An Arf-Arf Here and a Meow-Meow There... E I E I O!

[Crumb]

Sorry Lisa Pea.

[BrotherMan]

A couple of years ago I was asked to cat-sit for a friend. I think it was because she was going on her honeymoon but I don't remember specifics. I have no idea what's wrong with me but for six days I barely saw the cat. The apartment where I was sitting wasn't very big. I'd guess it was about the size of a medium trailer home. So, not seeing another being in it was at least a little weird. Cat would peek in or walk by once in a while but was otherwise completely apathetic to my existence.

This is in stark contrast to her second cat who likes to play fetch and doesn't really care who's doing the throwing.

[livius drusus]

Man, when it rains it pours. RIP Battlecat.

[LadyShea]

So long, BattleCat My condolences pea and Maturin

[Sock Puppet]

Damn. I can't quite fathom talking about Battle Cat in the past tense, and I never even met her. So sorry, Pea and Maturin.

[Demimonde]

I am so sorry to hear that lisa.

RIP Battle Cat

[JoeP]

Originally Posted by lisarea

She was at least 22, but her age never seemed to catch up with her at all until the past year. She was a pretty amazing cat.

Well done Battle Cat!

[ceptimus]

No wonder she lived so long! She had a great home and wonderful companions to share her life with.

RIP, Battle Cat.

[Ensign Steve]

We said goodbye to Q yesterday. She went to live with a sweet sorority girl who is graduating next week and moving to Florida to get married. She was super thrilled to get Q, and we were happy to see her go to someone who is obviously going to cuddle and love her forever, but the timing was awful. We had housekeepers and a realtor and a family viewing the house all at the same time, and so the dogs are going apeshit and Q wants none of it and we just kind of shuffled them out ASAP. I wish I could have spent a minute cuddling and brushing her before saying goodbye, but it apparently want meant to be.



Happy trails, Q. You were a fluffy orange fixture in our home for several years.

[LadyShea]

So Lana decided to corner a raccoon on the screened porch last night, and the raccoon was all "fuck you!" and they threw down hard. Hubby was afraid he was going to have to kill or hurt something. I had no idea any of this was happening and only saw the aftermath of Hubby in full on adrenaline mode, poor guy.

Amazingly, though she had a full grown raccoon hanging off her face, she sustained zero wounds. Stupid dog.

[irukandji]

spring 2014 april snow and the boys - YouTube

it snowed all day, with a NE wind off the still frozen lake, so the boys stayed in the barn most of the day... when i went out to do final chores this evening, they were definitely feeling their oats...

[livius drusus]

The boys are adorable as always, but damn, when is this winter going to end for you?

[irukandji]

Originally Posted by livius drusus

The boys are adorable as always, but damn, when is this winter going to end for you?

what is this "end of winter" of which you speak?

slopping through the slushy rain/snow carpet this morning, as i was crossing the ravine to do the chores... i prayed .... or something

"hey, asshat weather fairies, you better not fuck up May"

[vremya]

We had a bit of snow yesterday - nothing like what irukandji had, but it was enough.

I have a sick kitteh on my hands - again. The Pretty Cat (aka Evil Eye) was sneezing last week and now Trotsky is sneezing and drooling and generally looking pathetic. I hate it when my pets are sick. They look so sad, and there's usually nothing I can do for them.

[Stephen Maturin]

The boys are awesome, iruk. Not only are they drop-dead gorgeous but they also play bitey face, roll around on their backs and bite each other on the ass. Just like our dogs.

Great Caesar's Ghost, the boys are PITBORSES!

[BrotherMan]

I KNOW RIGHT! PONIES PLAYING BITEY FACE GAMES! I AM UNDONE!

[irukandji]

Originally Posted by Stephen Maturin

Great Caesar's Ghost, the boys are PITBORSES!

does the coining of a word summon the attendant smilie?

and thank you all for backing me up on thinking they are lovely creatures... i cannot WAIT to get them out to their other paddocks!!

[Ensign Steve]

Any advice on road tripping with the dog? We have been taking her out on little trips to the post office and such to get her used to the car and her carrier, and it seems like she's adjusting to it pretty well. I'm guessing it's not that complicated, I've just never done it before. I figure I'll bring some plastic bowls with lids for her food and water. I've got her up to date on shots and she has a microchip and ID. I'll bring her retractable leash and plastic bags for walkies, and some pee pads for the hotels, just in case. Am I missing anything?

[livius drusus]

Immodium. For reals. I road tripped with a dog who got diarrhea and it was ... unpleasant. Our host gave us half an Immodium tablet to give him for the way back and it worked like a charm.

[SharonDee]

Also, pack water from your faucet. Drinking strange water when she's not used to it might cause ... oh, I dunno ... diarrhea or something.

