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Animal companions in our happy homes

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  • PigwidgeonPigwidgeon Shipmate
    edited September 2019
    My sweet dog, "A", recently turned 15. She's a small/medium mixed breed and a bundle of love. She's developed arthritis these past few months, and can no longer share my bed. (I can lift her up, but then she jumps down which impacts her back). She was just diagnosed with Cushings, and we've started treatment. But now her back legs seem to be failing -- she's okay on carpeted or grassy surfaces, but not our tile kitchen and dining room. My heart is breaking as I face the inevitability of losing my best friend very soon. We'll do what we can to preserve her quality of life, but I won't prolong her life when it becomes too much for her. That's just selfish on my part.
    :cry:

  • BoogieBoogie Heaven Host
    So sorry to hear that @Pigwidgeon :cry:
  • Boogie wrote: »
    So sorry to hear that @Pigwidgeon :cry:

    Thank you. (By the way, seeing your Echo pictures and video cheered me up. :smile: ) We have water therapy Thursday, so I'll talk to her therapist for suggestions, and we have a Vet's appointment coming up soon. Whatever I can do to keep her comfortable -- for as long as feasible.
  • Pigwidgeon wrote: »
    Boogie wrote: »
    So sorry to hear that @Pigwidgeon :cry:

    Thank you. (By the way, seeing your Echo pictures and video cheered me up. :smile: ) We have water therapy Thursday, so I'll talk to her therapist for suggestions, and we have a Vet's appointment coming up soon. Whatever I can do to keep her comfortable -- for as long as feasible.

    There are a variety of boots made for exactly this case that help a dog get traction on slippery floors. It might be worth asking about some. I've used children's socks with the bumpy bits on the bottom for my dog. I use scotch tape around the top and fold the tops down over the taped bit. They have worked great for her when she has had an injury. I wish you the best.
  • Thanks for the suggestion, Lily Pad! I'm not sure how she'd feel about wearing boots, but I've just ordered two runners (rugs) which will help her navigate the slippery tile floors. A friend who had a dog with a similar problem said her vet had recommended doing that.
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    Sorry to hear your wee dog's not so well, Pigwidgeon - hope you can find some kind of relief for her.

    Boogie, Echo is absolutely adorable! :heart:
  • RossweisseRossweisse Hell Host, 8th Day Host, Glory
    Oh, @Boogie, what a cutie!
    Any advice about kittens? ... it's over 30 years since I looked after a kitten, and neither of us have ever had more than one cat at a time. So where to start...
    Kittens usually don't have a hard time finding homes, but when they get just a little older, it can be very difficult to place them. That seems counterintuitive, though, because a cat who's just a few months older is still adorable and kittenish, while having a better-formed personality and fewer disciplinary problems.

    My two current cats were both just about a year old when I got them. They are both delightful - and I knew what I was getting.

    I do recommend having two at a time. And when they're 9-14 months old, you can probably still find littermates!
  • BoogieBoogie Heaven Host
    That’s great @Lily Pad!

    Sorry @Gracious Rebel, I know little about kittens - but I am jealous!

    Echo slept all night - hurrah! 10pm to 6:45am. I needed a wee in the night (TMI!) but didn’t go as I didn’t want to wake him up; he’s training my bladder as much as I’m training his! :tongue:

    He follows Tatze around and lies next to her but has never jumped on her or used his teeth to play with her - I don’t know if she’s relieved or confused!

    He’s hungry all the time even ‘tho he’s put on 2Kg in a week. I dare not up his food yet or he’ll be a little barrel! His second breakfast is at 11am and he’s now sitting by the food cupboard looking at me appealingly.

    I’m off to Pilates soon and Mr Boogs is on puppy duty for the morning.

    Snoozy time.
  • That is probably the nicest thing I'm going to see all day until I get home to the cats. Currently watching a system trying to contact HMRC. Would prefer to watch paint dry.
  • Boogie wrote: »
    Echo slept all night - hurrah! 10pm to 6:45am. I needed a wee in the night (TMI!) but didn’t go as I didn’t want to wake him up...

    I so relate to that (but from the other end of the dog life spectrum)! My sweet "A" is responding well to the Cushings medication, and I am so thankful to have nights where she doesn't wake me up repeatedly, sometimes not at all. But there have been many times where I've been the one who needs to get up but haven't wanted to wake her, and then probably need to take her out.

