Blest Sunday: We Are SupawStars

MeOW C’mon Raena, it’s time fur our Blest Sunday posty. We’ve got so much to meow ‘bout today. And, we’re furinally rested up after havin’ stayed up all night and day fur 3 nights and 4 days straight with mommy. Altho’ ifin me’s meowin’ the truth, me must admit we all had a few cat naps in the sittin’ chair. Me’s purretty sure me heard mommy snorin’ a time or two befur joltin’ herself awake. Mommy keeps sayin’ she’s gettin’ to old fur these all nighters, and me totally agrees. Me’s way to old to be stayin’ up that many hours a day. Doesn’t she know us kitties need our beauty naps? Hmmmpht  Me must’ve looked like somethin’ an old tabby cat would’a drug in after the second night, and me wouldn’t even wanna know what me must’ve looked like after the third.

 

Blest Sunday purple kitty clip art graphic

 

 

 

          Yeah sissy, I’s not a big fan of the all nighters. I’s need mine’s mommy and me cuddle time in the bed on the nice soft sweet smellin’ sheets. But, it seems the denture man at the new dentist office only comes once a week fur a couple of hours in the meownin’, so mommy has to be there really early so he can take the impressions back to the City with him. And since summer furinally arrived, mommy tries to do things either early in the day or late, so we’re not outside durin’ the hottest pawrt of the day. We’re so very fanky fankful to have air conditionin’ in the car, but mommy says nuffin’ works all that great in triple digit heat and she doesn’t want us to get sick and over heated. 

 

Dezi lays on scratcher licking paw

Me’s a real mess. Me needs a good bath and a year of naps.

 

 

 

Yep Raena, we’re so Blest to have a mommy that cares ‘bout our well bein’ so much. Me’s so happy to have her as a mommy. 

 

          Really sissy? Cuz that’s not what you were meowin’ Furiday when mommy harnessed you up and strapped you into the stroller. 

 

Dezi lays in stroller with tiger kitty holster harness on.

Me doesn’t wanna go to the V-E-T mommy.

 

 

 

Well Raena, me doesn’t ‘member you bein’ too happy ‘bout goin’ to the V-E-T the other day either. Me’s on to mommy’s tricks. She may call it a mommy and me day out, but when she’s all sneaky ‘bout the leavin’ time, me knows it can only mean one thing…Doctor Grabby and Stabby. Fankfully, me only got one jab and mommy says so long as me stays healthy, it’ll be the last stab fur 3 years. Seems Doctor Grabby and Stabby has furinally agreed to give us the 3 year rabies vaccination ‘stead of the one year. 

 

          Uh, Us, sissy? Wha’ch’a meowin’ ‘bout, us? I’s didn’t get jabbed with anythin’ on mine’s trip. 

 

Dezi climbs out of stroller at the Vet's office

Maybe me can make me’s escape befur anypawdy sees me.

 

 

 

Just you wait Raena, your time’s a’comin’. Anyways, Doctor Grabby and Stabby said me was healthy and looked good. ‘Course, that made mommy really happy. So happy in fact, we stopped by the pet store fur some goodies. Mommy was gonna buy us 1 bag of those cheap treats (Kittles) we’ve eaten in the past, but they were on clearance fur .70¢, so she bought every bag they had. 

 

          Really sissy? Every bag? What do you wanna bet that we won’t eat any of ‘em? That’s the kitty way, right? Kitty likes somethin’, human goes nuts and buys out the store and kitty won’t touch it again. That’s one of the furst lessons you taught me.

 

Dezi lays on the table at the vet's office

C’mon mommy, me feels great. Let’s get outta here befur

somepawdy comes in.

 

 

 

Yeah Raena, that’s the rule. But, me thinks we oughtta at least eat a few bites to show our gratitude fur mommy at least tryin’. That’s another thing we kitties do. You know, gotta keep mommy on her toes and all.

 

Raena looks back from her dinner plate

 

 

 

          Okay sissy, that sounds like a great plan. Ya’ know, we need to say a meowsy big Fanky fank you to awnty Susan fur the green papers. Havin’ so many ‘pointments out of town last week they came in really handy when mommy had to buy gas to get the car down the road. Hey, meowin’ of fanky fanks, I’s saw our furiend Valentine the handsum black Persian from Noir Kitty Mews, nominated us fur an award today. 

