Raena conked out on the Liberty cat tree

Service Cats: Tumble and Fall Response

Published on November 28, 2016 by Service Cats U.S.89 Comments

Meowllo everypawdy, come on in and take a seat. Get your favorite beverage, sit back and relax. it’s time fur another Service Cat Monday story. We didn’t get any questions last week, so we’ll be tellin’ an actual story ‘bout us. And yep, ya’ read dat right, today da story’ll be ‘bout us, Raena and me and of course mommy. We was gonna pick up where we left off last week, but mommy never lissens to me. Me told her we had purrlenty of stories to tell without her makin’ more, but…well, me’ll just tell ya’ ‘bout it. Ifin you’ve missed any posts in this series, purrlease click on da links at da bottom of this posty. As with all our Service Cat/Educational posts, da followin’ will be in human English. So let’s get to it.

It happened last night at dinner time and no, there are no photos. Ain’t that the way it always goes? Anyways, it had been dark and stormy all day yesterday and mommys arthritis was really acting up. She was hurting really bad and could barely get around. None of that is new. It’s pretty common actually, especially in the winter, and definitely now that her meds have been messed with. We’ve got to get the government outta medicine. Anyways, most of ya’ know we have a lot of “stuff”. Till the manager was finally told to leave mommy alone, she used to write us up all the time for being “cluttered”. Which of course isn’t any of her business and isn’t against the law. While there are a lot of reasons for our clutter, one is that mommy is a furniture walker.

Now a lot of you just said to yourselves, “A what? What’s a furniture walker?” So let me explain. Mommy, or any furniture walker for that matter, holds onto pieces of furniture, doors, walls, or tables to steady themselves when walking around. Me has told ya’ll that one of mommys problems is that she falls a lot. She often can’t feel her legs, feet and/or arms. Because this has been happening for so long, mommy has adjusted and can mostly make her extremities work anyways. Never the less, she still falls pretty regularly. Usually, she doesn’t get hurt too bad, because she’s learned to roll with it. But, when you add dizzy and an overload of pain to the mix then you get what we got last night at dinnertime.

Is dinner ready yet?

Mommy had been in the kitchen preparing our dinner plates and hollering for us to come up and get ready for dinner. Me was in the litter box and sis Raena was in the kitchen with mommy, so me wasn’t in any hurry. Me figured Raena could handle anything that might occur. The biggest thing that has happened during food prep is mommy dropping a plate and having to do a quick clean up. Yep, Raena could deal with that. Me finished up mes business and headed down the hall towards the kitchen just in time to see it all. Mommy had prepared our plates and was taking the bags of freeze dried noms back to their place on the external pantry shelf in the dining room by the front door. She only had one free hand, her left. Mommy’s a righty, by the way.

Mommy caught a glimpse of me and told me to come on down. Raena had taken her spot on the small brown cat tree that sits in the dining room; to continue to watch mommy. And then as if in slow motion, mommy got dizzy and lost her balance. She started reaching out and grasping at everything. That brown cat tree, her end table, a dining room chair. It didn’t matter what she grabbed. They all gave way and moved from their spots and provided mommy with no stability. Mommy dropped the bags of our noms and started grasping with her other hand as well. The brown cat tree just kept moving further away from mommy as did her end table and that dining room chair. After what seemed like forever…BOOM!!! Mommy finally hit the floor. As mommy fell, the cat tree had cut up her right arm. A fingernail got caught in the the carpeting and pulled back and broke off. Mommy landed, all sprawled out, backside to the floor. Her behind actually landed on a bag of our noms. She’s gonna have to order more, cuz they’re all crumbs now. Not sure what she hit her head on, but she’s gonna have a shiner for sure.

I’s luvs this toy.

Anyways, me ran down the hall to mommy and Raena flew over mommy towards the phone. Again, as if in slow motion, mommy laid there in total shock and began looking around. Mommy could feel something poking into her back, so she struggled to sit up. Me tried to get behind her to help push her up, but she had landed on one of our track and ball toys that was in mes way. Mommy finally sat up and hollered at Raena to leave the phone alone. Mommy said we didn’t need an ambulance. Mommy reached under herself and pulled out the bag of noms she had squished and started crying. Mommy told Raena and me how sorry she was that she had crushed our noms and promised she’d get us more. Then she apologized for breaking our track and ball toy. It was Raenas’ favorite. She looked around for something to hold onto to try to pull herself up. She could sort of feel her legs, but they were like jelly. Her cut arm was throbbing and she could feel pain everywhere. She noticed that Raena looked stressed and confused as she sat at mommys feet licking her toes.

