Note 1: "local" is Palo Alto, CA, USA.
Note 2:
this page is heavily biased towards cats
because that is what currently owns me (the page's author).
This is not a case of personal bias --
I was formerly a "dog-person"
-- simply the pages that I have come across in my various searches.
Adoption
Combination of the listings that you can find at many local pet stores.
- General
- Cats
- Peninsula CatWorks (formerly part of Palo Alto Humane Society, but now an independent organization)
- Stanford Cat Network: (408) 733-0686, contact: Dolores Arnold
- Homeless Cat Network: (650) 366-0860
- Stanford Pet Clinic: (650) 493-4233, contact Dr. Beryl Mell
4111 El Camino Real, Palo Alto
Kittens for adoption
- Siamese Rescue
- Retired Friends:
Retired breeders and show cats (many 1- to 3-years old).
Top-level page has pointer to general explanation of reasons
for such a cat being retired.
Listings for individual cats may give detailed explanation.
- Dogs
- Other
Cats
- Cat Fanciers Web Site
Good info and good collections of links
Good information and pictures on breeds,
often better than many books that aim to profile the various breeds.
- The International Cat Association (TICA)
Note: Bad design on the Home Page:
there is a small set of links that, if regarded as the table of contents,
indicating that there is little at this site;
you need to choose Frames or No Frames
to see the full table of contents
(as of January 1998).
- CFA: Cat Fanciers' Association
- Allcats: Breed info and more
CFA has more information on breeds and better pictures,
but these listings seem better on the caveats and
other potential negatives associated with the various breeds.
- Cat Breed Descriptions
- New Kitten
- Internet Cat Club
- Articles and Links from NetCat
- Yahoo! Science:Biology:Zoology:Animals, Insects, and Pets:Mammals:Cats
- The Internet Pet Connection
- Cats Haven - Cat Tips & Links
- Cats - Cat Cabana - PetStation -- cats, kittens, cat care, etc.
- Felis sylvestris photo (ancestor of domestic cat)
- Health
- Grooming Your Cat
- How to Toilet-Train Your Cat
- FAQs from rec.pets.cats
- Cats FAQ
- Cats Articles
- Daisy Lane Veterinary Clinic: source of information and links
- Indoor Cat Initiative of College of Veterinary Medicine, Ohio State U
- Scratching posts and trees
- Cat Doc: Veternarian Jane Brunt's
- Personal advice
- Grooming: ZoomGroom from Kong Company (available in many pet stores): Most effective grooming brush plus cats love it as a massage.
Several friends whom I recommended it to have reported
that it significantly changed their cat's personality:
- He didn't like being brushed or combed,
but loved the ZoomGroom.
After some time, he accepted being brushed by conventional
brushes..
(My guess is that the narrow, pointly bristles of a normal
brush felt uncomfortable to the cat).
- She was stand-off-ish, but after being brushed a couple of times
with the Zoom Groom,
she decided that her calling was to be a lap cat.
I had a Siamese who would hop up on a table next to the ZoomGroom
and yowl at me when he decided it was time to be brushed.
My analysis is that the tacky rubber creates a drag similar to
that when a cat is licking itself (with its rough tongue).
Remember: grooming is an expression of affection,
and cats respond.
- Scratching/stretching: Royal Veldura doormats
My experience with my current and previous cats,
as well as cats of friends,
is that the Royal Veldura brand doormat
is well-liked
as a horizonal scratching surface.
My previous cat
(late-neutered male who was an outdoor cat when he adopted me)
liked to scratch the mat on entry and exit from the house
(both front and back doors).
This seemed to be as much scent marking his territory
as scratching/stretching,
so he wasn't marking other areas around the door.
And it meant he came in with clean feet.
When I noticed this during the adoption process,
I put several mats down in strategic locations around the house,
and he used them enthusiastically -- and I had no problem
with him doing stretches on furniture or carpets.
This cat made some use of the vertical scratching post
(and trees and fence posts) but seemed to have
a real preference for horizontal surfaces.
Additional considerations:
- Excellent doormat for people
- Recycled rubber
Comes in several patterns.
I prefer the straight-ribbed version
because it seems easier to clean.
Carried by many local hardware stores;
my experience has been that the choice in
size, color, and pattern varies considerably
not just between stores, but throughout the year.
Cleaning is a consideration because these mats pick up
hair being shed from the legs and belly
(which many cats won't allow you to brush/comb).
- Cat walking on computer keyboard:
- PawSense:
Software that detects keypress combinations from paws, temporarily locks the keyboard,
and emits a sound to encourage the cat to move away.
I have seen lots of recommendations, but don't have actual experience. $20+S&H.
"On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog"*
but now they can tell if you're a cat.
*caption on cartoon by Peter Steiner
in the July 1993 New Yorker magazine.
It has become a standard phrase used in discussing issues
of identity on the Internet (anonymity, privacy, ...)
- Physical barrier:
A clear plastic shelf over the keyboard that you can put your hands under to type
(Picture of example).
