Category: Training

Training Behind the Scenes

Published on by Service Cats U.S.25 Comments

Well we went AWOL yesfurday didn’t we? Weez ‘cided to save our Tuesday postys fur weviews, but weez didn’t weally have anyfin’ to weview and our innewnets went out da night afur so we ‘cided to just twy and do sum visits stead of postin’ just to be postin’. Sides, mommys bwain purrobly needed a little rest. MOL But weez back today fur anudder Service cat twainin’ stowry. This one’s a behind da scenes look cuz we wuld like to addwess sum of da comments weez been gettin’. Sum of ya’ sed yous was worried or concerned dat our twainin’ might be a little dangerwous and you was surpwised dat weez didn’t get hurt. Stead of twyin’ to answer yous all individually we ‘cided to twy to splain here. Now since noopawdy be in twainin’ and weez not have fotos fwum back then me fawt you might like to see me enjoyin’ one of da new made wiff luv toys awnty Ellen fwum 15 and meowin’ sent us when flat Sammy P came to visit.

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Mommy bases hers twainin’ techniques loosely on what she observed Shad (mommys furst self twained Service Cat) duin’. Since Shad taught hers selff and da assumption is dat she wuldn’t purrpussly hurt hers selff then mommy had no doubt udder kitties kuld learn to purrfurm da tasks she needed to wemain livin’ independently. Mommy was also a dog twainer in hers yunger days. And she’s been disabled and twainin’ kitties to help her fur over 20 years so there’s not much she hasn’t seen or ‘sperienced. And she makes adjustments to all the equipment dat weez twain wiff and/or on.

 

Da stwing she uses to tie to da fone so we can learn to dial 911 and bwing it to her is secure and no kitties gunna get it off and swallow it. Even tho’ me be weally fascinated wiff da fone we don’t weally see it as a toy. And ifin weez not twainin’ da cordless handsets awen’t layin’ wound in da floor confusin’ us or temptin’ us to play wiff ‘em. Yes me was a feisty kitty girl and weally luvved to answer da fone, but me only ever twied to answer it when it actually rang. Ifin it wasn’t ringin’ me wasn’t touchin’ it.

 

Fank you awnty Ellen. Weez just luv yous made wiff luv toys.
Fank you awnty Ellen. Weez just luv yous made wiff luv toys.

As fur da wheelchair, da fotos yous see today awen’t what it looks like duwin’ twainin’. Because we live in a pawrtment and wuld have to pay fur any damage we cause and mommy dusn’t want us to be hurt eever, she makes sure da chair won’t be leavin’ mawrks on da wall or any holes in it. Mommy attaches big foam pieces to da metal foot rest and awrms so dat it’ll kinda bounce off whatever it hits. Mommy wasn’t a very good dwiver of da wheelchair in da beginnin’ eever and ran into a few doors and walls hers selff. Who is she twyin’ to kid? She still duz on occassion. MOL We did have one oopsie dat mommy hadn’t fawt ‘bout and purrally kuldn’t have purrpared fur, but fankfully nopawdy was hurt then eever.

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As fur me and sissy, mommy keeps a purretty good hold on me or sissy when we be dwivin’. Mommy sez no matter how long yous been dwivin’ da wheelchair accidents can and do happen. Da joystick be very sensitive and da wheels can get “stuck” on da cawrpet and turn unexpectedly. So she’s always got a gentle but furm hold of us. When we come to an abwupt stop or sumfin’ we might lunge a bit, but nopawdy’s getting’ fwown outta da chair. And purrawlly most purrtant is dat our twainin’ takes place “inside da house”. We have a very small pawrtment so there’s not a lot of room and we don’t have faw to go afur weez at our destination. Altho’ da close purroximity of fings is why we can so suddenly run into furniture and walls and such. Our pawrtment is just a little over 500 square feet and mommy be a furniture walker so dat means we have lots of stuff to run into. MOL

Now sumpawdy asked ‘bout us “seein’” where weez dwivin’ to. Member our mouff be on da joystick; which by da way is a very soft vinyl/leather/plastic and therefur weez lookin’ downward stead of stwaight ahead. We can see da floor and fings on da floor and da bottoms of fings dat be fairly close, but like you ifin yous head was down; we can’t see swaight ahead. As fur helpin’ mommy in da shower…well all we get is a bit wet. And not all kitties hate da water. Mommy sez any kitty can be twained to fink it’s purrfectly normal to get wet. So there yous have it. These be just sum of da purrpurrations mommy takes when twainin’ us. We hope weez answered sum of yous questions ad helped you to unnewstand better what goes into our twainin’.

