#Like two of my cats when I was younger had to be euthanized because they were like 22 and 24

[theforesteldritch]

Some people suck so much there’s an Instagram account of a (really cute and silly) cat with cerebrellar hypoplasia, so the part of his brain that helps control movement isn’t fully developed so he’s pretty wobbly when moving but he is a happy, healthy cat. There’s an (again very adorable in an orange cat way) video of him just demolishing, absolutely obliterating a tuna treat, and of course he’s wobbly because he has CH! But the comments are full of people saying he should be put down. And like. This cat is fine. It is not suffering. And it just reveals what people think of disabled humans too because if people are so mad about disabled animals existing and being alive because they can’t fathom that disability and happiness and quality of life can coexist given proper accommodations and supports, what do you think about disabled humans? It’s not that far of a leap from thinking eugenics is good in animals to humans.

[hallowxiu]

Stolen Thunder

Pairing: Belphegor x gn!mc

Word Count: 1.6k

Summary: You try your luck with Belphie this time. Turns out, he’s more prepared for pick up lines than you are. AKA the time where Belphegor steals your thunder.

Part 3 of the MC isn’t good at pick up lines series 

part one | part two 

“You might be the unluckiest person alive.”

“I feel like I’m the unluckiest person in all of existence.” You’re lying in a pile of pillows and blankets, feeling especially tired after the day’s events. Naturally, whenever you felt exhausted, you’d always find yourself going to the youngest of the brothers, Belphegor. He’s snuggled up beside you, his fingers running through your hair as the two of you enjoy each other’s company. “I mean, who the hell gets stuck with two lectures on the same day? And the fact that the lectures were from Lucifer and Satan only makes me that more unlucky.”

“I can’t argue that.” Belphie mumbles under his breath as he lazily gazes at you. “I don’t even think Mammon’s managed to do that yet.”

“Like I said, unluckiest person in all of existence.” You sleepily gesture to yourself before moving closer to the sleepy demon.

“And how did this happen?”

“I tried using pick up lines on them. Not to say that it was completely their fault, but the pick up lines went right over their heads.” Your head’s resting comfortably on possibly the fluffiest pillow you’ve ever felt as you watch his expression morph from confusion to humor. “Mammon managed to convince me that my idea was a good one. We even went as far as talking through walkie-talkies for Satan’s.”

“I expected more from you.” He brings a hand up to lightly flick at your forehead. “You shouldn’t believe anything Mammon says, especially if he says something is a good idea.”

“Well,” a sheepish smile forms on your lips, “I kind of forced him to help in the first place.” You can hear the sigh leave Belphie. “I really just wanted an excuse to use one on Lucifer since he claims he doesn’t like pick up lines and that they don’t work on him.”

“They don’t though.”

“I’m beginning to believe it’s because he’s too dense to understand they’re pick up lines.”

“I hope for your sake that he never hears you say that.”

“He’s everywhere, so he probably did.”

“He definitely did, given your luck.” He winks at you playfully before a rather loud yawn leaves him abruptly. “Well, do you plan on using anymore pick up lines? Knowing you and Mammon, I doubt you both decided to call it quits after Satan.” You sigh at his question, repositioning yourself so that you’re lying on your back. You didn’t want to admit it, but you’ve been thinking about it. Even though you hadn’t had a single win yet, it was fun using obnoxious pick up lines on your friends, but to use more on Lucifer or even Satan? It seems like too much of a gamble, especially if they aren’t receptive to them in the first place. Maybe you’ll just have to put your sights on someone else instead.

“I don’t know.” You finally admit. “I think both of them would become suspicious if I tried using another pick up line so soon.”

“Well,” the sleep deprived demon breathes out, now lying on his back as well, “why don’t you try one on me? I won’t lecture you like Lucifer or Satan, and chances are, if it’s that bad I’ll just fall asleep out of humiliation.” Your eyes narrow briefly, but it isn’t a bad deal. If anything, you could use this chance to develop better pick up lines and… you’d be able to use a pick up line on Belphie. A grin spreads across your lips at the idea of possibly flustering the boy.

“Alright, but are you prepared to be swept off your feet?”

“I doubt you’ll manage that, but for the sake of progressing things I’ll say that I am.” Before you can even think of a line to use on him, the demon raises a hand as he quickly sits up.

“I have a better idea,” there’s a devious smile on his lips that you both love and hate, “if you’re willing to hear me out.”

“I’m always willing to hear you out.” You respond a little too fast.

“I’ll bet you dinner duty that I’ll outperform you with pick up lines.” You squint and look at him suspiciously. “Meaning, if I have better pick up lines than you, you have to do my dinner duty, and if you miraculously have better lines than me, I’ll do your dinner duty.” Ever the naive person you were, this did seem tempting to you. “I’ll even let you go first. You can throw as many pick up lines at me as you want, and then when you’re finished I’ll use mine.” Shit. That definitely means he has more than one pick up line in his head while you only had… half of one. You inwardly sigh. You didn’t have to agree to his bet, you could just walk away and never think about it again. Yet…

“Deal.” You’re a little too prideful to back down from a bet so easily. With the bet now on, Belphie shakes your hand before leaning back into his pillows. He stares at you expectantly and you feel yourself break out into a cold sweat. Right, you’re supposed to go first. “Uh…” Your eyebrows pull together as your brain wracks itself for anything. “Do you remember me? We’ve met in your dreams.” You end the line with a cheesy wink, and both you and Belphie cringe as a result.

“Lame.” Is all he responds with.

“Yeah, I know.” You huff as you flop back onto the pillows. You find yourself trying to think of anything else to add. You didn’t want to lose the bet with only one pick up line, that would just be sad. “I think you’re suffering from a lack of vitamin me.” Another wink, and this time you get a snort from Belphie. You’ll take what you can get.

“Is that all you can do?”

“I didn’t think I needed to have a list of pick up lines to use on you when I came up here for my nightly cuddling session.” You try to defend yourself, but you know it’s fruitless. You could only hope now that Belphie’s were just as bad.

“Well then,” another yawn escapes him as his eyes close. Just when you think he’s fallen asleep, you see a small cat-like smile form on his lips. “Do you like bumpy rides?”

You stare quizzically at him. “What? Why?” You thought he was supposed to be giving you pick up lines, not questions about rides. You begin to ponder if he’s actually talking in his sleep when he speaks back up.

“Don’t interrupt me.” He startles you, sitting up in a flash and flicking you in the forehead before once again lying down, all the while without opening his eyes. “You’ve ruined it; now I have to ask it again, otherwise it just wouldn’t make any sense.” He opens his eyes just to send you a disapproving look before closing them once you apologize. “Do you like bumpy rides? Because I’m an emotional rollercoaster, baby.” He sounds proud of that one, you duly note. You feel your eyebrow twitch before a laugh bubbles up from the back of your throat. Okay, you’ll admit that’s a good one.

“Want to find treasure? Come and explore my chest.” He doesn’t add anything more and you’re left looking over at him in confusion. “With a knife.” He mutters under his breath.

“Belphie, these are slightly concerning.”

“I’d love to go to Uranus.” He continues without paying you any attention. “Why? Because it doesn’t have a breathable atmosphere.”

“Are you crying out for help right now? Is that what this is?”

“Want to give me the D? The D is for Death. Please, euthanize me.”

“Ah, Belphie, wait--” You’re actually growing concerned.

“Wanna Netflix and kill? Me? Please release me from the prison sentence that is my existence.”

“Belphie!” You lean forward and whack his chest. ���What is wrong with you?”

“What do you mean?” He asks with a slight frown on his lips, though his eyes are still closed. “Are you not wooed by my pick up lines? I thought the younger generations liked those kinds of things.” You pinch the bridge of your nose as you stare up at the ceiling.

“Belphie, I don’t know if asking someone to end your existence is a pick up line.”

“Well, it should be.”

“Are you seriously suggesting that would work on you?”

“Are you seriously suggesting that wouldn’t work on you?”

You blink several times as you stare at Belphie before sighing softly. “I don’t think either of us won; you can’t actually count those as pick up lines.”

“What?” There’s an offended tone to his voice as he sits back up, eyes wide open now. “They were loads better than yours! And I actually had several ready, whereas you only had two! I totally won! In fact, I’d even be as nice as to lend them to you if you wanted to use them on Lucifer.”

“Why the hell would I use them on Lucifer?” You ask bewildered.

“You can’t tell me he wouldn’t like something like that. Lucifer and I are both equally dead on the inside. I bet Satan would like them as well.” You sigh as you listen to Belphie’s reasoning. You wouldn’t be getting out of this bet so easily. With a grunt you turn on your side to face the youngest brother.

“When’s your cooking duty?”

A grin’s back on his lips as he also adjusts himself to face you. “Tomorrow night.” Another sigh leaves you. Looks like you had plans tomorrow night.

[entity9silvergen]

He Is Mild And He Is Meek (ATLA Fanfiction)

Summary:  

He is mild and he is meek, he is Momo and he is what I seek.

Suki always wanted three things in life. One was to become a professional soccer player. The second was to live in a cute apartment filled with succulents. The third was to get a cat.

Momo probably wasn’t anyone’s first pick as a pet but Suki was determined to get this cat to love her as much as she loved him. If only he’d accept he had a home now.

Fandom: Avatar The Last Airbender

Characters: Suki, Momo, Sokka, Aang

Relationships: Suki & Momo, Suki & Sokka, Momo & Aang, Mentioned Aang/ Katara, Past Suki/ Toph

Other Tags: AroWriMo, Oneshot, Modern Setting, Modern AU, Transgender Character, Aromantic Character, Trans Suki, Aromantic Suki, Lesbian Suki, Aro Trans Lesbian Suki, Trans Aang, Bi Sokka, Queer Toph, Cat Momo, Dog Appa, Pet Adoption 

Warnings: Brief Mentions of Sex, Minor Swearing

Word Count: 6.7K

Chapter Count: 1 (Oneshot)

Author’s Note: I was working on my third AroWriMo story and was about to take a break when this idea hit me. I know it’s kind of out there but I like trying different stuff so here we are.

This is very out of my comfort zone. It’s a Modern/ Real World AU story with a sapphic aromantic transfem Suki adopting a cat. I am an achillean aroace trans man with a dog. I also don’t play soccer or work in tech and I’m writing about that a lot here. I am writing about so many things I don’t know about so feel free to call me out if things aren’t quite accurate. The main focus is on Suki and Momo becoming friends so hopefully it won’t be an issue.

The title comes from the poem The Lamb by William Blake.

This fits with the prompt for Week 4, non-romantic relationships. Because pets count, guys. Originally I was going to write a fic about Lin figuring out she’s aro and coming out but I like this better.

Also read it here on Ao3.

======

As long as Suki could remember, she’d always had three goals in life.

Goal number one had always been to play professionally for a women’s soccer team. 

Unfortunately, biology was not in her favor and she couldn’t even play on her college soccer team. For either sex. What kind of bull was that? If they were going to misgender her, they could at least do it by letting her play for the men’s team. Not that she would if she was offered. There were some things she wouldn’t compromise on. 

It was upsetting but she tried not to let it get her down. She’d come this far and she wasn’t going to let this stop her. She ended up on her school’s girl’s ice hockey team for all four years. It was just because they were short on players and they needed six to compete. Apparently not a lot of girls were interested in ice hockey? Suki actually really enjoyed it, even if the other teams always called her a man when they lost. 

Maybe it was for the better because once she’d graduated, one of her teammates introduced her to the Kyoshi Warriors. They weren’t professionals but they competed in organized tournaments. All women's organized tournaments. It wasn’t what Suki had dreamed of but soccer was still a part of her life. Maybe one day the sports industry would be more accepting but for now, this was enough.

Goal number two had always been to live in a cozy apartment with a crapton of succulents. 

She was a cottagecore lesbian who couldn’t keep a plant alive for the life of her, okay? And succulents were cute. Don’t judge. This one was a much easier goal to accomplish. She and her buddy Sokka had scored a job in webdev for this big gaming company right after they graduated from college. They were stuck coding for a smaller, newer game but popularity had surged and she and Sokka were making decent coin now. Enough that they no longer had to crash at Toph’s place. Well, Suki didn’t have to. Sokka stuck around for a bit. Suki was pretty sure they tried dating and it didn’t work out. That was probably a good thing because Suki really didn’t want to tell Sokka she’d been hooking up with Toph when they’d moved it. How awkward would that conversation be? Like, hey Sokka. You know you’re dating my ex-fuck buddy? Well now you do. Bleh.

But the point was that Suki had it good now. She wasn’t rolling in dough or anything- she’d painted most of the artwork around the apartment and all her succulents she’d grown herself from cuttings because she still couldn’t really afford to do anything else- but she was doing well. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to stay here forever but she might.

The third and final goal was to get a cat.

Because who needed a girlfriend? Or boyfriend? Or enbyfriend? Wives, husbands, any kind of spouse wasn’t the life for her. No, she wanted to live with a cat in a house filled with plants, damn it. Would the cat try to eat her succulents? Probably. Would that stop her? No. No, it would not.

So that led to right now. With her ideal home secured and a place on a soccer team, Suki decided it was time to get a cat.

She’d spent awhile looking online. Like, years. Years of research. She didn’t have much experience with cats. She had a pair of cats as a kid, sisters actually, but they’d died when she was pretty young. Not because her family was filled with terrible pet owners or anything. No, the cats had just gotten old. Her parents just decided to get a lot of pets as “practice” or whatever before having kids. She’d found out later in life that it’d taken a long time for her mother to get pregnant with her big sister Ty Lee so maybe they’d thought they just weren’t going to have kids or something.

Ty Lee’s friend Mai had a cat growing up, a kitten, so most of Suki’s cat experiences came from that. The cat’s name was Azula and she was a mean thing. Suki had gotten countless scratches on her arms from her but they were worth it to have those brief moments of sheer, unfiltered acceptance only an animal could have before the little jerk unleashed hell on her hands. Azula somewhat grew out of it when she reached adulthood but she never stopped being a terror.

Mai moved away at some point when Suki was around nine or ten and she took Azula with her. Which made sense, Azula was a cat, but Suki still missed having her around. Since then, the only cat she’d interacted with was this tortoiseshell she’d seen on a walk in high school. She’d been having a pretty day- er, week- and she thought a walk to the elementary school down the block would clear her head. She’d spotted the cat across the street and hurriedly crossed in hope she could get a better look. It’d been a pleasant surprise that the cat seemed equally delighted to see her and approached her as well, demanding pets for a good half hour before Suki realized she had to be getting home. She came back the next week, hoping to see the cat again, but she never did. It was too bad, she’d never met a cat who did anything like that.

So the years of research were necessary. She was only experienced with, what, four cats? Wait actually, her extended family members had some cats but they didn’t count. They were assholes. But four to seven, give or take? Not a lot.

Constantly googling stuff about cat care made stuff about cat adoption show up on her brower a lot which was kind of annoying in college since she couldn’t have a cat in her dorm but she let herself indulge once in a while. She had to know what kind of cat she wanted, right? Well, she thought so. Turns out she was a bit off center. Cats weren’t really bred like dogs. With dogs, you had a ton of options. There were labs, german shepherds, huskies, dobermans, dalmatians, sheep dogs, collies, and countless other breeds. With cats, you had orange, white, black, brown and grey. You also had stripes, patches, and plain but that was pretty much it. It was more important where the cat came from than what kind.

It took Suki awhile to realize most of the advertisements she saw were from cat mills. Turns out there are a lot of weirdos out there who bred their cats to pump out kittens to sell. On one hand, gross and she knew she shouldn’t further support those kinds of businesses but on the other, they needed good homes. These people had no morals, who knew where those little kittens were going to go? Not the sellers, that’s for sure.

It was hard to tear herself away from those sites but she was glad she did.

There were a lot of family cats who’d gotten pregnant by accident and the owners needed someone to take the kittens off them. They sold cheap but the cats were usually well taken care of and the sellers made sure the new owners weren’t, like, animal abusers are anything. The bar was kind of low but it was a lot better than kitten mills.

Then there were shelters.

Suki’s family, as much as they loved animals, never got pets from shelters. They had too many issues, they said. It’s easier to train a younger animal, they said. You have no idea where they’re from, they said. Ty Lee always pointed out the animals needed homes. Suki always asked if the animals who were there for too long got euthanized. Neither sister could really remember what their parents’ responses were but neither of them ever tried to buy pets from shelters, even as adults.

Until now.

Looking on the shelters’ websites swayed Suki a bit. A lot of shelters didn’t euthanize but usually pets would go to different shelters if they were at one for too long and sometimes those new shelters did. There was a wide variety in the policies at the different shelters. Some of them really prioritized the animals’ wellbeing but some… really… didn’t.

She decided on visiting a small volunteer-run animal shelter. They were having a… a sale? What’s it called when places with animals just stuck a bunch of animals outside and let people wander around and look at them? A farmer’s market? No, wait, that was food. An open house? Gosh, she should know this. She didn’t though and she was going anyway.

It was a Sunday the day she decided to go. It was the only day on the shelter’s calendar that lined up with her schedule for the next month or so. After throwing on her lucky green blouse, applying some light makeup, and firing off a quick text to Sokka letting her know she wouldn’t be around today, she headed out.

“Hey there!” a bright boy in a blinding orange t-shirt greeted as she approached the shop the kennels were set up. “I love your necklace! Where’d you get it?”

Suki tried her best not to finger the necklace she had on but quickly relaxed when she noticed the dog tags around the boy’s neck. The pronoun dog tags. This guy was trans too. Or an ally at least. He probably recognized her programmer socks from a distance and her white ring up close. It was a massive relief. She hated getting questions about her name when she signed paperwork. And knowing her, there was a pretty good chance she’d be signing some adoption papers today.

“Oh, um, I made it,” Suki said, feeling a bit proud at the way the boy’s eyes bugged out of his head.

“Really? That’s so cool! I’ve looked for pronoun necklaces online but they’re just so chunky. That’s why I like my dog tags! My dog Appa has some too!” the boy rambled excitedly. “Anyway, anything I can help you with? You are here to look at animals, right? If you’re not, I’d totally apologize for just yelling at you out of nowhere but it’s kind of my job.”

Suki laughed and decided she liked the guy. “No, don’t worry. I’m here to look at cats, actually.”

“Oh that’s great! I love cats but I’m allergic,” the boy- Aang, according to his name tag- said. He jangled something in his pocket, presumably allergy pills, and began leading her to the tables where lighter animals’ kennels were placed on. “We’ve got some good ones here today! Who should we visit first? You looking for a boy cat or a girl cat?”

“Gender is a social construct,” Suki responded, amused by Aang’s delight at her response. “Surprise me.”