Take dat you ole box you.

Everything that could have provided support for mommy had moved just out of reach. So she pulled her legs up and tried to push herself up with her hands. She told me to move out from behind her and told Raena to get on the Liberty tree beside her in the living room. Mommy was afraid she’d fall back down and didn’t want to fall on us. Finally mommy managed to push herself up. Then came the clean up as always. That’s the part mommy hates the most. Once everything was back in it’s place, mommy went back to the kitchen on her wobbly legs to get our dinner plates. That’s when mommy finally saw the blood dripping from her arm. She had a cut and scrape from her elbow just passed her wrist. Didn’t do her carpal tunnel any favors. She quickly cleaned up and brought our plates to our mat and called for us to come and eat. Raena and me sat at the edge of the living room watching and waiting for mommy to fall again. Thankfully, after she placed our plates on the mat, she sat down to look at her boo boos.

This brown tree in da dining room is just da right size

fur a kitten like me.

Well, the last thing Raena and me was interested in was eating dinner. We both jumped into mommys lap to give her some purr love. She’s gonna be okay, but she’s gonna be really sore for at least a few days. Mommy falls everyday, but the big ones like this, don’t happen that often. Mommy says that she gets hurt the most when she tries to fight the fall, and that’s exactly what she did last night. Unfortunately, there’s nothing we kitties can do when mommy falls. We can only be there to comfort her after it’s all over. Y, Raena even let mommy sleep in this morning.

Now me knows a lot of you are saying, “Well if you don’t do anything to stop your mommy from falling, how is this a story about Service Cats?” If you’ll remember, sis Raena’s first response was to head for the phone to call for help. See, we saw the blood before mommy did, and that’s a 911 event. Altho’ the blood wasn’t coming from mommys head and she was still conscious, which would mean we shouldn’t call for help. It’s okay tho’, Raena’s still learning and mommy’s proud of how she responded and that when told to leave the phone she immediately obeyed and took her spot beside mommy. Altho something was in the way, mes intentions were to help mommy sit up. And mes first response was to come to mommys aid instead of running to hide. Yes, mommy said she’s very proud of me as well. As we’ve said many times, it’s very important for a Service Cat to not only know their name, but to respond to it every time. Mommy says that she no longer has to “tell” us me everything, because we are me is able to assess the situation and determine the proper course of action to take. This happens because of our constant training and our bond with and concern for mommy.

I’s not leavin’ your side mommy. I’s’ll go wherever

you go.

So there ya’ have it. A brand new story ’bout us workin’ today. Raena did well, and is purroving she’s gonna be a great Service Cat. Reckon she’s not as droll as me once thought she was. Ifin ya’ have any questions ‘bout training or anything in general purrlease feel free to ask. We try to answer all questions in a timely manner. Due to mommys fall and subsequent injuries, we’re gonna be a bit slow fur at least da next few days, so purrlease bear with us.

Just let me have a little nappy furst.

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

Luv and Hugs and Kitty Kisses

Deztinee and RaenaBelle

Service Cats

What to Look For Training Foundations Train Kitty to Massage

Smelling Disease Do You Need One Who Bears the Cost

Housing Laws and Exceptions Accommodations and Common Sense

When the Handler Dies Proper Training Methods Pt. 1 & Pt. 2

Easiest Task to Train Getting Kitty Ready for an Outing

Discipline: Stop Countersurfing Kitty Internal Disputes

Calling Emergency Help Just What is Kitty Capable of

Shad: Original Service Cat Harness or Vest Leash or Stroller

Dezi, the Wheelchair and the Chest Round & Round We Go

Service Cats: Round and Round We Go, Where We’ll Stop…

Published on November 21, 2016 by Service Cats U.S.69 Comments

Welcome one and all, it’s Service Cat Monday. We know you’re all wondering ifin we got any questions or are we gonna tell another training story. Well, we didn’t get any questions, so we will be tellin’ another story ‘bout mes wheelchair training. Now a lot of you got a little giggle or laff from our last posty. Dat’s okay. Have yourself a big ole belly laff on us. It’s actually on me, but me doesn’t mind. Mommy says trainin’ is serious business, but:

Ifin ya’ can’t have a little fun with it, then kitty will quickly get bored and lose interest.
You never know exactly what kitty’s gonna do when trying to train them to do something totally foreign to them.
Most kitties are afraid of moving chairs initially, so whatever their initial reaction, you can be assured it’s gonna be funny.
And lastly, ifin ya’ can’t laff at yourself, then…well, so go on and have a laff on me.

