Apropos of Nothing v.9

The neighbors are coming home. :-)

Honey Bunny was out when the coyote came into the yard and killed my cat, Willow. Since then, she does go out by herself, but she's much happier when the dogs are out with her. Interestingly, she knows that she's safe if HER dogs are out.

They are so beautiful, even from the rear. Do they know this? Are they the kind of dog that knows they are decorative as well as sweet? We swear that Fran knows she is beautiful.

I'm not sure they really know why they're "special", but I definitely think they do expect special treatment. And of course when they run, which is their gift their egos get even bigger. And did you know that if you have two sighthounds on a sofa or on the back seat of a car, they will lay down in positions mirroring one another? Really - it's some kind of physical property I think.

I have to brag about Magic right now. Nick gets up to drink water, and then other dogs or cats take his bed. When he's ready to lie down again, he whines and looks at me and I usually ask Magic to get up and let Nick lie down. Nick is, after all, 12 years old and disabled . . . Now Magic just waits for Nick to whine and then gets up and comes to me to make sure I've noticed what a good boy he is.

Sahara, princess that she is, didn't even notice that Nick was upset . . .

Magic is a true sweetheart.

Now that's a face!

'I had a wonderful cocktail in a restaurant tonight. A martini made with lemonade, vodka, and pureed raspberries. Oh so good and everyone kept taking sips so I had to order another. :)'

mMMMMMMMMMMM......

Right now finishing up my evening with a Reed's Ginger Brew..But started with a nice dinner with Zin, Merlot & Irish coffee.. (DH birthday..I got him a Chain Loach and frozen blood worms). Why is it when you drink one (irish coffee not chain loach) and you close your eyes you end up still at home and not at Nancy's Murphy's in Enniskerry or Danny Mann's in Killarney? It's not fair.

If it worked like that I would drink a lot of Scotch, Champagne and Turkish coffee.

Ginger

:-D I think he's handsome, but of course I'm prejudiced. I forget how long their faces are until someone remarks about it. My neighbor always says to the dog I'm with, "Why the long face?"

Ginger it sounds like you had a nice night!

Yep..and I love that face too.. So Majestic.

G.

I can't resist one more picture of Magic - this one's so cute (now). I kept leaving the bathroom door open . . .

"My point is that this has happened to some extent with EVERY breed because it's too easy to breed dogs. Most well-meaning breeders aren't tracking genetic history and testing for genetically-transmitted problems and I would say that most people don't really even understand their own dogs' motivation."

Is there any wonder I'm a cat person? :) Kathy's really got it right with this picture, lol http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/fp.php?pid=7575937

(I've also got Grandin's "Animals in Translation".)


What a beautiful day it was today! Cute pictures everyone. :)

Kathy, that looks like Christmas at your house! Everyone knows what to get Magic for Christmas. His own package of toilet paper! Come to think of it, I know plenty of dogs who would be thrilled at the prospect...

And now to cats.. I am seriously worried about our Cleo. Admiral pretty much has her contained to her perch in the garage. He is completely dominant. We go out there to pet her and bring her inside, but she is afraid to be inside for long, even with us in the room. We have left the two of them to 'work it out' and their way of working it out is that Admiral owns the entire property now. He is one dominant cat. He doesn't have to do anything to her. He just has to 'be' there, if you know what I mean.
I rarely see Cleo in the yard anymore. The other day I saw her slinking next to the house and called cheerfully to her, thinking she would come visit me in the garden. She looked away, ran around the corner and back into the garage. Also, I know she has occasionally been using the toilet in the garage, which she has absolutely never done before. This is all since Crookshanks died. My heart is just breaking for her because I know she wants our companionship, but she will not stay in the house for more than 15 minutes, plus I really cannot afford to have her in here due to my (and the kids) allergies. That's why she and crookshanks lived in the garage in the first place. I am at a loss. She is so affectionate now, but I think she is getting depressed. She lays in her warm bed, with her back to the door. This is new behavior and I get a bad feeling from it. I worry she will die, even though there is nothing physically wrong with her. She is a beautiful, sweet cat. (Okay, she used to be a real **&&, but now she has changed her tune and is very lovely. We have to be forgiving here.) We cannot stand out by her perch and pet her all day long. Mike took her out into the yard and walked outside with her and we've all been trying to spend time with her, but I don't know if that is really helping.
I do not want to throw another cat into the mix at this point. Is there any hope that this will still work out?

Sorry Linda for your experences. Most of the serious events with dog mailings are from pit bulls. I think because of their loving nature but owners seem not to accept their potentials.

