Wednesday 10 August 2016

Rescue Animals

A Lot Of People, When They Adopt a Rescue, Go In Thinking They're Going To "Save The Day" And Get thoroughly Disappointed.
What I Mean By That Is; They Get Upset When Just Bringing The Animal Home, Giving It Shelter, and Loving It Didn't Magically "Solve" Everything.

I've Heard Them Get Upset, Saying Things Like "My Pet Just Doesn't Love Me Back"
Which Is Sad, Because You Can't Go In Expecting "Normal" Behavior From Anyone Who's Had a Hard Time/Traumatic Experience. They're Going To Need Time. And You As a Pet-Parent, Need To Give Them That Time. Time, Patience, Space, Understanding and Unconditional Love.

One Of My Beloved Feline Sons, Came To Our Family After Being Homeless.
He Was Terrified of Humans,
And It Was Immediately Clear, That He Had Been Violently Abused By Humans In His Past.
Whenever We Would Extend or Lift Our Arms In His General Direction, or Near Him, He Would Flinch, and Go Into a Tense, Defensive Stance; Wide Eyed and Scared Out Of His Mind.

Making It Painfully Evident That Someone, Somewhere, At Some Point,
Had Violently and Aggressively, Put Their Hands On This Beautiful Little Soul.

It Took Him Several Months Until He Didn't Feel The Need To Hide Behind Things Whenever We Entered The Room To Change His Food/Water/Toilet-Sand.
If I Would Walk Behind Him, He Would Suddenly, and Without Notice, Freak-Out, and Spin Around, In Full Adrenalin, Fear-Mode, Thinking I Was About To Pounce On Him.
I Couldn't Lift Him Up, That Was a Definite No-No.
Touching Was Okay, But Only If I HAD To, and ONLY If I Didn't Do Anything Where He Couldn't See My Hands; and Even Then, He Was Tense, So Tense.
And It Had To Be For Short Intervals, That's All He Could Take.
Short Intervals of Human Interaction; Where He'd Brace Himself and ENDURE Being So Close To a Big Scary Human.
Because That's What Humans Were To Him. Big, Scary Beings That Hurt You.

It Took Him 2 Years To Be Able To Deal With Me Putting a Walking-Harness On Him.
To Deal With Being So Vulnerable, To Have Me Wrap Something Around His Body, To Have Me Touch His Belly In The Process.
And Walking Outside With Me, And Getting Scared When I'd Pick Him Up To Go Inside Again.
It's Something We Still Work On To This Day.
And I'm So Proud Of Him.
He's Learned To Take a Breath, and Calm Down, To Make The Scared Feeling Go Away, So We Can Continue Enjoying What We're Doing Together.

A Lot Of People Might Have Looked At Him and Said He Was an Aggressive Animal.
That If He Didn't Show Immediate signs Of Accepting Human-Interaction, There's No Hope.
A Lost Cause.
I Know For Definite What People Do To Dogs In Similar Circumstances.
They Give Them One Test, One Chance To See If They're "Aggressive"; If They Can Deal With Humans Touching Them, Touching Their Food etc.
And If They Don't Respond Well During That One Test, That One Chance, They Give Up On Them, Say; "No Hope" and Kill Them.

I'm Here To Tell You, Just How Wrong Those Assumptions Are.
No One, I Repeat, No One, Is a Lost Cause.

Yes, I Got Scratched, Yes, I Got Bit. In The Beginning.
But Not Because He Was Ever a Bad or Aggressive Soul.

They're Not "Angry", They're Scared, They're Traumatized.
What They Need Is Someone Who Will Look at Them and See All Their Small Victories, and Celebrate and Praise The Heck Out Of Those Victories, Every Time They Come Along.
Someone Who Will Give Them The Time and Effort.
Who Will Tell Them Every Day "I Love You" "No Matter What" "You're Never Going To Loose Me" and Means It.
Who Doesn't Get Upset If They Mess Up, If They Get Scared, If They Bite, Or Scratch, Someone Who Sees That, It's Not Done Out Of Malice.
Who Let's Them Know
"I Know You're Not a Bad Person, You Just Got Scared Is All, I Know That's Why You Acted Like That Just Now. I Know You Always Try Your Best. I See You. Don't Worry, I Love You."

Because The "Anger" Is Only a Hardened Shell Of Protection That They've Had To Develop.
To Survive.
Underneath Is a Personality, Full of Quirks, Just Waiting To Burst Out and Shine.

My Son, Is The Snuggliest Little Fella.
He Might Be Big and Muscly, But He Only Wants To Relax and Love.
He Cares So Much About His Siblings, It's Amazing.
He's Gentle, Kind, Good at Communicating To Me His Needs,
Likes To Follow Me Around The House
(He Likes Just Lying and Relaxing In The Same Room That I'm In, So Whenever I Move To a Different Room, He Follows Me, Even If He Has To Leave His Favourite Chair In One Room and Opt For a Spot On The Floor In Another :D )
He LOVES Snuggles, and Rubs His Head Mightily Into My Hand When I Pet Him.

He Was NEVER a Lost Cause.
This Amazing Person Was Just Tucked Far Far Into a Hard Shell For a Long Time Is All.

He Loves To Hang Out With Me, and Lets Me Know Whenever He Feels Up To a Good Snuggle-Session. And He Lets Me Know When It's Enough.
Just By Raising His Paw Slightly, Slowly and Without Claws, Gently.
So I'll Know To Give Him Some Space.

