A short vacation

We just wanted to let you all know that we will going on a little vacation for a few days.
We'll have some modified store hours for the time between July 31st - August 6th.

Here they are:

Mon. July 31 - CLOSED

Tues. Aug. 1 - CLOSED

Wed. Aug. 2 - CLOSED

Thurs. Aug. - 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Fri. Aug. 4 - 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Sat. Aug. 5 - 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Sun. Aug. 6 - 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Mon. Aug. 7 - CLOSED

We'll resume regular store hours on Tuesday, Aug. 8th.

Molly and Robbie will be at the store and should be able to help you with most anything.

Thanks as always for your continued support and we'll see you when we get back.

Seymour is one of the pups we'll be visiting on our vacation.

A big thanks to all of you!

We want to THANK YOU all for voting for us in the CBS4 Boston A List contest. Many, many thanks to everyone that took the time to vote and many thanks as well for all the kind words you left us on our testimonial page.

Thanks as well for voting us #1 Choice for Pet Stores in the Roslindale/West Roxbury area in the annual Readers' Choice Awards sponsored by the Community Newspapers Company.

We really appreciate your patronage and promise to keep looking for ways to keep your pets happy and healthy in as natural a way as possible.

Mary, Marley, and Topo thank you too.

Topo Giogio update

A brief Topo the Cat update for you...yesterday, our pals Marybeth and Joanne came in with their new puppy Kevin, an adorable and feisty 12 week old Cairn Terrier. Kevin was enjoying the place when Topo came up from the basement and noticed a puppy in the house.
Immediately, Topo trotted over to him and placed him in a headlock. Kevin was clearly confused for a second or two and then quickly turned the tables on Topo. The two went rolling off in a puppy-kitty heap up and down the length of the store. This sometimes alarming display went on for several minutes until Kevin chased Topo under one of the cat food shelves. Kevin was disappointed that playtime was over. Topo was exhausted.
We're sorry that we didn't have any cameras around to grab some action shots of the brawl, but we'd like to invite Kevin back for a grudge re - match. Topo is already in training.

This vaccination thing

So this is the time of year that we see a large number of puppies and kittens. Lots of adorable little ones are coming into the store and we are so happy to see all of them...the cuteness factor has been cranked up so much that it is almost too much to take.
Many new owners are coming in with lots of questions about how best to care for their new pets and we are delighted to help in any way we can. There is though, one particular topic we'd like ALL pet owners to think about. That is how frequently you are going to vaccinate your pet.
Typically, yearly vaccinations have been recommended for cats and dogs but now the necessity of this practice is being questioned. Indeed, yearly vaccinations may in fact be doing more harm than good. Illness and allergic reaction can occur in otherwise healthy pets after a vaccination, especially for older pets or those with an already compromised immune system (i.e. many, if not most pets taken from "stress" situations like a shelter).
We're going to recommend that you visit a couple of Web sites that spend quite a bit of time discussing the vaccination debate. One of those sites is Shirley's Wellness Cafe and the other is Jeane's Holistics
You don't have to believe or agree with any or all of the information that is presented in these forums, but we ask that you educate yourselves to the choices around vaccinating and to the alternatives to vaccinating, such as using homeopathic nosodes.
Please BE AWARE of what your choices are and don't just blindly do what your vet (or doctor) tells you to do unless you thoroughly understand it and are comfortable with it. We all want our animal pals to live a good, long, healthy life and we're responsible for making decisions about their care. Let's try to make the best, most informed decisions we can make for them.

The newest addition

So I've been holding out on you kids a bit because I have neglected to tell you of a new addition to The Pet Cabaret family of animals. Currently we have Marley the 12 year old Cock-a-poo, Mary the 12 year old Mini Poodle, now the "newest" boy, 10 year old Topo Gigio the cat. Both Marley and Mary are rescue pooches. Marley comes from The Northeast Animal Shelter in Salem, MA and Mary comes from Poodle Rescue New England.
And now, thanks to our pals at the Mass. Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals(MSPCA), we have Mr.Topo.
He is a very good boy and adapting well to being a "working cat". He seems to love dogs and trots out to greet most every visiting dog that comes into the store. He plays with the smaller dogs very nicely and likes to "light up" bigger dogs by running by them in a big hurry. Our pal, Scott Dunmore, who is a wonderful dog trainer (617.892.5042 ) installed a kitty door for Topo and now he seems to know he can engage in this risky behavior and still get away safely. At least he has a hobby...Topo, that is, not Scott.