Pix, I understand Cleo's situation perfectly, poor girl. You're right-it is a dominance issue, but handling it is different than with dogs. I've got similar issues with my Sophie, in varying degree. I interfere somewhat, but the whole thing started mostly because of some errors I made when I re-introduced them and I haven't really been able to start over again.

There are things you may be able to do, but it's a bit of work (but, then, you are a therapist-you understand process, right?) Basically, you are going to need to disrupt this pattern, separate them, and then start a gradual desensitization/reintroduction. The tricky part is that Cleo is sort of confined to the garage so it's going to make it hard to even up the territory and get her more privileges. It will take weeks. There's really no short way to write this all up.
I'd recommend you find and read "Cat vs Cat"( can't remember author) and "The Cat who Cried for Help" by Nicholas Dodman.



This message was edited Feb 21, 2010 10:38 AM

We cross posted Melissa. I often use "depo provera" on dominate cats to supress aggression. This lasts for 3 to6 months and allows the lower social cat to enter the home and not be harrased. Having added a new cat to my house I have ollowed the conflict to occur and after 3 weeks they are starting to play. But that is because the new cat is allowing his concern to diminish. This of course is good and our circumstances are different. Many Vets are not using this because of fear of the drug causing diabetes. But I have never seen a single injection creating this issue. I would talk it over with your vet and have them administer about 30 - 40 mg injection of the human birth control drug Depo Provera.

oh wow, what an intriguing idea. Do you do behavior modification also, or is the medication itself enough to diffuse the situation?

The medication takes away the need to address territory with a cat and that allows the other cat to rise in social order. This empowers the submissive newcomer to be accepted.

Do you think it will turn women into contented cows?

I have never been a woman but I do know that this hormone does make you energized and happy. Post menstrual.

I could use a shot of that. ^_^

Ladies....Depo is/was a popular birth control method..It is a Sofer said a shot that last for 3 mo.

Good part...no period :) ..Bad part...One of the side effects is MUCHO weight gain. My sister gained over 40 lbs. That alone would NOT NOT NOT make me energized and happy.....Definitely more cow-like but not contented. I thought about it for a bit but since I am a robust woman to begin with, an extra 40 lbs was a no go.

Sofer...It is amazing the uses for different drugs on people vs pets. Very cool.

Ginger

But... The Admiral is a neutered male cat... I wouldn't want to, er, mess him up. Or anything like that. Plus, Cleo is not the newcomer. Maybe that doesn't really matter in this case. I will talk to our vet about it. I cannot have Cleo in the house all the time, but there is no need for her to be relegated to her perch in the garage. And I don't want her to get depressed. They have never 'mixed it up' for real. Admiral just sits and looks at her,, and I think it scare the you know what out of her. I would have never thought Cleo to be such a wuss. She used to be one tough cat.

Kathy, I'll look for those books.

Personally, anything that shuts down a natural hormonal cycle completely is a little bit suspect in my book. I always figure there is a reason why the 'monthly' thing is actually 'monthly'. Who am I to question?

I already have 30 extra pounds so that would be a no.

I know you don't want to introduce another cat, but cats are social creatures and Cleo is lonely. It only seems right to find a way to get her some human or cat company. OTH, that's another whole dynamic to address and adding a cat while she's grieving may do more harm than good.

Can you restrict Admiral's accesses? Cleo just needs a place where she feels safe and where you are. Maybe they can alternate yard privileges.

There are also cat "happy" pheremones in cream form that you can rub on ears. Someone on the pet forum has it made up for her cat.

Sue, those books sound intriguing. I'm going to look for them. Thanks for the suggestion.

Oh, sorry, Sue. Yes, I knew it was you who suggested the books. Don't know why I put Kathy.
No, I really do not need to put another cat into the mix right now. I think that would be a bad idea. I am intrigued by Soferdigs idea of the hormone, but I want to see the books, too.

I understand. The thing is - the hormone might help Admiral, but part of this may be coming from the fact that Cleo is feeling apprehensive and it would be good if you could address that and help her to feel more secure. Part of his boldness may be that she has "kick me" all over her attitude.

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Try again, SK.

Don't tell me what to do, Katie.

Ouch! Opinions aside, that's a bit harsh.

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Pixy, coincidentally, I just buried a cat on Thursday who was also named Cleo. That leaves me with only 2 cats plus the one who occasionally comes to the door for food.

So I could take in YOUR Cleo if we can get her transported. She would do great here -- my cats are a happy group, and she would get to sleep in the big bed.

And, as long as I'm stepping in from the sidelines & registering strong opinions:

As the victim of a pit-bull attack several years ago, I think they should be shot on sight until the continent is rid of them. Breeding/temperament/claptrap be *&$#@, they are physically capable of inflicting so much damage that they should be treated as escaped zoo lions.