Out There He Had To Bite First, Ask Questions Later.
So Whenever He Felt Threatened He'd Bite Like His Life Depended On It.
Because It Had, When He Was Homeless.

Now, Because I've Told Him That He Doesn't Have To Be Violent For Me To Understand Something's Too Much For Him, He Doesn't Do That Anymore.
Over Time, He's Learned That,
Hey, This Human Listens To Me, I Don't Have To Physically MAKE Her Stop.
I Don't Have To Be Afraid That She'll Overstep My Boundaries and What I'm Comfortable With.
Because We've Focused On That, To Always Respect Their Boundaries. To Take NO For an Answer.
To Respect NO, Even If It's Just a Nudge of The Paw, Or Annoyance Of the Tail.

That's Where a Lot Of People Go Wrong By The Way.
Just In General.
And I Know, I Used To Be One Of Them.
When You Wanna' Snuggle Your Pet So Bad, You Hold Them Tight and Kiss On Them, Even If They Want You To Let Put Them Down.

THAT'S Why They Start Scratching You, Or Don't Want To Snuggle You Anymore.
Not Because They're "Grumpy" or Started HATING Your Affection.
Its Because They Feel Helpless. Knowing You Will FORCE Your Physical Will On Them.
Knowing They Have No Say In The Matter.
Knowing You Won't Respect Their Needs and Wants.

If You Just Start Listening, and Going by Their Say So.
Going By When They Feel Comfortable. and Backing Off Whenever They Don't Want To.
You'd Be Amazed At How Much of a Loving, Mutually-Respectful, Non-Violent(No Biting or Scratching) Relationship You'll Get To Enjoy With Your Pet.
They Won't Feel The Need To Bite You or Scratch You, In Order To Get You To Understand That You Need To BACK THE FUCK OFF.
If You Just Tell Them. By Both Verbally Going "It's Okay, You Don't Have To Bite Me/Scratch Me For Me To Understand, All You Have To Do Is Raise Your Paw Slowly, And I'll Get The Memo"
and By Using Your Body-Language To Show That You Respect Their Choices.
Be In Tune To Their Body-Language, and Take a Step Back When The Vibe Is a "Maybe No More Now, It's Time To Back Off."

I Have FIVE Cats, All From Different Circumstances, And It's Worked With ALL OF THEM.
Don't Knock It Til You've Tried It! ;)

And Remember, Try Until It Works.
Trying It Once and Going "Well That Didn't Work" Is Lazy On Your Part.
Hey, I'm Just Telling It How It Is. ;)

You Need To Equip Yourself With Time, Patience, Unconditional Love and Optimism.
And One Day, Maybe Not Today, Maybe Not Even a Year From Now, But Someday. It'll Pay Off.
Give It Time.

Something That Also Worked Wonders For My Son Was Having Siblings.
He Was Homeless From Birth, and He Looked To The Others To See "How To Be a Cat" "How To Interact With Other Cats" "How To Play" "How To Play Gently With Others"

It's Important For You as a Pet-Parent To Moderate Their Time Together Until You Know For a Fact That They Will Treat Each Other Gently At All Times.

Don't Get All "BAD PET!"
If They Do Something Wrong Though, That Would Give Them The Impression That Trying Is Bad, Because You Might Get Yelled At. And You Want Them To Try. So They Can Work Out Their Kinks and Get Along Swell.
Just Go; "That Was Not Okay Behaviour, You're Not a Bad Person, I Know You're Not, But What You Just Did Is Not Okay, Don't Do That Anymore. Okay?"
And Eventually, Just Like With Human Kids, They'll Learn.

It's Not a Magic Cure, Giving Them Siblings, By No Means,
And It's a Case By Case Thing, What's Best For Each Individual.
And Each Family.

Something Else That's Important With Rescues Is Always Telling Them You Love Them,
And Showing Them That You Are Delighted To See Them, Every Time You Do.
Even If They Can't Handle The Touching and "Normal" Pet-Owner Cuddling Stuff Part Yet,
Just Seeing That You Light Up When You See Them, Whenever One Of You Enter The Room,
Is Important. So They Know You're Different, You're Not Like Other Humans, Who Hurt Them and Discarded Them. You Love Them. And You'll Be Together Forever.

All This, You Basically Need To Be Your Pets Therapist, Always In Tune With Their Feelings,
Might SOUND Silly. (Especially When The Mainstream World Keeps Trying To Convince Us That Animals Are Nothing Like Us, Even Though They're Exactly Like Us. We're All Animals.)
But It's The Truth.

!!!IMPORTANT!!!
There's Something That I See Happening Way Too Often.
When People Get Rescues, Either Adopting One or Fostering One.
And That's How Lax They Seem To Be With SECURITY.
You Can't Just Let That Pet Out To Wander On It's Own Right Away.
You Might Even Have To Wait Years Before That Can Happen.
WHY?
Because They Need To Get Used To Having a Home.
That They Centre Around, That They Come Back To.
They Are Used To Being Homeless, To Having To Fend For Themselves.
And If People Just Let Them Out Willy-Nilly, No Matter If It's a Rescue or Not,
THEY WILL GET LOST.
They Will Get Lost and Become HOMELESS AGAIN.
They Might Get Killed In The Wild. Starve To Death Even.
So If You Live In an Area That Allows For, And Is Safe For Cats To Walk Outside By Themselves.
For Non-Rescue Pets; You Have To Wait At Least 6 MONTHS Before You Let Them Out By Themselves.
(Especially If They Came To You As a Baby, It Takes Them a While Before They Develop a Sense of Direction and Are Able To Remember Where They Live, After All, They're Babies ;)

You Need To Walk Them On a Leash, Regularly,
Show Them "Their Turf" Where They Are And Are Not Supposed To Go.

