Meredith had to be at school at 7:30 this morning.
My headache doctor appointment was at 8:20.
Jeff took Harp to school at 8:30.
I had an ultrasound at 11:45.
I accidentally cut Ramona (the cat) while trying to clean up her matted fur at 1:25. (She’s fine. I’m much more rattled than she is.)
I have a meeting at school tonight at 6:30.
Ramona goes to the vet tomorrow at 11:00.
If November was 36 days long, I would be roughly 1/3 finished with NaBloPoMo. It’s not tricky to stop by and write something every day, but I do feel like I’ve been horribly boring.
I cut my cat. Argh.
It makes me sad because our cats’ quality of life is not good. Because of the dogs (specifically, Henry), the cats tend to cower in the basement. (It’s a finished basement with couches and blankets, so they’re not exactly suffering when it’s time to nap.) Sidney (the old cat) hasn’t seen actual sunlight since August. I know. I KNOW!
Before we got Henry, we felt pretty good that all living things could get along upstairs.
I’ve heard stories of people who had to relocate their cats after they adopted dogs. I never really understood it until now.
Insert sound of a heavy sigh. Perhaps we need a trainer to work with Henry. Any advice is (mostly) appreciated. (We won’t get rid of the cats.)
‘ ‘ ‘text/javascript’>
Billy’s cat was NOT a fan of Ruby once they first had to live together. He hid on top of the fridge a lot. Now they are cordial w/ each other and share a water bowl. The cat is still not a huge fan of Ruby’s, but they exist together a little more peacefully. Hopefully your dogs and cats will get to that place sometime, too.
We shut our cats away in the basement when my dad and/or brother visit, because they bring their dogs. I don’t think the dogs would hurt them, but their presence definitely stress the cats out.
My dad’s chihuahua snuck into the basement once, and the cats beat her up. She hasn’t tried to get into the basement again.
That is one persistent dog! I snipped our cat’s tummy once trying to declump him, and I was also horrified and a little weak in the knees
I am studying to be a dog trainer in part because I struggle with this integration issue in my own home. My poor elderly cats do not wish to play “tag” directly after each meal. If you can find a positive reinforcement trainer (check out anyone on Pat Miller’s approved list or Karen Pryor’s) it’s a great option. It will require time and effort but it can make everyone’s life better, even Henry’s.
Here’s Pat Miller’s site: http://www.peaceablepaws.com/referrals.php?type=pmctReferral
Here’s Karen Pryor’s: https://www.karenpryoracademy.com/find-a-trainer
I know that Suebob was having some “polite greeting” challenges and she found a trainer/class that’s been working out well for her, so she can vouch for the positive process.
Is Ramona the one with the pierced ear?
Definitely get a trainer, preferably one who can come to your house and work with Henry and the cats there. That way you get really specific suggestions/techniques that will work for your setup. If you lived here I’d have an AWESOME recommendation, but alas!
(Also, I let my human daughter walk around for three days with a(n unbeknownst to me, but still) broken collarbone when she was three years old. You are not the worst human ever. Nope.)
First off I love November because we get to read you everyday!
About the pets. I have a four year old Doberman and two cats. I fancy myself an amateur pet authority so take it for what it’s worth.
My Dobie and cats “PLAY” exactly the same way. If Ramona wasn’t playing she would leave. She (and my cats) get a bit pissy cause the puppies get a bit rough. My Dobie knows the word easy, easy taking treats, easy walking, easy playing with the cats and easy playing with me. When Scout gets to rough intervene so that she knows when to stop. Mommy dogs do that for baby dogs too. You are mommy dog lol.
The one in the basement may need some time upstairs when the puppies aren’t around or crated. My third cat is away at college and she prefers it that way, but when she was home, I would provide evening time when she could come out while the others were away. Being able to see the dogs, but not have to interact with them, maybe crated and calm so he can get use to them slowly.
Hope that helps.
Isn’t Sidney the one Harper pierced? Now she and Ramona can share battle wound stories. ;)
Oh, but Henry has such a sweet face. He’s got that “Who me? I wouldn’t hurt a flea.” look. And such a smoochable snout!!
Skip the trainer for Henry and get a therapist for the cats. Done.
We have a dog and three cats. The oldest cat, Louise, is sixteen, she basically lives in our bedroom, door shut, during the day, then goes out for the majority of the night, when I let her back in midway through the night, she sleeps beside me. Prior to this arrangement the younger cats tormented her. It was so upsetting to see her growling her way around the house, with the two younger cats stalking her. She began hiding out in our room. I started shutting the door so the other cats couldn’t go in and disturb her. A month ago I started putting her own food and water in there for her. I’m home during the day, so she gets lots of random visits of petting from me. Although it seems awful when I write it out, all her time in a bedroom. She seems happier, not dealing with the other cats. It is amazing I can write an entire paragraph on how we manage our cats. I am a crazy cat person. But, hey, I love my cats. Our dog doesn’t bother with the cats, which is nice. I understand animal turmoil in a house, it is upsetting.
You are not making Moira’s case in getting a dog!
They’re cats. If you got rid of the dogs, they wouldn’t be happy. If you moved the dogs downstairs and put them upstairs they would want to go downstairs… they’re cats… cats were put on this earth to drive guilty feeling people stark raving insane trying to make them happy… they will never be happy…
Totally relate to the accidental cat cutting! We were hand raising some abandoned kittens, and their chest fur got all matted from the milk from the bottle. I was trimming the fur off, and cit one of them in the chest- it was awful (thought probably more traumatic for me than the kitten). Poor guy needed one stitch, but is happy and healthy today!
Thanks for vowing to not get rid of your cats. (Can you tell I’m an animal love?) We are having some similar issues at our house and it is so important to work through them, rather than abandoned your furbabies. :) Episodes of “My Cat From Hell” have been most informative! :)
No advice, but lots of luck to you. It was a big day here when Hannibal The Fluffball Of Doom (cat) face-marked Misha The Terrified Dog. It also marked the day that we knew Misha had realized that cats were good for more than chasing.
OK, so has nothing to do with this entry, but commenst are off for the one I was going to comment on, so here goes… We have an itchy dog, too. Well, we did have an itchy dog. We now feed raw and our itch issues (and resulting skin infections) have gone away. The allergies our pup was suffering from were resulting in several rounds of steriods and antibiotics per year for him. Our vet is Dr. Tiffani Witten (in the Petropolis building) and she holds a degree in animal nutrition as well as good ‘ol veterinary medicine. Anyway, she is wonderful and if you ASK about feeding raw, she will happily tell you the hows, whats and whys. Good luck!