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As we have sed afur, our stowries awe not meant to be a trainin’ manual as we can’t pawssibly list every minute of every day. And da twuff is dat mommy stawrts twainin’ us da minute we decide to make her our mommy. And altho’ we was kittens, mommy sez it’s never too late to twain yous kitty. Kitties do wanna purrlease their peeps so dat unwanted behavior yous kitty be duin’ can be altered ifin it weally be behaviorwal. But purrlease member to check wiff yous VET afur ‘cidin’ yous have a bad kitty. We don’t typically act out just cuz. We hope yous enjoyed a little look behind da scenes of our Service cat twainin’.

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Now ifin yous member we also write an awticle fur da online kitty mewsletter called da Daily Mews. This mumff sis Lexi is tellin’ ‘bout hers fone twainin’. We know yous wanna read dat, so click here to check it out. Awnty Ellen fwum 15 and meowin’ also writes a piece there as do many udders. There’s a little sumfin’ fur everyone so check it out. And ifin yous never wanna miss out on a publication, just sign up. We purromise yous email won’t be sold and yous won’t be bugged by constant nonsense emails. Da daily mews posts 1 to 2 updates a mumff fur which you wuld weceive notice. Well dat’s it fur today. Come back tomorrow fur da continuin’ saga of meez flat scout alter ego, Izzy and Tristy aka Christy Paws. Da Lionesses awe on da prowl and yous won’t wanna miss out on their virtual adventures.

 

Till da next time………………….Be Blest!!!

 

Luv and Hugs and Kitty Kisses

 

Dezi and Lexi

cat-animated

Hello Chest of Drawers

Published on by Service Cats U.S.37 Comments

Well as purromised weez gunna be tellin’ a Service cat twainin’ posty today. Furst tho’ me wuld like to ask fur yous continued purrayers fur sissy. It’s been an up and down kinda weekend. Okay on wiff da stowry.

 

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Faynk you fur da purrayerz.

You know twainin’ dusn’t happen overnight and there’s lots of oopsies along da way. So weez not mind dat yous laff and find our stowries funny. Most of da time even we fawt they was funny at da time and fur sure now. So dat bein’ sed, meez last posty had me dwivin’ mommy and me into da dwesser stead of da pawdee box room. It’s weally purrtant dat me learns to dwive to da pawdee box room cuz mommy needs da wheelchair most in da meownins when she wakes up and can’t move. Ifin yous just joinin’ us me wuld like to splain to and wemind ya’ why it is mommy can’t move in da meownin’. See hers pain medicine wears off duwin’ da night and she sleeps half layin’ and half sittin’ and dusn’t move. Mommy has a little of da westless leg cwamps but she dusn’t turn or roll over in da night. She wakes up in da same place and pawsition as she went to sleep in. So when da meds wear off hers joints and muscles stawrt “fureezin’” up wesultin’ in hers not bein’ able to move. Any of ya’ dat have any sperience wiff awfur-itis will kinda unnewstand this. Mommy basically has severe awfur-itis in hers whole body.

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So, after meez oopsy sis Lexi took over and got mommy to da pawdee box room and then to da kitchen to fix our bwekky. After bwekky we had a little cat nap and played sum. When tweat tiime came mommy called me and sis Lexi back to da bedroom where she sat waitin’ in da movin’ chair (wheelchair). At furst me didn’t fink anyfin’ ‘bout it cuz sumtimes mommy sits in da movin’ chair duwin’ da day. Like when she needs to take out da twash or check da mail or even when she has to take care of Buddy fur Mr. W. So me jumped up in hers lap and sissy jumped on da bed and we waited fur our tweats. Mommy seemed a little stingy wiff da tweats but twuff is we get purrlenty. So when mommy put da bag in da little pocket on da awrm of da chair me stawrted to get down. But mommy had udder plans.

 

Mommy gently stopped me fwum runnin’ off and stawrted tellin’ me to turn on da chair. She pawsitioned me by da power awrm and lifted meez paw up towards da joystick. Me turned and looked at sissy still layin’ on da bed and havin’ a little baff, and then looked back at da joystick. Me pawed at da buttons on da movin’ chair and it finally beeped. It beeped a lot of times actually but mommy kuld see da wainbow of lights fwu meez neck ruff so she told me to bite da joystick. Mommy kuldn’t see da second wainbow of lights but she had turned da chair down to da slow settin’ afur callin’ me and Lexi to her so she was sure we was gunna be takin’ it slow and easy. She gave meez head a gentle push to da joystick and me bit down on it. Mommys hand rested softly on meez back wight behind meez head. Me pushed da joystick and we inched furward and stopped. We was on da cawrpet and da slow mo was just too slow. MOL So mommy weached ‘wound me and pushed da speed button one time. It wuld still be slow, but hopefully this wuld get us goin’.

