I thought tonight we would focus on people taking care of and loving the furred, feathered and scaled.
2-year-old girl sees a deaf foster puppy walk by her house every day — and decides he needs to be part of her family ❤️ pic.twitter.com/rpo1PQeRHK
— The Dodo (@dodo) February 18, 2022
From Dan B who is busy getting the strays spayed and neutered.
We’ve got two who love us hoomins and just got a big handsome boy who loved hoomins and trusted them, “tutored” and adopted. We would have loved to have kept him but he would have thrown our two crazy with fear because he was so big. We love giving them love or getting them where they get loved.
The light grey handsome guy with white socks is the Tomcat. I think he’s very young still. He doesn’t act like an adult Tom, very easygoing.
It’s that time of year when ducks and geese are choosing less than ideal locations to nest. Luckily, folks are excited and respectful.
Anne Laurie sent this to me a while ago and it just about broke me. Get the tissues. Trigger warning – aging parents, death and hope.
Life, in Dog Years
My father always pampered his pets. So when he fell ill and moved in with us, it was no surprise that his corgi came to rule our home. What I didn’t expect was for Trilby to care for me after Dad was gone.
It’s a long, beautiful essay and highly recommended reading, here.
Just some fun:
Twitter needs this.. ? pic.twitter.com/nkgbUblHst
— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden_) April 22, 2022
Little boy playing fetch with the neighbor’s dog.. ? pic.twitter.com/zEqw9V8ZzM
— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden_) April 25, 2022
Well I feel better, I hope you do, too
Here’s my little instigator. I was trying to read. She clearly did not approve of my reading material (Vera Caspary, Laura, btw).
Trixie, who insisted on going to bed when Scout went to bed, despite my misgivings of her being unsupervised (which I was right about – she did manage to get into much trouble between Scout’s bedtime and mine) is now restless at night, because her new best buddy, Willow, gets crazy around midnight. She involves her brothers in her antics and Trixie wants nothing more than to join in. Luckily, she is old enough now to understand waking me for anything that is not an absolute emergency is never a good idea. LOL
I’m going to say that there will probably not be a post next week, we are having a Mother’s Day celebration to remember my mom and support my dad as he faces both their 62nd anniversary and mother’s day on back-t0-back weekends, so I’ll be traveling next week.
But keep sending me acts of kindness, I’m seriously running low!
TaMara
Adam asked me to let you know there will be a post tonight, but it will be very late.
WaterGirl
I just pulled my post that went up right before yours. I will put it up in an hour or so.
sab
Ponyo our pitbull has been nuzzling up to me all day. She is so big and strong that that tends to kick ne off the bed or sofa,
Dobby the former demon cat has been chased by Shadow all day. Vet says it is love-hate. Dobby loves, Shadow hates. Sure enough, she chased him through the house to the top of the bedroom cat tree. And when he looked over the edge at her his ears were forward, like he was curious. And she looked up at him the same. No anger or fear there on either side. Just cats frisking.
WaterGirl
Oh, my, Trixie has grown so much!
Do you coordinate your dogs with your furniture, or your furniture with your dogs?
I did it all wrong, I had a black couch when I had my buff cocker spaniel, and then a tan couch when I had the black dog. ?♀️
sab
@WaterGirl: If only they made navy blue dogs.
ChasM
Well, it’s been a sad week. Our 16+ yo ginger tab Byron started wheezing a couple weeks ago. First thought it was asthma, then maybe pneumonia. Nothing helped. We gave him a perfect day last weds, helping him to follow the sun and rest with love. An amazing magic pixie vet from Lapsoflove came Thurs afternoon. By then B had crawled into his mommies lap for one last nap. He knew. It was so peaceful and loving.
This week its been extra extra loves for Sanders, his younger brother that we adopted thru this very website (thanks Anne!). Please send love waves toward S in Cali so he can get some courage to get past losing his brother.
sab
Our neighborhood cat lady is still out at 6 a.m. feeding the ferals that she hasn’t caught. All but one of them survived this horrible winter. The non-survivor got hit by a car, sad but at least didn’t freeze to death
Every day she is out there feeding those guys and trying to catch them.
Steve in the ATL
@WaterGirl: we gave up and went with all golden retriever colored clothing and furniture
Sure Lurkalot
Some neighbors and I have been performing acts of kindness (not exactly by choice) as we have been visited intermittently by a female wild turkey who flies from yard to yard to eat birdseed from our feeders. Our homes are in a suburban area where turkeys do not normally live.
Needless to say, it was quite surprising the first time I went out back and saw this huge beautiful bird.
When it finishes hoovering up the seed on the ground in one yard, it hops onto the perimeter fence and to the next yard to for seconds and thirds. We researched that they nest in trees so we suspect her nest is nearby.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/tkPh4r7XZcqNAbe79
Steeplejack
@ChasM:
? ? ?
TaMara
@ChasM: Sending you all the love vibes. We know all too well in this house that sadness and the adjustment period. May you all find your way.
Byron was one lucky ginger. Hugs to all.
