Welcoming a NEW PET to your home!

You have picked out your new pet and you are getting ready to welcome it into your home. Here are some tips to help you get off to a good start with your new family member.

Obviously, what you will feed is a priority and there is no shortage of pet food and treats on the market from which to choose (avoid rawhide).  Your pet store and veterinarian can help you with questions regarding diet and nutrition.  Just make sure that when changing your pet’s diet, you do it gradually by mixing the current food with the new food to avoid tummy upsets by an abrupt change. 

Another priority will be selecting a veterinarian.  Recommendations from friends and family can be a good place to begin in choosing the best one for you.  Just remember to consider location and hours of operation.

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Other items your pet will need include: 

Food and water bowls.  You can find everything from Fiesta ware to Waterford dog and cat bowls.  Nothing wrong with fun and folly, but remember, that is for you and your home décor; your pet doesn’t care about the brand or pattern of the dish, only what’s in it. Make sure that the bowls you choose are the right size for easy reach and comfortable eating and made of safe materials.

Litter box, kitty litter and poop bags. Decide where you want to place the litter box so that it is convenient for your cat and out of the way.  People usually choose a mudroom or utility room.  You will also need a scoop for keeping it clean between litter changes. A pooper-scooper is handy for the backyard and poop bags are a necessity for walks in the neighborhood or the park with your dog.     

Comfy bed.  Unless you have a pet with special needs such as arthritis, simply select a soft, warm bed from the many cat and dog beds on-line or at the pet store.  Make sure it is the right size for your dog or cat for cozy snuggling.  

Grooming tools. Shampoo, brush, toothbrush, dog safe toothpaste are a few items you will need to keep your pup looking and feeling its best.  Cats are excellent self-groomers.  However, they still may require some brushing.

A crate is a great option for keeping your pup safe and confined when you are not around, especially necessary for a puppy whose curiosity can cause it harm. Even cats may feel more secure in a cat carrier during a ride to the vet. A crate is an ideal space if you have workers in the house, a social gathering where someone may leave an exterior door open, or whenever you need to confine your animal.  Never to be used as punishment, dogs often find solace in their crate. It is their space, their den.  Make sure your selection is the right size so that your animal can stand and move around within the confine. 

Leash and collar.  Unless you are working on special training and need a certain-type lead, a standard 4-ft. leash is what you need for your dog, (please forgo the retractable ones as they can be a danger to your dog and to others), a comfortable collar with enough room for two-fingers as a checkpoint, and an identification tag with your information, including your cell phone number. Cats, on the other hand, climb and get into spaces that dogs probably would not. That said, collars can get caught posing the risk of a collar related injury such as strangulation or chocking.  Be sure you provide your cat with a break-away cat collar.

Toys are not just a luxury; they both stimulate and reassure your pet. Look at the fun toys on-line or at the pet store.  Make sure that the toy is large enough that they can’t swallow it or pieces of it.  If the dog is successful in retrieving the “squeaky” from inside the toy (and probably will be) take it away as it could be swallowed.  Don’t toss it though, put it in your camera bag as it becomes an excellent attention getter (ears up) for photos ops. Cats love catnip and toys designed for them, especially the mobile types that they can bat back and forth. Plus watching can give you hours of entertainment. 

Keep everyone happy!  Can’t say enough about the virtues of baby gates.  These portable gates are handy for blocking off rooms that are not puppy-proof, like the one with the oriental rug while you are house training. Provide your kitten or cat with scratching posts—better for their instinctive scratching activity than the arm of a chair or sofa.  
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To quote Nobel Prize winner, Anatole France, “Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened.” For many of us, a home without a furry friend is simply not complete. Enjoy your new family member.   
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Shelia Huffman, Contributor
Shelia recently moved to the Greenwood community of Midland from Dallas where she was a staff writer for White Rock Lake Weekly and a columnist for Bubblelife Media.  A retired travel agent and event planner, she has  been an animal activist her entire life.  Shelia  has a daughter and son-in-law in Midland, a grandson in Dallas and a granddaughter at Texas Tech. She lists cooking and writing about food, and,  of course, playing with her Terrier Mix rescue, Penelope, as some of her favorite things.