Pet Grooming Orange County

All About Marking

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Cats make great indoor pets, but their more wild behaviors are sometimes made visible in domestic settings. Many cat owners become frustrated with their cats’ “marking” behaviors, or urinating outside of the litter box. Thankfully, spraying is an avoidable nuisance.

Why Do Cats Mark?

Cats rely heavily on their sense of smell to communicate with one another. In face-to-face interactions, cats will smell one another to assert dominance and/or compatibility. However, cats cannot ensure that they will always be around to sniff out potential threats. Marking often serves as a sort of boundary-keeping around beloved surfaces. That way, other cats or animals will steer clear of the marked territory until your cat can properly assess them.

Of course, there are exceptions to this case. Some cats may mark or spray due to medical issues including urinary tract infections or blockages. These conditions (particularly blockages) are both very serious and require immediate medical attention. If your cat is urinating right in front of you or licking their genitals frequently, they may be trying to get your attention. They may completely avoid the litter box and instead rely on marking to empty their bladder. Call your vet immediately if you suspect urinary tract complications, as these can be fatal.

What is Spraying?

Spraying is the act of urine marking on vertical surfaces such as drapes, walls, or anything that is not directly beneath your cat. While unneutered male cats are the most likely to spray, any cat has the ability to spray their urine. Spraying is not discernible from marking except for its location. However, because it is largely behavioral, cats with medical complications are not likely to spray.

How Can I Prevent Marking?

To prevent marking, many pet owners turn to negative reinforcement such as shouting at their cat. However, this does not help and in many cases worsens the behavior. Cats who feel threatened or stressed are more likely to attempt to establish territory.

If your cat marks, clean the affected area thoroughly using a cleaner designed for pet odor. Then, consider why your cat might be marking their territory. Is there another cat, either in the home or through the window? Have their circumstances suddenly changed or become more stressful? Getting to the root of the problem will help to establish long-term solutions. Potential solutions might include adding more litter boxes to the home or changing their locations. Get creative; your home should feel safe and comfortable to both you and your cat.

Claws N Paws owns and operates a full-service grooming salon for dogs and cats in Fountain Valley, California. Right next door, we offer cats-only boarding in our designated facility. Claws N Paws is currently open, with specialized safety precautions in place to protect our clients and employees from the current pandemic. For more information, visit our blog on reopening. To schedule an appointment, call us today at 714-962-1005.

Summer Grooming Tips

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It’s June, which means summer is quickly approaching! As the weather gets warmer, your dog’s grooming needs will change. Ensure that your dog is comfortable this summer with these grooming tips.

Regular Care

Your dog needs regular grooming throughout the year. However, summer poses certain challenges that require more specific care. Most notably, warmer weather allows longer walks during the summer. These longer walks provide necessary exercise, but they can expose your dog to grass, dirt, ticks, and a number of other environmental elements.

Regular baths are always important, but they are especially important during the summer. Without baths, grass and dirt can stain fur on the paws and body. Bathing requires close attention to detail, so it is often more effective for spotting parasites such as ticks and fleas. Therefore, summer is a great time to set up a regular bathing schedule with your groomer.

Regular care extends well past bathing. Dogs also need to be brushed often. Every day, take a brush through your dog’s coat. Brushing evenly distributes oils across your dog’s coat and prevents mats from growing. This is especially important in the summer because mats trap heat and moisture, leading to painful skin infections.

Your dog’s nails also require maintenance during the summer. On walks, long nails are more likely to snag. Pulled nails are extremely painful to dogs. Always make sure your dog’s nails are trimmed before going on walks.

Why You Shouldn’t Shave Your Dog

Many pet owners think their dog needs a shorter coat in the summer. As a result, they often resort to shaving. However, conducting a complete shave can negatively affect your dog’s wellbeing. Shaving a double-coated dog may even alter their coat for life. Dogs have fur coats for a reason; fur can even protect against environmental factors such as sunburns, ticks, and foxtails.

Instead, talk to your groomer about your best option for the summer. For double-coated dogs, this may be a deshedding. Deshedding removes the thick undercoat, while leaving the protective outer layer. Other dogs may benefit from a shorter cut or altered bathing schedule. A professional groomer will be able to identify the best possible option for your dog.

Claws N Paws owns and operates a full-service grooming salon in Fountain Valley, California. Our dedicated team of professional groomers always have your dog’s specific needs in mind. We are currently open, with various precautions in place to protect our staff and customers from COVID-19. For more information, see our blog on reopening. To set up an appointment, call us at 714-962-1005.

