Month: July 2015

Caturday Art Updates

Published on by Service Cats U.S.41 Comments

It’s Caturday and weez chillin’ and getting’ sum much needed rest. When sissy got sick last week nopawdy slept. She kuldn’t stay outta da pawdee box and me didn’t know what to fink and well all mommy kuld do was cwy and purray. Not haviin’ gween papers to help sissy was tearin’ at mommys heart. And then came da night when it got weally bad. Sissy was runnin’ to da pawdee box so offen she shulda just stayed there. And then she wuld lay down to “clean” hers ouchy, cuz youz know it hurt, and wuld hold hers leg up a little and nuffin’ but blood wuld seep out. Mommy put piddle pads on da bed and unnew neaff her and she didn’t even move. Mommy was cwyin’ and me was wipin hers tears wiff meez paws and in tween pawdee box visits sis Lexi was still twyin’ to give mommy head massages. And dat wuld make mommy cwy even hawrder. Cuz there sissy was bein ‘bout as sick as a kitty can get, but still twyin’ to work and take care of mommy. Ifin dat ain’t da epitome of a Service animal me dusn’t know what is.

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So da next meownin’ fwu a face full of tears and a heart dat was bweakin’ into itty bitty pieces, mommy cweated a YouCaring fundraiser fur Lexi’s care. We owe da VET fur our wecent visits and till they be paid off weez can’t go back. And it had become evident dat hims wasn’t even takin’ our calls cuz nopawdy had ever called us back when mommy called in ‘bout me bein’ so sick after dat rabies vaccine. Yes, da VET is all bout da gween papers and yes, we need a new one, but da sad fing is dat all da VETs in our awea be da same way. And wiffout gween papers to pay them, weez can’t go see anypawdy new eever. So anyways, after mommy made da funraiser she posted it and shared it. Not too long after a few donations came in. Mommy had alweady checked da purrices of antibiotics online so when there was enuff gween papers to cover da cost of them mommy took da chance and called our VETs office. They had all gone home fur da day even tho’ it wasn’t even 5 o’clock. Turns out dat was da bestest fing dat kulda happened fur us. Cuz when mommy called da VETs emergency cell fone, he actually called hers back.

 

He was quite purrterbed and sed hims was dealin’ wiff a furmily emergency and what did mommy want. She told hims she had hers own emergency and splained what was goin’ on wiff sissy. So he abwutly sed, “I guess you want me to call in some antibiotics, huh?” Mommy weplied in da affurmative and hims chose da most spensive fawmacy wound and then called in da most spensiv antibiotic hims kuld and told them we kuldn’t have da generwic. Mommy be fwugal and wulda purrfured da generic so as to make da gween papers go furver cuz sissy will still have ongoin’ medical due to da CKD, but in this instance there was nuffin’ mommy kuld do ‘bout it and she just wanted Lexi to get sum weal medicine. It had been stowrmin’ like cwasy here fur da last kupple days and it was pourwin’ wain when mommy and me left fur da fawmacy. Weez got to twy out da stwoller raincoat cover and it worked. Mommy was so fwazzled hers didn’t get any fotos, but weez sure weez’ll have to use it again. sumday and hopefully da next time will be unnew better circumstances and mommy will get fotos. Anyways, we got da medicine and headed home. Once home mommy gave sis Lexi hers furst dose.

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Not even 30 minutes later she fwu it up. Mommy gave hers anudder dose and fixed us our dinner. Fankfully sissy kept down da next dose and each dose since then. And fankfully she’s on da road to wecoverwy. Ain’t dat wight sissy?

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Youz rite Dezi, I’z feelin’ much better now. I’z kant faynk youz awl enuff fur helpin’ mommy to git me sum medzin. I’z kant say dat I’z likez da medzin or how it tayztz, but I’z taykin’ it like a good gerl and feelin’ better ebberday. Mommy had planz too mayk a grayt video faynk you fur awl ov ya’, but az iz paw fur da korz, I’z not beez koe-aw-purraytin’. Mommy sez datz awlwayz a good sign dat I’z feelin’ good. Afur I’z gawdid sick wiv diz UTI minez CKD wuz purrettee staybull soz mommy hoepz too git me back der. Mommy sed shez will leeb da fundrayzer up cuz minez CKD medzinz still habz too beez bawt on a reguler baysiz and minez speshul nomz too. And I’z gunna needz mower VET vizitz and blood steelin’. Weez’ll beez poeztin’ a Faynk You too-marrow on owr Blezt Sunday poezt.

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Meez so happy you’s feelin’ better sissy, and me knows mommy is too. And today in honor of yous getting’ better weez postin’ our Caturday awrt and joinin’ Athena and Marie fur da Caturday Awrt BlogHop. Weez also joinin’ Rascal and Rocco fur there 100ff Pet Pawade Blog Hop. Weez been joinin’ these blog hops since da beginnin’ of our blog, and they be da only ones mommy can ever member to enter us in. MOL Anyways, check ‘em boff out cuz there’s lots of pawsum anipals in boff.

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Till da next time………………Be Blest!!!

