Service Cats: The Rest of the Story

Hey, are ya’ll there? It’s me, RaenaBelle. I’s getting to write mines furst Service Cat Monday posty. Don’t worry, it’ll be in human English, like all our educational postys. And ifin you’ve missed any, you can check them out by clicking the links at the bottom of this post. Today is a continuation of Furidays’ post when I’s accompanied mommy to Ardmore to the dentist. And we also received a question from awnty Jeanne, Purrseidons’ mommy. The answer to her question will actually occur naturally in todays’ posty. So you’ll know, her question was, “What does mommy do when we alert her to the fact that she’s gonna pass out?” Basically, what are we expectin’ mommy to do?. So, let’s get to it.

Raena lays on the small cat perch

We left off with mommy sitting at the business office desk getting told the cost of what needed to be done. You know the dentist had already told her what needed to be done, so now we were finding out how much all that was gonna cost. We’d been in the office for over an hour at this point and mommy was a little on the warm side. ‘Course she’s been running a fever now for a couple of weeks, so it could have been that, or that the temp outside was actually 72° and they had the heat on. Whatever it was, mommy says she almost passed out when the lady gave her the paper with the breakdown of the costs. I’s told mommy I didn’t sense that at all. She said it was okay, cuz it was a different kind of passing out that sometimes humans do when given really bad news. Mommy says similar actions could be a falling out of the chair, or pulling your hair out. Anyways, payment is due at the time of services, so mommy gathered those ugly photos of her and the estimate papers and we left.

 Raena lays in mommys lap

Now you all know we live in a really small town that doesn’t have anything. Sis Dezi says they posted a video of our town a while back. So anytime mommy goes into Ardmore, she tries to make a day of it and stop off at Wally World and maybe the new Ulta store. Mommy loves beauty products. She used to be a licensed Cosmetologist. That means she did hair and makeup. She doesn’t wear makeup most days cuz she says she can’t afford it; but she’s got some for special occasions. The dentist wasn’t one of those occasions. Anyways, part of my training is learning to focus and be invisible when in public surrounded by the crazies. That means I can’t be singing the song of my peeps or clawing at the stroller trying to get out, or doing anything in general to draw attention to myself. Mommy says I was the perfect Service Cat while we were at the dentist. I laid quietly in the stroller and watched over mommy. Now came the real test.

 

The last time I had been with mommy in Walmart was after my spay day, and I was still a little groggy from having surgery. This time I was wide awake and alert as a hawk over a kill. We finally found a parking space and mommy got me unloaded and locked up the car. We headed for the doors and I could hear peeps saying, “Is that a…that’s a cat!!!” The wind was really whoopin’ around so I stood up and looked through the top opening at mommy. She said everything was okay, and I’s laid back down. Once inside, I could smell all kinds of things. And let me tell ya’, it was loud. There was a lot of peeps inside the store, and it seems all of them were talking at the same time. Mommy grabbed her a ride and bungeed me to her and off we went.

 Raena lays in the stroller

It seemed like we went down every aisle. Mommy says it was to expose me to every thing and every possible situation she could. There were some situations that’s for sure. We encountered a few older ladies that wanted to ooh and ahh over me and chat with mommy about what I’s do for her. We also ran into a mean man that purposely bumped into my stroller and mumbled on about how mommy shouldn’t be bringing a kitty to the store. I stood up and wanted to give him the hiss of disapproval, but mommy said calmly and quietly, “It’s okay Raena, lay back down.” I settled down just in time to be met with sticky little humans running up and down the aisles and squealing at the top of their lungs. And then it happened…they saw me. One of those sticky humans came over and put their hands on my stroller and another went running off hollering for its’ mommy.

