Ani-mail Post@ Animal Designs March 2005
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1. What's New
2. Pet Journals
3. Featured Item
4. 10 Tips For Toilet Training Cats
5. Drawing and Fun Stuff
6. Comments-Questions-Suggestions
7. How to Unsubscribe

1) WHAT'S NEW
Win a $25.00 gift certificate in our Tell-A-Friends promotion for the
month of March. It's easy, forward this url to your friends
www.animaldesigns.com/tell-a-friend.htm and have them enter your
name in the referral box (#4). The more friends you tell, the more
chances you have to win! The newsletter subscriber with the most
referrals wins the gift certificate. Thank you for taking the time
to tell your friends and family about Animal Designs. It is the
ultimate compliment and we greatly appreciate it.

2) PET JOURNALS
For nearly 20 years I lived on an island. One year, I had a house way
down by the great ponds -- bigshallow brackish ponds just inside the
sand dunes. There were very few people down that way. Each fall a
huge flock of swans did a migration stop on the pond near the
house. We'd seen them fly over a few times and settle into the great
pond a ways down the road. So one morning, very early, a girlfriend
and I decided to see the flock up close We took the canoe and
paddled quietly across the pond, through the little strait, into the
smaller pond where hundreds of white swans were feeding on the pond
vegetation. We crouched low in the canoe and paddled very slowly
toward them. I was so-o-o naive about disturbing wildlife back then,
but I was about to receive three lessons in natural history that
would ensure I never tried this again. The swans were, of course,
well aware of us and casually but deliberately moved toward the far
side of the pond. My idea was that we'd coast silently through the
flock as they nibbled water lilies. Oh, how little I knew.
Eventually we got about 50 feet away from them. The swans were now
quite aware of us and were massing into a snickering group. About
then, I turned and whispered to my friend my first question. "How
close do you think they'll let us get?" Apparently the answer to that
question was 50 feet, because suddenly all hell broke loose. That
was lesson number one. Hundreds of swans turned in the blink of an
eye, squawking and swearing at our presence and readying for
takeoff. Usually a swan goes into flight by gracefully rising up out
of the water, taking a few gliding steps across the water's surface
and effortlessly lifting off. But we'd inadvertently herded them
into a tight corner with no room to maneuver, so instead of gently
rising up, 400 huge swans turned to face us and the open water behind
us. With a sound like a freight train barreling toward us, they ran
straight at us. Thundering wings, splashing webbed feet and
unbelievably loud "ong-ong-onging" swan honks. Here's where I got my
second natural history lesson: It takes a swan approximately 48 feet
of swan running room to hit airspeed. Lines of swans broke from the
water scant inches from the side of our canoe in a deafening roar. We
yelled, screaming at the blanket of swan underbellies and feet inches
over our heads. Then we dove for the bottom of the boat, arms over
our heads as the third natural history lesson revealed itself. Each
swan neatly defecates all extra weight on takeoff! It seemed like
it took an hour for all 400 swans to fly over and poop on us but I'm
sure it was over in under a minute. Oh, but I tell you, that was one
endlessly long, loud, unbelievably rank, smelly, wet, never-will-I-
bother-another-swan-again minute. The romantic image of being
underneath a rising flock of white swans in the crisp morning air was
tempered by the reality of my girlfriend and I, covered - and I mean
covered in swan poop, laughing hysterically.
www.petwarmers.com
We all have stories that we like to tell our friends about our pets,
so send us your favorite "tail", and we will select one each month
to feature in our newsletter.