Dezi = Blue

Lexi = Green

 

Luv and Hugs and Kitty Kisses

 

Dezi and Lexi

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Shad: The First Service Kitty

Published on by Service Cats U.S.64 Comments

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.

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Till da next time…………….Be Blest!!!

 

Luv and Hugs and Kitty Kisses

 

Dezi and Lexi

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What’s The Big Deal…pt. 2

Published on by Service Cats U.S.38 Comments

Why Can’t I Call a Therapy or Companion Animal a Service Animal?

Well here we awe wiff pawrt 2 of meez series ‘bout “Working Animals”. We told you da definition of a Service Animal yesfurday, and ifin yous missed it you can click here to read it. So today me wants to tell you ‘bout Therapy and Companion Animals. We did weceive a comment yesfurday dat maybe we shuld have addwessed in our posty but sincce we planned on writin’ more ‘bout Service cats we didn’t cover everyfin’. We just gave a bwoad overview. But me wuld like to add dat Certification and/or Licensing IS NOT required fur Service Animals. There awe weputable agencies dat do certify them. This is sumfin’ dat be completely voluntary on da pawrt of da handler. Da benefit to certificatiion is dat you have an agency behind you dat offen has lawyers dat will help you fur furee ifin yous have difficulties wiff accessibility or such. wiff yous Service animal. So dat bein sed let’s move on today.

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Weez been weferred to as Therapy cats and even Companion animals fwum time to time, and altho’ weez not get angwy we do correct peeps. But what zactly is a Therapy animal mommy? Will yous tell everypawdy what da definition and qualifications awe?

 

I sure will Dezi. A Therapy animal is different from a Service animal in the duties they perform and should not be confused with or called a Service animal. A Therapy animal is one that is TRAINED to provide comfort and affection to people in long term care, hospitals, retirement homes, schools, mental health institutions and other stressful situations to include disaster areas. They provide people with comforting animal contact whether they have a disability or not. The person who brings the animal to these places is called a handler and is most often the owner of the animal. Therapy animals and their handlers DO NOT have the same rights as a Service animal and it’s handler. It is important to remember that it’s the person with disabilities that have rights under the rules of the ADA and not the Service animal itself. Since the Therapy animal is most often owned by a non disabled person, the Therapy animal is not allowed to accompany their handler into places that don’t allow pets/animals such as restaurants, grocery stores, etc..

 

Sophie
Our furiend Sophie fwum Kitty Cat Chronicles wants to be a Therapy kitty.

Dat’s a big diffewence isn’t it mommy?

 

Yes it is Dezi. And that’s why we correct people when they call you and Lexi Therapy cats. You and Lexi perform trained duties related to my disability. Whereas a Therapy animal has no such training. They are wonderful animals and are chosen for training because of their gentle and outgoing disposition and ability to remain calm around people with all kinds of illnesses like your friend Sophie from Kitty Cat Chronicles pictured above.

 

We do luv Sophie and all hers furmily. Can you tell everypawdy what a Companion Animal is mommy? Cuz me knows they awe weally diffewent than Service animals and Therapy animals.

 

Yes they are Dezi, and I would be happy to explain the differences. A companion animal is any PET that provides health benefits to a person. They may help to relieve stress. But their main “job” is to provide company, amusement and psychological help just to name a few. NO specific TRAINING is required. In my opinion ALL pets can be considered Companion Animals. After all most people get a pet because they want the love and affection an animal can give. Your friend Buddy in the photo below is a perfect example of a Companion Animal. His daddy is alone and needed the company. And Buddy provides him with hours of entertainment and lots of love. He kind of gives mr. W a purpose.

 dw1087with Buddy (1280x960)

Me agwees mommy. And we have a few furiends dat be Companion animals fur sure. We even have sum furiends who awe trained Therapy animals. And me finks they do a gweat job and a good fing to help ease udders stwess and fears. And we have a few furiends dat be Trained Service animals too.

 

Y’all sure do Dezi. And they are all wonderful. And even tho’ you and Lexi have been trained to work and I think y’all are very special, that doesn’t mean that y’all are any better than any of your friends. You are all special in your own way.

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Me agwees again mommy. All our furiends awe special and beluvved by their hoomans and us. Me weally purreciates you helpin’ me define da diffewent types of “working animals” fur our furiends. We do hope you all have learned a bit fwum these definitions. And me hopes you all have enjoyed learnin’ ‘bout da diffewences in “working animals”. We will be tellin’ sum twainin’ stowries fur you all to read, enjoy and maybe even laff at. And one of our dear furiends, da Kitties Blue asked ifin we had fawt ‘bout makin’ these definitions available all da time usin’ da menu, so weez gunna be addin’ this to our menu options soon. (furst mommy has to member how to add it-mol) And we wanted to give you a little update on sis Lexi. She be feelin’ much better now dat she be gettin’ antibiotics. We still have a big fank you to send out but mommy fell asleep at da puter again yesfurday. She sez she weally needs to get sum sleep, but we do fank all of you dat helped make gettin’ sissy medicine pawssible. One she gets well, weez’ll only have da CKD to manage.

 

And this be da last day to enter to win dat pawsum Pagoda Fountain fwum PetSafe. So ifin yous not entered yet, click here to do so.