 

Apparently this was a test. A test mommy says I passed with flying colors. I didn’t see any colors fly, but I did remain quiet and laying in my stroller; even when the sticky little human started slapping my stroller all I did was look up through the top of the stroller at mommy. Mommy quietly but sternly told that sticky little human to stop and go find his mother. And mommy drove us out of the toy department. I think it was more stressful for her than me. MOL  We wandered around the store a bit longer, and then went to the front of the store to stand in a line with other humans. Everybody in front of us turned to look at me and started cooing and talking about how well behaved I was. Seeing that we only had a loaf of bread and some treats, one of the nice ladies let us “cut in line”. And then we were off again, heading for the car.

 Raena alerts

Hmmmmmm What’s that smell? Ooooooh mommy’s gonna pass out, I thought to myself. So I stood up and started meowing and patting at the stroller. “Mommy, you need to sit down, you’re gonna pass out,” I mewed. Mommys’ hobble sped up and we reached the car. Once there, mommy opened the door and sat down and put her head between her legs and started taking deep breaths. Well, as deep as she can. She’s been having some extra breathing problems since her teeth got infected. Anyways, we sat there for what seemed like forever, but mommy was able to push (breath through) the episode away and get me loaded into the car again. Mommy says she had wanted to go by Ulta, but decided it was best if we headed home. She didn’t actually have a reason to go to Ulta, she just likes to see what’s new. But we got all buckled in and headed down the highway to home. Mommy told me how proud of me she was and I chortled my joy.

 

Once we got home I’s couldn’t wait to tell sis Dezi about all my adventures. And tell her how lucky she was to have missed the ordeal with the mean man and sticky little humans. Mommys’ appointment had been early, so she went to do up the breakfast dishes so we’d have clean plates at dinner time. While sissy and me were meowing about my day, we both smelled that familiar scent and headed for the kitchen to alert mommy. We both danced around meowing till mommy sat down. This time mommy said she didn’t really care and in short order she passed out. Sis Dezi and me both jumped in her lap and purred till she came back around. Once she got reoriented she loved on me and Dezi and told us how proud of us she was and how much she loved us. The perfect ending to a perfect day.

 Dezi and Raena chat while laying on the chair

So in answer to the question asked by awnty Jeanne, when we alert, we want mommy to sit down and be aware that there’s a problem. She can often keep from passing out by putting her head between her legs and breathing through it; but not always. And sometimes, she doesn’t worry about it and just lets it happen.

 

Well, that wraps up my mommy and me day out. Mommy says I performed purrfectly; she couldn’t have asked for more. ‘Member. ifin you’ve missed any of our posts, you can check them out by clicking the links below. And you can donate towards mommys dental by either giving to our paypal at: lexi.dezi@yahoo.com or the fundraiser here.

 

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

 

Luvs and Hugs and Kitty Kisses

 

RaenaBelle and Deztinee

Service Cat Monday 

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 and Round We Go

 

Tumble and Fall Response     Raena Calls For Help

Put That Finger In My Mouth and See What Happens

Hey, are ya’ll out there? It’s me, RaenaBelle. I’s sure wish I’s could see ya’ll. Do you wanna see me? What’s that mommy? Oh, okay, we’ll post fotos later so everypawdy will be able to see me. Well, okay then. Let me tell ya’ll ‘bout our crazy week. And furiends…it’s not over yet. While you all be readin’ this very posty, mommy will be chattin’ it up with the DHS nurse ‘bout qualifying to get some help around here. You know mommys doctor would like it ifin mommy quit drivin’. It’s cuz of those passin’ out spells she has. But a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do, mommy says. And till we can find somepawdy who’s willin’ to actually work fur a livin’, then…Well and now mommys gotta prove she still needs help. Anyways, I’s was gonna tell ya’ ‘bout our crazy week so far.

