As a cat owner, you know that your feline can be finicky at times – even when it comes to her cat litter. While there's no shortage of litter options on the store shelves, how do you know which litter is best for your choosy cat? Hopefully, you’re already using an option that works for you and your cat (or at least well enough to avoid unfortunate non-litter box accidents!) but is the litter you’re using the best option for you, your cat and, let’s not forget, the environment?

Cat litter has come a long way since it hit the market in the ’40's and 50’s. Back then, sand, dirt, and even ash were considered acceptable uses for litter, until a clay-based litter developed by Edward Lowe called "Kitty Litter" was created and began to populate the market. Fast forward to 2010 and clay-based cat litters have evolved from a substrate that simply absorbs urine into scoopable clumping litters that currently dominate the store shelves.

Clay-based litters typically contain impure clay called bentonite. Bentonite is used in cat litter because it can absorb liquids such as urine quickly and efficiently, trapping the waste and odor. It doesn't hurt that bentonite is readily mined and cheap to use, as well. Unfortunately, clay-based litter isn't as environmentally-friendly as other types – which is why more than 2 million tons of cat litter, much of it clay-based, end up in landfills each year.

As technology has advanced over the years, so has the number of natural materials that can be used to create cat litter. Wood pulp from trees such as ash, aspen, and pine, as well as corn, wheat, peanut shells, even recycled newspapers have all come into play in the litter box. The obvious benefit to these are that they are from renewable sources instead of mined clay. Also, the food-based litters can be somewhat more digestible when swallowed inadvertently by our pets.

Let’s face it, cat litter isn’t necessarily what we’d usually consider a threat to our pets’ health but there is some controversy over whether certain cat litters can adversely affect your pet:

-          Intestinal obstruction? Several individuals have reported that they have lost (usually young) cats due to intestinal blockage caused by clumping cat litter. While the loss of any pet is obviously tragic, I struggle to see this as a tangible risk to feline health. With the huge number of cats using clumping cat litter around the world, I would have to expect to see more veterinary-documented cases of intestinal obstruction due to cat litter if this were a common problem. Having said that, in the spirit of prevention, I usually avoid clumping litters in cats under 4 weeks of age and keep an eye on cats and dogs around the litter box; if anyone is eating appreciable amounts of litter, I would consider a change to non-clumping litter.

-          Dust allergies? This is a concern I can certainly jump on-board with. As with people, if your pets have respiratory allergies or asthma, litters that are overly dusty can certainly exacerbate these conditions. Using a low-dust litter like Yesterday’s News (made from recycled newspapers) can be beneficial in these cases.

OK, now you’ve got a litter that you’re happy isn’t going to make Kitty sick, what to do with the treats that your feline pal leaves in the litter box? Fortunately, there are an increasing number of options when it comes to disposal of litter:

-          Flushable – For those of us that hate carrying the litter out to the trash can and cringe at the landfill we’re helping to create, flushable litters can be a viable option. Before using a flushable litter, please check that your state allows cat litter to be flushed and that your septic system is approved for this type of waste.

-          Automatic litter boxes – Several of my clients have reported great success using automated litter boxes like the Cat Genie that hook directly to your septic supply and even washes and dries the special plastic cat litter! While they can initially be a little pricey, converts rave about never having to scoop again and all the money they save on cat litter! Also, like flushing, this minial handling of cat waste helps to prevent you pet passing along any transmissable diseases like toxoplasmosis.

-          Toilet training – While I have yet to see it personally, people are starting to train their cats to use the toilet! Anyone remember Mr. Jinx in the Ben Stiller/Robert De Niro comedy Meet the Parents? A recent article in the Wall Street Journal lifts the lid on this phenomenon and points out some of the potential difficulties and dangers.

So now that we know what’s out there, what should you choose? Personally, I’ve settled on a corn based litter called, unashamedly, World’s Best Cat Litter. It may cost a little more per bag but I found that I use a lot less of it than my previous clumping litter. Initially, I chose the multicat formula for my three cats but found that it had a ripe, “foody” smell (assumedly from the corn derivative) so switched back to the regular kind which appears to be pretty much odorless. I mixed a little of their old brand cat litter (slightly used) in with the new type initially and the transition seems to be have been relatively smooth.

