tan pug with harness sits in front of a happy birthday set, festooned with Roaring Twenties decorations.
Chai the Pug’s Great Gatsby Roaring 20’s birthday party, presented by Katy Cable. Photo courtesy of Katy Cable.

Seasonal parties have begun with Halloween and will continue through the Thanksgiving weekend to December and all the way to the new year and slightly beyond. Of course, this column will focus on parties for your pets, in particular dogs, who are the most likely to be party animals. Actress and author Katy Cable has an entire book of planned pawties, as she calls them, for your pooch, and guess what! You’re invited, too!

“The days of locking the family dog in the bedroom with a boring bowl of brown kibble during a party are gone,” Cable said.

Katy Cable began her career as a teen actress. As Katherine Britton, she had parts in such films as “Back to the Future” and “Tales from the Darkside” and acted in multiple commercials. She lives in Long Beach with her husband, Rick, and has an adult daughter and stepdaughter. A diagnosis of Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune disorder affecting the thyroid gland, sparked Cable to radically change her diet. She found that the healthy food she made for herself could be safely fed to and enjoyed by her pug, Olive, a rescue whom she found abandoned to the streets, sick, skinny and scared to death. Olive is none of these things now, especially skinny.

Out of this came Cable’s cottage-industry creation of helping humans keep their dogs healthy and happy. Her blog and show, The Weekly Runt, has enough articles and videos to make your eyes pop like one of the pugs whom Cable’s unabashedly obsessed with: canine health, safety and travel tips, breed-specific facts, instructive videos, feeding tips, party ideas and everything to inspire your love for your own dog. The Weekly Runt dogapulted Cable into her role as a spokesperson for Nulo pet food.

A friend suggested that Cable compile a book of her recipes and party ideas, and so “Katy Cable’s Party with Your Pup” came about. The book, available at the usual outlets, includes healthy recipes like Pumpkin Spice Lattes, Barkaritas, Red Velvet Pupcakes and Pupsghetti; tips for treating common canine conditions such as fleas, allergies and upset stomachs; and of course, the pawties, which are themed for each month and include menus, decorations, invitations and everything a pawty planner needs.

“I have all the tools you need to throw epic dog-inclusive parties,” Cable said.

A riffle through the pages of “Katy Cable’s Party with Your Pup“ will show that the parties are, if anything, human inclusive. It’s all for the dog, and you’re perfectly welcome to trot along. The recipes use ingredients that are good for dogs and people—pumpkin, coconut, ground turkey, carob. The Pumpkin Spice Latte is crafted with pumpkin purée, a great ingredient for cat and dog intestinal health; camel’s milk (which you can get over the hump of relative rarity—Long Beach is a camel’s milk desert—through purchase at Woofpak Kitchen) or goat milk kefir, available at Trader Joe’s; and turmeric and cinnamon, which Cable uses for their anti-inflammatory properties.

The recipes invite modification to people palates.

“Add a shot of your favorite espresso and a dash of coconut whipped cream to the latte, and voila! You both have a tasty, healthy drink!” Cable said. You can doubtlessly modify the Barkaritas, too.

Each party is themed to a specific month. October, November, December, February and July all have their own holidays, but August, which has none at all, didn’t stump Cable.

“August is a great time to throw a Bark-to-School get-together—maybe try out some fun training tips and tricks with everyone’s dogs and serve lunchbox favorites,” she said.

What about cats?

“I am all for including cats in the fun, but they are probably not going to enjoy this type of thing and would prefer to be left alone with the catnip and scratching post,” Cable said. Olive herself doesn’t like parties, crowds or sharing the spotlight with other dogs, but Cable said that she’s an expert food taster and goes bananas over most of the recipes, some of which include bananas.

A dark-gray cat with white paws succumbs to wearing a pink hat and sunglasses as a smiling woman holds him and looks to the right.
While the book focuses on dogs, the odd cat can be a social animal, too.  For instance, @sunglass cat has attended more soirées and events than most humans and loves it! Bennie the Cat has made party appearances, too, usually in his honor. Photo courtesy of Katy Cable

To celebrate the release of “Katy Cable’s Party with Your Pup,” Cable has teamed with Barnes & Noble to throw a Pupsgiving Book-Signing Party at the store. Several surprise “dog celebrities” will be in attendance for photo-ops. A raffle for a variety of gifts will benefit several local animal shelters with the proceeds. Full details are under Great furballs of fun! Space is limited, so treat the life of your own party to a good time. And watch those Barkaritas!                                                                                                                               

Virtually pets

“Hey! We’re party animals, too, and want to shake a leg or four at your house! A lot of us are waiting in shelters and rescues for your invitation to forever!”