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Mommy gently pushed meez head and me bit da joystick again and pushed. We jolted a little and inched furward again. Da jolt caused me to put meez paws up on da power panel and me accidently turned da chair off so we came to a joltin’ stop again. Mommy told me to turn da movin’ chair on again, and me pawed at da buttons. Now ifin yous ever had a good look at meez paws yous will notice they be HUGE and me has lots of tufts of fur on ‘em. Even when me was a little kit meez paws was quite lawrge and those buttons be weally small and weally close togevver. So yous guessed it, meez turned on da movin’ chair but me also turned up da speed. And when me pushed da joystick furward we shot off like gweased lightnin’ toward da pawdee box room. Sumhow da fwunt wheels had turned a little and we stawrted turnin’ and headin’ fur da big chest of drawers sittin wight next to da pawdee box room. Me kuldn’t see everyfin’ since meez head was down, but me kuld see da bottom of dat chest getting’ closer and closer and mommy was yellin’, “Dezi stop!!! Dezi, let go of the joystick!!!” Did me lissen? Nope, me just pushed hawrder. And suddenly…BOOM CWASH BANG There we was up close and purrsonal wiff da chest of drawers. Mommys knees was pinned and there was nowhere to go.

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Finally me let go of da joystick and looked wound. OMC We was so close but me still hadn’t gotten mommy to da pawdee box room. Sissy had quit bathin’ and was lookin’ at mommy and me wiff hers big ole gween eyes. Meez sure she was shakin’ hers head at me. She even let out a meow and me was sure she sed sumfin’ like, “Dat kidz nebber gunna lern. I’z nebber gunna git anee help rownd heer.” Me mewed back and mommy backed us away fwum da chest and back to da bed facin’ da pawdee box room again. Me looked at mommy and mewed, “Weally mommy? Don’t yous fink weez oughtta quit fur da day?” But it seemed mommy wasn’t payin’ tention to me at all. Stead she was tellin’ me bite da joystick again. Meez gunna stop here fur today, but stay tuned fur da next twainin’ posty and find out what happened next.

 

Till da next time…………………….Be Blest!!!

 

Luv and Hugs and Kitty Kisses

 

Dezi and Lexi

cat-animated

Another Lesson Already

Published on by Service Cats U.S.20 Comments

So da last twainin’ posty had me runnin’ us into da chest of drawers. Which, by da way, has their ever been a better name fur sumfin’? You know weez have fings called dwessers, and vanity’s and so on. But dat dwesser dusn’t dwess mommy or us. And meez not weally know ifin da vaity be vain or not, but a chest of drawers is zactly what it is. Wight? Who names these fings, dat’s what me wants to know. You fink meez getting’ off da subject don’t ya’? Well ifin fings had more purropwiate names then maybe me wuld unnewstand when mommy sez fings like, “Dezi, slow down, you’re gunna run into the vanity.” Or, “Hold on Dezi, We’re headin’ for the dresser fast.” How was me posed to know mommy didn’t wanna go to da dwesser after goin’ to da pawdee box room? Seems to me she wuld wanna get dwessed. After all you hoomans sure do like to cover everyfin’ up.

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So anyways, sissy took over da dwivin’ again dat day and meez lesson was over. Me walked wound dat chair a few times dat day lookin’ it over and finkin’ ‘bout it. Pawently whacky paw dwivin’ ain’t da way to go. Sure meez head was up so me kuld see everyfin’, but dat wasn’t necessarily a good fing. Me finks to meez selff dat maybe me oughtta just let sissy do da dwivin’ of da movin’ chair. Meez weallly good at answerin’ da fone and da door, and sissy be gweat at dwivin’. So maybe we can’t all be good at everyfin’. Me even meowed to sissy ‘bout it later dat day. Sissy meowed to me dat me was just gunna have to take it slow and easy, but dat me had to learn to dwive da movin’ chair. So da next meownin’ when we all woke up and got mommy to da chair me laid back down and sissy went ahead and dwove mommy to da pawdee box room. Me fawt me had escaped a lesson in dwivin’. But ever patient mommy wasn’t finished wiff me yet.

