Belle 'n' Paws

Belle ‘n’ Paws is a website that advocates for “Senior” Pets. Thanks for visiting !

In Loving Memory of Our Senior Companions

Belle and Paws were the inspiration behind this sanctuary for senior pet stories, informative posts, online tools, and experience related pages. Rescued at 12 years old, these remarkable cats brought immeasurable joy and love to our lives for a further 8 years until they were 20 years old. Though we said goodbye to Paws in August 2023 and Belle in May 2024, their spirits continue to guide our mission here. The tender purrs, knowing gazes, and gentle companionship they offered taught us that a pet’s golden years can be their most precious. Our hearts still ache with both their absence, but we find comfort in sharing their legacy here for our visitors.

This website remains dedicated to advocating for senior pets everywhere and specifically the overlooked souls in shelters with so much love still to give. Through Belle and Paws’ stories and our experience with them, we hope to inspire others to open their homes to older companions and experience the profound bond that comes from loving an animal through their twilight years. Their paw prints remain forever on our hearts as we continue this journey of education, advocacy, and celebration of senior pets everywhere.

Belle and Paws were two beautiful senior feline siblings who found themselves in an unfortunate circumstance. Belle and Paws were discovered as kittens outside with several of their siblings, with no mother in sight. While the rest of their litter found homes, Belle and Paws did not and were taken in by the family who found them and then cared for them for twelve years.

However after 12 years, this family decided to sell their home and move after their children had grown up and/or left for college. They decided to give up Belle and Paws and both were destined for the ASPCA. In our world, you don’t discard family members. When we heard their story, we stepped in to rescue these two beautiful cats, intercepting them before they reached the shelter.

Who Are We?

We are the couple who welcomed Belle and Paws into our home and our family. As a couple, we’ve maintained an animal-friendly household for years, almost always with multiple cats and other pets that we’ve rescued. Though many of our beloved animals have passed away over time, each has lived a FULL happy life during their time with us.

Our extended social circle includes family and friends who foster homeless and abused animals, as well as training service and support animals for those in need. We’ve conducted several animal rescues and interventions ourselves over the years.

Given this background, the decision to adopt Belle and Paws was an EASY one for us as we had the space in our home and INSTANTLY fell in love with these two beautiful cats.

More Pets Besides Belle ‘n’ Paws Here at the Site

As we developed this website and continued caring for our pets, we realized our story extended beyond just Belle and Paws. We were managing several senior pets before, during and after Belle and Paws joined us and we were addressing all the senior health challenges that comes with that care. Our entire pet family deserved to have their stories shared through the Latest Posts section, gradually transforming this into a website for all of our family.

Since Belle and Paws initially inspired the creation of this website, we’ve kept their names in the title. However, the site has evolved into a space where we share experiences, solutions, and online tools for our entire pet family over the years and their unique challenges and solutions.

Why A Website?

When we first created this website, we were simply excited about our new adoptees and wanted a way to document Belle and Paws’ journey into our family. As web developers, setting up a basic website seemed like an easy way to share photos so interested friends and family could follow their progress.

As we developed the site, we realized we could add valuable resources and information to help other pet owners. We wanted to provide useful, educational content for visitors regarding senior pets that might assist others facing similar situations and health challenges with their aging companions.

We also thought we’d share some heartwarming stories along the way, and thus, Belle’n’paws.com was born.

Our website has evolved into a place to share information and advocate for those who cannot speak for themselves. Reflecting on our experiences, we realized our own pets have faced numerous health issues over the years, and we often struggled without adequate resources or guidance. Online information for senior pet care has historically been scattered, with little content addressing the specific issues we encountered.

While online resources for pet health are improving (if you know where to look), we’re committed to enriching this knowledge base by documenting our experiences with our senior pets and the challenges we address on almost a daily basis. We believe other pet owners searching for solutions beyond what they’ve already tried may gain new insights and understanding about their own pets’ conditions.

Why Senior Pets?