As with all our educational postys da following will be written in human English. No kitty is ever harmed during wheelchair training. Ifin you’ve missed any of da posts in this series, you can ketch up by clicking on da links at da bottom of this posty.

Young Dezi standing on whaeelchair arm with Lexi laying beside her — You can see the footrest folded up at the bottom front right of this photo

Let’s first take another look at the wheelchair itself. There is a foot rest between the front wheels that sticks out further than anything else on the chair except the actual wheels. So when the chair hits anything, it’s actually the wheels, foot rest and mommys large ski sized feet that are in danger of getting banged up. This foot rest is made of metal, thus the main reason mommy attaches “bumper pads” foam pieces. Me wasn’t the first kitty mommy trained to drive the wheelchair, so she had already learned us kitties can’t drive using our paws. The joystick controller is pretty touchy and doesn’t take much pressure to move. When pushed forward, the chair goes forward, back, the chair goes back and left or right, to the left or right respectively. Anyways, like me said, mommy learned real quick that kitties can’t drive with their paws. So that led to our current method of mouth on joystick.

So, if you read last weeks post, you know mes first session was not very successful. But remember, training is all about repetition. So if at first you don’t succeed, then try, try again. And remember, that repetition must occur daily. Once training has begun, you can’t let a day go by that you don’t spend at least 15 minutes training the specific task. You may train more than 1 task a day, but they must be divided up into different training sessions. For most peeps, one task a day is enough. Another thing we didn’t say before is that you should never begin training tasks above and beyond normal kitty behavior until kitty knows and responds to their name. Mommy doesn’t allow anyone to call us “kitty kitty”. Mommys’ case manager has a really tough time with this one, and in response, we ignore her. We just don’t know who she’s talking too.

Anyways, mes first session was a bust. So the next day, mommy started all over again. Wheelchair positioned in the bedroom up against the bed facing the bathroom and the speed setting on low. Yep, a straight shot. All she had to get me to do is put mes mouth on the joystick and push forward. Easy peasy right? Well if you’ve ever trained a kitty, or any animal for that matter, you’d know nothing is ever that easy peasy. None the less, mommy sat down and began to call me. Of course me was already sitting at the bedroom door watching what mommy was doing. So me trotted over and rubbed against her overhanging toes, and she reached down and picked me up. Once on her lap, mommy began to pet me and coo about how smart me was and how much she loved me. Full on purr going, mommy positioned me onto her right leg with mes front paws on the right arm of the chair. All the while mommy was quietly and calmly telling me what to do next.

Mommy gently pushed mes head over to the joystick while holding me securely with her other hand. She then began to scritch mes chin till mes mouth opened. She then gently pushed mes mouth onto the joystick and said, “bite”. Me bit down and then started chewing at the joystick. Yep, me was a little over stimulated. So we sat there for a bit till me calmed down. No additional petting during this time, however mommy did continue to coo at me about how proud of me she was. When me finally calmed a bit, mommy started over. She repositioned me onto her right leg, front paws on the right arm and head over the control panel. No chin scritches needed, me automatically opened mes mouth and bit down on the joystick. Me could feel mommys energy and knew she was happy and proud of me.

She then gently pushed mes head forward. And…Nothing. We didn’t move an inch. Yep, while me was calming down, the wheelchair had turned itself off. It’s a battery saving thing the chair does. If there’s no activity for a couple of minutes, the chair will automatically turn off. Mes mouth was still on the joystick, so mommy couldn’t really see through mes head when she reached over with the other hand to turn the chair back on. She fumbled around feeling the buttons on the control panel and thinking she had landed on the power button, she pressed down. instead of the chair being powered up, she honked the horn. Me looked back at mommy who was still feeling around on the control panel. Finally getting the chair turned on, mommy positioned mes head again with one hand and held me on her lap with the other. She gently pushed mes head forward and…Nothing. The chair couldn’t move on the carpet on its lowest setting.