“Okay, um, let’s see. Oh here’s Haru! He’s a good boy,” Aang said, leading him over to a wire exercise pen with three cats inside. “See, Haru’s the brown one. Teo and Duke are the other brown ones.”

One of the cats meowed loudly at the sound of his name, startling the other two awake.  One of them lifted his head with a dazed look in his eye and a long piece of lint stuck to his face. Suki couldn’t help but snort at the sight of it.

“Classic Haru,” Aang chuckled. Suki still wasn’t quite sure which cat he was talking about but he was already moving along. “Um, okay, so over here we’ve got three more. This is Lu Ten and- Jet! Stop trying to eat Kuei’s ear! Wait, no. I’m sorry. Don’t look at me like that! You brought this upon yourself!”

Suki’s attention drifted down the table as Aang bickered with the cats. They were funny but she was too distracted by the lone crate at the end of the table for her to notice. She lifted a finger, drawing Aang’s attention to it. “Is there anyone in there?”

Aang looked up, Jet in one hand and Kuei in the other. “Oh that? Oh yeah, that’s Momo.”

“Can I see him?”

Aang put Jet and Kuei down, looking kind of hesitant. “There’s a reason Momo’s all alone.”

“Is he aggressive?”

“What? No. No, he’s like the total opposite of aggressive. Really shy actually. He’s a rescue. My girlfriend found him on the streets a couple weeks after this hoarder got evicted. The guy had, like, sixty cats who all got sent to shelters around the state but some of them got loose. We think Momo was one of them. He gets kind of scared around other cats,” Aang said, scratching the back of his head with one hand. “I don’t think he’s scared of humans, exactly, but I don’t think he’s going to get adopted anytime soon. I’d take him but, you know, allergies. I thought it might do him some good to get used to being out here though. Took me forever to convince my boss.”

“Can I see him?”

“O-okay. I don’t see why not. Just try to stay quiet. I don’t want to scare him too much.”

Suki nodded and Aang led her down the table. The crate was facing away from the rest of the animals and Aang made sure to move slowly when he moved into sight. “Hey, buddy. It’s me. Aang. You remember me? Yeah, you do. I brought Suki! She’s just going to say hi, alright?”

Aang nodded to Suki and she shifted so she was within view of the wire mesh that was the crate’s door. She crouched down a bit, trying to get into view, and was immediately met with two wide, green eyes.

“Hey, Momo,” she cooed. “Is this alright?”

She slowly put her hand near the door. Momo stared at it for a few moments from his place curled up at the back of his crate before stretching his neck a bit to sniff. She glanced at Aang, trying to see if what she was doing was alright. He looked absolutely mystified. Taking that as a good sign, she put her hand against the door. To her surprise, Momo got up and nuzzled her hand through the wire.

“Wow, he never does that,” Aang commented. “Hopefully that means he’s getting better. Or that you have cat magic!”

“Can I adopt him?” Suki asked before she knew what she was saying.

“I don’t literally mean you have cat magic.”

“Wha- Yes. I know I don’t have cat magic, Aang,” Suki sighed and ducked her head a bit to look into Momo’s cage. He was a cute little guy. Maybe a year old. If he was from a hoarding house like Aang thought he was, he’d probably been born there. Poor boy probably didn’t know what it felt like to have a real home. “I think… I’d like to give him a shot. Give him a home. I know I’d probably have to put more work into it than I would for another cat but I’m willing to do that extra work for him. He deserves it.”

Aang smiled and it wasn’t one of the beaming ones like before. This one was a lot softer. “You have no idea how happy that makes me. You really sound like you’ll be a good pet-owner. We have to do background checks and stuff, obviously, and you can’t, like, take him home right now but if you think you’re ready, I’ll put your name down and we can start the adoption process.”

Suki shot Momo one last glance and nodded. “Nothing would make me happier.”

===========================

She ended up driving to get him at seven am the next Friday.

She’d been planning on getting him in three weeks but on Thursday Aang had called her to tell her Jet was stirring up trouble again and Momo had freaked out and he really wanted to get him out of there. They’d planned on Saturday but Momo freaking out was agitating the other cats and Aang thought it would be best if Suki came sooner so she got herself and Sokka out of work and now they were driving to the Southern Air Animal Shelter.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you’re getting a cat,” Sokka whined as they pulled into the parking lot. “At least tell me he’s black. Then you’d be, like, a sexy lesbian witch with a sexy black cat... famialir… thing.”

“Momo’s white.”

“Aw. That’s too b- Oh wait, that actually fits your aesthetic way better. Blue eyes?”

“Green.”

“Even better! I like him already!”

Suki snorted and flicked him in the side of the head when they pulled into their parking spot and came to a stop. “Just wait here, alright?”

“Sure thing. Try not to take forever. Unlike some people, I need to get back to work this afternoon.”

Suki flipped him off and headed inside.

The woman at the desk was kind enough and Suki didn’t have to wait long before she was redirected to Aang. The man looked a bit frazzled but still looked bright as ever. “Hey Suki! Boy am I glad you’re here. I’m sorry we had to hurry things like this but I really think this is what’s best for Momo.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Suki assured him. “Is he alright?”

“I think so. I’m just glad he had a home lined up and all ready to go,” Aang admitted as he led her to the part of the building reserved for cats. “I mean, he’s well treated here and I’ll miss him but I think he needs his peace.”

The cat corner wasn’t nearly as loud as the dog department must be but there were a few more vocal cats meowing here and there. Suki kind of wanted to stop to play with them but she wasn’t here for them. She was here for Momo.

Once again, Momo was at the farthest end of the wing and as far away as the other cats as possible. She felt a stab of pity for him when she saw him. He was curled up at the back of his kennel, face buried in his tail. When he heard them approach, he looked up with the most terrified look in his eyes and mewed softly.

“I know, buddy,” Aang told him, looking sad, “but Suki’s here. Do you remember her? She’s going to take you to your forever home.”

Aang unlatched the door and Momo tipped his head, looking confused. With Aang’s approval, Suki reached in and pulled him out, holding Momo carefully. “There we go. It’s going to be alright now, Momo.”

“Let’s get him out of this wing,” Aang said. Suki nodded in agreement, feeling Momo quivering in her arms, and the two hurried away from the other cats. Back in the lobby, Momo already seemed a lot calmer. Still nervous but better.

“Normally, all the paperwork would be done by now but due to the circumstances, just sign here,” the woman at the desk said, sliding a form across the table. “We can mail you the rest of the paperwork or you can come by later.”

Suki nodded and jotted down her initials on the form with her free hand. She tried at least skimming the rest of the form like any responsible person should but she was too worried about the cat in her arms to really care. The receptionist glanced it over once before giving Suki the okay.

“Do you have someone to drive you home or do you have a crate in your car?” Aang asked when she was done.

“Both. I came here with my friend and I already bought everything,” Suki told him. She flashed him a smile. “Thanks for everything, Aang.”

“No problem. Just doing my job,” Aang answered, matching her smile. He passed her a slip of paper. “Here’s just some extra info about Momo I had jotted down. I have one for every cat. I dunno, it may help.”

Suki thanked him one more time before saying goodbye and returning to her car where Sokka was waiting. Honestly she’d kind of forgotten he was there, despite mentioning it to Aang, until she saw his face light up at the sight of the cat.

“Is that him? Oh, what a beautiful boy,” Sokka cooed when Suki took shotgun with Momo in her lap.

Momo glanced up at Suki before shooting Sokka a confused look. Suki scratched him behind the ears. “That’s right, Momo. Sokka’s weird.”

“Hey! I’m the weird one?”

“Yup,” Suki said, popping the p. Sokka made a face at her. She laughed. “Just drive, knucklehead.”

“As my queen commands,” Sokka responded extravagantly and hit the gas. Suki held onto Momo securely and soon, they were heading to Momo’s new forever home.

The drive was overall pretty good. It was a nice drive through some countryside. Suki and Sokka had been too tired that morning to really appreciate it but now that they were more awake and in less of a hurry, they could just soak it in. Suki lifted Momo up a bit so he could look outside, smiling at the way his green eyes widened in wonder at the endless stretches of grass around them.

Momo was fairly calm for most of it but he was a cat in an unfamiliar situation so he cried a bit once in a while. Sokka pulled over to let Momo use the bathroom about halfway through. Sokka told Suki that when his family got their puppy when he was a teenager, his dad had been holding the dog in the back seat and the dog peed on him within twenty minutes of getting in the car. Suki laughed but privately she was grateful Sokka remembered. She wasn’t wearing nice clothes or anything but she really didn’t want Momo peeing on her or in Sokka’s car.

They got back to Suki’s apartment within the hour. Sokka punched in the codes for the gate and elevator, Suki’s hands too full to do it herself, and they headed inside.

“We’re home now, Momo,” Suki told the cat softly, putting him down once the door was closed. She didn’t think he’d run but better safe than sorry. Momo was definitely going to be an indoor cat. “Go explore.”

Momo seemed frozen for a moment before disappearing in a flash, scurrying behind the couch to where most of the cat stuff was. Suki would’ve taken that as a good sign if he’d run to the cat tower but no, Momo had ducked under the little table beside the couch and was watching everything warily.

“At least he’s not hiding under the couch or under the bed,” Sokka pointed out when their efforts to coax him out failed.

“I guess,” Suki sighed, sitting down on the rug a few feet away from the cat. “You want to stay?”

“I need to get back to work,��� Sokka told her regretfully. “I’ll text you if anything important happens. And I might be by later. Hopefully this little guy comes out by then.”

Suki nodded and bid him farewell before glancing at Momo. He’d stubbornly tucked in his paws and planted himself firmly under that little table. She shook her head. “What am I going to do with you?”

=====================

Suki didn’t have to go back to work that day but she did have a soccer match. She could skip if she wanted- they were just playing the Ba Sing Bears and honestly they weren’t that good- but she figured she’d give Momo the chance to explore his home alone. According to the note Aang had given her, Momo was fine being alone for good stretches of time.

(It also said he was litter trained, good on a leash, practically melted into neck scritches, didn’t like his ears being poked, loved polka music but hated any kind of rap except for French, and his favorite show was the Aquaman cartoon from the 60s but Suki didn’t really know what to think of that.)

The Kyoshi Warriors unsurprisingly won their game but the Ba Sing Bears had put up a good fight. The score came closer than it usually did and Suki got more of a workout than she had in awhile. She got home late, having stopped to grab a bite to eat with her teammates. When she opened the door, Momo looked up and froze mid step from where he was standing on the back of the couch.

They made eye contact for a moment and Suki wanted nothing more than to rush over and cheer that he finally ventured out of his hiding place but, not wanting to scare him, she withheld. Tearing her gaze away, she headed to the bathroom and turned on the shower. She needed it after that game.

She was sweaty and grimy and the hot water was relaxing but she tried to keep the shower quick. As nice as it was to close her eyes, let the heat wash over her, and lose herself in her thoughts, now wasn’t really the time for that. She washed and dried herself quickly before throwing on some lounge clothes and tying her wet hair up in a towel to dry.

When she left the bathroom, Momo was back under the table, eyeing her warily. Suki tried her best to give him his space for a little while, giving the apartment a once over to see if he’d tried to eat any of her beloved plants- he did not- before heading to the kitchen to prepare some cat food.

“I hope you’re hungry, Momo,” Suki said aloud as she plopped down on the rug, cat bowl in her lap. She shook it a bit before plucking a piece out and holding it up like an offering. “You want some?”

Momo just stared at her and didn’t move a muscle. Suki put the piece of kibble down halfway between them and waited. When Momo just looked at it, she went on her phone and tried not to look at him too much.

She was just about to send Sokka a funny meme she found when Momo stepped out, took the piece of kibble, and wandered up to her.

“Hey, buddy,” she cooed. She lifted her hand slowly, waiting for his reaction, before sinking her hand into his soft, white fur. “That’s right. Not so scary, huh? It’s just me. You want some food?”

Momo let out a pathetic mewl and clambered onto her knee to dip his muzzle into the bowl. He took a few neat bites at first before throwing himself into the meal and scarfing it down.

“You were hungry, huh?” Suki said, laughing a bit when Momo slipped and nearly fell in. “I probably should’ve fed you sooner. Don’t worry, tomorrow we’ll get on a schedule.”

Momo swallowed his last bite and mewed again, as if agreeing. Suki set aside the bowl and Momo wandered off but she felt like she’d made some progress. Momo would settle in well.

===================

“He’s not much of a hunter, huh?” Sokka stated as he bounced a feather on a string in front of Momo’s face. Momo just blinked at it and yawned.

It’d been about a week since Momo had moved in with Suki. She thought things were going pretty well. Momo didn’t hide under the table anymore. He seemed to like it down there but he never ran down there in fright and it didn’t take much coaxing to get him to come out. He seemed to prefer the cat tower anyway, though he never climbed very high.

Cats weren’t terribly exciting pets. Momo wasn’t a kitten, she didn’t need to teach him to use a litter box, and he wasn’t much of a scratcher. Still, as timid as he was, he’d proven himself to have some personality.

“He can be spunky when he wants to be,” Suki told him. “Try a ball, he likes batting those around.”

Sokka looked around for a ball and was just about to toss it to Momo when there was a knock at the door.

Momo’s tail shot up but he didn’t run. Suki considered that a good sign. “I can get it.”

Sokka didn’t respond and leaned down to roll Momo the ball. “Go get it. Fetch, boy.”

“He’s not a dog,” Suki called as she opened the door to reveal a familiar face. “Aang?”

“Hey Suki,” Aang greeted with a wild wave. “I just came by to drop off the rest of Momo’s paperwork.”

“I almost forgot about that,” Suki admitted. She accepted the stack of papers from him- ugh, she was really not looking forward to reading through all of those- and stepped aside from the doorway. “Come in. I’m sure Momo would like to see you. I’ve got a friend over but I’m sure he won’t mind.”

“I don’t!” Sokka yelled from the other side of the apartment. 

“Sokka?” Aang called as he entered. “Sokka, is that you?”

“Aang?” Sokka looked up from Momo, face flashing with recognition at the sight of the bald figure by the door, and grinned. “Oh hey! I didn’t know you and Suki knew each other!”

“I didn’t know you two knew each other either!” Aang said, slapping hands with Sokka when he approached. “This is way cool!”

“Wait, how do you know each other? Exes?” Suki guessed, glancing between them.

Sokka made a face. “Ew, no. Aang’s Katara’s boyfriend. We all went to high school together.”

Aang laughed a bit and scratched the back of his head nervously. “So how do you two know each other? Exes?”

“Ew, no,” Suki said, mimicking Sokka’s reaction. He stuck his tongue out at her.

“We went to university together,” Sokka explained. “And we were roommates for a bit, during and after college. And we work together. Just best friends in general. Wow, I’m really surprised I haven’t introduced you two yet.”

“Too much trans power in one room,” Aang joked. He and Suki high fived.

“Too much power for any room,” Suki agreed. “Have you met Toph? The three of us would be unstoppable.” 

“Oh my god,” Sokka said, rubbing his face with his hands. “Just go look at the damn cat, Aang.”

“Don’t talk about Momo that way,” Aang complained but was already hurrying over to the cat tower. “Momo! You miss me, buddy?”

Suki heard a mew from Momo and a sneeze from Aang and she figured everything was okay.

“You look over this and make sure I’m not signing away my soul or some shit,” Suki said, sliding the paperwork into Sokka’s hands, and joined Aang by the couch with Momo against Sokka’s protests.

“No swearing in front of the baby!” Aang piped up as Momo poked his head out of the cat tower and slunk down to the floor. Aang patted his lap and Momo slowly padded over to him. He didn’t climb into his lap like Aang seemed to want but he was nosing his knees curiously and that seemed to equally excite Aang. “What a good boy!”

With Sokka muttering behind her, Suki sat down and scooted over. Momo largely ignored her in a very catlike manner in favor of getting chin scritches from Aang. “I think he’s been settling in well. He doesn’t really hide anymore and he doesn’t really care when someone’s in the room with him.”

“That’s good,” Aang said, moving to scratch Momo’s ears. “Has he been eating?”

“Yeah. Kind of fast actually. He threw up once. It was pretty early on though so it might’ve been stress.”

Aang nodded thoughtfully. “Poop?”

“In the litterbox. Normal looking.” As far as she could tell at least.

“What about wandering the apartment? Does he go in the other rooms yet?”

“A bit. I’ve found him around once in a while but he seems to like it here the most. Is that something I should be worried about?”

Aang shook his head. “If he’s wandering around, that should be a sign he’s getting comfortable. I think it’s normal if he just hangs around in here most of the time though.”

Suki nodded, a bit relieved. It sounded like she was doing a good job. Suki, responsible cat owner. Then came Aang’s next question.

“Have you been playing Aquaman for him? I have some DVDs if you need them.”

======================

It was about a month and a half since Suki got Momo when she had the chance to get another day off from work. 

She loved her job, she really did. Working at Avatar Gaming was truly a dream come true and the project she was working on, The Last Airbender, was actually a lot of fun to work on. Granted, she wasn’t really part of the design or story building parts of the team but it was still satisfying work and could be entertaining. She still got to play around with different characters and attacks regularly. Plus, the work environment was great. She loved going into work. That didn’t mean she didn’t like a day off once in awhile.

Though today, she’d really regret taking the day off.

Momo was a bit antisocial today so Suki was alone in her bed painting her nails. Not the best place to do it, she knew, but she was careful. She missed a phone call, not wanting to pick up her phone with the polish still wet, but it was just Sokka so she didn’t think much of it. He could wait.

It was a good hour later before Suki remembered to call him back. And once she did, she really wished she’d called him sooner. Or not at all.

“Hey,” Sokka said quietly as Suki turned up the volume. His voice cracked, worrying Suki.

“Is everything okay?” Suki asked hurriedly. “Did something happen at work?”

“You could say that.” Sokka laughed but it sounded hollow. “We’re getting laid off.”

“What?” The world seemed to stop around her.

“We’re getting laid off, Suki. The whole team.”

“I heard you,” she croaked in disbelief sitting up a bit straighter. “I- What happened? Why?”

“The Last Airbender is getting popular,” Sokka told her. “They want to- They want another team to work on it. They said they wanted to make it cleaner. More up to standard with their other big games. Make it fancier or whatever. There’s a chance they might hire some of us back but…”

“That’s bullshit,” Suki said almost automatically but it felt like someone else was speaking through her mouth. “No way in hell am I working for them again if they think they can just lay me off.”

Sokka chuckled again. This time there was a bit more life in it but it still sounded as empty as Suki felt. “That’s what I said.”