Senior pets hold a special place in our hearts. When we welcome animals into our homes as youngsters, we commit to caring for them throughout their entire lives, including their senior years.

Senior animals in rescue shelters are particularly heartbreaking. Imagine a pet who has known only a loving home environment their whole lives and then suddenly thrust into an institutional setting, facing stress and fear with little understanding of what happened.

Too often, pet owners reach a breaking point with their aging companions when health issues become challenging or seem unmanageable. These animals may be surrendered to rescue organizations or euthanized prematurely. We believe many of these situations could and can be avoided with additional knowledge and greater compassion for creatures who cannot advocate for themselves.

We’re here to offer both. We share knowledge from our own experience while giving owners hope that a serious illness or a bad health diagnosis isn’t the end. Cancer or another life-threatening condition doesn’t necessarily mean the end for their pet. Many health concerns can be effectively managed to maintain a good quality of life for a long time after diagnosis.

Senior pets sometimes need additional monitoring as they age. Like humans, cats and dogs become more susceptible to health issues as they grow older. Their bones may become brittle and their joints arthritic. These senior companions may require more attention than they did in their youth and sometimes just closer observation, while other times they need more focused care.

Many senior pets continue to live full, active lives with minimal issues. They can run, jump, and play comfortably well into their golden years. Above all else, they still have love to give.

How to Use our Website

We are not veterinarians, a charity, or a non-profit organization. Our content is not intended to replace professional veterinary advice. If you have concerns about your pet’s health, please consult a qualified veterinary professional (as we do). However, we have been caring for pets with all kinds of issues for over 35+ years and we are considered experts within our own circle of friends. We work closely with veterinarians for all our pets care and needs and are considered exceptionally well informed and experienced by them all.

We’re simply animal lovers sharing our personal experiences with our pets’ health challenges. It’s out goal that other pet owners facing similar situations can find useful insights here at our website. Effective pet care depends on knowledge to the owner, and we aim to contribute to your understanding through our firsthand experiences. Check out our Terms of Service for the free tools available at our website and our disclaimer for the website information, stories, and advice.

If you find our content valuable, please share our website link with friends, family, and anyone who might benefit from the information or resources we provide here.

We welcome all pet and animal lovers, whether you’re seeking specific information or simply looking for something to brighten your day.

Thank you for visiting!

BellenPaws.com supports a number of initiatives for animals and pets. We’ve selected a few here that are close to our heart and ambitiously possible. We hope to bring awareness to these issues and inform others. Please help spread the word on these important issues through social media and conversation with friends and family.

Senior Pets

Senior Pets hold a special place in our hearts and advocacy efforts. Just like people, animals enter their “senior” years and face new challenges that their younger selves didn’t encounter. All your senior pet needs is your awareness of their changing conditions and the same compassion you’d show any family member experiencing similar age-related issues. The approach is simple—treat your pet as family, because that’s exactly what they are.

As pets age, they may require daily monitoring, care, or medication. They might develop thyroid conditions, joint problems requiring pain management, feline diabetes, or mobility issues necessitating assistive devices and special accommodations—much like elderly humans.

The challenges are too numerous to list, yet too many people surrender their aging pets to shelters or rescues, transferring responsibility to others. Even worse, some owners euthanize their pets based on a veterinarian’s assessment that “they’re old and will only get worse.” We’ve heard this firsthand and can honestly say, “No, they didn’t get worse” and “You were wrong.”

Your pet depends on you to maintain their quality of life throughout their senior years, just as you would for any family member. This is the care we strongly advocate for.

Pet Owner Education

Pet owner education is rarely emphasized enough in our society, yet it deserves to be addressed, stressed, and prioritized. Though we consider ourselves knowledgeable pet owners, we research every new issue affecting our pets and invariably learn something new each time. Simply put, there is always more to discover about your pet’s needs and care.

In our experience, we’ve encountered too many pet owners who remain uninformed about their animals’ care, diet, or common pet issues. For instance, understanding what your pet can and cannot safely consume is crucial knowledge that many people lack. Do you know whether your pet can eat grapes, chocolate, or onions? Are you aware that even onion residue from pizza crust can be harmful? Can you identify the hidden toxins in those table scraps you’re feeding to your companions?

