This sad story, and the recall it caused, are all over the internet this morning! Just in case you missed it, here's the scoop:

Four Paws Inc. is recalling one of their products, the red pimple ball with bell, because a manufacturing mistake makes it very dangerous to the pups who play with it. Just ask Chai, whose mom writes: Read full post.

My humans have this embarrassing story they love to tell--the one about me as a kitten, climbing up the living room curtains and sliding all the way down. And there's that time when in one afternoon my razor-sharp claws completely obliterated the left leg of the couch.

I was young. I didn't know any better. But now me and my humans understand that cats scratch to shed the outer part of our claws, and that it's more or less a force of nature: you can't stop it; you can only redirect it to appropriate surfaces.Read full post.

Okay, so I've given you the rundown on some of the safer dog toys on the market, but some of you are itching to know which toys you should specifically avoid. Here's what I've been able to dig up on dangerous dog toys.

The Basics: First, it's important to remember that any toy can pose a danger if it isn't used correctly. Most pet toys should only be used under supervision, and that's especially true if you're a chewer. So don't give your pet parent those puppy eyes when they take away your squeaky toy as they walk out the door. You know you'd tear it apart before they got home anyway.

Now, onto the culprits. . . Read full post.

Hello, cats for the environment!

I'm Cleo, aka Eddie's BKF, and I'm going to be writing here from time to time about feline issues. Me and my smaller-pawed, less slobbery friends noticed not too long ago that despite his best intentions, Eddie occasionally forgets to mention the cat side of things. So he's asked me to step in as his Cat Editor in Chief. (Thanks, Edmund!)

So let me answer one of the first kitty questions to come up this week: cat toys Read full post.

Ever since I found out about all the toxic chemicals we pets are exposed to and founded Pets for the Environment, my buddies have had all kinds of questions for me. You've asked a lot of questions, too, and I keep getting one question over and over: what is it safe for me to play with?

Now of course, the answer to that question depends largely on your species. I know a lot more about dog toys than cat toys, so here’s something for my pup pals while I do some research into catnip.

1. Sticks
Sticks are the ultimate versatile dog toy. Forgot to bring your ball to the dog park? Grab a stick! Feeling the need to gnaw? A stick's just the thing. And just wait until your human tries to take it away from you. It makes for a great game of tug-o-war.

Keep in mind that some plants are poisonous to pets. You wouldn’t want to use oleander, or sticks from any of the other trees on this list. Common sense will tell you to avoid any particularly splintered sticks. Also, any wood that's been used to build things (especially outside things like decks and swing-sets) has probably been treated with gross chemicals, so don't chew on that. Read full post.