Whether you end up choosing clumping or non-clumping, natural or clay-based, or any of the other options available, a good rule of thumb to maintain a fresh litter box is to scoop out any waste found daily and change the litter completely every 2-4 weeks. This will not only keep the litter box clean and smelling fresh, but it will reduce the risk of any nasty bacteria finding its way out of the litter box on a traveling paw.

Most of us are familiar with the "12 days of Christmas" jingle often heard this time of the year, in which someone's true love gives to them an ark's worth of animals – from calling birds to French hens to swans a singing. But not everyone is prepared to welcome a menagerie home during the holidays.

A cute, fluffy kitten or tongue-wagging puppy may look like the perfect Christmas present (especially when they're staring at you with those big, buy-me eyes), but the decision to bring a pet home is best made after the holidays, for a number of reasons:

Holidays are hectic

Pets are living creatures that require care, food, shelter, and lots of time and personal attention. The holidays can be hectic, with time hard to come by, so it is difficult to give a new pet, especially a puppy or kitten, the time and attention it requires while you're worried about wrapping presents and picking up your Santa suit from the cleaners.

The decision to add a pet to your family should be best left until after the stress of the holidays dies down and you and your family can think about whether or not bringing home a new pet makes sense; waiting until after the holidays will make the pet’s transition into a new home easier, as he won’t have to deal with guests or dangerous holiday hazards such as chocolate, mistletoe, or ornaments.

 Pets are not toys

Giving a pet as a gift can also send the wrong message, especially to a child. A child may equate that pet as a gift, "something to play with," rather than an animal that  requires very specific needs to survive. Toys that children receive at Christmastime are commodities – goods for which there are demand – such as the hottest new toy on the market or the latest gaming system. Ironically, the hottest toy on the market this year has the word pet in its title – Zhu Zhu Pets. Real pets, on the other hand, are additions to the family – living, breathing, pooping, and barking additions that are not at all like toys. If a pet is given as a Christmas gift, a child may become disappointed with the work involved with the "gift" (it’s certainly more work than a Zhu Zhu Pet) and could lose interest after a short amount of time.

Don't bite off more than you can chew

Much like retail stores, animal shelters swell with “buyers” around the holidays, and fill with "returns" after people realize they've bitten off more than they can chew (or when the new pup has bitten off more than he can chew of the family room couch). People fall in love with the novelty and cuteness of a puppy or kitten and often forget about the other things that come along with a new four-legged friend, such as trips to the vet, food, intensive potty training, and etc.

One of the biggest things that people don't account for is the cost of owning a pet. According to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association Pet Owners Survey, dog owners spend $219 and cat owners spent $175 on routine veterinary visits (vaccines and wellness exams) annually. I would say those are incredibly conservative numbers. In many cases, the cost of pet ownership can run in the hundreds to thousands per year, especially if your pet gets sick, injured, or otherwise. Those costs can be offset greatly by investing in pet insurance and following a healthy lifestyle that includes a good diet and plenty of exercise, but there will still be some cost involved to the owner.

As a veterinarian, I'm interested in helping you make the best choices possible for your pets, which is why I recommend you wait until after the holidays to make the decision to bring a new pet home. Instead of bringing the pet home right away, give the person a picture of the pet as a gift for the time being, and wait until everything is ready to go pick the pet up. The process will be easier once holiday hazards are gone, and you will have given the person responsible for the care of the animal enough time to prepare, both mentally and financially, for the new arrival.

Your pet, of course! It’s not always easy being green, but at Petplan, we believe it’s definitely worth it. We’re committed to helping animals and the earth by reducing our carbon paw prints. From less paper at the office to more natural care for our pets, Petplan’s green initiatives continue to spark media interest. The latest report, published on the AMEX openforum gets our culture right; we’re a Lean, Green Pet Insurance Machine.

And nobody knows this better than our pets. Whether they’re visiting our pet-friendly office or living it up at the dog park, we’ve got our pets living greener than ever. Move over plastic scoop bags, the green machine’s got something better. Check it out!

