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Happy Senior Pet month! I consider myself so lucky to have my little old lady Sunshine by my side for 19 years and counting. Everyday with her is a blessing! 💚 During the month of November, shelters and rescues across the country hope those looking to adopt a new furry family member will consider a senior pet. Senior pets are often overlooked and can unfortunately live out the rest of their lives in a shelter. There are many benefits to adopting a senior pet such as the fact that they are calmer and less energetic, making them ideal for households with young children. Unlike their younger counterparts, they need less patience, energy and training. What many first time adopters of younger pets are not prepared for is the amount of hard work that can go into housetraining a puppy or kitten. A senior pet may need more healthcare than a younger pet but they still deserve to live out the rest of their lives in a happy, loving home! Adopting a senior pet can also be a very rewarding experience in the sense that you truly are saving a life that another has turned away. This November, please help to spread the word about senior pets and help to give them a chance at a happy retirement!
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As a pet owner, I value the importance of keeping my pet happy and healthy! Providing my pet with good quality nutrition daily shouldn't have to break the bank! That's why Whole Hearted has created wholesome recipes to fit our lifestyle. Naturally grain free and enriched with vitamins, probiotics and Antioxidants, Whole Hearted knows that it's what's on the inside that counts!" Available at Canadian Tire! Sponsored by Canadian Tire
Dehydration is a lack of water in the body. This can cause complications for people as well as for pets! Extreme heat can place our pets in danger or exhaustion, dehydration and heat stroke. Just like humans, our pet’s bodies are made up of a large percentage of water. This is why it’s so important to see to it that your pet gets enough fresh water daily. The Seascape Pet Fountain from PetSafe® provides 70 ounces of fresh, filtered water. With a ceramic finish and a low-voltage pump, the Drinkwell Seascape fountain quietly circulates water in a constant flow, making it clean and appealing to pets. The flow of water is extremely quiet, making it easily approachable. The Seascape Pet Fountain is dishwasher safe, includes an an open-cell foam to capture pet hair and activated carbon filter to remove odors. Keeping our pets healthy is the most important part of being a pet owner. PetSafe® makes it easy for us to help our pets stay happy, healthy and hydrated! For more PetSafe® products visit: www.petsafe.net This post has been sponsored by PetSafe®
A little while back I wrote about my current separation with my spouse. Since then, all of the steps have been made in order to file for divorce. The whole process was not easy and I can definitely say that it has been quite a learning experience. When I got married 10 years ago, I never imagined being in this position. Life sometimes throws you things that are unexpected. The past few months have not been easy and the cats and I had no alternative other than to live in a toxic environment until we were able to leave. The type of work that I do does not make life easy financially, therefore I had to continue living with my spouse under the same roof while making arrangements to move out. When all of this first began in January, I was heartbroken and I felt betrayed. I was not sure how I was going to get through this. As time went by, I realized that the person I had been with for 10 years was a complete stranger. Part of being married is promising to be honest and not to keep secrets. Meanwhile a secret had been kept from me for many years. Of course, there are two people in a marriage and I don't deny that I did some things I am not proud of. Once inside of this huge tower of terror, I realized the reasons behind how I acted in certain situations. It all boiled down to the fact that I was angry. I was angry about a lot of things that happened throughout the years of our relationship. There were countless times where I felt unimportant. Friends and material things were always put above me. No matter how hard I tried to discuss these issues with my spouse at the time, defensiveness and temper tantrums always resulted from it. For some reason, I would always find myself apologizing in the end for something that I didn't even do. I realize now that I was very easily made to feel guilty. Things like jealousy, dishonesty, lies and temper were always the instigator and I just allowed myself to accept them as though they were just a normal part of a relationship. Obviously they are not and my conscience took it's toll. I've never been so angry at someone for so many things. Sometimes that anger would fuel me to nag causing further upsets in the relationship. Regardless of the anger, I can honestly say that I always made an effort. Marriage was always something that was important to me. It means family and it means that you work together at solving