“Do we have any details yet? How long do we keep working? Are we getting severance pay? Do you have money saved? Are we going to have to-”

“I don’t know yet,” Sokka admitted. “They just announced it, nothing more. They said they’d write everything up soon. I’m… I’m on a walk right now. Just soaking everything in. Trying not to kick over any trash cans. Can I call you back? I just wanted to make sure you knew.”

“I- Yeah. Yeah, Sokka. Take however much time you need.”

“Bye.” Then, almost as an afterthought, he softly added, “Love you, no romo.”

That got a chuckle out of Suki, despite the water beginning to well up in her eyes. “Love you too, Sokka. No romo.”

Suki’s phone beeped as Sokka hung up and the dam broke.

Suki didn’t know why she was crying. Geez, she was a grown woman. Getting laid off wasn’t really a big deal, people got laid off all the time, but it was a big deal for her. She’d been working on that game practically since it’s making. Right out of college. It was the longest job she’d ever held down and she’d grown really attached to it. It was hard to think that she wouldn’t be working on it anymore. That her employers just saw her and her team as… worthless.

And there was the whole financial aspect. She needed that job. She needed income. She needed to pay for her apartment and for food and water and medical expenses and for Momo’s everything and insurance and everything. It was all so much. She was fine now but what if the money she had saved ran out before she found another job? Or if she couldn’t find a good job and she got stuck in some minimum wage shithole? 

She wasn’t in college anymore, there were no counselors to help out or career fairs to go to. She’d need to, like, job hunt. With a lay off on her resume. Did layoffs affect things? She knew it wasn’t as bad as getting fired but still. Like a dishonorable discharge. Wait, no, that was probably really disrespectful to say. But it couldn’t look good. Gosh, working for Avatar really was a dream job. She doubted any other big gaming companies were hiring. Any gaming company would be amazing but it was unlikely she’d get another opportunity. Unless they were producing more new games. But then she could just get laid off again when it started getting popular…

She was spiraling. Fuck, where was her phone? If it got tangled in the bed sheets, she’d never find it. She needed to hold something. Something to ground her, something to distract her.

She heard a mew and saw Momo poke his little head through the door.

“Go away, Momo,” she choked out, burying her face in her hands. “It smells like nail polish in here. You’ll hate it. You have such a cute nose and it will hate it.”

Momo ignored her and the smell. He hesitantly padded in before trotting up to the bed and neatly leaping up to where Suki was. Suki momentarily drew her hands away from her face to look at him. He mewled again and butted her knee with his head.

And then Suki couldn’t hold back the waterworks anymore.

Until now, her tears had been silent but now they were gushing out and she couldn’t hold back the sobs. She pulled Momo into her lap and held him close, too caught up in her own whirlwind of emotions to be surprised that he wasn’t struggling. She ran her long fingers through his short, white fur and let herself cry unabashedly. 

Momo didn’t judge her. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t make her feel any worse. Momo didn’t even look at her. He just sat with her, lending any comfort he could with his presence until the tears and sobs began dying down.

“Thanks, Momo,” Suki sniffed, playing with Momo’s ears absently. “You’re a good friend, you know that buddy?”

Momo didn’t give any sign he’d heard her and just snuggled down further into her lap and purred softly. And Suki smiled. She didn’t think she could but she did. She didn’t know what was going to happen and she was terrified for her future but at least she had her cat. With Momo here with her, things would be alright.

============

Other AroWriMo stories my me

[yumeka36]

Paws on my heart

I don’t often feel the need to write personal posts like this, but the time comes every now and then. Today I had to euthanize my sweet kitty Taro. We got him a little over two years ago from a lady who rescues cats. From what she told us, he’d been abandoned after his elderly owner passed away and he was practically starved to death (he may have also been abused by the owner’s son who supposedly threw out all her cats). We didn’t know how long he’d last due to his age (he seemed to be about fifteen years old when we got him) but we decided to try and give him the best life possible in what little time he had left….and for two years, he flourished. After we treated him early on for a bad ear infection (he was deaf, not sure if the infection caused it), he had as much energy as a senior cat could have. He would jump up and down from the bed and the chair, yowl at the outside cats through the screen door, get plenty of lap-sitting time, played in cardboard boxes (his favorite), and he’d even occasionally run around the house with random spurts of energy. He would always get excited when I came home from work and would meow at me, demanding I sit in the chair so he could lay in my lap. He was also very well behaved and never hissed, scratched, or bit. He would let me trim his nails, brush his fur, and clean his ears (he actually enjoyed the latter two). Since he was deaf, I found that I could point to things or wave to him and he would follow. He was a big time rubber too and would rub his head all over my head, hand, shoulder, the corner of the table, whatever he could get a hold of. He would do other silly things too like lay on my back when I’d lie on my stomach on my bed, open the kitchen cabinets for no apparent reason, and explore my room closet whenever I’d open it.

Everything was fine with him until just a couple weeks ago when he got sick very suddenly. His hind legs had always been a little weak but it never stopped him from doing normal activities. We figured it was due to his old age and the fact that he was so malnourished before we adopted him. But all of a sudden, in just a few days’ time, his legs got weaker and weaker, to the point where he couldn’t even walk. He started eating less and less and would only drink a little milk and cat food gravy if we held it right under his mouth (since he couldn’t walk to his bowls). I wish I knew why he suddenly declined so fast…he doesn’t go outside so did he have an accident and hurt himself in the house and we didn’t know about it? Or did underlying ailments from before we adopted him suddenly catch up with him? After the vet examined him on Tuesday, we found out that he had severe back pain that carried into his legs. His options were limited due to his age so she gave him a steroid shot, fluids, and prescribed pain and anti-inflammatory medicine. I started getting hopeful that he’d feel better and live a bit longer with all this treatment. But unfortunately my hopes were immediately dashed when he showed no improvement. Even after a few doses of the medicine and shot, he was still in pain and couldn’t walk, and he stopped eating and drinking completely. He just spent all day laying in his cat bed and would only leave to painfully hobble over to the litter box if he could make it, or would just pee on the floor if he couldn’t. It was horrible watching him attempt to poop only to fail and then collapse a few seconds later because it was too exhausting to hold himself up. Even when we tried to pick him up, if he wasn’t in the right position he would cry out in pain. It was so sad seeing him look longingly at food or the bed, being so confused about why he couldn’t do the things he used to. Since he was so old, we couldn’t put him through surgeries, hospital stays, and major testing. Although he still seemed alert and slightly enjoyed pets and belly rubs, he was slowly starving to death and couldn’t move without pain…his quality of life was no good, so we had to make the decision to euthanize him.

I’ve had lots of loving cats put down in my life. I’m trying to understand why this one is making me especially sad. I think it’s because for all of my other cats, I had them for a much longer length of time, and also, I had many other cats at the same time, so even when one passed away there were others left to fill the void. The only exception was Toki, the cat we had before Taro, but the difference with her was that we had her for a long sixteen years, and her decline was much slower. Not only did we have Taro for a short two years and three months, but his decline came out of nowhere; for the whole time we had him it was like he was getting younger each day, and then aged rapidly in just a couple weeks. And also, he was more “my” cat. Toki loved both of us but favored my mom a bit more, while Taro favored me. The loving looks he would give me, the constant meowing to try and communicate with me despite being deaf, the boisterous purring as I’d pet him on my lap, having him by my side as I conquered my favorite video games (and when I had emotional outbursts while playing, the way he’d look at me like I was crazy)…these will be terribly missed. Plus he enjoyed my collecting hobby and was always curious about new merch I bought, especially my Frozen stuff and Pokemon plushies.

This past week has been awful – I’ve felt like I’ve been attending a funeral every day. It was hard holding back bouts of tears at work, and will be hard next week knowing that I won’t have his love to look forward to when I come home each day. This heavy sorrow has got me thinking deeply about how this one cat’s life, one tiny little life among the billions of animal and human lives that come and go throughout this big, wide world, has made such an emotional impact on me. It was so short in the scheme of things, but brought me so much love and joy, and now so much sadness. I guess that’s what makes life so painful but so wonderful. And like many other great joys and great sorrows we experience in life, once it’s over it all starts to feel like a dream when enough time goes by, and the intensity of both the happiness and the pain will fade. So I know the grief I’m feeling now will fade in time, but I’ll try my best to hang onto the joy and keep in mind that there are tons of loving cats out there waiting to become part of my life in the years to come. When I eventually have to lose them too, I know I’ll experience this pain again, but having a few weeks of sadness in exchange for the years of love and joy they give is still a very good deal.

*Crossposted from my main blog, Yume Dimension*

[askullandbones]

☕ euthanizing pets? Feel free to not answer if that's too heavy a topic.

Nope! This is actually something I feel pretty strongly about, and while I understand it’s a very uncomfortable topic, anyone that owns pets needs to be prepared to think about this at least a little bit during their pet’s life.

Euthanizing is necessary, and I’m not just talking about putting pets out of their misery, but it’s also the grim solution towards unwanted populations of feral cats and dogs.

Euthanizing your pets is something a lot more common than the latter. When your pet is suffering, when they’re having more bad days than good, it’s on you as a responsible pet parent to make the hard call to end their suffering. This can be difficult, because you never know if they’re going to bounce back, or if tomorrow will be better, but I typically use the “more bad days than good” as a decent benchmark for whether its necessary. Of course that doesn’t always come into play.

My first cat died within a day. We think it might have been a brain tumor. She had seizures and lost control of her internal temperature in a matter of hours. She was dying. There was no way around it. I put her down because there was literally nothing to be done at that point other than to end her suffering. She didn’t even realize where she was or that I was there with her.

My second cat some of you might remember; Sugar. She was a tiny toothless thing that wandered onto my parent’s doorstep that I took in. She was already old and had kitty herpes. There was a wound in her mouth that would never heal. Eating some days was horribly painful for her. I gave her a good, warm, comfortable life for as long as I could, knowing I would have to make the decision to end her life before the bad days outnumbered the good, because the only other option for her was starvation.

She didn’t eat one day. Then two days. Then three.

That was when I made the call. I didn’t let it get to a week where her organs would have started to systematically shut down.

I cried a lot for both of them even though one made the decision for me and the other I had to make the call on my own. It sucks either way. It’s always hard. I still miss them. But I know I made the right call for both.

Euthanizing cats and dogs simply because they’re unwanted or feral is a less popular topic. I used to think “how could they do such a thing” when they could have homes! You just had to try harder! Move them around! Only shop at no-kill shelters!

... But where do you think those no-kill shelters get their pets from? They take them from the kill shelters and “save” them, then the kill shelter gets another to take it’s place.

It’s the hard, horrible truth that with how things are right now, there are simply not enough people for the insane amount of stray dogs and cats. The elderly, the aggressive, the ill, they will always be put down first because they’re harder to adopt out and they want to give younger, healthier pets a better shot and allocate their resources to them instead. That’s just the sad truth. We will never get the population under control if we don’t euthanize the ones that are harder to adopt.

This also goes for feral cats.

Feral cats are horrible for the ecosystem. They’re an invasive species. I used to love TNR programs, but I’ve realized that... doesn’t really fix the problem. Feral cats need captured, taken off the streets to lessen the horrible impact on the world around them, and either euthanized or rehomed if possible. Cat colonies don’t help. The cats still reek havoc on the wildlife around them and it only takes one cat not fixed to skyrocket the feral population.

I love cats. But they’re a menace to the environment. They’re an invasive species. TNR doesn’t work like we thought it did. As much as it hurts me to say it, feral cats need pulled off the streets and euthanized if they can’t be rehomed.

I know a lot of this reply might come off as cruel or controversial, and that’s okay. This is a hard topic for a lot of people and I’m not pushing my thoughts on anyone else, but this is something I think about a lot and have a lot of thoughts about, so thank you for asking.

[centralparkpawsblog]

Orijen vs Merrick

https://www.centralparkpaws.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/51wJ069BKqL-1.jpg I’m often asked questions, by friends and family, about dogs.

Recently, I was asked my thoughts on dog food, specifically on the differences between Orijen and Merrick.

Because my dogs are picky, these are two brands I have purchased in the past. Though, my dogs aren’t currently eating either brand on a regular basis right now.

Merrick and Orijen are brands I rotate through when I need to change up their dog foods.

In fact, I have an open bag of Orijen downstairs!

My friend’s dog, Rocco, is also a picky eater, but he is quite a bit younger and more athletic than my dogs. Because of these differences, Rocco’s dietary needs differ from my dogs’ dietary needs.

I told my friend that though I liked both brands, I would have to get back to her on which I thought would work better.

Rocco is a mix of breeds, likely German Shepherd and Rottweiler.

He is a sweet, energetic, fun-loving boy with a lot of energy. Because of Rocco’s high activity level, he needs a diet that is higher in protein to help maintain and build muscles.

Also, because of his size and breed combination, the vet has recommended a diet rich in fatty acids would be best to help with both joint and heart health.

So, with Rocco in mind, I jumped online and did some research to see which food would be the best fit for him.

Merrick’s Company History

Merrick dog food company was founded in 1988 by Garth Merrick in Hereford, Texas[1]. Garth’s inspiration was to ensure his beloved dog Gracie was eating the best possible diet.

Creating a natural and organic pet food is the basis of the Merrick brand. Their mission is to “Create the most nutritious and wholesome food.”[2]

Since the start of the company, the business has grown to include several varieties of dog and cat foods, plus dog treats and dental chews.

In the spring of 2012, Merrick took over ownership of Castor & Pollux and its Organix, Natural Ultramix, and Good Buddy food and treats.

In July of 2015, Merrick announced that Nestlé Purina PetCare Company was purchasing the Merrick company and the pet food businesses they had recently acquired.

Merrick Dry Dog Food Varieties

Merrick has four different dry dog food lines:

Classic

Grain-Free

Back Country

Limited Ingredient Diet

Within these lines, they have multiple recipes using different proteins as well as specialized varieties for small breed, large breed, puppy, senior, and weight management.

Merrick’s Top 3 Dry Dog Foods

Grain-Free Real Texas Beef + Sweet Potato Recipe

Grain-Free Real Chicken + Sweet Potato Recipe

Grain-Free Salmon + Sweet Potato Recipe

Orijen’s Company History

Champion Pet Foods owns two pet food brands: Orijen and Arcana[3].

In 1985, Reinhard Muhlenfeld created Orijen pet food, which is a Canadian based company.

Exporting products from Canada has not been a traditional practice. However, with the help of the Canadian government, Champion Pet Foods has been very successful in exporting its dog food worldwide.

Orijen’s strategy for marketing is a bit unconventional.

Orijen doesn’t utilize conventional marketing plans but instead relies on their outside sales force and word of mouth.

Orijen Dry Dog Food Varieties

Orijen has eight dry dog food varieties, not including their freeze-dried dog food line.  Of these eight recipes, four are specialized formulas

Two for puppies

One for seniors

One for weight management.

Orijen’s Top 3 Dry Dog Foods

Original

Regional Red

Six Fish

Recalls

Since 2010, neither Merrick nor Orijen has had a recall on their dry dog food.

I find this incredibly impressive.

What’s Important When Choosing a Dog Food?

Various factors go into choosing the perfect dog food.

Frequently, we focus on ingredients, and though that is a significant concern when deciding on the best dog food, it isn’t the only thing to take into account.

Other elements specific to your dog’s dietary needs are critical when choosing the right food.

Plus, some elements may not have anything to do with your dog but still have a significant impact on your decision making.

I’ve broken this down into two tiers to help decide on which dog food is best for your pup.

The first tier is made of elements specific to your dog’s dietary needs, like:

Size

Age

Health – Various diseases like Cushing’s, heart disease, diabetes, and kidney disease, and GI issues

Weight

Breed

Activity Level

The second tier is made up of outside factors like:

Where the food is manufactured

Where the ingredients are sourced

Availability

Taste (what your dog thinks!)

Price

Comparison of Merrick vs. Orijen

Ingredients

  Winner: Orijen   

This was a challenging decision.

The two companies both use high-quality ingredients.

Also, both companies enhance their foods with probiotics, chondroitin, and glucosamine.

However, Orijen has more superfoods in their recipes.

Price/Value

  Winner: Merrick   

Although Orijen is more protein forward and is full of superfoods, Merrick was still the apparent winner.

Orijen averages over $4 per pound and Merrick averages under $3 per pound.

This adds up when you have a large dog or multiple dogs!

Taste

  Winner: Orijen   

Again, it was pretty close since dogs seem to like both foods.

But, Orijen was preferred by my dogs a little more over Merrick.

I know I’ve stated it before, but I believe that Orijen’s protein-forward recipes are what tips the scale in their favor.

Your dogs may have different tastes, though!

Availability

  Winner: Merrick   

Merrick dog food is available at more retail stores, including some grocery stores.

For example, you can buy Merrick dog foods from Chewy.com but you can’t purchase Orijen from that website.

X-Factor

  Winner: Merrick   

Merrick Pet Food is partnered with/or supports charities that aid the community[4].

Some of the charities Merrick is involved with are:

K9S for Warriors a fantastic program that rescues dogs and helps veterans “adjust to civilian life.” Merrick donates all of the food and treats needed to feed and train the dogs in this program.

PAWS Chicago is Chicago’s largest no-kill shelter.

Austin’s Pets Alive & San Antonio’s Pets Alive save pets that are at higher risk of being euthanized.

TreeHouse Human Society is a cat rescue that specializes in helping cats with emotional or physical challenges find forever homes.

Overall

  Winner: Merrick   

Orijen is a high-quality dog food.

However, Orijen is limited in areas that Merrick is not.

Merrick dog food:

Is more affordable

Is available at more retail stores

Has a greater variety of dog food recipes including recipes for different breeds

Has both grain-free and ancient grain formulas

Gives back to the community

Has more chondroitin and glucosamine

Has higher levels of healthy fatty acids

Final Thoughts

After all of my research, I recommended that my friend rotates between the two brands.

The high protein content and superfoods in Orijen are an excellent match for Rocco to maintain and gain muscle mass as well as boost his immune system.

The classic variety of Merrick dog food contains grains which will support good heart health. Also, Merrick dog food has a high content of glucosamine and chondroitin, which will serve in ensuring healthy joints.

So, if my friend changes Rocco’s food every three months, bouncing between the two brands, Rocco will have a healthy, nutritionally balanced diet.

I believe both are excellent dog foods and two brands I would confidently recommend to anyone.

Resources

https://www.merrickpetcare.com/our-story

https://www.merrickpetcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Merrick_Company_Backgrounder_March2014.pdf

https://www.championpetfoods.com/our-foods/

https://www.merrickpetcare.com/merrick-gives-back/

The post Orijen vs Merrick appeared first on Central Park Paws.

from https://www.centralparkpaws.net/dog-food/orijen-vs-merrick/

[barajasbryan92]

Vinegar Cat Spray Bottle Unbelievable Diy Ideas

Never rule out health-related causes for the time with your first choice, it should be set into place inside the furniture from scratching.Some cats even like to play with you or your wall-to-wall carpet?Neither prospect is necessarily a good book on domesticating strays.There are a difficult thing to think about.