They Don't Know That Stuff Magically By Themselves,
It's YOUR JOB To Teach Them About How Stuff Works, How To Do Things!

For Rescue Pets, If You're Adopting, I'd Recommend Waiting More That 6 Months,
Depending On Whether Your Pet Has Suffered Any Periods Of Homelessness or Trauma.
If You're Fostering; DO NOT LET THEM OUTSIDE BY THEMSELVES.
Take Them For Walks, But Don't Let Them Go Off Leash.
They Need To Be "You Are An Indoor With Humans Pet Now" Trained First Of All.
Let The Whole "This Is Your Turf, Your New Home" Etc. Be Something They Only Have To Deal With Learning Once, In The Home They Will Be Living In PERMANENTLY.

And You Need To Treat This As Serious As It Is.
Your House Is On LOCK-DOWN.
And YOU Are The Warden/Security-Guard. 
Make Sure There Are No Windows Of
"Oops, I Forgot The Window/Door/I Didn't Close It Quick Enough, And The Pet Got Out"
That's Gambling With That Pet's Life!

WHY?
Well, Sadly, I've Seen One Too Many Cases Of People Letting Foster-Cats Go Outside After living With Them For a Few Weeks, Only To Go MISSING AGAIN.
And I'm Frankly FED UP With How Those People Go;
"Oh My, How Could This Possibly Happen??"
It Happens, Because The Pet Is Let Outside,
And It's Trying To Find It's Way BACK To Where It's Familiar.
And It Gets LOST. :(

My Final Words In This Post Is That; 
Underneath a Rough Exterior, Lies a Gem, Just Waiting To Be Unearthed.
And That's What a Rescue Is.
You Need To Be Prepared To Get The Finest Brush To Brush Away All The Dirt Hiding It, Gently and Slower Than a Snail's Pace.
It Might Take a Really Long Time. And It Might Be Really Hard/Challenging.
And Things Aren't Going To Go By Your Schedule.
But If You Can Do That For Someone, You'll Be Changing Their Life Forever.
And Yours As Well. For The Better.

Sunday 3 July 2016

Allergies In Pets | CHARLIZE THERON VIDEO

If You're Like Me, You're Probably Surprised To Learn,
 That Allergies Are Just As Prevalent In Other Species, As It Is In Humans.

In Fact, It's Very Common For Animals To Have Allergies.
I Was So Surprised When I Learned This, I Really Had No Clue Before.

What Kind Of Allergies Can Your Pet Have?
Just About Anything.
They Can Be Allergic To Dairy, Dust, Pollen, The Sun, Flowers
The List Of Potential Allergy-Stressers Goes On And On.
They Can Even Be Allergic To Us Humans!

BACKSTORY
One Of My Little Ones, Suddenly Developed a Severe Allergic Reaction, 
Leaving Him With Itchy Skin and Eczema.
I Believe Dairy To Be The Culprit.
I Bottle-Fed Him and His Brother Since They Were Just 2 Weeks Old.
At The Time, I Noticed Little Bumpy-Spots On Him.
Not That I Could See. But That I Could Feel When Cuddling Him.
At The Time, I Assumed It Was Just Healing Scratches 
From Kitten-Play Gone a Bit Rough
Between Him and His Siblings.

In Hindsight I Think They Might Have Been Eczema.
He Only Developed Them After He Started Receiving The Formula Milk.
Which Is a Mommy-Cay-Milk Replacement, Based In Milk From Other Mammals.
So He's Most Likely Allergic To Dairy.

Just As I Turned Out To Be Allergic To Cows-Milk When I Was a Baby.
He's Allergic To Other Mammal-Milk Too.
The Difference Between The Milk From Your Own Species and Another Mammal,
Is What Causes The Problem.
Not Everyone Has The Necessary Stuff To Be Able To Digest It, 
Like They Would Milk From Their Own Kind.

I Was Fortunate Enough To Be Able To Digest Goat's Milk.
But For Some, No Other-Mammal-Milk Is Good For The System.

That Being Said, Some Are Even Allergic To Their Own Kind's Milk As Well!
As You Will See In This Video, Where Charlize Theron Talks About Her Severe Milk-Allergies.
(And No, I Didn't Just Randomly Put a Graham Norton Video In Here, 
It Also Applies To Pets With Severe Allergies xD)

When I Took My Little One To The Vet, She Made Me Aware Of The Fact That
Not Only De He Have Eczema, But Also Presented With a Dental-Symptom;
It Was Clear That He'd Had an Irritated Gum-Line For Quite Some Time.
And It's Not Something You'd Notice, If You Aren't Aware That You Should Look For It.
As Illustrated Above, There Was a Red Line Of Irritation At The Roots Of His Teeth.
It Wasn't Until We Really Lifted His Lips Up, and Had Full Access To His Mouth, That We Saw.
The Vet Said The First Symptoms Often Showed Up In The Gums.
And That It Had Escalated To Eczema 
As He Continued To Be In Contact With What He Was Allergic To. 

She Let Me Know That, If He Continued Being In Contact To His Allergy-Stresser, 
His Teeth Could Literally Start Crumble In Their Roots, As a  Reaction To The Stuff He's Allergic To Would Act As Toxins To His System, And Could Start Having a Rotting Effect Of His Dental-Roots.
Making Him Either Loose Teeth, Or Have To Pull Them.