Edited to say: I have more sympathy for the lions.

This message was edited Feb 21, 2010 10:01 PM

Company line, NOT. Different strokes for different folks.

Well, contrary to opinion, I do like my cat. But since she is 'just a cat', I don't feel it necessary to take more medication just to have her in the house with me. She and Crookshanks had a nice little thing going with a great heated area. I'm pretty sure they didn't feel left out. It's just that he's dead now. There's no turning that one around.

And Admiral is just a little too much cat manliness. I believe he wants to take on the dogs, too, which is going to be pretty funny, if you ask me. If he tries to take on Skippy, I'll probably let Skippy chase him.

I don't take my animals to shelters. It's possible that she will go to another home, but we're not at that stage yet, thanks. Since this is the only home she's ever known, I prefer to work with this one. At this point, I'm looking at this as a behavior issue. I was not aware that I was wringing my hands over the matter. Since hand-wringing is a pet peeve of yours, I'll try to keep mine to a minimum just because I like you and it costs me nothing.

Which company line are you referring to? Sometimes people agree, sometimes they don't.

I was wondering where you were. Last time I noticed your posts you had almost destroyed your living room after being tormented by evil drapes and half drowning yourself in a raging river. You sounded very much like a manic episode of Rin and Stimpy. Then you dropped out of sight. What happened? Did the sunshine go away? Somehow I get this image of you in a dark room grumbling to yourself in an irritated way. Sorry to hear about your kitty. I'm with you on the Pitbull issue. Never met one I trusted. They are the only dog I am actually afraid of, and I have never been attacked. I do, however, prefer to express most of my opinions without the use of fangs. I keep mine hidden; for emergency use only.

"Ouch! Opinions aside, that's a bit harsh."

Agreed, Ladybug.

This message was edited Feb 22, 2010 9:41 AM

Pixy, I apologize for overreacting to the thought of Depo-Provera & special ear cream for misbehaving cats, especially since those weren't even your idea.

It does seem as if Cleo was content as long as she had her little "society" out in the garage. Are you SURE you can't give her another friend? I would think that, even if you can change hers & Admiral's dynamic, they'll never be buds, and Cleo remembers what it was like to be part of a friendship. Without that bond, and with only sporadic daytime contact with the humans, she must feel like the last cat left on the planet.

As for me, no grumbling in the darkness, we have had NINE STRAIGHT days of sunshine here on the coast, so the dog & I have been mainly kickin' it outside.

Aside from sitting by the fire for 2 days holding a dying cat, it's been a glorious week for me, lots of energy & enthusiasm. And even on those 2 days I could watch the Olympics.

Why, Summerkid! There you are! I knew you were out there somewhere... I am sorry about your kitty.
We are open to the idea of another kitty later, if that's the right thing to do. Just now, we need to get Cleo through this time and not instigate Admiral further. I'm sure my vet will have some ideas. Yes, Cleo has always been the 'queen', as it were, and now she has been royally displaced and is not amused. Her nose is completely out of joint. I like to think that if it is right that another cat live with her, the right cat will appear at the right time. Cats are good that way.

You're sweet, Pix, and funny.

We just got back from 2 hours at the beach. For the first time, we ran all the way to Cascade Head, which is spectacular once you're looking up at those cliffs -- or into the tide pools. So much geologic history on display.

On the way back this kite-flier I'd seen back in the fall was rolling in his rig so I stopped to chat. His name's Robert and we ended up actually having a conversation for the first time. I'd guess he's in his late 50s, good-looking guy, been retired since 2001, and just flew in from his place in Squaw Valley (one reason I stayed to talk -- I don't currently know any other single guys with a house on a ski slope, I'm shallow that way) ... says he spends 7-8 months in his house here on the coast, then heads back to the mountains. Life of Riley, right? I was feeling kinda envious until getting a good look at him in shorts for the first time -- holy cow, 12-inch scars up the front of both knees. Turns out he's had replacements.

I would not trade places for the world.

Funny what we can suddenly be thankful for, right?

Summer kid-Sorry about your cat!
Steve- I guess that is why I give Depo to my daughter I can hit a moving target at 25 yards......Ha
Ginger- Actually I had a metal rake in my hands when the dogs confronted me and thought about using it but with two of them I was afraid any action against one may drive an attack from the other. Actually these dogs are usually very well kept with an electric fence. This is the first time and hopefully the last I will have this problem........The carriage whip is a good idea........Maybe depo provera all around.....I could shoot it through the fence :)