Waiting at K9 Kismet Dog Rescue

gray-and-white pit bull touches noses with Santa Claus sitting on a plaid-covered bench.
I’m Cowboy. I’m a 3-year-old mastiff mix, and although I love my foster family, I’m hoping that Santa will find me my family—my real one. I’m a big one at 100 pounds, but don’t let that fool you—I’m a lap dog at my foster family’s house! I love to nuzzle hands, and even though I’m excited to see people when they get home, I don’t jump all over them, for which they’re grateful! I also like to sleep late in the morning, just like any hearty party-goer—do we have something in common? If so, visit K9 Kismet and fill out an application. Photo courtesy of K9 Kismet

Waiting at Long Beach Animal Care Services

Little black dog with white muzzle sits on Santa's lap, with Santa looking down at him..
I’m Vonnie (ID#A685192), and I’m a cute little senior guy. At 8 years old, I’m no codger, though. I enjoy walks but I mainly like hanging out by the chips and dip and watching the dancers. I want to join Santa’s reindeer pack. Failing that, I’ll be delighted to join yours. BTW, all through November, you can take home a senior dog with no adoption fee! Photo courtesy of Nici Daniels, LBACS volunteer

gray husky with white face, wearing a red scarf and a tiny Santa hat, looks at camera

Hi! I’m Mookie (ID#A681198), and I’m a 4-year-old boy. I do love what passes for winter weather here. I’m kind of shy and a wallflower at parties until it’s time to get back into my kennel, and then I don’t want to leave the party! Heck, a kennel’s no place for me! I need a home and a hearth—failing the hearth, I’ll settle for a wall heater. If you’re familiar with husky characteristics, come get me! Photo courtesy of Dee Glick, LBACS volunteer

tan pit bull with white chest and muzzle and wearing a Santa hat looks at camera
My name is Spencer (ID#A684516). I’m 4 years old, and I just want to go home and be loved and safe. I was abandoned in a camp inside a large, makeshift kennel. I don’t know where my humans went, but I know they loved me because they taught me to love everyone. And I do. For me, the party is wherever the people and the belly rubs are. Can you take me  home? Photo courtesy of Dee Glick, LBACS volunteer

Check LBACS’s website to see the pets who are available to go home. Adopt or foster any shelter pet by emailing [email protected] or [email protected].

A helping paw

Pet license amnesty extended to Dec. 31

The city of Long Beach has extended the fee and penalty waivers for pet licenses to Dec. 31. Anyone living in the highlighted Community Development Block grant neighborhoods, as shown on the above map, may request a waiver by phone at 562-570-7387, by applying by mail at 7700 E. Spring St., or in person at the shelter. The waiver program is not available online. Visit this link for license requirements. Call 562-570-7387 for additional information.

Great furballs of fun!

Pupsgiving book-signing party for “Katy Cable’s Party with Your Pup!”: Saturday, Nov. 19, 2–5 p.m., Barnes & Noble, 6326 Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach, $40 admission includes signed book, swag bag, raffle tickets, and lunch for humans and dogs.

Grab your pooch and join author and YouTube channel host Katy Cable for an early Pupsgiving picnic and the release of her new book, “Katy Cable’s Party with Your Pup!” On the menu for friends with any number of legs will be cranberry cocktails, pumpkin mousse pie, and all kinds of recipes and yappetizers from her book, including something called Pilgrim Patties! Meet dog-celebrities and learn tips for throwing the perfect “dog-inclusive” party for every month if the year, all in her book! What a gift idea! $40 includes admission to event for you and your dog, a signed book, sWAG goodie bag and raffle tickets for elegant prizes. Space is limited. Attendance is limited, so RSVP by calling Barnes & Noble at 562-431-2253.

Helen Sanders CatPAWS Calendar on sale: $15 at this link

Start 2023 off with heart with this calendar that features 13 months—you’ll start 2024 off right, too—of rescued cats whose humans want nothing more than for them to live the full, cherished lives they deserve. Each cat in the calendar donated funds to CatPAWS to further the rescue’s efforts to give the cats and kittens they pull from the shelter the care they need: bottle feeding, spay/neuter vaccines, lifesaving medical efforts and loving hospice care. Now, each calendar sold will go toward all these good things for cats. As you begin your holiday shopping, please consider adding a CatPAWS 2023 calendars to your gift list, and get one for your own stocking! Purchase by Dec. 13 to ensure we can get them to you by year’s end!

 Foster for a while—or furever!
Courtesy of Long Beach Animal Care Services

Long Beach Animal Care Services has expanded adoption hours as follows: Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Guests are welcome to browse until closing. To speed up any adoption process, email [email protected]. To foster, email [email protected].

If you’ve always wanted a pet but aren’t sure if you’re ready for a lifetime (the animal’s) commitment, or if you’re past the pet-roommate days for any reason, fostering might be a great way to go, especially with one or more of the kittens popping up during kitten season. Every one of the organizations listed below is in desperate need of fosters who’ll social them and help save their little lives. Who knows—maybe one of those lives will change your mind about the not-ready-for-roommate thing!

These nonprofits also regularly feature cat, dog and rabbit adoptions. As of now, adoptions are mainly by appointment. Click on the links for each rescue in case of updates or changes. These organizations operate through donations and grants, and anything you can give would be welcome. Please suggest any Long Beach-area rescues to add to the list. Keep in mind that the rescues are self-supporting and need donations and volunteer help. Most of them cannot accept found or unwanted pets. Contact Long Beach Animal Care Services for options.