Help feed pets in these turbulent economic times

Because of the rough economic times, some people have had to surrender their beloved pets to animal shelters because they can't afford to feed them. There is help available. On my way to work this morning, I heard about a company called Kibble Corner that has been established to address this need. Kibble Corner resides in Winnebago County, Illinois.

They are in desperate need of food and monetary donations to keep up with the need, Right now their facebook page says they need 3-5 lb. bags of cat food. Visit http://www.kibblekorner.com to learn more about them. 100% of all your donations goes directly towards feeding pets, there is no overhead. This is an all volunteer based company. They explain how to donate food/money on the web site. Here's the facebook page if anyone wants to follow them on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kibble-Korner-Pet-Food-Pantry/126746042591?v=info

If you live in this area and need food for your pets, please visit http://www.kibblekorner.com to apply.

Viva LeChat - Great Shop for Pets All Around

When my brother's bengal cat had her 1st birthday, I got her a present from Viva LeChat's shop, a cute and well made catnip mouse that looked just like her! Korina was so thrilled with it.

The best part is, a third of the proceeds from these catnip mice goes to imom.org, an organization that raises money for low-income people who cannot otherwise afford needed vet expenses for their furry companions.

There are also more great designs in her shop which can be found at
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5859927

Viva LeChat is a member of the Etsy for Animals team, a group of etsy sellers that raise money for charities for animals. See http://etsyforanimals.etsy.com for more information, or search tags for "team EFA" and "charity" to find other shops that donate a portion of their proceeds as well.

My best attempts at keeping a stubborn cat off the table

Let me encourage you that you are not alone in struggling to keep your cat off the table. It's going to take a little bit of persistence. Cats are stubborn and they can make you feel like they're never going to cooperate when really they're just testing you.

It looked like my cat was never going to stay off the table, but with some time and persistance, it did work and I was able to eat my supper in peace.

Here's how it went:

• Technique 1: Simply remove the cat from the table. With great enthusiasm, Grace would jump up on the table and try to stick her cute little face right into my dinner. I picked her up and set her back on the floor. This was quite a fun little game for Grace to keep jumping back up on the table and it gave her a lot of exercise.
• Technique 2: Bring out the squirt bottle. Surely, getting wet will teach my cat to stay off the table already. Grace had many showers that night and was pretty angry.
• Technique 3: Cover the table with aluminum foil. Since cats don't like loud noise, they will run away from the table. Grace looked scared but stood her ground by laying down on top of the aluminum foil covered table.
• Technique 4: Put peeled oranges on the table. Since cats don't like the smell, they will stay far away. Grace was too stubborn. I needed more oranges.
• Technique 5: Be obnoxiously noisy. I shook a piggy bank with gusto whenever Grace jumped up on my aluminum foil and orange peel covered table. Poor Grace backed away, and gave me a look. But, she couldn't let me know I had something that might work, so she once again layed down on the table.
• Technique 6: Remove them from the room. This will at least give you some peace to eat while you're working on 'training' your cat. Honestly, I've found your attention can be the best motivator for a cat's behavior. When they stop getting that attention, it can make bad behaviors seem less fun.

Why persistance works:
Now that she's older, Grace rarely tries to eat my food and she runs far away whenever she hears the sound of aluminum foil. If Grace jumps on the table to get at food now, I just have to lightly push on her back end a few times and she gets the hint to get off the table and I'm able to actually eat dinner!

I did, however; make one concession, I stopped trying to get her off the table when it was empty.It was too cute anyway when she'd hug the chair in an attempt to keep from being removed from an empty table. I decided I won the war, I could let her have a small victory in that battle. If it's important to you that the cat stays off the table at all times, by all means, keep up your persistence and don't give in.

Tips to Quiet a Barking Dog

Growing up, we had a dog named Benji. He liked to bark and bark and bark, especially when left home alone. So, what can you do if this is a problem for you?

• Give your dog lots of exercise. She'll be more interested in resting than barking when she's tired.
  