Nag, nag, nag...all you do is nag me.....

A reminder for those interested in attending the Animal Communication lecture on Wednesday, June 21st, at 7:00 PM. It is filling up, so please give us a call at 617.327.4211 or drop us an email at petcabaret@rcn.com to register. The last lecture was fun and informative and the readings were great, so feel free to drop by and hang out with us.

If you haven't done so already, it'd be great if you could vote for us as "Boston's Best Pet Store" at http://cbs4boston.cityvoter.com We'd really appreciate your vote.

And not to be a nag but...flea and tick season hasn't yet kicked into high gear so...while you still have a little time, we'd strongly urge all dog and cat owners to come in and investigate our chemical free flea and tick repellents by AromaDog and Quantum Herbal Products. Please consider a less harmful alternative (for your pet, for yourself, and for the environment) than applying harsh chemicals to your animal. We're finding our non-chemical choices to be effective and safe so please call us or drop by to check them out.

Quick updates

Hi there,

Just to let you all know a couple of things...The Pet Cabaret just got nominated as "Best Pet Supply Store" in the Boston area on CBS Ch.4. If you have a moment, it'd be great if you could navigate over to http://cbs4boston.cityvoter.com/CategoryList.aspx and cast a vote for us. We're under the "Shopping" category, in "Pet Supplies". We'd really appreciate it.

Also, due to popluar demand we are having our animal communicator, Janet Kennedy back for another talk. She'll be at The Pet Cabaret on Wednesday, June 21st, at 7:00 PM for a lecture and readings. Like the last time, Janet will do 15 minute readings for attendees after the talk. The talk is free, but the cost for those readings will be $25.00. The last talk was very well attended so please sign up early for this one by calling us st 617-323-7387.

Cleaning up after the kids

So we all know that living with pets is largely a very enjoyable thing. We love them, they love us, we play with them, we talk to them, we hang out...mostly all cool things, until we get to cleaning up after them.
Needless to say we should all be cleaning up after them on walks. It's just too easy to do. There are dozens of poop bag holders and many different types of poop bags. We sell quite a few at The Pet Cabaret and we don't even scratch the surface of the "world of poop paraphernalia".
For those with yards cleaning up is also an important, if not elegant chore. It's really an important thing to do as the weather becomes warmer. Disposing of dog doo helps keep your yard free of pests and disease and is an important step in keeping pets healthy. It's one of those things that just has to be done.
To make things even easier, there is a new service in the Boston area that can help out with maintaining pristine puppy territory and it's called Pup Cleanup. These lovely people come to your home and take care of your dog's "output". They'll pick it up and dispose of it, so you don't have to. They'll come on a regular basis or for a one time cleanup and their prices are resonable, so give them a call. There's no more excuses.

Party time and You're Invited!!

Hey kids, this is to let you know that a great local all breed rescue group, Underdog ResQ, is having their first annual Cocktail Party/Urban BBQ.

It'll be taking place on Sunday, July 16, 2006 at the 33 Restaurant and Lounge, on 33 Stanhope Street in Boston. Festivities will go from 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM. They'll be games, auctions, raffles and lots of great food and drink.

Tickets are $75.00 for one ticket or $125.00 for two tickets.

There are excellent raffle prizes including two first class US Airways tickets to anywhere in the US and a 1 week stay at a dog-friendly, 4 bedroom Nantucket home. Raffle tickets are $20.00 each and are available at The Pet Cabaret.

Event and raffle tickets can be purchased at www.underdogresq.com and donations are welcome if you cannot attend the event.

Please think about attending this event if you can. The Underdog ResQ people are a very cool, very caring, and very dedicated group of all breed rescuers that richly deserve our support.