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After bwekky mommy busied hers selff at da movin’ chair. Me kuldn’t see zactly what she was duin’, but she had a bottle of sum sort and was spwayin’ dat joystick. When she finished she called me over to her and sat down in da movin’ chair. Me can’t wesist a little luvvin’ so me sauntered over to mommy and sis Lexi took up hers post to watch whatever events unfolded. Mommy sez meez a pwissy butt and wiggles when me walks. Da sign of a twue Suddern Belle. Maybe dat’s why meez middle name is Izabella. Me reached mommy and rubbed hers leg. Me wasn’t weal sure me wanted to get back into dat chair after runnin’ into da chest of drawers da day afur. Mommy reached down and picked me up and sat me in hers lap. And suddenly meez nose went up in da air and meez mouff opened and me stawrted duin’ da flemmin’. Yous know, takin’ in da smell weal good. Yous seen kitties duin’ it afur. Openin’ our mouffs enables us to weally take in da scent. And let me tell ya’, there was a gweat smell comin’ fwum da joystick awea of da movin’ chair.

 

It enticed me to stawt rubbin’ against da joystick. Me even gave it a lick or two. Mommy had spwayed da joystick wiff nip spway. See she knew dat whacky paw dwivin’ wasn’t gunna work eever, and so she hoped by spwayin’ da joystick wiff catnip me wuld wanna bite it again. And she was wight. It took a while cuz me also wanted to rub it, but mommy gently pushed meez head a few times and me finally gave in and bit down on da joystick. Altho’ da furst push or two me gave mommy a little “grrrrrrrrr” Me has a little fake growl dat me uses sumtimes and dat’s what me did when mommy twied to get me to immediately bite down. Course all dat nip made me feel a little feisty. MOL Well after me bit down mommy twied to reach over meez head and turn on da chair. We was back in da bedroom and she had furgot to turn on da light so she kuldn’t see very good and fur sum weason she sez she can’t see fwu all meez fur. So she stawrted pushin’ down on buttons twyin’ to hit da power button.

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She finally heard da beep dat signaled da movin’ chair was on, and she gently pushed meez head. We was pointeed wight at da pawdee box room so all we had to do was go stwaight. Afur callin’ me to her mommy had turned da speed down so she fawt we wuld slowly inch to da pawdee box room. What she didn’t know is dat while she was puttin’ da spway bottle of nip away sis Lexi had used da chair to get up on da bed to watch, and when she jumped up she had turned da chair on and off again and also turned da speed up. It’s way to easy to turn da speed up. All ya’ gotta do is just push da button. Mommy sez hers furst chair had a turn knob fur speed and wasn’t as easy to change. Not dat sissy and Lucky hadn’t figgered it out, it just took a little longer.

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Anyways, me was soakin’ up all da pawsum nip fwum dat joystick when mommy gently pushed meez head. Again we jutted furward and meez mouff still bitin’ da joystick turned meez head to look fur sissy and da whole chair turned wiff me. Mommy stawrted hollerin’, “Dezi, let go, we’re gunna run into the dresser.” Me jerked meez head back wound to look at mommy wiff da bitey still on da joystick and weez turned even more. And afur me knew it we hit da bed and me was frown jumped onto da bed next to Lexi. Me shook like a dog getting’ outta a baff, and bounded toward da chair and mommy. Mommy was sittin’ there laffin’ so hawrd she was cwyin’ and sissy kuldn’t get off da bed and down da hall fast enuff. Me got to mommy and put da bitey on da awrm of dat movin’ chair. Me was gunna punish it fur hurtin’ mommy. Mommy seemed to laff even hawrder and sed, “It’s okay sweety, we’re fine. You’ll get it. It’s just gunna take a while longer.” We had a little luv fest and sissy came back and got back on da bed. While pettin’ me and sweet talkin’ me, mommy turned da chair wound so it was facin’ da pawdee box rom again. Me looked up and fawt, Oh me cats and kittens, anudder lesson alweady?

 

Weez havin’ stowrms and mommy’s a little unnew da wevver, so weez’ll visit as much as we can. See ya’ soon. As fur me and sissy meowin’ ’bout fings, mommy be puttin’ conversations to actions/innewactions she sees and saw. Obviously she dusn’t twuly know what me and sis Lexi actually sed. So it is pawsible dat da conversation dat me and sissy had is entirely fiction. But dat be da only pawrt of meez twainin’ stories dat awe.

 

Till da next time………………….Be Blest!!!

