Tag: Raena

Did You Say Garfield

Published on by Service Cats U.S.30 Comments

Meowllo everypawdy, it’s finally Furiday. Today we’re gonna talk ‘bout our pawdee boxes. Yep dat’s right, me said our pawdee boxes. Your all wonderin’ why, cuz you know me likes me’s purrivacy, and we haven’t told ya’ anythin’ ‘bout Raena’s pawdee box habits. Well, let me ‘splain. We recently got to try a new litter, and well ya’ know litter goes in pawdee boxes. Most of ya’ know dat we’ve tried a few litters but we always go back to da same thing mommy’s been usin’ fur over 20 years. So, let me tell ya’ ‘bout this new litter we tried. And stay tuned, cuz 7 Pets is lettin’ me have a mega pawsum give away. 

 Dezi on shower chair

Furst, let me tell ya’ ‘bout little Raena’s pawdee box habits. Or should me say, lack of. You know we told ya’ dat when mommy picked her up she and da place reeked of urine. Mommy was told dat she was usin’ da cheapest nastiest litter on da market, altho’ mommy didn’t see any such pawdee box anywhere. Never fear, mommy’s never had a kitty turn their nose up at our regular litter. Well guess what? Raena used da piddle pad ‘stead of da pawdee box. Oh she got in da pawdee box alright, but stead of doin’ her business, she wanted to play. Yuck Can you ‘magine a kitty playin’ in da pawdee box? Disssssgustin’!!!

 Raena enjoys her first boxRaena laying on the Garfield Cat litter in box

   It was clean sissy. What’s so disgustin’ ‘bout dat?

Oh Raena, clean or not, ya’ don’t play where ya’, well, you know.

   But I didn’t, you know, so it was like a clean sand box. 

Whatever Raena.

Anyways, mommy finally got Raena to use da pawdee box so when it came time to try da new litter, she got a bit nervous. You know, was she gonna turn back da clock to when Raena wouldn’t use da pawdee box? Would me refuse to use da pawdee box? Mommy shouldn’t have worried so much. After all, with a name like Garfield Cat Litter, what self respectin’ cat wouldn’t like it?. Since mommy was a bit nervous she decided to add da Garfield Cat litter to our regular litter and mix it up. So she opened a bag of da Ultra Clump Grand and poured it over the top of our regular litter. Befur mommy could get da scoop to mix it up, Raena stuck her nose in to check it out. Me was checkin’ out da bag. So mommy grabbed da camera and started snap, snap, snappin’ away. And did you know Raena didn’t even care dat mommy was takin’ fotos? Dat’s right, she jumped in da pawdee box and went wee with da flashy box just a flashin’. No shame, me tells ya’, no shame.

 Raena chaecking out the Garfield Cat litter

   I needed to go sissy. And besides, I haves enuff furs to hide mines girly pawrts. And mommy says we Ragdolls squat till we touch da litter.

 Raena using the litter box

Yeah, whatever Raena.

Well, me waited till mommy put da camera away befur me went and took care of business. But me did go right after. Me likes da new litter. It’s not hard on da paws and it’s not so lightweight dat me sinks to da bottom of da box. It doesn’t have any smell and it clumps well and is flushable. It’s made from natural plant- based renewable ingredients and has natural odor control. Garfield Cat litter comes in 2 textures. Da furst is called Bio Ultra Clump Grand. Da litter granules are about da size of regular corn, wheat or clay litter. Da other size is called Bio Ultra Clump Tiny. Da tiny is almost da texture of sand. It also has no scent, can support da weight of a big kitty, is clumping and flushable. We didn’t notice any dust when mommy poured it in our boxes and there’s no sign of it on da floor. Da granules are a white to milky color. Because there’s no actual color to da litter, it can help monitor any changes in your cat’s urine. So me gives da Garfield Cat litter 4 paws up. Obviously Raena does too. So what about mommy?

 Raena looking at the Garfield cat litter

Raena looking at the Garfield Cat litter

I love it too girls. Of course I love anything that ya’ll like and will use. But even when I was pouring it into the litter boxes I was hoping ya’ll would like it, because there wasn’t any perfumey smells or dust smacking me in the face. And I really like that it’s not all over the floor. Altho’ it clumps really well it doesn’t seem to stick to ya’ll’s fur either. I really like that I can monitor any urine changes; and of course my favorite thing is that it’s flushable. So two thumbs up from me. We’ll be getting more Garfield Clumping Litter.

