All it takes is one time.

You’re trimming your cat’s ridiculous razor-sharp couch-shredding nails and you go just a bit too deep. The poor thing lets you know it, running away with a “I’ll never trust you again” look while leaving a trail of blood spots across the kitchen floor.

I did exactly this to my kitty Bo a few months ago. Even after I had staunched the initial flow of blood, later that day I looked down to see these little red dots that he was still leaving behind on the hardwood. I felt like the worst person in the world.

That’s when I finally broke down and bought a nail clipper with a quick finder, the Miracle Corp Quick Finder Clipper. Bo has pretty thick nails (Grace’s are much easier to clip) and I’d tried all the strategies; the “multiple clips” strategy of going just a tiny bit deeper every time, the “flashlight trick” to shine light through and try and find the quick, and the “sand it down” approach that took way too long on his nails. Ever tried holding a struggling sharp-nailed cat for more then five minutes?

Now I just line the nail up, slide the clipper until I get a green light, and snip. It takes a fraction of the time and hassle, and causes no reproachful looks or stained carpets. Bo still hates having his nails clipped and still runs off into the corner when I get the clipper out, but he doesn’t  let out any of those terrible “you hurt me” mewls that he used to when I cut a bit too far. And I don’t feel like the worst person in the world!

Kelli

My Normand Basset, Luke, is the king of shedders. Bassets are one of the many breeds of dogs with a double coat; the thicker, bristlier topcoat, and the softer, more commonly shedding undercoat. It’s that undercoat that, at certain times of the year and in certain temperatures, seems to come off of him like the dirt off of Pig Pen in a Peanuts cartoon. Because he’s a double coat breed, it’s not just enough to brush Luke with a regular brush; all that does is flatten the topcoat down on top of the undercoat. What is needed is a special brush meant to weed through the topcoat and get that softer undercoat hair out before it ends up behind the couch.

The best way to deal with shedding is to use a DeShedding Tool like the FURminator, that can get out undercoat without damaging the topcoat. These special brushes work by combing through the topcoat without pulling while the looser undercoat gets raked out. Combined with regular bathing, a DeShedding Tool will keep shed hair around the house to a minimum. I put off buying one for a while because they are more costly then regular brushes, but the time saved sweeping up massive doggy hairballs from under the bed has made it worthwhile.

Like all Bassets, from time to time Luke loves to do the shimmy, shaking his loose skin back and forth like he’s trying to get it to fit better. This used to cause a cloud of loose hair that floated around him like a dust storm. Since using a DeShedding Tool, all it causes is a smile at the sheer hilariousness of it all. Luke smells better, his fur is softer and cleaner, and I even let him hang out on the bed, now that it no longer feels like I’m sleeping in a barn.

Jack

Senior Pet Products has always been as much about finding good, useful information as finding a place to buy the tools and products you need as a pet parent. In that vein, we’ve decided to re-launch the Senior Pet Products blog by inviting two pet people to share their experiences with their four-legged companions as well as the stuff for their furry buddies that we sell on the site. We figured that first-hand experience is the best way to know how things work in the real world, so we’ll be listening to what our two pet parents have to say here as well. Check back for regular updates; we hope to feature reports every week from our new contributors.

If you feel you’d also like to make a real world contribution to the SPP blog, send us an e-mail to customerservice@seniorpetproducts.com with your own experience using some of our stuff out there in the field, or leave a comment on an existing post. We want to hear what you have to say as well.
So without further ado, our two new SPP blog contributors, Jack and Kelli!

Gabe Martinez, General Manager, seniorpetproducts.com

Hey there, I’m Kelli, and I live in Los Angeles with my two cats, Bo and Grace. I adopted Grace about six years ago when I first moved to LA, and Bo has lived with us since 2009. I’d be making an educated guess as to their breeds, but Grace is  mostly Persian and Bo looks to be an American Shorthair. They are pretty much night and day temperamentally; Bo is more adventurous and likes to roam, but Grace, while often about as lazy as a cat can be, is the dominant one when they interact. I live in a little bungalow apartment with a tiny backyard, so Bo and Grace are mostly indoor cats, though they get their chance to roam out in the courtyard as well. I grew up owning dogs, so Grace and Bo are my first experience with cats, and despite all the times I wake up with Grace’s fluffy tail in my face, I have to say I love being their parent and I’m convinced that cats are way more clever then humans. Keeping these two happy isn’t always easy, so a lot of the products I use are toys and treats and other bribes, as well as grooming stuff to keep them and my little place clean. I also travel quite a bit, so Bo and Grace usually stay with friends, and I’ve been experimenting with the best ways to keep cats happy when their environment changes. Feel free to ask me any questions in the comments about my cats and what I’ve learned. I feel that after four years, we’re just starting to figure each other out!:)

Kelli

Howdy, I’m Jack and I live with my Artesian Normand Basset Hound Luke up at 7200 feet in Santa Fe, America’s oldest and highest capital city. Santa Fe is famous for abode architecture, fine art, great food and a longer history then most places in America; but it’s also famous amongst those of us who live here for its pet-friendly ways, with a half-dozen independent pet stores, a huge ( I mean sage brush and mesa huge) dog park, and a new law that just passed the legislature that allows restaurants to convert their patios into pet-friendly seating areas. My favorite things about Santa Fe are hiking in the Pecos Wilderness or Diablo Canyon, floating on the Rio Grande in summer, skiing in winter, and hanging out at my local watering hole listening to live music. With the exception of the floating and skiing, Luke loves all these things, as well as making friends at the dog park, getting an occasional chili fry off the table, smelling everything, and taking off after the elusive neighborhood jack rabbits. Luke is ten this summer, so he’s starting to get a bit grey around the muzzle, but he’s still got plenty of get up and go when he wants to, and he’s a sight to make you smile when he runs full out on those stubby little legs, his ears flying behind his head. I’m going to focus my posts on the practical problems and solutions from over the years I’ve had Luke; with almost a decade together we’ve seen it all, from digestive problems and frozen paws to ticks and burrs and shedding. Thanks for following along and I hope I can help you find solutions to your own doggy needs.

Jack