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Special Halloween Edition
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Happy "Howling," !
Welcome to this special edition of PetsWeekly! We've got a bunch of freebies this week to help take the edge off the economy, and we'll keep bringing them to you for the rest of the year. Please be sure to shop with our sponsors so we can keep bringing special deals and free contests to you! Speaking of contests, if you haven't already done so, be sure to sign up for your free forum page and be entered to win a Palisades Doggy Pack ($100 value) from Ruffwear, and some great electronic cat prizes from OurPets. The winners will be announced in the forum on Oct. 31.
Meanwhile, Halloween is upon us and this is just a quick reminder to keep your animals indoors for the next few days, especially any of your feline friends. Things tend to "happen" around this time of year and we want to keep everyone safe and happy!
For some quick help on keeping your pets calm during the constant tap, tap, tapping of your door, we have a few suggestions:
- Content-UM for Pets
 is a natural way to keep pets a bit calmer. Made with Tryptophan, the same thing you'll find in turkey, it will help keep pets calm. - Rescue Remedy Drops
 is another great herbal supplement that will help maintain a sense of calm in your pet.
(Sorry, it's not available for humans, so you'll just have to ask the doc for a little something extra to keep yourself calm!)
Keep your pets away from candy. If they do get into anything they aren't supposed too, place the Pet Poison Control number where you can find it quickly. There is no charge for calling, but there is a charge if you receive assistance.1(888) 426-4435.
If you dress your pets up, be sure the costume is something they are comfortable and cool in. And really, Halloween is a kids holiday - not a pet holiday... Keep them indoors and quiet, away from the scary kids!
Be advised that there are more pet food recalls hitting the market from Hartz Mountain and Mars (Special Kitty, etc.). You can see the alerts by clicking here. This is due to Salmonella poisoning, which you and your kids can easily be cross-contaminated with. Keep an eye on our blog for last minute alerts and updates. Don't forget to take advantage of a FREE offer for a pet care kit from the ASCPA (on your right), and be sure to check out our features, Going Wild, Creatures that Go Bump in the Night and Pets & Full Moons features below.
If you can spare a few moments, we would very much appreciate you taking our very short "Pets and Full Moons Survey" Remember to set up your page for the PetsWeekly Forum!
Safe Yips and Happy Howls,
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Going Wild With Scary Animals
 Bats:Don't pick up bats off the street. That lesson was recently learned when a mom let a child take a bat she found into show and tell. The entire group had to have a series of rabies shots. Blood sucking vampire bats are real - but they mostly feed on chickens and cows and only live in Latin America. The rest are great mosquito eaters (amongst other bugs they favor) and are perfect to keep around your house. Using Echolocation to find their prey, they fly by sense rather than sight. Build a bathouse in your home and watch the insects disappear! Learn how here... Spiders: Okay, they're a little scary. But, they're actually very beneficial and eat insects. Only a very few North American spiders are poisonous (including the Brown Recluse and Black Widow). Keep an eye out for those two, but learn to live with the others. Get your FREE spider screensaver.Wolves: Vilified throughout history, this beast has been given a bad rap. Now they are endangered and have become a symbol of both independence and reliance. Learn how to live with wolves, go on a wolf howl, and discover how they help control our ecosystem that we rely on so heavily. Adopt your own wolf today!Toads: In many places, these can be poisonous (including the SW deserts), but mostly they are harmless creatures that make great insect eaters. If you live in the Southwest, get your pup into the vet if he "licks" one - many toads produce a hallucinogenic poison that can kill a dog who tries to play with one. Learn about toads here.Black Cats: Obviously they are not bad luck. Just make sure that you bring in your outside cats for a few days before and after Halloween - there are humans who are far more dangerous than cats and will injure or kill them given the opportunity. Read a fun Halloween Poem here.
Owls: Made famous as a pet in Harry Potter, we can assure you that they do not make good pets in real life. View them from a distance and give this noble animal the gift of life and flight rather than captivity. Owls are nocturnal birds, and given the species, can be grow large enough to pick up kittens and puppies, so be sure to bring your little ones in at night! Create your own backyard habitat. |
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Things That Go Bump in the Night...
Werewolves and Vampires and Shifters, Oh My...
From the Greek Lykoi, meaning wolf and anthropos meaning man, the term Lycanthropy refers to the
transformation process of man becoming wolf, often under the cover of a full moon.
During the middle ages, French werewolves grew at an epidemic rate. Between
1520-1630, some 30,000 individuals were
labeled as werewolves. Many of them underwent traumatic
interrogation and torture. Confessed or not, they often
suffered a tragic death at the end of a stake. Listen to wolves howling here!
Werecats don't get nearly as much
press as their wolf counterpart, but they are just as
interesting.
- Werecats weren't too active in Europe,
but they were very popular in Egypt, Rome and Greece. Here are
a few fun facts about werecats.
- Bast or Bastet is the
Egyptian Goddess known as the "Female Devourer."
- Weretigers are predominent in the cultures of Asia, Weretigers
in India,Werelions in Africa and wereleopards in South
America.
- The word "werecat" was not
coined until the late 19th century, so it was not directly
used in legends from earlier eras
As I am almost finished writing my FIRST urban fantasy novel about werewolves, werecats and vampires, I've been reading lots of great books in the genre. For a few of my favorite authors, click on the links below:
Full Moon Rising (Riley Jensen, Guardian, Book 1) (Werewolves)
Pride (Cat Shifters)
Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga, Book 4) (Vampires & Werewolves)
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Save on Cat Fancy, Dog Fancy or any 1 of 1000's of magazines!
Limited Time Offer!
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Full Moons & Pets Survey
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Click on the picture to take our survey! We want to hear how your pet handles full moons. (We value your privacy! No names are collected and results will be shared in an upcoming issue of PetsWeekly.
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FREE Pet Safety Kit
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In the event of an emergency, our pet rescue window decal alerts rescue
personnel that pets are inside your home. The pack also includes an
ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center magnet-a great way to keep the
APCC's toll-free emergency number handy at all times!
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FREE Photos & Shipping
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| Join Shutterfly and save on all of your ghostly pics!
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Full Moons and Pets
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In Roman mythology, we know that Luna was the sister of Helios, God of the Sun. But does the moon hold sway over mere mortals like ourselves?
We know that the moon effects people, but how does it effect pets? A pair of studies from 2001 state that in Britain, the number of humans bitten by animals nearly doubles, yet in Australia, there was no correlation. (Read study)
Many vets tells us that the moon does effect the number of visits each month and now we want to know your thoughts on the subject.
Does your pet react to full moons? We want to know! Take this short poll and learn how your pet compares to others when it comes to full moons...
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