Winter Wonderhazards

Winter in Texas is finally here, so I’ve been told.  Of course that doesn’t mean it won’t be 70 degrees tomorrow.  I wanted to be sure to spread the word on how to keep my fellow fur friends warm this winter if they are exposed to the frigid weather conditions.  We all know I was blessed with this beautiful mocha and chocolate colored fur coat, but that is not enough when the temperature dips down below freezing. 

I know most people keep their own pets inside and safe with them bundled up next to the fire, sipping tuna flavored hot chocolate, but if you know of other pets outside that you can help, please follow these steps to help them make it through the winter. 

1.        Outside pets burn more energy in the winter trying to keep warm so you may need to increase the amount they are fed.

2.       Use a plastic water bowl so their tongues don’t get stuck to the bowl.  I know you saw the movie The Christmas Story with the kid and the pole, right?  Well this could happen to pets too.  I know you can’t get the image out of your head now.

3.       Check their water bowls frequently to make sure they have fresh and unfrozen water.  Us pets don’t need our drinks on the rocks, lol.

4.       Create a warm space for the outdoor animals sheltered from the wind.  You can always add cedar shavings or straw to help keep them warm and you want their bed to be elevated from the ground to keep out wetness should it rain.

5.       A very important tip during the cold weather pertains to Antifreeze.  That stuff sure taste good to us animals, but it could be life threatening.  Why is all the good stuff poisonous to us?  First I’m told no chocolate and now Antifreeze is off limits too!  So be sure to keep Antifreeze cleaned up in the driveways because I know Bubba down the street, well he’s not real bright, and he may take a lick or two not realizing the consequences.  

6.       The last tip I want to give is really important.  So I had an Uncle Joe who had curled up to take a nap under the hood of a neighbor’s car as it was so warm and cozy.  The warmest place Uncle Joe could find he said.  He was in a really good slumber taking a catnap when luckily that neighbor knocked on his hood before he got in his car and started it up.  Uncle Joe woke up in a flash and left his warm bed just in the nick of time.  That story could have ended very badly and Uncle Joe wouldn’t have been around to tell me that story, so please always knock on your hood to make sure your car is kitty free. While you’re at it you could tell a knock knock joke for giggles.  I mean who doesn’t like a good knock knock joke?

Knock Knock!

Who’s there? 

Claws.

Claws who?

Santa Claws!!!!!

So I gave you advice on how to help my fellow fur friends out this winter and I told you a joke, so I hope you don’t mind, but I would like to write out my Christmas list meow, so I will catch up to you guys later. Want to make sure Santa Claws brings me some catnip this year.  I hope you all have a very Meowey Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Don't be a turkey...keep your pets perky!

Hello out there to my Be-Believers!  Do you see what I did there?  I know that young boy, Justin Bieber, has Beliebers, so why can’t I name my fans? Meow that we have that squared away, I wanted to talk to you about one of my favorite holidays coming up.  I love the beautiful decorations in the fall colors and most importantly, I love that it is a time to give thanks.  I know I am very thankful to Dr. Lorenz for giving me a place to call home and all the humans who play with me each day and give me a good petting, well I am thankful for them as well. I want to do my part to make sure your Thanksgiving with your pets is a great memory and not a trip to the Emergency Animal Clinic so get ready for Cat Course 101.

So the humans get up early, throw on the apron and spend all day in the kitchen cooking, which frankly is hard on us animals smelling the goodness but knowing all the dangers that lurk in the food they are preparing.  Most people know that turkey bones are dangerous because they can splinter in the intestines, but did you know that sage is poisonous to cats and dogs?  Well if you didn’t know that there are many more foods and ingredients that you will use in the next week to make your dinner extra yummy that should be kept away from us pets. Onions and garlic contain sulfides that can lead to anemia.  Walnuts and macadamia nuts can cause a toxic reaction in dogs and cats called “macadamia nut toxicosis.” Within 12 hours of eating them your pet can have tremors, not be able to stand, vomiting and fever.  Nutmeg can cause seizures in dogs and cats and as we know this spice is used in many Thanksgiving recipes.  Grapes and raisins have an unknown toxin that can cause damage to the kidneys. Any alcohol and specifically the hops in beer is toxic and in some cases cause death.  Most humans know chocolate is a no-no, but did you know leaving out raw dough in paws reach is bad?  The raw dough not only contains uncooked eggs that could contain Salmonella, but the dough can rise in the belly causing bloating and discomfort.  I have touched on some of the dangers hiding in your kitchen this Thanksgiving but a good “rule of paw” is to not let your pets get to any of the human food regardless if it is Thanksgiving or not as this is just a small list of foods that should be avoided.