    I love the Snoozy time picture!
    :heart:
  • jedijudyjedijudy Heaven Host
    Boogie, what a cutie-pie!!

    Daughter-Unit last year signed up and went through training to foster kittens. Yesterday she got her first set of three! I am anxiously waiting for her to give me the time I can go over to play with them today!! (She has PT and I don't want to scare Son-in-Law-Unit by just letting myself into their house!!! :joy: )

    She just texted me, and I will be seeing kittens in about an hour. I'm so very excited!
  • BoogieBoogie Heaven Host
    jedijudy wrote: »
    Boogie, what a cutie-pie!!

    Daughter-Unit last year signed up and went through training to foster kittens. Yesterday she got her first set of three! I am anxiously waiting for her to give me the time I can go over to play with them today!! (She has PT and I don't want to scare Son-in-Law-Unit by just letting myself into their house!!! :joy: )

    She just texted me, and I will be seeing kittens in about an hour. I'm so very excited!

    How will any of you resist adopting them?!

  • RossweisseRossweisse Hell Host, 8th Day Host, Glory
    Boogie wrote: »
    How will any of you resist adopting them?!
    From what I have seen of people who started out fostering and ended up with a half-dozen felines, there is a strong change (and, no doubt, hope) that they won't resist.

  • Around here we call that a "foster fail". Often it seems to be expected. :)
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    @Boogie - :heart: :heart: :heart:

    That is all.
  • jedijudyjedijudy Heaven Host
    D-U is pretty sure she won't be a foster fail since she has four cats of her own, including The Queen of the Universe. D-U's mother might possibly be a different story! :joy: I actually shouldn't have a cat, since I'm really, really allergic to them. I've been getting allergy injections for over two years, now, and every time I see my doctor, he asks if I have any cats, then tells me to never get a cat. But I love kitties!!!!

    So, the fosters are Wilford a black kitten with gray guard hairs, Agnes a black kitten with tabby stripes!!! She also has about ten white hairs on her chest like a dainty necklace. Then there's Ethel, a brown tabby who loves me and wants me to be her person!!!

    Ethel came from Animal Control with a hard, round tummy. She used the litter box all right, but D-U was concerned about how hard the tummy was. Well...let Foster Grandma get hold of her. Ethel crawled up under my neck and got so relaxed she became extremely flatulent. And that escaping gas was powerful and directed right at my face. :grimace: Her tum is now normal. So glad I could help. :wink:
  • HuiaHuia Shipmate
    It might be a good idea to wear a gas mask when handling Ethel.

    We had a kitten like that and my brother called it Putt. She was the friendliest kitten. That brother used to cycle around the section with Putt on his shoulder. He tried it once with Mr Mid, my black cat and was badly scratched.
  • RossweisseRossweisse Hell Host, 8th Day Host, Glory
    @jedijudy, it sounds as though your relationship with Ethel is kismet. (I'd change her name, though.)
  • Her new people will do that for you, as long as you let her go. I nearly cried when 2 lovely kittens I'd called Felix and Felicitas became Neil and Glenys. (you can imagine how long ago that was)
  • jedijudyjedijudy Heaven Host
    At this time, as much as I don't want to, I'll have to give up the idea of having a cat in my house. My asthma was terrible for two days after being with the kittens. :cry: At least I can be with cats on occasion, suffer the consequences, then feel better in a couple of days.

    Not at all satisfying, but better than never being with the little cutie pies.

    I will get to spend a week with my doggy niece and nephew later this month!! Puppy love is fun, too!
  • RossweisseRossweisse Hell Host, 8th Day Host, Glory
    Fredegund wrote: »
    Her new people will do that for you, as long as you let her go. I nearly cried when 2 lovely kittens I'd called Felix and Felicitas became Neil and Glenys. (you can imagine how long ago that was)
    Who were (the original) Neil and Glenys?

    @jedijudy, I'm so sorry to hear that! I pray that she finds another home almost as good as the one she would have with you.

