gambitpets
them inside, place them in a shallow tub of cool water. Their bellies often have less fur, and the bath will help cool their core faster. When it comes to cats, it’s better to position them on cool surfaces or by fans.
TRUMBLE WARNS AGAINST THESE COMMON MYTHS foating around the internet about heatstroke treatment:
Rubbing alcohol on paws — Skip it. The evaporative cooling effect isn’t worth the risk of absorption through the skin.
Wet towels — They trap heat once they warm up. Pets can’t tell you when to take them off.
Ice — OK to prevent overheating, but dangerous during actual heatstroke. It can cause shock.
Forced water drinking — Let your petsip slowly. Chugging can cause vomiting or aspiration.
Want to be really sure your pet’s overheating is serious? Bust out the old rectal thermometer: one to two inches in for smaller breeds, three to four for larger. A normal dog or cat temp ranges from 100 to 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit; anything above 104 degrees means it’s time to call the vet.
DIY cooling tricks
New Orleans homes are a special breed. With all that airfow under historical homes, foorboards can act as a sieve, making your house a patchwork heat map. Make sure your pet isn’t sequestered in a lava-foor zone of the house, and consider buying cooling mats, collars or vests made specifcally for pets. Wif-based thermostats or pet cams can alert you to rising temperatures and danger signs at home when you’re away.
Bottom line: If you’re uncomfortably hot, they’re probably miserable — and they can’t do much about it without your help. Plan ahead, pay attention and try not to fambé Flufy this summer.
Hurricane and Power Outage Prep for Pets
Plan for your pets just like you would for yourself. If you evacuate, obviously, don’t leave them behind. Many storm shelters and hotels are now pet-friendly, especially during an emergency. If you don’t have the luxury of skipping town, plan for a power outage (hi, Entergy).
Make sure your emergency kit includes food, water and ID tags in case your pet gets loose. Trumble highly recommends making sure you have your vaccinations up to date and both paper and digital health records for your pets handy. If your vet’s ofce is also out of power, they can’t get you the medical records you might need in case of an emergency.
Purchase battery-operated fans and put up window screens (stapling mesh to the frame works too) so you can create a cross breeze without letting in the mosquitos that fester in post-hurricane puddles. Freeze water bottles, wrap them in cloth, and place them in crates or near beds. For cats, gently wiping their ears or paws with a cool, damp cloth can help bring temperatures down. Oh, and if your pet does take meds, stock up before the storm hits, as many pharmacies close or run out of supplies.
PHOTO BY OKSANA VAINRUB / GETTY IMAGES
Pretty Pretty Princess Meow Meow Jawsy Jaws on the election of Pope Leo XIV
THIS WEEK THE BIPEDS IN ROME elected a new leader, Pope Leo XIV. While some may wonder why We as felines would bother to comment on such trivial matters as the human expression of faith through organized religion, We have fur in this game.
There is, of course, the question of the papal attitude toward cats — and the continued wellbeing of the Vaticats, our Vatican City catclave. While in the recent decades, the papacy has not been hostile toward our kind — or in the case of Pope Benedict XVI (aka “The German Shepherd”), openly supportive — it has not always been so. In the past, popes have banned felines from the Vatican or even declared certain of our brethren to be devils.
While We don’t know exactly where Leo stands on the Feline Question exactly, there are some encouraging signs. Most obviously, the name Leo is Latin for lion, aka cat. So that is reassuring. Secondly, he has already said he wants to continue the late Pope Francis’ ministry. Francis was famously a devotee of St. Francis, the Patron Saint of animals and perhaps humanity’s fnest example ever.
So We are cautiously optimistic that this new papacy will be feline friendly, or at a minimum not trying to hunt us down and burn us at tiny stakes.
But these are trivial reasons for Our concern with who leads the Catholic Church. As the most perfect earthly representation of the divine, it is Our duty to watch over this Earth. So while even our greatest scholars and mystics have yet to fully piece together why hairless bipeds would be given such an oversized place in Creation,
the fact is they do. And their infuence on the Earth is enormous.
