Some pets are shier than others when it comes to human contact. They allow one or two people to come around them, but they aren’t too keen on the rest of the world. This may be the result of abuse in the past or a lack of exposure to humans. In some cases, a pet will just have a skittish personality. My cat runs and hides whenever someone new comes into the room, but he is the cuddliest little thing around my husband and me. I have found certain ways to get him to accept new people in the room, so now he is able to show his true colors when other people are around. Here are some tricks that I have learned over the years to get a skittish pet to accept human contact better.

Pick up. Pet. Put down.

The way I got my cat to start trusting me is by picking him up, holding him for a moment, putting him down, and petting him to show that everything was okay. You obviously can’t do this with a huge dog, but you can with a lot of small pets. This shows your pet that you aren’t necessarily picking him or her up to put him or her in a cage or something. You just want to show him or her a little love. If your pet gets used to this idea, he or she will be more likely to come to you in the future. This will help you guys warm up to one another in the end.

Play Games from a Distance

Another way that I got my cat used to human contact is by playing games with him that did not require direct contact. For cats, this is something like laser tag or playing with a string on a stick. For dogs, it may be more like playing fetch or spraying the dog with the sprinkler. If you can get the pet to play from afar, you may be able to get him or her to play up close. Then you will allow him or her to be more and more familiar with working with humans.

Introduce the Pet to Other People

If your pet is comfortable with you but not anyone else, you can use your powers to help him or her get used to other people. Whenever I know someone is coming over, I will pick up my cat and let that person pet him on the cheek. The cat fights this at first, but eventually he gives in and at least tolerates the petting. By showing my cat that I trust someone else, I give him the confidence to trust that person as well. I tested this with my mother one time, and he was sleeping on her lap before the day was up. With a little bit of effort, you can make a big difference in the way your pet reacts to people.

Some cats and dogs never get over whatever happened in their past to make them skittish. Others just need to see that humans are good people, and then they turn right around. If you adopt a pet from a rescue shelter, just expect him or her to be scared for the first few days. Hopefully you can eventually turn your pet into the social butterfly you want it to be. My cat has done well with the tricks above. Maybe yours can too. You won’t know that though until you actually give them a try.

Picking a new pet is about a lot more than just finding something that looks cute. You have to select the right one for your lifestyle and schedule. If you are a forensic science technician that spends 50 or 60 hours a week in a lab, you may not have time to take care of a pet that needs to be fed four times a day. Maintenance is something that you really need to take into consideration before getting a pet because you may end up with more than you can handle. I have done this a few times over myself. Here is a brief analysis of the care that you will have to give for different kinds of pets. Hopefully it will lead you to the perfect pet for you.

• Cats: Cats, in my opinion, are the easiest pets to take care of. All you have to do is provide adequate food and water for them and clean out their litter boxes periodically. For long haired cats, you will need to brush their fur to avoid matting. Other than that though, you just have to keep up with their shots like you would any other pets.
• Dogs: Dogs are a little harder to take care of than cats because they have to go to the bathroom outside. Some dogs do fine when their food and water is left out all day, but others will overeat if given the chance. A dog needs to be bathed regularly, whereas a cat will bathe himself. As a whole though, dogs are relatively easy to care for.
• Fish: With fish, you have to worry about keeping them fed and keeping their bowls clean. I’d consider the work level about the same as that of a dog. If you have algae eaters in the tank with the fish, you can usually minimize the cleaning time for them. Then you just have to worry about maintaining the pH levels and temperature in the water.
• Birds: Birds require a lot of work, mainly in cleaning their cages. Feeding them isn’t exactly hard, but keeping their cages poo-free is far from easy. You also have to worry about letting them out to fly periodically, which is not always convenient to do.

• Reptiles (turtles, lizards, geckos, snakes, etc.): Reptiles require a certain amount or heat, darkness, water, and humidity in order to survive. You have to basically create a mini rainforest in your home. This is very time consuming, and it is not something I would recommend for a novice pet owner.
• Amphibians (toads, frogs, newts, etc.): Like reptiles, amphibians must have a certain amount of heat and humidity around them at all times. Feeding them is not tough, but maintaining a healthy environment for them can be. If you’re looking for a low-maintenance pet, this is not the option for you.
• Hermit crabs: Hermit crabs are super easy to care for. Jus provide a wet sponge, some food, and some shells for them to potentially move into. You’re good to go from there.
• Rodents (mice, hamsters, gerbils, etc.): Rodents are incredibly time consuming to care for, more than most people realize. They poop and pee all over the cage, and they fling their bedding all over the place. You have to clean out the cage and the bedding regularly, on top of feeding the rodents and maintaining water levels. This just isn’t an ideal situation for everyone.