 Raena lays in the stroller

As ya’ know, I’s went with mommy to the doctor on Monday. And it was basically a good trip. Mommys’ back ain’t broke and she’s healin’ up slow and steady. Then came Wednesday and the dreaded dentist ‘pointment. Furst let me just tell ya’, mines harness still fit. And by still fit, I’s mean barely. It did pop open a time or two on Monday, but mommy made it work and said we’d look into getting me a new one. I’s hope she gets me a new Butterfly Cat Jacket. I’d be stylin’ then. Anyways, mommy decided she had the patience to deal with mines trainin’, so I’s got to go with mommy to the dentist.

But let me tell ya’, our house became grand central station ‘bout 10 minutes befur we needed to be walkin’ out the door. Furst the mail lady showed up with a package fur mommy. She had signed up fur some free “fight the wrinkles of old age” samples months ago and they arrived as we were getting all our things together to walk out the door. As soon as mommy laid the envelope down, the doorbell rang. Some neighbor we’ve never met was standin’ at the door askin’ ifin we had any boxes she could have. Somepawdy told her we got a chewy delivery and Christmas prezzies and might pawrt with a box or 2. Guess she don’t mind cat hair, cuz everypawdy knows any box that comes in our house is well luvved. Mommy was able to put the neighbor off and we ran out the door. Okay, maybe we didn’t run, but we were off as fast as mommy can hobble.

 Dezi lays on the arm of the chair

In the car, car started, and…OMC mommy furgot the camera. Mommy hobbled quickly back to the house while me meowed loudly after her. Don’t leave me, I’s meowed. Come back mommy, I’s chortled. Finally, mommy reappeared at the door and hobbled herself back to the car and we were off. And hey, we were only 15 minutes late. Mommy got out her old fashioned cell fone and tried to call and let them know we were runnin’ late. Hmmmpht  They were closed fur lunch. Mommys ‘pointment was at 1 o’clock, right after lunch. So mommy put the fossil of a cell back in her bag and just drove…purrobably a little too fast. But, we made it and only 5 minutes past our ‘pointment time. Aspen Dental was the name of the place. Must have been all that wind blowin’ us all over the place. Least that’s what mommy says. We caught a tail wind to be exact. We settled into the seating area so mommy could fill out the new patient paperwork. When she turned it in, she reaffirmed there would be no charges fur this appointment.

 

 

A few minutes later we were called to the back. Yeah, everypawdy was ohhin’ and ahhin’ over me, but so far, I’s was the purrfect Service Cat. I’s chilled in the stroller keepin’ both eyes on mommy and mines nose in the air. I’s smelled lots of strange things, but no purroblems with mommy. They stuck mommys head in this funny machine that went round and round and took the funniest fotos. Oooooh (shudders) Mommys foto sure looked ugly. Then they moved us to another room and the lady kept stickin’ her fingers and some strange thing in mommys’ mouth. I’s don’t know why mommy didn’t bite that girl. I’s gotta tell ya’, stick your hands in mines mouth like that and watch out. Rrrrrrrroar  Well, many more of those ugly fotos later, and we were off to yet another room.

 Raena bathes while sitting on the perch

The girl with the fingers left us alone and mommy finally reached into her bag to pull out the camera and take a purretty foto of me. “You’ve got to be kidding me!!!”, mommy exclaimed. The batteries were dead. She’d just charged ‘em the day befur, but they just don’t hold a charge like they used too. It didn’t really matter, cuz another girly came walkin’ in the room befur mommy could even get the camera put away. She started shovin’ her fingers in mommys mouth along with something that made mommy nearly jump outta the chair. Then she started ramblin’ on ‘bout cleanings, infection and periodontal disease. With tears streamin’ down her cheeks, and these weren’t the happy ones fur sure; she told girly that she’d never been told she had periodontal disease befur. To which girly replied, “Well that’s why your teeth are hurting. It’s really your gums.” To which mommy snarked, “No honey, it’s the gaping holes and exposed roots that’s makin’ my teeth hurt.” And girly looked at mommy kinda shocked and said, “Well yeah, that too.” And she purromptly left the room.