 Dezi on shower chair watching Raena use the litter box

Thanks mommy. So now we get to da bestest pawrt. Da wonderful peeps over at 7 Pets are allowing me to give away 2 bags each to 5 U.S. residents. Dat’s right, 5 of you living in da U.S. will be trying out the Garfield Clumping Litter in your own pawdee boxes soon. You can choose between da Ultra Clump Grand or Ultra Clump Tiny. You’ll get 2 bags of your choice.

 

 

Enter Here

Me’s gonna wrap it up now and head on over to Rascal and Rocco’s fur da Pet Parade. Everypawdy enter da give away and enjoy your weekend. 

Do you wish it were easier to monitor your cats urine?

Do you prefer scented or non scented litter? 

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

Disclaimer: We were compensated for writing this post. However, all opinions are our own. We only bring products we use or have tried ourselves and feel would be of interest to you our readers and friends.

Luv and hugs and Kitty Kisses

Deztinee and RaenaBelle 

Service Cats: How To Train Kitty To Massage Without Claws

Published on by Service Cats U.S.53 Comments

Well meowllo and welcome to another installment of our Service Cat Picking and Training Series. As with all our educational postys this will be written in da human English. Altho’ we will give you tips fur training and will post about RaenaBelle’s training, our posts are not intended to be an all encompassing training manual. Training is tedious and repetitious and doesn’t happen overnight, so keep that in mind befur you decide to take on the training of a Service cat. Ifin you missed any part of this series you can ketch up by clicking on the links below.

Picking a Service Cat Part 1

Foundations of Training Part 2 

 Dezi looks smugly from atop the Liberty cat tree

Now we got a few questions we would like to answer. And we also want to say thank you for your questions. The first question we want to address is the age of the kitten we started with. Several of you mentioned that particular breeders don’t let kittens go to their furever homes till they’re around 16 weeks old. That’s fine. The age doesn’t matter so long as training begins the moment the kitten is in your home. Mommy starts the scent me up game as soon as she picks the kitty up. We chose a younger age because that’s what we’re working with and when adopting from shelters one often finds kittens under the age of 12 weeks old. We will say the younger the kitten is, the quicker the kitten will adjust to your schedule and lifestyle. But don’t let the age of the kitten or cat dictate everything. The most important factor is the bond you develop or already have with the kitten/cat.

 Raena laying by the Kong play tent

Now, the next question we want to answer is: How much will the new kitten pick up from the resident Service Cat (ie: me, Dezi. cuz it was asked specifically about us) If like us, you already have one Service cat, they will be a huge help in the training of the new Service cat. Like children, kittens want to emulate the older cat.

An example of this: Raena can smell the chemical changes in mommy’s body before a syncope incident, and by watching me alert mommy to sit down, causes her to want to do the same. So the next time she smells that change, she knows she should take action. It’s like clicker training if you will; it’s like the clicker going off telling her to respond. We also need to clear up some confusion about Syncope. Syncope is a fancy medical term for passing out/losing consciousness. Mommy Does Not have seizures of any kind. There are several reasons that mommy passes out, and she tries to avoid those that are caused by actions, but she does have to continue to live. Those times that are not caused by actions are just unavoidable, so having an alert is very helpful. Mommy says it’s so nice not to find herself on the floor and all bruised up or with a crowd of people all around blocking her air.

 Raena grabbing for Dezi's tail on the Liberty cat tree.

The last thing we want to talk about today is Kitty Massage. DO  NOT  DECLAW  KITTY!!!  Please know we are Not passing judgement as mommy had done it in the past when she was young and ignorant. BUT, it’s not necessary. A lot of you talk about how your cats like to “make biscuits”. Kneading is as natural to a cat as purring, and can be focused and trained for massage. Altho’ Ragdolls are known to be soft pawed, we can still get excited and the claws will come out. So mommy needs to train us to keep those claws in. We massage her head and body everyday. And yes, Raena is already learning to focus her kneading to specific areas. Altho’ she’s smart and tried to massage mommy’s head her first day here. As training progresses with Raena, we will try to get better photos. Altho’ some photos will never be taken because of the circumstances surrounding the trained behavior. We will of course inform you of those times.