 

Luv and Hugs and Kitty Kisses

 

Dezi and Lexi

cat-animated

Whacky Paw Driving

Published on by Service Cats U.S.27 Comments

Well it was a dweary lookin’ Monday when we woke up today, but da sun’s posed to come out and be shinin’. Accordin’ to da furcast, no rain be in sight. And weez weally hopin’ dat be twue. So meez last twainin’ stowry left off wiff quite a oopsy. But mommy be ever so patient and never gives up. She sez she ran into a few fings when she furst got da chair too. Meez here too tell ya’ she still runs into a few fings ever now and then. Don’t tell her me sed dat okay? Dat’s just tween us. So anyways, we put da chair away fur da day. And me was glad to cuz dat was a little scary. Me wasn’t sure me wanted to do dat again. Me didn’t even go near da chair fur da rest of da day. So when we went to bed dat night me was relieved. Altho’ da more me fawt ‘bout it da more me fawt it was kinda fun. Sissy and me meowed ‘bout it a little after we put mommy to sleep wiff massages and sissy told me dat me kuld dwive mommy when we woke up. Me was so ‘cited me almost kuldn’t sleep. But alas, a kitties gotta get hers beauty rest ya’ know, so me finally dwifted off and dweamed of dwivin’ as purrfect as sissy duz.

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Mommy dusn’t twain any kitty anyfin’ furst fing in da meownin’ cuz hers can’t move hers extwemeties so she can’t take over ifin there’s a oopsy. But she didn’t know what kind of deal sissy and me had made da night afur. So when we woke up da next meownin’ and got mommy wound and in da chair sissy and me sat on da bed lookin’ at each udder. Mommy was lookin’ at us lookin’ at each udder and finally sed, “C’mon Lexi, I need to go to the pawdee box room…NOW.” Yous know how it is furst fing in da meownin’, it’s almost a mad dash fur those of ya’ dat can dash. MOL Me finally got da nerve to jump back on dat chair and me walked onto mommys lap and pawed at da buttons. Now me had been finkiin’ all this over and ‘cided me wasn’t gunna use meez mouffy da next time cuz me kuldn’t see what was comin’ at us. After all, mommy used hers paws to dwive so why kuldn’t me?

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Mommy, still sittin’ in da movin’ chair needin’ to go to da pawdee box room didn’t know why me was on hers lap and sissy was still sittin’ on da bed. So mommy stawrted to call to Lexi and afur she kuld get anyfin’ out me gave dat joystick a big ole whacky paw. Now yous gotta unnewstand, even when me was a little girly me had big floofy paws wiff a lot of power. So when me whacked da joystick da movin’ chair was gunna be movin’. Me hadn’t given much fawt as to what was gunna happen, how faw we was gunna go, or what me was gunna do next ifin we wasn’t in da pawdee box room. Me had pawed all da buttons when me turned da movin’ chair on so…you guessed it. We was at high speed again. And when me whacked dat joystick we took off like gweased lightnin’. Meez paw was wight at da joystick cuz we took off so fast me hadn’t had da chance to move it back and da jerk of a zoomin’ chair made me dig meez claws in to hold on. So stead of havin’ to give anudder whacky paw, me was still pushin’ on da joystick. We didn’t stop till we hit da chest of drawers next to da pawdee box room. And we boff jerked furward and then back again.

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Sis Lexi jumped off da bed and headed fur mommy, me and da chair. She jumped up in mommys lap like she was gunna be da hero and save us. No pawdy was hurt, we was just a little shocked. Me looked up at mommy and me fawt she had stopped bweavin’. Hers mouff was wide open. Me kuld see all da way to da back of hers fwoat, and hers eyes was big as dinner plates. Me jumped down and headed stwaight fur da pawdee box room. Me was gunna have to figger out anudder way to dwive this fing cuz even tho’ me kuld see da chest of drawers comin’ at us, me kuldn’t make it stop. Maybe dat fumm fing mommy has on hers paw makes it easier fur her to dwive wiff hers paw. Meez lackin’ one of those, so meez paws didn’t work quite wight. And seein’ fings comin’ at ya’ isn’t as fun as me fawt it wuld be. Meez gunna stop here today and weez’ll pick it up next time.

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Today be Black Cat purreciation day, so me wanted to say a little sumfin’ ‘bout dat. As ya’ know sissy has lots of black and she’s purrfect. Weez have lots of black panfur furiends and they all be wunnewful. Black kitties get such a bad rap and fur no udder weason than hooman peeps superstitions. It’s time fur everypawdy to get over it and see da beauty of da black panfur kitties. They be smawrt, luvvin’ and loyal. On da inside they be no diffewent than any udder kitty. They deserve all da luv and joy a furever home offurs. Nuffin’ better than cuddlin’ wiff a purr box mommy sez. And yous can have dat wiff a black kitty too. So purrlease, don’t overlook da panfurs, they be just as special as all da rest.

 

Till da next time………………Be Blest!!!

 

Luv and Hugs and Kitty Kisses

 

Dezi and Lexi

cat-animated