 

 

I’s chirped and mewed softly fur mommy to feel better and she cooed and told me how purroud of me she was. And then a little short man in a white coat came whooshin’ in and looked at those ugly fotos of mommy. Then he turned ‘round and innerduced himself to mommy. Dr. Luong he said and then he started puttin’ his fingers in mommys’ mouth. I’s gotta tell ya’, I’s so purroud of mommy, she didn’t bite any of those peeps. I’s couldn’t have done it. He poked and pushed mommys teethies and said things to the first girly who couldn’t keep her fingers to herself and took such bad fotos of mommy. Finally, everypawdy kept their hands and fingers to themselves and Dr. Luong talked to mommy. I’s gonna let her tell ya’ what he said.

 Raena bathes while sitting on the perch

Thanks baby. In order to get rid of the pain and infection I currently have, 8 teeth need to be removed on the first appointment (cost varies between $152.00 and $256.00 per tooth). Several of those are broken off so much they require surgery because there’s nothing to grab onto to pull. Of those teeth, 4 are the bottom front teeth. Basically, all I would have left on the bottom of my mouth is a crowned wisdom tooth and my canines. (The crowned wisdom tooth was done over 20 years ago, but is still holding well.) Also included at this appointment would be an immediate partial denture, for a total cost of $3598.00. Then there is 1 root canal and 3 additional teeth with smaller holes that need to be filled ASAP to avoid them becoming infected like the others (cost between $193.00 and $220.00 per tooth). These as well as the few remaining teeth have roots that are deeply implanted in the bone and so he refuses to entertain the idea of full dentures at this time. Also at that appointment would be placement of the permanent partial denture at a total cost of $1662.00. And lastly, they insist I need a cleaning that is done one side of the mouth at a time for a total of 3 appointments and a cost of $1535.00. I’ve never had my teeth cleaned, but of course these numbers sound outrageous to me, and I can’t find anywhere online where these numbers are valid for teeth cleaning. Unfortunately, the rest of the numbers do seem par for the course.

 

 

Fanky fanks mommy, that was too much fur me to ‘member. And I’s tryin’ to furget anyways. All those fingers in the mouth and all. Hmmmpht Just let ‘em put in ‘em mines mouth and see what happens. MOL  Mommy says she nearly passed out when they told her the cost, but I’s didn’t sense it. Mommy says it’s okay, I’s wouldn’t have. Sounds kinda strange to me, but okay. Mommy says anytime you want more money than she makes in a year, she’s gonna pass out. MOL  We did start a fundraiser fur mommy. You can see it here. Ifin you can spare anythin’ we fur sure would purreciate it, but unnerstand ifin ya’ don’t. Mommy really hates to ask since it’s not fur us, but she doesn’t know what else to do. There are fees associated with fundraisers that lessen your donation. But we know that some peeps only want to give thru a fundraiser. Fur all others, if you go to paypal and choose send money to friends or family, there are no fees charged and we will receive the entire donation. Our paypal email is: lexi.dezi@yahoo.com ( lexi (dot) dezi (at) yahoo (dot) com ) Fanky fank you. 

 Dezi lays on the arm of the chair

 

I’s gonna wrap it up now cuz this is a really long posty and fanky fanks to dead camera batteries ya’ don’t even have cool new dentist office fotos to look at. You’ll have to tune in to Service Cat Monday fur the rest of the story. And we’ve got a great question to answer too. We’re joinin’ the weekly Pet Parade.

 

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

 

 

 

Luvs and Hugs and Kitty Kisses

 

RaenaBelle and Deztinee

Service Cats: Will Raena Ever Learn to Drive

Hey Raena, do you know what today is?

Dezi and Raena with nip toy

          Is it another holiday sissy? I’s luvs these holidays; they’re so much fun.

 Raena hugs Dezi while she lays on the brown cat tree

Get off me Raena. Me doesn’t want a hug right now. 

But I’s luvs you sissy.

