Month: July 2016
Showdown On The Cat Tree
OMC Mommy, da weekend is finally here. Me thought it was never gonna get here. And what do you think ‘bout the pain in me’s hiney lil Raena jumpin’ in da shower yesfurday like she was gonna help you or somethin’? (shakes head) Me’s tellin’ ya’ dat kid sometimes thinks she’s too big fur her own bloomers. Did you see her try to take dat treat outta me’s mouth da other day? And what’s up with her constantly dirtyin’ up me’s pawdee box. Doesn’t she know da other pawdee box is hers? She has no respect mommy. Me’s tellin’ ya’, me thinks you made a mistake or somethin’. Can we return her?
Return me? Too big fur mines bloomers? Y, Sis Dezi I’s just wanna be like you. I’s wanna do everythin’ da same way you do. You’s minez hero. Mines amazingly pawsum big sisfur.
Layin’ it on a bit thick don’cha’ think Raena?
Whatever do you mean sissy? (Raena meows with a look of concern on her innocent face)
Alright girls, enough. I’ve got a migraine. (Dezi and Raena both scurry to give mommy a massage before the other, and then a small game of whacky paw ensues over who was there first) Girls!!! You can each massage a side. Now Dezi, we are blest to have Raena in our lives. She loves you and looks up to you, just like you did with sis Lexi all those years ago. And Raena, you need to learn not to jump on sis Dezi constantly, especially when she’s in the pawdee box. That’s just not nice. And do you remember when you bit your tail the other day and yelled? Well, don’t be biting sis Dezi’s tail. Just because it doesn’t hurt you, doesn’t mean it don’t hurt.
Yeah Raena, what mommy said.
Well same to you sis Dezi.
(Both head for the top of the cat tree and the showdown commences.)
Ifin ya’ can’t see da video, purrlease click here.
Yes, me always wins da showdowns. Me’s da Queen, and me was here furst. Fur those of ya’ wonderin’, we don’t use our claws or teeth durin’ any of these play fights. So rest assured no kitty’s bein’ hurt. Fank you fur your concern, but mommy wouldn’t stand fur actual fighting and/or hurting from either of us. Anyways, we’s joinin’ Rascal and Rocco and their pawsum co hosts fur da weekly Pet Parade. Get your questions in fur our next Service Cat posty, and don’t furget da Pawlympics. You only have a couple more days to get your fly fishin’ fotos in to us. Oh, and we have a winner fur our Customizable Pet Bowl. Mommy remided me dat me furgot to announce da winners of our last give away, so we didn’t wanna do it again. Anyways, Concats awnty Cindy and Maggie Meme, you’re gonna luv your new bowl.
If you have fur siblings, do you like to play fight?
If you have play fights, who wins?
Till da next time……………………………………..Be Blest!!!
Luv and Hugs and Kitty Kisses
Deztinee and RaenaBelle
Bonito Flakes #ChewyInfluencer
Meowllo everypawdy. As you may ‘member, sis Raena learned da joys of freeze dried treats last week when she took over our monthly Chewy review posty. Well as ya’ know we usually get 2 pawsum products from Chewy each month to try out and review. So, those pawsum treats weren’t da only things we got to try. Mommy and me checked da offerin’s over and decided on another treat dat me has had a luv hate relationship with to try out and to introduce Raena to. What is it ya’ ask? Y, It’s Cat-Man-Doo Extra Large Dried Bonito Flakes. Sure ‘nuff we got us a .5 oz bag of flaky dried tuna.
Now me knows ya’ wanna know why me has a luv hate relationship with these treats, specially da hate pawrt right? To tell da truth, me just never could figger out how to eat ‘em. Me’s a biter. No, not of mommy, but me bites at food. Me doesn’t lick me’s food, me’s bites each piece and chews it up. Well, ya’ just can’t bite thin air, and dat’s ’bout how thin these bonito flakes are. Have you ever seen a kitty bitin’ air befur? It ain’t as funny as it may look. Ya’ know we ain’t getting’ anythin’ out of it. No sir, da air doesn’t taste like anythin’ and it certainly isn’t nutritious. Anyways, befur me gets too far off track, let me tell ya’ ‘bout these Cat-Man-Doo Extra Large Dried Bonito Flakes. They were extra large, and befur me knew it me was lickin’ ‘em outta mommy’s hand. Oh da taste of tuna meltin’ on me’s tongue. (drifts off in thought while licking lips) As ya’ know we don’t really eat fish, so we’s never really developed a taste fur it. But mommy has always allowed bonito flakes in small quantities fur those kitties dat would eat it. Now dat me’s finally learned to lick those nommy flakes, me sure hopes fur more.