 Dezi and Raena laying on the Liberty Cat Tree

Anyways, with kitty on your lap or laying next to you, initiate the kneading process. You know what gets your kitty to knead. Mommy generally uses cooing and petting. It’s that sweet talk to kitty telling them how much she loves us and how pretty we are, etc. That gets us going everytime. At first kitty generally keeps their claws in. It’s once they get a little excited that the claws start coming out. Mommy quietly says “ouch” and gently taps kitty’s paw with one finger only and says “No Claws”. This is repeated until the claws are retracted. It’s important that you not scream, jump, hit or get frustrated. When kitty retracts, mommy says how much she loves us and how blest she is to have us and what a great job we do. Eventually, kitty will learn to keep the claws in and the kneading becomes more of a pushing instead of the traditional push and pull. Once this behavior is learned you can start to focus it on specific areas. We’ll talk more about that in a future post.

Dezi and Raena playing patty cake

You’ve all been waiting to see our patty cake game photos. Sorry it’s not great, but here it is.

Me’s gonna wrap it up now. We hope we’ve answered your questions. Purrlease leave any additional questions in da comments; or ifin we didn’t answer your question clearly let us know. We don’t know what or how much you all want to read here, so we’re just kind of playing it by ear. Altho’ mommy has started Raena’s training, she’s still to small for a lot of things. She can learn massage at her current size and learn to obey (come when called, stay, lay, be quiet, etc.) and to alert, but not much else. So let us know if there are specifics you’re interested in hearing about. Now, mommy’s case manager is comin’ by today. And da girl mommy was gonna hire to help her ‘round da house fell thru so we’s gotta run some more ads; so we’ll be by to visit as soon as we can.

Are you (humans: have you) trained to do anything particular?

What incentive do you want (do you give)?

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

Luv and Hugs and Kitty Kisses

Deztinee and RaenaBelle     

Service Cat: What To Look For

Published on by Service Cats U.S.46 Comments

Meowllo everypawdy, welcome to miserable Monday. It’s not miserable, we just like callin’ it that cuz it’s da end of da weekend. Anyways, you ask and we’re gonna tell. Today’s posty will be in the human English flavor so it can be translated and/or easily read by anybody as it’s one of me’s educational postys. We were asked many times while searchin’ for a new kitty just what qualities or traits would make a good Service kitty? Is there a particular breed that is predisposed to being good Service kitties? And we’ve been asked many times, “I already have a cat at home, can she be trained as a Service Cat for me/my child/etc.”. And we even had an application turned down by a rescue who didn’t want their kitties to be working cats. We don’t blame the rescue, we blame ignorance. But me will save that for part 2.

 Dezi close up on arm of chair

Now remember Service Animals are different than Therapy Animals, Companion Animals and Pets. For a complete description please see our Service Animal page in the menu tab or click here. And Please, DO NOT pass off your Therapy animal, Companion animal or Pet as a Service Animal. And remember, there are always exceptions to every rule. You are dealing with living, breathing, thinking sentient beings. The amount of time you spend with an animal will also play a role in their personality. Alright, let’s jump into this.

Let’s answer the last question first. Mommy believes any cat can be trained. So, if you already have a cat that you are bonded too, then YES, he/she can be trained as a Service Cat. The operative word is “Bonded”. A cat will be most closely bonded with it’s primary caregiver. If you don’t have a cat or aren’t bonded with the cat in your home then we do recommend getting a kitten. Kittens have very short attention spans, and see training as an adventure. We recommend adopting a kitten under the age of 8 months. For the purpose of this article we are going to focus on a young kitten between the ages of 6 to 8 weeks.

 Dezi in her work harness on cat ledge

So, you’ve decided you need a Service animal and you want it to be a cat. Keep in mind cats are fairly small animals so there are limits to what they can do. Don’t expect your Service Cat to perform tasks contrary to their nature or size. Also keep in mind that the ADA doesn’t recognize them as Service Animals. For the full definition please see our Service Animal page. Okay, you’ve thought it over, looked into the laws (state/country and federal) and you’ve determined a cat is the right animal for your needs; where do you find one? Most likely you will have to train the kitten yourself, so decide what training method you want to use and Be Faithful with it. Training is repetition, day in and day out. You can find your Service Kitty in Training anywhere. Rescues, shelters, breeders and neighborhood strays are where you start. We do not recommend ferals or semi-ferals as too much training time is lost just getting kitty to trust humans.  