Feline Upper Respiratory Infection

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The flu affects millions of Americans every year, but did you know that our feline friends can also contract a flu-like illness? Rather than experiencing a defined “flu season,” cats can develop an upper respiratory infection based on environmental factors. You should know the symptoms and causes of feline upper respiratory infection in order to properly assess your cat’s health.

Symptoms

The feline upper respiratory tract consists of the nose, the throat, and the sinus area. The most common symptoms of upper respiratory infections are sneezing, congestion, and conjunctivitis or excessive eye discharge. Some cats may experience behavioral symptoms such as depression and/or loss of appetite. In severe cases, cats may develop a high fever or experience difficulty breathing. Cases of upper respiratory infection typically last for seven to ten days.

Causes

The most common cause of feline upper respiratory infections is viral disease. Most cases are caused by infection with feline herpes virus (FHV or FHV-1) and/or feline calicivirus (FCV). These cases account for approximately 90% of all upper respiratory infections diagnosed in cats. In some rare cases, the infection may be caused by either Bordetella bacteria or feline chlamydia.

Because viral diseases cause most upper respiratory infections, cats kept in large groups are most likely to develop them. Rescue centers, breeding catteries (or “kitten mills”), and feral cat colonies experience the most cases of feline upper respiratory infection. Furthermore, unvaccinated cats, kittens, elderly cats, and immunocompromised cats are more likely to develop an infection. Feline upper respiratory infections are not contagious to healthy people or other animals.

When to Contact the Vet

As a precaution, you should take newly-adopted cats for a vet examination less than a week after adoption. Otherwise, most healthy cats recover from upper respiratory infections within one to two weeks. During this time, monitor your cat’s behavior. If possible, isolate them from other cats in the house. You should contact your vet if your cat experiences more severe symptoms, such as refusal to eat for 24 hours, green or yellow eye discharge, or difficulty breathing.

Treatment

Treatment is largely based on symptoms. Sometimes, vets will prescribe antibiotics to treat secondary bacterial infections. In extreme cases, your cat will need to be hospitalized. General care is always important; you will need to keep your cat comfortable and warm, occasionally wiping the snot and discharge from their nose and eyes.

Claws N Paws owns and operates a full-service grooming salon in Fountain Valley, CA. Right next door, you can find our cats-only boarding facility. Upon our recent reopening, Claws N Paws has issued various safety precautions in order to observe COVID-19 restrictions. This information can be found on our blog about reopening. For more information or to schedule an appointment, contact us at 714-962-1005.

Dogs With Noise Phobia

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Dogs are built with a natural response to avoid dangerous situations. In the wild, dangerous situations are often signaled by a loud sound. However, in a domestic life, sounds often do not pose the same threats. When you know the signs of an irrational noise phobia, it is easier to help your dog live more comfortably. 

What is Noise Phobia?

Noise phobia, also known as canine noise aversion, is a form of canine anxiety. It appears as an excessive fear of a sound. Owners with noise phobic dogs have noted that their dogs will do anything to avoid or escape this sound. In many cases, this fear is irrational; many sounds like fireworks and storms do not pose a threat to your furry friend. Their response is misguided and may cause severe, unnecessary stress.

Dogs with noise phobia can develop a fear of any sound, from loud fireworks to the creak of an old door. Because thunderstorms and falling rain are such a common trigger of noise phobia, many owners mistake their dog’s anxiety as a fear of rain or water. Noise phobic behavior includes hiding, chewing, panting, drooling, urination, defecation, shaking, and barking.

At-Home Treatments

There are some ways to alleviate noise phobia at home. Many pet owners cradle or pet their dogs during an anxious episode. While this may be comforting, it can actually exacerbate cases of noise phobia. Instead, start by coaxing your dog into a darker, quiet area of your home. Either leave them alone to calm down or sit silently by them.

Dogs with noise phobia or anxiety sometimes respond well to gently applied pressure. If you have a big dog, try learning gently against them. This only works for some dogs; if your dog grows more anxious, do not continue. If noise phobia is a recurring issue for your dog, invest in a weighted body wrap like the Thundershirt. This is essentially a weighted blanket for dogs and can alleviate their stress.

Medical Treatment

You should consult a veterinarian if you notice a significant change in your dog’s behavior. Dogs with noise phobia or anxiety may become aggressive or continuously anxious. This causes undue stress on your dog and your entire household. Although there is no specific cure for noise phobia, your vet will be able to suggest treatment to alleviate the problem. Common treatments include behavior modification, environmental controls, and medication. Your vet may prescribe anti-anxiety drugs, antidepressants, or tranquilizers, depending on the specific situation

Claws N Paws Day Spa in Fountain Valley, California provides professional grooming services to both cats and dogs. Upon our recent reopening, Claws N Paws has implemented certain safety precautions to protect both our customers and staff from COVID-19. For more information, read our blog about reopening. To schedule an appointment, call us at 714-962-1005.