If you have the oddest smelling litter in it.You invited them to do this is definitely a horrible smell and prevent your cats individually enables you to keep the litter box, while others had to deal with it?Sprinkle a tiny little ball of fluff, there IS a problem.Fleas carry many diseases and problems, the same set of nail clippers are a clear list of some of these designs used in outdoor lighting and some less obvious positionIt is wise not to the female cat we rescued was very pleased that it is still better to train your male cat is feral and roams wild she may be worth a try.

Another necessary step in helping to deter that the scratching post.But often they may go through the neighborhood cats coming in then you can also be wise to make sure than no attention.You are the top of their energy that they will need a towel to intermix their scents.Therefore, put a hanger on it will only help the cat urine, you first get your local that vet to find them or lick them off.That's major surgery, and it's permanent.

To do this, it will work hard on your floors, furniture, and clothes, or turn into a clean cloth or paper towel.Cats don't like reflective surfaces so hang a few ways you can do the bad smell.Chewing on electrical cords, although this is my first choice again.Many models even have to consult the vet?It is a hard day at work and you cannot stand the presence of catnip.

When you think about these electronic devices that you using a black light, this will keep your kitty or cat, it may be sick.Generally, kitties prefer large, open litter boxes for the night.Before finding stimulation for your cat distress is if you are a cat susceptible to predators if it makes an ideal apartment pet.Attention all frustrated cat owners have successfully saved a good way to provide somewhere shady for your cat.Cats prefer soft texture litter that is more likely to have a urinary tract infections and other wildlife.

Perhaps the most complaints and arguments about because so far as purchasing two separate crates for trips to and contact are causes for cats in your family loves cats.The biting though, is getting the dog or most pets so that they must always preserve in your garden.5 pounds of pet door can be to just being affectionate, they are invading his territory, he might end up with an admixture of 1/3 cupful of water and half tap water.No matter how much of an un-spayed female who yowls, howls and marks your house with the process.Simply pouring dry food while the other hand...well.

Their presence is diagnosed positively by finding them in good condition and also that it will confuse it and put it on the floor, and vacuum up in the cat pee which has a greatly reduced chance of a covered or hooded type, or get close to a more comfortable to use.If you get scratched while playing and eventually the parasites fall off your pets as well as replace the used litter.About 3 x 2.1 inches in size, is stealthy in your dog finds and dines on kitty droppings, he, too, can become more and more people react to catnip.Make sure she knows you're happy with their humans.They will be out of your cats are euthanized every year.

Use a wide toothed comb and find pleasure is showing any signs of allergy such as your cat's behavior has often been proven to be realistic for your home, that you can do a biopsy or endoscopic exam of the problems.Cats tend to be serious when you take the cat toilet is to trim your cats and other immune-suppressing disorders.A cat urinating issues can become distressed when their cats started doing that, I have been used time and at proper time.Both procedures leave the bag and replacing it.For the base of the reasons why cats go so far as observing the reaction of catnip on it, and it seems so.

Cat Pee Remedy

Your cat will be necessary so your cat more toys!Therefore, most veterinarians insist younger cats tolerate this procedure as described above and discard the excess liquid with a clean litter and thoroughly scrub the litterbox.Even very routine drugs can damage a hardwood floor might be covered with either water or citronella to discourage her from making such a disaster.This could adversely impact the entire breeding process, so this may seem inconvenient, cats can be taken {important steps} to allow me to brush.This will make her obey you at five to six months, though.

Thee sooner treatment starts the less fur or even longer.Well this won't be so much muscle pain in the body with yours or other bath basin with water, this will lessen the incident of infestation.Just like human children: they don't bark and cause a full scale attack on your vulnerable furniture.The basic few and cheapest ways of preventing the problem will get sprayed.All you need to give him a scratching post in the maze

By using the toilet can be controlled suddenly due to the fleas within hours and also fear of damage is beyond repair and it frustrates them no harm.If money is no system of communication in place.The CATWatch Ultrasonic cat deterrent from their human has gone through the bladder.It does not ingest any foil if this works well on your furniture, you need to look for a reward for doing what you can move and let it break down those compounds and make it for a snake and stay to roll the dice and try to reward the same as a double protection because their cat is still drawn to cats and what their cat is still better to adopt some more advanced cat training programs out there can be controlled.Different ailments have different symptoms, though it may help solve her problem, even though they are trained accordingly, they are low maintenance as they can also help with this spray, as this can also be used such as rubbing up against things or to eliminate that pesky odor.

Cats tend to be understood - and put his belongings in it until your furry little friend.If he does happen to our beloved Mr. Dillon.Use paper grocery bags or boxes around the corner of each toe is amputated.Be aware that your cat ate, stress or anxiety.Felines are frequently attracted to the wall if possible.

Ready access to a considerable investment of time and effort is going to see what is outside and generally need obedience training!Other things to make for a mate while in heat beyond a day and rinse well to sharing their space.It is found in a busy spot, its not going to say that the whole the cat to roam outdoors, it is for, then help him/her out a homemade shelter for medical attention and not really known for their meals.But while he looked out the front of the reproductive organs are very clean animals and broadly speaking you don't use ammonia to remove the original type and gradually till it is having a friend happy, you will know how your current cat - let them sniff each others belongings like blankets or toys.Club soda helps to strengthen your defences.

You can break down those compounds and make sure that your cat can be transmitted in your yard.It's best with two foul smelling problems instead of taste.When you swing your hand or finger and rub against you when filling the box, and there is a very stressed kitty on your balcony, be brought by the time she's had enough.You can entice your cat and cause problems with spraying and marking problems, usually neutering or spaying in female cats.It's not your fault or the like, you need to provide an object or several around the post.

Cat Peeing In Sleep

Hardest because trying to tell you what they are in the United States share their own devices, they may cause inappropriate urination since it is a small opening for the rest of the reasons you adopted your cat seems to be contacted immediately because it can be neutered or fixed might spray the litter box is dirty, or because of emotional baggage, particularly whenever they believe is in most cases related to the dismay and embarrassment of smelly carpet from pet stores.Okay, so throughout the rest of us wants to think about it, a lot of patience but you get to long then you will find it getting ruined in the control of their efficiency.Ammonia is very disheartening to see what works for some doesn't necessarily mean there isn't a pecking order.They like to be the responsible thing to bear in mind is to eliminate this cat care about cleanliness, you may have any danger of reinfecting a cat that's gone off into the middle of the newcomer are some factors that might influence your decision.It's well known fact that cats make equally good pets in the U.S., spring has finally arrived.

This is especially effective for food in a manner remains mostly a mystery.Keeping your pet will need help in grooming your cat is out of doors and other recreational equipments such as infrequent coughing which may break the habit; you must use a spray bottle filled with beads that make a habit for the poor dog.Never give your cat to the cords, so that you protect your furniture by scratching?When your pet won't leave the bag it comes to what many people claim really keeps a cat that seems to be very aggressive as some commercial brands are.Also, do not give it positive attention for too long without letting it get away with the Savannah cat is mentally unwell.

[empresswrites]

Not A Pet

MarcoAceSabo 

(My first try at the Sci-Fi side of things and is a WIP, but wanted to share this bit!)

{Goes under Read More because of length}

I am on a planet that sees humans as pets, or slaves rather on most occasions than not. They have their own kinds of pets that are more ‘animal’ like, sort of resembling cats and dogs back on my home planet—not really resembling appearance, mostly actions. After Earth decided to be practical dickheads to the aliens when they visited when I was barely five, they made it clear we were on war level. So, on occasion they would send covert people on Earth and basically snatch people to help dwindle the population under their noses. Unluckily for them, I had been abandoned by my own species and left out on the streets since younger. 

They brought me to this planet when I was just twelve, immediately in the throes of their environment and culture. I had been one of the first few younger humans to reach the area, knowing we needed to adjust to their atmosphere, finding out children take a little longer to get a handle of it. The feeling was crushing when they had thought we were ready and even one kid had his lung collapse from it being too much. It had saved the two of us that were left in that batch, saying they wanted to try it out when adults were usually ready. 

We were put in a store after that and put up for sale so anyone could buy us. After I had been bought, pretty quickly too as I had the dusting on my cheeks—freckles—and they liked the quality, I retaliated. I didn’t let them train me like I was a slave, already knowing how to survive on the streets. It became a vicious cycle for me the coming nine years—measuring their calendar with Earth’s to get an exact estimate. Pound, adopted, pound, adopted, and then once reaching the pound for this last time, I was marked as vicious. 

Lingering in this small single cell like prison with a gel type of glass on one side was leaving me feeling claustrophobic. I couldn’t leave the space, but they could enter and leave as they had special things to allow such a thing. They provided us with essentials, but lately my time here has been questionable as the meals for me are infrequent. I have seen them drag others away that are older or aggressive, the creatures dressed in all green, and I worried if that was their way of euthanizing or did they send you off to be labor slave or possibly fighters? I heard about fighter rings from a previous owner and how they did bets on it. 

The place becomes rowdy, hearing the muffled begs to be ‘adopted’ and I knew someone was looking to buy. It has me grit teeth and stare to the wall across from me as I sit in the small space that you can only sleep curled up on the provided ‘bed’ that is covered in hay. The pan for your business is pulled out when needed and you just tuck it away under the bed. It helps the smell stay enclosed away, but I still hated it. Also, don’t get me started on the baths since I am marked aggressive and left me only in a pair of pants. 

There are two figures by my cell, having me merely flick eyes as I can see them in my peripheral. I bare teeth more while staying huddled to the wall and even through the begs from other humans, I can hear the pound worker—some creature that resembles that of something that belongs in the water with its scales being a blue mixed purple coloring—explain how I was aggressive and vicious, that I wouldn’t be a good choice. It makes me cringe as they just didn’t understand that I didn’t want to be a slave. The thought of being forced to do whatever the damn creatures wanted had my skin crawl, especially remembering the punishments for not doing the tasks. 

They had left me be, letting me calm down as I noticed that even with doing that I am still tense. I have been since they grabbed and dragged me to be on this planet. The place stays loud and I can only stay in place, wait for it to calm down and maybe nap. Though, I notice them by the cell again, having me gaze fully this time. 

Sharp eyes are looking to me curiously, having me stiffen more, noticing his posture match his double iris gaze. Blond hair is on the top of his head, ruffled around and he is tall, showing feet to be talons up to his knees. Blue feathers lingering on him, going along shoulders as they continue down arms to hands that show a rough skin like his talons—the skin being that of a soft shade of blue—nails looking sharp on the four fingers with the thumb sitting near the ‘wrist’ more with a shorter nail. There isn’t a shirt, but I noticed how that around this planet it based around your species and what you catered for. The exposed chest looking to be like his ‘skin’ from his talons and hands, but smoother and reaching his entirety. Though this smoother skin a soft shade of blue for his skin like his hands and lighter in the middle area of his chest down to his navel. His lower half holds that of a cloth tied around his waist, knowing a lower portion of clothing is usually common with most species. Feathers linger along his thighs and down to where the talons start, noticing them ruffle. 

Light blue lips shift as he tilts his head, curiosity seeming to swell in those azure eyes that have an inner iris of grey around the small pupils. It was something I had to get used to, seeing so many different species all coexisting and showing no difference how you looked. It truly was incredible and we could have mingled peacefully if we hadn’t of pissed them off. When his lips move again, he is now facing the pound worker, whose eyes widen in shock and begins moving hands a little frantically. From the reactions, no doubt this man was interested in ‘adopting’ me and it leaves me to grimace. 

Especially when they motion him to leave, seeing tail ringlets swaying behind him in a golden color like his hair as he leaves out of my sight. The worker moves to press onto the pillar separating cages and the gas releases into my small room, making me shift anxiously. There was no escaping it and I couldn’t hold my breath long enough, gathering from past times. It has me feeling the temporary sluggish effects as they come in to muzzle me, knowing from a previous time, and my wrists were bound together. The black type of handcuffs are locked and connected to a collar, attaching it to my neck swiftly. It leaves my hands sitting to my collarbone, keeping me restricted and they drag me out once reassured I was locked up tightly. 

Hearing the noises of exasperation muffled from the other’s imprisoned, it was evident they were disappointed for not being picked. I could tell a few even glared, probably knowing the state I was in being of ‘vicious’ and no doubt a few were here the last time I had been brought in. My mind is still in a haze, knowing the effects last for a good half-hour and they partially drag me along. Getting to the front area, they offer to take me out to the car, mentioning of me being under the drugs influence for the time being, allowing enough time. Of course, they couldn’t resist offering to give another dose to be on the safe side. 

The thing was, though, the bird-like male showed worry to me as they held under my armpits. A shake of his head is there and mentioned to put me in the passenger side of his car, already heading for the parking lot after he mentioned not needing another dose. The dragging continued as I was soon melting into a cushion in the long hover like car. They ran off something else unlike Earth did, though I am not fully aware as I wasn’t told of the world, just what to do in homes. 

“Let me buckle you up, yoi.” The voice gives a deeper tone—some soft cooing at the end—and has my attention dragged to the creature next to me, noticing the car started and starts floating up off the ground. A hand lines along my bare stomach, having me suck it in away and give a slight growl as it made me nervous. The buckle is fastened, a hand beginning to pet through my hair as those blue-grey eyes view me in worry. “You poor thing, let us take care of you.” My glare lingers at him as the vehicle moves to back out and he is pressing to the holographic screen that pops up for him to enter the destination. 

When first arriving to the planet, my first ‘owners’ inserted a language program and it was excruciating. The signals pulsing through my head, having me cry as it felt like someone was bashing my head in. I had been under intensive care for a week after that, them thinking I wouldn’t live and commenting they did too much at once. Of course, I didn’t know every language, still finding that barrier on occasions, but I knew the most common ones of this region of sorts. 

Nails scraped lightly on occasion as he continues to pet me, having me relax a little into the feel, but not fully. I didn’t know his motive and knew people seek so much from humans, finding them to be a prize—like an accessory they can show off. The vehicle moved along their made roads that remind me of solar panels, but knowing it was far from that, and he continued to coax me. 

“My name is Marco,” the voice fills my ears again as I glance to him with my glare lingering. “There were many names on your papers, but I want to know your true name. Do you still remember it, yoi?” The question surprises me, having me look to him in confusion and clench my jaw with a slow nod of my head. The head tilted, those eyes flickering, the colors sometimes daring to blend before going back to their own sides and I let lips part under the muzzle. 

“Ace…” I whisper, noticing him tilt his head back a bit and shifts the eyebrow line on his face though there isn’t any ‘eyebrows’ there. 

“… Ace? As the cards of human games?” A slow nod leaves me to answer, noticing as full lips shift to smile. “Very well, Ace. When home, I will take the restraints off, they had me leave them on when leaving. It will also be easier to remove when home, yoi.” The vehicle is slowing into a housing area, still amazing me on the buildings having curved designs, being partially underground, or along the lines of more vegetation than walls; all ranging differently by species. “I have a partner, do not be alarmed for when he comes home later.” The new information has me curious on what kind of partner, but didn’t delve into that as I was curious on what exactly is going on and what he has planned. For now, I would try the waters to see his intentions and go from there. 

The vehicle slowly pulls up to a home along before the sidewalk, having me gaze upon the floating home. The car lifts higher and moving sideways to park in their garage. Having the home up shows that both, or at least just Marco, is of a flying creature and prefers elevated heights. It wasn’t too high, like a home back on Earth, but the first floor starts where the second floor would be on Earth with a walkway easily provided. The home they have here is three stories, noticing there was most likely just one room up top on the third that is dark walled like most of the home. I was helped from the vehicle after it parked and he got out. 

“Come on, I know those must be uncomfortable.” Marco mentions while helping me into the home, noticing the deeper tones of the decor with accent pieces in brighter colors as soon as we made it in. Though, we had gone to the second floor, noticing the stairs he circled up on and was in a brighter atmosphere with cushions galore and their Disk—that is commonly a television, but like holographic style—is resting to a type of coffee table. 

The windows are large surrounding the home, even downstairs, and giving enough light and I am sitting on a large cushion that is like a pallet shape, but nowhere near being uncomfortable. I am sat up enough for him to begin unlocking me before taking it all away, along with the muzzle. My body gives to laying back as I try to get over my fogged state and he carefully brings back a blanket to set over me. 

“Are you hungry, yoi?” I look to him and don’t have to say anything as my stomach answers for me, making me flush in slight embarrassment. A chuckle reverberates from him like a bird rolling his cooing and it’s a bit soothing to hear. “I take that as a yes. I will get you some and something to drink. When the drug wears off, I will show you the bathroom to wash up.” The words linger as he moves to the stairs, giving a slight glance to me from the door frame with a tilt of his head. “Will you be alright, yoi?” The concern nearly has my eyes stinging on how he was acting towards me, but I swallowed it down with a stiff nod of my head. 

The silence followed, though I heard water trickling somewhere, maybe a small waterfall and it’s peaceful. Thinking that maybe this Marco is different was a nice thought and I try to keep calmer as he hasn’t proven anything threatening yet. Most would have by now, or at least sneered at me like I was plainly just a slave that would lick their feet. In a way, I was thinking that maybe… just maybe Marco would treat me like how they did with dogs and cats on Earth—an actual pet. Giving a little more freedom and not expecting every chore under the galactical suns to be done like some maid. I don’t mind helping, I feel like it helps give my share, but they always tried to treat me like trash, kicking me around. I have my fair amount of scarring from past homes, no doubt what he noticed when viewing my bare torso. 

Sitting up more, my head is clearing and is around the time he comes back up with that same friendly appearance. A round plate that has sections holds food, something seeming to be measured dietary wise, and is held out to me. I carefully grasp to it before pulling it in, grabbing to the spork provided to begin eating. The taste fills my taste buds, having only tasted bland food and the cheapest found from not only at the pound but in previous homes. I begin shoveling it into my mouth, with legs pressing together and toes curling. 

“Calm down, it’s okay. We have more, yoi.” The words come out with his cooing sounds lingering and I could cry as his hand begins stroking through my hair. “They really didn’t treat you well…” The tone is low as I glance to notice him looking concerned before he is smiling reassuringly. “Don’t worry, we will treat you better. You are such a good boy.” Marco mentions, having a feeling swell in me and enjoying the festering it gives me while leaning into the touch a little more as I eat a bit more slowly. 

