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Fruitycake

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Everything posted by Fruitycake

  1. Sorry for your loss. Kitties do sink their little claws into our hearts.
  2. I have an insane cat who does exactly the same thing. I think she learned it from Monty!
  3. Wow. I'm speechless beyond that. Just wow.
  4. Wonderful! I love to think of all the people whose days were made brighter by you both.
  5. He found himself in heaven, for sure! Welcome home, handsome!
  6. Do be extra careful to keep them separated! I agree that two doors between them is better than one (gates and door). I knew someone who had a dog (pet lab) that was overly interested in the guinea pigs and they got slightly careless one day and she got in through the door that didn't quite latch. She tore the cage to pieces to kill them before anyone could get upstairs to save them.
  7. With Monty it was mobility problems (and oncoming winter with ice and snow) that tipped the scale. For Allie it was increased and uncontrollable anxiety (causing severe diarrhea when any additional stress occurred). For my cats, Fruitcake was in kidney failure and her appetite failed so I had to hand feed her *any* time she might maybe eat (including multiple times in the night)...and she told me it was time when she sat hunched over her water dish with such a look of...misery on her face, like she was thirsty but couldn't bear drinking any more. And (cat) ShadeMan had what appeared to be a stroke and could not walk. And one morning our prior still dog, Marlie, was lying on the floor and didn't get up for breakfast and the emergency vet said it was likely a ruptured aorta (easiest decision, not fixable). I had a similar QOL form up on the side of our oven for Fruity for about a year, and looked at it daily to be conscious of how her life had been changing for the worse. That was the hardest decision, because her decline was so gradual over probably 18 months. It was immensely difficult to know exactly where the line should be drawn. I wish you luck in your own navigation of this very hard decision. I wish *everyone* luck, actually.
  8. Monty would periodically poop on tree trunks. Made it difficult to collect, because it was usually later on a longer walk (out of pee, and very soft). Embarrassing to have to try to collect.
  9. I am so sorry to hear of your loss. He was greatly loved in the too short time that you had him, and I'm sure he knew it. Hugs for you and Penguin.
  10. Our Allie (nongrey) did the 'look' for about five seconds to tell you she needed out. That was it. My husband never seemed to notice, so she would then come to me and my husband would be surprised when I'd bundle up and take her out. Monty was a lot easier because he would pace, then whine, then whine higher pitch (which was very nice of him - three levels of need!). You may need to just take her out more often, as if she was a puppy. And make sure she's done everything or take her back out within half an hour again.
  11. Fruitycake

    Iker

    I am sorry to see another well-known oldster has gone to the Bridge. Run free, Iker. You will be missed by many.
  12. The sad irony of many/most veterinarians harping about how unsafe it is to feed raw or home-cooked diets and yet *prescription* diets having these problems....
  13. Make sure that where she's pottied gets cleaned well with an enzymatic cleaner specifically formulated for pet waste. If not, the snell will linger and tell her 'this is a pottying spot' and it will encourage her to use the same spot. And when you go back there, definitely bring her in on lead then take her back out. Then watch her avidly and take her out immediately if she even looks like she might be sniffing around for a spot. It's true that you have to potty train her to your mom's house as you likely did to yours...and now you have to be hyper aware and prevent it from becoming a routine. It's going to be all on you to break this immediately, which means 95% of your attention has to be on her at all times over probably the next five to ten visits. And reward her profusely for pottying outside while you are visiting to make her understand you love it happening outside, while preventing it from happening inside.
  14. Don't punish or scold a dog after the fact for having done something that displeases you. They can't perform the higher logic to think back to the action that *they* performed and associate that to your displeasure. All she knows is that you come home and you are angry/displeased. (And that's the opposite of what you want.)
  15. Congratulations to you and Petunia! She's lovely. Edited because cold hands can't type!
  16. I am so sorry that you had to say goodbye. I loved 'getting to know him' here. Run free, Summit. You'll be missed.
  17. In addition to comments above, I suggest modifying the environment (as best you can) to prevent his being able to even get to garbage and other 'off-limits' items. Garbage cans should go inside closed pantries or cupboards, or behind closed doors. We got a "butterfly open" garbage can that requires you step on the lever to open it to prevent accessing it after a single-flap one was still openable (and that by my cat!). We kept our recycling out in the back porch to keep empty cans and other tasty things away because we don't have a cabinet that would work. Food waste goes into the freezer until garbage day (that also because it cuts the smell for us!) and even the bathroom garbage cans have lids (though they are less appealing, they can still entice bad behavior!). Approaching a dog who is already giving appeasement signals and telling him "no" can pretty threatening behavior, to the dog. You're bigger, you control the resources, and he doesn't understand why you are upset that he's doing natural (for a dog) scavenging activities. When you say 'no' or call him a 'bad dog' I'm betting there's emotion there, no matter how 'calm' you act. And if you are coming in upset, it sets him on edge. He's doing appeasement to get you to stand down, to stop approaching, and when you continue to approach he defends himself because he *feels* threatened, especially if there's no way for him to get away.
  18. Fruitycake

    Mazy

    I am sorry for the loss of your beautiful girl. You were blessed to have her in your life, even if it was too short a time, and she was blessed to have you. Run free, Mazy.
  19. What an adorable, sassy face! I am glad that you found each other and that you had so many adventures together. {{hugs}}
  20. I am sorry to hear of the loss of your sweet, loving boy. He sounds like he took great care of you!
  21. She actually did not "attempt to bite" - if she had wanted to she would have bitten. Since you hadn't 'listened' when she told you to back off in more 'polite' ways (stiffening -> showing teeth -> growling) she protested more forcefully. An actual bite would be the next step. She's settling in, and with that she's found out that she likes having things of her own. She can learn that they are still hers and she doesn't need to protect them from you, but it will take some work. I'm unclear on why you would need to take a toy from her, unless she is destroying it and at risk of ingesting it and doing herself harm. I'd probably let her have her toys-though none of my dogs have ever ingested toys, so there's that. (Lucky us!) She's not used to having to share her things, and it sounds as if she's learning to really value the toys she has. So, obviously, she wants to keep them. Working on 'trading up' as has been suggested is a good idea. If she gets something she shouldn't have, trading up is a very good trick to have in your arsenal! Making sure she has an area that is hers and she can be unbothered is another, for when she's happy in her spot and might not want to be disturbed. If you have the space, an Ex-pen can be set up to mark her area and keep her and you safe. We had one taking up about a third of our living room for a couple of years and that was our Monty's safe spot, feeding location and mostest comfortable bed (and where he stayed when we were gone). He didn't like the confines of a kennel.
  22. Do not give him a reward for mugging your hands. You may need to train a 'back off' or 'wait' kind of approach when you are not working on rewarding different behavior. If you bring out the bag and he comes over and starts being pushy to get at the bag or treat in your hand you just freeze, make sure he cannot her even a taste of treat, and give him one after he backs away from your hand. Dog trainer Susan Garrett shows how with her "Its yer choice" training: http://www.dogtrainergames.com/its-yer-choice/ She starts without a command, just outwaiting the dog and letting it choose to back off (thereby earning the treat).
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