Sure Lurkalot
@ChasM: Love waves sent and your story is painfully close. My niece had 2 bro cats (Neelix and Dax) and Neelix, a spunky white and ginger, at the early age of 13, developed a tumor and crossed the bridge a couple of weeks ago. Bro Dax was despondent beyond words but I’m happy to report as time passes in cat measures, he’s doing much better, which is my hope for S.
trollhattan
@WaterGirl: What can you do?
During our Dalmatian era all black items gathered white and all white items gathered black. They’re equal-opportunity shedders, and happily shed 24/7.
japa21
@Sure Lurkalot: Don’t get turkeys at our feeders. In fact, currently, we have taken down all our feeders due to the avian flu. Recommended by the DNR and other folks for just about all the Midwestern states (I’m in Illinois). Has taken away one of the real joys of our lives. Supposedly, we should be able to start feeding again the end of May.
WaterGirl
@ChasM: Tears for you and your wife and Byron and Sanders. I’m so sorry.
WaterGirl
@Steve in the ATL: That’s an excellent choice, you can’t go wrong with that, it’s always in style.
Sure Lurkalot
@japa21: As for big birds, we get hawks and owls but turkeys in Denver area usually hang out at golf courses and wetlands, not in suburbia.
We were visited by pair of mallard ducks a few years ago. They flew into the yard a couple of days in a row to never return. There’s a creek nearby so ducks weren’t as surprising as a turkey.
WaterGirl
@Sure Lurkalot: That’s a big bird!
WaterGirl
@trollhattan: Black and white polka dots are always in?
Heidi Mom
@ChasM: So sorry for your loss and Sanders’.
NotMax
No love for the naked mole rat? Dolphins? Jellyfish?
:)
Jager
A fellow dog lover and I were talking about dogs we’ve had over the years, The German Shepherd I had in the early 90s came up. Onza and I were camping at Mt. Baxter State Park in Maine. After everything was set up we took a hike on a rough little-used trail. Onza was off-leash ranging 50-60 feet in front of me. (He was well trained and always came when I called) He disappeared into the underbrush off the side of the trail, a minute later he trotted back carrying a pink thong in his mouth.
E.
I hope this isn’t too OT. On Sunday I embark on a 3,000 mile journey with what’s left of my belongings and my two beloved kitties in a U-Haul. One of the cats is tested in cars and he is utterly horrible. He howls and wails without stop. The other is untested. I have purchased a dog crate and intend to transport both of them in it together.
I have also purchased a big litter box and plenty of litter (they are indoor-outdoor cats at home).
I am *assuming* I will be able to find motels along the way that let me bring these guys in. But I have never done this before and am terrified.
Any advice for me from more seasoned cat-movers?
WaterGirl
@E.: No direct experience.
ADVICE:
.
I salute your bravery!
Starfish
Thank you for giving us such a sweet post. I really needed this today.
Jager
@E.:
When we moved from Boston to SoCal, I got a moving allowance of 15k. We did it ourselves and saved a couple of grand. I drove the big Ryder truck with the German Shepherd in the cab with me. My wife drove her car with our Persian cat. The cat hated riding in the car. We had her bed and litter box in the car. The cat was so freaked she spent the entire trip in her litter box. She would not pee or poop in the car, when we checked into our motels at night, she empty herself, jump up on the bed and cuddle with my wife. The dog was fine, but he was so bored, when I’d stop for diesel, I’d open the window and let flies in, so he’d have some entertainment for the next leg of the trip.
Raven
I’ve been thinking about our dogs a good bit lately. We’re headed to the beach Monday and it was this time last year we took Bohdi on his last trip down there. For most of his life he was a fanatic ball chaser and the surf didn’t slow him down one bit. He’d taken a bad fall the year before down there and that was really the beginning of a really hard time for him. I thought he’d like to go out in the bay because we could pull the van close to the water and I could carry him out into the water. We got out there with the ball but, because his feet touched the bottom, he seemed spooked and didn’t want to play. I threw it for him a couple of time but it was no go.
It wasn’t much longer that we had to face the inevitable and let him go, just like we had done with Lil Bit the fall before. So the plan was to not get another dog for a while and travel and all that. Along about August we decided to foster and then came Artemis with her horrific story and her PTSD. Now eight months later she’s part of the family and a true joy. What tugs at me sometimes is that we so easily integrated her into our lives. The last couple of years with Lil Bit and Bohdi (actually most of Lil Bit’s 12 years) were pretty difficult but we sure loved em. I guess the way I’m feeling is that it’s worth for us to go through what you have to in order to get what they give you. I know some people vow “never again” when they lose a pet, my old man was that way but I’m glad we are doing what we are.
thalarctosMaritimus
@WaterGirl: Agreed with all your advice.
I moved 3 cats from Seattle to Kentucky last September, and I treated them like transporting maximum security prisoners–no opening the carriers until all surrounding doors and windows are secured.
I took it a step further–I did *not* want to be trying to find a cat inside a mattress or a hidey-hole at checkout time, so I made them sleep on towels in the bathroom. They very much did not appreciate that, but my sister-in-law once traveled with a cat who burrowed inside a hotel mattress, so I just told them to blame SIL’s cat for ruining it for everyone.