• Give your dogs bones or a toy to bite. This can be very helpful in keeping your dog occupied so he doesn't bark so much when you're leaving him home alone.
• Give the dog the gift of your scent. Rub your dog's favorite toy in your hands so, she can be comforted by your presence when you're not home.
• Make a distracting noise. If your dog likes to bark at certain noises, try making distracting noises like a radio or vacuum cleaner during those times.
• Pay attention to what your dog is trying to tell you. Sometimes, Fido may have a message he wants to get across. In this case, once you respond to him appropriately, he will quiet down.
• Reprimand your dog. Tell her to be quiet firmly.
• Reward your dog. If he quiets down after being reprimanded, pet him, praise him, even give him some treats.
• Get your dog wet. So, you're at your witts end. You've tried a lot of stuff, you've reprimanded your dog and she's still barking. It may be time to get out the spray bottle and squirt her.

Agate and Antique Gold Earrings

These glamorous earrings were created by artist, TheBeadedHound. They feature an Agate gemstone mixed with an antique gold patterned bead "cone". They come topped with a little antique gold bead. These earrings measure about an inch from the top of metal bead to the bottom of the other...about 1 7/8 inches including the antique gold ear wires. A portion of this purchase will be donated to The American Black and Tan Coonhound RescueDonation to American Black and Tan Coonhound Rescue. 

Purchase These Earrings

Taking a Drink Tiger Print

This limited edition tiger giclee print was created by Etsy artist, Bweber205. Giclee printing produces fine art prints with all the tonalities and hues of the original using fade resistant "archival" inks and has the advantage of allowing the artist to control every aspect of the image, its color and the substrate on which it is printed.The print measures 8.5x11 inches. It comes shipped in a protective sleeve. 


This print can be purchased at http://www.etsy.com/listing/93069744/agate-and-antique-gold-earrings-donation?ref=tre-2723034926-11

Leopard Cub Cat by Wool Sculptures

This great leopard cub cat was created by Wool Sculptures, an artist who sells needle felted sculptures on Etsy. A portion of their proceeds go to animal charities. This sculpture has been sculpted over a sturdy wire frame. It measures 8 1/4 inches from the tip of the cub's nose to the end of the hind quarters.


 It can be purchased at http://www.etsy.com/listing/77774268/leopard-cub-cat-needle-felted-wool

Artists who donate proceeds to animal charities

When you purchase from these artists, some of the proceeds benefit animal charities. Go to

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=60826 to support them and check out their shops!

P.S. You can buy as much as you want from any of these Etsy artists who donate to animal causes, including me, even if it's the whole shop! We'll be more than happy to just make more items :)

Featured Artist - Wind and Honey

Wind and Honey is a fabulous artist who creates animal portraiture and mixed media collages.

Wind and Honey remarks:
"I love creating something unusual and beautiful out of old, torn, or unusable objects that once were usable and giving them a new life. also capturing a beautiful animal's individuality and special personality. Much of my art focuses on the delight we find in children and in animals. Each piece is a captured moment whether in reality or imagination and is my original work."

Please note that all Wind and Honey Creations and site content are protected by copyright©

Learn more about my art at the following sites:
http://windandhoney.blogspot.com
http://www.windandhoneycreations.com

and see my online art classes at
http://craftedu.com/WindandHoney/profile

I am a member of EFA/Artists Helping Animals. http://efaartistshelpinganimals.org/
10% of the profit from all my sales goes to help The Humane Society of Tulsa in Tulsa, OK http://www.tulsapets.com/
or Shambala Preserve Roar Foundation http://www.shambala.org/

How to Set Up Sales Tax in Etsy

Etsy is unveiling a new feature in their checkout allowing sellers to apply their state sales tax to the checkout. It starts Thursday, August 28th. For some time, people will be able to checkout using both the old and new checkouts and this sales tax will only apply to the *new* checkout. Paypal has had this feature for some time, I recommend setting it up in both Paypal and Etsy.

To set sales tax rates in Etsy:
1. Go to http://www.etsy.com/your/taxsettings.
2. Select the U.S. state, Canadian province, or other country from the drop-down lists and click the Add Tax Rate button.
3. Enter the tax rate in the Tax Rate box.
4. Repeat for each additional U.S. state, Canadian province, or other country where you want to collect sales tax. If you want the rate to apply to shipping charges, check the box "Apply rate to shipping."
5. Click the Save button.

To set sales tax rates in Paypal:
1. Login at http://www.paypal.com
2. Click on the blue "Merchant Services" tab at the top of the page
3. Under Shipping & Tax, click on "Tax Calculator"
4. Under Set Up Domestic Sales Tax Rate, Click on "Add Sales Tax"
5. Select your state and type in the sales tax rate, then click Continue.

That's it! Once done, it should say "active" under the status