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4) 10 TIPS FOR TOILET TRAINING CATS
Why doesn¹t my cat use the litter box? It¹s a common question
among
cat lovers and finding the answer can be difficult on your own. But
noted veterinarian Dr. Rolan Tripp has some helpful tips for cat
owners fighting the problem commonly known as Feline Inappropriate
Elimination. Have a veterinary exam. Feline Inappropriate
Elimination (FIE) is a symptom of an undiagnosed medical problem 30%
of the time. If the exam and lab work are negative, you¹ll rest
easy
knowing the problem isn¹t a result of poor physical health. Then
you
can proceed with behavior modification. Once all medical issues are
ruled out, behavior medication is often needed to compliment a
retraining program. Increase the cleanliness. Studies have shown
that many problems can be solved by simply increasing the frequency
and thoroughness of cleaning the litter box. Scoop the litter box at
least twice daily to remove odors and encourage its use. Or use a
litter box that does the job for you, such as the Petmate Purrforma
self-cleaning litter box. It uses multiple infrared sensors to detect
clumps, then automatically disposes them in an odor-proof waste box
for easy removal. Remove the soiled-litter smell. It¹s a mistake
to
keep the soiled litter in a bag near the litter box instead of taking
it to an outside trash container. Cats have an excellent sense of
smell and a waste-filled container can repel them. A new solution is
the Petmate LitterLocker® which locks odor away from cats and
people.
It can store up to two-weeks of waste (for single-cat households), so
you can empty it less often without worrying about the odors
escaping. Increase the number of litter boxes. If battling FIE, you
should have at least one box per household cat plus one extra. After
your cat has an accident, clean it up with an enzymatic cleaner and
put a litter box where the accident happened. If the cat uses the
new box, move it a few inches each day until you reach the desired
location. Review box locations. Many people think, Let¹s put all
the cat things together. So they put the litter box near the food
and water for one-stop feline supply maintenance. This reasoning
doesn¹t work because the fastidious cat does not want to eliminate
near where food and water are available. Place litter boxes away
from high-traffic locations and noisy appliances. Another common
mistake is putting the litter box out of the way,
often so far away the cat simply finds a more convenient spot.
Increase the litter options. Since each cat has its own personality,
you can't predict what type of litter will attract a certain cat.
Therefore test several! Place multiple boxes near each other, fill
each with different litter and track which ones get used. Try
clumping litters as well as processed paper, wheat and corn-based.
Increase exercise. Exercise is a stress reliever, but most indoor
cats are couch potatoes. Solve this problem by having several
interactive toys that require you to hold one end and participate in
the play. These are the best toys for exercising your cat and
building the cat-human relationship. The goal is to exercise your cat
to open mouth panting at least once each day.
Increase resources. Provide more play, attention, beds, and food and
water locations. If floor space is a problem, increase the number of
cat beds up off the floor, placing them as high as possible. Cats
often relax when they are in a high place. In lower areas, use
multiple plastic portable kennels with comfy pads inside and leave
their doors open to provide an ample supply of safe, private resting
areas. No punishment, but lots of rewards. Cats respond poorly to
physical punishment, but favorably to verbal praise ­ although
their
response is often subtle. Verbally praise your cat every time it uses
the litter box, and every time it does anything right. Positive
reinforcement is the foundation of a special loving bond.
{Dr. Rolan Tripp, DVM, is an occasional guest on Animal Radio. He's a
veterinarian with a special interest in animal behavior. He's also
the founder of Animal Behavior Network, www.AnimalBehavior.net 800-
372-3706, an affiliate professor of applied animal behavior at two
veterinary schools, an on-air personality and behavior consultant for
DVMtv, and a consultant to Petmate.}
Adapted from the Animal Radio Network http://AnimalRadio.com.

5) DRAWING & FUN STUFF
Congratulations to Judith P. ..the winner of the pawprint cap.
March's drawing is a pawprint cosmetic bag. After entering your
name, check out the rest of the fun page at
http://www.animaldesigns.com/trivia.htm Thanks to Marylin T... for
this month's pet photo of Ben, her four year old adorable Huskie.
We want to honor your pet next month, so send us a copy of their
photo either by email or snail mail. February's question was: Do
you dress your pet for winter weather? It was another close vote
with No, rely on mother nature (45%), Yes, a real fashion hound
(38%), and Winter weather, what's that?(17%).

6) COMMENTS-QUESTIONS-SUGGESTIONS
A recent comment from one of our valued customers Patty; "Thank you
for confirming my order. I look forward to getting my draft
stopper. Working with you and the company has been very easy and you
have been exceptionally helpful. Thank you again"

All the Best,
Jeanie
Animal Designs
www.animaldesigns.com
1.866.468.1739