[Demimonde]

You get to benefit from my years of trial and error!

Hydration, hydration, hydration.

This is going to sound weird, but you might want to pack some of your tap water or the regular water that they drink. Since that is all they get every day, their tummies can get used to the specific ph and smell of your water. In a different municipality it can have a different taste and smell. They can turn their nose up at Crazy Water and get dehydrated, or they can get upset stomach or diarrhea. If your pup has a sensitive stomach or is slightly neurotic, like a certain Dante, it can be a problem. It took me a while to figure out what was up, because he wouldn't get car sick. After a long stop or overnight he would get sour stomach and I was all WTH? If I hadn't had to research water quality from moving aquariums from different cities I never would have figured it out.

We pack a couple of five gallon jugs for the pups for our destination and offer them bottled tap water and Crazy Water at pit stops when we are on the road. The combination helps them to get used to it so there isn't a shock to their system. It has worked for us. Thankfully, you shouldn't have to pack nearly that much water for your little gal. Immodium is great for tummies and so is Zantac. Our vet told us to give half a zantac for our dogs' weight, you might want to ask your vet what OTC dose your little pup would need if the occasion arises.

Another thing that helps with nausea and to keep them hydrated while driving is ice cubes. If your dog likes them as a treat it should be easy. We keep a big plastic cup in the cup holder in the back with water that they can drink from freely. Sylvie won't drink though unless we are stopped and when you are doing highway miles it can be a long while between stops. So she gets lots of ice cube treats from the snack cooler I keep with me in the front seat. I think she struggles a bit from motion sickness on long trips. She LOVES car rides in town, but after a couple hours or so she moves down to the floor boards where she doesn't get jostled as much and gets a little puny. She hasn't been sick yet, but I think the ice helps. If your pup does start to feel sick on the road, move her carrier down to the floor board and it might help.

Do you have leather or vinyl seats? It would surprise you, but even with the AC on the solar heat from the windows can make that stuff pretty warm to the touch. Since dogs don't sweat, they can only lose heat through their feet, the skin on their tummies, and from panting. So cover that stuff with thick towels or quilts to keep them cool. They can slip while you are en-route, so I secure them in place with straight pins and safety pins so we don't have to stop and rearrange everybody all the time. The floor boards can get hot too over hundreds of miles, so I put their pet beds down there to give lots of insulation. It took me several long trips before I figured out how much extra stress warm seats put on Dante.

This is a pretty cool product: FurCode. It sets up a QR Code and web address for your pet. You can fit a LOT of information on there that wouldn't fit on a tag which could be essential if your pup was lost and hurt. You can even update it with your travel itinerary, hotel and lodging info, and alerts in case you get separated. Our last trip to the beach, Sylvie went missing for about ten minutes and Contra and I freaked the fuck out. I can't imagine what a nightmare it would be to have to look for a lost dog while on the road and it is faster than a microchip to look up thanks to smart phones. I like the slide ons rather than the dangles, because they would have to lose the collar for it to get lost. Dante is a champ for losing his dog tags and has even managed it while we were on a trip before.

Does your pup get separation anxiety at all? If you need to leave them in the hotel or in a different place that can get stressful for them. Even dogs who are old pros at it can get freaked out by moving. They don't even have to be simple dogs. We once made the mistake of going camping the week after we moved with Dante. He handled our first move just fine and he had been on tons of trips, so we didn't think anything of it. Our second move though we packed up all our shit, spent a couple nights at the new house and then went for a week long trip at the lake. Dante. Freaked. The. Fuck. Out. He was like, "Seriously? You guys gave away all our stuff and now we are going to live in a tent?! DO NOT LIKE! Fuck you guys." The entire week he was an anxious, crying mess. I couldn't even walk five feet from him without him going into hysterics. I ended up having to keep him tethered to my waist the whole week. He even got snappy with another dog who was there because as an only child at the time he thought he had to stake out his territory FOREVER. It was by far the worst trip I have ever been on with him and entirely our fault. Thankfully, I have never made that mistake a second time.

To avoid that, try and keep your routine as normal as possible for the days leading up to the trip. It is great that your moving process has been longer than ours and that you won't be leaving an empty house. From her perspective it should be more like adventuring than moving. Smells are everything for dogs. I retire our pillows from our bed every year or so when they lose their loft. I remove the stuffing and add it to the pet beds. Our beds have zippers so it isn't as hard as it sounds. That way, wherever the beds go they have the smell of us and home with them. While on the road try to keep the schedule as close as you can to your home routine. Feeding times are a good place to start. Dogs are like kids in that if they miss a meal or a snack they can get grumpy and unpleasant. If they get a walk at as certain time of day, keep that ritual. If you get home at a certain time of day and have a massive play or snuggle session take a break and do that at that time. If they have a quiet time during the day where they nap, try and respect that and keep the radio off and let them sleep while you are on the road. If they have a certain type of toy or treat they love, keep those on hand to reassure them.

