Why Pets Matter In A Divorce
Silvana Raso, Esq.

Many pet owners treat their pets as if they are their own children, whether it is a dog, cat, turtle or gerbil. For these owners, their pet is an integral part of the family. But owner beware, the pet that you love and cherish can easily be taken away from you in an instant if you are involved in a nasty divorce.

According to a quarter of respondents in a survey by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, pet custody cases have increased noticeably. So who gets Fido? If you think you are entitled to your pet because you think you love him/her more, you're barking up the wrong tree.

Your pet may be considered a member of the family, but the courts think otherwise. In divorce cases, the harsh reality is that pets are treated as another piece of property that is being divided in the eventual settlement. Other factors such as veterinary bills, visitation rights to the pet and miscellaneous expenses can turn a nasty divorce into a toxic one.

Courts don't use the same factors when deciding where pets go, as they would in custody battles involving children. This is because the law doesn't allow judges to view pets as anything other than property. But judges are human beings and they understand the emotional attachment that people have to their pets. As a result, they don't treat them as they would a house or a car, but they do try to factor in some emotional value to the pets when making their decision on who to place the pet with, if the adults can't decide.

One thing the courts do look at is who had the animal before the marriage. If you came into the marriage with the dog, then odds are that you will probably leave the marriage with the dog as well. However, there are some exceptions to that rule. For example, if there are kids in the marriage, generally courts don't take away pets from kids. So whoever gets custody of the kids, usually gets custody of the animals as well. So far, no "pet support" has been awarded for the care of an animal.

In cases where the couple acquired the animal together and can't decide who gets the pet, the courts will look at who the main caretaker was during the marriage.

In one case, where there were no children involved, a judge threatened to put a cat in the middle of a room and grant custody to whichever spouse the cat ran toward. The couple ended up determining custody privately.

The best solution for you, your future ex-spouse and your pet is to settle custody and visitation privately to avoid having someone else with no emotional connections decide your pet's fate for you.

Remember, the court may not see your pet as a family member, but you do. So when you introduce a pet into a marriage, consider all that is at stake in the event of a divorce. And if you come into the marriage with a pet, consider a pre-nup that covers the animal. Not only will you have a happier ending, but Fido will keep his tail wagging too.

How To Achieve Litter Box Success - Dr. Debbie

It's important to realize not all cases of inappropriate elimination are a "behavior" problem. In confirmed behavioral driven house soiling cases, 20-percent of the cats also had a contributing medical condition at the time. So even if it sounds like a behavioral problem, see your veterinarian to ensure your cat isn't the 1 in 5 that has discomfort, infection, or other health problems influencing her litter box use.

Drawing Kitty To The "Right" Spot
Check the condition of the box - is it urine stained on the bottom? Throw it out and get a new one. Keep the box clean by scooping twice daily and by performing a complete litter change out twice a week for non-clumping litter or every 2-3 weeks for clumping varieties.

To entice kitty back to the litter box, try a litter box attractant like the herbal-based cat litter additive called "Cat Attract."

Multi-cat homes, or those with outdoor cats nearby, should use pheromone (scent hormone) products to ease social stress and facilitate litter box harmony.

Kitty Eliminates Near, But Not Quite In The Litter Box
Your kitty is telling you that she understands what you want her to do, but something isn't quite right in the litter box environment. First start with providing a larger box, even if this means buying a plastic under bed storage box for this purpose. Look for one 18 x 36 inches in size.

Remove any litter box covers. Revisit the traffic flow in the litter box area. Ensure the box is in a quiet, low traffic area. Keep the box unquestionably clean.

Is Your Cat Urinating In Tubs Or Sinks?
Chances are your cat has urinary tract inflammation or infection. The cool surfaces provide relief to the inflammation or discomfort of a medical condition. See your veterinarian for a urine evaluation and treatment since environmental changes alone will not stop the behavior.

To preventing further episodes, decrease access to tubs and sinks, close doors to bathrooms, or fill the bottom of sinks and tubs with a small amount of water.

