Archive for June, 2010

Looking for a cool t-shirt that shows off your love for dogs, cats, or your other pets, but don’t wanna look like you went shopping at Natural Wonders (does that store even still exist?!)? Check out these cool tees by talented designers found on Threadless, such as Jonah Block’s “Off the Reservoir” tee ($18), inspired by Tarantino’s “Reservoir Dogs.” Check out more after the jump.

Tomorrow: Pet-inspired tees for people who want to look like they shop at Natural Wonders.

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Have you ever checked out what the Humane Society has to offer at their store, Humane Domain? I randomly "stopped" by the store earlier this week and was really surprised with some of the cute things they had to offer. Their cat selection seemed to have some of the more unique items. Above are four that I thought were especially cute/

• Whale Scratching Lounger $30
• Croco Scratching Lounger $30
• Bunk Bed Playroom $48
• Tick Tock Teaser $22

I'm unclear on how much of the store's profits benefit the Humane Society, since it's run by a company called PetFulfillment, but since it is associated with the HSUS I'm going to assume that at least a portion of the proceeds make it back to the non-profit.

Here's an interesting development in the effort to protect dogs bred to fight: The New York Times's Malcolm Gay wrote last week about a new effort to create a dog DNA database to help track abusers. The database, which is a collaboration of several groups, including the A.S.P.C.A, the Louisiana SPCA, the Humane Society of Missouri, and the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory at UC Davis, will use the DNA to help establish links between abused animals — including tracing common breeders, owners, operators, and of course the relationships to each other of the dogs themselves.

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While checking out my local used bookstore, I came upon a copy of the Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook by Delbert G. Carlson, D.V.M. and James M. Giffin, M.D. Needless to say, as a cat owner, I was intrigued, so I flipped through and found a lot of interesting pictures and illustrations. With a $10 price tag, I figured it was cheap enough to nourish my curiosity.

The version I picked up was published in 1983, and while all the black and white pictures may look outdated, there's still a lot of timeless info packed into this book. Like, did you know that cats can have an allergic reaction to flea collars? Yet another reason not to use them. And have you ever heard of Feline Urologic Syndrome (FUS)? It's a condition that effects male cats during the winter months and basically causes a mucus plug at the tip of the penis. Weird!

Besides the somewhat graphic pictures, the book is an excellent addition to my library. I'm glad to have something on hand for emergencies. Maybe the book will end up paying for itself a hundred times over by keeping me from taking a trip to the vet.

The latest revision of the book can be bought on Amazon.