Oskie Returns!

Hey Guys,

First of all, happy Spring!!!

Can you smell the flowers emerging? I for one feel ready to go and get out some of this cat scratch fever!

OK but enough about me. On to more important things—do you remember Oscar?

That adorable little munchkin of a cat that the Silverman's adopted? The one with cerebellar hypoplasia?

Well when last you heard about Oskie, he was doing pretty well for himself- he'd just had a successful surgery and was living large with his condition.

Well, you know what happens when little kittens grow into bigger cats? Their bones grow with them. And with bone growth, things stretch out a bit. Ya know, like when a person gets a tattoo when they're young and then they get older and saggy and the tattoo changes shape? Yea, kinda like that.

Anyway, Oskie's bones grew as he did and last week, he was trying to climb up this stairs contraption to get in his fellow house cat-Madeleine's food. Silly Oskie. Long story short, he fell and managed to find himself back in the Prospect Park Animal Clinic office.

Fortunately, he had Dr. Silverman's love and attention and his surgery was a great success.

Oskie has been fixed up to fit comfortable into his new adult body and will be back to his plucky self in no time.

Yay, Oskie!

Come on...I know you aren't used to me being sunny and all that but I have a bit of a soft spot when it comes to this little guy.

I'll be sure to keep you up to date on his progress.

Til next time,

Libby

The Birds and the Bees

Hey Guys,

Libby here.

So today, I’m going to write about something that deviates from my usual snarky self. Today, I’m going to be magnanimous. Helpful even. I want to give you some advice.

I’d like to talk about the Birds and the Bees.

Nooo not that type of Birds and Bees. Get your head out of the gutter!

I’m talking about all those pesky bugs that come out when the weather gets warm to cause problems for your pets-ya know the fleas, the ticks, the mosquitos.

Unfortunately, bugs are only the beginning of the worries.

Warm weather brings some problems for the pets in your life.

Now don’t freak out- I’m going to let you in on some of the secrets so you don’t get caught with your pants down (metaphorically of course).

So here goes:

1.     Barbecues (and picnics in general)

Summer time brings tons of outside grillin’ and chillin’. Only problem is, people aren’t always so good about the whole picking up after themselves-Bad People! When they don’t pick up their trash, who do you think picks up after them? Your dogs!!! How many times have you pried a chicken bone from the jaws of your favorite pup? Beware of these bad boys-they can get lodged in your pet's throat and that’s no good!

2.     Fleas, Ticks and Mosquitos!

When the warm weather comes out, your cats and dogs are even more susceptible to bites from these pesky bugs. But the bites aren't the only problem- fleas serve a double threat because they can be brought inside by outdoor animals and then transmit them to indoor animals like cats, birds, rabbits, etc. Fleas are bad news! Talk to the vets at the PPAC to figure out what the best preventatives are to protect your pets!

3.     Standing water

What dog doesn’t want to get wet and get their doggy paddle on when it gets hot out? But before letting your dog jump on in, think twice. Lots of standing water carries disease that could infect your dog.

This is just a little tasting of some warm weather tips but it should carry you for a bit-until you have time to ask the PPAC docs if there are any other precautions you need to take.

Be safe!

Libby

Dress Me Up in Leather and Lace

Or don't.

Actually, please don't.

Although as a cat, I am typically exempt from the process of being dressed up by my owners, many dogs aren't so lucky. 

Every day, I see animals paraded around in these little outfits- dogs dressed like bunnies, dogs dressed like raindeer, dogs in dresses and booties.

Now to be fair, I have not had much chance to ask these costumed pups how they feel about their getups. It's possible that they love them. Just last week, I saw this cutie patootie maltese in a pink dress and she looked darling. Maybe she truly did love being in that silly little dress.

But from my perch, I'm just calling it as I see it.

I can understand the whole idea of dressing your pup in a silly frock if it's motivated by weather. No one deserves to be out in the cold or rain without protection!

And even though it's been a pretty mild winter, even the idea of putting little booties on little paws to protect from salty sidewalks makes sense to me.

But a dress? Come on.

Just my two cents.

Libby

A moment of silence, please

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to honor a very dear friend of mine.