Bulk Up.  Fresh, local, nutritious foods and treats not only protect your pet’s health, but the earth as well.  Find a local resource you trust and buy in bulk to cut down on packaging and gas emissions on your way to the store.

Get in Gear.  Organic fabrics bring cozy comfort to your pet’s accessories and bedding. Choose top quality products made from recycled or sustainable fibers for a greener getup.

Mr. Green. Whether it’s your pet himself, or the mess he makes, let’s face it, you’re doing a lot of cleaning. Why not try earth and pet-safe products for all the dirty jobs? Pick grooming products made from natural ingredients without perfumes or additives that may bother your pet’s senses. And when it comes to cleaning, pass on the sulfates, phosphates or chemicals in favor of earth-safe alternatives.

The Poop on Scoop Bags. If it’s plastic, it’s landfill, no matter what’s inside. Join the pet care revolution. Choose bio-degradable bags to scoop responsibly.

Litterific! Now your kitty can spare the landfill last week’s litter with a flushable alternative featuring highly absorbent proteins and fibers made from natural corn. The finished product is an odor-controlling, clumping, dust-free litter box experience modestly called the World’s Best Cat Litter.

For even more tips on greener pet care, stop by Planet Green.

Let’s face it: cancer is never a good word to hear. While you’re probably used to hearing it being applied to diseases in people, we should all be aware that cancer can affect our pets too. In fact, figures suggest that cancer plagues our four-legged friends as much as it does our human family, with almost 50% of all disease-related pet deaths resulting from complications of some form of cancer.

As a practitioner, I’m not personally a big fan of using the word “cancer”; I think it’s too vague to accurately describe to most of the things we come across. When you consider that a small, completely harmless skin tag can be called “cancer”, then compare that to an aggressive bone tumor which can be labeled using the same word, you can probably see what I mean. When dealing with such important matters, it’s important to learn some basic terms:

Neoplasia – (Pronounce it with the word “play” in the middle) The medical term for “cancer”, it means “new growth” in Greek. And cancer is just that; a very simple definition is that cancer is an uncontrolled reproduction of cells.

Tumor – The abnormal growth caused by the neoplastic/cancerous disease process. Tumors can be of almost any conceivable size and shape depending on the type of cell that is affected.

Benign – A “good” word to be using about any form of cancer. Benign tumors do not tend to invade neighboring tissues or spread to other parts of the body. Benign tumors often don’t even need to be removed but, if necessary, surgical removal usually cures the problem

Malignant – The opposite of benign. Malignant tumors can grow very quickly and are often able to spread through the bloodstream (metastasize). Many forms of cancer can be “staged” to assess how malignant they are.

Now we have some useful terms, let’s get back to what happens when we’re in a position where we have to use these words about our pets:

 First rule? Don’t panic. Get the facts. We’re in a position to know more about these diseases and the options to treat them than ever before. In fact, some of our treatments are more advanced than those in human medicine. For example, in 2007 we saw the release of the first vaccine in any species that was developed for treatment of a neoplastic disease. The melanoma vaccine by Merial has been undergoing clinical trials for the past two years and has seen excellent results.

The tidal wave of veterinary specialization that has swelled up over the past ten to twenty years means that we now have dedicated oncologists for our pets that can help advise owners on the most up-to-date options for treatment of their pets. Having said that, more advanced care comes with a more advanced price tag. When you realize that chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery are often viable treatments for some forms of cancer, you can appreciate that costs stack up.

Cancer treatment is one of the areas where I think that people really see the value in their Petplan insurance. We’ve paid claims for all types of neoplasia including bone cancer, mast cell tumors, lymphoma and even brain tumors. While not all of these stories have happy endings, our policyholders are always grateful for the ability to do everything they can for their pets without having to worry about the financial implications of expensive and protracted veterinary care.

So, now you know some words about cancer and have some information about what we can do. Hopefully you feel a little better. While you have a more hopeful feeling, and since it’s Pet Cancer Awareness Month, I encourage you to help support those dedicated to finding a cure for cancer and the pets that are affected by cancer in our lives.