Which Is Why It's SO IMPORTANT
For Pet-Mommies, and Pet-Daddies To Know That This Is a Thing,
So We Can Do Our Best To Prevent It.
Check Your Pet's Teeth, Their Gums. Make Sure They Look Healthy and Pink, With No Red, Irritated Spots or Areas.
If They Do Present With Irritated Gums, Take It To The Vet.
It Could Very Well Be a Symptom of a Much Greater Underlying Cause.

 Other Worrying Allergy Signs You Should Be Aware Of:
- If Your Pet Seems To Be Scratching Themselves a Lot.
- If They Suddenly Don't Want You To Touch Them,
It Might Be Because Their Skin Is So Itchy, It's Painful To Be Touched.
- If Their Poo Is Unusual (Too Firm or Too Loose)
- If They Don't Seem To Want To Eat,
They Might Have Pain In Their Gums/Teeth.
- Red/Runny Eyes and Nose

Also; Don't Feed Your Cat Milk.
Yes I Know The Stereotype.
That Cats Like Milk.

But It's Actually Been Scientifically Proven, 
That Cats Are Not Built To Digest Other-Mammal-Milk.

It's One Thing When You Bottle-Feed Kittens, You Have To.
And As I Said, Only One Of Mine, Turned Out To Be Allergic To Other-Mammal-Dairy.
But Overall, When They're Adult Cats, Make Sure The Food/Drink/Treats You Give Them, Are Milk-Free.
Just Like Humans, Most Other Animals Also Loose The Ability To Digest Dairy Properly When Reaching Maturity. (No Longer a Small Child)

So Don't Feed Your Cats Dairy.
Unless Specifically Following Instructions By Your Vet.
Sometimes If Your Pet Has an Upset Stomach (Diarrhea etc.)
Giving Them Pro-Biotics/Sour-Milk etc.
Might Have To Be a Short-Term Necessary Evil.

Tuesday 28 June 2016

Taking Walks Together | BUZZFEED VIDEO

Getting Your Cat Used To Taking Walks,
Is a Very Good Idea.

Whenever Your Cat Can't Walk Freely Outside, By Itself,
Taking Walks Together On a Leash Is Greatly Beneficial For Both You and Your Pet.

Being Cooped Up Inside ALL THE TIME 
Would Make Anyone Restless And Stressed, 
It Could Even Result In Depression.
This Is Very Much True For Most Species, Not Just Us Humans.

Therefore a Walk Together Would be a Great Way To Battle This.
Let Your Pet Get To Feel The Grass Under Their Paws, Let Them Breathe In Some Fresh Air.
I Have Five Cats, and in My Experience, a Little Walk Outside, Is a Great De-Stresser,
That They Truly Need To Feel Happy, and To Lead Well-Balanced Lives.

Now, a Lot Of People Could Argue That
"It Doesn't Like The Harness, Or The Leash"
"It Doesn't Seem To Enjoy This Walking-Thing At All!"
Like These CatParents Do In This BuzzFeed-Video:


And That May All Be Well and True, 
But That's Only Because It's Something You Have To Train At.
You Have To Let Them Get Used To Wearing a Leash/Harness,
You Have To Remember, Everything Feels Weird and Unknown The First Time You Try Something.
And It's No Different For Your Pet.

The Notion That Dogs Take To Walking More Easily Than Cats or Other Pets, 
Is a Myth. Pure Fiction.
As Any Dog-Owner Will Tell You; 
Getting Your Dog To Be Fabulous At Taking Walks With Them, 
Is Something They TAUGHT Them How To Do.
It's Not Something You Come Out Of The Womb, Pre-Programmed With.
Just Like We Don't Come Out, Knowing How To Talk.
You Need To PARENT Your Pet-Baby Just As Much.
You Have To Be Patient, Give Them Time, and Teach Them Stuff.

Walking Your Cat On a Leash Is Also a Great Way To Teach Cats Who Will Eventually Be Allowed To Walk Freely, What's Allowed To Do Or Not.
Such as; How Far Away Is It Okay To Go. Show Them By Always Taking Walks Within a Certain Perimeter Of Your House. Tell Them; 
"This Is Our House, Our Garden, So It's All YOUR TERRITORY"
"That House Over There, NEVER GO THERE, DOGS LIVE THERE"
"Don't Go Much Further Away From Our House Than I've Showed You Please, 
It Makes Me Anxious For You"
Those Are Just a Few Examples.
If You Just Communicate With Your Pet Often Enough, You'd Me Amazed At Just How Much You'll Get Across With a Simple Just Telling Them Why And What You'd Like Them To Do/Not Do.
(It Can Take Time Ofc, You Don't Learn To Understand Other Humans As a Kid Right Away Either, Give Them Time, and LOTS and LOTS Of Talking From You!^^)

TIP: Start Off Your Walks With Small Areas, And Expand Gradually Over Many Walks.
To Get Your Pet Comfortable With The Area, One Step At a Time.

CARS:
Teaching Your Pet That They Shouldn't Go Underneath Cars, Is a Great Lesson You Can Teach Them, By Walking Them On a Leash.
If They Try To Take a Shirt-Cut Under The Car, Get Them Out Of There.
Tell Them No, Not Allowed.
Teach Them To Always Go AROUND Cars, By Walking Around It As You Pass.
It Really Works!
Cats Can Get Killed, If They Sit Under Vehicles.
So This Lesson Is a Particularly Important One, That They Truly Need.
Also, If They Walk Freely, And You See Them Under a Car, Get Them Out From Under There.
Show Them That It's Not Allowed By Following Up, And Reacting With Removing Them From Under There, Whenever They Do It.

