Kitten proofing plants

"There is no more intrepid explorer than a kitten."
~ Jules Champfleury

I am re-learning that nothing is safe in my house and all of my secrets will be soon be discovered. Merlin is the first kitten I've had in my home for over 15 years. My previous cat companion, Lancelot, was well beyond his kitten behavior for so many years, that I've forgotten how inquisitive a kitten can be. After all my decorating efforts to make my home reflect my personality, Merlin has made sure his presence is known, and he's the master of it as well.

I've put away my delicate crystal and china trinkets and purchased a new batch of earthquake hold for other items. A friend stated it's just like baby proofing a home, however I must partially disagree.  As far as I know, babies don't move at 90 miles an hour from one point to another, nor do they leap from the floor to the top shelf of the bookcase in one smooth move. It never ceases to amaze me how Merlin can surefootedly walk across the smallest ledge and disturb nothing. Then decide that he must get into the 1/2" space between a vase and the wall, sending the vase toppling to the floor.  One such vase was the home of one of my Chinese fortune plants filled with water which fortunately (?) landed in my open briefcase and not all over the carpet. 

My home is filled with both homeopathic and decorative plants. I love the living greening inside, and now so does Merlin. With over 300 plants toxic to cats , I made sure that none of these were inside my home. Many smaller plants were moved to higher locations. (When I did this, I had a memory lapse about cats ability to jump). Merlin seems to like to chomp on certain leaves and dig in the soil. When I took him to the Vet after rescuing him, the vet stated Merlin appeared to have been on the street for a while. So using dirt as his bathroom would be something he was previously used to and I certainly don't want him to mistake any of these plants for a litter box. 

Many people use spray bottles and loud noises to startle a cat and attempt to train their behavior. There are several deterrent products on the marketplace as well. Although these methods may work, I wanted something more natural and loving. I started by placing little stakes in the plant's pots, making a vertical type of fence. Merlin chewed on the stakes and let himself through. Then I took clear packaging tape and put it sticky side out. That has kept him from climbing on most of the larger pots, and it's sooo attractive to my decor. and several times I've caught my clothing on it as I pass by. 

A friend suggested orange peels and coffee grounds.  Allegedly, cats don't like the smell of citrus.  And it appears Merlin is one of those cats.  Although I don't drink coffee, my neighbor is glad to give me her used coffee grounds ands since I eat oranges every day, this is any easy fix. I placed the orange peels around the outer edge of the pot, and zested some of the peel into water and sprayed the leaves. The coffee grounds are sprinkled over the top of the soil. Coffee grounds are also a natural air freshener, so that is an added bonus. another friend suggested aquarium gravel, as cats don't like the feel of the uneven edges under their paws. So for those plants with a larger soil surface area, I added natural gravel as well.

So far, after only a week, Merlin has moved onto other investigations around the house and my plants have been left alone to flourish.




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The true value of a dog

I just watched a video (again) that stirs my heart every time.

This video is about a dog that was born to be a service dog. From the day he was born, his handlers set about his training schedule to make him the best service dog ever, so he could help a disabled person. What a noble professions for this dog. He excelled at his training and proved his service skills were the best.

He had one “flaw” (?) He liked to chase birds and run fast. That sudden distraction and impulse to abandon his duty, in pursuit of play could be potentially dangerous to the person he was supposed to serve. Most service animals can be trained not to be distracted, but he couldn’t. For some people, this would mean the end of this dog. He was now a failure as a service dog.

But....his handlers were more loving and smarter than to give him such a label or (gasp) consider his life was over. Instead they observed what he was good at, what could he do, instead of what he couldn’t do.

He loved to be in the water. He loved to surf and he was very good at it. When he surfs he is ecstatically happy and other people can see it and feel it. His joy brings smiles to others faces, and he touches their hearts. His direction of service was adjusted. He now uses his surfing talents to raise funds for charity. As a “service” dog, he is now able to serve many more people.