Again with the Herbal Flea and Tick Repellents

So the news is good with the herbal flea and tick repellents from Quantum Herbal Products and from AromaDog.

We sold completely out of our first shipment of products in less than a week and are getting excellent reports on their efficacy. So far, all of our users have reported that their pets are remaining flea and tick free. It's true that we haven't yet gotten into the high heat of the summer, but many people were finding ticks on their pets even this early in the season, so we see these early reports as very positive.

To help keep your pets healthy and pest free we recommend the following:

1. Feed a minimally processed diet. If home cooking or raw-feeding is not for you, feed an excellent quality kibble such as Wysong, Innova, Artemis, or Solid Gold and add fresh foods to the animal's diet.

2. Supplement pets with a multi-vitamin, multi-mineral supplement such as Nupro or Wholistic Pet Canine Complete. This helps to build and maintain healthy immune systems. A healthy animal is much more resistant to parasites and other pests.

3. Use herbal or homeopathic flea and tick repellents, carefully following the application instructions.

4. Check your pet often for fleas and ticks. If you do find one (or more), remove it with a flea comb or a tick puller. Drown the univited visitor in a small container filled with water and a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid.

5. Remember that all these cool foods and products are available at The Pet Cabaret.

"Talk" to you all soon.

Herbal Flea and Tick Repellents

We are pleased to announce the arrival of our new line of herbal flea and tick repellents from Quantum Herbal Products. We are carrying their 100% Natural Flea and Tick Spray and their Worm/Parasite Formula tincture. We look forward to using these two products in tandem to help protect pets from fleas and ticks this season with out using that harsh chemical junk.

We're also carrying the Calendula tincture and their Pet Cream salve. Both products have wonderful skin healing properties and the cream is especially good for wounds and hot spots.

Let us know if you'd like to try these great products, or if you've had experience with them in the past. We're excited to have them in the store to complement our other line of natural flea and tick repellents from Aromadog and Natural Chemistry.

Hello again!

Hi all,

Sorry for the disappearing act, things have been a little crazy around here, but we think they will start to settle down soon.

Some new stuff to tell you - the animal communicator talk with Janet Kennedy, went really well. Janet spoke for a while on the basics of animal communication and then did several readings for the attendees. People we think, were quite pleased and we plan to have Janet back sometime soon.

Also, with the coming of flea and tick season we are bringing in some new herbal products for cats and dogs that will repel fleas and ticks. We really don't like the idea of using the monthly systemic pesticides that are so popular these days. We've seen far too many negative reactions in animals to these substances, despite all their claims of "safety". We've also seen animals still coming up with fleas and ticks despite their use. So why bother we say? Let's try something less hostile to the animal and environment. We'll talk about the products as soon as we receive them.

Rescue Remedy use in animals

The following information is taken from "Bach Flower Remedies for Animals" written by Helen Graham and Gregory Vlamis.

In the section on dosages, it says: "Flower essences (FEs) are administered in drops, a single drop at a time. They are normally given by mouth. Five days is the average period of treatment, although they can be continued for two weeks or longer. Dosage varies with the particular situation and the animal species being treated. The standard dose is 4 drops. More drops are not harmful, but wasteful. Fewer drops can be used if the animal is quite small (squirrels, hamsters, rabbits). For large breeds of dogs (St. Bernards, Great Danes), sheep and goats, 6 drops should be given. Horses and cows get 10-15 drops. These can be given as often as necessary but at least four times daily. Drops can be applied directly on or under the animal's tongue, dropped onto the nose to be licked off, or rubbed into the gums or lips. They also can be added to water, food, treats, etc., but this is not as reliable because you can't monitor the exact amount they are taking. You can also mix with water and spray it on the skin or in the air surrounding the animal. You can add it to lotions and apply it topically to the skin or fur, pulse points, or other soft cavities of the body (under the leg or arm) - I put it inside their ears sometimes.
You can also bathe the dog with water containing a few drops of FEs. They respond with great immediacy to the correct essences. If there is no apparent change after five days, you are using the wrong remedy. FEs are safe to take in combination with each other and with any other medications - allopathic or homeopathic. They are harmless, and overdose is impossible. If you administer the wrong essence, it will simply have no effect."