So, mommy felt around again for the speed button and finally gave it a push. By now, me thinks we’re playing a game, and me started pawing at mommys’ hand. Mommy patiently told me to stop and to “bite” the joystick again. Mommy then gently pushed mes head forward again. WooHoo We were on the move. Me could feel mommys’ excitement and me got so excited that me turned mes head to look at mommy while still biting the joystick. Remember me telling you earlier that whatever direction the joystick is pointed in is the direction the chair would go? Well we turned to the left and just kept turning. Round and Round we went in circles till all we could see was a spinning room. Yep, when me pawed at mommys’ hand earlier, me, or maybe mommy actually hit the speed button a few more times. Knowing this wasn’t what we were supposed to be doing, and because me was getting dizzy, me turned mes head forward again, and BOOM!!! Where’d that dresser come from, me questioned. Least that’s what mommy said the look on mes face said.

Hmmmmmmm Me had never seen the top of the dresser before. Look’it all those cool things me could play with. You guessed it, me jumped outta mommys lap and right onto the dresser hitting the joystick once again, and slamming the chair into the dresser once more. Yeah, there’s a reason me had never seen the top of the dresser before, it’s off limits to kitties. Mommy hollered for me to come back, but it was too late. Me was off and running. Me pushed an old jewelry box onto the floor and was off to investigate. Another training session over. Mommy says you have to know when to stop. If kittys’ attention isn’t focused on the task at hand, continuing to push will be fruitless. Sis Lexi joined me from her observation spot down the hall, in mes investigation.

When’s it gonna be mines turn to drive? I’s can already turn da chair on.

Well, me’s gonna wrap it up fur now. By now sis Lexi, had probably figgered she would never get any help. Me knows this, cuz now me’s in her pawsition and wonderin’ ifin Raena’s ever gonna calm down enuff fur mommy to train her on da wheelchair. Believe it or not, me does eventually learn to drive da wheelchair, but it wasn’t overnight or without much patience and a few bruises on mommys pawrt. So, stay tuned and lessen we get anymore training questions ‘tween now and next week, me will tell another of mes wheelchair training stories. In da meantime, don’t furget mes Gotchaday tomorrow and check out da pawsum Fanksgivin’ card Nellie made fur us. We’re wishing you all a pawsumly Blest Fanksgivin’.

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

Luv and Hugs and Kitty Kisses

Deztinee and RaenaBelle

Service Cats Series

What to Look For Training Foundations Train Kitty to Massage

Smelling Disease Do You Need One Who Bears the Cost

Housing Laws and Exceptions Accommodations and Common Sense

When the Handler Dies Proper Training Methods Pt. 1 & Pt. 2

Easiest Task to Train Getting Kitty Ready for an Outing

Discipline: Stop Countersurfing Kitty Internal Disputes

Calling Emergency Help Just What Is Kitty Capable Of

Shad: Original Service Cat Harness or Vest Leash or Stroller

Dezi, the Wheelchair and the Chest

Service Cats: Dezi the Wheelchair and the Chest

Published on November 14, 2016 by Service Cats U.S.79 Comments

Well meow everypawdy. Here we are another week closer to mes Gotchaday, which is next Tuesday ifin you’re wonderin’. Anyways, it’s also Service Cat Monday. You know what dat means; it’s time fur another Service Cat trainin’ posty. We had a lot of great questions, and sure hope we’ve given everypawdy some helpful trainin’ tips these last few months. Ifin you’ve missed any post in da series, you can ketch up by clickin’ on da links at da bottom of this posty. We told ya’ last week dat we had reached da end of questions asked by you; and dat unless we got any more we would start tellin’ a few stories ‘bout mes trainin’. And, well, we didn’t get any questions this past week, so today you’re gonna hear ‘bout some of da fun dat occurs durin’ trainin’. As with all our educational posts da followin’ will be in human English speak. So let’s get started.

Mommy wanted me to remind you all that altho’ training should be taken seriously, you can still have a lot of fun. We thought we’d focus on wheelchair training today. Let me give ya’ a little information about electric wheelchairs; or at least the one we have. At the end of one of the arms is a control panel. Ours is on the right arm since mommy’s right handed. On this control panel is a joy stick, power button, horn and speed buttons. The other arm has a small pouch attached for things like keys, a phone, wallet, and/or treats. For the first few lessons, mommy usually has the chair already turned on, so all we have to focus on is the joy stick.

