available in pet supply stores!

Two easy and inexpensive ways to prevent hairballs from forming:

See also our previous article where we recommend the Cat Hair Magnet, sold by PetSmart, to additionally help prevent hairballs from forming.

The flea and tick season is here again, and since more and more products are flooding the market we have put together a little overview about the most popular ones.

Unfortunately some are a little pricey (especially if you let your vet administer them), but well worth the money. Sadly, the most effective ointments/liquids do contain chemicals but unfortunately the ones that are botanical, based on natural ingredients, just don’t do the job, especially not in an area with lots of fleas.
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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today notified Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc., of Topeka, Kansas, that FDA testing has detected melamine and melamine byproducts in wheat gluten received by the company to make dry cat food. FDA is conducting an investigation into pet food products made with wheat gluten that contains melamine and their association with reports of injury and deaths in cats and dogs.

Because the cat food is sold exclusively through veterinarians, Hill’s has notified veterinarians, and is voluntarily recalling the pet food containing the wheat gluten and will conduct its own testing.

More information at Hill’s Website or call Hills Pet Nutrition at 1-800-445-5777.

Consumers who have any bags of Prescription Diet m/d Feline should discontinue use. They should speak with their veterinarian if their pet shows any signs of kidney/renal illness. Such signs include loss of appetite, lethargy and vomiting.

Nestle annuonced the following:

On March 30, 2007, Nestlé Purina PetCare Company announced it is voluntarily recalling all sizes and varieties of its ALPO Prime Cuts in Gravy wet dog food with specific date codes. The Company is taking this voluntary action after learning that wheat gluten containing melamine, a substance not approved for use in food, was provided to Purina by the same company that also supplied Menu Foods. The contamination occurred in a limited production quantity at only one of Purina’s 17 pet food manufacturing facilities.
Consumers should immediately stop feeding their dogs ALPO Prime Cuts products with the date codes listed below and consult with a veterinarian if they have any health concerns with their pet.
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Rat poison was found in the pet food suspected of causing kidney failure that killed at least 16 cats and dogs, but scientists still don’t know how it got there, state officials said Friday.

The toxin was identified as aminopterin, which is used to kill rats in some countries, state Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker said.
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Trader Joe’s recalls pet food manufactured by Menu Foods:

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