Dear Fisher,
Oh dear, oh dear! The young woman I live with just got a new job and she is really excited about it. She keeps looking at me like now we have to make some changes. What about Boots, she says. Well, what about me? I say.
Seems she will be traveling quite a lot. What do you think she should do about me?
Boots
Dear Boots,
Keep your mind on the upside of this new change. Think – new better job means new better snacks! Your human would probably not bring up the subject if it was going to be bad for you. The same critical thinking she used to get the good job is likely in play working things out at home.
In most cases, it is unacceptable for humans to take their pets on business trips. It is a great idea for a cat who loves to travel, but pitching an ad or going for a contract would just not be the same if you are in your carryall under the table whining because lunch is late. Finding a good pet sitter can be a great solution for you and your roommate.
You must first learn everything you can about your future pet sitter. Get references, and call them. If that person is dependable and dedicated to the task, you have found yourself a new friend. It is imperative for your human to know she can trust that person with you, your house, and your belongings. You must get fed, the littler box needs cleaning, and best of all, there should be plenty of time left over for some ball toss or catnip capering.
Remember that when a pet sitter is hired, it is a single person, not someone who is looking for a nice home to hold a family reunion. Your young woman should plan on a daily check-in. Short trips are recommended until everyone is satisfied with the arrangement.
There are many benefits for you and your caretaker when you hire a good pet sitter according to The National Association of Professional Pet Sitters. All together, it is a winning combination for both of you.
• You get to stay at home in your own safe environment
• You are surrounded by all your familiar sights, scents, and sounds
• You can still have some quality playtime and human interaction
• If you really mess up, someone is responsible in case of an emergency
• She knows you are in caring, loving hands
• She has confidence that the pet sitter can deal with your grooming
• You two do no have to impose on family, friends or neighbors
• You should both feel home is more secure with someone visiting every day
The NAPPS has great advice on how to find, select, and interview a potential pet sitter and will also give you referrals. Consult your local phone book, or call them for assistance at Pet Sitters (800-296-PETS). If you know what to look for when hiring someone for this very important position, you are much more likely to make a good match. I will be fun to be the first cat on the block with a Nanny!
Your friend,
Fisher
Dear Fisher,
I love to bolt out the door when we have visitors. I always manage to come back when called, but first I wander out around our street. I also bark at visitors, too, which sometimes wakes up the baby. That gets me into a lot of hot water.
So, here I am at 4 years old, writing to a cat for useful ideas on how to curb my bad behaviors. Can you help?
Satch
Dear Satch,
It seems you are testing your housemates to the limit and have developed a rather frustrating habit many dogs have given into. Take a few moments to consider why you seem compelled to go bolting through the door as soon as it opens. Do you love the excitement of discovering what is going on out in your neighborhood? Are you impressed with yourself when you can get your humans running about and flailing their arms in anxious pursuit? Maybe you have some control issues to examine. If you are planning on chasing the squirrel you saw run by the house a few days ago, you may be too late.
You are lucky to have a familiar neighborhood in which to carry out your escape. Consider what might happen if your family takes you on vacation and after a long car ride, your penchant to bolt comes into play. There you go again, but this time where did you go and how do you get back and what dangers lurk while you are trying to figure it out? Do not even think of pulling off such capers when the pet sitter is in charge. Bad habits tend to have a way of backfiring.
Always wear an I.D. tag. Even when you show your people that you are indeed a good dog and have changed your ways, your tag should always be on your collar. Microchips (ouch) and tattoos (oucher) are good identifiers, but the tag is essential
The Dumb Friends League advises, “If your dog escapes, never scold him when you finally get him. Dogs associate reactions to what they just did in the last few seconds. If you scold a dog when you catch him, you are actually teaching him not to let you catch him.”
Simply start now. All of you! It is important for all members of the household to be in on the plan and to carry out the agreed upon tactics. If company is coming, you should stay in another room with the door closed. Of course your penchant for barking and making a ruckus will come into play, the baby will cry, and guests will likely be put off, but that training can come later.
A few tips and tactics for your humans include:
* Teach the Doggie Doorknob Rule. All children, adults, pet sitters and visitors should know not to turn the doorknob until they know where you are and are sure you cannot run out the door.