  • Neil and Glenys Kinnock, I imagine. He's a former leader of the UK Labour Party, and she's his wife.
  • MaryLouiseMaryLouise Shipmate, Host Emeritus
    The Kinnock Kittens. That cracks me up.
  • Quite. We had to home Felix (Neil) with the rabbit foot he was caught with (they were ferals) He refused to be parted from it. Freaked the new slave out more than somewhat.
  • jedijudyjedijudy Heaven Host
    Tuesday, Daughter-Unit took the kittens to Animal Control for their check-up. She expected Wilford to be kept there, since he had doubled his weight. Well, they kept all three kittens. She was broken hearted and so was I.

    I had a very, very strong feeling to go see the kittens today. It was in a place a long way from my home and where I was getting chores done. When I got there, I heard a lady saying she was there to adopt Ethel. The worker asked who I was there to see, and I said the same one that lady wants to adopt. The other lady turned around and very graciously made the offer to let Ethel go so I could have her. I told her I can't have kitties with my allergies but just wanted to tell her and the other two kittens goodbye when my daughter was fostering them.

    The lady told me she's a nurse and was in the service and she has two orange male teenage cats that her two year old daughter just dotes on. She also said that Ethel just curled up in her arms and seemed to be very comfortable with her. I think it was meant to be!! And I had the benefit of telling D-U that one of the kittens is going to a very good home!!

    I held Wilford and Agnes and really wanted to adopt them. I have to trust that they will go to very loving homes, too, just like Ethel.
  • HuiaHuia Shipmate
    Lucky Ethel.

    I am sorry about your allergies JJ.

    I am seriously tempted to give up on cats and get a goldfish, They don't escape out the window to go out and explore the night. Also the goldfish from down the road doesn't sneak in through that same window to steal your goldfish's food. :angry:
  • BoogieBoogie Heaven Host
    edited October 2019
    Huia wrote: »
    Lucky Ethel.

    I am sorry about your allergies JJ.

    I am seriously tempted to give up on cats and get a goldfish, They don't escape out the window to go out and explore the night. Also the goldfish from down the road doesn't sneak in through that same window to steal your goldfish's food. :angry:

    I’ve had a pond with fish for five years - they’ve grown a lot!

    They are calming to watch and I enjoy feeding them. But however hard work cats/dogs are - fish are no substitute.

    You know that, of course.

    @jedijudy I’m glad you followed your instinct and can now imagine Ethel in her happy home. :mrgreen:

  • LothlorienLothlorien Glory
    edited October 2019
    Ours are outside in cat run too now. One came in and I went to shut window and out she went. They can’t get out of the run but are supposed to be in at night. She sat outside the window above my handbasin, just out of reach..
  • I sometimes tease my dog that I'm going to trade her in for a gold fish. They eat very little, don't wake you up in the middle of the night to go out, no expensive vet bills, etc. etc. My dog just smiles at me and wags her tail, as if to say "You can't snuggle with a gold fish."
    :smile:
  • jedijudyjedijudy Heaven Host
    Daughter-Unit was thrilled to hear about Ethel's new 'Mom'. That's what D-U is trying to do...love little kittens so they'll be happy with a new family to love them.

    And yes, goldfish are fun to watch, but not very cuddly! ;)
  • Not cuddly at all. Then again, my dog is not that cuddly either. She does cuddle on command but that's only if running and chasing squirrels is not an option. :)
  • HuiaHuia Shipmate
    Yep, strike out the goldfish. They don't come running down the drive with their tails held high when you come home after a rather frazzled day out.
  • One good thing about goldfish is that they don’t hunt lizards in the garden and then throw up what they managed to catch and eat.
  • I have a brightly coloured nylon shopping bag; it's an abstract geometric print with a lot of blues and greens. It's the sort which can be folded into its own pocket and popped into a handbag.

    A while ago I noticed it smelt unpleasantly of cat. I thought I'd left it lying on the floor and the cat had been sitting on it. It's easy to wash, so I washed it and thought nothing of it. Last week, it was smelling again. Again I thought I'd left it lying on the floor, though I was concerned about just how bad it smelled. I washed it again. Today it was lying on my bed and Elizabeth jumped onto the bed and peed on my bag. I was four feet away when she did this.

    I'm now assuming that she deliberately peed on it the previous two times. It must be the bag, rather than the location, because it's been in different places. Why would she do this? The colours? The nylon??