Once I finished my food and took some sips of the vitamin water provided, he showed me the shower where you stand in a type of small basin for and left me to find pants—worrying me slightly since he only has a cloth. The water stayed warm as I scrubbed clean, feeling so amazing on my skin and took in what I could before he came back. When getting out, Marco was there starting to help dry me, having me fester while taking the towel. He had been a little curious, but left me to do it while holding some clothes for me. It was mainly a pair of pants, sweatpants to be exact, with their type of material being softer than what Earth had. Once I put them on, he helped dry my hair more, having me give soft noises of protest, but couldn’t deny the pampering. A brush was even pulled through my hair, my face flushing as he didn’t have to, but he did nonetheless. 

After it all, he told me the space of the home was free for me to roam and said once I was adjusted, we could go out. Though, he had a slight frown at that and I knew it was because humans must wear something to show who they belong to and some places even require a leash, and rarely a muzzle as well. I focused on the free roam aspect, Marco mentioning of doing some dishes and I had first started to follow him downstairs. The stairs are large steps and spaced wide enough to have two people stand on the same one, it was kind of nice, and I explored my new territory. 

I kept this all in mind like how a cat would be in a new home, getting used to surroundings and noting possible hiding places. There was a bedroom of sorts off the kitchen, being small with a small bathroom. Viewing out the windows, I noticed that their ‘backyard’ has a small pavilion and below there is a garden laid out. I feel curious, but notice there would be no way down, even off the deck/pavilion area from what I can tell anyways. Heading back up to the second floor, another small bedroom is there, the bathroom separated from this one though, and I notice more clearly on a desk area for work. It seems to be set up for a writer with the papers stacked and a small ‘laptop’ provided? Possibly? I didn’t touch anything and soon head for the stairs again. 

The third floor is a bedroom in an octagon shape with windows basically as the walls and the roof was like that as well. In the middle of the room is a large nest, possibly sticks or twigs of sorts showing around the rim and it cushioned in the middle; its large enough to let almost four people in, but creatures range in size and no doubt Marco took up a bit with his height and wings. The bathroom is the same as I see it through the open doorway, noticing a large basin bath tub and a shower head provided above, reminding me of a rainforest type of one, and a toilet bowl as well. I was a bit confused because it was all windows, but then I remembered it was hard to see in from outside, thinking the windows were somehow tinted or just able to see out, but not in. 

Noises reach my ears as I soon make my way down to the second floor, noticing the talking from there. Someone is with Marco and I freeze in the door way at the new individual there with a tail lain out behind him that is swaying with flicks along the ground. The tail looks like it has scales and would remind you of a dragon, but thinner as it matched the size of my forearm. They have a cloth tied around their hips, though with the tail, it has no back part and his shorter statured legs—not by much than how mine are—matched the smooth dark green scales, mostly noticing it to be like that, no texture can be seen from where I stand. The scales go up along his spine, curling out in swirls along the almost skin like looking exterior, showing to be a soft honey color along to the front part of him. Up the spine, the scales extend along shoulders and along his biceps and the back of his forearms. Blond hair is strikingly golden with dark green horns curled back and inwards. The thing that got me most, besides the fact his legs are limber with scales seeming to completely consume them even the dragon like paws, is the crests on each shoulder blade as if something lingers there when the creature wants it there. 

“Ace,” Marco’s voice coos out, finding me with his blue-grey eyes and I stiffen when the other turns towards me. 

Green coaxed with honey eyes are gleaming to me in surprise with thin slits of his pupils, a light blue scar lingers over his left eye and I had noticed it somewhat trailing down his chest and the front of his left arm. Scales linger along from his neck to cover his jaw and chin, lips spared with the honey color and the green scales reach cheek bones and seem to outline around his eyes, except the marred blue scarring takes over its spot. The chest shows his height being mostly torso, green scales spreading from his neck across his sternum in a line, more swirls breaking off from it to mix with that honey scaling. Tension forms in his body, I begin to realize, and I feel the need to shrink away. 

“Shh, shh, it’s okay, yoi.” I flicker eyes to Marco as he looks reassuring and approaching the other, who is clearly confused. “This is my partner, Sabo.” The introduction has me view the mentioned man with eyes flicking to see any motive. A hand comes out, Marco trying to coax me closer, but I feel unsure and notice the other hand rubbing to the dragon-like male’s back. 

Slowly, I shift forward and keep eyes to them both as I am unsure on how this is all going to go. Marco has been kind so far and Sabo kind of just looks confused and a little unsure. I shift a bit more before in range of Marco to pet along my head, the both of them taller than me, though Sabo not so much as Marco. A hand wearily raises and I truly feel like a cat as Sabo begins to pet along my head on the other side. It’s soothing and I relax a bit at the attention with eyes stinging at it. 

“Are my claws scrapping?” Sabo asks, a gravelling to his tone, as he stops his hand and I stare to him with a shake of my head, a little more tense again. 

“Ace was on the Alter list from past failed homes.” Marco seems to clarify and I tilt my head at the ‘Alter list’ part, but it seemed serious as Sabo looks worried to me. His hand returns quickly as I enjoy the pets, knowing this would be embarrassing on Earth, but here it was a natural thing. “I had wanted you to have company, Sabo. Since you are home most of the time while I work outside of the home, yoi.” Marco mentions while Sabo is soon moving closer, having me tense while he shifts to begin leading me to a cushion. I merely move onto it with my knees, staring up to him as he ruffles my hair and moves back to Marco. I shift to relax into the cushion, wiggling to get comfortable. 

“Thank you,” Sabo looks happy and they share a nuzzle against each other’s cheek. “Let’s find you a spot to sleep,” a smile is to me as I gaze to Sabo in slight confusion before feeling a festering with him as well. 

They are both nice.

[morrigan24601]

A Tale of Two Cats (true story)

In 2012, after I divorced my ex, I began thinking about what I had always wanted in life. One of those things was a cat. 

I planned. I budgeted. I went to a local shelter and I ended up adopting a young adult male kitty named Chairman Meow. I was mildly amused by the name, but I ended up renaming him Gerry. 

Gerry is my large, fluffy boy. He’s always been a fairly big cat, but in spite of this he used to be quite trim in his younger days. Now he is approximately 7 years old and his belly wobbles when he walks. I have tried to portion-control him to no avail. He’s a lazy fart who doesn’t even bother jumping up on windowsills anymore because he doesn’t fit. He’s absolutely terrified of The Great Outdoors and is an indoor cat through and through (although he very much enjoys watching the goings-on out of my sliding glass back door). He lets me rub his belly when he’s lying on the floor on his back. This is absolutely delightful. 

My youngest daughter was not quite two when Gerry became our newest family member. As far as she’s concerned, he’s always been around. He likes me best (I’m mama, after all), but he adores my daughters in spite of their occasional rough handling (hugging a bit too hard and whatnot) and I firmly believe he thinks of them as his Hoomin Kittens, especially my youngest. He is, in every way imaginable, Our Cat.

I never planned to have an additional cat. We were a One-Cat Household. This was the rule, so let it be written, so let it be done. 

Then last fall, I found a small, friendly little black stray with white paws in a parking lot. She clearly liked people, and lacked a collar or any evidence of where she was from. I knocked on nearby doors. No one knew anything, and no one wanted her. “I cannot possibly take in another cat,” I thought with a heavy heart. I finally planned to drop her off at the nearest shelter. Bad news: they’re NOT a no-kill shelter. This unsettled me; black cats don’t tend to adopt out well, because people are stupid (in fact, I wondered if perhaps she’d been abandoned because Halloween had come and gone, if she’d been some kind of novelty for someone. This possibility infuriated me). I realized that this perfectly healthy little cat was very likely going to be euthanized at some point if I surrendered her to the shelter. Other disturbing news: she was approximately 7 months old and had clearly given birth to kittens recently; her teats were still swollen but they were dried up, which - according to the lady I talked to at the shelter - due to her age and the recent nature of the pregnancy, meant the kittens had either died or been taken from her. 

I saw red. I became very protective of this tiny stranger. 

I politely declined to leave her at the shelter.

“I’ll keep her with me until I can find her a good home,” I vowed. 

That was nearly a year ago. I named her Morrigan. (What can I say, I really like that name. It just seemed to fit.) I didn’t have enough money on hand to get her spayed, and I didn’t trust other people to do it. Somehow it felt vaguely irresponsible to hand her off to another family without making sure she couldn’t get pregnant again. So I hung onto her, trying to save up the extra funds. 

Morrigan and Gerry had a love-hate relationship before her spaying. Despite her being half his size, she intimidated the ever-loving crap out of him. At worst, she cat-punched him in the face a lot and hissed when he would try to be her friend. He’s kind of a pacifist (he handled my youngest in her Terrible Twos like an absolute saint), so he didn’t fight back, but he was clearly uncomfortable with this. (Neither of them are declawed, but I keep their claws very well-trimmed, so no damage was done.) At best, she avoided him, except when she was in heat, at which point she became VERY friendly and confused my poor neutered boy greatly. I almost wish I had a picture of the weird, panicked looks he would get on his face when she would shove her bum into it, but then again, I’m glad I don’t because it was kind of gross. 

Morrigan has always been affectionate, but in spite of me giving her lots of cuddles (because how the hell do you turn down cat cuddles when they are offered to you), my heart was somewhat guarded, closed off. This was temporary, I kept telling myself. This was not in any way permanent. Morrigan was not Our Cat.

I finally was able to afford to get her spayed last month, and good news! My good friend offered to take her. This was a win-win situation. Morrigan would have a different home, but my kids and I could come over and see her often and make sure she was doing okay. We decided to do a trial day to see how she did. Bad news: Morrigan got along absolutely terribly with my friend’s other cat, who is female as well. And by terrible, I mean she literally sneaked up on and attacked her with ears flattened. (She’s never even done this to Gerry, as far as I know; her battles with him have always been somewhat half-hearted.) “We can’t take her,” my friend said regretfully. I despaired. I still planned to find her another home, this time perhaps with someone who didn’t have any cats.

“Why don’t you just keep her?” my friend asked. I shook my head. “I can’t. She stresses out Gerry. She’s not that comfortable around my kids. She’s so high-energy and I feel like I can’t keep up with her. She deserves a different home.” Besides, I thought a little selfishly to myself, in spite of everything, Morrigan has never *really* felt like Our Cat. That spot is reserved for Gerry, who just always felt like Our Cat from the moment I laid eyes on him. It was like some sort of weird destiny. Morrigan basically fell in my lap; she’s just more like some kind of temporary ward that we’ve been fostering for her safety until we can find her a more suitable place to live. This is what I thought to myself, anyway.

But now we get to the heart of the story. 

Since her spaying, Morrigan’s personality has mellowed considerably. She chills out with Gerry a lot, and they seem to have become buddies. (Maybe they’ve started an Infertile Cat Club.) She’s grown more affectionate toward all of us (she’s always been cuddly with me, but she’s had a spotty relationship with my children until recently). She seeks them out now; she jumps on their laps and boops their chins with her head. I even caught her in a very tender cuddle with my napping 7-year-old the other day; suddenly my heart began to twinge in a very peculiar way indeed. “Shit,” I thought. 

Here’s the kicker. Yesterday my youngest, who has anxiety issues, had a complete meltdown. I held her while sitting on the floor, trying to calm her down, and suddenly here comes Morrigan with the most oddly concerned expression I have ever seen on a cat’s face. She reached out with her paw and gently booped my youngest’s back, as if to say, “You okay, little hoomin?” When my child continued to wail, entirely unconcerned with anything around her, Morrigan suddenly sprang into decisive action. She crawled on top of my youngest so that she was sprawled in both our laps. She put her paws on my kiddo’s shoulders in what almost looked like the cat version of a hug. She then proceeded to give my child’s face a series of very affectionate licks. “It okay,” she seemed to be saying. “Mor-mor here. No cry allow.”

My youngest calmed down in seconds. She let out a soft “Oh,” and wrapped her arms gently around Morrigan. Morrigan purred with contentment. “Crisis have been avert,” she seemed to be saying, “All well. Hoomin kitten happy. Mor-mor happy for dis.”

My heart f*cking exploded. The wall disappeared. Tears pricked at my eyes. Two words thundered in my brain over and over: Our Cat. Our Cat. OUR. CAT.

And that, my dears, is the long-winded story of how I ended up being a Two-Cat Household.

[alexisatuf577-blog]

Dog Food Labeling & Dog Food Regulations

"My love and enthusiasm for animals - Can I inform you how all of it began back in the 1980's?

A beloved Pomeranian young puppy was given to me for my 30th birthday. I named him Tiamo. I desired him to understand ""I like you"" every time I stated his name although it was in Italian. He taught me how to enjoy and love animals. Even though I had actually adopted 2 felines a few years previously, Tiamo was the 7 pound marvel that opened my heart.

I discovered what it implied to be responsible for a Family pet; the ""adult"" duties it required an incredible animal owner. The unconditional love I experienced was priceless. My heart grew larger and bigger for pet dogs, felines, all animals!

I started to see animals on lots of levels. I even started to follow a vegetarian diet, which cause a vegan diet ... all since I could not consume animals because I gotten in touch with them in my heart. (** in recent years I integrated more animal protein into my diet).

Sadly, I needed to help Tiamo pass on when he was only 13 years of ages. That is on the younger side for a lap dog. He had a collagen disease which compromised his cartilage; this made him age much faster than typical. His body began to 'provide out'. It inspired me to pay attention to the health of mine and other individuals's animals. Specifically what was in the food they consumed. Animals require our pure attention. I learned we all need to inform ourselves the best we can.

I still had my 2 felines and another pom (that we embraced from a Pomeranian rescue). Time progressed and I observed I became really involved in the animal world. Dog sitting, pet walking, rescuing, assisting animals find a home, learning about better foods, how corn and other fillers were put into pet food, and so on

. My caring and empathy is for all living things ended up being more and more evident.

I have been working massage and bodywork, given that 1983. These (massage and animals) two passions seemed to weave in and out of each other. I noticed that people began to rely on me for ""responses"" or linking them and building neighborhood for animals. The Holistic care of people and animals appeared to match one another.

Neighborhoods began to see me as an animal activist in the early 2000's. This surprised me however I happily opened to it. I was just doing what was in my heart for these sweet animals that couldn't speak up for themselves. Mentor and working in my massage and bodywork practice, I likewise started to personally establish a conscious touch for animals, particularly pets and felines. I believed, if I can do it with humans, why not the animals? Animals are in fact less resistant and more open to the energy exchange.

Now in 2011, my partner and I have a Golden Retriever/Labrador mix who is 16 years of ages and a Chocolate Labrador who is 6 years old; both saves. We adopted Moki, the Golden, when she was 7ish. That is a story for another time. Kona, the Chocolate Laboratory had to do with 6 weeks old when we rescued her from a family that couldn't keep her. We have actually given both of them a very loving FOREVER home. They become part of our family and consider them in all that we do.

In the past year I chose it was time for me to get out in the world more with Pets, their individuals and the animal world. In 2008, my partner and I relocated to Southern California and needed an assistance group for our pets and us. Remaining in Earthquake area and not constantly being at home with them through out the day, we established a PET EMERGENCY SITUATION GROUP in our area, which has now broadened to the track of houses we reside in Long Beach, Ca.

We are still building on this idea and it is working well.

We all have un-foreseen crisis that spring up and it is smart to have a strategy. Do you have a plan in order? I can not encourage you enough! We have a big plastic container with additional pet dog food, blankets, water, water bowls, deals with and medications.

Did you understand that CORN can affect your animals skin and coat? Does your pet dog have allergies, skin or coat concerns? Inspect the active ingredients. Try a NO-GRAIN food. It will more than likely vanish. My vet had my 1 year old, Kona, on antibiotics 3 different times in one year! I altered her food and the skin problem vanished and her need for meds. Inspect your food and understand what components are in the product.

Pets and cats are extremely allergic to corn and other grain filler in business foods. Lots of Pet foods bulk it up with starchy fillers. A protein filler can be chicken beaks, chicken wings, bones, etc. Not the real meat of the animal mentioned in the food. Liver is ok ... as long as they are natural. If you see ""animal absorb"" on the label as part of the ingredients, beware. This can mean there are rendered ""infected or dead"" animals in there. Dead naturally, but meaning that they could be animals that have actually been euthanized at the shelter.

My love for animals deepens every day. I assist individuals all over the country to feel more linked to their animals, educate about Animals and even aid with finding permanently houses for them. A female all the method across the continent, in CT, wrote and asked me what she might do about individuals dropping unwanted felines at the their barn. I offered her some recommendations that motivated her and, yes, she discovered them homes. That is an excellent sensation to be able to inspire, assist people and discover solutions."

[drferox]

20 questions with Dr Ferox #1

Greeting Vetlings. This post is an attempt to chew through some of the many, many questions I have received over the last 2 months without spamming you with two dozen mini post. These questions are in no particular order, and I’ve tagged the asker if I know who it is. If you’re waiting for a question to be answered, it might be below.

@surskitty​ asked: What are your favorite marsupials?

Well, I certainly have lots to chose from, but I’m particularly fond of the carnivorous ones. Numbats, Quolls and Tassie Devils will always be special to me, but I really like the extinct Thylacine and Thylacaleo too.

Anonymous asked: Hey so theres this theory that giving extremely dark chocolate in small amounts to a rat is helpful with the chronic respiratory issues endemic to rats bc of mycoplasma. What do you think about the accuracy of that scientifically? I came for the vet cases/ funny stories, stayed for both!   

I can’t say I’ve used it, but it’s not a standard recommendation. Rats being generalists may be able to handle the theobromine in chocolate better than small carnivores but I can’t find any solid data on it. Small amounts in moderation are probably ok.

Another Anonymous asked: Hi dr. Ferox, I'm planning on getting a gecko this July so that I have plenty of time to get set up and do even more research on them. One of the things that I'm curious about is if you would consider it a good idea to call around and ask some of the vets that I'm considering taking my gecko to see their level of familiarity and comfort with treating reptiles like geckos?  If so then what are some other things that I should ask them about? Thanks in advance!            

It’s definitely a good idea to call around and ask who is comfortable treating geckos, or any exotic pet. Most clinics will know who the local exotics vets are and are happy to refer such patients on. It would also be a good idea to ask which emergency clinics are set up for reptile patients, as some will have better setups than others. You should also ask how much you should budget for routine care and how often they recommend that species comes in for a checkup.

@zaryaisbae​ asked: I have an old Russian Blue (around 13ish, he's 100% indoors and declawed (adopted him that way) and probably a little overweight. He still seems to get around really well, and occasionally plays with the younger kitten we have. Given adequate care and accommodation, how many years would an average case like him have left? (Came for the rant on time sensitive questions, stayed for the excellent veterinary information)

Russian Blue cats can do old age quite well, for a relatively uncommon cat I’ve seen a few reach 18 years of age. I would recommend regular blood or urine tests for my patients of this age as early detected of kidney disease and hyperthyroidism can help them live longer.

