Toys & Grooming

Bringing home your newest family member, Fido or Miss Kitty, can be an exciting time. In your excitement to bring Fido home, don't forget to prepare your home for Fido's arrival. There are many items that you can gather and set up before your newest family member arrives. Some items that are must haves for Fido or Miss Kitty's arrival are toys and grooming items. Both Fido and Miss Kitty need to be cleaned and groomed on a regular basis. This not only helps them, but it helps you as well. Pet fur removers, brushes, and mitts can help reduce shedding problems. Many people think because Miss Kitty grooms herself that she does not need to be cleaned, but this is a misconception. It is exactly because cats meticulously groom themselves that you need to give them a helping hand. Many cats suffer from heaving hairballs. The fur from their meticulous grooming begins to pile up undigested in their stomachs causing problems that can range from unpleasant sounding retching to more serious digestive issues for your cat. If you help her in her grooming duties, you can eliminate or greatly reduce the hairball problem. Brushing her to reduce her shedding fur can greatly help her. It also reduces the amount of hair that she leaves behind her on your furniture and floors, not to mention you won't have to spend your time cleaning hairballs out of your carpeting.

Bring Miss Kitty home in a pet carrier. Give her some time if she doesn't immediately want to jump out once you get her home. However, once Miss Kitty leaves her small animal carrier, gently scoop her up and show her where the litter box is located. Before Miss Kitty arrives at her new home, make sure you have already set up a litter box close to where she is going to be venturing out, so she can easily remember where it is at. She may be timid to explore the full extent of your home immediately and therefore, may not find the litter box if it is in the far corners of your basement. This is especially true if Miss Kitty is a kitten. Initially, it is a good idea to introduce her to their litter box several times over the next couple of days or until you feel confidant she knows where her litter pan is located. It may even be a good idea to initially restrict Miss Kitty to the main level of your home, if you have a two story home with a basement, until she and you are more confidant in her explorations and adventures. At a later date, if you want to move the litter pan to the basement, do so by incrementally moving it closer to where you want it. Take each step in this process slowly, a week at a time with the litter pan in one spot before moving it. If you do this, you will also have to show her each time where you have moved it.

If you are training Fido, especially if Fido is a puppy, you may find it useful to have some training pads on hand. Make use of a floor protector tray to place under the pet training pads. When you take Fido for his walks to do his business, you are going to have to clean up after his "deposits". Having on hand a pet cleaning dispenser with bags that you can easily hang from a belt loop is a great tool to have before your first walk to the dog park. Once you have used the baggie, you can hang it from the leash as you finish your walk or until you can get to a place to properly dispose of it.

Don't forget the fun toys for Miss Kitty either. Cats need to scratch and providing her with a safe scratching pole can protect your furniture from her claws. There are many cat condos, cat trees, and play tunnels for her to explore. Make sure to provide this for her so she can keep her active curiosity and body going.

Have fun with your newest family member. Make sure he feels welcome and enjoy your time with him. If you get prepared before Fido arrives, you can enjoy him more once he is there.

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