·         Spread Awareness - Talk with your veterinarian and other pet owners about pet cancer. Joint a support group. Volunteer at a local animal cancer center or to help with a fundraising event. Anything you can do to help will benefit the cause for a cure.

·         Spread the Wealth - There are a number of programs, institutions, and foundations set up to help contribute important funding to cancer research and pet care; below are just a few, and I’m sure they’d love your support (monetarily or otherwise):

http://www.csuanimalcancercenter.org/

http://www.chaseawayk9cancer.org/

http://petcancerawareness.org/

http://fetchacure.com/

Admit it! While you and your family enjoy all that Halloween candy, you feel terribly guilty when your dogs look up at you with those begging saucer eyes. They’re just dying to get their paws on one little piece of that Halloween candy haul. But like any good pet parent knows, the sugary candies and chocolates passed out on Halloween can be very dangerous, or even deadly for dogs. But that certainly doesn’t mean our little friends should get left out every October 31. Your pooch keeps you and your family company on the door-to-door trick or treat visits. Don’t they deserve a treat too? And what about all those canine ghouls at your doorstep – don’t let them leave empty-pawed this year.

Petplan welcomes guest blogger and One Nation Under Dog author Michael Schaffer for his personal insights on America’s changing relationship with our pets. 

The Culture Clash
Why Does Dog-Fighting Persist in a Pet-Loving Country? Inside the Culture Clash over America’s Animals.
By Michael Schaffer

For pet lovers, the 21st century can seem like the best of times and the worst of times.

On the one hand, Americans are on track to spend $45 billion on their pets this year—a total that seems to be growing even though the recession has consumers tightening their own belts. For many people, pets have become full-fledged members of the family, meaning their care, feeding, and company get the same consideration that’s given to the nurturing of two-legged offspring. The phenomenon has given rise to whole new industries catering to those who want the best for their pet: Organic pet food, doggie day spas, space-age veterinary medicine, and pet-friendly airlines, among other things that not so long ago might have seemed improbable.

And you only have to glance at the array of media reports about America’s puppy love to know that some pet people take their devotion a step further: Ours is the age of pet chauffeurs, pet lawyers, and New York’s annual Pet Fashion Week.

On the other hand, there’s a drumbeat of more troubling news about pets in America. The age of the pet fashionista is also a time of shocking cruelty to animals. We’ve learned that many of the beloved pets people buy from stores were actually bred in horrific rural puppy mills, where animals are churned out as if they were bushels of tomatoes, the imperfect specimens killed off without a thought. We’ve seen catastrophic consequences of a pet-food market whose safety standards couldn’t cope with a mass poisoning. We’ve been buffeted by revelations about dog-fighting rings where animals are bred to fight to the death.

The financial crisis, too, has taken its toll: Even as pet spending remains remarkably resilient, there has been increase in abandonments, many of them by people who’ve been foreclosed.

How is it that one sector of the population can pay more attention to their pet’s nutrition than to their own, while another can see their death-matches as amusement? For those of us who live in Philadelphia, it can sometimes feel like we’re at the center of this national divide. On the one hand, the city is home to Petplan, a firm who’s very business—veterinary insurance—speaks to our growing devotion to pets. On the other hand, the city is also now the home to Michael Vick—the convicted dogfighter, NFL star, and walking, talking reminder of man’s capacity for viciousness towards animals.

I’ve spent a lot of time over the past few years pondering our four-legged schizophrenia. I spent most of that time researching a book about Americans and their pets. The book, One Nation Under Dog, is a mostly happy story—a tale of how, over a generation or so, pets had wormed their way into a new place in America’s homes, hearts, and wallets. I came to the conclusion that the way we treat pets is a pretty good window into our national soul. The rise of ultra-premium dog food, professionalized dog training, and specialty veterinary surgeries is really a reflection of our evolving attitudes towards two-legged subjects like nurturing, education, and health. Walk the aisles of a pet superstore and you won’t just learn about pets; you’ll figure out all sorts of truths about us humans, too.

Some people seem to think there’s something creepy about all this: I can’t tell you how many people I met who seemed downright unhinged about how our allegedly spoiled pets are a sign that society is going down the drain. But I came to think of the new world of American pets as a mostly good thing. Pets make us happy. Pets teach us love. And, besides, we’d probably spend our money on useless electronic gadgets if Fido and Fluffy weren’t around.