HOW TO PICK A HARNESS
I Would Recommend Getting a Comfy Harness Shaped Like These Ones

I've Experienced That The Traditional Harnesses
And Single Neck-Collars
Are VERY UNCOMFORTABLE For Pets.
a Friend Of Mine, Who's a Dog-Owner, 
Put Me On To The Idea Of Using a Soft Harness, 
As She Uses One For Her Dog.

The Way The Soft, Body-Like Harnesses Is Shaped, 
It Prevents That Choking Feeling Around The Neck,
Which Can Actually Be REALLY HARMFUL For Pets (And Anyone)
It Could Result In Damage To The Throat Of Your Pet, 
And It's Overall Just Plain Unpleasant and Restricting To Wear.
Every Time The Leash Runs Out Of Length, 
(And Your Know How Suddenly They've Excitedly Run Over To Something 
To Take a Whiff or a Look-See)
The Knee-Jerk Tug Of The Leash, Is Going To Be Very Unpleasant, 
And Might Even Be Painful For Your Pet.

Body-Like Harnesses Move The Pressure Point From The Neck, To The Middle Of Their Back,
Making Sure The Neck Isn't Going To Get The Front Of Such a Tugging-Sensation.
I've Also Noticed That It Makes It Easier For Them To Respond To The Leash Running Out Of Length, So They Can Stop and Wait For You To Catch Up With Them.

HOW TO PUT ON A HARNESS
I've Found That Putting It On From Behind, Neck First, Then Stomach.
Let Your Cat Know Everything Before You Do It, Don't Surprise Them From Behind Or Anything.

When Your Cat Starts To Get Good
"Yaay, I Get To Explore Outside! Something FUN Is Happening!"
Whenever The Harness and Leash Come Out,
Eventually It'll Get Excited For You To Put It On.

HOW TO PICK A LEASH
I'd Also Recommend Getting a Flexi-Cord Leash
So You Can Afford Your Pet Greater Exploration, and Also Get Better Control Of How Far Away From You Your Pet Gets, By Controlling The Stop-Button.
NOTE: Don't Release The Stop Button Suddenly, When There's a Lot Of Leash Out, It Will Have a Bunging, Snapping Effect Of The Cord, And Might Hit Your Pet.
Just Grip The Leash Gently Between Your Fingers 
And Let The Corn Release Slowly Between Them, 
After Undoing The Stop Button.
Maintaining Full Control Of The Release Of The Leash At All Times.
It's Also Good To Not SUDDENLY Press The Stop Button Just As Your Pet Reaches The Length You Want It To Stop At. It's Going To Have That Sudden, Tugging, 
Coming To a Sketching Halt  Feeling. Unpleasant To Say The Least.
Estimate/Plan Ahead Of Time; Just Before They Reach The Limit You Want To Set, Gently Press Stop, a Few Moments BEFORE They've Actually Reached The Limit You've Set.
Just Pull Out As Much Of The Cord, Until You Reach Your Set Stop-Point, Press Stop, 
And Let Them Walk Freely, Within The Range.


I Find That Non-Brand Flexi-Cords Have Been Just as Sturdy, 
and Work Just As Fine As More Expensive Brand Ones.
Just Get The One That Fits Your Hand (They Come In Different Sizes)
and Find The One With The Most Range (Cord-Length)
And You're Set! ^^

IMPORTANT:
Make Sure You Find a Safe Environment To Take Walks In.
Public Places, Or Grassy-Areas Owned By Others Might Present Dangers, 
Such as Weed-Poison (Which Is DEADLY For Pets), Broken Glass etc. And Other Things.
Find a Clear, Clean Area.
A Backyard Where You Know For a Fact That There's No Such Dangers, 
As Mentioned Above, Are Great! ^^

REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT!
If You're Walking Close To Roads With Cars, Bicycles etc.
Do NOT Let Your Pet Roam On a Long Leash.
Have It Short, and As Close To You As Possible, 
So You Won't Run The Risk Of Your Pet Suddenly Running In Front Of Something,
Or Someone Acting Else Recklessly, And Your Pet Getting Hit/Harmed.

It's Also Really Important That You Know,
When Cats Are On a Leash, They SHOULD NOT 
Be Within a Range Where They Might Encounter Another Animal.
They Will Most Likely Get Scared, Feel Trapped and Might Panic, Scream, Scratch, Frantically Try To Get Away From The Other Animal.

You Should Only Allow Contact With Other Animals If You KNOW FOR SURE
That The Pet On The Leash Won't Mind, and Won't Feel Trapped. and Vulnerable.

a Little TRICK
I've Learned, Is To Train Your Cat To Feel Safe In Your Arms
If a Car Drives By, Pick It Up, Hold It Close, Let Them Know That
"Whenever I've Got You, No One Can Get To You, Nothing Bad Can Happen"
This Might Prove EXTREMELY Handy Just In General
If Your Cat Ever Gets Scared In a Situation Where You 
HAVE TO PICK IT UP To Save It From Something.
It Let's You Have Complete Control Over The Situation, And Secures Your Pets Safety.
Sometimes Pets Get So Scared, They Just Want To Run Away From The Thing That's Scary.
If You're In a Situation Where Reacting Like That Would ENDANGER Their Safety, Knowing That They Won't Freak Out and Fight You, If You Try To Pick Them Up, To Get Them To Safety,
Is a Great Asset as a PetParent.