your problems. I always did my best regardless of the situation to be open minded and willing to work to solve whatever issues arised. Even after my spouse told me he wanted a divorce, I did my best to try to see if we could resolve it. My efforts were not lost as I learned a lot about myself through that process and I have become a genuinely happier person. Doing the work made me realize that I am important too and that I deserve to be happy. I can't force someone else to love me and I can't force someone else to work at something if they've already checked out years ago. All of these stepping stones helped to make me a stronger person. So as of today, my new life begins. I've moved with Oreo, Onyx and Sunshine. I have to say that driving away yesterday and leaving the mess of anger behind felt very liberating. The cats seem to be settling in fine already! Sunshine surprised me the most! She was up and about as soon as I opened her taxi door. She began exploring rooms and window ledges and she's eating really well! Oreo checked out the balcony right away and he showed me his appreciation by stretching out belly up in the sun. Onyx is the only one who is having a little trouble adjusting. Although I can understand with all the hustle and bustle that it must be frightening for her. She's been hiding under the bed covers since last evening. Oreo has coaxed her out a few times to come and explore. She seems happy regardless, she will just take a little longer to get use to it. I am a little concerned about Sunshine as I found a lump between her neck and her chest a couple of weeks ago. As many of us well know, lumps and bumps are never a good sign. I was unsure of what to do but once I spoke with my vet, I feel I am doing the right thing. My vet reassured me that at her age (18 years old), lumps and bumps will appear. At this point, what is most important is that she is happy and that she is enjoying her everyday, which she is! They told me to just keep her with me as long as she is happy and not to stress her out with biopsies and treatments and whatnot. So that's what I am doing. I am very lucky that she is here with me and as long as she is happy that's what matters. This is the beginning of a new chapter in my life. I am looking forward to sharing it with everyone. I can honestly say that I am content with my life just the way that it is at this moment. I am grateful and lucky to have such a wonderful and supportive family and to have a place that I can now call my own. Sometimes we have to live through the bad to find the good. Out of all of the heap of anger and discouragement came Oreo and Onyx. They are two of the best things that have ever happened to me and I would do it all over again just for them. Here's to new beginnings...  I have had quite an interest in this machine for some time. A few of my close friends, who are cat owners, have a Litter-Robot and I’ve heard nothing but good reviews on the product. Needless to say, I was excited to test it out myself. We’ve had the unit for about 2 weeks and so far I have nothing but good commentary. I have to admit that I was a little concerned at the beginning as to how my cats would react to this mighty beast of a machine, however, I was pleasantly surprised. The Litter-Robot was a cinch to set up and Oreo approached the machine almost immediately to investigate. Within 30 minutes he had already used it. Onyx followed shortly after. The instructions recommend that you place it next to your current litter box and allow your cats to some time to get use to the unit. Sit with your cat(s) while the cleaning cycle is in motion and allow them to see it while gently talking to them so that they begin to get comfortable with the sound the Litter-Robot makes. It is not at all a loud sound and my cats were not afraid to watch as the Litter-Robot did a full spin cycle cleaning the used litter clumps. Once your cat(s) have used the Litter-Robot a few times, you can turn the timer on allowing it to automatically sift at a specific timed setting after each use. Once your cats are comfortable with the unit, you can remove the old litter box and begin your scoop-free days. The whole process took my cats about 3 days, however a longer grace period is recommended. I was really pleasantly surprised at how comfortable they got with the Litter-Robot so quickly. How it works:
Features: Timed settings: There are three different timed settings available before the globe starts rotating. 