Hot dogs, cool cats and fashion fur-paws to avoid ... 

Summer's here and New Yorkers have finally shed their winter coats and are instead donning t-shirts and Bermuda shorts! Oh! You thought we were talking about pets? You might assume that dogs and cats would enjoy ditching last season's garb completely with a nice quick buzz-cut, but hold those clippers! A summer 'do can quickly become a summer don't if you're not schooled in the latest fur-fashion.

Unlike people, our four-legged friends were born with a coat that's perfect for any season! Shaving an animal actually hinders its ability to regulate its own body temperature. Pets' coats not only keep them warm, but insulate and protect against the heat of summer. Perhaps most importantly, fur protects pets from sunburn! Light dogs can easily get burned if their hair is shaved too close. A good chic, sleek summer length that still protects from the sun is 1/2" to 1" of hair. But remember, an animal's coat is a part of its identity. For some, a surprise trim can lead to trauma, as poor Pomeranian Jin Dan proves. He was so upset by his super-short 'do that he literally walked on his hind  legs for two days. 

If your dog or cat is severely matted, then shaving is really the only humane thing to do!  Mats can irritate the skin, restrict movement, and even become a location that harbors parasites, and should definitely be handled by a professional groomer. Different breeds can have vastly different types of hair, and unless you understand how the coat is constructed and have the right tools, you risk turning their fur into a patchy disaster. Dogs can be single or double-coated, and you must know the difference between guard hairs and the under-coat. Cut the guard hairs too short and the undercoat will grow out faster and actually impede further growth of guard hairs. Generally, all but the most densely-furred dogs can comfortably keep their full coat the whole year round. Even then, most groomers will recommend a much more tailored trim: "Just a little off the belly and backside, please!"

June is Adopt a Cat Month! So what's this kerfuffle about kittens? 

You might have heard June is Adopt a Cat Month, but do you know why? It's kitten season! Spring and early summer is when most outdoor unspayed cats give birth, which inevitably leads to some serious kitty congestion in the shelters. 

While kitten season may sound fun, anyone who has seen the Star Trek episode "The Trouble with Tribbles" knows what happens when you get too much of a good thing. Cute-n-furry suddenly feels too close for comfort, and puts a serious drain on financial and spatial resources. 

Still, the collective kitten-cuteness-quotient attracts adopters like crazy, and almost as soon as critical-cat-mass has been reached it is over, and all that's left is the original crew. But let's paws and reflect; who is the original crew?  

In a shelter it's the older cats, those who might have been surrendered when an elderly owner passed away, or maybe a frightened feral or a reclusive rescue from a hoarding situation. These are the ones who remain, post kitten-kerfuffle, and it's a shame because TOSc (The Original Shelter crew) has a lot to offer!  

Those logical enough to see past the cute will note the desirability of a fully-realized cat-personality. A cuddle-monster will remain a cuddle monster, and the chatty-charmer who goes crazy stuffing his face in your shoes will very likely keep those traits and not grow out of them.

Plus, adult cats are generally more mellow, and require less training and supervision in your space. It is a truth universally acknowledged that a kitten being presented with a home having curtains must inevitably want to climb. The older cat will simply be too busy adoring you to bother with such nonsense!