Me was purretty young when mommy first started mes training, but me still had very large furry paws. Mommy had learned while training sis Lexi and her then brofur Lucky, that the wheelchair needed some padding if she hoped to avoid damaging walls, doors and furniture. So mommy cut up some foam pieces and attached them to the arms and foot rest. And in the pouch she placed a bag of our favorite freeze dried chicken breast treats. Mommy tries to avoid first thing in the morning training because she can’t move everything (legs, arms, etc.). So one afternoon, mommy got all set for mes training session, and it went something like this.

Bigify to see teeth marks

Mommy sat down in the wheelchair that had been moved to the bedroom facing the bathroom. This is the shortest distnce and straightest line we have to drive. What could go wrong, right? Then she began calling for me to join her. Me was familiar with the wheelchair since it had been a part of mommys life from the day me came to live with her. So naturally me ran straight to mommy and jumped up in her lap. The newly attached foam had all mes attention. Me was sniffin’ each piece and even put the bitey on one of them. Of course that’s not what mommy had intended so, she gently moved me further into her lap and positioned me with mes head over the control panel where the joy stick resides. Mommy had already turned the power button on and turned the speed down to it’s lowest setting.

Mommy then gently pushed mes head over to the joy stick and tickled mes chin and nose so me would open mes mouth. And then she gently pushed mes open mouth down on the joy stick and said, “Bite”. Hmmmmm Really? Bite? Hasn’t mommy been telling me Not to Bite everything? And now she wants me to Bite? Whatever. Me bit down on the joy stick but nothing happened. Me wasn’t sure what was suppose to happen, but nothing did. So, me let go of the joy stick and started to turn to look at mommy. Well, while maneuvering meself to turn around, mes big ole furry kitty paw landed on the speed button. Of course neither mommy or me was aware of this until, mes other big ole furry paw pushed the joystick forward. Now mind you, all of this happened in just a few short seconds, not the slow motion it sounds like now. Anyways, what happened next is the very reason for those foam bumper pads mommy had attached to the chair earlier.

Me had one front paw and one back paw in mommys lap and one back paw on the arm of the chair and the other front paw pushing against the joy stick. And before mommy could even say mes name, we bolted across the room and ran right smack dab into the chest of drawers sitting next to the bathroom door. Yep, we ran right into that big ole chest. Me jutted forward and then back against mommy as we made an abrupt stop due to the size of the chest we had just hit. Mes eyes were as big as dinner plates and mommys dropped jaw was still over by the bed where we had started. Sis Lexi came running down the hall towards us from her spying place right around the corner. Me gathered meself together and jumped over the back of the chair and zoomed down the hall towards sis Lexi. Head on collision in the hallway. Once me made it to the end of the hall me sat down, looked around and started bathing meself as if me had planned it all. Me could hear mommy hollerin’ ‘bout how much she luvved me and how purroud of me she was, but me wasn’t ready fur any hugs and snuggles, so me stayed put. Gotta remember to reward our actions. Altho’ things didn’t go as planned, me had “driven” the chair.

Once mommy gathered her dropped jaw and moved the chair back into position, she began to call for me again. Sis Lexi had taken up a safe position on the bed to oversee mes training. Reluctantly me headed back down the hall towards mommy and the kitty killing wheelchair. Okay so maybe the chair didn’t kill any kitties and maybe no kitty was actually even harmed, but it sounded good didn’t it?. Anyways, me jumped on the bed with sis Lexi and meowed with her a bit. A frustrated mommy finally reached into the pouch and brought out the hidden bag of freeze dried chicken breast treats. Of course sis Lexi and me were both in her lap faster than that chair could move.