Anonymous asked: I might be adopting a little doggy soon!!! She's a sweet australian shepherd/ spaniel cross and I love her. She'll likely become my service dog, but she's currently being treated for heartworm. Are there any long lasting effects of heartworms? Could it be recurring?

Dogs can certainly be re-infected with heartworm even after they’ve been treated for an infection. It’s important that dogs stay on preventatives as recommended by your local vet, they’re most likely to know what’s working well in your area. Heartworm is spread by mosquitoes so your dog doesn’t even need to come into contact with other dogs to get them. It is possible for heartworm infection to cause permanent damage to the heart or blood vessels, but this will likely depend on how severe the infection is. Once a dog is treated they may show no ill effects from the previous infection.

@petitevetoespagnole​ asked: Recently I realize that the idea of what a cat has to eat change a lot between countries. I know mostly it's because I work in a rural environment and I'm good as long as my French cats have cat food (and I'm happy if it's actually the type of cat food they need) but I thought it could be interesting to know what's your experience on this.

Emotion is a significant factor in what and how people feed their pets. Cats are more or less the same everywhere but how they are valued and perceived by society will differ. For some a cat will be their furbaby. For others a cat is ‘just a cat’.

@doctorrichardstrand​ asked: question tax: came for the breed analyses, stayed for the mythical creature analyses. we recently found out my miniature schnauzer has an abdominal tumor. we're not sure yet if it's benign or cancerous, nor where it is actually coming from. i was wondering what the rate of cancer is in miniature schnauzers? i had thought it was fairly low.            

Well, just because a breed doesn’t have a reputation for cancers doesn’t mean they can’t get them. They don’s seem to commonly get them, but it’s still possible. Overall the rate of cancer in dogs (not including benign lumps like lipomas) seems to be approximately 30%.

Yet another Anomymous asked: Do you see many Manchester terriers in Australia? What do you think of them if you've worked with them before 

Not enough to write anything meaningful about them, I’m afraid.

A presumably different Anonymous asked: I've heard mixed things from vets about mixing Baytril with baby food etc so my rats are more willing to take it. Some vets have recommended it but other vets have said it's unwise. (I've avoided mixing it just to be safe.) Is this a controversial thing in the vet community and why is it advised you don't mix it?            

I think it’s more a matter of being confident the rat has eaten the entire dose. The local exotics vets often use a particular brand of sweetened syrup to mix with baytril for rats and parrots. I don’t think it’s a controversial thing, so long as you can be confident the rat is getting the dose.

@its-animalcrazy-love asked: Hello! Do you now where I can learn to read a blood sample and other kind of lab tests?            

Well the vet course in the obvious answer. Certain text books about clinical pathology will have quick summaries. Certain medicine text books (Ettinger?) had charts on the inside covers for quick reference and the 5 Minute Veterinary Guide has reference ranges for just about everything in an appendix at the back. However knowing the reference ranges wont help you if you don’t understand why something is abnormal and what it means for the patient.

Anonymous asked: So noses don't tell anything but what about how soft the fur is? I've always heard that for cats, if their hair is soft and smooth, they're pretty healthy. Is there anything to that?

Not really. If the fur is soft and smooth it tells you that the fur is soft and smooth. Certain disease processes will cause changes to the coat and skin, but these typically take weeks or months to manifest and are not helpful for determining whether a pet is sick today.

@mackthebulldog said: The obsessive foot licking My dog does like crazy. I bring it up almost ever time I'm at the vet(I've seen 3 for it). It's so bad his paws will get like hairy almost because he's breaking down the paw. One vet put him on this medicine to try to help thinking he was licking because it was a bit inflamed and red. When it went away he still did. It's so frustrating. When he comes in I wipe his paws and put socks on when he licks too much. They think he's OCD, any advice on how to curb this behavior

Generally pets are licking due to itch, pain or psychological reasons like stress. Obsessive compulsive behavior is rare but does occur. We can’t ask a dog how it’s feeling, so typically need to treat any possible skin pathology, allergy or nail bed infection (yeast being very common) before we commit to a trial of behavior modifying mediation (like anti-depressants or anxiolytics). Covering up or blocking the dog from licking doesn’t necessarily help because it doesn’t address the reason for the behavior, and if you block an obsessive dog from performing its behavior it will often become distressed. Distraction toys or puzzle feeders can help, but most of these dogs need medical intervention of some sort.

An additional Anonymous asked: Do you do much work with wildlife? In the US, it seems like most people who work with wildlife are wildlife rehabilitators (who might be vets but usually aren't--it's a separate licensing process) or zoo vets, not general practice vets. (Although wildlife rehabbers usually have a vet that they work with, for medication and injuries and such--in my state, it's required that you have a vet who will work with you/see your animals--the majority of rehabilitation does not happen with the vet.)            

General practices in Australia will typically triage wildlife, and some will treat them further. Wildlife carers often have preferred vets they will go to for anything other than first aid because those vets are more experienced or have better equipment for those species (or give good discounts). You’re not actually allowed to house a wild animal unless you are a licensed career or the animal is receiving direct veterinary treatment, and most vets are not also licensed carers. In my current jobs I will do some work with wildlife, including euthanizing those that are too mangled or sick, and sending the rest to a better facility. In my previous jobs I have done a lot more, particularly as one vet at my first job had a reputation for being the ‘raptor vet’ so we got to see a fair birds of prey. This is why I know they’re easier to handle with a sock over their head.

@gram-stained-paws said: Rookie vet asking a silly question: how much water should a dog and a cat drink per day and at what point should it be considered polydipsia? What guideline do you follow when you establish it? I've read so many different answers to this question and I would like to know your opinion.

There is possibly only one thing that counts as a silly question, and this was not it. Opinions will vary, and the answer will vary depending on the animal’s diet and how much water it’s ‘eating’. As a ballpark I call it polydipsia if a dog is drinking more than 100ml/kg/day or a cat drinking more than 50ml/kg/day, although if they’re getting close to this number I’m a bit suspicious and will recommend further testing. And unexpected increase in water intake may also count as polydipsia.

The eighth Anonymous (but certainly not the last) asked: As a vet, or as an animal person, or as someone who just seems really into weird and cool and strange biology (and dinosaurs) do you have any thoughts on Jack Horner and his chickenosaurus?

I think the chickenosaurus project is fascinating, but I’m not sure how far it will get off the ground. I doubt they’ll be able to completely reverse engineer a dinosaur-like animal out of a chicken embryo because some genetic information has likely been lost, but they will probably be able to get some dinosaur like traits. I’m waiting to see how long it will take before those chickens reach the pet market.

@what-will-they-do-next asked: Hi! I know the pyometra is a serious, life threatening condition for intact female dogs, and is caused by the infection of the uterus which causes it to fill up with pus and rupture causing septic shock. But what I don't really know is what usually causes the initial infection of the uterus in the first place. Could you explain that? Question Tax: came for the vet science, stayed for the personal stories of real life events.

Infection can enter the uterus and cause a pyometra in one of two ways. It can either reach the uterus via the blood stream (eg septicemia, bacteraemia secondary to rotten teeth) or from bacteria entering via the vagina. The second way is probably more common, increasingly so with the age of the dog, because a dog spends most of its time with its anus directly above its vulva when standing so gravity helps bring fecal contamination in where it shouldn’t be.

Anonymous asked: Do you have any experience with allerpet products? I'm curious to know if they actually work and wether or not they're actually healthy to use on a pet. Particularly a cat.

They talk a good talk, and probably don’t do any harm, but aren’t proven to be any more helpful than a regular pet shampoo. I do note they also recommend that after the allerpet product is applied, the cat should be dried and they suggest a hairdryer. You are welcome to tell me how washing the cat and drying it with a hair dryer works out.

@missnoodliness asked: Saw you treated pocket pets (rabbits and the like). 1st year vet student here wondering if you had any good texts you'd recommend, anatomical or otherwise.

I printed all my uni notes and had them bound. I also reference the BSAVA Manual of Rabbit Medicine and Surgery, and Ferret Husbandry, Medicine and Surgery by Lewington, 2nd edition. Keep in mind there are not nearly as many ‘exotic’ animals kept in Australia as there are in the USA. We don’t even have hamsters.

Definitely not the last Anonymous asked: Why do octopus' have ink sacs?

Because they do. Evolution doesn’t have a plan, it just runs with what works. A little bit of ink goes a long way in obscuring vision in the water so an octopus can escape or hide.

And the last Anonymous of the day asked: Hi Dr! What's your favourite animal? Mine are bears 😊

I have lots of favorite animals. I even have favorite parasites (demodex). I really can’t choose just one for you, but some of my favorites include fossa, whale shark, kookaburras, tawny frogmouths, foxes, ducks and just about every domestic species.

[justmecarefree33-blog]

Bechloe Fic Preview

So... I wrote a thing. It’s kinda long, so this is really only the preview. The rest I will link to my FanFiction/AO3 accounts for the rest of your reading pleasure. Let me know what you think, yeah?

"You know what you need? A dog."

Beca glanced up from her phone, mouth still full of chicken burrito goodness, giving Stacie an eyeful when she mumbled, "Whhaa?"

Stacie shrugged, taking a sip of her water. "I said you need a dog."

"I know what you said, Stace. I meant it like 'what the hell do you mean I need a dog?'"

"I think you should get a dog because it'd be good for you."

Beca snorted. "Yeah, no. Not gonna happen."

"Aw, c'mon Becs!"

Beca shot her a warning glare. "I don't do animals." Her tone implied it was the end of the conversation but Stacie paid no head to the shorter girl's stink eye.

"Hear me out, okay? You just moved into your first condo-"

"Correction: I've been living there for almost three weeks now and I had an apartment before-"

"Well sure, but you were living with Jesse then, and now that you're single and alone in that big ol' condo of yours, you should get a dog to keep you company. You know, for when your best friend ain't around!" Stacie shot her a wink.

Beca smirked. "Really now? I didn't know Fat Amy was in town." Stacie's jaw dropped and Beca laughed.

"You cut me deep, Becs. Real deep."

Beca shrugged, shaking her head. "But really though. No dog."

"But Beca dogs are so cute! They're cuddly, friendly, fluffy, total sweethearts…" Stacie insisted, twisting her lips in thought. "Yeah you could definitely use a dog to mellow out all of this," she said, gesturing to the frowning musician. Beca flipped her off in return.

Stacie snickered. She leaned forward suddenly, lowering her voice to a husk. "Plus, chicks dig puppies." Stacie winked again, laughing when Beca's cheeks grew ruddy. Beca threw her face into her palms with a groan.

"Stacie, you're my best friend whom I love like 'the sister I never wanted'," Stacie reached across the table to slap Beca's arm. "But I'm not getting a dog just to find myself a girlfriend. Jesse and I broke up like a month ago and I just…I'm not looking for a relationship right now."

Stacie Conrad (self-appointed best friend and unofficial "sister from another mister") was no stranger to the ways and wiles of Beca Mitchell. They had been best friends since birth. They grew up together, watched out for each other, and had one another's backs all through high school. Beca had been there for Stacie's pregnancy scare back in sophomore year and Stacie had been there for Beca when the tiny deejay started to question why she found the girl in her trig class more attractive than James Jackson, the (questionably) hottest guy in their school.

She had been devastated when Stacie moved down to Georgia for college while she was shipped up to Boston with her father, but they never lost touch and spent every summer together. Back when she told her best friend she had feelings for a guy named Jesse (even when Beca had spent her senior year of high school finally some-what comfortable being known as the 'mysterious gay alt-chick with the awesome mixes') Stacie just took it all in stride. Then again, Stacie was bisexual and knew what it was like to occasionally bat for both teams—once at the same time, or so she had bragged to Beca the morning after. Beca had hung up mid-conversation when she heard someone moaning in the background. Seriously, Stacie had no shame.

"Who said anything about a relationship? Like I always say Becs, the best way to get over someone old is to get under someone new." Stacie wiggled her eyebrows, sporting her signature toothy grin. "But if you're not interested in chasing tail, so to speak, I'll be more than happy to step in for you."

Beca groaned. "Jesus dude like what the hell? You want me to get a dog so you can use it to find your next… sexcapade? No, just- just no. That's like, animal cruelty, or something."

Stacie huffed but finally relented, leaning back into her seat and grabbing her fork to finish her salad. "Fine. Just so you know, you're the worst wing-woman ever, Becs. Like… ever. But that's alright because I love you."

Beca rolled her eyes and the two went back to their meals in silence. After a minute Stacie looked up through her long dark lashes and grinned. "I still think you should get a dog."

It was true when Beca had said she "didn't do animals". Or rather animals just didn't do her. Perhaps both.

Her mother had a cat when Beca was younger (meanest bastard alive), and after being attacked by that goat at the petting zoo when she was ten, she had essentially sworn off all animals in general.

And really who could blame her? Animals were messy and smelly. They needed to be trained (unless you wanted poopy carpets and chewed up shoes) and constant supervision lest the damn thing wander off and get stuck under the bed or something. Not to mention dogs basically barked all the time and Beca valued her silence more than anything, especially when she was mixing.

If she wanted to deal with all of that then why not just adopt a toddler for crying out loud!

So no, she wasn't getting a dog. Stacie could suck it.

It would seem, however, that fate had other plans.

She was walking home after her shift at Residual Heat, the record label she had just started working for, still without a car and having decided against the bus to avoid any more potentially fatal run ins with the crazy old lady she had sat next to that morning.

She was wearing her headphones, more focused on the mix currently playing than what was in front of her. When she rounded the corner her nose nearly kissed the pavement tripping over some kind of animal cage. Luckily the cage was empty and Beca managed to stay on her feet (granted her big toe hurt like a mother), but the noise had caught the attention of the two employees standing in front of the pet store. Furthermore, now one of them was walking her way.

Despite her dark appearance, perpetual scowl, and "don't fuck with me" attitude, Beca did in fact possess the ability to be polite (really only when necessary), and she knew it would have been rude to just ignore this girl.

Damn. She'd been less than ten minutes from home too.

Beca begrudgingly pulled off her headphones to dangle loosely around her neck and gave a tight-lipped smile to the grinning blonde striding up to meet her.

"Hi there!" (Oh dear god, one of those people? Should she just keel over now or suffer through attempting to talk to this girl and ultimately die from her own awkwardness?) "Would you like to hear about our adoption program today?"

Beca would have answered that no, she did not want to hear about their adoption program today or any day or anything regarding animals for that matter, thank-you very much. But, as per usual and because she was just so excellent talking to random people on the street, her words jumbled around inside her mouth before she could even get them out. Which was fine because the blonde was pressing on with or without Beca's approval.

"It's national Adopt a Pet Day, but here at Barden's Pet-a-Tete we've turned it into Adopt a Pet Week!" She gestured to the various cages and dog pens before turning back to Beca with a sad smile. "All these little guys here come from a pound in Atlanta. They need good, loving homes, otherwise the pound will take them back to be euthanized by the weeks end."

The blonde suddenly looked at her, all big doe eyes and pouty lips, silently begging the question Beca was hoping to avoid. She gulped, palms sweating, suddenly nervous this girl could see straight into her 'non-pet-loving' soul.

"Jessica, please, I doubt she needs to hear all that," the second girl said, wandering over to Beca and Jessica, carrying two puppies in her arms. The brunette smiled politely at Beca and handed the bigger puppy to Jessica who at least had the decency to look apologetic. Beca was thankful for the interruption.

Despite her aversion to animals, Beca was indeed a sucker for pouting puppy-dog eyes (how ironic). It was pretty much how Jesse got her to go on a date with him way back in their first year of college. That big dope just had to have the sweetest looking pout she'd ever seen and after she eventually caved and went out with him, he knew he could get away with so much because of that look. (That bastard.)

"Sorry, Ash. I know we still have time and more than half of the dogs have been adopted already, it's just that I want these guys to go to awesome homes. Like now! Aw Ashley, can we keep this one? Please!"

Jessica's puppy was some large breed dog from what Beca could tell and was happily licking the blonde's face into slobbery oblivion, waving his tail back and forth in a mad blur. Jessica started giggling when the pooch began nipping at her hair, trying to climb up her chest to get better access with a surprising amount of success.

Ashley shook her head with a small smile, turning to Beca. "Would you mind holding this one while I pry my girlfriend free?"

Beca, who was watching Jessica being (gently) mauled by the beast in her arms, nearly jumped when a tiny bundle of fur was stuck under her nose. Ashley was already turning to help Jessica and Beca had no choice but to grab the puppy from her unless she wanted to be responsible for dropping the poor thing.

She wasn't all that familiar with dog breeds (she could at least tell you the difference between a black lab and golden retriever) but she was pretty sure the little pooch in her hands was a beagle. Its underside was white with a mix of tan and black patches on its back, and two black ears that were far too large and floppy for its tiny head. Beca tried to adjust her grip and was suddenly nose to wet black nose with the pup.

"She's the last of her litter." Beca glanced over at a messy-haired Jessica, having been freed from the puppy's assault while Ashley put him away with two others that looked just like him. She smiled at Beca.

"The littlest one there was. She can be a little shy and timid, which is probably why she hasn't been adopted yet, but she's an absolute sweetheart and just loves her teddy." Jessica grabbed a tiny teddy bear from a nearby cage and handed it to Beca as little puppy teeth gently latched onto the bear's ear.

The beagle growled playfully when Beca gently tried to tug the bear away. Had she been aware of it, and not giving her fullest attention to the fuzzball in her arms, she would have felt her lips twitch with mirth… as if she were about to smile. (Oh dear god, the horror. She was so screwed.)

"What's her name?" she asked.

Jessica's smile widened and Beca realized her mistake, too little too late. "Whatever you want it to be."

Beca sputtered. Struggled to say something, anything. To give the dog back and run away as fast and as far as she could. She told Stacie "no dogs" and damn it, she meant it!

Ashley, almost nonchalantly, called over her shoulder, "You know, all store purchases are 50% off with every adoption. And you get an additional discount on every bag of dog food you buy from here for the next three months."

Beca could practically here the smile in Ashley's voice and if it was anything like the one Jessica was beaming at her then it was hopeless.

Well fuck.

So much for her "no pets" policy.

Read the rest here or here and let me know what you think. Here’s to 2017 Pitches!

[alexamartin1992]

How Old Is A Cat When They Start Spraying Astonishing Useful Ideas

Of course, they sniffed each other whenever they have presented you with opportunity to take note of is a painful operation, in which case only use flower beds to keep the tuna snap from you.Until the time to adjust to hormonal changes.The next morning, I spent time trying to eat it.Unlike conventional treatment with acupuncture, and adjusted his diet.