Hand Sanitizer and Your Pet

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In the time of COVID-19, we have seen a major increase in hand sanitizer use. Many pet owners have become concerned about the various effects hand sanitizer may have on their pets. With proper sanitation being necessary, it is important to know the truth about hand sanitizer and its ingredients.

Ethylene Glycol Rumors

Recently, there has been a spike in cautionary social media posts about ethanol hand sanitizer. These posts warn pet owners that hand sanitizer contains ethylene glycol, which is used in antifreeze. They call pet owners to ditch their hand sanitizer or avoid petting their animals after using hand sanitizer. However, other sources are calling pet owners to rethink these claims. The chemical ethylene glycol is in fact very poisonous to animals, but it is not actually used in hand sanitizer.

The most common active ingredients in alcohol hand sanitizers are ethyl alcohol and isopropyl alcohol. While alcohol is toxic to dogs and cats, evaporated hand sanitizer on their owners’ hands will not be enough to harm them at all. However, you should always wait for your hand sanitizer to dry before touching an animal.

What About Natural Hand Sanitizers?

Because hand sanitizer is becoming scarce in stores and online, many people are turning to natural alternatives or making their own. These sanitizers use many of the same products as more mainstream options and are therefore very similar. However, many of these alternatives utilize essential oils, many of which are toxic to animals. Avoid spraying or using products with essential oils around your pets, especially cats. If you choose to make them yourself at home, keep all essential oils far from your animals’ reach.

Whatever you use to keep clean, always read the ingredients and keep bottles far from pets and children. Remember that washing your hands with a good soap is always more effective than using hand sanitizer!

Claws N Paws Day Spa provides professional grooming services to both dogs and cats in Fountain Valley, California. We will be reopening for these services on June 2. See our blog about reopening to review our new social distancing measures in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information, you can call us at 714-962-1005.

Foxtails and Your Dog

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As the weather grows warmer, you and your dog may be enjoying longer walks around the neighborhood. Certain plants are also enjoying the seasonal changes. Unfortunately, with summer comes foxtail plants, which can prove dangerous to your dog. To ensure a safe and enjoyable walk, you should know how to identify foxtails.

What Are Foxtails?

Foxtails grow from the tops of grasses. Therefore they can grow anywhere that grass does, including in open fields, along sidewalks, and even in your own backyard. Foxtails have been spotted in every state west of the Mississippi and are gradually spreading across the entire United States. As the name suggests, they look like fox’s tails; they contain hairy appendages covered in sharp, sticky barbs. These barbs latch onto skin or fur and will eventually migrate inward, towards the internal organs.

How to Spot a Foxtail on Your Dog

Foxtails can burrow anywhere on your dog, but there are a few common places owners have found foxtails. Mainly, foxtails are found near or in openings such as the ears, eyelids, nose, or genitals. Dogs often also pick foxtails up with their feet. Watch to see if any of these areas are irritated. Is your dog pulling at their ears or licking their feet? Are they sneezing or coughing frequently? Watch for any unusual behavior, especially following a walk.

Foxtail wounds may also become infected, regardless of where on your dog they are embedded. Check for sores or visible discomfort. Dogs with an infected wound may also emit an unpleasant odor.

It is best to find foxtails as soon as possible. Always check your dog’s skin and coat all over immediately after every walk. A good way to do this is to give your dog a good brushing. This permeates the thick outer layers and can find anything hidden within your dog’s fur coat.

What to Do If You Find a Foxtail

Try to brush or pick the foxtail out. Foxtails in the coat have not yet embedded themselves in skin and thus have not yet caused a problem. If it will not budge, it may be embedded in the skin. This will require veterinary treatment as soon as possible. Foxtails often require surgery to remove. If they are not removed, it can lead to serious complications or even death.

Sometimes owners do not find the foxtail, but their dogs still require veterinary attention. If your dog has been acting strange or exhibiting symptoms associated with foxtails, call your vet.

Claws N Paws Day Spa owns and operates a full-service grooming salon in Fountain Valley, California. Although Claws N Paws is currently closed to observe social distancing, we are constantly preparing for a grand (and safe) reopening. For more information and regular updates, you can follow our Facebook at Claws N Paws Day Spa or our Instagram @clawsnpawsdayspa_.