3 minutes, 7 minutes and 15 minutes. The timer will go off as soon as your cat steps into the Litter-Robot. A sensor will detect a shift in weight inside of the globe and set the timer off to the setting you’ve chosen. If you have multiple cats, a lower setting may be more efficient as to eliminate odors as much as possible. LED night-light: The globe automatically lights up at night with a soft blue light allowing your cats to see the unit in the dark. 8 hour sleep mode: You can set the unit so that it stops operating at night and continue operating the next day. The sleep mode will repeat each night. Connect: The connect feature uses an app (presently only available in the US) that gives you the ability to check your cat’s Litter-Robot usage in real-time. This feature provides graphs and daily, weekly or monthly reports regarding usage. You can check the waster drawer in real-time and get a history of cleaning cycles. The connect app also allows you to trigger a cleaning cycle directly from your iphone or ipad. You can control multiple units with the connect app. Money-Back Guarantee & Warrantee: The Litter-Robot Open Air comes with a 90 day money back guarantee and an 18 month warrantee. In addition to these great features, a battery back-up option is also available as a separate accessory. This allows the unit to work during a power outage. So what is my verdict on this machine? I LOVE IT! Within just a few days of using it, you will see a HUGE decrease in litter usage. This makes me very happy as it saves money on litter. The Litter Robot Open Air is a must-have for any cat owner. It makes life easy-breazy! My only con about the unit is the physical size. If you are limited on space, it could be an issue. However when you think of how many litter boxes it can eliminate, things pretty much balance out! For more information about The Litter-Robot Open Air please visit: https://www.litter-robot.com/ca/en/ I never thought I would write a blog post on this subject, let alone the fact that the post be about my personal experience. If you are someone who believes strongly in marriage and family, like me, divorce is something that is unimaginable. When I got married 10 years ago, I never imagined my spouse asking me for a divorce. I thought that being married meant that come what may we get over the hurdles and mountains together and keep going. However, things don't always work out as we imagined they would. I met my spouse at my workplace at the time. He was actually my boss on a project and was in the midst of purchasing a home with his then long-time girlfriend. I was single and we became friends quite quickly while working together. One evening during an after work cocktail party, he hugged and gently told me in my ear as I was leaving the bar, that he liked me. I was in shock and didn't know what to say, I think I told him he smelled nice. On my way home I didn't know how to place my thoughts in regards to his proclamation. He had a girlfriend, what about her? Did I like him back? The next morning I woke up to an email from him explaining that he is in a happy relationship and he is not sure how these feelings for me came about, but they are there and he is not sure what to do with them. I told him I was not sure what to make of all of it and that he needs to figure out things in his head. I was single after all, with no responsibility, but he had a responsibility to be truthful to his then partner. As time went by, we became pretty good friends and one day he came into work pretty upset. He pulled me aside and told me that he left his girlfriend and he wanted to try to pursue a relationship with me. Again, I was in shock. Wow, he must really have strong feelings to make that decision, I thought. So, I accepted and we started seeing one another. Low and behold a year later, we decided to get married. I moved into his home a year before our wedding. Things from the beginning were sometimes rocky and his temper would often fly off the handle quite easily. I became uncertain many times about the union, but I always gave him the benefit of the doubt. Knowing that in his heart, he was a kind and generous man. His friends would also always reassure me.  As our years of marriage went on we both changed quite a bit. We got older and started to like different things. We began to argue more often about frivolities. We decided that perhaps solidifying our relationship by having a child would help us. We didn't realize at the time, that kids don't solidify relationships. We underwent 2 in-vitro treatments in the hopes of conceiving, but both were unsuccessful. The time spent together during the second treatment really tore us apart in a big way. Both of us said some things and did some things that really left a mark on the other person. As a result, we both began to bottle up our anger. Mine would come out in nagging sessions and his would either explode in temper tantrums or do the complete opposite and make him extremely distant. At this point I lost my job on top of everything. I was, unfortunately, part of a massive layoff and I was pretty devastated. Luckily, I had a year's severance pay and so I decided to start working as a freelancer. My spouse was very supportive agreed to let me try working from home and so I began getting contracts. Enter Oreo. Oreo came into our lives during my period of Employment Insurance. Little did I know the effects he would have on my freelancing career. Oreo slowly became part of everything I do and working with him made me so happy. Things with my spouse were still up and down quite a bit and bottled up anger still flew around in different ways. After a few terrible outbursts, I decided to ask my spouse to go and see a marriage counselor. The counseling sessions were difficult at the beginning and he didn't really want to go, but in the end he did a lot of talking which I think was good for him. We decided to work on things as best we could. On my end, things seemed to start getting better. We were arguing less and I was putting more time on my work than ever.  