Expedia, Priceline, and those kind of services have a filter that you can use to look for pet-friendly places to stay, even if you don’t do the actual booking through them.
Finally, I had a pet emergency that fortunately turned out all right, but it exposed a major gap in my planning. During the business week, there are emergency vets available in a lot of places where they are unavailable on weekends. Similarly, many rural areas have no vets at all on the weekend.
Double-check your trip plan against major towns and cities and business week versus weekend, and have a plan for where you will go at any point if you need an emergency vet. Sometimes, the best emergency vet will be behind you, and you’ll need to double back. You do *not* want to pull off the highway to frantically Google on your phone if your cat is very sick.
We set out from St. Louis on the final day of our trip at 8:30 AM, and were almost halfway through rural southern Illinois when Estellita got very sick. I did the panicky Googling and calling ahead thing, and reached a small-town vet who was just closing up. She said my best bet was going back to the St. Louis metro area, and we did. We left St. Louis *again* at 3:30, and finally dragged into our Kentucky destination at 2:00 AM, but the important thing was that Estellita was all right, after the vet fixed her up.
Raven
I really like it when I write more than one line and it turns out the thread is dead.
E.
Thanks all. I am definitely not letting them out of the dog crate until in a secured room. Good idea about the filters on Priceline etc. I will let you all know if I survive this. I think it will be five days of driving.
The Moar You Know
@E.: Get two. Never transport more than one animal per crate. Awful things can happen.
E.
@The Moar You Know: It has a divider in it!
Gvg
When I was a child we moved back to Florida from Oklahoma. My father had built a fitted crate in half the backseat which went to the floor for the litter box and they could ride on the seat or on a shelf to look out. Wood frame and some kind of mesh, with a door. Mom and grown kitten slept most of the way. I was young and it was long ago, so I am not sure but I think we put them in carriers to transfer to motel rooms at night. Looking back, there was no way to know about pet friendly so I suspect we smuggled them in sometimes. We even survived a car accident. They were unhurt but tossed to the floor. I think it was 1973 or so. I don’t recall much meowing. I imagine 100’s of miles get boring even to nervous cats and I think they slept a lot.
Shana
@Sure Lurkalot: Speaking of mallards, has anyone heard if Operation Mallard #4 has had ducklings yet? There’s this guy in England, on the 9th floor of a building, who has had 4 seasons of Mrs. Mallard nesting in a planter on his deck. Once they’ve hatched, he puts all the ducklings in a bucket attached to rope and lowers it to the ground so the ducklings and Mrs. Mallard can reach the water. His daughter posts his videos on Twitter.
kindness
This is an awful sweet post. Thank you.
ghost cat
@E.: I’ve done several cross-country moves alone, twice with 4 cats and once with 5. All my moves were in the US & before smartphones, navigation systems, OnStar, etc, & I had AAA membership for every trip. Their travel guides make it easy to find motels that allow cats. Their guides for hotels, motels, and restaurants are thorough and up-to-date, and many places offer discounts to AAA members. I never made my motel reservations ahead of time for the whole trip, because I found that some days I just couldn’t get on the road as early as I wanted. I usually made reservations for the night in late morning, based on how far I thought I would get that day, and used AAA guides to choose the town, exit & a motel. I always stayed in motels so I didn’t have to transport multiple cats a longer distance inside a building. I requested rooms on the ground floor at the end of the building so there were fewer people around to stress the cats during transfer between the car & room. Now of course AAA guides are available in digital as well as print, so it should be even easier to search for cat-friendly places in your price range. If you don’t have navigation in your car, another benefit is that AAA keeps their digital road maps up-to-date to reflect changing travel conditions from construction and other short-term issues.
You might consult your vet about medications, but if you get meds, it’s good to test them out before you leave. Sometimes sedatives have the opposite effect and you don’t want to find that out on the first day in the car! Also, what works at home may not work as well when they’re really stressed out in the car. I’ve had good experiences with gabapentin before trips to the vet. But I’m not sure if it can be used all day for several days. Some of my cats did better if I covered their carrier with a blanket so that they heard & saw less of all the strange things going on outside the car. Others were happier on a short secure leash & harness so they could move around a bit outside the carrier, as long as access to the driver and under the seats is blocked. Blankets and sheets are good for shading crates and carriers when they’re in the sun. You can also get shades that have suction cups to stick to the windows for sun protection.
It’s OK for most cats to go a few days without much food or water. So don’t worry if they aren’t interested. Some of my cats were prone to throwing up from stress, so I definitely skipped their morning meals. Dehydration is usually only a problem if it’s hot in the car or they have kidney disease. Skin tenting is a quick & easy way to check a cat’s hydration status. (Gently pinch some skin on your cat’s back at the shoulders and gently pull it up, then let go. If your cat is hydrated, the skin will slide back into place quickly.)
I also learned to not to be ambitious about how far I wanted to get on the first day, because I always ended up spending more time than I thought I would to get everything situated for me & the cats inside the car. It’s hard to think of everything in advance.
Good luck!
WaterGirl
@Raven: I read it. Glad you wrote it.