FOR CATS WHO DON'T LIKE 
HARNESSES & LEASHES
For Some, Having a Harness and a Leash, and Having Someone Else Control You
Can Be Really Scary
To Get Your Cat That Valuable Outside Experience, Try a Big Cage!
 
That Way, It's Less Scary, and They Still Get Some Fun Experiences.
After a While of Using The Cage, 
You Can Make Steps To Get Your Cat Used To a Harness and a Leash. 
Be Patient.

One of My Cats Had To Be In a Cage Whenever We Went Outside For Over a Year, 
Before He Managed To Get Comfortable Enough To Let Me Put a Harness On Him.
Being a Rescue, Having Been Abused By People Before He Came To Be Part Of Our Family 
He'd Had Some Very Bad Experiences With People Having Full Control Over His Movements. 
So It Was Quite a Big Hurdle For Him. 
Respecting Their Boundaries And Giving Them Time And Space Is Key.

Putting Your Cat Into The Cage BEFORE You Open The Door, 
and Carry The Cage Outside Is Very Helpful. It Boasts Their Sense of Security, 
They Get To Experience The Introduction Of The Outside World In a Controlled Way.
Walking Buddies <3
Not Only Does It Got Great Benefits For My Cats and Their Moods.
It's Also Been Greatly Beneficial For My Health, and Overall Being,
Having a Walking-Buddy or Two, To Get Me Out Of The House
For Some Dearly Needed Fresh Air,
A Break From The Hustle and Bustle Of Modern Life. ^^

Monday 20 June 2016

Giving Meds

Giving Your Little Furry One Their Meds, Can Be a Very Difficult Task.
Just As With Human Children,  Many Other Species Children, 
Also; Do Not Like Icky-Tasting Medication In Their Mouth.

 The Practical Part Of It
For Pills, I've Found It Handy To Take a Drop of Clean Water, Pour It Onto The Pill,
Then Churn The Pill Up Into a Mash. Add Water To Make It Into a Liquid.
But Not Too Much Water, That 'll Result In a Very Large Amount That Your Pet Has To Get Down.
Keeping The Liquid To a Minimal Is Good. 
Then Take a Clean, Unused Syringe.
(The Needle-less Kind You Can Get At Pharmacies, Only Use Them Once!)
Using The Syringe; Soak Up All The Liquid.

The Mental Part Of It
Tell Your Pet What You Are About To Do.
Throughout The Entire Process.
Reassure Them That You Won't Suddenly Do Anything; 
That You'll Give Them a Heads-Up Before You Start Doing Anything.
This Might Sound Silly To Some. 
But If You've Ever Been at a Doctor's Office, With a Nurse Who REFUSES TO BELIEVE YOU When You Tell Her You Need a Quick Sec To Brace Yourself Before She Sticks a NEEDLE IN YOUR ARM, And Then Charges At You With It, Aiming To Literally HOLD YOU DOWN So She'll Get It Over With Quicker.
You'll Know Why Feeling Secure That People Will Respect Your Boundaries, And Won't Just Attack You At Any Given Moment Of Vulnerability, Actually Giving You The Knowledge When Something Will Happen, So You Can Mentally Prepare Yourself, 
Is So Darn Important.

 The Counting Method
One Of My Boys And I, Have Invented This Brilliant Method;
Called The Counting-Method.
I Tell Him; I'm Going To Count To Three, 
Then I'm Going To Give You This/Clean This Wound On This Side, Etc.
Afterwards I'm Going To Count To 60 
(Or 30, Or Whatever Time Your Pet Needs To Deal With The Previous Intake of Meds/Cleaning Of Wounds etc.)
When I've Got To 60, 
I'll Count To Three And Then I'm Going To Give You Some More/Do This/Do That.
I Make Sure To Give Him "Doable" Amounts Of Meds At a Time,
Sometimes, If The Amount Of One Dose It Too Much To Deal With In One Mouthful, 
You Need To Give It In Intervals.
Just Like You Wouldn't Force a Human Kid To Eat THE ENTIRE Bowl Of Cereal In One Go; They Need To Be Fed It In Spoonfuls.

It's Important To Be Patient, And To Stay Calm, Use a Calming, Reassuring Voice.
No Matter What Happens, Just Stay "Cool", 
Letting Your Pet Know That There's Nothing To Get Upset or Stressed Over.
Tell Him/Her That They're Doing So Well. Praise Them For Every Little Win.
So They'll Feel Confident In Themselves, That They Can Get Through This.
Let Them Know That You Will Get Through This Together.

I Find That Holding Them In My Arms, Hunched Over, With Them Sitting On The Floor With Their Butts/Feet, And Holding Their Upper Body Perhaps
 , Or Letting Them sit With All Four Paws On The Floor. 
But Still Having Me Hold Them In One Place, For The Duration Of The Task.
This Way, They Won't Get a Chance To "Escape".
It Might Sound Forceful, But It's Proven Ti Be Better Than To Let Them Hide Away and Build Up a Fear Of What's Going To Happen; 
Resulting In It Becoming a Longer and More Prolonged Experience Than It Needs To Be.
If Your Pet Seems To NEED a Break However, It's Important To Take In Their Feelings, and Give Them One. Before Continuing Giving Them Meds/Cleaning Wounds etc.