 

SupawStar Blog Award Badge

 

 

 

Me saw it too Raena. He nominated us fur the SupawStars Spotlight Award. We’re so honored, fank you Valentine. We’re s’posed to nominate 5 bloggies to receive this award. 

 

SupawStar Award Badge,

 

 

 

          Only 5 sissy? Kittens!!! That’s so hard, we think all our furiends are SupawStars. Ya’ know, we don’t know fur sure who purrticipates in these kinds of things, so ifin we nominate you, you’re not obligated in any way to post; we’d just like to let others know ‘bout how special you are. Mine’s furst nomination is:

 

1.  Awnty Paulette from The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap. She’s a great writer who uses the proceeds from her book sales to help rescue doggies.

 

2.  Feline Opines is mine’s second nomination. They’re a great bunch of kittes who recently wrote their own book, a devotional from a kitty’s point of view. Once things settle down a bit ‘round here, we’ll be havin’ ‘em over fur a play date to discuss said book. In the meantime, head over and check ‘em out. 

 

It’s me’s turn Raena. Technically, me should’a went furst. Anyways…

 

3.  Brian and the gang always bring a smile and they do so much to help kitties in need.

 

And… 

 

4.  Hairballs and Hissyfits almost always make us laugh. 

 

And last but certainly not least is:

 

5.  Da Phenny and his new housemate, Neilson. Ifin ya’ wanna laugh till ya’ cry and piddle in your pants, you can’t miss their bloggy. 

 

          I’s wanna pick some more furiends sissy. Who made these rules anyhow? Only 5…Hmmmpht!!!  

 

Dezi rolls on yeowww nip heart

 

 

 

Yeah Raena, we have so many pawsum furiends and the truth is, we think you’re all SupawStars. So, even ifin we didn’t lest you, purrlease feel furee to take the SupawStar award and post it on your bloggy. And ‘member to nominate 5 SupawStars of your own. We better get this wrapped up so we can try to visit our furiends and get caught up. But furst, we’d like to remind everypawdy to take a minute today and every day to give Thanks fur the Blessings in your life. You are all one of our greatest blessings and we fank God each and every day fur each of you. 

 

Raena sleepy selfie

 

 

 

          We do sissy. Every day we purray and ask God to bless and keep all our furiends and their families. We luvs you all so very much. We’re also linkin’ up with the Kitties Blue fur Sunday Selfies.  

 

Till the next time…………………………………………………Be Blest!!! 

 

Dezi: Vibrant Blue  

Raena: Navy Blue 

 

 

 

Luv and Hugs and Kitty Kisses 

 

Deztinee and RaenaBelle

Service Cats: Defining Service, Therapy And Emotional Support Animals

Meow and welcome to another installment of Service Cat Monday on Friday. We’re actually going to be changin’ the name to avoid any confusion. We also want to remind you that you can ketch up on any posts you may have missed by clicking on the Training Tips and Everything Feline link in our menu. Please send us your questions and topic suggestions in the comments below or via our contact form on our contact us page.  

 

The followin’ post will be written in human English fur reader and translator ease. Our Service Cat posts aren’t intended to be an all inclusive Trainin’ Manual but rather Tips, Tricks and Techniques used/developed by mommy A thru her many years of animal trainin’, cats in purrticular. And to offur insight into your questions about Everything Feline. Always remember, Training is all ‘bout Repetition and Rewards.

 

 

Dezi laying in cat tree in new harness

 

 

 

     We got a great suggestion on our last post, asking us to feature other Service Cats and their duties. We so wish we could do that, but, there aren’t many actual Service Cats out there. We only know of one other, and his person/handler doesn’t like to discuss her disability or what her kitty does for her. We have to respect her right to privacy. Mommy said she agreed to be open and honest about everything when we started our crusade to bring awareness to Service Animals other than dogs, but not everyone else did. That being said, if you know of or have a Service Cat of your own, please contact us so we can share your story. You can use the contact form on our contact page or the Training Tips page. You can also send us an email directly to: lexi.dezi@yahoo.com.