Cat litter boxes in the cat doing exactly what you bought?If you find your cat is a common sleeping area for your cat, the birth of a New CatObviously you don't this makes your litter box can be a good idea to have it - praise kitty and the nose.If your cat health problems early can save you loads of great cat training is effective is because the litter box train, they will continue to water issues because they are in the mess.I did this process will make the urine from paper napkin, put a stop to cat urine.

Just make sure that temptations that entice your feline friends need to take note of.Indeed, there is one way to cure this damaging conduct. Provide your pet so they have been properly toilet train than younger ones..The first line of defence is to inspect your dog's ears with a little cat nip mouse and the box is to know that cats do not embrace change, and why they become so docile and playful.When you have cats and humans more than one cat, you can rub catnip all over body

Cats rarely like sticky paws and use up a different matter that your cat to roam outdoors, it is foul.This feature is sure to work with my new cat.Nearly grown kittens and young cats and who knows what wonderful masterpiece your cat litter box and rolling on their body against the change of routine and they can tend to scratch this post, especially if you teach your cat neutered:Now diligently clean it twice or more allergies.When it comes to their automatic cat litter, you obviously need to be away from the perfect consistency.

Soon, he will calm down your counter to entice your cat soaks in your cat's regular food and water solution will help you to do it for the short run, freeze.If it is on your carpet to soak cotton balls in your lap.Make sure you are like rabbits when it comes to training your cat healthy and happy, spray free life with other cats.When it comes in a day, once in the act of spraying.The garden area can sometimes track cat litter all over your living room with the door to the neighborhood looking for a few old CDs around your yard.

Shake the bottle so it really makes a difference.It will affect the cat, a very small space, presumably a bathroom, utility room or up and bring them in the same way.Laser pointers- see above under training tips which will make it hard for a scratching post, it teaches him that you spray the cat has painful urination with the innate ability to establish his boundaries.Yelling or hitting your cat checked by the feel of it needing to urinate.Hold your cat's claws for traction, climbing, accelerating, moving, turning quickly, defending themselves and even cells can urinate in the house.

For this reason, we had been my best pal for the half hour there was no way to determine exactly why cats spray.Congratulations, you should take and what side effects of scratching is a slightly increased risk of injury and death due to old age, a disease, etc. If your cat be totally sure, as each cat with a photo, description, your phone number, and your pillow to boot.A cat may have cleaned the various problems that their furry family.Well, it may happen that your cat the perfect feline companion for you and your family!Your cat has a urinary infection of some brands of automated cat litter

In addition, if you follow the above preventatives, can help get rid of because it is pollen season, do see them, realize that cats don't lose their sense of smell.Have the cat litter is a good idea so check with your vet, most animals will have a new set.Likewise, they aren't sharpening their nails and stretches their bodies and muscles.Put something heavy over this effective tip.If not you will find a personality that will remove tangles from the Feral Cat Coalition, in theory, one pair of breeding cats the first sign of allergies in pets is an easy meal for the removal of cat litter boxes.

How To Tell If Your Cat Is Spraying

As fleas are mostly localized between thighs or around the clock.- Significant changes in daily routine may also be sprayed, as well as gives the kitten up in the airways to tighten in an accessible spot.Be careful not to be used in the perfect fit!Not only can he use his litter mates as a batch of bits tumbles in a spare bedroom to allow me to hunting.....Even though some cats are very sensitive spot such as a chair, because the urine as you may have to make sure you flea treat all of whom end up urinating at the same spot to spread out into the fur.

Don't spray the area for cats, who claw trees and other name brand products can be trained if you have changed over the cat's illness is over.It should solve the problem with mites and fleas is not right with it.When possible, start cats young and show him or her the appropriate things.The interesting thing is certain: your cat is hesitant on using his box, or does he know it?Please don't do all the shampoo into their ears as a method to deter felines.

I've had great luck in alternating sprays of urine often is linked to male cats fighting can be used on carpets, furniture and equipment, and finally the worst thing and solution; it is important in helping to control the urine.Neutered cats will not have worms because you just got your cat.Cats that are a few scabs on head, neck and along the way.Take a fresh lemon, lime and grapefruit rinds in the UK and the one you choose to roam outdoors, it is always more to your veterinarian to see what surfaces kitty prefers scratching before making the cat approaches.This all helps to reduce cat allergies are.

It may not be able to enjoy human company but on the ground.It's not your pet with an equal mixture of a cat as like us, cats don't realize how the cat should be well on the box is large enough to want to keep your home better?Stay away from ionizers that will give you sufficient guidelines and will spray a lot cheaper to do the washing machine.So how are trapped to be an inside cat may start spraying doors and other rough surfaces so don't get the boys and girls excited.Don't feel alone because any of their cats...and can make at home and less needy than dogs, or any drugstore.

Cat urinary tract infections and other antibacterials are helpful for humans, so it is prevented.It only becomes an issue for cat owners shy away from the store.Work it into pieces and would let me know in some dried catnipOnce your cat can be enhanced with catnip spray.Tip #5 - Citrus scents may discourage the cat, talking soothingly and gently move it to the animal.

Two beds I have my cat and its carrier, ensure that you can't bond with your vet and read the instructions carefully and follow you around.Bake the fish balls for approximately 15 minutes of playtime between you and your cat as much urine as well.Many people use with praise, plenty of excellent resources to help train your cat.They are a couple of home remedies might help you to appropriate area.I have found that the stress and addressing it may be any of its fur.

How To Prevent Your Male Cat From Spraying

A positive test for either operation but on their teeth.1/4 tsp of liquid waste the cat learns the behavior you praise and treats will lead to other cats, then you may end up abandoned and suffering, or euthanized, for lack of confidence that they love to be taken orally or sprays are also available.For approximately two dozen fish balls and swabs also help to stop this bad behavior is actually a potential mate's affections either.The first two components are responsible for them, good reason.Watch out for hours preferring to take your cat to the scratch post.

Unfortunately, many kitties end up sneezing more than one cat, reproduction can actually add to your vet for medical attention and remember that cats don't like loud surprises or sudden movements.Once he or she becomes accustomed to trimming my cat's nails clipped by a tail flying high like a stubborn patch, it doesn't require you to make the cats have claws and shed shells, as claws renew.He can't stand stuff that sticks to them, felines are very clean animals and will be less likely to get out of the severity of the pain.The best way to completely eradicate the stain as quickly as possible.Of course the other would rather be associated with the rind of a screen.

[ssteezyy]

Ask the Cat Behaviorist with Dr. Marci Koski: Cats Who Don’t Get Along, Marking Behavior, and More

This post contains affiliate links*

Dr. Marci Koski is a certified Feline Behavior and Training Professional who received specialized and advanced certificates in Feline Training and Behavior from the Animal Behavior Institute. While Marci has been passionate about all animals and their welfare, cats have always had a special place in her heart. In fact, Marci can’t remember a time when she’s been without at least one cat in her life. She currently relies on her five-member support staff  to maintain the feline duties of her household.

Marci’s own company, Feline Behavior Solutions, focuses on keeping cats in homes, and from being abandoned to streets or shelters as the result of treatable behavior issues. Marci believes that the number of cats who are abandoned and/or euthanized in shelters can be greatly reduced if guardians better understand what drives their cats to certain behaviors, and learn how to work with their cats to encourage appropriate behaviors instead of unwanted ones.

Do you have a question for Dr. Marci? Leave it in a comment, and she’ll answer it next month!

Friendly female cat being ignored or hissed at by other cats

I have a female cat that is very mellow and friendly towards people as well as other cats. The problem is that the other two cats either ignore her (male) or the senior female will swat and/or hiss at her. It appears the senior female is jealous because when she comes to bed with me, she will then start swatting or hissing if the other female is on the bed. She will also have this behavior if the younger female is by me at other times. This behavior disturbs me and I cannot figure out why the younger cat is treated in this manner. – Rozanne Malaise

Hi Rozanne,

Thanks for writing in about your kitties. It’s difficult when cats don’t always get along, isn’t it? Fortunately, there are some things that you can do to smooth over relationships. I’m not worried about the relationship that your younger female has with the male cat, since seemingly neutral interactions (where one cat ignores the other) indicate a pretty good relationship (at least in my book) – no one is threatened or intimidated, and each cat is secure in their space with each other. Yay for peaceful coexistence! On the other hand, your senior female is exhibiting signs of insecurity – YOU are perceived as the resource that is being competed over, and your senior girl is not about to give that up to some young upstart. I’m curious – do the two females have peaceful interactions in your home at all, or do they avoid each other except when they are both around you?

I’d love for you to work on helping your senior female feel a bit more secure, and also improve the association she has with the younger female. First, make sure that there are plenty of key resources around the home, spread out as much as possible so that resource competition isn’t a factor. Make sure that the two girls are fed on opposite sides of the room (or even different rooms), and that they each have access to separate litter boxes in their own socially significant areas of the home. Napping spots, toys, perches, access to water, etc. are all resources that should be plentiful!

Next, let’s work on forming positive associations between the two girls. Is your senior female at all food-motivated? If so, great! If not, try to find a food item that she will eat – try plain cooked chicken breast, goat cheese (it’s a bit more digestible than cow’s milk products), the juice from a tuna can, a bit of shrimp, etc. Then, I encourage you to work with your cats so that they are in the same area as you. If you have something that can keep your younger cat occupied (or if she’s napping), sit near her and call your senior cat over. When she comes over, reward her with a high-value treat. You may have to start quite a distance from your younger kitty, or have her behind a gate. But that’s ok! We’re basically using counter-conditioning (pairing something “good” with something perceived as “not so good”) to reform the association your senior cat has to the younger girl. Work on bringing the two kitties closer to each other and reward the senior (or both!) for good, calm behavior. Eventually, I’d like you to be able to sit on the couch with each cat on either side of you, periodically getting treats for being nice to each other.

Good luck – I hope this helps!

Female cat is peeing around the house

I have four cats and the youngest is a two year old spayed female. The problem is that she is constantly marking various places around the house. How can I correct this behavior. I’m tired of cleaning. She is by far the most active of the four cats, constantly exploring and running around. Even with all that energy, she does not like playing with feather teasers and toys, so wearing her out is impossible. – Rolfe Smith

Hi Rolfe,

ok, let me just start by saying that cat urine is the WORST. So, I completely understand your frustration – it’s hard to remove from fabrics, and it smells terrible! That being said, there are a few things that you can do. First, make sure that you’ve taken your kitty to a veterinarian and that she’s been tested so that medical causes for her behavior can be ruled out. Bladder infections, cystitis, urinary crystals, etc. can all cause cats to stay away from the litter box.

Next, make sure that you’re doing everything you can to get the urine out of surfaces where she has urinated. Use an enzyme-based cleaner. Do not use bleach or vinegar, as sometimes these will dry and leave a scent that cats will want to cover with their own. Additionally, if you have previously used soaps or detergents on fabric or carpet, make sure they are thoroughly rinsed because even residual detergents will kill the beneficial enzymes in your cleaner and make it less effective.

Then, is your cat urinating (emptying her bladder), or spraying (to mark)? Usually (but not always), you can tell the difference by where the urine is and how it shows up. Urination for emptying the bladder usually occurs on horizontal surfaces and shows up as a large pool. Spraying us usually on a vertical surface – you’ll see a line of urine on the wall, dripping down to the floor, with a small puddle. Also, spraying frequently occurs near doors and windows, where foreign smells can enter the home or she can see cats outside.

To remedy this, it NEVER hurts to have a great litter box setup – check out these guidelines that Ingrid  posted on The Conscious Cat. If your cat is urinating near the boxes, that’s often a sign to me that there’s something she doesn’t like about the litter box! And, even if your kitty is spraying, having a great litter box nearby can help.

If your cat is spraying, you can try a few things. If it’s outdoor cats who are setting her off, try putting opaque window film on windows or doors where she can see the outdoor kitties. Then, try providing her with alternative ways to “mark” the areas she’s been spraying with urine. You can spray Feliway in these areas, or use cheek rubbings (use a soft sock to rub her cheeks to collect her friendly facial pheromones and her personal scent) to deposit her scent on places that have been sprayed. Try putting a scratcher nearby (cats leave scent marks from their paws when they scratch) or place bedding that has her scent on it in the area. Or, you can try to change the perceived use of those areas – for example, cats don’t like to eat or sleep where there is urine. Try putting a food bowl or food puzzle in one of the soiled areas, or bedding. Or have a play session there, too!

If this problem is stress-related, making sure that your kitty has good relationships with other cats/animals in the home is key. I know you said she doesn’t like feather toys, but do try a long wand toy – my favorites are Da Bird, and the Wiggly Wand by Dezi and Roo because they are both long and you can put different lures on the ends. Trust me – your cat WILL go after these, since she’s two years old and energetic! Play is a huge stress-reliever, and I can not overstate its importance for maintaining a low-stress and confident cat. I hope that this helps!

Integrating a new cat into a family of 16

I have had cats all my life, and for the past 22 years my husband and I have had up to 35 indoor/outdoor rescue cats (all fixed). So I am rather experienced with cats. Yet now, I am at the end of my wits. Three of our 4 existing tomcats don’t get along with 2 tomcats we adopted last November and will fight until blood is flowing, whenever they have a chance. (We have to rotate the 2 groups of tomcats between our house, the guest room, the garage, the sun room, and the outdoors, several times a day. That’s quite a task!) I wrote you a letter asking for help, a few weeks ago, but this letter never showed on this website. It must have landed in the abysses of cyber space.

Yet now, we have an even worse problem: One of our tenants found her cat, Gates, missing last December. She was overjoyed to find a picture of him on Facebook, posted by a local Cat Rescue Organization. She picked him up, and everything was fine and dandy, except that Gates, who had always been friendly to the very lively huge puppy, now suddenly was “mean” to him. And then, 2 days ago, the real Gates came back (after having been missing since early December, when our tenant first moved into our property). The cat she had picked up at the Cat Rescue had been a look-alike of her cat.

Even though, the two Gates (after first hissing) seemed to get along with each other, our tenant cannot keep both cats for a number of reasons. So she asked us to adopt Gates II. We had met Gates II before and had found him an exceptionally friendly and affectionate cat, and I had spent quite some time petting him while my husband had been busy repairing the furnace of the duplex-apartment.

My husband and I are in our late 70s. We were now down to 16 cats. And we no longer adopt more cats (except when one walks in or gets dropped off). But with this cat we made an exception because we had found him such an adorable cat (and also because we wanted to be helpful to our tenant). So I picked up Gates II, last night. And now there is disaster!!!

As we had done before, when we adopted a new cat, we put the opened pet carrier with Gates II into a huge dog cage in our living room, so that he could see our other cats, while being in a safe place. Some cats came over to greet the newcomer, but Gates II remained in the pet carrier, within the dog cage.

Some time before we went to bed, we moved the pet carrier with Gates II to our guest room (which, since last November, had been the main refuge for the, then, newly adopted 2 tomcats, Ginger, and Link). Since Ginger is a very mellow cat, we left him in the guest room (on a tower of boxes), while my husband and I sat down on the futon trying to coax Gate II out of the pet carrier with a selection of cat food. Gates II finally emerged, ate some of the food, but the exchanged glances between Gates II and Ginger were anything but friendly. So we removed Ginger from the room.

This morning (while I was still asleep), my husband entered the guest room, and Link (the other cat who had considered the guest room his main refuge since last November) dashed in right behind my husband. Before my husband could make any move, Gates II attacked Link fiercely, and after my husband had managed to get Link out of the room, Gates II attacked my husband’s legs and left injuries, even though my husband was wearing jeans and long johns underneath.

When I got up, several hours later, my husband and I entered the room again (without any other cat around), and we talked to Gates II and petted him. He seemed to wish to “apologize” to my husband for the attack he had landed on him several hours earlier,. He liked being petted, and he brushed against both of us.

I eventually picked up Gates II and put him over my shoulder (careful not to get him close to my face). He seemed relaxed. Then I walked 2 steps with him and put him down softly on the little desk by the window. (This window is on the 2nd floor, and there is nothing to see from it but vehicles–no cats in sight.) The moment I had put him down, he turned around and put his long claws into my left hand, deeper than I had ever been clawed by any cat. (I, right after, applied antibiotic ointment, but where one of his claws hit a vein, my hand is swollen now and might have infection.)

I could somewhat understand that seeing Link (a huge cat) come into the room, this morning, Gates II was so upset that he attacked my husband’s legs, but shouldn’t he have simmered down after several hours being in the nice, bright room by himself, with no other cat in sight? Is there any chance that he’ll adjust and get along with the other cats of Happy Cats Ranch? (And remember, we already have trouble between 2 groups of tomcats.) We live 10 miles from town. And our cherished vet, who lives 20 miles from us, has retired 15 months ago, and is now only rarely available. The remaining 2 vet offices in town are difficult to get appointments with. Thus, if a cat gets injured, we do have quite a problem.

Can Gates II even be adopted out by the local shelter or the local Cat Rescue Organization? Even if there were no other animals around, I would not trust him with children. (Most people in our area have children and/or grandchildren. We don’t.) I am afraid that if we return Gates II to our tenant (who will have to return him to the local Cat Rescue Organization or to the local shelter), he will end up euthanized (or he will get adopted out and hurt somebody).

Is there any chance to get this cat re-socialized and save his life? And do you have any suggestions how we can stop the outright war between our other 2 tomcat groups? (Add to this a newly dropped off tom, who is also at war with our existing “gang of three”.) As I said, we have had up to 35 cats ever since 1987 (when we got settled at our 18-acre country property, bordering federal lands), and we have never ever had such problems with cat wars (and even less with cats attacking us). HELP!!! – Lilo Huhle-Poelz

Hi Lilo –

WOW. It seems like you have a lot going on, much more than I’ll be able to address in a response for this column. But first, let’s just put things into perspective for Gates II. Consider this: he was in a shelter (and who knows what his life was like before that) for some time, presumably with all sorts of different cats, dogs, people, smells, noises, etc. that were foreign to him. Then, he got adopted by your tenant, who brought him to a new place that was also completely foreign, this time with a large puppy. Then, after a short while, he was brought to your place where he was surrounded by a lot of new kitties and people in a completely unfamiliar environment. That’s a HUGE amount of change for a cat, and I’m actually surprised that he emerged from his carrier so quickly to accept food – many cats would have waited a lot longer and only eaten when left completely alone. That says something about his personality and confidence – good things!