I urge you to watch the movie and see him for yourself.

The true value of a dog is in the love they give us unconditionally - especially when they are allowed and encouraged to be all they can be.

Sighs Matters

TM

  For Cats and Dogs & their People.

3rd in Series of Stress Out™ Books

SIZE MATTERS ...

Puppy Size

This is one of the neatest stories..

You will know precisely what this little girl is talking about at the end.

****

"Danielle keeps repeating it over and over again. We've been back to this animal shelter at least five times. It has been weeks now since we started all of this," the mother told the volunteer.


"What is it she keeps asking for? "the volunteer asked.

"Puppy size!", replied the mother

Well, we have plenty of puppies, if that's what she's looking for.
 

"I know...we have seen most of them," the mom said in frustration...

Just then Danielle came walking into the offices

The two women looked at each other, shook their heads and laughed.

"You never know when we will get more dogs. Unfortunately, there's always a supply," the volunteer said.  

Danielle took her mother by the hand and headed to the door. "Don't worry, I'll find one this weekend," she said.

Over the next few days both mom and dad had long conversations with her.

"We don't want to hear anything more about puppy size either," Mom added.

Sure enough, they were the first ones in the shelter on Saturday morning. By now Danielle knew her way around, so she ran right for the section that housed the smaller dogs. 

Tired of the routine, mom sat in the small waiting room at the end of the first row of cages. There was an observation window so you could see the animals during times when visitors weren't permitted.   

Danielle walked slowly from cage to cage, kneeling periodically to take a closer look One by one the dogs were brought out and she held each one. One by one she said, "Sorry, you're not the one." 

It was the last cage on this last day in search of the perfect pup. 

The volunteer opened the cage door and the child carefully picked up the dog and held it closely. This time she took a little longer.

"Mom, that's it! I found the right puppy! He's the one! I know it!" she screamed with joy. "It's the puppy size!"

"But it's the same size as all the other puppies you held over the last few weeks," Mom said.

"No not size... the sighs!
 When I held him in my arms, he sighed," she said. 

"Don't you remember? When I asked you one day what love is, you told me love depends on the sighs of your heart. The more you love, the bigger the sighs!" 

The two women looked at each other for a moment. Mom didn't know whether to laugh or cry.  As she stooped down to hug the child, she did a little of both.

"Mom, every time you hold me, I sigh. When you and Daddy come home from work and hug each other, you both sigh. I knew I would find the right puppy if it sighed when I held it in my arms," she said. 

Then holding the puppy up close to her face she said, "Mom, he loves me. I heard the sighs of his heart!"  

Close your eyes for a moment and think about the love that makes you sigh.

….. in the arms of a loved one; the caress of a sunset; the kiss of the moonlight and the gentle brush of cool air on a hot day.

Take the time to stop and listen; you will be surprised at what you hear.  

"Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." 

 

Always a supply ... It is estimated that animal shelters care for 6-8 million dogs and cats every year in the United States, of whom approximately 3-4 million are euthanized. 

Think first....
 > > before buying a pet from a puppy mill,
 > > microchip your animals, even the best trained can bolt from your home when scared
 > > and spay and neutering your dogs and cats DOES save lives.

Visit a shelter today and find a new pet that sighs in your arms.

Doing the right thing

Los Angeles county, as many others, has a mandatory Spay/Neuter law. The purpose of this law is to attempt to control the over population of stray dogs and cats.  The rescues and shelters are overcrowded and the numbers being euthanized continue to rise.

To make it easier for people to get their animals spayed/neutered there are a few free, low cost  and mobile clinics. 

A little over a week ago, my vet recommended it was time for Merlin to visit one of these mobile clinics. One was conveniently scheduled regularly at a nearby neighborhood. A call the day before resulted me an appointment for Merlin, which meant I had to walk Isaac earlier than usual to make the scheduled time. Isaac loved the early morning air, and Merlin had no clue how this day was going to change the rest of his life.