Rescue Remedy and other Bach Flower Essences can be purchased at The Pet Cabaret.

Animal Communicator Talk

Just a reminder that we'll be doing our talk with Animal Communicator Janet Kennedy on April 19th. That is a Wednesday evening and the talk will begin around 7:00 PM.

A number of people have already signed up for this event and we encourage those interested to call the store at 617-323-7387 and do the same. You all know how small the store is, so space is limited for this talk. Please call so we can save a space for you.

The talk is FREE but if you'd like a reading for your pet, there is a $25.oo charge. Let us know if you'd like a reading when you call. If you do want a reading, please bring in a photo of your pet preferably looking directly into the camera.

Supplements for animals

Just a quick thought on vitamin/mineral supplementation in the diets of our canine/feline/equine/small animal pals...

We encourage people to add fresh, unprocessed foods to companion animal diets. Things like raw or lightly steamed chopped vegetables, cottage cheese, yogurt, and fatty fishes like canned mackerel or salmon make wonderful additions to an animal's diet. Things like leftover Chinese take-out or pizza do not.

We also feel as though supplementation is an important part of a healthy animal diet. There are some really great products on the market today and we carry a number of them.
Products by The Wholistic Pet, Wysong, and Animal Essentials have all proven to be effective for us and our customes as we work to get and keep our pets healthy.

We've had especially good luck relieving some of the pain and limited mobility of older pets with joint problems. Also remember that flea and tick season will soon be on us and an animal with a robust immune system repels fleas and ticks much more effectively than an unhealthy animal.

Even the best of diets is sometimes lacking in a complete spectrum of nutrients, so please consider a good quality supplement in your pet's diet.

Vincent...Canine Criminal

This is a mug shot of Vincent, recently charged with

criminal canine activity (i.e. playing, acting like a dog)

at the Arboretum.

Let's Get Our Dog Park

The topic that we've been hearing the most about at the store lately (besides the naked chicken issue) is that of our lack of a dog park in the area.

Despite the fact that there are many dog owners in the Roslindale, JP, West Roxbury area, this area continues to suffer from a lack of "legal dog space". This seems even less forgiveable given the fact that there are active dog parks in other parts of the city - Peters Park in the South End and The Boston Common.

With newly increased vigilance in the Arboretum from the Park Rangers, it's hard not to feel frustrated with our lack of a sanctioned doggie space.

We feel as though it's time to put some renewed effort into getting all of us a legal dog park in our neck of the woods. Please contact us with your thoughts and ideas.

Animal Communication at The Pet Cabaret

Well, we met the coolest animal communicator the other day. Her name is Janet Kennedy and her site is The Four Directions. Janet did a reading on our dogs Mary and Marley.
We've started taking the dogs home from work a bit early because Janet said they were getting a bit tired at the shop all day. I think that the whole "meet and greet" thing is very tiring to them, and we've definitely noticed that they seem happier and a bit more relaxed since they've been working a little less.

So now we've realized that the whole animal communication thing is of great interest to many people and we've asked Janet to come in and do a talk for us. She has graciously agreed to do on Wednesday, April 19th, 2006 at 7:00 PM.
She will also do brief readings for the first five people that sign up for the lecture. Please note that the lecture is free, but the fee for those readings is $25.00.
We really think that this is a great opportunity to learn about the subject of animal communication with a sensitive and thoughtful guide like Janet. If you're interested in attending, please contact us here at The Pet Cabaret.

Congrats to our pal Jester!

This is our pup pal Jester, owned by our human pal David of Madrigal Shih Tzu. Jester took Best Puppy in this, his first show, and we're just kvelling over it all. He's a happy boy with a bright future. Jester dines on Artemis Small Breed food as well as on other delicious bit of food that David provides.

In the words of John Waters...

"There will always be plenty of chickens and plenty of eggs..."

Miraculously, the chickens seem to be reproducing in our store windows. Where there used to be only one or two there are now about twenty. Clearly all the noteriety has gone to their heads...and elsewhere.

Now everyone can have there very own chicken to love.

Come on down to The Pet Cabaret. Henrietta awaits.