Petfinder Blog

As many pet parents know, keeping cats entertained and out of trouble can be a full-time job. House cats don't spend their days doing what they'd do in the wild -- hunting for food, searching for mates and protecting their territory -- and often end up bored and looking for trouble.

A great way to keep your cat from getting bored is to have her work for her food. Instructables.com has a cheap and easy DIY cat-powered automatic cat feeder that does just that. Here's a condensed version of the simple instructions from contributor LabelReader (get the full version, with pictures, here):

Supplies:

An 8-oz. round plastic tub, a cat-food dispenser with a circular, flexible pop top that snaps down over the tub, about one day's worth of cat food and a pair of scissors.

Instructions:

1. Cut loopholes in the tub: Cut the bottom corner of the tub to create a slit. A second cut should be made about two cat food pellets' length away from the first one. Insert the point of the scissors and expand each slit until it's about four times as long as your cat food pellets. Each cut should be equally long on the bottom and side of the tub.

Ever wondered who's behind Petfinder and how Petfinder came to be? Check out this article in Guideposts magazine by our founder, Betsy Saul, in which she tells the story of Petfinder's beginnings.

All of us who work here have heard the story many times, but I remember before I got this job, Petfinder and its origins were a huge mystery to me.

Here's my favorite passage:

In those early days, my biggest struggle was hearing heartbreaking stories about abused or abandoned animals. The pup who was left tied to a lamp post in a thunderstorm. The dog who almost ran into traffic trying to escape some mean kids throwing rocks at him. ...

Then a few months into our project, something changed. Somehow my perspective shifted. I started to see the hopeful side of those sad stories, like the woman who chased off the mean kids and coaxed the dog into her car, or the vet who stayed after hours to patch up a street cat who'd been injured, or the family who adopted an abused dog and lovingly taught her to trust again.

Read the full story here.

I've got some great tips on how to make your own pet toys, but first, a very exciting announcement: Rachael Ray's Nutrish has pledged one pound of dog food to homeless pets for each card received on Dogfessions, Dogvice, Pugfessions/ Pugvice, and Bullyvice/ Bullyfessions!

The goal is to give THREE TONS of food to both Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and Sabbath Memorial Dog Rescue -- we need 6,000 cards! Please send in your cards today!

Now for this week's topic: Toys!

You know the old cliche that kids would rather play with the cardboard box than the expensive toy that came in it? The same holds true for pets. There are plenty of fun things around the house that you can turn into easy pet entertainment.

For cats: Ball up some used (but clean) tin foil and toss it around - even more fun, put a pinch of catnip inside the ball and watch your cat go nuts. Tape up a cardboard box and cut a cat-sized hole into it - toss in some catnip and you've got a cat condo that's good for at least a few days of fun.

For dogs: Put a couple of old tennis balls into a old (but clean) sock that you don't want any more. Tie the sock at the top and you've got a brand new toy! To entice your dog to use it, put some kibble or another smelly treat at the bottom of the sock before you tie it.

Have your own money-saving pet tips? Share them here! 

Studies show expense is one of the top five reasons people give up their pets to shelters. And these days, with the economy in such a bad state, pets are being hit hard.

But there are lots of ways to fit Fido and Fluffy into the budget and still maintain their quality of life -- and yours. This weekly series will feature practical tips that every pet guardian can use while the purse strings are tight.

This week's topic? Treats!

It's fun and it feels good to offer a pet extra treats. Treat-giving shows that we love our pets and want the best for them, right? Sure, but treats are an added expense that the pet can live without. And guess what? If you offer your pet his regular food the same way you offer treats, he won't know the difference.