Shad: The First Service Kitty

Well definitions awe behind us now and weez movin’ on. Meez been thinkin’ long and hard ‘bout what stowry to tell next. And weez been readin’ da comments and me thought ‘bout it and decided we needed to stawrt at da beginin’. Back befur me and even sis Lexi. Back to a time when mommy furst had hers accident. Mommy. Lexi and me talked ‘bout it and decided you needed to unnerstand how it all began to unnerstand how we got to where we are now. Those of you who followed our bloggy back when we furst stawrted have already read this stowry, but we have lots of furiends now who wasn’t with us then so weez hope yous all enjoy da look back.

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Lots of years ago afur mommy’s accident hers had a beautiful white Persian kitty named Shad. They were really close as they had been thru lots together. Mommy had gone back to school and her and Shad lived together alone. Then one day mommy had a car wreck dat left her disabled. Among many of hers purroblems, she passed out. Sometimes mommy would just lose consciousness outta da blue.  And then there was actions or surroundings dat could cause her to pass out. She always got a little warnin’, but it still happened. After passin’ out at school and in da shoppin’ center, mommy’s doctors stawrted talkin’ to hers bout lookin’ into a Service dog.

 

Mommy likes doggy’s fine but hers had a kitty cat and lived in a small pawrtment and couldn’t hardly afford to feed Shad and herself. Mommy just didn’t think a  doggy was very feasible fur her. So mommy just kept trudgin’ on and tryin’ to make it.  Now Shad had always been very clever, And back in those days fones wus big and had answerin’ machines dat recorded to a tape and played aloud fur everypawdy in da room to hear. When mommy wusn’t home and sumpawdy dat Shad knew would call, she’s would paw at da fone til she’s hit da speaker fone button and then try to talk to them. More than once mommy came home to half messages and da fone off da hook.  Mommy thought it wus cute so hers didn’t worry ’bout it too much specially since Shad only did it wiff people she knew.

 

SHAD, Mommy's Original Service Cat
SHAD, Mommy’s Original Service Cat

So one day mommy was makin’ some dinner and hers passed out and hit hers head on da corner of da desk. Mommy is very tall and da floor is a long way down.  MOL Anyway when mommy came too hers heard sumpawdy bangin’ on da door hollerin’… POLICE. Mommy got up and answered da door and there stood a very nice policeman askin’ ifin she’s was alright. Mommy told him hers was fine and asked why he was there?. He told mommy dat da police had received a 911 call from hers address. Mommy told him hers had been unconscious and she’s hadn’t called 911. He asked ifin anypawdy else coulda called, and mommy told him dat she’s lived alone. So hims called into dispatch and they told him dat all they heard was a cat meowin’ on da other end of da line. So he’s asked mommy ifin hers had a kitty cat and ifin was pawssible dat da kitty called 911. You’s know is a crime to call 911 ifin you’s don’t have an emergency. Mommy told him of course she had a cat but she didn’t see how Shad coulda called 911 cuz she hadn’t been trained fur anythin’ like dat. At da time mommy didn’t know anythin ’bout Service animals other than seein’ eye dogs herself. Hers doctors hadn’t been very specific ’bout what kinda help she was gunna get fwom a Service dog when they had suggested it. Da nice police officer came in and checked everyfin’ ovrw and then he left only to be called back out a few days later.

 

So dis time he asked mommy ifin they could try to recreate what happened. Cuz da 911 call had a kitty vewy frantically and loudly meowin’ into da fone and then da meowin’ wuld get faint and could barely be heard in da background. And then very loud again and then very faint. So mommy agreed to try to recreate it and da officer left after callin’ dispatch and tellin’ ’em what they were gunna do and settin’ up a small camera.  (mommy had no digital camera or video camera at da time) A little later da plan was set into motion. And mommy watched thru squinted eyes as Shad ran to da fone and pawed at it til she’s hit da speaker fone and got a dial tone. Then she would paw da numbers on da fone til a voice answered and said, “911 what is your emergency??” Shad would begin to meow and meow and then run to mommy meowin’ da whole time. Hers would paw mommy’s face and then run back to da fone and meow into da speaker and then run back to mommy again. She’s did dis 4 times and then laid down beside mommy and waited.

