Tag: Wheelchair

Dezi lays in the wheelchair

Service Cats: When To Train: Before or After a Meal

Published on by Service Cats U.S.65 Comments

          Hey, is anypawdy there? It’s Service Cat Monday, and guess who it’s all about? That’s right, Me, RaenaBelle. 

 

Raena lays in the wheelchair

RaenaBelle Mayce!!! Get off the catputer!!! Me’s writin’ the Service Cat posty. Even ifin it’s ‘bout you. Me wants to remind you all that ifin you’ve missed any of the posts in this series, you can click on the links at the bottom of this post. As with all our educational posts the following will be written in human English. Ifin you have any questions, purrlease leave them in the comments or you can send us an email at: lexi.dezi@yahoo.com. Our posts are not meant to be a training manual, but to entertain and educate; as training is all about repetition. We can cover in one post what might take weeks or even months of actual training time. Me thinks mes hit all the high points and disclaimers, so let’s get to it.

 

Dezi lays in wheelchair

When we left off last, mommy was training Raena in the wheelchair. Now, it’s not all that important that we know how to turn on the wheelchair unless we’re going to drive it without mommy in it. Sis Lexi had that mastered. Me? Me prefers to drive from mommy’s lap. It’s much safer and me gets extra loving. That being said, mommy realizes that Raena is very smart, and just might be the next solo driver. But even if she isn’t, the reason mommy trains us on this is that the power button, horn and speed buttons are all very close to the joystick. On more than one occasion me has hit those buttons while driving; so mommy thinks it’s important for us to be comfortable with the beeping sounds so we don’t get scared and get hurt trying to escape. The joystick requires only the slightest push or pull to move the chair. So you can imagine the dangers of a 200 pound moving machine against a small kitty. Yes, even at our size, we are by comparison, small.

 

Raena plays in the gift bag paper

We did get another good question from our dear Weim brofur Da Phenny from the blog EasyWeimaraner. You know sweet Easy ran off to heaven like sis Lexi and Phenny, like Raena is full of piss and vinegar and needs a little training. He and his mommy asked if mommy recommends training before or after a meal. This is where it gets a bit tricky. Mommy prefers training after the meal because she doesn’t like to train with treats. So a full kitty/doggy isn’t constantly looking for treats and can easily focus. That being said, if you do want to use treats as a reward, mommy recommends training before the meal. But don’t forget to adjust the meal portion to account for any treats given. And keep the training session short. A hungry animal is going to be a bit more erratic and unfocused. Mommy likes to train about an hour or so after the meal. Kitty/doggy has bathed, the food has settled, they may even have had a little nap and are more focused and ready to pay attention. Another thing on treats, if you choose that option. Pick a treat that isn’t given at other times and is an absolute favorite. That treat should only be given during training sessions or when asking the animal to do a trained task. Hope that helps.  

 

 Raena lays in the wheelchair

Anyways, every day for approximately fifteen minutes, mommy and Raena head to the wheelchair for a training session. Even me gets bored after the first few lessons and have taken to the bedroom for an afternoon nap during these times. Me can still hear them. Mommy gently and lovingly talking to Raena and telling her how proud she is and how smart Raena is. And me can hear the constant beep beep of the chairs power button. Occasionally me hears the annoying horn. Ya’ know those cars/trucks/vans that beep when they back up? Well that’s the horn on the wheelchair. It’s piercing for a poor kitty’s ears, but Raena doesn’t seem to be affected by it. She loves the horn button. Ever patient, mommy gently tells her no and redirects her paw to the power button. For those of you wondering why she isn’t hitting the joystick and making the chair move, mommy has learned to keep a close eye on where that paw lands, and has the speed turned to 0. Obviously the chair doesn’t move on 0. Just wait till Raena figures this out. MOL 

 

So mommy’s still working with Raena on the power on and off thing. But Raena is getting better. Mommy thinks she likes the beeping of the horn so much that she doesn’t focus. But one day, it’ll click and the lessons will move forward. That’s how training works. So if you’re feeling frustrated and don’t think your training is working, stick with it. It is working and the worse thing you can do is give up.

 

 Dezi lays in the wheelchair

 

Let me take you through one of Raena’s lessons. Mommy and Raena sit in the chair. Mommy adjusts Raena and sits her on her right leg closest to the control panel. She now tells Raena “Up”. That means to put her front paws on the arm of the chair. Raena’s really good at this part. Mommy supports Raena by firmly but gently holding her in place. Raena could easily jump down. Mommy’s grip is for support and protection, not forced submission. Mommy then places Raena’s paw on the power button on the control panel and says, “Push on” or “Push off”. Raena seems to be right pawed. Generally the first time, mommy has to gently push Raena’s paw down till she hears the beep. The remainder of the 15 minutes goes pretty much the same. With Raena occasionally getting excited and standing on the horn. When this happens, mommy gently pulls her paw away and says “No” and refocuses her (lots of hugs and praise about how smart she is). Throughout the session mommy gently praises Raena and gives her extra love. This is very important if you’re not using treats. If you are using treats, you would reward by giving a small treat each time you get the correct action/outcome. They wrap up a training session with lots of hugs and a good brushing.