As I did my research, though, I was always aware of a grim undercurrent—and I made it my business to seek out pet-lovers who had decided it wasn’t enough to simply protect their own animal. In humane organizations working to reduce pet abandonments, in political campaigns taking on puppy mills, and in outreach efforts teaching kids that dog-fighting is never OK, there’s a good deal of firepower aimed at overcoming various forms of pet cruelty. The fact that these campaigns get so much attention is evidence about how far we’ve come. (Could you imagine Senators from the 1950s holding hearings about dog food?).

All the same, the cluelessness of some of the bad actors—the puppy mill operators who don’t see anything wrong with keeping a breeding animal in a cage for her entire life, the guys claiming to be “too busy” to care for the pets they dump at an overcrowded shelter, and especially the dog-fighters who insist they “love” the animals whose lives they’re endangering—shows how far we still have to go.

Ultimately, what’s going on here is a culture clash, the same sort of thing that so passionately divides people about gay marriage or corporal punishment. Some people, and I’m one of them, think taking a pet on vacation is perfectly normal; other people think it’s bizarre. And if even I can say that’s a subject where reasonable folks can disagree, there are other places where it’s harder to find common ground. There are some people who think it’s perfectly OK to use your dog to show off your macho toughness, either by fighting them in a ring (which is illegal) or just intentionally training them to be fierce, loveless creatures who snarl at passersby (which isn’t). On the other side of the pet divide, the one that treats pets as family member, turning your pooch into a weapon is about as kosher as turning your five-year-old into one.

My hunch is that history is blowing our way. Not so long ago, making your pets sleep outdoors was common, too. Today, as behaviorists tell us that dogs need to be with their people, most people report that they at least keep pets inside, if not at the foot of the owner’s own bed. (When was the last time you saw a working doghouse?) From the spread of doggie day-cares to the number of governments that now permit people to provide for their pets in their wills, there’s a slow but steady shift towards a culture where a loving family attitude towards pets is normal.

But that doesn’t mean people shouldn’t try to hustle up those on the wrong side of this culture clash, especially the dog-fighters.

One October day in Harlem, I watched a particularly interesting effort to do just that. In tough neighborhoods across the country, a program called Training Wheels stages weight-pulling contests for dogs and their owners. It’s not much to look at: Competing dogs pull plastic sleds laden with bags of kibble; the much-advertised cash prizes are puny. That’s not the point: Staged in areas where casual, street-corner dog-fighting remains prevalent, the series of contests shows off another way to have some good, athletics alongside your dog—without hurting any animals or breaking the law. Owners whose dogs have fighting scars can’t win prizes, but everyone is welcome. The idea is to spread the word.

Based at an animal shelter in New York’s Hudson Valley, the Training Wheels program began with a fairly simple notion: If fewer people give up their animals, fewer animals face euthanasia at the pound. With maximum diplomacy and minimal judgment, volunteers would set out for high-abandonment areas looking for signs of pets who might face trouble—a dog chained up in a back yard, say. The idea was to initiate conversations where outreach workers could explain some of the concepts that are no-brainers elsewhere: Proper nutrition, spaying and neutering, accessing inexpensive training for snappish dogs. Access to such things would reduce abandonments. But it would also bridge some our lingering pet culture clashes.

The anti-fighting outreach, with its weight-pulling contests, came later. But after Michael Vick put that particular underworld on national display, the contests got significant attention, including an award-winning documentary on ESPN. They weren’t alone. Since the football star’s 2007 arrest, anti-fighting efforts have gotten a burst of energy. Tactics range from lobbying for more aggressive policing of animal-cruelty complaints to advocating legal changes that would throw the book at dog-fighters.

The most difficult part, though, remains the culture clash: How to reach out to those last, lingering, unconvinced people who think a little fighting is A-OK. Back in Philadelphia, Vick, of all people, has now joined this effort, speaking to school groups about his regrets. But the jury is still out on whether the kids see him as genuine or just someone trying to weasel his way back into respectable society.