    Obviously, from now on, I'll fold it and put it away each time so that she has no access to it, but why??
  • Just because, I suspect. We've had sheeting down for the plasterers, and Madam has widdled all over it. It's the lovely scratchy noise it makes, and the screams when the tin opener tries to lift it.
  • Our cats prefer my son the Giraffe’s sports bags. It is a good motivation for him to keep them hung up and properly put away, not lying around. I think they like the noise of pee on nylon!
  • North East QuineNorth East Quine Purgatory Host
    edited October 2019
    I think they like the noise of pee on nylon!

    It was certainly audible this morning. I looked to see what the noise was and ...

    It had better stay dry. I have three full loads of washing on the line (1: duvet cover, undersheet etc; 2: towels; 3: duvet) on the line and a fourth load (mattress topper) in the machine). Plus I hand washed the nylon bag, so it's on the line, too.
  • Years ago, my wife and I were accusing each other of not flushing the toilet, and then one evening we heard the unmistakeable sound of someone else using it. We rushed in to see the very young Hercules standing with all four paws on the seat, doing what comes naturally to humans. Neither of us recalled seeing him watching and taking notes. He was a Good Cat.
  • He was also a Very Smart Cat!
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    Just not quite smart enough to flush the loo ... :mrgreen:
  • JennyAnnJennyAnn Shipmate Posts: 46
    We had a problem with a previous cat and a doormat - she just had to wee in it.

    Turns out it’s the smell of the rubber backing - it can smell like other cat wee, so that smell must be replaced by resident cat.

    Current cat doesn’t have this need, but is very interested in any wet nappies I leave unattended.
  • Years ago, my wife and I were accusing each other of not flushing the toilet, and then one evening we heard the unmistakeable sound of someone else using it. We rushed in to see the very young Hercules standing with all four paws on the seat, doing what comes naturally to humans. Neither of us recalled seeing him watching and taking notes. He was a Good Cat.

    Perhaps some fifteen years ago, there was much interest in teaching cats this very thing. Covers could be bought for the seat to stop scaredy cats feeling vulnerable and there were instructions about teaching them to use the space. Gradually the space increased till cat was standing on the seat.

    Personally, this was not to my liking but many people did have the cats using the loo. The then current resident Abyssinian was a strong willed little cat with a definite personality. She was against all this mucking around and let DIL know her thoughts by going in a corner after a lesson. No lesson and she would happily use tray or outside. Give her a lesson and she rebelled.

  • We have goldfish and had koi. One word: eagles.
  • BoogieBoogie Heaven Host
    We have goldfish and had koi. One word: eagles.

    Herons here.

    We have a heron proof mesh over our pond. I’ve seen one standing looking hopeful at the fish.

  • TubbsTubbs Admin Emeritus
    Years ago, my wife and I were accusing each other of not flushing the toilet, and then one evening we heard the unmistakeable sound of someone else using it. We rushed in to see the very young Hercules standing with all four paws on the seat, doing what comes naturally to humans. Neither of us recalled seeing him watching and taking notes. He was a Good Cat.

    Mufasa is very interested in the human litter box but has only tried to use the toilet for drinking water. A bad idea as it's filled with Toilet Duck goodness. Not entirely convinced he'd be able to climb out by himself either
  • BoogieBoogie Heaven Host
    Would you like an earwash while you eat you Kong, Tatze?
  • SarasaSarasa All Saints Host
    My goldfish fell foul of herons or at least some of them did. My son saw one manage to escape though he always bore the scars. After that we netted the pond.
  • Boogie wrote: »
    Would you like an earwash while you eat you Kong, Tatze?

    Tatze is the sweetest, most patient dog. I love watching each time you get a new puppy how Tatze seems to go from step-mother (or perhaps auntie), to big sister, to good buddy.
    :heart:
  • BoogieBoogie Heaven Host
    Pigwidgeon wrote: »
    Boogie wrote: »
    Would you like an earwash while you eat you Kong, Tatze?

    Tatze is the sweetest, most patient dog. I love watching each time you get a new puppy how Tatze seems to go from step-mother (or perhaps auntie), to big sister, to good buddy.
    :heart:

    She really does - and every pup is very different, but she adapts quicker than I do.

    We look after Zaba, another black Lab, a lot and he’s always a Grumpy Uncle to the pups. But that’s also a good thing as the pups need to learn that not every dog wants to be jumped all over.

    :)

  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    That is an adorable video! :heart:
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