When I arrived, there was a small crowd lined up all for the same time. The clinic took in all the animals first thing in the morning and then performed the surgeries one after the other. We were to be called when our pet was ready to be picked up in the afternoon.

This particular mobile clinic offered both free and fee services. If a person could show their income was below a certain amount, they could receive the services for free, otherwise it was $100.  As I waited my turn in line, a woman ahead of me was explaining that she had rescued her two cats from an area near her home and she didn't have the heart to take them to the pound because she was afraid they would be euthanized. She had tried one local shelter, but they wanted an intake fee which she couldn't afford. Her daughter convinced her that these cats had chosen their family, so they must keep them. They had all quickly become very attached to these furry little angels so she was at the clinic to have them fixed.  

Unfortunately, the intake technician informed her that her income was $1000 over the limit for free services and she would have to pay the $100 per cat.  She kept  attempting to explain that she didn't have that much money. Even though her income appeared to be above what they considered the "low income" level, she was struggling to pay her bills. She wanted to do the right thing for these cats. No amount of tears or begging would change the technician's mind. He was following the rules and he couldn't budge.   

Fortunately, someone hearing this story stepped up and paid the fee for her two cats surgery. Some might argue that if she couldn't pay the surgical fee she shouldn't have the cats, whereas others would say she was showing great love for these animals by taking them in and attempting to do what was in their best interests. Regardless of outside opinions, this woman was following her heart and doing what she felt strongly was the right decision for her life and her family.

The mandatory spay/neuter law has become controversial. One reason is the cost. Many people are struggling to meet their financial obligations, and being forced to make a choice between paying their utilities or groceries or use that $100 to spay/neuter their animal feels like a losing proposition either way. County vets are supposed to report any animal that is brought in intact unless provided proof that the animal meets one of the exemptions. It is believed that many intact pets fail to get the vet care they may need because of the fear of the consequences.  Granted, there are those that will ignore any law or refuse to get their pet spay/neutered for a variety of reasons, however, for those that are showing up to do the right thing and are struggling financially, there must be some leeway. The inflexibility this woman was facing could have resulted with these two cats contributing later on to the pet overpopulation. 

I'm in support of humanely reducing the number of pets that roam our streets and fill our shelters, living limited life spans without being part of a loving family. Responsible spay/neutering is one way. Taking the time to consider how financially difficult it is for many families at this time; and being humane in the treatment towards those who show up attempting to do the right thing, is also important. We must look at the consequences we create, when we draw such a hard line decision and refuse to consider alternatives.  

Abuse or Love?

Friends and I watched a dog trainer show last night and were appalled at what was being taught. This dog/human trainer proclaimed that he used "energy" to communicate with dogs to get them to exhibit the behavior he wanted. He used a gesture to simulate his "energy" as something unseen, yet felt and understood by the dogs.

Yet in one session he used a prong choke collar and several times yanked harshly on the dogs neck, pulling the dog back from entering an open door, until the dog cowered in submission. If he was using his "energy" to communicate then why the physical abrupt jerking of the neck collar which raised the dogs feet from the ground more than once? In another scene he hit this same dog sharply in the chest with the tips of his four tightly positioned straight locked fingers to get the dog to become submissive.  The energy we witnessed was fear, not love.

This dog trainer (?) claims that this treatment is loving and all his dogs love him and 'know he is the leader of the pack'. Is this really love, or is it fear and intimidation?  This appears similar to child abuse; and the child knowing no other form of love, mistakes abuse for love.

This dog had begun to exhibit aggression towards an older dog in the house. Many animal behaviorists report this change from previous friendly behavior could be the result of many different factors, which if the underlying cause is treated, the effect will change. Instead this animal trainer attacked only the current behavior, now addressing what might have caused this dog to change.