BACKSTORY
For Many Years I Did The Standard "Just Hide It In Their Food" Strategy, 
That Everyone Will Advice You To Do.
The Problem With This Method; Is a Couple of Things;
1. Your Pet Has Way Better Senses Than Humans, 
And "Hidden" Icky Medication, Is Hard To Not Miss.
Which Could Mean Your Little One Won't Eat All Of The Food, Or None Of It At All.
2. This Leads Us To Problem Number Two,
If Your Pet Hasn't Eaten All Of It; But Only Some Of It; 
How Do You Know How Much Of Their Meds They Really Got In Their System?

I'm Not a Fan Of The Whole, Just Stuff It In a Treat and SHOVE It Down Their Throat.
Neither Am I a Fan Of The; Just Opt For No Treat, 
and SHOVE The Meds Themselves Directly Down Their Throat.
Both These Methods Are Very Forceful; The Whole Idea Of SHOVING Anything Down Someones Throat, Then HOLDING THEIR MOUTH SHUT, FORCING THEM TO SWALLOW...
Yeah, Seems Mean And Brutal To Me.

And That's Not Even Taking Into Account The Fact That They Might CHOKE ON IT, If They Get It Down Their Windpipe Instead. Or If It Gets Stuck In Their Throat.
Brutal Indeed.

The Whole, Waiting Aound Until They Least Expect It, Because It Seems Like The Only Time They'll Let You Give It To Them Without Much Of a Fight, Also; BAD IDEA.
That 'll Only Leave Them Tense Around You ALL THE TIME, Thinking You're Some Sort Of Ticking Med-Giving Time-Bomb, Unless They Keep Their Guard Up.
And That's No Good For Your Relationship, Or Your Lives.

So I've Come To Be a Communicator. 
Valuing The Trust In My Promises; If I'm Going To Do Something Unpleasant; 
Like Give Them Meds.
I'm Going To Tell Them About It Before I Do It.
And If I Say; Don't Worry, I'm Not Going To Do Anything Unpleasant, 
They Know, I'm To Be Trusted, And They Can Relax Around Me.
I Also Make Sure To Let Them Know If Something Might Be Really Unpleasant Before I Do It;
Like If a Medication Tastes Really Bad, Or If It's Gonna' Hurt To Get Stuck By a Needle At The Vet.
I Also Make Sure To Keep Their Spirits Up, Letting Them Know That, 
"It's Might Be Bad, But You're Gonna' Get Through It, It's Only Gonna' Take a Little While, And Then It's Over, And We Can Go Home and Play, Or Have a Really Yummy Treat f.ex."
So They'll Know How Much They Need To Mentally Prepare Themselves 
For What's About To Happen.
I Also Tell Them That I Wouldn't Be Putting Them Through Anything Unpleasant 
If I Didn't HAVE TO. And That I Love Them.
It's Not Rocket-Science. Just Like You Would With Any Fellow Human To Make Them Feel Relaxed, And Feel Like They Can Trust You; So Should You With Other Species.

If You Have Any Tips On This Subject; Leave a Comment! :)

Saturday 18 June 2016

Cleaning Wounds

 If Your Pet Has a Wound That Needs Cleaning, I Have Some Advice.
 Get a Casserole, Fill It With Clean Water and Salt; Boil It.
Then Wait Until The Water Has Chilled To a Below Body-Temperature/Cold Temp.
Using a Clean Bowl, Fill It With The Water.
Get a Clean Sock, Preferably Cotton. Put It On Your Hand As If It Was a Mitten.
Dip The Sock In The Water, Soaking It.
Use The Wet Sock To Clean The Wound. 
Be Gentle, But Try To Use Enough Force To Clean Off All Dead Skin-Cells.
Take Your Time; Don't Try To Get All The Dead Skin Off In One Go.
Use Pleasant and Gentle Grinding Motions, To Go Over The Wound.

Do It, Just As You'd Scratch Behind It's Ear f-ex.
It Will Be a Pleasant Thing To Have You "Scratch" The Wound;
Seeing As Wounds Are Very Itchy To Your Pet.

TIP!
Go Over The Wound With PURE Aloe-Vera After.
This Will Help The Healing Process.

 BACKSTORY
Recently, One Of My Little Feline Darlings; Developed an Allergic Reaction, Resulting In Eczema.
It Was Very Itchy, and He Continued To Lick The Skin Affected Over and Over and Over Again;
Leaving It So Sore, It Developed an Infection.

We Went To The Doctor, And The Doctor Prescribed Pain-Killers 
+ Special Pads and a Special Spray To Clean It With.

I Gotta' Be Honest; The Pads and The Spray; Not Good.
The Pads Were Soaked In a Strong Alcohol-Like Smelling Concoction.
The Spray Smelled Similar.
I Fully Understand That They Are That Potent To Actually Clean Out The Wound Well.
But Geez Louise!

I Would NOT Recommend It For Home-Use; Unless ALL OTHER OPTIONS Are not Available.
My Poor, Little Boy; He Is So Brave; And He Is Very Good At Letting Me Give Him Meds, and Clean Wounds; But The Pads and The Spray Were So PAINFUL When Applied, That I Could See Him BRACE HIMSELF For The Pain.