While mommy fumbled around opening the treat bag, sis Lexi and me clamored back and forth to see who would get the first treat. Of course during this time, both of us kept stepping all over the wheelchairs’ control panel turning the chair off and on, off and on, and honking the horn. And then of course the moment came when the stray paw pushed the joy stick. It could’ve been a stray butt too, but we’re sticking with the stray paw. It just so happened that the chair was on and again at full speed. Can you guess what happened next? Yep, away we went. The treat bag went flying and so did sis Lexi. Let me tell ya’, in her day, she sure did love her some treats. Mommy and me came to an abrupt halt when we hit the side of the bathtub. Mommy has seen it coming but all too fast to stop it. At least she was able to grab hold of me and held on tight so me didn’t get thrown into the bathtub. When we came to a stop, mommy looked at me and said, “This is why, you’re to calmly drive the wheelchair with your mouth Dezi, and not your paws.” At that moment me could care less what we were supposed to do. All me wanted was down and at those treats sis Lexi was now gobbling up.

It’s gonna be mines turn next.

Well, there ya’ have it, wheelchair driving 101. Fur all of you dat think we just magically know what to do da furst time, well, dat just ain’t true. After 2 crashes in less than an hour, mommy halted trainin’ fur da day. Oh we’d be at it again da day after and da day after dat. Cuz ‘member, trainin’ is all ‘bout repetition. We’re still takin’ questions, so ifin ya’ have somethin’ ya’ wanna know or hear ‘bout, just let us know. Ifin we don’t get any questions befur next week, we’ll pick up where we left off here. ‘Member to check out our purrevious Service Cat postys by clickin’ on da links below. Me’s gonna go see ‘bout getting’ some treats right now, so me hopes you all enjoyed readin’ mes story.

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

Dezi: Vibrant Blue

Mommy A: Black

Luv and Hugs and Kitty Kisses

Deztinee and RaenaBelle

Service Cats

What to Look For Training Foundations Train Kitty to Massage

Smelling Disease Do You Need One Who Bears the Cost

Housing Laws and Exceptions Accommodations and Common Sense

When the Handler Dies? Proper Training Methods Pt. 1 & Pt. 2

Easiest Task to Train? Getting Kitty Ready for an Outing

Discipline: Stop Countersurfing Kitty Internal Disputes

Calling Emergency Help Just What is Kitty Capable of

Shad: Original Service Cat Harness or Vest, Leash or Stroller

Service Cats: Harness or Vest, Leash or Stroller

Published on November 7, 2016 by Service Cats U.S.40 Comments

Well, it’s Service Cat Monday and time fur another infurmational, educational posty. We’ve answered most of da trainin’ questions ya’ll have asked. We’re goin’ to address da last one we received by e-mail today. ‘Bout a week ago mommy was talkin’ with one of our awnties who was askin’ ‘bout Raena and how her trainin’ was comin’ along. She expressed her “glee” in hearin’ ‘bout Raena’s drivin’ abilities. Now some of ya’ are fairly new to our bloggy and don’t have a clue why she would be “gleeful”. After all, our Service Cat posts have been very serious. Sure, me slipped a teensy bit of humor in each posty, but fur da most pawrt they were all serious business. Now, me specifically chose da word “glee” to describe her feelings cuz it means, open delight or purrleasure. She recalled to mommy some of da funny postys ‘bout me’s trainin’ sessions. And she asked mommy ifin she thought Raena would be more or less comical than me.

Of course, mommy can’t really answer dat question, cuz each kitty is different; and even usin’ da same trainin’ methods, each kitty will respawnd differently. Anyways, me got to meowin’ with mommy ‘bout this and ifin we don’t get anymore questions, then we thought it would be good to post a few of mes old trainin’ stories so you’ll know what kind of fun we’re in fur here at casa High. While trainin’ is serious business, there is fun to be had. Mommy says you have to remember to keep kitty innerested, and dat means ya’ can’t always be serious. Anyways, let’s get on with today’s posty. As with all our educational posts da following will be in human English. And ifin you’ve missed any posts in this series, purrlease click on da links at da bottom of this post.

So this week we received an email that asked about Service Animal “Vests” and our ability to perform our tasks from inside a stroller. This reader also asked why, if we’re harness and leashed trained, would we need the stroller? Let’s first talk about the “Vests/Harness”.