In a recent yearlong study by University of Pennsylvania researchers shows a study of dog owners who use punishment, force, and confrontational or aversive methods to train aggressive pets, veterinary researchers have found that these methods elicited an aggressive response from at least a quarter of the dogs on which they were attempted - back towards their familiar people - the ones delivering the confrontational techniques.


I do agree that some larger and stronger dogs may seem to need a strong hand to train them, however, more and more positive and reward based training programs are showing excellent results with more humane and loving methods with all types of behaviors, sizes and breeds of dogs.


The second dog he worked with, appeared to hate the male person in the home. His solution again was forceful in gaining control over the dog, complete with thick leather work gloves. The objective was to pick up the dog, and hold it with the gloves until the dog gave up and became submissive. In comparison, another animal training show we watched where the small dog appeared to dislike the males in the household, the trainer saw the dog was scared and uncomfortable around the men which was then exhibited as aggression. Seeing the cause of the aggression and not just the aggressive behavior, this trainer used a positive reinforced training. After a little time of consistent training, the result was that the little dog actually learned the men were "safe" and good things happened when they were in the room. The husband was proud to show how the dog happily greeted all members of the family.  Granted, no two dogs or situations are the same however, it appears that the positive approach was more loving and gave a larger positive result.


When a TV show has to display a disclaimer several times throughout the show "do not attempt the techniques you see without consulting a professional", it causes the question of why show the techniques if there is a potential hazard? This type of disclaimer is routinely seen with stunt programs and potentially irresponsible and dangerous actions. It appears to be their legal out if someone uses the same techniques and doesn't consult this professional (?) first.

This trainer seems to have a large following, however, that doesn't make it right. It brings to mind the story of the Emperor and His New Clothes.  The 'Emperors followers were first afraid to tell the him that he his clothes were an illusion; then they began to question themselves if their eyes were deceiving them because the Emperor couldn't possibly be naked (wrong). Until one small child had the clarity of truth and spoke up. Then the veil of deceit was broken and the naked Emperor was seen as he was.

We are a society that has become numb to abuse towards our animals. Every day I witness dogs being yanked by their necks, slapped, held down to force submission and constantly being yelled "no" in their face. Many people use harsh treatment on their animals because it gets a quick fix. Some people don't know there is another way. This has paved the intention of the Stress Out for Cats, dogs and their People book.


Only when enough people challenge questionable treatments will there be safer and more loving treatments become the more popular and then (hopefully) the norm.


Taily wags and purrrrs......

An Unexpected Addition to the Family

I’ve always been an animal lover. For most of my adult life, I have had cats in my home. Lancelot was my devoted cat companion for 13 years. He was a beautiful short haired pure white cat with pink skin and one blue eye and one gold eye. Quite the looker! He traveled the world with me, including to friends houses when I house sat their pets. He got along with everyone and he taught a few dogs that cats are not toys. I lost my devoted friend to cancer two years ago, and he left a void that has been difficult to fill. To get my cat fix, I spend time at a local rescue socializing and tending to the cats & kittens. 

Since I haven’t been ready to adopt another cat, I have been fostering a dog. An adorable, happy, cute little black Chihuahua blend. For some reason black dogs don’t seem to get adopted as quickly as other dogs, and little Isaac had been at the rescue too long and was developing kennel stress. A foster home until he gets his furrever home was the solution. It’s been a change in my home with dog toys and daily walks and play time with toss and fetch. He is now housebroken, sits and stays on command. This keeps him from dashing to, or through the door when it opens. He puts himself to bed, in his own bed, when he sees me preparing myself for bed. Since we don’t know if his furrever home will want him to sleep in a bed with them, I am careful to keep that boundary. It would be easier for them to give him permission, then take it away. He now walks with a gentle leash and he waits at corners for my command when it is safe for us to cross. We don’t know why he was dumped at the pound, but it was his lucky day when the shelter folks rescued him before he met a terrible fate there.

