Best Friends launches NKLA (No-Kill Los Angeles)

Last night, Best Friends revealed to a crowd full of celebrities, rescue advocates, and animal lovers of all types, their plan to make Los Angeles a "No-Kill" city. What does this mean? 

LAST YEAR, OVER 56,000 DOGS AND CATS ENTERED LOS ANGELES CITY SHELTERS. MORE THAN 17,000 BEAUTIFUL, HEALTHY OR TREATABLE SHELTER PETS WERE KILLED. 17,000. 

Best Friends' proposal to solve this problem is twofold:

1- Fewer animals entering the shelter system due to spaying and neutering

2- More animals exiting the shelter (alive) due to more adoptions and fostering

Simple, right? It will be if we spread the word. 

We at Fetch are proud to be active volunteers with Best Friends and their NKLA campaign.  We hope you will join us.

To learn more about NKLA, visit their website and "like" them on Facebook.

Day of a Dog Walker: Chapter 2: The walk (s) and breakfast

In a perfect world, they could all go out together. But due to varying walking speeds, stamina, and reactivity, I choose to walk in shifts.  But who first?  Mr. Long black tail will find things to eat and tear apart, if left behind, so he gets to go on BOTH walks, lucky guy. He is already bounding around the room excitedly and when I pull out the lash and ask him to “sit,” I get a 2 second sit followed by a jump and a “hor-ra-row.” I give him a look and he sits back down, but squirms his head around as I try to loop the gentle leader over his long snout.  “Eh” I utter and he finally stops squirming long enough for me to fasten the leader to his collar.  Now he is off prancing about with the leash in his mouth.  Meanwhile, the little wrestler has been sitting patiently, occasionally rocking back and forth on his front feet in a show of mild impatience.  He will go along on the first round.

The first walk is fairly uneventful.  We walk slowly and only around the short block as the wrestler’s tendonitis is bothering him. Also he just likes to take his time and sniff everything in sight and this gives Long Tail the opportunity to pee on everything in sight, which then of course prompts the wrestler to pee on top of everything peed upon.  But it’s early and quiet and no one else is out, so it’s nice. 

We arrive back, and it’s now time for the Little Miss to join Long Tail- he gets two walks so I can keep an eye on him.  He could wait in a crate but he’ll wake up the whole building with his impatient barking at this hour so for the sake of my husband and neighbors, he gets to walk again.  He didn’t poop on the first round anyway, so he needs more exercise.

This is a much faster walk, as both dogs are young and want to GO.  They are also both a little bit leash reactive so we keep an eye out for other dogs approaching. We are ready to turn, cross the street, or reverse direction at any time. I believe that avoidance of confrontation at such an early hour is the best action.  I can’t control how the other owner controls their dog, and don’t want to take any chances that the other dog we pass could be just as reactive as my two.   But this morning is quiet, no dogs in sight and we move swiftly around the 2 mile route.

Back home, the wrestler is anxiously awaiting breakfast.  I find him sitting in front of the door, as if he has been staring at it the entire we have been out.

Everyone is unleashed and the Little Miss and Long Tail are off creating a ruckus as they jump and play.  I silently apologize to my downstairs neighbor- hopefully she is up and getting ready for work anyway.

I start running water to refill the water bowls for the day, and open the food bin and begin doling out the portions.  Glucosamine tablets are crumbled into the wrestlers food, and finally, a little crumble of freeze dried raw patty in each bowl as a little “dessert.” At one end of the kitchen goes the wrestler’s bowl, but I have to block Long Tail as he is desperate to get to any food bowl before it is plunked down. Long Tail and Little Miss follow me excitedly to the other room, where I plunk their bowls into their crates.

As they eat, I finish filling water bowls and then fill the water chamber of the coffee maker and flip on the coffee.  I wash my face, throw in my contacts and gather my things.   Coffee is ready, and in a travel cup it goes.  Off to the morning insulin shot for “grumpy” kitty.  Hope she’s in a good mood today!

Administering Flovent from a sitter’s perspective

Call me naive, but I never knew you could use an inhaler on a cat. This is coming from

someone who has almost 10 years of experience as a professional pet sitter. Just like

people, our feline friends have all sorts of ailments from diabetes to UTIs, and even

asthma! They can experience wheezing, coughing, gagging and heavy panting. Signs of

feline asthma tend to be chronic and can be life threatening. As always, check with your

vet if you think your kitty may be suffering from something more serious than your

average hairball.

Recently, I started working for two clients whose kitties require Flovent. Luckily, a nifty

device known as the AeroKat was invented. It’s basically a rubber face mask attached

to the end of a plastic tube in which you release the Flovent. The tube holds the aerosol

medicine into a chamber, while the rubber piece ensures your cat breathes it in, sending

the Flovent to the lungs. Administering inhaler puffs are a cinch, even if you’re a sitter

who’s new to this procedure.

Here are the basics. Flovent is a steroid, which is used as a coughing and wheezing

deterrent. Cats with asthma may also use an Albuterol rescue inhaler for when they

have an attack. This is generally used in cases of emergency and not for prevention.

First, check the chamber and rubber end to make sure it’s clean and free of debris.

Next, uncap the inhaler and pop it into the back of the AeroKat tube. Next, shake the

inhaler for about 15 seconds. You may want to give your kitty a “dry run” to get her used

to the idea. I usually pet the cat to calm any nerves before administering the inhaler. It’s

probably easiest to do this on the floor where you are positioned behind the cat on your

haunches. Place your hand gently on the cat’s chest, so she has no room to back up

without making her feel trapped or smothered. In other words, try not to lean too far over

her. Once ready, place the rubber mask over the cat’s face making sure her nose

doesn’t press against it. Press down on the inhaler releasing the medicine into the

chamber. There’s a green flap that will move inside the AeroKat system to indicate she’s

breathing. The amount of breaths vary, but I usually make sure the cat gets at least 10

solid breaths before letting her go. I immediately shower the kitty with attention and

treats afterward for positive reinforcement and association. If your kitty squirms away,

just give her a second and reapply the mask. You don’t need to release another puff of

Flovent. There will still be plenty of medicine in the chamber. Detach the AeroKat, and

reseal the inhaler and you’re done. Of course, feel free to soak the AeroKat system in

warm water to clean it before the next use. Leave the pieces out to air dry. So, there you

have it! Believe me, it’s not as complicated as it sounds once you start doing it. Keeping

the kitty relaxed and in position to take solid breaths is the most important part. They will

love the rewards of love you give them for a job well done.

While feline asthma cannot be cured, it can be managed with medicine, which should

greatly reduce coughing and allergic reactions. You can also take other measures such

as keeping the cats away from perfume, cigarette smoke, dusty kitty litter and pollen.

Simple things like keeping windows shut, adding air purifiers and getting rid of clay kitty

litter (try Yesterday’s News or Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract instead) can make your cat’s

asthma more manageable. So, whether you are the sitter or the loving pet parent of an

asthmatic kitty, there are neat tools on the market to help in your new routine. This,

along with some basic home adjustments can ensure the comfort of your cat and help

them live a long relaxed life.

Devoted sitter Mary C.

Fetch! Sherman Oaks to North Hollywood
Fetch! Hollywood Hills
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