Kitty Eliminates On Throw Rugs And Won't Use Litter Box
Your cat has already made a litter preference. Perhaps the texture of carpet is more appealing than the litter used. Provide a litter box smorgasbord. This is when you provide multiple litter pans at the same time, each with different litter varieties such as clay, clumping, and natural pine litter. Be sure to include one litter box with sections of throw rugs or carpet remnants lining the bottom. During this time, remove all throw rugs from the house or block kitty's access to those areas.

If kitty demonstrates a litter preference, switch her litter boxes to that style of litter.

If kitty chooses the rug-lined box, then continue providing carpet lined litter boxes to establish a good pattern of repeated box use. Gradually start sprinkling small amounts of cat litter in the box on top of carpet surface. With time, many cats can be retrained to accept the box as the carpet is phased out and just litter remains.

Prevent Returning To Scene Of Crime
Clean all house soiling accident sites with an enzyme based pet cleanser. The enzymes break down the chemical component of the odors and do more than just cover up with scents. Do not use ammonia based cleansers on accident areas - doing so is counterproductive. (Remember that urine contains ammonia products.)

Cats dislike eating in areas that they eliminate, so place food and water bowls in the site of the accidents, or try placing pieces of aluminum foil in areas to deter kitty's use.

Citrus scents are offensive to cats and can be an effective cat deterrent. Use citrus or potpourri scented air fresheners in the area. If your cat is eliminating in house plants, place lemon or orange peels in the pot to make the area less attractive. And of course, make sure you aren't using citrus scented cleaners on the litter pan!

To keep your kitty away from areas she continues to eliminate on, use double sided sticky tape or turn plastic carpet runners upside down. Another option is to invest in motion-activated devices that spritz out citronella or puffs of air when the electronic eye picks up motion in the off-limits area.

The Tough Reality
For some cats, environmental changes aren't enough and drug therapy may be a necessary tool. But remember that behavioral medications aren't a shortcut - drug therapy must be used with veterinary monitoring and in conjunction with environmental changes.

Want to hear some bad news? In households struggling with many years of feline house soiling, it may be necessary to discard urine marked furniture, change out carpet, carpet pads and treat sub-flooring to effectively remove scent triggers for future elimination issues. It may sound extreme, but it can be an important step to achieve faithful feline litter box success.

Taking Great Pictures Of Your Pet
Robert Semrow, Pawtographer

Whether it was a traditional pose, a candid moment or a creative themed experience, Pawtographer Robert Semrow captured the special friends in your life. The Pawtographer and his photos caught the attention of everyone, including celebrities, the media, publishers and anyone who loves animals.

If you can think it, Robert made it happen. In his book, Life is Pawfect; you will find natural portraits, to documentary style, to fully developed sets and themes. These pictures are so adorable, they are sure to bring a smile to your face!

The dogs in the book aren't model dogs; they're just your every day dog. Robert built out wonderful scenes and themes and then dressed up the dogs. Robert had a clear rule at his studio. If the dog was not enjoying it, you were not going to get a great picture and there was no sense of putting any animal through that. But, you would be surprised at how many dogs actually enjoyed it!

The Pawtographer changed up the scenes and themes in the studio weekly. This meant that one weekend they might have done an ocean theme and the next they might have done a sushi chef scene. Every week it was something new and something different. This kept things fresh. Some customers even travelled weekly to get a shot of their dog in the different themes.

What if you want to take pictures of your pet yourself? Robert reveals his secret. He says don't always try and do it yourself. When you try to photograph your dog, most dogs have the same reaction. The minute you go down to their level, which is the best point of view, that is a sign for them to come to you and that you want to engage in play with them. So, the dog comes to you and you get frustrated, because you thought, "Oh, it was going to be so perfect! Why'd you move!" They moved because that is what they've been trained to do for so many years. Robert suggests grabbing a friend and have them take the actual photo, while you're there to make your animal comfortable. Your friend will then be able to photograph them in a more natural state. That's the secret!

The Dogfather's Grooming Tip with Joey Villani

How To Clip Your Cat's Nails
Most people don't understand that you need to clip your cat's nails just as you do your dog's nails. If you don't, they can curl under and grow into the pads of their feet and make them lame. This can be worse for cats, as their nails are a lot sharper than a dog's.