Think about the amount of time you could logically spend on pet care and select the right pet for you from there. Here are some other articles I have written about this process, just to help you truly find the perfect pet:

• Picking the Perfect Family Pet: Cats, Dogs, and Fish
• Picking the Perfect Family Pet: Rabbits, Rodents, and Reptiles
• Picking the Perfect Family Pet: Birds, Bugs, and Hermit Crabs

As a pet lover, I see my vet as my hero. She is the one person I know can keep my loved one healthy and happy, and that is one of the most important things in life. If you have a love for animals and are thinking about becoming a veterinarian in the future, you may want to figure out what you could make in this career before committing to it. Most vets make good money, but a lot of them work on a voluntary basis because they have such a passion for animals. Check out the stats below, and you’ll see what I mean.

Salary by Years of Experience

• Less than 1 year: $39,199 – $78,894 per year
• 1-4 years: $44,386 – $84,880 per year
• 5-9 years: $46,227 – $101,022 per year
• 10-19 years: $47,205 – $108,762 per year
• 20 years or more: $50,120 – $119,028 per year

Salary by Industry

• Animal Shelter: $40,963 – $96,972 per year
• Education: $44,385 – $112,100 per year
• Health Clinic: $42,668 – $103,646 per year
• Healthcare: $44,698 – $103,042 per year
• Hospital: $47,971 – $97,658 per year
• Medical Research: $38,810 – $112,341 per year
• Veterinary Care: $46,032 – $96,110 per year

Salary by Company Size

• 1-9: $40,670 – $89,499 per year
• 10-49: $49,604 – $96,782 per year
• 50-199: $39,149 – $113,767 per year
• 200-599: $45,958 – $121,013 per year
• 600-1999: $42,200 – $115,224 per year
• 2000-4999: $37,500 – $133,500 per year
• 5000-19999: $50,417 – $105,417 per year

Salary by Employer Type

• College or University: $24,433 – $96,329 per year
• Company: $46,913 – $100,115 per year
• Contract: $44,797 – $82,629 per year
• Federal Government: $30,639 – $111,573 per year
• Foundation Trust: $53,945 – $71,216 per year
• Franchise: $30,521 – $59,145 per year
• Hospital: $43,723 – $99,505 per year
• Non-Profit Organization: $40,789 – $103,664 per year
• Private Practice: $48,194 – $93,446 per year
• Self-Employed: $38,978 – $108,775 per year
• State & Local Government: $35,759 – $124,483 per year
• Team: $24,000 – $50,868 per year

Salary by Gender

• Male: $58,928 – $85,590 per year
• Female: $57,810 – $78,698 per year

Salary by Specialty

• 401(k): $50,081 – $100,652 per year
• Education Reimbursement: $51,229 – $99,340 per year
• Life Insurance/Disability: $49,164 – $101,753 per year
• Malpractice or Liability Insurance: $49,945 – $96,798 per year
• Paid Holidays: $50,720 – $98,507 per year
• Paid Sick Leave: $50,653 – $99,839 per year
• Pets/Dog at Work: $49,213 – $97,129 per year

Salary by Location

• California: $48,379 – $107,183 per year
• Florida: $45,891 – $101,779 per year
• Illinois: $45,907 – $91,660 per year
• New York: $49,931 – $107,198 per year
• North Carolina: $48,586 – $91,964 per year
• Texas: $40,133 – $91,300 per year
• Virginia: $49,105 – $97,283 per year

Salary by Annual Company Sales

• Less than 500k: $48,697 – $98,848 per year
• 501k-1999k: $49,316 – $99,362 per year

Veterinary medicine may not be the best paying career in the world, but it can definitely be considered one of the most rewarding ones. Good vets don’t work for the money. They work to help animals live the best lives possible. If that sounds like something you may want to do, this could be a great profession for you to be a part of. You can assess the salary statistics above, but the real determining factor is going to be what you want to do in life. Let your heart tell you if this is a good career for you.

Getting rid of fleas is never easy, but it can be a particularly tough challenge if your pet is not old enough for flea medication. There are some things you can do to ward off the problem in the meantime, but the fleas will likely come back until you can completely eradicate with the medication. My father is somewhat of a crazy-cat-lady (minus the lady part of course), so I have seen my fair share of kittens with fleas in my day. I thought it may be nice to share some of the information I have learned over the years with all of you. Here is a guide for getting rid of fleas on a puppy or kitten until you can use an actual treat the issue with medication.