One person who’s watching closely as the drama plays out is Jen Utley, perhaps the city’s best-known pet activist. Married to a star second baseman for the Phillies, Utley can also thank professional sports for her high public profile. But that’s about the only thing she shares with Vick. A board member of the state’s SPCA, Utley’s not content to stand pat with humane laws that have been toughened over the years. “The laws need to be stronger,” Utley says. “There need to not be warnings. There needs to be jail time. Remember, Michael Vick didn’t serve one day for dog-fighting. It was racketeering.” Today, now that Vick is back in football, Utley fears some people will celebrate his having “beat the system.”

Utley notes that prosecutions like the Vick case may become trickier as fighting rings morph into less formal, if equally cruel, phenomena. “The dog-fighting rings have changed. It used to be very, very structured. They have their own magazines, the people who do the rankings. It was a functioning business.” As those businesses—which represented a big, fat bulls-eye for law enforcement—go further underground, winning the culture clash is even more important. Until people stop wanting to stage dog-fights, no amount of police firepower can completely eradicate them.

On that front, Utley says, the attention brings with it a hint of progress. “I think it’s more socially unacceptable just because people know about it now. I’ve had so many people come up to me and say I cannot believe that it happens in Philadelphia,” she says. “There’s a strong level of education that we’re trying to re-ignite.”

Summer may be out but fleas and ticks are still in (and possibly on your pets). Many pet owners tend to forget about these irritating little creatures once the weather gets cooler and the leaves begin to change color, assuming that fleas and ticks are only a problem during the warm weather months. The misconception is that they are “summertime risks” for your dogs and cats. The truth is, your pets can be exposed to these parasitic critters throughout the entire year. Our pets’ natural curiosity, proximity to ground-level and love of exploration make fleas and ticks (not to mention the diseases they spread!) an important issue.

Ticks - When it comes to keeping an eye out for ticks, remember that they can be found not just in wooded areas and meadows but also in backyards and urban parks, especially if they are in proximity to woodlands. Although tall grass and the woods tend to be higher risk areas, city and suburban areas also harbor ticks. The key points in preventing tick-borne disease are: 

      1) Finding and removing these aggravating arthropods immediately. Check your pet regularly, especially after a romp in the park or a day spent outdoors. Ticks can make their way onto your pet even after a routine trip to your own backyard so PetPlan vets recommend checking for ticks daily.

      3) Follow your vet’s advice on appropriate vaccines and testing. Vets avoid over-vaccination whenever possible, so when they recommend a vaccine to protect your pet, it’s usually for good reason. I routinely recommend Lyme vaccine to many of my clients here in south-east Pennsylvania and have had excellent results when combining this with the two points above. However, even with the best intentions, no preventive or vaccine is 100% effective and it’s important to perform annual testing for tick-borne diseases like Lyme, ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis. Based on your geographic location and the relative risk to your pet, the best strategy is to be guided by your veterinarian in matters of testing and treatment.

Fleas - The word alone spreads fear into the hearts of pet parents everywhere. The last thing anyone wants is a flea infestation taking over your home and attacking everyone inside, canine, feline and human, alike. The most common problem associated with fleas in our pets is flea allergic dermatitis (FAD). This disease is routinely seen in cats and dogs and is caused by your pet’s reaction, not to the actual flea bite, but to the saliva that is injected into the skin. While many pets can harbor fleas and show minimal scratching, FAD-affected individuals only need one or two bites to set them itching and scratching like a wild thing.

To make things even worse, fleas don’t just cause itching and irritation, they can actually carry and transmit bacteria and other parasites. Specifically, fleas can spread the bacteria that causes cat-scratch disease (CSD) in people as well as carry tapeworm eggs that they can spread to our pets.

The key to flea-free living comes down staying current with the prevention regime your vet recommends. Fleas can easily jump from host to host, which is how they spread so easily from an infected pup to your unsuspecting pooch. Because of their rapid life-cycle and the hardiness of flea eggs, an infestation can be very difficult to get rid of; in the words of Ben Franklin, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

To keep your pets healthy, happy and parasite-free, be informed and smart about appropriate prevention measures and don’t hesitate to ask your vet about increased risks that might be local to your area.