Jack Byrnes would be proud. The uptight character played by Robert De Niro in Meet The Parents made us laugh at the very idea of toilet training his cat, Mr. Jinx. In one comedic turn, Byrnes popularized something all cat lovers universally wish they could do: rescue their furry friends from the evils of litter - the odor, the clean up, the cost. Now, a quirky new gift book arrives in stores to offer felines a nine-step program for leaving litter behind.

Combining ironic humor with an utterly practical guide, ‘KiCK LiTTER: Nine-Step Program for Recovering Litter Addicts’ (November 2008, CDA Press) follows the adventures of two cats, Moxie and Cooper (and the big guy who feeds them), taking their message of recovery from litter addiction to the masses.

It’s that time again!  Calendars.  In this day of Blackberrys and IPhones, give me a good old fashioned wall calendar, any day. I love them and I love choosing my new calendar every year.  Naturally, I go for some kind of dog themed calendar and there are always plenty to choose from.  It seems like a very important decision.  Clearly, you want a calendar that is interesting enough to look at every single day for the next year.  This year, I got two.
The first one is the Snapshots calendar.  All …

 
by Helen Stroud, Proprietress of OLIVINE in Uptown Park
 A dog’s sense of smell is by far their most highly developed sense. The average dog can sense odors at concentrations nearly 100 million times lower than humans. For instance, a dog is able to smell one drop of blood in five quarts of water! This is because dogs have more than 100 million olfactory receptors in their noses compared to humans having only 5 million.
 Dogs have long made significant contributions to public health as police dogs, assistance dogs, therapy dogs and …

 
Tis the season…for dogs! Hotel for Dogs, the video game based on the upcoming feature film, “Hotel For Dogs” from DreamWorks Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies, will hit store shelves this January. Like the live-action movie, the video game will focus on dogs – lots and lots of dogs. Of the canine-centric videogames this season, only Hotel for Dogs reinforces the positive messages of caring for your favorite pooch!
In the game, players enter the old hotel to help two siblings, Andi and Bruce, feed and entertain dozens of pups by building amazing gadgets, playing with the …

Check out these great boutiques to find your pooch or kitty a gift for their stocking.

A DECIDEDLY DIFFERENT DEREK
Hotel Derek Undergoes Fashionable Re-Do

Hotel Derek, www.hotelderek.com, the chic boutique hotel with the fashionable Galleria address is getting an extremely gorgeous makeover. The $2.5 million renovation includes a complete transformation of the hotel’s 314 rooms, including its suites, and floor landings, adding a warm, residential feel to the hotel. The renovation will be complete by January 2009. Hotel Derek remains open for business as usual and is very pet friendly!

Dress your canine in style this Holiday season or surprise your favorite furry family member with a Fido Fashion’s Collar in their stocking.
These classic, high-quality collars are available in a variety of collars and are the design of Texan artist, Kevin Heady. Each beautiful leather collar is adorned with a sterling silver charm or sterling “bone” nametags engraved per request.
Visit www.fidosfashions.com to view Kevin’s creations.

Take a vacation with your pet at Abundance Retreat in Wimberly, Texas…the Hill Country!

Recently the Montgomery County Animal Shelter on SH 242 at the north end of The Woodlands began a major upgrade and expansion of its facility. Included in this project is a revamping of the shelter’s Low-cost Spay/Neuter Clinic.
Local non-profit, The Woodlands Dog Park Club, a long time supporter of the shelter’s no-kill initiatives, held a fundraiser to raise money to assist with improvements at the clinic. Hometown Hounds & Cool Cats offered the public a chance to have their pets’ likeness painted on a large dog park mural in the clinic’s new lobby. Nationally renowned, New Orleans artist, Jim Tweedy, painted the animals’ likenesses and noted Conroe artist, Joe Kolb, painted the backdrop.

The shopping season has officially made its “mark” on retail stores and as you make your list and check it twice