Crossing Over Shad - 2HEoW-14V - normal

Mommy never knew how Shad had figgered out what to do or even why, but dat was da beginin’ of mommy’s trainin’ and unnerstandin’ dat we kitties could be trained to do things other than not scratch da furniture. Shad went on to twain herself to do many more things fur mommy befur she went to heaven. And mommy has picked up where they left off and trained da kitties dat followed her includin’ sis Lexi and me. Mommy has always made certain she has a fone system in da house with a speaker fone and an answerin’ machine dat everypawdy in da room can hear. We cats awe naturally drawn to voices we recognize and it makes trainin’ much easier ifin your kitty be interested in da thing you want them to do.

 Corded landline cordless phone

 

Disclaimer: Kitties who train as service animals are not purrfurmin’ tricks. Our trainin’ stories awe not meant to be a compurrhensive trainin’ manual but rather excerpts fwom hours and months of trainin’ fur yous readin’ enjoyment. Ifin yous have specific questions regardin’ trainin’ yous can email us via our contact page and mommy will be happy to try to assist you. Purrlease stay tuned fur Service Animal trainin’ wiff Lexi and me.

 0dw Dezi in wheelchair1

Till da next time…………….Be Blest!!!

 

Luv and Hugs and Kitty Kisses

 

Dezi and Lexi

cat-animated

64 thoughts on “Shad: The First Service Kitty

    1. Fanks Pete, she sure was. Her and mommy was weally tight. Not dat mommy and us awen’t but they had weally been fwu a lot togedder and were 2 halves of a whole.

      Luv ya’

      Dezi and Lexi

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    1. Fank you. Dat’s okay, dat’s zactly why weez stawrted writin’. Weez wanted to bwing attention to da udder species dat da ADA dusn’t wecognize and show dat they can be just as twained and invaluable as a seein’ eye dog, etc. Fanks fur readin’.

      Luv ya’

      Dezi and Lexi

      Like

  1. Cats are incredible, ’nuff said! We’ve been following Lexi and Dezi since (almost) their beginning on FB but love seeing their stories again and reading the reactions of new friends. ❤

    Liked by 2 people

  2. That is incredible! Not to mention Shad was absolutely beautiful. Inside and out. I didn’t know your mommy was in a car accident. I knew she was disabled but I didn’t know why and it’s rude to ask such things. Can’t wait to read more! ear licks Noodle

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Fanks Noodle. Shad was a beauty and a luvver. Dat’s very sweet of you to wecognize how rude it is to ask such questions. But most peeps in social media disagwee and ask all kinds of rude questions. (MOL) Weez be open books tho’ so anytime yous wanna know sumfin’ just ask. Da only fings mommy won’t tell is hers age and weight. She sez anypawdy dat be rude enuff to ask a woman those two questions is deservin’ of a lie. She’s 20 and weighs 100 pounds. MOL (ifin yous believe dat…weez got a bwidge…) MOL Have a pawsum day Noodle.

      Luv ya’

      Dezi and Lexi

      Liked by 1 person

      1. BOL!!! I promise to NEVER ask ANY girl her age or weight, not even the two of you! Anywho, I’m sorry your Mom encounters rude people on social media, and surely in person. No one deserves to be disrespected. ear licks

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Aaaaaaw Good fur yous Noodle. Yous gunna be quite a ketch fur yous sweet dog girl. Mommy’s gotten used to it by now. She sez they awe faw ruder in social media. She finks it’s cuz they not be standin’ in fwunt of you lookinn’ yous in da face.

          Luv ya’

          Dezi and Lexi

          Liked by 1 person

  3. We could hardly believe that Shad trained herself to answer the phone and help your Mommy if she was unconsious on the floor. We didn’t know that animals apart from Guide dogs for the blind actually did anything like that. Your Mommy must be so proud of you both.
    Luv Hannah and Lucy xx xx

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Yep back then mommy nor da police officer kuld believe it eever till they saw it wiff their own eyes. There awe a lot of special animals dat can do sum amazin’ fings. Da ADA just dusn’t wecognize them and so not many peeps weally know.

      Luv ya’

      Dezi and Lexi

      Like

  4. Oh, wow! What an absolutely fascinating story. I had never given much thought to service dogs and cats before following your blog. I kind of deduced that you were not in the best of health, but now everything has come together in a quite magical way. Lots of love to Dexie, Lexie and Mom!

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