Bathe the Kitten or Puppy

The easiest thing to do is to bathe your kitten or puppy in mild dishwashing soap like Joy or Dawn. Run some moderately warm water in the bathtub. Put on rubber gloves in case your pet scratches you. Then the shower hose to run the water over your pet. Pour a quarter size drop of soap in your hand and begin to lather the fur. Be sure to get the soap close to the skin. Rub it in all over, especially near your pet’s face. Do not get it in the eyes, but get as close as you can.

When the pet is fully lathered, wrap it in a towel for a moment and just sit there. This allows the soap to kill off the flea eggs. Use tweezers to pick live fleas off your pet’s face because that is where they will run to. You can also pull the fleas out of the rest of the fur, just to be on the safe side. Dip the tweezers in a cup of water to kill the fleas you pull off. Try to get them all if you can. This is usually the time that the cat or dog will calm down a bit and understand that you are helping him or her. As long as you are careful not to hurt the kitten or puppy when you pull off the fleas, you can do a lot of good at this time,

Once you have let the soap sink in, use the hose to thoroughly rinse off the soap. If you don’t have hose, you can hold the pet under a facet with running water. You may experience some squirming at this point, but you have to do all you can to get the soap and the fleas off. I usually repeat this process a second time over, just to make sure I get off as many fleas as I can. Then I towel off the animal and leave him or her to air dry for the rest of the time.

Vacuum the House

Try to vacuum the areas that your pet goes to as often as possible to pick up potential flea eggs. There are some mild carpet flea killers out there that are safe to use around kittens and puppies. Simply sprinkle those around and vacuum up as directed. You may have to do this several times over before you fully get rid of the pests, but that effort will be well worth the comfort you can provide to your pet. No animal should have to suffer from a flea infestation, but especially not a helpless kitten or puppy. Do all you can to treat your pet, and he or she will love you forever. You may feel like you know how to become a veterinarian when everything is finished.

In the world of pet ownership, there are two main categories you can fit into: cat people and dog people. I am undoubtedly a cat person, and I think I always will be. Nevertheless, I have been around dog people enough in my life to know the differences between them and me, so I thought it would be fun to write an article comparing the two pet owner categories. If you have been debating whether or not to get a cat or a dog, this information could help you pick the right option for your lifestyle. Let’s take a look at cat people and dog people to see which group you belong to.

The Makings of a Cat Purr-son

For the most part, cat people tend to be more laid back than dog people. I’m not saying that cat people are lazy, but they are usually less energetic than dog people. Cats require very little care. You just have to put food out for them and change their litter every once and a while. With dogs, you have to take them on walks so they can do their business, and then you have to let them run around to get all of their energy out. This is just not something that a calm cat person would want to do.

Cat people also tend to be very affectionate. They like having an animal that will sleep in the bed next to them, and they like spending time with an animal that will cuddle up on a moment’s notice. Cat people don’t mind spoiling their pets, which is why cats tend to eat better foods than dogs. Cat owners go out of their way to make sure their kitties are properly pampered right from the start.

The Makings of a Dog Paw-son

Dog people usually like to spend time outside. They enjoy running around with their dogs in the park or splish-splashing with them in the pool. Dog people also enjoy traveling because they can take their dogs with them. Dogs love riding in cars, but cats hate it. If you want a pet you can take with you on the road, you might as well consider yourself a dog person. I have seen a handful of cats that love riding in the car, but those are few and far between. Most of them just want to get the hell home.

The Kitty-Canine Hybrid

It is entirely possible that you are both a cat person and a dog person. If you have a love for pets as a whole and consider them parts of the family, you may fit into both categories. If you don’t like the idea of having a lap pet or a playful companion in the slightest, you may be neither a dog person nor a cat person. You just have to assess your lifestyle and your overall plans for the future and select the pet that is right for you. Don’t get a pet that you know you will not be able to care for or love. Think long and hard about what you want, and you should be able to select your perfect pal every time.

If you want more advice to help you find the right pet for you, check out some of my articles from another blog I write for:

• Picking the Perfect Family Pet: Cats, Dogs, and Fish
• Picking the Perfect Family Pet: Rabbits, Rodents, and Reptiles
• Picking the Perfect Family Pet: Birds, Bugs, and Hermit Crabs