 

Well we’re gonna wrap it up fur today. We hope we’ve offured you some insight into training in general and specifically a Service cat. Remember, if you have any questions, just let us know. We do hope to be further along in Raena’s training next week, but you’ll just have to tune in and see. We’ve got mommy’s helper that’s supposed to start today, so mommy’s gonna be busy training them. Hmmmmm Mommy seems to be doing a lot of training lately. MOL Wonder ifin she’s gonna train them to drive the chair? MOL  Anyways, we hope you all have a pawsum day.

 

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

 

Dezi: Vibrant Blue

Raena: Navy 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

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

Tumble and Fall Response      Raena Calls For Help

The Rest of the Story     Raena and the Wheelchair Pt. 1

Raena laying at mommy's feet taking a bath

Service Cats: Raena and the Wheelchair Pt. 1

Published on by Service Cats U.S.79 Comments

Meowllo and welcome to another Service Cat Monday. It’s a brand new year and mommy has brand new tasks to train Raena to purrfurm. As with all our educational service cat posts, the following will be in human English. Ifin you’ve missed any posts in this series, you can click on the linkys at the bottom of this post. And ifin you have any questions, or something specific you’d like us to cover, purrlease leave it in the comments or send us an email. Our training posts are not meant to be a step by step training guide as training is all about repetition. We do hope you find them entertaining, informative and helpful. There are many tasks that mommy hasn’t figgered out how to capture in fotos or videos, but we do try to post those we can. Remember, it’s just mommy and the two of us, and the duties we purrform are in respawnse to a problem mommy’s having so the camera is usually the last thing any of us are thinking about. So, let’s get to it.

 Dezi lays in wheelchair

As you know, mommy had plans to train Raena to drive the wheelchair when she got big enough to reach the joystick while sitting in mommy’s lap; but the batteries died on us and we had to wait to get them replaced. We have new batteries now, so Raena’s training commenced. Mommy was a little under the weather last week, but she wanted to at least get Raena comfortable with the chair. Now let me tell ya’, Raena’s pretty smart and catches on fairly quickly. We have several battery operated toys which she quickly learned to turn off and on by herself. And before the batteries in the wheelchair went out, she was turning the chair on and off and honking the horn without any training. Based on that you’d think Raena would be ready for the next step, right? Well, this is where that repetition comes in. Since the batteries died and the chair didn’t respond to her pushing the buttons, she lost interest. So she’s starting from the beginning again.

 Dezi atop the Liberty cat tree overseeing her world

So mommy picked a day and after breakfast picked up Raena and took her to the wheelchair to sit down. Raena loves sitting in mommy’s lap, so there was absolutely no struggle. Mommy had already put a small bag of treats and a grooming brush in the pocket on the arm of the wheelchair. Me took up a viewing spot on the top of the Liberty cat tree. Me was safely out of the way, but could still see everything as it unfolded. Mommy got out the grooming brush and started brushing Raena and telling her how smart she was, and how proud of her mommy was. Then she moved into the cooing and love talk. Raena purred liked her life depended on it. Let me tell ya’, that girl has a motor box that can rumble the bed.

 Raena sleeps in mommy's lap

See? Raena’s favorite spot.

After what seemed like forever a few minutes mommy started repositioning Raena to one leg so she would be closer to the joystick. Once Raena released the tension in her body and continued her rumbling purr, mommy continued the praise and loving coos. Me could tell Raena was eating that up. Us Ragdolls really do love our peeps; and we’re no exception. We love our mommy like no other. Mommy then positioned Raenas front paws on the arm of the wheelchair. Mommy held her securely with one hand and continued brushing her fur with the other. Raena responded by rubbing her face and chin on the arm of the chair and the control panel. Mommy quietly and matter of factly told Raena to push the button. Raena continued to rub the control panel.

 Raena lays in the wheelchair

You can sort of see the control panel in this foto. The button

furthest from the joystick is the power button. The red button

is the horn. The 2 buttons closest to the joystick are the speed controls.

You can see how easy it is to push all those buttons and to get confused

and push the wrong button.

 

Mommy put the grooming brush away and slowly but firmly took Raena’s paw and placed it on the power button. Raena pulled her paw back and continued rubbing the joystick. Again, mommy took Raena’s paw and placed it on the power button and calmy told her to push the button. Raena stood up and by doing so pushed down on the power button. The chair beeped and Raena pulled her paw back, sat back down and looked up at mommy. Mommy smiled at her and gave her lots of praise for turning the chair on. Of course this was an accident and nothing Raena did on purpose, but it’s where training starts. Mommy repositioned Raena again, and placed her paw on the power button again. She then calmly told Raena to push the button again. Again, Raena pulled her paw back and looked up at mommy. Mommy placed Raena’s paw back on the power button and while telling her to push down, mommy gently pushed Raena’s paw down till the chair beeped again.