 

 

No silly, it’s Service Cat Monday. And the furst one of the new year.

 

          Well, what are we gonna talk about; mommy crawlin’ all over the house? You know, I’s not big enuff to give her a ride, or even let her hold onto mines tail so I’s could pull her from room to room.

 

Yeah, that wasn’t really the plan Raena. Me isn’t big enuff fur that either. Mommy’s more than a little peeved at the wheelchair peeps. They billed fur brand new wheelchair batteries a few months back, but mommy thinks they gave her used ones. She thinks that cuz they’re already dead and won’t hold a charge. Then to top it all off, they ain’t comin’ out to replace ‘em till next week. What do you wanna bet they rebill fur new batteries again? In the meantime, mommy’s been crawlin’ around since Thanksgiving.

 Raena sits in mommys lap and massages her

          At least we can massage her arms so she can use them to pull herself along in the mornings. I’s even gave her head a whacky paw this morning, to keep her from hittin’ it on the bedside vanity.

 

You did at that Raena. ‘Course now she probably has a headache. That means more head massages today.

 

          I’s already gave her one after brekky sissy. Ya’ reckon she’ll want another?

 Dezi snuggles in mommys lap

And lots of cuddly snuggles

 

 

Yep, me’s sure of it. She’s also having some teeth problems, that are makin’ her sinuses act up so she can’t hardly breathe.

 

          Is that why she’s so hot too sissy?

Dezi and Raena chat in the chair

Yeah sis, she’s runnin’ a fever. Hopefully it’ll go away soon. (no, mommy doesn’t have any dental insurance and there’s no community type programs she qualifies for. She needs dentures to get rid of all the problems once and for all.) Anyways, we hope to get new batteries fur the wheelchair soon, so mommy can start training Raena to drive. It’s about to get real interestin’ here. So we hope to have lots of adventures to share with you all this year. And remember, ifin you have any training questions, or just feline questions in general, let us know. You can ask in a comment, email or email via our contact page. Our contact page sends an email directly to us and is totally private. That means nopawdy sees what you write but us. Ifin you’ve missed any of our Service Cat posts, you can check them out by clicking the links below. Me’s gonna go give mommy another massage now. We’ll be by to visit as soon as we can. We hope you all had a pawsum Mew Year.

 

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

 

Dezi: Vibrant Blue 

Raena: Navy Blue

 

 

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 and Round We Go

Tumble and Fall Response     Raena Calls for Help 

Service Cats: Raena Calls For Help

Meowllo everypawdy, we hope you all had a good weekend. It’s December and Christmas will be here befur you know it. Ifin you missed our Gift Guide, you can see it here. We know you’ll find something for everyone on your list there. And don’t worry, there’s purrlenty of time to get it befur Christmas. (wink) Today is also Service Cat Monday, and we know you’ve all stopped by fur a Service Cat posty. As with all our educational posts the following will be written in human English. Ifin you’ve missed any of the posts in this series, purrlease click on the links at the bottom of this post. We’re kinda not sure what to post today. As a lot of you know, mommy fell da other day and we wrote ‘bout it last Service Cat Monday. Everypawdy cheered as Raena’s furst respawnse was to run fur da fone. Mommy and me are very purroud of her as well. But we also got a few questions via comments and email ‘bout trainin’ kitty to dial 911/call fur help. So, here’s our quandry. We’ve already written dat post and we’ve linked to it in every Service Cat Monday post since. 

 Dezi puckering mouth and holding head up for a kiss

We’ve re-read that post and are quite satisfied that we covered 911 training sufficiently and trying to re-word it wouldn’t do any good. So, ifin you missed that post or would like a refresher, please click here to read it. Our question to those of you who asked the question is, Did you want a training post or did you want a story about Raena’s phone training? We call them “stories” not because they aren’t factual, but because they don’t really explain how to train. They are for entertainment purposes only. And entertaining they can be. They can also be frustrating, as training is all about repetition. Anyways, assuming, (and we all know what that word means) that you wanted a story, then sit back and enjoy.