Even though we were arguing less, something else was different. As time went by we got further and further apart. Neither of us wanted to make the first move in approaching the other one and so we just became more distant. The more distant you get, the less you talk, so of course there are no arguments. He had his things, I had mine and we both did things separately. After a while it sort of felt like we were just roommates. In my head, I just kept telling myself "It's a phase, we are married and things will get better when they are meant to get better." I now wish I had looked at things differently. When the words "I don't love you anymore" were spoken (or texted in our case), my heart exploded. I had so many feelings rushing through myself and I didn't know how to control any of them. I blamed myself for everything and slowly my whole world came crashing down on top of me. At first, I tried to talk with my spouse and ask why he is no longer in love with me. The responses were difficult to hear. I asked if we could work on things and he just kept saying "I don't know". I didn't know what to do. I didn't want a divorce. Days went by with the "I don't know" answer until finally he said the words "I want a divorce". I could see he was not happy but I didn't understand why. I though it was just a phase, the distance between us. For him it was something else. I did a lot of thinking after this and I read some information online. I was determined at the beginning to fix things. I got a book called "Mend The Marriage", and read it hoping to find some strategies. This book blew my mind. Reading that book really helped me to realize all of the mistakes I made during the 10 years we have been together. It made me realize that I need to be a better person. I had been so angry for so many reasons that I kept hidden inside. They would come out in nagging sessions that really hurt my spouse. Regardless of what he did that made me angry, it was my decision to behave in the ways that I did and I needed to take responsibility for that. So that's where I am now. These past few weeks have been very hard. I am scared. At my age finding a new job that will support me will be extremely difficult. Where will I go? What will I do? I have cried so many tears that I have none left. After it all I take a look around me and I see my pets, my cats. They are my rock, they are my strength. It's amazing how they can sense things. Since this whole ordeal began they have been by my side every moment of the day. They have helped comfort me in so many ways. My cat Onyx has been sleeping in the guest room for the past week or so. It's almost as though she knew I was going to move in there, and I have. Yes, it's so sad and yes, it's so scary but with my pets here with me it seems to take a bit of the hurt away. When I get into bed at night the cats all pile into the room. It's like a big warm hug telling me things will be OK. Yes, I still have hope that maybe my spouse will change his mind, but even if he does not I will be OK.  Unlike humans, pets can show an enormous amount of unconditional love. No matter what we go through in our lives our pets are always there to comfort us and let us know we are loved. They can make even the toughest situations all that much easier to get through. I don't know what will happen in the coming months but I do know that my pets being there will help to give me the strength to get through anything. For anyone going through something similar, it's important to stop blaming yourself. Putting blame on yourself or your spouse won't help the situation. Nasty hurtful words may fly during this time that are out of sheer anger. Don't allow those things to put you in a stagnant place. Keep moving and keep pushing ahead. LOVE YOURSELF during this time. Let yourself know that it's OK to make mistakes, be responsible for those mistakes and make changes in a positive way for your future. And if you have pets... let them love you! God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. - Serenity Prayer - Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971)
During the holiday season, things can get busy. Visits with family and friends are on our daily to-do list and being away from home can be stressful for pet owners. The Arf Pets automatic feeder helps alleviate some of the holiday stress by allowing pet owners to program up to 4 set meals per day. Dispensing from 2 tbsp to 1 cup per feeding, the Arf Pets automatic feeder is an idea solution for pets of all sizes. Featuring customizable portion control, a 1.4 gallon food capacity and and lcd clock and display, the feeder is easy to program. Additional features include a magnetic lock, keeping paws out of the food and a the ability to record a personal greeting for feeding time. The Arf Pets automatic feeder runs on batteries or power and is for dry pet food only. Great for pet parents who are on the go, or