* Do daily practice sessions to impress upon you that you can never go out the door without their express permission. (This is where you will know for sure your problem arises from control issues!)
* They should train you to assume the “Sit” position far back from the door and tell you to “Stay!”
* During training sessions, guests or other distractions should not be present.
* Your people should keep you on a leash and at their side when guests arrive.
* You must all practice until they can open the door slowly without you breaking the stay.
Hopefully you are a fast learner and the baby will not have grown into a teenager by the time you solve your first problem. Then, we can discuss the barking issue.
Your friend,
Fisher
published in tbt Tampa Bay Out There weekend edition
We are Betsy and Ross. We were recently adopted by a nice couple and they give us lots of attention and love. Our problem is that sometimes we get a little lonely for our mama and the other kittens in our litter. Now it is just the two of us kitties.
Can you give us some advice how to handle our anxieties over this change in our lives?
Betsy and Ross
Dear Betsy and Ross,
Your names give me a little clue to the character of your new people. They are very creative and clever, indeed. I am very happy to read that you are well loved and taken care of in your new home. It is also apparent they did some research before adopting the two of you.
Hands down, the advice on kitten adoption favors adopting in pairs if the kittens are under six months old. That just makes a lot of sense and goes a long way in relieving loneliness, anxiety, and even boredom.
Kittens are just naturally curious little critters, and you two can keep each other company as you do what comes naturally – chasing tails (your own), snooping into everything, and then snuggling up together for a good nap. I do have a few words of caution here. “Leave the toilet paper alone.”
You must also learn how to interact with your humans without scratching and biting your way through a play session. Of course, scratching and biting each other is allowable since you instinctively know how not hurt each other. An excellent organization, Homeward Trails gives a good insight into the value of adopting two kittens together. Just to give you an idea, the headline reads Mother Nature knew what she was doing when she created kittens in litters!”
Keeping the two of you together reduces the need for your humans to provide constant entertainment. You can be happy to know that you are providing them with that! Remember that climbing the drapes and eating the plants will not be looked upon as entertaining. That is where the importance of chasing each other, attacking the tail of your litter mate, and rolling around until you look like one big fur-ball is not only helping you relieve boredom and anxiety, you are quickly working your way deeper into their hearts. When you go from chaotic wrestling to a quiet nap in the matter of seconds, you are providing them with an amazing insight into the ways of the kitten.
Cats are often looked upon as aloof and self-sufficient. Not so. Boredom is a big factor in your learned behavior. According to Paws and Purrs, the fact that you have each other as playmates will help keep you out of mischief. Left single and apart from each other, your tendencies might turn from cute play to utter destruction.
Your task is to provide non-destructive entertainment for your humans and each other.
In return, your humans will relish playtime that also includes them. You will likely get showered with new toys and many games will develop between all parties. Your moments of anxiety will disappear as you look forward new discoveries and rewards. If you are really good, your humans might even consider leash training so they can take you out for walks in the neighborhood and show you off to their community. Believe me – that is not boring! Keep in mind that you are home now.
Your friend,
Dear Fisher,
My name is Shiloh, I am a 1.5 year old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and I love to pick up things off the floor.
Usually they are things my owners can’t see, and I pick them up so quickly they can’t get it back from me! I find great fun in this! This makes my owners very upset! They do try and catch me, and when they tell me to drop it, I swallow it instead. I think this is a fun game, but they worry that I’ll choke, or worse, get poisoned. How can I break this addiction!? HELP!
Shiloh
Dear Shiloh,
I can tell from your letter that you like to have fun and are quite impish at times. That is all well and good, but causing worry to those who care for you is not in your best interest. You are not alone in your addiction to picking things up off the floor and swallowing them, but you do stand out in that you seem to know this is a very bad idea.
I have seen stories of dogs swallowing multiple pieces of underwear, flip-flops, cartons of butter, and even knives. One of the scariest is the ingestion of a human’s medication. Because you are on the small side, you may not go for the larger items, but all things being relative, small items can be just as destructive to your internal systems. Pathogens and bacteria are found in all sorts of very clean houses. Ingestion happens without your even knowing it, but if you have ever witnessed one of your humans going through the “throws” of flu, you know what you can expect. That could cure your addiction in a hurry!