Da only ingredient is Bonito (tuna). These can also be used as a topper fur da finicky feline. And they’re purrfect fur doggies too. They come in 3 sizes, and range in price from $3.99 to $19.48. These are high protein, low fat treats, and me luvs ‘em. A meowsy big 4 paws up from me. And ya’ know comin’ from me, dat’s sayin’ somethin’. Now me knows you’re all wonderin’ ‘bout Raena, right? Well she’s chompin’ at da bit to tell ya’, so let’s ask?
Oh Dezi, I’s luvs these treat things. Why don’t we get them more offen?
Raena, just tell everypawdy what you thought ‘bout da Cat-Man-Doo Bonito Flakes.
Oh, okay sissy. I’s could smell ‘em thru da bag. And I’s couldn’t wait fur mommy to get da bag open. Mommy says it’s funny and must be a Ragdoll thing, cuz I’s bite mines food just like you do. So I’s didn’t get da furst few bites, cuz I’s kept breakin’ ‘em and knockin’ outta mommy’s hand. Notice in da foto above, I’s finally just held on to mommy’s hand to hold those flakes still. When I’s finally got dat furst piece in mines mouth…OMC I’s started lickin’ everythin’, mommy da floor, her shoes, I’s even tried lickin’ a piece outta your mouth.
Me ‘members. Guess ya’ won’t be doin’ dat again any time soon, huh? (Dezi snickers) Now just get on with tellin’ da folks what ya’ thought.
Okay Dezi. I’s luvs, luvs, luvs those yummy Bonito flakes. I’s all paws in, uh, I’s mean 4 paws up. When do ya’ reckon we can get some more sissy?
Hopefully soon Raena, hopefully soon. Maybe you could go bug mommy and see what she says. Me asked mommy what she thought ‘bout da Bonito flakes and she said she luvs dat they are a one ingredient natural and healthy treat dat she can also sprinkle over our food ifin we’re not eatin’ ‘enuff. And she likes dat da Cat-Man-Doo Bonito Flakes are bigger than most so she can actually monitor how many pieces we get. So she’s a 2 thumbs up vote. Me knows you all want your own bag now, right? Well head on over to chewy.com and check ‘em out. Take a look around while you’re there, you’ll be able to find most everythin’ you need fur da furry, feathered and scaled household members. You can set up an auto-ship so you never run outta supplies again. Don’t worry, you can skip, cancel or delay at any time. And as always, Chewy offers free speedy shipping on all orders over $49.00 and a flat rate fur all other orders. Chewy has da bestest Customer Service peeps ‘round, so you can shop with confidence. Check out da Chewy blog hop fur more pawsum reviews.
Disclaimer: We received compensation for our honest opinions. Neither Chewy or CatManDoo are responsible for the content of this post. As always, we tell it like it is and only bring items we use or have tried and think would be of interest to you our readers and friends.
Me’s gonna wrap it up now, so you can head on over and get your treats. Mommy’s gotta go out today and see ‘bout getting’ da air conditioner in da car working. We’ll keep ya’ updated.
Till da next time……………………………………Be Blest!!!
Luv and Hugs and Kitty Kisses
Deztinee and RaenaBelle
Service Cats: Who Bears The Cost
Meowllo everypawdy, it’s time fur another Service Cat educational posty. As ya’ know da followin’ will be written in human English. It appears there’s still some confusion ‘bout da difference ‘tween Service Animals, Therapy Animals and Companion Animals. Purrlease see our Service Animal page by clicking on da Service Animal tab on our menu bar or click here to read da full definition of each. Me will give a very brief definition of them later in this posty. It’s very purrtant dat everyone understands da differences. Anyways, we got a few good questions to answer today. And we asked a couple questions dat we think you’re gonna be surprised by da answers. Ifin you’ve missed any of da postys in this series you can get caught up by clickin’ da links below.
Service Cats: What To Look For
Service Cats: Training Foundation
Service Cat: How To Train Kitty To Massage Without Claws
Service Cats: Smelling Disease
Service Cats: Do You Need One
So let’s get on with it. First up we need to make a few things clear. Mommy talked to one of our friends this past week and learned there’s a lot of confusion about this subject. First and foremost, If you are breeding your non pedigreed cat, that cat is NOT a Service Animal!!! And please STOP!!! Are there not enough unwanted kitties in the world as it is? True Service animals are spayed or neutered for their health and temperament. Now we know a lot of you just said to yourself, “How can you make that judgment and say that?” Well let us explain. If you need a Service Animal, you need said animal all the time. A mother cat will be out of commission for at least 6 weeks, barring complications; her kittens need her more. And most Service animals are not pedigreed animals but rescues. And to breed your non pedigreed indoor kitty is irresponsible at best, but to supply you with barn cats is the very definition of cruel and unusual punishment. And training is not passed on through DNA.