If you don’t know these answers regarding your own pet, you should. It’s also important to recognize that cats and dogs often have different dietary restrictions—what’s harmless for one species may be dangerous for the other. Take responsibility for your education through YouTube videos, Wikipedia articles, pet blogs, and books—yes, those printed resources we sometimes forget still exist.

Spay and Neutering

We strongly advocate for spaying and neutering pets. Pet overpopulation is a serious issue—if it weren’t, shelters wouldn’t need to euthanize animals to make room for newcomers. If you have a pet, please take responsibility for having them spayed or neutered.

While your veterinarian can perform these procedures, the costs can be substantial. Fortunately, more affordable alternatives exist. Many programs and clinics specialize in spay and neuter services at reduced rates, allowing you to maintain your relationship with your regular vet for other care.

To find these cost-effective services, reach out to local shelters and specialized clinics. The ASPCA is an excellent starting point. Rescue organizations typically maintain lists of providers offering discounted procedures. Remember, you’re not limited to your primary veterinarian, which may be particularly important if cost is a concern.

Bans on Retail Pet Sales

We firmly believe in adopting rather than buying pets, and we support bans on all retail pet sales. While terms like “puppy mills” and “kitty mills” are commonly used, they carry negative connotations that specifically suggest animal abuse or harm. Although we certainly oppose such abusive operations, our concern extends to all commercial breeding of pets—a broader term that doesn’t necessarily imply cruelty but encompasses the entire industry of breeding animals for profit. In our view, these commercial breeding operations, regardless of their conditions, have no place in our society.

Bans on Declawing of Cats

The decision to welcome a feline into your family sometimes comes with questions about declawing. This procedure typically involves removing a cat’s front claws, though sometimes includes all four paws, and must be performed by a qualified veterinarian.

The Humane Society offers an informative resource on declawing cats. Their stark description stands out: “If performed on a human being, declawing would be like cutting off each finger at the last knuckle.” While some defenders cite modern laser techniques to minimize the impact, such arguments miss the fundamental issue. I wouldn’t want this procedure performed on me, which makes it difficult to justify doing it to a cat.

This concern extends to alternative procedures like tendonectomy—surgery that prevents cats from extending their claws to scratch. In my opinion, cats deserve to keep their claws intact. If furniture protection is your concern, several humane alternatives exist. Both Belle and Paws exhibit side effects from having been declawed in their previous home.

Pet Adoption

Our position on retail pet sales is straightforward: If retail stores sourced their animals from rescues or shelters, our stance might be different. However, most pet stores obtain their animals from commercial breeders. These retailers could easily partner with rescue shelters or foster organizations but instead choose to support a market that commodifies animals.

There are countless reasons to adopt a pet, with providing unconditional love at the top of the list—and, of course, saving a life.

Adopt a pet, don’t shop for one is more than just a catchphrase. Consider this: Do you normally shop for your family members? What about your friends?

Paws, Zippy, Rascal, and Belle in the tube.

From cats and dogs to senior care, DIY projects, and helpful tools, these articles are built on real experience and a shared goal: helping pets live healthier, more comfortable lives at every age.

BellenPaws.com provides educational content, tools, calculators, and tracking features intended to support pet owners in organizing information and learning more about pet care topics. Content on BellenPaws.com reflects our personal experiences (caring for senior pets, diabetic pets, pets with cancer, and pets in general), along with extensive research and information gathered from publicly available educational sources.

We are not veterinarians.

Every pet is unique, and responses to care, diet, supplements, medications, or lifestyle changes can vary. Pets can respond very differently to care decisions based on age, breed, medical history, and individual health factors. For example, pets diagnosed as oncologic patients often require individualized care plans. Always consult with a licensed veterinarian regarding your pet’s specific health needs, medical conditions, and treatment plans.

Use of the information on our website is at your own discretion and risk.