A creature who was small in stature but big in heart.

A woman who ruled the Prospect Park Animal Clinic roost perched from the top floor of her three story cardboard condo.

Ladies and gentlemen, a moment of silence for Margaret The Rat.

Margaret was a loving friend, quick to nuzzle and slow to bite.

Her tail caused some people to be frightened but anyone who spent even a mere five minutes with her was immediately aware of her gentle spirit.

She lived a short (as proves to be the case with many a rat) but robust life.

Our friendship was an unlikely one. Historically, rodents and cats are not thought of as being the best of friends. But our friendship grew as we spent time together and I will miss her terribly.

Apologies for my uncommonly maudlin spirit but nothing less would be appropriate for my friend Mags.

Til next time,

Libby

Where are all the animals?

Hey guys,

So...did any of you watch the Grammys this past weekend?

Well, if you did, you might have noticed a dearth of awards afforded to some notable individuals. Namely:

• The Pussycat Dolls 
• Lil' Bow-Wow 
• Snoop Dogg 

What happened to the animal contingency??? Where were the awards for the talented, animal inspired men and women of show-biz?

This is not to say that Adele isn't amazing. Because SHE IS. That cat can siiinnnnggg. Take a look at her here.

I like those Foo Fighters fellows, too. They're enough to make anyone go rrruufff.

But when I looked at the line up and saw acts like Katy Perry, Paul McCartney, and The Beach Boys, while the excitement of these super talented singers was titillating to say the least, I was a bit bummed that there was no one representing the animals.

That said, the show was pretty amazing and Bruno Mars has that great video- The Lazy Song, which features monkeys so he can perhaps be a stand in for the rest of the animal kingdom.

All in all, I hope that next year proves to be a better showing for the animal kingdom.

If I don't hear anything, I may just have to put my own group together.

How does "Libby and the Office Pets" sound to you?

Til next time,

Libby

I'm In a Bad Mood

Hi Guys,

I know that one of my resolutions this year was to write more about dogs.

And by extension, nice things about dogs.

Nice things about nice, friendly dogs.

But, I feel like I should be entitled to use this "nice" card when and if it is warranted.

I'm more than happy to be a lover and not a fighter when the situation warrants it.

But when a dog gets all up in my business, I can't be expected to behave like the lady that I am.

I will behave like a warrior. A fierce, Amazonian warrior.

But there is some back story to this.

You want to hear about it? Of course you do!

So, I was sitting on the floor of the office of the Prospect Park Animal Clinic, just licking myself a little as I am known to do. My daily bath if you will.

When out of nowhere, this harrier hound comes lunging at me and gets IN MY FACE!

This behavior is obviously not to be tolerated so I swatted him (ok maybe I scratched a little, too).

Then, when I was sitting pouting, already having a crappy day, Joey comes leaping over towards me, presumably to hang out and I just wasn't in the mood.

You know those days???

It made me think of that book, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad, Day.

So maybe I'm being melodramatic but these two events together= 1 cranky kitty.

Here's hoping to better moods on the horizon.

Grumpily,

Libby

Self Improvement

Hi All,

Libby here. 

In a continual effort for self improvement, I'm always looking for ways to spice up my blog postings.

First, I acknowledged that I needed more variety in my animal content; kitties are great. Kitties AND doggies are better (and when relevant, a smattering of rat love, too).

So, the purpose of this lengthy introduction is to say that I think this blog is lacking in another way. Why write a blog about an animal clinic without having any pictures of adorable animals??? Right? Crazy, I know.

So, to start the year off right, I threw in the picture to the left. That adorable little guy happens to be Dr. Silvermans' beloved family pooch, Bernie. 

As a bit about Bernie, Bernie is seen wearing Dr. Silverman's son, Nick on his back. He is also wearing an enormous piece of Chanukah (chocolate) bling. He is also incredibly sweet and cuddly and I've never seen him be anything but loving towards cats so he wins in my book.

And in keeping with this new self-improvement thing, I think i'm going to try to do exposes on other adorable PPAC animals.

Shoot me an email if you have an adorable pet you think should be included!

Libby