Things to keep in mind when searching for your Service Cat:

  • How big will kitty be when he/she grows up?

  • Is kitty chatty or quiet? 

  • Does kitty appear to be outgoing and confident or shy and withdrawn?

  • Will you need kitty to travel outside your home to perform his/her duties?

  • Does kitty have long fur or short?

  • If long, can you provide daily grooming?

  • Does kitty appear healthy? Get kitty checked by a VET ASAP after adopting!

 

Knowing a little about the breed of kitty will help answer some of these questions. Remember, breed profiles can tell you a lot, but kitty’s environment will also play a role in kitty’s personality. For instance, Oriental breeds like Siamese are known to be very vocal and slender. Persians, while beautiful, have very long fur that requires a lot of maintenance. The generic Tabby cat is known to be hardy with few health issues. So it’s best to check breed profiles before you start your physical search. Knowing what tasks you need kitty to perform will help determine which kitty would be right for you and fit into your home and lifestyle. A mixed kitty will exhibit some of the traits of it’s purebred ancestors, so use some common sense and choose the best fit for your needs. Or better yet, let kitty choose you.

CFA Cat breed chart

We were asked if Ragdolls made better Service kitties than other breeds. The general answer is No. Sis Lexi was one of mommy’s best Service Cats and she wasn’t a Ragdoll at all. And mommy didn’t start her search looking for a Ragdoll, that’s just where we ended up. God had a plan and Raena is it. For the tasks mommy needs performed, Ragdolls do make an excellent choice because of our size and we are considered “soft pawed”. That means we don’t use our claws. Since one of the tasks mommy needs is massage, she says it’s nice to not have claws digging into her head and body. For those of you who are new to our blog, mommy has had several Service kitty’s thru’ the years. The first was Shad, a Persian, and then Devon the Himalayan, sis Lexi a Mau, Lucky, a Siamese mix, and Ransom, a Ragamuffin. Mommy says the best Service kitty is the kitty who wants to be with you. 

 Raena on brown cat tree

So, you need kitty to accompany you outside the home. Look for a confident and outgoing kitty. By confident and outgoing we don’t mean the one that’s bouncing off the walls, but rather a kitty that seems to be interested in new things and curious but also enjoys quiet time with you. Altho’ you can train shy kitty to be outgoing and confident, it’s easier for most people to just start with one. A Service animal must be under the control of their handler at all times and may not disturb others while performing their tasks. So while kitty is in public there must be no excessive meowing, hissing, scratching, trying to escape, etc.. Kitty must also be leash trained and comfortable in their harness. We highly recommend a pet stroller if kitty needs to accompany you. Kitty stays safe but still has access to you. We are very capable of alerting mommy to a Syncope incident from inside the stroller.

Mommy is home with us 24 hours a day so she doesn’t really look for specifics cuz she knows that kitty will act a bit differently in our home than it does in a rescue, shelter or breeders house. And she has been training animals, specifically cats for many years. We Do Not recommend the hybrid breeds like Savannahs, Bengals, etc. for Service Cats. Altho’ they are very smart and easily trainable, generally people with disabilities don’t have the ability or space to properly take care of them. Sex isn’t important as your Service kitty should be spayed or neutered at the appropriate age. Kitty will also be required to be up to date on their vaccinations if they accompany you outside the home. And please inform the rescue, shelter or breeder that you intend to train kitty to be a Service cat.

 Raena licks lips atop the Liberty Cat tree

ConCats, you’ve found the perfect kitty and brought he/she home. What in the world do you do now? Where do you start? Mommy calls this time “Bonding with Kitty” time. At 6 to 8 weeks, kitty is too small to really to do much; but during this time you can build a strong relationship with kitty and focus some of their natural behaviors that you will turn into tasks later. Mommy prefers a love reward system as opposed to treats simply because there are tasks we are required to perform where treats would be impossible to get to. And because unlike dogs, cats aren’t ruled by their tummies. This is why bonding is so important. Don’t get me wrong, mommy does employ treat training on occasion, but usually for those really complicated and detailed tasks.

Well me thinks me will wrap it up fur today and let ya’ digest all of this. We will cover the bonding process and turning instinct into tasks next time. If ya’ have any questions about what we’ve covered today or about choosing, training, or Service cats in general, leave them in the comments and we will get them answered in a following post.