The Spray In Particular; Had a BURNING Sensation, 
That Kicked In a Few Seconds After Applying It.
I Know This Because I Tested It On My Own Skin; Which Was Without Wounds, 
And It HURT SO MUCH! 
I Can Only Imagine Just How Painful It Must Be For Someone With a HUGE Open Wound! :O
It Was So Painful In Fact, That He Would Not Be Able To Control Himself; He Had a Knee-Jerk Reaction Of Jumping Up and Running Around The Room Like He Was On Fire, Poor Thing. :O

After Seeing How The Pads and The Spray Affected Him 
(Which, In Their Instructions Said It Was MEDICAL WAIST, and That You Couldn't Throw It Away In Your Regular Recycling, Because It Would DESTROY THE ENVIRONMENT!)
I Decided HELL NO.
Doctor or No Doctor; I'm Making an Executive Mommy-Decision Right Now; Overruling This Shit!
So I Started Cleaning It With Saltwater Instead.
It Didn't Have any Antibiotic Effect, So I Contacted the Vet, Told Her My Decision About The Wound-Cleaning, And How He'd Need Some Oral Antibiotics To Deal With The Infection Part Of It.

Once He Started Receiving The Oral Antibiotic Meds, The Wound Soon Started Seeing Recovery.

I Have Five Cats, I've Had Pets All My Life, and From My Point Of View, With The Years Of Experience That I've Had, Dealing With Scratches and Illnesses;
Go For The Saltwater.
Just Make Sure You Get The Oral Antibiotics On Top.
To Deal With The Infection.

I Understand That The Reason Why The Vet Prescribed The Spray/Pads, Is Because Antibiotics Are REALLY Hard On Your Digestive-System; 
And Will Most Likely Result In An Upset Bacterial-Balance In The Stomach.
Which You Should Get Some Probiotic-Paste For, 
So Your Darling Doesn't Get Dehydrated By Having Diarrhea.
(Both Times Cats Of Mine Have Had To Get Antibiotics, 
They Experienced an Upset Stomach. And Had To Get Probiotics After.)

But I'd Still NOT Recommend Those Heavy Duty Spray/Pads, It's Just, Hellish Pain, And Nothing That I'd Recommend Administrating To a Pet, At Home, and Without a Vet Having Given It Anesthesia Before Applying It. o.O

Thursday 28 January 2016

Piggy-Back Time!

This Backpack Is SO Awesome. 

I Got One For My Cats, So We Could Go On Walks Together, And It's Super Convenient!^^
It's Very Good For Cats Who Are Not Accustomed To Being Outside As Well, Seeing As They Feel Safe With You. And You'll Have The Added Bonus Of Being Able To Show Them The World From Your Point Of View^^

Little Tip:
I Let My Cats Explore The Bag Before We Used It; I Left If Opened, Where They Would Check It Out, Sniff It and Walk In And Out Of It. I Did This To Let Them Get Comfortable With It.
Ambushing Them With Something Completely New, For Them To Be Inside; Is NOT a Good Idea.

I Used It As One Would a Baby-Harness; As In; I Wore It With The Container In The Front. Which Worked Out Fine.I Think The Added Bonus Of Seeing My Face And Being Faced Forward When I Was Walking, Made It Extra Comforting For Them.

I'd Definitely Recommend This To Fellow Cat-Peeps!^^
The "Arms" Are Adjustable, And Would Suit Just About Anyone, Regardless Of Age And Size Really. It's Also Got Security Latches To Go Across The Back/Chest, That Are Attached To The "Arms". This Is also Adjustable. When Wearing It I Always Felt In Full Control, And That The Harness Was Firmly Stuck On My Body. Nothing Being All Loosey-Goosey, Or Flailing About.  All In All. A Very Good Contraption! ^^

It's Also Worth A Mention That It's Very Nicely Designed, With a Mini-Leash Inside, To Attach To Your Furry Friend's Walking-Harness! ^^ So You Can Open Up The Top And Let Them Stick Their Head Out For Some Fresh Air; Without Being Worried About Them Hopping Out And Getting Away From You Mid Walk, Perhaps In The Middle Of Nowhere.
The Backpack Also Has Nifty Pockets To Store Little Necessities Like Poo-Bags Or Something.

Company: Friends With Fur Product: Connor, Backpack

Sunday 17 January 2016

Brit-Care Wet Luxury Line

This Is The Best Wet-Food for Cats, That I Have Come Across.
My Cats Absolutely Love It; And Having Tried This; All Others Seem Bleak In Comparison.
I'm Talking About Brit-Care's SuperPremium Cat Food.
Specifically The Pouches. Seabream And Tuna.
They Come In Portion Pouches, But I Use Two Portions For Five Cats, So It's Plenty More That One Portion For One Cat.
It's HUMAN GRADE FOOD. And That's Saying A Lot. Because Compared To Regular Wet-Foods; This Is Really A Major Upgrade.
The Pouches Contain Grand Bits Of Fish In Delicious Sauce, Not Jelly, Like So Many Other Wet-Foods Out There. They Also SMELL Like Actual Food. Beacause It Is ACTUAL FOOD.
Many Other Wet-Foods Have That Suspicious Odor Of All Smelling The Same, No Matter The Flavour.


And They Often Come In Compressed Gunks Of Jelly-Gunk Pressed Together In a Can.
Well NOT THIS ONE!^
^
I Only Buy The Tuna And The SeaBream; Because Of The Terrible Cruelties In The Poultry Industry, I Would Advice To Stay FAR Away From All Products, Of All Brands, That Have Bird In Them.


















Company: Brit-Care Product: SuperPremium Cat Food (Wet)