Secondly, we’ll repeat this again. Any Cat at any age can be trained. The number one requirement is the bond you share. Please see the Training Foundation post. It isn’t necessary to start with a kitten. We did because mommy requires 2 cats to help her and there was just me after sis Lexi went to heaven. Introducing a kitten into our home is easier than an adult cat. If you already have a cat or three, you can train one of those. There’s no need to adopt a new cat or kitten or to breed any of your existing cats. We hope that clears a few things up.
Now awnty Jean, Shoko and Kali of the Canadian Cats asked a couple of questions about training. Mommy got a great laugh at the wording of the question, so we’re going to copy and paste it in here for all of you to read. Me must say that mommy and awnty Jean have had many a conversation so she knows mommy pretty well.
Question: Do you ever run across times when Raena just wants to play and is not interested in learning? How long can she get away with not wanting to be taught? Did you ever have a cat that was more interested in playing?
So this question is specifically asked about Raena because that’s who mommy’s training now, but it could apply to any cat or kitten in training. The answer is Yes, of course there are times when Raena just wants to play, she’s a kitten. The trick is to make learning fun so that at least at first she thinks she’s playing. And remember, training is about repetition not a one shot deal. So it’s better to have many short training sessions than one long one. Altho’ mommy makes a game of training for some tasks, it is very serious, and she doesn’t tolerate nonsense. Mommy looks at these times as an opportunity to “train out” unwanted behaviors; such as, hands are not for biting, toes are not for biting, cords are not for biting, etc.. It’s also a time to train kitty to accept being held down, and other things like pilling and bodily exams. These are things that all pet parents could benefit from not just those that are training Service Cats. Unfortunately as kitty ages, there may be a time when medicine needs to be administered, and it’s so much easier if kitty has been trained to accept whatever you do to them as good.
Raena had been playing but jumped on the small cat perch to be closer
to mommy to alert her to sit down. Mommy had been conducting
a photo shoot when Raena and Dezi felt a change and knew
mommy was going to pass out.
Now, we mentioned cost. We asked what you all thought the average cost for a Service Animal is. We also asked who you thought paid for it. We got some mixed answers here, and a couple that mentioned Companion Animals for Service men and women. We realized that most people thought Service animals were given to the disabled free or that some charitable organization paid any fees, and that again, there was some confusion about the differences between Service Animals and Companion Animals. So, here’s a really simple definition of the three classes.
Service animal: An animal that has been specifically trained to perform duties to assist it’s disabled handler/owner.
Therapy animal: An animal that has no particular training other than basic obedience that after certification goes into places like nursing homes, hospitals, etc. to cheer up people by just being there or allowing people to pet it.
Companion animal: A Pet.
These aren’t the full definitions, but hopefully they will help to clear up any confusion anyone still has. Now let’s answer those questions we asked. A few years ago, the average cost of a Service Animal was between $20,000.00 and $50,000.00. This was for a rescue dog purchased through one of the certifying organizations. Dogs trained by individuals could cost exponentially more. Insurance does NOT pay for Service animals. There are organizations one can apply to for financial help, but they’re on a first come first served basis and income based and often require the person in need to pay up to $10,000.00 of the fees. So in the end, the cost of a Service animal is solely on the person needing one. That’s one reason you don’t see more. Most people who need Service animals are on fixed incomes and can’t afford the initial cost. Once a disabled person has a Service animal they can apply to several organizations to receive food and vet care for that animal. These are run by the big pet food companies and are part of their “giving back to the community”. Remember, these organizations only provide for those Service Animals the ADA recognizes as Service Animals.
Anyways, we feel like we’ve given you information overload today, so we’ll wrap it up for now and let ya’ digest all of this. Remember to leave any questions you may have or want answered in da comments or feel free to email us. We’re trying to answer them all as best we can. Raena’s getting’ bigger so she’ll be starting to learn how to use da fone in da next week or so. Mommy’s gonna try to get some good fotos, but since she ain’t da bestest with da camera, we’ll settle fur any fotos. MOL Anyways, da lawn crew’s here. Raena may be fearless, but she hasn’t yet convinced me. Oh, we were asked what mommy did with our fotos in da new editing app yesfurday. She turned our fotos into talking videos.
What would you like to learn (know how to teach your cat or dog)?
How do you feel about the cost of and that insurance doesn’t cover the cost of Service Animals?
Do you think that Service Animals make a difference in the lives of their disabled handlers as opposed to those that don’t have one?
Till da next time…………………………………..Be Blest!!!
Service Cats U.S. 