The Service Animal Vest can be purchased from many different places, including those agencies that certify/register Service Animals. (While researching for this post we found Service Animal Vests at several places including Walmart, and ranging in price from $8.00 to $150.00.) All of these agencies, including the reputable ones, charge a fee for registration. Sometimes those fees do include a Vest, but most often Vests are available to purchase for an additional charge. But remember, certification/registration is not required by law and is totally voluntary. Another thing to remember is that only dogs trained for a few specific tasks are even recognized by the ADA as Service Animals. Many years ago when all species could be recognized, sis Lexi was certified/registered and had a Vest. Neither the Registration or Vest made her any more of a Service Cat than me without them. And it didn’t stop people from asking what she did and how. The Service Animal Vest is merely an early visual signal to those around that an animal is trained to perform some life saving task for their handler and that you shouldn’t do anything to distract that animal. There are also decals, cards, stickers and other items one can purchase to display as well.

Now, why a stroller instead of us kitties walkin’ alongside mommy on our leashes? First we’ll say that mommy is so grateful that she has us and can have us accompany her wherever she goes. Altho’ mommy thinks some people scream “allergies” and don’t really have them, she respects others’ rights. And as much as mommy loves us, she doesn’t want to eat our fur, or anybody else’s for that matter. No matter how comfortable an animal may be in public, we are going to shed and our furs are going to float about until they land on something. And altho’ we are fairly large kitties, we are still much smaller than most rushing peeps, store buggies, etc.. Inside the stroller we are safe from handsy small peeps, careless phone chatting shoppers, diseases and filth on floors and parking lots that we could spread to mommy or each other and disease carrying insects and other animals. The stroller allows mommy to get her business done without having to worry about our safety. While out in the public, mommy doesn’t need a massage or to be helped out of the shower. She doesn’t need us to answer the phone or bring it to her. The thing mommy needs from us in public is to alert her before a Syncope incident.

Now, we want to make certain everybody understands what Syncope is. Mommy does not have seizures. The definition of Syncope is: A sudden loss of consciousness. Mommy hates for this to happen in public and does everything she can to avoid it. But the possibility always exists, so having us with her makes a world of difference. Being in the stroller allows us to be near mommy, while keeping our furs away from those who might find a kittys presence offensive. The material that makes up the stroller allows us to still see and smell any changes in mommys body chemistry and her to be able to see and hear us alerting her. There’s no big obtrusive scene being played out to draw attention to us. Most people don’t even notice our presence unless we’re standing in line or waiting for someone or something. Most people who truly have need of a Service Animal aren’t trying to draw attention to themselves or the animal. The stroller is very convenient for us, but it also allows us to respect the rights of others.

Well, we do hope this has cleared up any confusion about “Vests” and “Strollers”. We are in no way knocking the Service Animal Vest, but they’re not required by law. And because there’s no uniform code or governing body over these agencies, they don’t always guarantee the animal wearing them is actually a properly trained Service Animal.

Lessen we get anymore questions ‘tween now and next week, our next Service Animal Monday post will be a look back on some of mes comical wheelchair training. We’re getting ready fur Raenas training soon. Mommy’s already started cutting up some foam bumper pads in purr-purration. It is stormin’ here and our comments on WordPress hosted blogs are still goin’ to ya’ll’s spam folders. We would ask dat you purrlease check your spam folders fur us and approve our purrevious comments. There’s a couple blogs dat have done so and our comments are now showin’ up again on their posts. Mommy, Raena and me would like to remind all Americans to purrlease go out and VOTE tomorrow. We know a lot of you voted early, but fur those dat haven’t, tomorrow’s da day. We’re purrayin’ fur our Country, may Freedom continue to reign. God Bless America!!!

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Is dinner ready yet?

I’s luvs this toy.

Take dat you ole box you.

This brown tree in da dining room is just da right size

fur a kitten like me.

I’s not leavin’ your side mommy. I’s’ll go wherever

you go.

Just let me have a little nappy furst.

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

Luv and Hugs and Kitty Kisses

Deztinee and RaenaBelle

Service Cats

When the Handler Dies Proper Training Methods Pt. 1 & Pt. 2

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Ifin ya’ can’t have a little fun with it, then kitty will quickly get bored and lose interest.

You never know exactly what kitty’s gonna do when trying to train them to do something totally foreign to them.

Most kitties are afraid of moving chairs initially, so whatever their initial reaction, you can be assured it’s gonna be funny.

And lastly, ifin ya’ can’t laff at yourself, then…well, so go on and have a laff on me.

As with all our educational postys da following will be written in human English. No kitty is ever harmed during wheelchair training. Ifin you’ve missed any of da posts in this series, you can ketch up by clicking on da links at da bottom of this posty.