 

And don’t furget to enter fur yous chance to win a case of da pawsum Weruva noms by clickin’ here.

 

 

Till da next time………………….Be Blest!!!

 

Luv and Hugs and Kitty Kisses

 

Dezi and Lexi

cat-animated

 

References: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Therapy_dog

 

http://medicaldictionary.thefreedictionary.com/companion+animal

What’s The Big Deal…

Published on by Service Cats U.S.26 Comments

Why Can’t I call a Therapy Animal or Companion Animal a Service Animal?

Three words, three diffewent meanings. And yet so many peeps still use these terms interchangeably. But they’re not. Interchangeable me means. They mean 3 diffewent things and descwibe 3 diffewent types of animals wiff diffewent twainin’ levels and skills. It sumtimes hurts our feelings to be called therapy or companion kitties but we know peeps awe usually sayin’ it cuz they don’t know da diffewence. Mommy on da udder hand gets weally uptight ‘bout it. She sez there’s a big diffewence and it shows diswespect to those who have worked so hawd to twain to be Service animals. And dat peeps takin’ advantage of da old ADA rule by passin’ off therapy and companion animals and even pets as Service animals is what caused da ADA to change da definitions and exclude sum species, like us kitties. Altho’ we do still enjoy sum benefits, weez not as purrtected unnew da law as we once was. Isn’t dat wight mommmy?

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Yes dear that’s right.

 

Mommy wuld you give everypawdy da definitions of a Service, Therapy and Companion Animal?

I would be happy to Dezi. Why don’t we start with Service Animals. According to the ADA website, on March 15, 2011 ONLY dogs are recognized as Service Animals under titles 2 and 3 of the ADA (Americans with Disablity Act). The rules used to read: A Service Animal is an animal(dog)that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with disabilities. After 2011 it replaces the word animal with dog. The ADA recognizes that Service animals are not PETS, but working animals. However they now only recognize dogs as such animals. The work the animal (dog) is trained to perform must be directly related to the persons disability. Animals (dogs) whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support DO NOT qualify as Service Animals under the ADA. It goes further to say: This definition does NOT affect or limit the broader definition of “Assistance Animal” under the Fair Housing Act or the broader definition of “Service Animal” under the Air Carrier Access Act. Some State and local laws have broader definitions regarding Service Animals. You should check with your local government and ordinances if you have questions with regards to accessibility or other protections and rights afforded you under the laws of your state.

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Dat’s why we be called Service Animals isn’t it mommy? Cuz weez been TRAINED to purrfurm duties diwectly welated to yous disability?

 

Yes it is sweety. And before 2011 Lexi and those who came before her were certified. You were tested, certified and recognized as a highly trained Service Animal as well, but the ADA dusn’t recognize you as one. We are still protected under the law and benefit from certain rules and regulations, but there are some benefits we can no longer receive. You and sis Lexi can no longer apply to be sponsored as Service animals. There are companies that sponsor Service animals for one thing. And a Sponsorship means they provide the animal with food, supplies, toys and pay all medical expenses for them. Since people with disabilities are usually on a fixed income, sponsorship is a great benefit and help.

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It’s gweat to be a Service animal mommy. Meez purroud me can help you even ifin da ADA dusn’t wecognize me.

 

I know baby and I really do appreciate you and your sister. Y’all are a great help to me. And I love you both very much.

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Oh mommy we luv you too. Me finks we might shuld cover da udder workin’ animals in anudder posty mommy? Me finks this might be a lot to digest and me dusn’t want anypawdy to be confused ‘bout da diffewences. What do yous fink mommy?

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I think you’re absolutely right Dezi. I think we shuld let everypawdy absorb this. It is a lot of information but we do hope to clear things up for people by the end of this series. Why don’t you list a few of the “jobs” you and Lexi perform for me so that our friends will know what kinds of things are considered “trained behaviors that qualify y’all as Service Animals”.

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Oh me wuld luv to mommy. Lexi and me have been trained to drive mommys wheelchair, dial 911 fur help, give her massages, and our biggy is dat we alert mommy afur she passes out so she can get sumwhere safe and not dwop all da way to da floor and get hurt. We do hope dat yous all enjoy our series on Working animals and will keep coming back to read da whole series. Weez will cover Therapy and Companion Animals and tell sum trainin’ stowries of our own as pawrt of this series.

 

 

And ifin yous haven’t alweady entered, we have 2 pawsum give aways goin’ on wight now.

You can enter to win yous choice of PetSafe’s Pagoda fountain here.

And you can enter to win yous choice of a case of Weruva TruLuxe canned food here.

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These pawsum give aways awe pawrt of our series on hydwation and weez very gwateful to da sponsors fur allowin’ us to offer you all a chance to twy their purroducts fur yous selff. And stay tuned, we have more pawsum give aways comin’ up this mumff. And just to clear up one thing, ifin yous alweady follow meez bloggy by email, then yous not have to do it again.

 

Till da next time……………….Be Blest!!!

 

Luv and Hugs and Kitty Kisses

 

Dezi and Lexi

 

References: ADA

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