 Dezi and Raena together

On the newsy side, we have 2 pawsum digital cameras, thank you awnties; but the memory cards are full. Because of the nature of catputers and crashin’ mommy refuses to erase said cards because they contain fotos of sis Lexi. So until we can afford to buy more memory cards we won’t be posting any “new” fotos or videos. We hate this as much as you do cuz Raena is growin’ like a weed and we’re in the getting comfortable stage of our relationship. But alas, no money means no money and Raena has to go to da VET fur her furst round of kitty vacs this Furiday.

Do you have any questions about today’s posty?

Is there something you would like us to expand on? 

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

Luv and Hugs and Kitty Kisses

Dezi and RaenaBelle    

Blest Sunday: Happy Father’s Day

Published on by Service Cats U.S.37 Comments

Hey Ya’ll it’s RaenaBelle. I’s been watchin’ mommy and sis Dezi write on this big box by punchin’ these little keys and so I thought I’d give it a try. Mommy’s been really busy this weekend makin’ copies and doin’ paperwork. She says it has somethin’ to do with our lease and havin’ somewhere to live fur da next year. And there was some really loud booms yesfurday and late last night so sis Dezi made herself scarce. I didn’t understand why she ran off and I couldn’t find her anywhere. So hijackin’ this thing they call a blog seemed like da right thing to do. (Looks around for Dezi)

 

Raena atop the Liberty Cat Tree
Yep, I’s on da very tippy top. Mommy says dat’s Dezi’s spot, but I’s say, she wasn’t here.

 

Anyways, mommy and Dezi told me it was Sunday and dat meant church day. This is mines second church day with mommy and sis Dezi. I sure do like church. Mommy sings and really seems to enjoy herself. And she tells us dat we are really blest to have each other. Well let me tell you…nopawdy has to tell this kitty girl dat I’s blest.

 Raena!!! What are you doin’ on me’s bloggy? 

Dezi atop the Liberty Cat tree

This is me’s spot on da Cat tree.

 

 

Your bloggy? Mommy said it was Our bloggy. 

Oh yeah? Well do you see your name anywhere in da title? 

 Raena licking lips atop the Liberty cat tree

Now girls, let’s be nice. What have I told ya’ll about sharing?

 Sharin’ is carin’, and… (Raena cuts Dezi off and chimes in) 

 Sisfurs don’t fight. ‘Specially on Blest Sunday.

(Dezi says under her breath) Kiss up. (Dezi exhales and smiles) Well, RaenaBelle why don’t you tell everypawdy ‘bout our blessings this week then.

 Raena looks out the door from the Liberty cat tree

Fank you sis Dezi I would luvs to. You and mommy say we have lots of wonderful furiends who luvs us. And dat includes me even tho’ they haven’t knowed me very long. Dat’s a big ole blessin’. And I’s fur sure blest to have you and mommy. Ya’ll saved me and I’s luvs mines furever home and you and mommy very much. I’s luvs all da pawsum toys and cat trees we have and da yummy noms mommy gives us. I’s luvs dat nip and da vine too. Dat’s some good stuffs. By da way Dezi, how offen do we get dat stuffs? I could go fur some of dat every day.

 Raena in a heart on a clothes line saying Happy Father's day

Thanks Raena, you did a purretty good job. As fur da nip, no, we don’t get it every day ‘xcept what’s in da nip stuffed toys.

 Dezi in a frame with a tie saying Happy Father's Dat

Today isn’t just Blest Sunday tho’, it’s also Father’s Day. Of course you all know we don’t have an actual father. Mommy has to be our mommy and daddy, and let me tell ya’ she does a great job. But we do have some pawsum uncles and furiends and we would like to wish ya’ll and all da daddy’s out there a Happy Happy Father’s day. Father’s are those very special men dat decide to take pawrt in your life and luv you and purrtect and care fur you no matter what. They may be related by biology or not at all. But they are da stand up guys da you can always count on. Ifin there’s a special man in your life, be sure and tell him how much you luv and ‘purreciate him today and every day. Fur those of ya’ like us, dat only have one pawrent, let them know they’re doin’ a great job. We never know what da future holds, so don’t let a day go by without givin’ thanks fur da many blessings in your life.

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

Dezi = Blue  

Raena = Teal

Luv and Hugs and Kitty Kisses

Dezi and Raena