A few weeks ago, while taking our last walk of the night near midnight, something light colored jumped down from a tree and darted over to us. We have squirrels in our trees, so Isaac and I weren’t startled, only curious. It turned out to be a very dirty kitten, about 4 months old. He came to us and plopped on my feet and purred. Almost like saying, thank you for coming. Fortunately my neighbor has 3 beautiful tuxedo cats, and had extra feline necessities to spare. Even at that late hour she responded to help the needs of this little guy. We made a place for him with small litter box and cat bed in one of my bathrooms. He didn’t seem interested in food or water, and instead fell to sleep in my hands when I was wiping him off with a damp cloth. He appears to be injury and pest free, just quite thin. 

I placed him in the little pet bed and he fell fast asleep with a loud purr. He didn’t even seem to notice Isaac anymore, or us leaving the room and closing the door so he could have privacy and safety during the night. It’s been a while since I’ve had a kitten in my home, so fortunately my neighbor helped to make the decision on how much food to give this little one this morning. The kitten gobbled up food faster than Isaac. 

On our first walk the next morning, I placed signs with my phone number so the kitten could be reclaimed if the caller could describe him. No one did. Bittersweet. A couple of days later, I took him to the vet for a full check up and make sure he was ok. I use a holistic vet, and she appreciated what happened with my night light the night this little guy came home with me.

Since the departure of my Lancelot, I have kept a small white cat night light glowing every day. That night after putting kitty to bed, this night light burnt out. Was it Lancelot telling me it was time for another purr in my home? Was he telling me he knew I would protect this little one until his responsible person came forth? Did he send him to me to live here? I meditated and didn’t get answers, only peace; a peace I haven’t felt since he left.

Merlin is now a permanent member of this family. He and Isaac run, tousle and play together like good friends. Nothing is safe from the speed of active small animals racing around the house, over and around furniture. It’s fun to witness. I still miss my Lancelot, however, these two little fellows bring so much love and laughter back into my home that was missing for a while.

Tail wags and purrs.....

Outside dogs?

I always wonder why someone would bring a dog into their family and then relegate the dog to living outdoors all the time?

A dog is a pack animal, and we as their people - are their pack. Studies have shown that dogs that are confined to the yard or tied up outside for long periods of time, develop stress, frustration and anxiety. A stressed dog will dig, bark, howl or whine, chew wood and other objects and escape any chance they get. And, yes, exhibit aggression. Some may argue that their dog is a protective dog, so their aggressive behavior is a good thing.  Yet dogs will only protect their territory, and if their territory the the yard, your intruder has free reign when inside your home. Plus, if your dog has no emotional attachment to the people in the house, except for their food and occasional greeting, the aggression could be directed inappropriately at a human family member.

Unfortunately, outside dogs are not usually considered part of the family and are more easily discarded when the dogs presence no longer fits the families needs. When I was a child, a family in the neighborhood had an outside dog tied with a chain to a doghouse. This dog always worked on escaping, and did so fairly regularly. When this family moved away, they left the dog tied up to the doghouse, with one bowl of food and drove off. They said that someone would hear the dog whining, see he was alone and come and get him. Someone did. Sadly, he was taken to the local pound, and most likely euthanized.

With the idea that outside dogs are guard dogs, I have to question what kind of a guard dog is the Chihuahua on my street. This little dog is tied to a post in the yard everyday and most nights. His whining can be heard for hours on end. His people have been warned that in Los Angeles the "tethering law, makes it illegal to tether, fasten, chain, tie or restrain a dog to a doghouse, tree fence or any other stationary object for more than three hours in a 24-hour period." Several neighbors have called, reported this family, and Animal Services pays a visit. Afterwhich the dog is brought into the house for a few days. Then the cycle continues. So I again question, why would someone bring this dog into their family and then force the dog to be alone outside? 

As I write this I can see the Animal Services truck drive by. I wonder if today is this dogs lucky day, or just another warning that will be ignored.