For instance, even biped scientists have correctly deduced that poisoning the water and air, mismanaging the climate or unleashing an army of robots designed by an angry incel with daddy issues will end up killing us all. And yet not only do they not try to stop doing these things, they actively seek out new and creative ways to do more of the same.
They can’t even learn how to protect their own species. They commit acts of genocide live on their television screens. They punish the poor and vulnerable for being poor and vulnerable with utter glee — while rounding up immigrants and anyone else they don’t like and sending them to torture camps — all in direct violation of the very clear, very explicit admonitions of the human they claim to worship as the Son of God.
On these “weightier matters of the law,” we have some hope for Leo.
Pope Leo XIII, from whom he seems to be taking his name, was the father of the Catholic social justice movement and helped reshape the church. Leo has made clear he supports immigrants and the poor and criticized Vice President J.D. Vance’s false claim that the human Bible teaches bipeds to treat migrants poorly.
And fnally, if he does make good on his vow to continue in the footsteps of Francis, he’ll be an advocate for the environment, the poor, trans people and all those held under a boot heel, which, as any cat can tell you, is a dangerous place to be.
ESTHER
BEIGNET
SOOKIE
SUSAN
NORMAN
BEAR
PIP COACH
PIPER
BARKERY TREATS
|
$3.95-5.95 from Southern Paws (633 Toulouse St., (504) 510-5324; shopsouthernpaws.com).
PHOTO PROVIDED BY SOUTHERN PAWS
DURAFORCE
FUN FUN Finds
for Furry Friends
by Clare Brierre
BOOMERANG DOG TOY |
$21.99 from Petcetera (3205 Magazine St., (504) 269-8711; petceteranola.com).
PHOTO PROVIDED BY PETCETERA
MIDNIGHT NAVY HOLY TRINITY
DOG COLLAR |
$30 from NOLA Couture (3308 Magazine St., (504) 319-5959; nolacouture.com).
PHOTO PROVIDED BY NOLA COUTURE
SNUGGLY CUP CAT TOYS, 3 PACK |
$12.95 from Fleurty Girl (Citywide; fleurtygirl.com).
PHOTO PROVIDED BY FLEURTY GIRL
TAILWAGGER BEEFY BROWN ALE SINGLE DOG BEER/BROTH |
$6 from Pet Wants (2039 Magazine St., (504) 982-2779; petwants.com).
PHOTO PROVIDED BY PET WANTS
POKE BOWL TUNA & SHRIMP ENTRÉE IN GRAVY WET CAT FOOD |
$3.50 from Pet Wants (2039 Magazine St., (504) 982-2779; petwants.com).
PHOTO PROVIDED BY PET WANTS
WOOL PET CAVE, BOUQUET, MULTI COLOR CAT CAVE |
$84.99 from Petcetera (3205 Magazine St., (504) 269-8711; petceteranola.com).
PHOTO PROVIDED BY PETCETERA
furgambitpets loved loved -ever
Tucks
In memory of Tucks, official mascot of Memphis’s Best Memphis Burger Festival, famous throughout the South for his beer snobbery and fondness for IPAs, the unfailing ability to be the center of attention, his particular affinity for bellyrubs, and his love of roadtrips. Miss you everyday, babycakes.
HAIL TUCKS!
Orpheus
Described as “A disgruntled Old Man Mop” with a Napoleon complex, Orpheus Esq., found us through a good Samaritan and soon he was my moms companion and her “Bestest Boy”. He was protective, squaring up to her parents’ Shepard several times and her B.I.L while in his house during Ida’s evacuation. He enjoyed a long nap and moms warm hugs, but he hated the groomer with as much venom as his little body could muster. He is survived by his humans, who miss him dearly and three cats who found him to be distasteful and the feeling was mutual.
Gus Butcher passed away on June 10, 2024, peacefully after living a full and colorful life. Thought to have been born in September of 2010, in Manchac, LA, Gus made his way to New Orleans so he could rescue his mother on the corner of Canal and Claiborne Streets by the old Palace Hotel. Neither of them looked back after that day. Gus charmed everyone he met and loved dancing, costuming, car rides, barking at Mardi Gras revelers, sleeping, and snuggling. His joie de vivre is unparalleled amongst all 20 lb., tuxedo-wearing good boys everywhere.