Every dog is different and some are much more flexible than others so all of this depends on your dog's comfort zones. So long as they stay happy they should be fine. For example, Sylvie is a jolly little thing and deals with change pretty well. She will cut back and only eat one meal a day while we are on the road, possibly because of motion sickness and maybe just anxiety. She sometimes skips meals at home too if she doesn't feel secure. It doesn't hurt her though and she will be fine. Dante gets EXCITED! and so long as he feels safe and secure he will be a champ. He needs his routines though otherwise he will flip out. Muppet is just kind of bullet proof. He loves change and just rolls with everything. If anything, he wants more change and adventuring and only gets disappointed when we hold him back. "What do you mean I can't run around the rest stop next to the highway off leash? I know I never get to do that at home but COME ON! I'm on vacation, B! Don't be a buzz kill."

Despite this WOT, you are right, it isn't that complicated. I love traveling with my pups and it should be easy peasy and fun with your little one.

ETA: HA! And now you know how long it took me to write that magnum opus with my busted wrist because of epic cross posts. Sharon is absolutely right and said it much more succinctly than I did.

[irukandji]

even though last may 15th, we got 15 inches of snow... i feel safe in saying that winter is truly ended and the wee lads are basking in the sun, standing on unsodden ground

i am willing to state they think life is grand...

[vremya]

Originally Posted by vremya

I have a sick kitteh on my hands - again. The Pretty Cat (aka Evil Eye) was sneezing last week and now Trotsky is sneezing and drooling and generally looking pathetic.

And now it's Badger's turn. He's sneezy and congested and makes godawful snoring sounds at night, but I don't think he got as sick as Trotsky.

[Ensign Steve]

Gizmo is doing just fine on her trip. She doesn't love the car (I'm kind of over it too at this point) but she hasn't gotten sick, knock on wood. Mostly she just hunkers down in her little carrier, but the moment we get out of the car, she gets so happy and playful, it's like she was never scared.

The first night I had to sneak her thru the casino, to the 12th floor of the Louisiana hotel, in a Trader Joes bag, which I thought was a lot funnier and cuter than she did. She spent night before last at Dante and Muppet's house, thanks again to the Monde family for babbysitting!

Now we're on the ground floor of a pet-friendly travel motel, and things are a lot calmer. She has mastered the skill of leaping from the floor to the top of way taller beds than she is used to. Our one at home didn't have a frame, it was just a box spring and mattress on the floor (no glimpsing behind the curtain!), and I was sure I was going to need to get her some pet stairs if we ever got a real bed. I still probably will, to make her life easier, but in the meantime she is a total champ.

She's not drinking a lot of water or pooping, but I'm making sure she has lots of opportunities anyway. I remember how it was in Basic, we were so stressed out we didn't poop for the first few days. I get it. She'll live.

[Hermit]

Oooooooooh, a thrad about domestic animabbles.

A couple of weeks after my partner and I separated, her youngest daughter came across an abandoned cat. It's was a pitiful looking thing, so undernourished and dehydrated that she looked like a three-week-old kitty. Kitten food was bought, and because the she would not for some reason drink anything, a pipette was found to begin the process of rehydrating her. The veterinarian checked the little ball of fur out the next day. Going by her teeth he reckoned that she is about six weeks old. He also found that she was so riddled with mites that the insides of her ears were caked with them to the point that they were actually clogged.

Luna began her recovery at once. In one day her weight increased by 20 grams to 330. This is what she looked like during a visit to my abode the day after she was rescued.







There was a bit of a bump, though. Luna stopped eating and developed a bad case of diarrhoea. After a few days, and with the help of feeding her electrolytes she recovered from that. When she came for another visit she she still was not 100%, but definitely much better.





Fast forward five months. My ex and her new partner went to New Zealand for a few days. I did the catsitting. Being of German extraction and therefore a strict disciplinarian, I had to let her know the rules, which are of course hard and fast, in no uncertain terms on the first evening. One of them is: No felines allowed on my bed. Ever. The little devil like totally ignored it. Of course. She's a cat after all. I snuck up on her and went to drive her away. Vicious hand to claw fighting ensued. It was all the more brutal because the beast also resorted to biting, which gave her an unfair advantage. Despite this I eventually wore her down, but feeling magnanimous I changed the rule a little. It now reads: No cats allowed on the bed, like ever, unless that's where they want to be.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypyzcIZ7YY4&feature...

&feature=youtube
I have not seen her since Elouise (that's my ex partner's alias on this forum) returned from her trip. She has moved to Adelaide, about 400 kilometres away, and doesn't bring Luna with her when she visits, but i know that she is healthy, lively, safe and well cared for.