for pets who have a tendency of disrupting sleep patterns as a result of searching for food during the night. The Arf Pets automatic feeder is available through these online retailers: Amazon.com Amazon.ca Ebay.com Chewy.com Also available at Walmart. *This post has been sponsored by www.camarketing.com It's the most wonderful time of the year! But what about our pets? Who's to say that they don't have a Holiday wish list too! If your pet could write their own letter to Santa, what would it say? We've imagined what Oreo's letter to Santa would look like! Dear Santa Claws, For Christmas I would like toys, a little food dish just for me and FRISKIES treats! I would also like you to give my Mom some FRISKIES treats, because she was a very good girl this year. Thank You, Oreo. P.S. Say "Hi" to Rudolf Our pets are an important part of our family and they deserve some treats this Holiday season! Whatever their favorites may be, show them some love by offering them something special! *This post has been sponsored by Purina Canada Coming from an Italian household, I grew up with Holiday dinners consisting of Lasagna, gnocchi, stuffed pasta and other Italian treats. My husband grew up in a French Canadian (Québecois) household where the staple holiday meals consisted of dishes based from meat and potatoes like Pâté Chinois, Ragout de boulettes and Tourtière. This year I decided to marry the two cultures and create my very own Italian style Pâté Chinois. Keeping the 3 layers of meat, vegetables and a starch, I’ve replaced the traditional ingredients with those of my Italian heritage. With help from Italpasta TOTAL pasta we can guarantee great taste plus all the benefits of high fibre! Ingredients: 400g of lean ground beef 400g of lean ground pork 400g of lean ground veal 4 medium sized bell peppers 1 can (796ml) of Italpasta whole peeled tomatoes 1 jar (540ml) of Italpasta Tomato Basil pasta sauce 1 cup of corn niblets 2 tbsp of Italpasta Extra Virgin Cold Pressed Olive Oil 6 cups of water 1 tbsp of salt 2 cups of Italpasta Total Elbows pasta 2 tbsp of spaghetti sauce seasoning 2 cups of grated mozzarella cheese Method: Peppers: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees (F). Cut the bell peppers in half and remove the stems and seeds. Place the peppers into an oven safe baking dish and drizzle with the 2 tbsp of Olive Oil. Bake in the oven for 30 – 40 minutes (or until peppers are tender). Meat: In a large pan on medium heat, brown the ground beef, veal and pork. Once evenly browned, add the spaghetti sauce spice and mix well. Using a hand blender, blend the canned tomatoes until they have a smooth texture. Add the tomatoes to the meat mixture. Mix well, turn down the heat and let the meat mixture simmer for 20 minutes. Add the corn niblets and mix well. Pasta: Bring 6 cups of water to a boil and add the tbsp of salt. Cook the pasta until al dente (about 7 minutes). Drain the pasta and mix in 1 cup of the prepared Tomato Basil pasta sauce. Set aside. In a large oven safe baking dish, line the bottom of the dish with the meat mixture. Add the roasted peppers on top of the meat. Add the Total elbow pasta on top of the peppers. Top with remaining Tomato Basil pasta sauce and garnish with grated mozzarella cheese. Bake in the oven at 425 degrees (F) for 20 minutes (or until cheese is lightly golden). Bonne Apétit! This recipe has been brought to you by The Oreo Cat® and ItalPasta. Happy Holidays from our family to yours! With 40% of the daily reccomended intake of fibre per 85g serving, Italpasta TOTAL pasta has the same great taste you expect from white pasta but with the benefits of high fibre! *recipe for human consumption only *This post has been sponsored by Italpasta This past weekend Oreo had the opportunity to attend a cat festival here in Montreal! A great place for cat lovers of all kinds, Le Salon des artistochats is an annual event in Montreal. Located at the Centre Pierre Charbonneau, this event houses all sort of artisans from in and around the Montreal area. A great place to find the purrfect gift for any cat lover, it is a must see event! The one and only Salon des Artistochats offers a unique chance to discover a lot of extremely talented local artists and crazy cat lovers. This event houses over 50 artisans selling hundreds of cat-themed goodies made in Quebec: jewelry, clothing, accessories, artwork, pet products and so much more. Oreo was glad to be able to meet and greet with other local feline celebrities and indulge in some cat themed activities. Complete with an appearance by the world famous Atchoum The Cat and his human who held a small conference to speak about Atchoum's condition, hypertrichosis, this weekend was one Oreo will always remember! Felines in this video include: Retardo, Emma la maine coon, Alaric, The Oreo Cat Be sure to join us next year! For more information please visit: www.artistochats.com |
AuthorTina Modugno is a children’s illustrator from Canada. Tina loves all animals, kids books and cartoons! She currently resides in Quebec with her husband and four cats! Archives
November 2018
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