NEW KITTEN

Supplies check list:

▢Water and food dish ▢Scratching post
▢Kitten food ▢Cat bed
▢Litter box ▢Carrier
▢Cat litter and litter scoop
▢Hairbrush, grooming supplies  
▢Collar with ID tag  
▢Cat toys  
▢Cat tree  

Getting a new kitten is exciting, but can be confusing if it’s your first time. Here are some links to help you out!

New Kitten Info 1 New Kitten Info 2 New Cat info

NEW PUPPY

▢Puppy food ▢Hairbrush and nail trimmer
▢Collar with ID tag and leash ▢Grooming supplies
▢Food and water dish ▢Poop bags
▢Crate  
▢Puppy pads  
▢Dog toys  
▢Dog bed  
▢Dog treats  

 

Getting a puppy or dog is exciting, but can be a bit overwhelming, especially if it is your first. Here are some links to help you out!

Preparing For a New Puppy First Time Puppy Owner First Time Dog Owner

INTRODUCING A NEW PET IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD

TOXIC THINGS IN YOUR HOME (make each bullet point a link)

  • Toxic human foods
  • Toxic plants
  • Toxic household items – tiny url link not working

ENRICHMENT FOR CATS

If your kitty gets too bored, it can lead to unwanted behaviors. To try and mitigate this, you can provide environmental, social, and cognitive enrichment to help avoid this.

Environmental

  • Having cat trees/beds in front of windows.
  • Giving your cat the ability to get onto high areas such as tops of shelves or providing taller cat trees/perches.
  • Cat toys.
  • Leaving their cat carrier out so they don’t associate with unwanted travel.

Social

  • Spending time with you at home brushing and petting them.
  • Working with their paws for nail trims.
  • Working on handling at home so they’re more relaxed during their physical exams for vet visits.

Cognitive– did you know cats can learn tricks just a dogs can?

Teaching them to sit and shake a paw and other tricks can provide cognitive enrichment in a very similar manner to teaching tricks for dogs. Beyond that, teaching them to sit well for nail trims and different types of handling will help them relax when coming in for vet visits and visits to the groomers.

Here are some useful links for DIY enrichment ideas you can make at home. You can also search online for many other types of DIY ideas.

DIY 1 DIY 2 DIY 3

ENRICHMENT FOR DOGS

Enrichment is very important in keeping your dog happy. Proper enrichment opportunities can help mitigate – or even completely avoid – unwanted behaviors. Simple activities such as sniffing/foraging for food or taking walks with a focus on letting them sniff can be enough for them.

Knowing the history of your dog’s breed will go a long way in figuring out what type of enrichment will most help your dog. Though adequate enrichment is not the end-all be-all to resolving the many types of behavioral issues that can be present in dogs, being able to provide adequate opportunities for enrichment is beneficial in promoting healthy physical, psychological, and emotional well-being.

The internet offers a variety of ideas in DIY enrichment ideas as well as products that can help introduce enrichment into your lives. Check out some of them below and feel free to research on your own time!

Easy Enrichment Ideas for Your Pets Easy At Home Enrichment Ideas Enrichment in Kennels