So consider yourself educated in the Cat Course 101 by Ms. Bebe.  I do hope you and your family have a great Thanksgiving and remember as we express our gratitude, we must never forget the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.  Last thing before I let you go, do you know how I am supposed to remove this fur coat?  It is way too hot here in Texas to wear this coat on Thanksgiving.  I was thinking maybe a baggy off the shoulder blouse would be more appropriate.  Just kidding my Be-Believers, go stuff your bellies already, I will talk to you soon.

"I'm shaking my tail feathers!"

Fangtastic Howlaween Tips

Oh so much has happened since I last spoke to my fans.  I’m not going to lie goodbyes make me an emotional wreck and losing one of my best friends at the clinic dropped me down to the tips of my paws whaling on the floor.  We all miss Jennifer around here and she has only been gone a week and a half. Enough of that sad stuff because a woman can only cry so much. On the pawsitive side of things, I have got two new friends at the clinic and I’m really excited about what they will bring to this great practice, in other words the good rubbing they will bring me. Jenny and Amanda have joined this team and between you and me, they are as lucky as a cat receiving a Cat Nip Box once a week.  They hit the jack pot when they joined this clinic, not only is the staff great, but the clients are super pawsome. 

For all those super pawsome clients, I would like to pass on my cat knowledge to make sure you and your family have a spooktacular Halloween and your pets stay safe. When witches go riding and black cats are seen, the moon laughs and whispers, 'tis near Halloween.  That was me trying to be scary, but in all seriousness the #1 Rule at Halloween is to keep those sweets away from the furry crew.  Chocolate and Xylitol are poisons I tell you, POISONS!  Not only that but I have these two friends who are two very cute 4 month old kittens who get into everything and like those teenage humans, they think they are always starving. Go figure Earl and Cletus went into the trash and ate barbeque and boy did those twin orange felines pay for that.  These guys didn’t want to eat for a week and had diarrhea and had to end up having pills shoved down their throats.  FYI, us cats don’t like pills shoved down our throats.  So please humans, make sure you are not letting your pets get to the human food during parties. While we all know that Halloween is a fun holiday, a revolving door and pets do not go hand in hand, or should I say paw in paw.  Man I crack myself up!  Be sure to lock up your fur family so you don’t have to spend your night roaming the neighborhood looking for them and be mistaken for a zombie.  Being that I am from the feline family I would not be doing my duty if I did not mention that cats, particularly black cats, are in danger on Halloween!  Please do not let your cats out on or around Halloween because, well…. I can’t even say out loud what bad things could happen to them.  That conversation shuts down my purr box faster than you can pull that bag of food away from me that I just ripped into hoping to get an extra kibble or two.

Well, back to my Halloween photo shoot.  See the humans think that they have to give me treats to participate in these photo shoots they do to post my pictures on this blog, but honestly, I just want to put my beauty out there for the world to see and I would do it treat free, but don’t tell them I said that!  Got to go for meow, but don’t worry I will talk to you soon.  

Purrrty Teeth

Today, I get to report to all my blog followers that there is great stuff going on around here in October.  I wanted to tell you about Dental Specials going on this month. I see all my furry friends coming in to get pearly whites, but what they don’t know is they are not entering a best smile contest, they are here to improve their health.  Silly kitties and dogs think it’s all about looking good.  Well it’s not! I mean I look fabulous and I take real good care of my teeth, so yes I would win the best smile contest, but I am here to educate my fellow fur friends about the importance of dentals and tell the humans how they can save money in October.