The first thing you need to do when clipping your cat's nails is to find a brave and willing partner, because this is a two-person job! You should also both wear long sleeves.

The items you will need are a pair of cat nail clippers, which look like tiny little pliers. You should also have some styptic powder on hand, otherwise called "Quick Stop," just in case you cut the nail too short and it bleeds.

You need someone to hold the cat while someone clips the nails. The holder is probably the most important thing in this equation. If the person holding the cat is right handed, they will scruff the cat with their left hand. This means that they will grab the loose skin right under the ears of the cat. You don't need to hold too tightly where it can hurt the cat, but just tight enough to have control of their head.

Next, they need to take their free right hand and wrap it around the cat's body, just above where the knees on a the cat would be. This will give them control over the cat's two back feet.

Now, the clipper will grab one leg and use their thumb to push into the cat's pad. This will extract the cat's nails. Unlike a dog's nails, which are always showing, a cat can retract their nails.

If you look at cat's nails, they are always clear. This helps you to see the pink "quick" or vein inside. You want to trim as close to the quick as possible without hitting it.

It is important to smile while you are doing this. Yes, smile! If you have a fearful or angry face, your cat will pick up on this. Be friendly and talk to your cat in a clam friendly voice while trimming their nails.

It is hard to keep track of making sure you trimmed all nails, so always start from the outside in so you can keep your place.

If you do hit the quick, take a little bit of the styptic powder and hold it in the cut nail for a few seconds.

Ape Puts On His Dancing Shoes Again
Officials at a German zoo were happy to say that dancing days were back again for one of their gorillas. A spokeswoman for the Krefeld Zoo says Kidogo, a 12-year-old silverback gorilla, was feeling homesick after he moved to the facility from Denmark. But the talented ape adjusted to his new home and was ready to show off his rope-dancing moves. Trainers discovered Kidogo's talent when they added a rope to his enclosure. They thought it would give him something else to hang on, but they were amazed when he decided to walk across it instead.

Stop The Spread of Zoonoses
There are many diseases that affect pets that can also be dangerous for people. These diseases even have a name. They are called zoonoses. Fortunately, many of these diseases are easily preventable. Let's talk about some of the most serious diseases in question. Rabies is probably one of the most dangerous of these diseases. Almost without exception, rabies is fatal once an animal or person becomes infected with it. People can be exposed to rabies through animal bites. Next are roundworms, which are intestinal parasites that can infect dogs, cats, and many other mammals (including wild animals such as raccoons). This worm can also infect people. This occurs when the larval form of the worm migrates through the body. It is particularly dangerous for children, potentially causing blindness, seizures, and other symptoms. Keeping pets free of parasites, picking up pet feces, and following good hygiene practices are the best defenses against this parasite. Then there are hookworms, which like roundworms, are intestinal parasites. They are worms that live in the intestinal tract of dogs, cats, and other animals. These worms can infest sand and dirt, causing skin lesions for people who contact the parasite. Picking up pet feces can help stop the spread. And lastly there is Salmonella, E. coli and other intestinal bacterial infections which can affect many species of animals, including dogs and cats. These infections can be passed to people as well. There is some indication that pets eating raw food may be more likely to expose their owners to these diseases. In addition, people (particularly children) handling pet foods contaminated with salmonella have been documented as being at risk. Proper hygiene and food handling techniques are the best way to prevent spread of these diseases. These are just a few of the diseases that can be spread from pets to people. The good news is that you can reduce your risk for these diseases by vaccinating your animals and also washing your hands and picking up your animal's feces!

Squid Inseminated Woman's Tongue
A woman in Seoul, Korea was eating semi-boiled squid when the cephalopod injected its sperm bag into her tongue. The unidentified woman reportedly experienced a "pricking and foreign-body sensation" while she chewed and spat the squid out. Doctors found that the squid had left "twelve small, white spindle-shaped, bug-like organisms" in the mucous membranes of her tongue and cheek.

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