“Love Your Pet Day” Celebrate With A “Pupcake Recipe” & “Homemade Cat Treats”

            “Until one has loved an animal, part of one’s soul remains unawakened”
                                                          By Anatole France

Most of the homes in the world have at least one or more pets. It may be a cat, dog, fish, or even a rabbit. In many rural areas, pets may include chickens, pigs, ducks, or even a horse. Pets give us valuable friendship and love. Our pet’s continual presence is the owner’s solid companionship. In return pets need love and care.

So with this being said today, February 20th is, “Love Your Pet Day” which is observed worldwide. The purpose of this day is to remind all pet owners to show their pet, appreciation and a day dedicated for their love. This special day gives us a perfect excuse to focus their time to their pets needs. They give us unconditional love and many health benefits which include stress relief and lower blood pressure.

In return for the pets loyalty this day may be spent giving gifts, such as a biscuit or treat, saloons for grooming, bathing them, a long walk, and playing with them, would be a wonderful way to celebrate the day. Make sure your pet has the proper vaccinations or a check up at your local veterinarian, which is very important, not only for your pet’s health but for your family as well. Also remember especially now that winter and the sub freezing temperatures are upon us, so please keep your pet inside and protected from the cold.

For those of my readers, who have no pets, it is a perfect time to adopt a pet from a shelter or if that is not possible may be you can help these rescued pets by making a donation to animal shelters or the ASPCA association. I know that would be so appreciated for some of these animals. Try to spread awareness of lost animals and abused pets.  Don’t forget these special days:
“National Cat Day” is October 29th, 2015
“National Dog Day” is August 26th 2015
St. Francis Day-”Blessings Of All Animals” October 4th 2015.

"Puffy" 1977

I remember when I was a young child, my family did not have any pets. As the years went on, we had fish in a tank, and I remember my brothers having small turtles. When I was about 15 or so I recall I had found a small kitten behind our local grocery store. I took it home and asked my mom if we could keep her. First she said no, but we could keep her till we found a home for her. As the days went into months and then years we keep her, and named her Puffy. So you can say that was my first experience with a fur baby. She was white and black and my whole family loved her very much. She became ill at some point and the veterinarian said that she had to be put to sleep. Well you can imagine how that felt. So one day when my brothers were in school, my mom and I drove to the ASPCA and they put Puffy down. It was so devastating for my whole family, and we never forgot our first kitten Puffy.

"Gizmo"

As the years went by, we lived in a rural area in upstate NY, and had many animals cats, dogs, and fish. Among the many pets we had there were two that were very special to me, my cat called Angel Kitty, and Gizmo, the dog. Beautiful, loving, and extremely rewarding to have had these fur babies in our lives. Gizmo was my husband’s dog and she was so sweet and loving. My cat Angel Kitty was also very sweet, loving, and understood every word I would tell him, but like most cats he was very independent. Just like humans and all the other animals’ time and illness takes over. Gizmo became ill and my Angel Kitty also became ill with cancer, so they both are in pet heaven now. It is so hard to have lost many pets in my life. The years that we had them were years of love, happiness, comfort, and also the most rewarding years in this short life that we all live. Being a religious person, I do believe that someday I will be reunited with all of my pets I have had in my lifetime.

"Angel Kitty"

Humans shouldn’t eat processed junk food all of the time, so why should your dog or cat? Show your pet some love by whipping up one of these surprisingly simple and healthy treats. This recipe for your dog is courtesy of Paris Permenter and John Bigley, authors of the book, “The Healthy Hound Cookbook” 

REMEMBER THIS RECIPE IS FOR YOUR DOG ONLY!

“Pupcake Recipe”
                                                                       Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose (unbleached) flour
1 egg
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup Pumpkin Purée (not pie filling)
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 tbs (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray or grease a large cupcake tin. In a large bowl, combine all cupcake ingredients, mixing thoroughly. Divide mixture into cupcake tins. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.


Frosting: (optional)
4 oz cream cheese, softened nearly to room temperature
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons peanut butter (optional)

Directions:
In a large bowl, add yogurt and flour to cream cheese, mixing until smooth. Frost cupcakes as desired. For peanut butter-obsessed dogs, add two tablespoons of creamy peanut butter to frosting.

Recipe yields: 4 large treats for dogs 65 lbs & up, or cut into pieces for smaller dogs.

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REMEMBER THIS RECIPE IS FOR YOUR CAT ONLY!

Homemade cat treats with coconut oil, coconut flour, egg, gelatin and tuna will be a big hit with the felines in your life! These homemade treats contain coconut oil and other healthy ingredients that cats love. They are simple to make and store really well in the fridge. Author: Wellness Mama 

                                                    “Homemade Cat Treats” 

Ingredients:
2 medium size sweet potatoes, mashed
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 egg 
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup gelatin powder
1 can (drained) tuna or sardines

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients in a medium size bowl. Use a fork to mash everything together until evenly mixed and until all large pieces of fish and sweet potato are mashed up. Add a little extra coconut flour if needed to get the dough resembling roughly the consistency of play dough. Roll into 1 inch balls and mash down with a fork to form little "cookies." Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Store in the refrigerator for several weeks or in the freezer for several months.


Till Next Time………………………………..

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