In the San Francisco Bay Area (and beyond), TAP Plastics
is the go-to place
and probably has something close already available, and if not, can easily fabricate one for you.
- DYI In Case of Emergency Pet Poster
- Id tags:
One of the big problems with traditional identification tags
(ones that hang from the collar) is that
cats often find them extremely useful in pulling off
the collar.
In pet stores, there is a commercial product that
uses clear heat-shrink tubing to bind an Id label tightly
to the collar itself.
Advice:
- For the reflective collars mentioned above,
I have had good experience with tags made on
a label maker (using transparent tape).
- Put the collar (with the tubing)
around a glass or mug approximating the size of your cats
neck and then apply heat to shrink the tubing for a tight fit.
If you shrink the tubing with the collar flat,
you will have a difficult time flexing the collar to
fit naturally around your cat's neck.
Price:
The commercial product is
essentially two short segments of heat-shrink tubing,
but selling for more than the cost of a 4-foot segment
at an electronics store (for example, Fry's).
Warning:
If you are using normal heat-shrink tubing,
be aware that the dimensions on the package are for
diameters.
Easiest way to find correct size may be to take the collar
to the store and insert it into the various tubes.
Consider 1/2-inch tubing first.
1/2-inch shrinks to 1/4-inch diameter circle,
which is a 0.4-inch wide flattened ring:
the width of most cat collars
are between 3/8-inch (0.375-inch) and 1/2-inch.
For thicker collars (e.g., Beastie Bands),
1/2-inch is a proven choice.
- Humorous
- Humorous/Morbidly
- Toys and other supplies
(some are sites I found but have not purchased from)
- Metropolitan Pet Company (toys, especially teasers)
My cat recommends their
Air Spinner,
FlyToy,
and the ostrich plumes (on a wire).
I strongly recommend their HiVis Reflective Safety Collar:
it is both more visible and far more durable than the other
reflective collars I have tried.
- Kit'n Kaboodle: The Purr-fect Cat Store for Cat Lovers and Loved Cats
Was a good source for the "Tiger Toy"TM
(picture)
which is included in most "Top N" cat toy lists
(path = Catalog + Great Cat Stuff + Playthings + Tiger Toy ),
but they discontinued carrying it in Spring 1998.
In December 1997, I checked with all the local pet stores and
and none carried this toy
(several said that they formerly sold it, but had lost
contact with the distributor).
Also recommend the Teddy catnip filled mouse, but
its manufacturer is discontinuing it.
- The Love that Cat! Store
Source for "Tiger Toy"
- Cats, Cats & More Cats: Delightful Gifts for Cat Lovers
Note: the Favorite Sites sub-page has a collection of potentially interesting links.
Alternate source for "Tiger Toy"
- Pet Food Depot, 3127 El Camino Real, Palo Alto
- Dressler's Dog Supplies/Catalog: Despite the title, they have a section for cats
- Pet Expo - discount pet supplies
- Discount Crates, Airline Carriers, Dog Kennels, Enclosures, Houses
- Cat Toys, Tunnels, and Caves
- Pendleton Cat Furniture: Posts,Trees,Condos and Cat Supplies For Your Pet
- Kitty Korner Cat Furniture
- But, of course, each of my cat's favorite toy has been a 15-foot
length of old cotton window sash cord (a.k.a. clothesline)
with a knotted frayed end.
The cheapest toy,
as long as I don't factor in my labor/billing rate. :-)
- Petdoors.com: Pacific Patio Co: distributor for multiple manufacturers. Seems to be primarily/exclusively inserts for sliding glass doors.
- CATALOG PAGE 3
- Cyberpounce Cat entertainment program for your PC
- Working Class Cats
- Breeds and Breeders: some interesting pages encountered (circa 1998)
Dogs
Pigs
Birds
General
Boarding: advice and generic
Some local boarding kernels
Caveat: no personal experience, listing from some local vets, pet stores, and friends
- Dog's Life : primarily Day Care, but "slumber parties" also available for pets whose owners are going out of town
Article in 28-April-2004 issue of the Palo Alto Weekly
- Sierra Vista Kennel, 859 Sierra Vista Ave, Mountain View, 650-969-1853
- Kahula Kennel, 689 N. Mathilda Ave, Sunnyvale, 408-245-1234
(highly recommended by multiple sources)
- Paws Place, 1665 S Bascom Ave, Campell, 408-377-3542
(highly recommended by multiple sources)
- Peninsula Pet Resort, 851 Old County Road, San Carlos, 650-592-2441
- See Spot Run (San Jose, CA) 408-448-7768 : daily dog exercise service as well as comprehensive pet sitting (dogs, cats, birds, fish)
- Kitty Hill Resort (Santa Cruz, CA) cat boarding
- Comfy Cats (Watsonville, CA) 831-768-1713 (cat boarding)
- Patty Langdon's Dog Gon Pet Sitting, (Sunnyvale, MtView, Los Altos area) 650-694-PETS
- PetTalk online forum sponsored by columnist Linda Goldston of the San Jose Mercury News
InHome Care
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