Your first task is to take time out and consider the source of your behavior. Are you stressed, bored, or just in need of attention? Remember, there are both negative and positive types of attention. If you are bored or stressed, extra long walks and more play time could help. If that does not help, your humans may just resort to confining you to a pen, allowing them to go about their day with a lot less worry.
There are other ideas that are much more fun. Lore I. Haug, DVM, MS, DACVB, of Texas A & M’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital wrote a paper entitled, “Environmental Enrichment for Dogs”. Dr. Haug states, “Pet dogs on average spend less than 15 minutes per day eating because they do not have to forage for food.” Aha! Do you see the problem here? I vote for boredom!
Now, read on for some of Haug’s excellent suggestions and share them with your humans:
*Feed the dog from a Buster Cube or Roll-A-Treat ball.
*Divide portions of the dog’s meal into small Tupperware containers and hide them around the house for the dog to find.
*Build the dog a sand box either by sectioning off a 4-5 foot square area in your yard or buying a child’s wading pool and filling it with sand and dirt.
*Buy the dog a child’s wading pool and fill it with water. If the dog enjoys both water and digging, you can alternate the substrate in the pool each week.
*Place vegetables or fruits (e.g. melons, apples, lettuce, squash, watermelon, carrots, celery, etc. out in the yard or you can bury them in the sand box or float them in the wading pool.
If that does not help you, I encourage you to visit The Most Shocking Things Ever Found Inside of a Dog’s Stomach. This is for you to read. Your humans already know the risks.
Your friend,
Fisher
published in tbt* Tampa Bay
Dear Fisher,
My folks brush me all the time and they still talk about all the hair on the new sofa where I love to take my morning nap. When I get up to get a little snack or do my daily duties, I always seem to leave a pile of fur behind on the upholstery.
I think this is just natural, but they get a little tired of it, especially when they get unexpected company. My human dad had a businessman call on him and the man sat on the sofa because it’s very comfortable. When the meeting was over and the man left the house, my dad watched him walk away to his next meeting with my hair all over his nice suit. That didn’t go over very well. Any suggestions?
Isabella
Dear Isabella,
You are absolutely right when you say shedding in cats (and dogs) is perfectly normal. Shedding is most prominent when the seasons change. Going from a winter coat to a summer coat, even in Florida, is your way to lighten the load of fur so you will be cooler. This is especially true for outdoor cats, who are a little more tuned into the weather changes. As an inside cat, shedding is just something that goes on pretty much all year.
But, while the “insiders” do not have to experience the whims of Mother Nature, they are subject to the whims of their caretakers. Even the use of more lighting on a dark day or air-conditioning on a hot day can cause a little ebb and flow in your shedding. So it is not something you are doing wrong. I suspect your humans know that and are not blaming you. They just would like to know what to do about the seemingly endless fur extraction.
Cats (and dogs) under normal conditions will shed in order to rid their bodies of dead hair. Dead hair is perfectly normal in just about any hairy species and can cause skin irritations and itching. If one should happen not to get a proper daily brushing, the animal will handle the matter themselves with a proper “hair be gone!” attitude. Hence the emerging new look in upholstery and business suits.
There are also underlying conditions that could cause abnormal shedding. Allergies or hormone imbalance could be a cause, and your veterinarian will know how to help you. Your humans can do a quick double check first by pulling lightly on some of your fur. If a few strands come out, you are most likely within the normal range of shedding. If large tufts of hair come out, I suggest they get thee to the clinic for evaluation. A very good web site for more information is Cat Health.
If your health is good, daily brushing is really the best answer. I would advise your humans to check on the many choices at the pet stores and purchase a brush specific to cats. A simple exercise of brushing the hair all in the one direction, specifically downward from the neck to the tail will do wonders to solve your problem. If you are extremely hairy and massive amounts of fur are exorcized during brushing, they may even want to take you outside for the event.
I have not done any research on the subject of hair falling on tomato plants, but maybe I will look into it. This whole problem could be a win-win situation. If there is a benefit, or re-use for good, to your shedding hair, I will let you know.
Your friend,
Fisher
published in tbt* Tampa Bay
