HowToDoThings.com Recent Essentials Articles

How To Select a Name for Your Pet

kdiscountpetmall — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:40:06 -0500

How To Have a Cat-Friendly House

meloukhia — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:04:34 -0500

Making your house friendly for your cat involves the creation of safe spaces for the cat, the elimination of things which could be dangerous, and the addition of objects to make the environment more rich and interesting. If you have an indoor-only cat, it is extremely important to keep the cat entertained and engaged, and to make sure that the avenues of escape are limited. Whether you're bringing home a new cat or trying to make a new home more pleasant for your pet, making a cat-friendly home is worth the effort.

How To Make Sure Your Cat Uses the Litter Box

sspets — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:28:02 -0500

How To Make Sure Your Pet is Safe During a Disaster

harryoakes — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 19:41:22 -0600

During a disaster, pets are often overlooked and left to die. For example, in NYC during 9/11, the police did not allow pet owners and rescuers to enter the outlying stricken areas to rescue pets until almost four days after the initial disaster. Many pets were found dead.

Here’s what you can do to help rescuers find your pet alive.

How To Clean Up Cat Urine

Staff468 — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 19:10:00 -0500

As any cat owner will tell you, cat urine has a particularly intolerable - not to mention resilient - odor. On top of that, cat urine can stain carpet and hardwood floor alike. There are many reasons why cats might urinate in improper places - stinky litter boxes, stress, age and illness being among the common reasons. You'll be able to clean up stubborn cat urine using the following techniques.

How To Help Children Cope with the Loss of a Pet

Staff468 — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 15:07:00 -0600

Children are funny when it comes to grief. It can look something like this: "Yea, my dog died. Can I have a peanut butter and banana sandwich?" Children can appear to be unaffected by the loss of a pet but they often express their feelings though behavior and play rather than through words. This does not mean that they are not grieving; they are, just in their own unique ways. Below are some tips for helping children cope with the loss of a pet:

Living in the moment. Remember that children live in the moment. Since we, as adults, do so little of living in the moment, we really forget what this means. What this means is that a child's acute sense of observation does not go away during the death process. If, as a dog lay dying, the dog loses bowel control, a child will notice and probably say something. Accept a child's observations of the death process without judging or shaming him.

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How To Travel with Your Pet by Air

The2 — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 18:10:00 -0600

It's easy to fly with your cat, small dog, bird, or other pet in the cabin of an airplane. Most airlines will allow you to bring an animal on board as a carry-on and place it underneath the seat in front of you. Restrictions can vary, however, depending on the airline that you're hoping to fly. Make sure that you look into the requirements that each airline sets forth.

There are also many standard rules and regulations that you'll need to follow, regardless of the airline you and your pet are going to fly. If you are going to travel with your pet, you should adhere to the following steps. Scroll down to the bottom of the page for a list of airlines and their specific requirements and restrictions.

Before You Travel:

How To Buy Pet Insurance

Linette547 — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 07:43:00 -0600

You love your pet and do not even want to think about him becoming ill or having an accident. Pet insurance can provide you with peace of mind if your pet does need extensive or emergency medical care. The peace of mind comes from knowing that you will not have to make a decision on your pet's life based on how much the surgery or treatment costs. It would be good to know you have the resources necessary to take care of your pet in tough times. What do you need to know to find the best pet insurance policy for your needs?

When you are looking for a plan, there are several good questions to ask:

How To Choose a Veterinarian

Amy 329 — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 12:06:00 -0600

For those of us who love our pets, choosing the right veterinarian can be a big decision. There are several things you can do to ensure that you find a doctor you are comfortable with and who will take the best possible care of your pet.

Ask for recommendations. One of the best ways to find a good veterinarian is to ask other people for recommendations. You can ask family and friends, and you can also check with a breeder or the staff of your local animal shelter. Getting recommendations from people who have a good relationship with their veterinarian is better than searching your local yellow pages.

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How To Clean Cat Vomit Off of Your Carpet

Ken18 — Tue, 03 Jan 2006 04:28:00 -0600

We all love and care for our cats despite their annoying penchant for vomiting on a regular basis. As with most things in modern society, spew removal is not as simple as one might first suspect. The results of my personal research indicate that there are three broad categories of spew that you, as a cat owner, ultimately will have to contend with:

the traditional hairball
the near-instantaneous upchuck of kibble just eaten (this will be designated a "kibble ball")
the ever-disgusting, viscous mixture of partially digested food and digestive juices that comes up several hours after a hearty meal.

Each of these spew-types represents a different level of challenge in the attempt to destroy all evidence of the incident. We shall start with the easiest, the common hairball.

How To Do Interior Decorating for Cat Owners

Wed, 24 Aug 2005 09:31:00 -0500

Part 1: Protecting your possessions

The first thing a cat owner should know about home décor is to keep it simple. Cats are completely convinced that they are in charge, that the house and its possessions belong to them, and that they have every right to break rip or shred anything they like. Even a well trained cat (a possible oxymoron) will occasionally get overzealous, and with an inadvertent sweep of their tail will knock your favorite decoration from its place to a pile on the floor.