So let’s discuss all the benefits of having a dental cleaning. Yes healthy teeth equal better breath, which is a good thing, I don’t want my breath smelling like tuna tarts. There is also the benefit of having retained baby teeth removed so they don’t cause problems in the future. You know us dogs and cats are very stoic and we try to put on a happy face, but unfortunately, we may not let you know we have a tooth ache until it is severe and requires more detailed dental work. Losing teeth can be very painful and that is something I know I don’t ever want to feel. What most pets and humans don’t know, I’m about to educate you on.  Wait for it, wait for it…..Dental disease leads to other health problems.  That’s right, if you don’t take care of your teeth you can hurt your internal organs!  Swallowing all that bacteria is bad for your body.  Humans take care of their teeth, why shouldn’t our teeth be taken care of?

Now that I have educated the humans and their pet companions, don’t you want to set up a dental and save 10% on all dental services?  You can even save 10% on the lab work that checks your pet’s organs to make sure they can process the anesthesia.  Not to mention any dental items you purchase you will also save 10%.  Appointments are very limited and booking up fast so call and schedule as quick as a cat runs up a tree with a dog on its tail. Are you ready for my jingle?  Call us meow to schedule a dental at 972-699-7387.

A Lady and Her Litterbox

It’s me again Queen BeBe…Just another day in the animal clinic I like to call home.  You know some days when my morning starts off a little slow I don’t reach for my coffee the way these humans do to get a jump start on my day, I decide the best way to wake up is with some belly giggles.  So I was sitting around on my dryer, you know just getting warmed up for the day and I look over to my cage, which I like to refer to as my “kitty condo” and I think to myself, let’s give these humans something to do.  So I notice one of the humans was cleaning my condo for me and suddenly they just left the area leaving my towel and litter box sitting out on the floor.  How dare them tend to another animal before finishing their duties for me.  Do they think I’m going to do my business right here, right in the open, right in the middle of the floor?  I am a lady for cat’s sake, I do not do the unmentionables for the whole world to see. So I decided for chuckles I would summon the humans to finish the job.  So oopsie daisies, I tipped over my litter box and I laid right down next to it so there would be no misunderstanding that yep, I did that.  What ya gonna do?  Oh, clean it….. thank you!!!!  There’s that belly laugh I was talking about, I sat back with a grin placed neatly under my whiskers as I watched the silly human clean up my mess and she kept saying “BeBe!!!! Look what you did!!!”  Yep I did that alright, what’s a lady gonna do tinkle in the open, I think not!  Best part of this whole story, this human went and rewarded me with some cat nip afterwards.  Oh I’ll have to tell you about that cat nip stuff on another day because right now I do believe it’s time for my third nap of the day, I mean it’s already 8 a.m.  Bye for meow!

Welcome to Bebe's Blog!

Hello to everyone!  I would like to introduce myself and tell you a little bit about me.  My formal name the “Humans” gave me is Queen Bebe.  They like to shorten it and call me Bebe, but I think they forget the most important part, as I am a Queen! I stumbled across this place called Buckingham-Plano Road Veterinary Clinic a few years back when Dr. Lorenz opened his heart to me and invited me in to stay.  Now I call this place home, and I’ve got to tell you it’s not too shabby!  In between my 15 cat naps a day, which I like to call my purrrrdy rest, I find the opportunity to sneak away and see if I can find a kibble or two that might have been dropped on the floor.  If no luck there, I’m not going to lie, I’m not above chewing through a bag to get a Bebe Snack. Hey, if Scooby can have a snack named after him, why can’t I???  The “Humans” don’t like when I do this as I can tell when I hear my name called out in a high pitch voice, “BEBE!”  I hear them, but I pretend I’m asleep and of course as I crack my eye ever so slightly open, I see the silly “Humans” walk away.  By the way have you ever tried to sleep on this thing they call a dryer?  Let me tell you it’s a little piece of kitty heaven if you ask me.  A little vibration to rock me to sleep and warmth to keep me cozy, no wonder I take 18 cat naps a day. Oh wait did I say 18, I meant 15, uh yeah 18 would be way too many, right?   I highly recommend this to you if you haven’t tried it, sleep on a dryer and you too may take 15 cat naps a day.  Well you know who I am now, Queen Bebe the clinic cat at Buckingham-Plano Road Veterinary Clinic, and in the future I look forward to telling you all about my life as a clinic kitty and all the things that I see going on in my home.