115/365 (April 25, 2010) – Do you have any idea how difficult it is to get an ADHD cat to sit still and put his foot somewhere you want it?
You know that phrase… "It’s like herding cats"?
Archive for the ‘CritterTalk’ Category
Day 108 – Portrait of a Monster!
April 18th, 2010, posted in 365 Challenge, CritterTalk, Photography
108/365 (April 18, 2010) – Yeah, I know he’s cute, and photogenic, and all that other stuff. And he’s loveable and everything else.
But he’s horrible.
He’s a Monster.
Really!
Why?
Because he’s driven by his stomach. And he can read a clock and tell time. He knows that breakfast is around 6am, and dinner is around 6pm. And he starts working on you about an hour before that. Which isn’t too bad in the evening…but 5am? C’mon!
He moans, and cries, and whimpers. All in your ear. And if that does’t work, that cold wet nose finds its way into your ear, or your nose, or your mouth.
Yuck.
He’s horrible. In a lovable sort of way…..
Day 107 – On Guard
April 17th, 2010, posted in 365 Challenge, Critical Thinking, CritterTalk, Photography
107/365 (April 17, 2010) – I know people don’t like to leave their pets alone at home. But is this really any better? If you are heading out for a meal at the pub, do you really think your dog wants to sit in an enclosed space and wonder if you are going to come back or not? At least at home he’d be in familiar territory waiting for you.
It’s chilly out, and a rainy day, so he’s not in any danger. But seriously, in the summer I just want to break the windows on vehicles that do this. People are simply not being kind when they take their animals and leave them in the car.
North Vancouver has a bylaw that states “No person may cause an animal to be confined in an enclosed space, including a car, without adequate ventilation.” Unfortunately, people think cracking a window equals adequate ventilation. The problem is, that in a very short period of time temperatures can be punishingly hot within the confines of a car. Many dogs die of hyperthermia from being left in parked cars. Contrary to what most people believe, dogs overheat more quickly than humans do. They wear their fur coat all year long and they do not sweat. They cool their bodies by panting, or blowing out heat, which is much less effective than sweating. They also release heat through their paws, that’s why they go stand in water puddles when they are hot. Their blood flows through a counter current heat exchanger that is very effective in their feet. On summer days the air and upholstery in your vehicle can heat up to high temperatures that make it impossible for pets to cool themselves.
Even if you are comfortable, your dog may be too hot! The temperature in a parked car, even in the shade with the windows partly open, can rapidly reach a level that will seriously harm or even kill your furry friend.
He can live without you for a few hours. And if you are traveling and have no choice, then put the leash on and take him with you, or leash him inside the vehicle and open the windows completely…or something! But don’t just crack the windows an inch and think it’s OK. It’s not.
Day 91 – Can I Get a Bigger Bed Please?
April 1st, 2010, posted in 365 Challenge, CritterTalk, Photography
Loki’s not…umm..small. I don’t mean to say that he’s an overweight blob, but he’s not a fine svelte cat by any stretch. And his size really belies his weight. He’s a relatively compact package, and solid as a brick. He isn’t much bigger than Milo, but he has close to 5 pounds on him. They have days when they will sleep in the same box (suitcase actually) but most days they like their own space, although they get jealous of each other’s, regardless of who is where.
But methinks that this box is a bit small for him….
I have to mutter about them though. They are problem animals. We used to have one cat and the parrot. It wasn’t too terribly difficult to get away for a weekend, the cat could live off a bowl of dry food and the toilet seat stayed up. His litter would last for two days without attention. He wasn’t happy about it, but it was possible.
When we lost him and repopulated the apartment, we decided to get two since Tiko had always been lonely when we left. We had no idea the problems we would encounter with these two. One has issues with a dirty litter box and if it’s been used, even once, recently, he looks for alternate sites. The other thinks he will die if he doesn’t get his wet food twice a day and will wind himself into such a frenzy that when he does decide he’s hungry enough to eat dry food, he vomits it up immediately. So how do you leave those alone for more than 24 hours? We haven’t figured it out. There aren’t cat kennels, and our vet no longer boards. Our cats are too crazy to go on the boat, not that we’d trust Milo and his ‘mistakes’, and they are strictly indoor only cats anyway, no street smarts. We have a wonderful neighbour who looks after them a lot, but she’s not always around and we no longer have a backup in place. More often than not she is able to babysit them, but not always.
This weekend we were hoping to go away with friends on the boats. Actually, it got sort of mixed up because we had our wires crossed and thought it was last weekend, which was hideous so we assumed the entire thing had been called off. And then Tuesday, when we found out we had the weekends backwards, Kirk scrambled to try and get the Monday off, which he did, but last night we found out that our cat sitter is away for the weekend. So we’re hooped.
It is what it is I suppose, the price of having pets.
Day 67 – Toasted Marsh-Milo
March 8th, 2010, posted in 365 Challenge, CritterTalk, Photography
67/365 (March 8, 2010) – OK, I’m playing a frantic game of catch up after being away from my computer for over a week and this was the best I could do today.
We rarely turn our heat on in the bedroom but since I work at my computer during the day, I have a little space heater to keep warm. And the second it is turned on…cats appear as if by magic. They plant themselves in front of it and suck up all the heat, so even though I have a heater…they get the benefit and I stay chilled until they decide to walk away, which isn’t often.
Obviously I need another heater or two…