 Raena learning to dial the phone.

First me has to tell you that we have cordless phones and each handset has a speakerphone option and all calls sent to voicemail are screened through the handsets. So for all intents and purposes, the handset is the phone to us. Now me told you all that Raena was quite the little helper from her first day, so mommy began to introduce her to the phone right away. She wasn’t nearly big enough to push the buttons, but she could learn to be interested in it. Mommy lets most calls go to voicemail initially, so we can get used to unknown and known voices coming out of the handset. So ifin you’re calling us, don’t hang up, leave a message. Or at least start to, ya’ never know when mommy might be reinforcing our training. Anyways, Raena loved the phone almost as much as me did.

 Raena learning to dial the phone.

She would bite the phone, whacky paw the phone and lay on it when it rang. When somebody called she would sit and cock her head one way and then the other. All good signs and mommy reinforced her interest with lots of love and cuddles. All of which Raena ate up. You all know she’s a little love bug, right? The day finally came when she was big enough to actually push the buttons down, so mommy began training. She had programed the emergency call to go to her cell phone which didn’t get a signal at our house. So mommy was pretty comfortable that Raena wouldn’t be calling anybody by “mistake” or getting us in trouble with the law. Remember, it’s a Crime to call 911 ifin you don’t have a real emergency. Well, training went on as usual, till this one afternoon when mommy fell. Falling for mommy is normal, the bad ones like the other day, aren’t.

 Raena learning to dial the phone.

Anyways, mommy fell. Yep, there she sat on the floor all sprawled out, looking for something to grab onto to pull herself up when she heard a strange ringing. She looked around and there me was, sitting by her as always. But where was Raena? Nothing scares Raena, so we knew she wasn’t hiding out. Mommy kept hearing this strange muffled ringing sound coming from the living room. Mommy looked around once more and then called for Raena. Raena came running down the hall from the living room with the phone hanging from her mouth. Hmmmmm  Now it all made sense. Raena had pushed the emergency pre programmed number and for some reason, we actually had cell service and the cell phone was ringing. The thing is, mommy and Raena weren’t at that part of her training yet. Mommy hadn’t actually trained Raena to make the full call.

 Raena learning to dial the phone.

Anyways, the little stinker laid the phone at mommys feet, just outta reach, and began to meow at the top of her lungs. The ringing had stopped now as the voicemail mommy never set up hadn’t answered and the phone disconnected the call.
What? No sense in setting up a voicemail if you don’t have service and rarely give the number out. Thankfully Raena hadn’t reached the “somebody answers” part of her training, so once mommy called her, she believed the “exercise” to be over. Yes, mommy in the floor is another training technique mommy uses. It’s got to kind of sort of look real right? Anyhow, mommy knew then that Raena was going to be too smart for her own good and she was going to have to figure out something new to do with the phone. Raena made her first official training call to 911 later that evening, and we’ve never looked back.

 Dezi lap selfie

Our emergency pre programmed number is once again set to 911, so that’s why mommy was certain to stop Raena from making the call the other day. And that’s the first time Raena’s gone for the phone since officially ending her phone training. But remember, training is ongoing. Raena has now learned the difference between the “normal” daily falls and a “serious might need help” fall. So there ya’ have it. A day in the life of a Service Cat in Training.

 Dezi on the Liberty tree and Raena on the small perch at the front door.

This will be our last Service Cat Monday post for the year 2016. With the holidays upon us and so many things going on, we thought we’d let everybody including mommy rest. We have our annual nursing home visit coming up and festival of lights, where mommy takes us around to see the lights peeps put up. Needless to say, it’s a busy time of year. So we’ll be writing more Service Cat posts in the New Year, but for now, we want everyone to enjoy the season.

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 and Round We Go

Tumble and Fall Response