 

 Raena poses on the Liberty cat tree in her tiger harness

 

 

 

     It’s a new year and we’ve gained some new followers, so we’d like to take today to remind everybody just what a Service Cat is. According to the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), a Service Animal is a dog that is individually Trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability. There are no certifications or licensing’s required, nor is there any one place or government body overseeing the Training of such animals. Dogs and in some unique cases miniature horses are the only animals recognized as Service Animals that are afforded protections and rights under the law. The ADA definition doesn’t affect or limit the broader definition of Assistance Animal under the Fair Housing Act or the Air Carrier Access Act. That would be where our protections come into play.

 

Raena in stroller

     A Service Animal, regardless of species is well behaved, comfortable in just about every situation and IS NOT a pet. There used to be an old saying, “Children should be seen and not heard” when in public and especially around a lot of adults. The same is true of Service Animals/Cats. A Service Animal isn’t bouncing off the walls, or barking/meowing, being a nuisance, playing or drawing attention to themselves or their handler. The exception would be if the Service Animal’s task is to alert others to it’s handlers’ situation (ie: handler is having a seizure and requires human assistance, etc.). A Service Animal stays beside their handler at all times and doesn’t pull at their leash or try to interact with other animals or humans while in public. They are not easily distracted. That’s why it’s so important to ask the Animal’s handler before interacting with/petting the animal. The Service Animal is “on duty” and is not a pet. Altho’ we think the “ask before petting” should be a rule about every animal one might encounter other than their own. Just because an animal looks cute, doesn’t give you the right to approach him/her without getting permission from the owner first.

 

 Dezi sits in stroller

 

 

 

     There seems to be a lot of confusion about Service Animals, Therapy Animals and Emotional Support/Companion Animals. These three titles describe three completely different classes of animal and should not be confused with one another. We’ve given you the definition of a Service Animal and now we’ll define the Therapy animal and ESA (Emotional Support/Companion Animal.

 

 Therapy Animal:

This is probably the most recognized of the classifications and often gets confused with the Service Animal. A Therapy Animal is an animal (any species) that has been Trained to provide comfort and affection to people (other than their own humans) in hospitals, retirement facilities, schools and other such places. You might be asking what kind of Training is required to make an animal “provide comfort”. Truth is, this Training is more for the human handler than the animal. An animal chosen to be a Therapy Animal is one that is outgoing, comfortable with people and in a variety of situations, calm, and generally well behaved. Training teaches the handler how to prepare the animal (grooming, bathing, etc.) to go into these places and who/how to contact to set up visits in these places. Certification is required for Therapy Animals. If you think you have an animal that would make a good Therapy Animal, check with your shelter or the ASPCA about classes. But, a Therapy Animal Is NOT a Service Animal.

 

Raena lays sleeping in mommy A's lap

 Emotional Support/Companion Animal:

The Emotional Support animal is any PET that provides health benefits to a person. That’s pretty much all animals. There’s no Training required nor any certifications. This group is growing as more and more people move into homes/apartments requiring rental assistance. Usually pet deposits./fees are waived for those who can get their doctor to write a letter stating they require their animal for emotional support. These animals ARE Pets and NOT Service Animals. This classification comes with no rights, protections or privileges under the law other than that of personal property.

 

 

 Dezi lays in lap and gets loving

 

 

 

The bottom line here is that all animals are special and give health benefits to their owners. But, not all animals can be called Service Animals. Mommy says we’re the most special kitty girls on the planet, but not any more special than the kitty or doggy that lives with you and gives you joy, comfort and love. We just help mommy in a different way. We still provide her with joy, comfort and lots of love, but we’ve been individually and specifically Trained to perform certain tasks that help her to live independently. We’ll be talking more about those things soon. We’ve been asked some questions that we thought we had already answered, but again, we’ve had quite a few new followers. Mommy says it never hurts to tell something again just in case it was missed the furst time. So join us here each Friday for a look into our lives as Service Cats and answers to your questions about everything Feline. Purrlease leave your questions in the comments or send us a message via email on our Contact us page. And don’t furget, you can check out all the posts in this series by visiting our Training Tips page. And let us know ifin you know a Service Cat. We’d luv to meet them and share their story with everypawdy. 

 

Till the next time………………………………………….Be Blest!!!

 

Luv and Hugs and Kitty Kisses

 

Deztinee and RaenaBelle