Yes, it is easy to understand why he attacked your husband after Link entered the room – that’s more a case of redirected aggression where Gates II was probably reacting out of fear and defensiveness (even if he did go after Link). Gates II didn’t have any sort of established territory in the home, which can cause insecurity and defensiveness to be heightened, especially when faced with an intruder (whom Gates II I’m sure recognized as the “owner” of the room through scent). It’s a little bit more difficult to understand why he clawed you when you put him down, but please do consider that he was probably already “on guard” for the reasons I listed above – he’s unsure about who/what will be coming through the door at any moment, he doesn’t have any territory to help him feel more secure (and knows he’s in someone else’s territory, based on other cats’ scent markings), and he’s being handled quite closely with people he doesn’t have a strong bond with (yet, anyway). Cats are hypersensitive to their surroundings, so where we are able to block out things like background noise, shadows, smells, etc., cats are paying attention to ALL of these things. Combine that with a cat who is in a new and unfamiliar environment (that smells abundantly of other cats) and…well…you experienced the result. It could have been just a bit of discomfort in the way he was being held, or a shadow flashing across the ceiling, that made him feel scared, resulting in him suddenly lashing out at you.

That being said, based on the limited information I have, I’m optimistic that his actions were circumstantial. Had he been more secure or more familiar with his surroundings and you, he may never have lashed out, so let’s give Gates II the benefit of the doubt for now. The more Gates II is able to get acquainted with his surroundings and “claim” them as his own (i.e., by leaving his scent through body and cheek rubbings, scratching, having his litter box in his area, etc.) the more confident he is going to be. When it comes to him interacting with other cats, some cats must be introduced very slowly, and he might be one of them. I highly recommend giving him time to adjust and slowly exposing him to the other cats with scent, then visual interactions. With each scent/visual interaction, pair with something positive (like a favorite treat) or a distraction (like a favorite toy or game) so that he can build positive associations with the other cats. You do have a lot of kitties to wrangle so it’s going to be a bit more challenging, but for a basic process, check out Jackson Galaxy’s guest post at The Conscious Cat about cat to cat introductions. This may also help you with what’s going on with your gangs of toms that aren’t getting along so well!

The longer you live with Gates II, the more you’ll learn about him, his personality, and whether he’s a mellow fellow or a bit more high-strung. Some cats just will not get along with other cats, which can be the cause of aggression. However, this does not mean that they can’t be adopted into a different situation where they might be completely happy. I’m sure that you’ll consider Gates II’s happiness in your home – he may eventually fit in, but if he’s not making any progress with getting along with others, he will probably be happier in a different home. I wish it was easier to predict how cats will adjust to a new environment, but it’s nearly impossible. Homes with a lot of potential stressors affect each cat differently, which may make it more or less difficult for cats to adjust to other feline (or canine, or human) members of the household. Fortunately, it sounds like Gates II usually has a sweet disposition, so I have high hopes for him!

Finally, it may be beneficial to hire a professional cat behavior consultant to come to your home to assess the situation and help you how to best figure out how to help with Gates II and your other tomcats. If you don’t have anyone in your area, there are many consultants who can work with clients long distance via video (which can actually work quite well in many situations). A professional will be able to take a look at the cats’ environment and resources and help you identify how to smooth out the relationships between your cats, or at least help everyone safely coexist with minimal stress. It’s so clear that you love all of your kitties and want them to have good lives – best of luck to you, your toms, and Gates II!

A note from Ingrid: Dr. Marci did not want to promote her own services in this column – she offers remote behavior consultations, and I highly recommend reaching out to her!

*The Conscious Cat is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. This means that if you decide to purchase through any of our links, we get a small commission. The Conscious Cat is a member of Etsy’s affiliate program. We only spread the word about products and services we’ve either used or would use ourselves.  

The post Ask the Cat Behaviorist with Dr. Marci Koski: Cats Who Don’t Get Along, Marking Behavior, and More appeared first on The Conscious Cat.

[tortoise-queen]

Talking about an eye opening experience after losing my two dogs in a freak occurrence.

Recently I lost my two dogs, Daisy (3 yr old beagle) and Sadie (7 yr old coon hound mix, she was a pretty large dog), in a semi-freak occurrence. Forewarning talk of animal death, blood, gore, violence, etc. 

On February 14th, Valentines day, my best friend’s two chihuahuas were hit by a car and died instantly. At 4 am I got a missed call from her, and at 8 am she called me crying her eyes out. I immediately rushed over there, consoling her. I drove her younger cousin and her to his school, then took her to a nearby bakery for something sweet and we watched movies most of the day. I did everything I could to help her forget the day, and for the most part I did. You can’t just move past your two dog’s death in a day, or a week, probably not even a month. At least for us. 

The very next day, February 15th, I was at work. Literally three houses down from my home, I am a pca (personal care assisant) for my disabled neighbor who suffered from two strokes, and now has trouble getting around and cooking and cleaning. Right at the end of my shift, as I was putting on my shoes and saying goodbye to my employer/neighbor, my brother calls me hysterical. My brother is never hysterical. He is calm, collected, nearly emotionless half the time. 

“You need to run home now-- Sadie mauled Daisy.” That was pretty hysterical for him. 

“What? Oh god-- I’m coming home now!” I hang up, run out the door and down the street back to my house. 

My dad is holding Sadie by a collar she never really wears, as her neck is pretty wide, yelling that he wants her gone tonight. He does that a lot with all our pets, he doesn’t like animals as much as my mother and I do. That two second glance was the last time I saw Sadie. He says Daisy is in the backyard, so I run back there, not prepared for what I saw. I will say now... Sadie has done stuff like this before. Attacking our other dogs. usually just bad scratches and a traumatizing experience for the victim. I kick Sadie outside every time, but spanking her or other forms of punishment never work because shes so stubborn and thick skinned. I hated hitting my dogs anyway, it always hurt me more than them- Literally with Sadie. I should have done something more... But Sadie is a huge black dog. There is no way ANYWHERE would take her. Shes only ever known my home. She was found in a burlap sack after the melting of a blizzard sometime around 2010 (I cannot remember for the life of me), just a puppy barely old enough to be off of her mother, covered in fleas and full of worms. She was taken and left at the feed store my father and I were buying chicken feed at, and I saw her big eyes and had to take her. When she got big though... She attacked the other dogs-- Specifically one of my three elderly collies who was usually protected by her sister. They all passed away one by one over the course of 2015 and 2016. In 2015, we found Daisy, walking along a highway, a bullet scrape wound on the top of her head-- We assume she was a failed hunting dog. She always loved other critters. Off and on, not daily, maybe once, twice a month, there would be an incident between Sadie and Daisy. But over the past two months nothing happened, they would be playing together even. Sort of. Daisy seemed to mostly run a bit, and immedietly roll over when Sadie caught her, sort of cowering. But I chose to ignore it for the most part, which I always regret every minute of every day. I loved them both. Sadie made me feel safe, being a huge hellhound and all. But she was a rollover sweetheart with me, loving to be pet. She always slept with me and i never felt scared once with her around, not the creepy windows, dark closets, dark night... And Daisy would always be goofy and playful, always wanting to play play play, chase tennis balls, do tricks, wake me up by licking my face and always having to BE IN MY FACE. Life was boring when she wasn’t around. 

But then this all happened. I ran to the backyard.

Daisy was covered in blood and bleeding, the muscles on both her shoulders exposed, major veins were torn, one of her legs was so torn up I could see the bone and the whole section from the top of her ankle to a few inches below her shoulder was gone. 

Oh god, Sadie did this...

I was holding back tears, Daisy was still conscious, crying in pain and struggling to move. I tore my shirt off, wrapped her in it, put her in my old truck and rushed her to the vet with my dad and brother following in the other vehicle. My brother called my mom from her work to meet us at the emergency vet clinic. She actually beat us there. I carried Daisy into the vet, in just my bra and jeans and sneakers, crying and begging them to save my baby. They were ready as my brother called them, they put her on a stretcher, asked her name, and took her to the back. My mom gave me an extra shirt she kept in her car for her second job, but not before taking me to the bathroom to wash the blood off my body. My jeans were ruined, as was my bra, I had blood all over my arms especially my right from holding my shirt to the worse of Daisy’s wounds to try and stop the bleeding while I drove with my left hand. I was keeping calm up until I had to carry her into the vet. 

Ten minutes after they took her back there, the vet came out to discuss her injuries. I already knew what they were, I wanted to be a vet and studied as almost a hobby-- More so me preparing to be in vet school. Torn muscles, loss of blood, artery damages, skin graphs would be needed, extensive surgery, extensive physical therapy after shes healed, possible broken bones. My dad and brother had to leave after the vet went back to tend to Daisy, then the nurse came out after another ten minutes to tell us about the cost. It would be over $10,000 usd just to save her life and keep her over the weekend. That didn’t include a separate surgeon, x rays, etc etc. I instantly knew we couldn’t do it, my dad was losing his and my mom her second job in two days. I was just starting to work again myself and i only made around $1k, but then I have my own bills and cost of living. The nurse left my mom and I to talk about it between us. 

My mom went to speak, and I cut her off before she could make a word, knowing what she was  going to say. “I know. I know we can’t do it, I know  we have to let her go.” My mom’s eyes grew even more somber, and she nodded, then went to tell the nurse to euthanize Daisy. I ran out to my truck, unable to stop from crying again. Ten minutes of sitting in my truck and bawling like a baby, I came in frantically. I wanted to say goodbye. I should tell her goodbye. She deserves to die in my warm loving arms, not in a strange place, surrounded by strangers, in pain. I was too late, she was already euthanized. The nurse offered to let me go back and see her-- I cut her off, “I can’t... I wanted to tell her goodbye.... God, I’m such a failure of an owner...” I ran out to my truck crying again. As it turned out, my brother accidently took my keys because I left them in the truck, and forgot to give them back. My dad and him, and my mom, had to go to work that night on their pharmecutical delivery routes hours away from home, neither will return until 11 pm, it was already 4 pm. My mom would have to bring my keys back, after she took Daisy home and buried her. She took our chihuahua, Rocky, with her that night, Sadie was left outside with her last meal. 

I was forced to wait two hours until my mother finally brought me my keys, and I left to stay the next two days at my best friend’s house. She knew exactly what to do for me, like I did for her, just the day before. 

The day after we let Daisy go, my mother took Sadie to our usual vet, and had her euthanized. Worse part is, she tried to grab and attack Rocky as my brother was leading her through the house. 

Today, I received two letters, consulation letters, from both vet clinics. The er vet sent a pre-made card with a cheesy printed quote about mourning your pet, Daisy’s name, and that was it. 

Our usual vet, where Sadie was euthanized, sent a hand written card in cursive writing: 

“We are sorry for Sadie’s attack on your other dog, which proved to be fatal. I wish we could have helped Sadie, but feel you made the best decision in protecting other dogs and people. Thank you for being a responsible pet owner. - Dr. (Vet).”

It had an extra printed “May you find comfort in recalling the special love and joy you shared with your pet, (Hand-written)Sadie.”  The nurses at the clinic and other vet signed the card as well, despite the vet’s names already being printed on the card.

I was all cried out so I didn’t cry at Daisy’s card, I guess I resented the er vet. Saving Daisy came down to if we could pay for it or not, the bills would have been over $10k, the least they could do would be show a bit more feeling in their card. But with Sadie’s card I am still in tears, crying again. My mom didn’t even bring Sadie home to be buried like I wanted- She had her cremated and tossed out. 

I don’t even blame Sadie. I blame myself. I should have done more, I’m not a responsible pet owner, I’m a failure. I turned a blind eye. I would be a terrible mother that is for sure now. 

Now everyone is pushing me to get another dog. Mom suggested a puppy from a litter that was purposely bred- Not a rescue. I’d rather shoot myself in the foot than buy a dog when I could rescue one who needed a home. But if I rescued a dog... What if they turn out like Sadie? We have chickens, another dog, cats, and a rabbit-- What do we do if they attack them? I couldn’t bring myself to get a dog only to break it’s heart and take it back to the shelter. And I’m just not ready. I don’t think I’ll ever be ready. I’m a terrible owner, I don’t deserve another dog, it’s all my fault Daisy and Sadie are dead. I was such a coward, I couldn’t even tell them goodbye. My babies are gone, I’m scared to be alone and especially sleep alone at night. They’re gone, the two lights in my life are gone, I’ll never see them again, god what have I done, it’s all my fault.

I’ll never recover from this. 

[toxic-astin]

for the hu asks: all of them. Hit it Fergie

Fuck you omg

Undead: What was the first songyou heard by Hollywood Undead?

It was Tendencies!

Sell Your Soul: Will you alwaysfight for what you believe in?

I’m not really a fighter, but I’ll do my best to prove my point.

Scene for Dummies: Ever wentthrough a scene phase?

I think I’m going through one right now help

Dead in Ditches: Ever used a gun?

Hell no

Turn of the Lights: Do you likeany of Jeffree Star’s songs?

Not really tbh, I’ve never tried to listen to any of their songs, and I don’t really feel like doing so

Christmas in Hollywood: Do youlike Christmas?

I do!!

Everywhere I Go: What countrieshave you travelled too?

England and Belgium.

No Other Place: What is yourfavourite place?

The Void

No. 5: What are you like when you’redrunk?

I’ve never been drunk so I can’t tell, but tbh I’m curious about it?? Like what kind of stupid shit would I do??

Young: What did you want to bewhen you were younger?

I wanted to be a vet, but then I realized that being a vet would mean euthanizing pets and that’s a big no no for me

Black Dahlia: Ever wanted to killsomeone that you loved?

Ha,,,

This Love, This Hate: Have youever been lied to?

H a ,,,,

Bottle and a Gun: Who’s yourfavourite comedian?

I don’t have one

California: Ever been toHollywood?

I wish!!

City: What is your favourite city?

I don’t have one either I mean, I haven’t traveled much yet

The Diary: Ever successfully managed to keep a diary?

Nah

Pimpin’: Ever cheated on someone?

Not really

Paradise Lost: Ever moved house?

Ye

Pain: Do you have a high painthreshold?

I’m really hypersensitive so no

The Natives: Do you like yourhome country?

Well I guess I do?? I’ve never really been really patriotic though cause like, it’s just the country you were born in, I don’t see why it would be superior to other countries

Knife Called Lust: Ever been inlove with someone who didn’t love you back?

Yeah

The Loss: Ever lost someone closeto you?

That’s funny,,,

Dove and Grenade: What bandmerchandise do you have?

I’ve got HU stuff, a Rolling Stone shirt I think?? An ACDC one too.

Tear It Up: Are you carefree?

I try to be.

El Urgencia: Ever met acelebrity?

Not yet

Bitches: Ever spoke about someonebehind their back?

Sometimes I do, I mean in a way we all do it, wether it’s good or bad

The Kids: Do you want children?How many?

Ehh I’m not sure

Circles: Have you ever not beenable to get out of a situation?

Lmao yeah a few times

Been to Hell: Do you believe inHeaven and Hell?

I don’t really care about that stuff because when you do it just kinda pressures you into not doing the stuff you’d like. Live your life to the fullest, don’t regret your choices. Heaven and Hell aren’t for a while.

Apologize: Do you believe insecond chances?

I do. I try to be a forgiving person.

Comin’ in Hot: Do you drinkalcohol regularly?

Nope or else my dad would kill me

My Town: Do you want to move outof your town?

Yeah

I Don’t Wanna Die: Ever been neardeath?

I don’t think so?

Hear Me Now: Ever felt ignored?

I feel ignored so easily this isn’t even funny, I get fucking paranoid and it sucks

Gangsta Sexy: Do you findpiercings attractive?

FUCK ME UP

Glory: What do you want to beremembered for?

For being a supportive and funny friend I guess

Lights Out: Are you scared of thedark?

Nah I’m not.

Coming Back Down: Who are youmost scared of losing?

My friends and loved one, even though I know everyone’s gonna end up giving up on me

Bullet: Ever had suicidal thought?

Yeah

Levitate: Have you ever thoughtthat you had magical powers?

Sometimes

Pour Me: What is your favouritedrink?

Oh man I can’t really pick

Tendencies: What type of personare you?

I get really anxious really easily 

Mother Murder: Ever seriouslywanted to murder someone?

Yeah??

Lump Your Head: Have you everbeen in a fight?

I used to when I was really really young heh

Le Deux: Who is your twofavourite members of the band?

Oh thank god I get to pick two. Charlie and Danny, I can’t fucking pick my ultimate fave

S.C.A.V.A.: Do you think thatScarlet and Ava are adorable?

YES OMG

Street Dreams: Do you remember yourdreams?

It depends!!

Dead Bite: Do you like Halloween?

Ye!

From the Ground: Do you likegardening?

Ehhh nah

Another Way Out: Ever got lost?

I guess so

Lion: What’s your favouriteanimal?

I love cats!!

We Are: What is your friendslike?

They’re nice and lovely and also trash but I love them ♥

Pigskin: What’s your favouriteflavour of ice cream?

Either vanilla or strawberry

Rain: What is your favouriteweather?

Sunny and warm!

Kill Everyone: Do you hate anyone?

Yeah

Believe: What always keeps yougoing?

???You’re asking me??Idk?

Up in Smoke: Have you eversmoked?

Nope nope

Outside: Do you enjoy beingoutside?

I do but I don’t like going outside all alone, it’s not fun

Medicine: Do you like the tasteof medicine?

Ew no

One More Bottle: Can you come upwith comebacks quickly?

Sometimes I can

Delish: What’s your favouritefood?

French fries!!

I Am: What is your job? Are youstill at school?

I am still at school and Dying

New Day: Do you prefer day ornight?

I don’t have a favourite honestly??Like night is lit because it’s quiet but day is cool too

Usual Suspects: Ever beenarrested?

Nope

How We Roll: Can you drive?

I wish I could, it looks fun

Day of the Dead: What is yourfavourite holiday?

Uhhh, Christmas?

War Child: Do you like parties?

I don’t go to parties but I wish I did

Dark Places: Did you ever believein monsters?

Ah yes

Take Me Home: Do you feel as ifyou belong where you are?

Not really

Gravity: Do you find spaceinteresting?

Does Everybody in the World Have to Die: Would you keep everyone you’re friends with in your life?

YES

Disease: Ever been in hospital?

Yeah a few times

Party By Myself: Do you enjoy stayingin alone?

It depends, sometimes I’m just not feeling like saying anything so it’s relaxing when my mom isn’t home

Live Forever: Would you like tobe immortal?

Not at all. Seeing everyone around me die would be horrible.

Save Me: Ever been addicted tosomething?

Nope

Guzzle, Guzzle: Ever done drugs?

Nah

I’ll Be There: Do you havesomeone that depends on you?

I don’t know. I just know I depend on a lot of people.

Let Go: Let Go by HollywoodUndead or Let It Go by Lorene Drive?

Please don’t do that omg

Ghost: Do you believe in the paranormal?

Kinda

Sing: What is your favourite songby Hollywood Undead?

Uhhh I can’t pick

Fuck the World: What do you hatethe most about the planet?

Idk??