 Raena lays in wheelchair while pointing out the joystick

You can see the arm with the control panel and joystick.

 

 

Mommy had loosened her hold on Raena’s body and she wriggled loose and climbed up on the arm of the wheelchair. She pushed down on the power button and the horn. The chair beeped over and over again. Raena’s rumbling purr got louder and louder as mommy praised her for being so smart. Mommy gently pulled Raena off the arm and back onto her lap, leaving her front paws on the arm. Once again mommy placed Raena’s paw on the power button and gently pushed it down turning the chair off. With one last beep, the lesson was over. Raena was lavished with praise and love and me decided it was time to get in on a little of that meself. Mommy rewarded us both with lots of hugs and a few treats.

 Raena lays in the wheelchair

Another shot where you can clearly see the arm with the control panel.

And can see why mommy would need to hold us or offer some

support while we’re driving.

 

 

This whole training session lasted about 20 minutes, and would/will be repeated at least once a day every day till Raena is comfortable enough to turn the chair on by herself again. As we’ve said many times, training is all about repetition. We cats are very smart, and we want to learn. But if you’re not ready to commit to daily training sessions, we will never learn. And all training sessions should be fairly short. If kitty gets bored or frustrated, they won’t learn and could possibly try to avoid future sessions. It’s better to have a lot of small sessions as opposed to one really long one. Mommy believes in positive reinforcement and praise as the reward instead of food or treats.

 Dezi lays in wheelchair

Well, we’re gonna wrap it up fur today. As you read, it takes both mommy’s hands to train, so we don’t have any fotos of the actual session. This is what mommy’s trying to figger out. Since she’s the only one who can take fotos, how can she do it, without any free hands? MOL  ‘Member, ifin you have any questions, let us know. And ifin you’ve missed any of the Service Cat series, click on the links below.

 Raena sleeps in mommy's lap

The purrfect ending to any training session.

 

 

Do you (your cat/dog/pet) have any battery operated toys?

If so, can you (your cat/dog/pet) turn them on and off yourself?

 

 

Till the 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     Raena Calls For Help    

The Rest of the Story 

Dezi lays in wheelchair

Not a Service Cat Monday

Published on by Service Cats U.S.39 Comments

Well Meowllo, it’s time fur another Service Cat Monday. Can me be completely and totally honest with ya’? Yes? Good. We’ve only had the wheelchair workin’ again fur a couple of days. And durin’ those days mommy was hurtin’ purretty bad from head to toe; so she didn’t even put Raena in the chair once. Now me knows we told ya’ that mommy had intentions of trainin’ sis Raena to drive, and that we would chronicle it on Service Cat Monday. But havin’ fell on Thursday and with so much to do this week, mommy hasn’t even thought about trainin’ something new.

Dezi lays in mommys lap for loving

We hope you can furgive us. We plan to be back on track next week. Mommy told me that she actually thought about takin’ this week off cuz we had so much goin’ on. But we told her, that we had the bestest furiends in the universe and that you’d all understand.

Fankfully the snow has melted and the sun is shining. Mommy and Raena will be headin’ to mommys’ regular monthly doctors ‘pointment today, so they’ve gotta start getting’ ready shortly. Paws crossed, Raenas’ harness still fits. She has gained a few pounds. MOL 

 Raena posing in her harness on the small cat perch

We haven’t decided who’s gonna get to go with mommy to that dental exam on Wednesday, but we’ll let ya’ know. Since Raena’s still in trainin’, she should be the one to go. But, the dentist is in the Wally World town, and me wants to go. What do ya’ll think? Should we toss a coin? Draw straws? How would you decide?

 Raena in stroller

          It’s simple sissy. You’ve gone everywhere with mommy fur 7 years, so now it’s mines turn.

 

Dezi sits in stroller

Hmmmmpht  That doesn’t make any difference. Maybe this should have been our Service Cat Monday posty; How to decide which Service Cat to take to town. What do ya’ll think? We’re gonna wrap it up now so mommy can get ready. We’ll be by to visit as soon as we can.

 

 

How would you decide which Service Cat to take?

Which of us do you think should go, and why?

 

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

 

Dezi: Vibrant Blue

Raena: Navy Blue

 

 

 

Luv and Hugs and Kitty Kisses

 

Deztinee and RaenaBelle

Dezi lays in mommys lap for loving

Blest Sunday: Things Are Lookin’ Up

Published on by Service Cats U.S.53 Comments

MeeeeOwwww What a week we’ve had. And thru it all, of course we’ve felt very blest. You guessed it, it’s time fur another Blest Sunday. The Mew Year was off to a rocky start here. The wheelchair batteries were dead and mommy had been crawlin’ ‘round fur months. And of course that meant no drivin’ lessons fur the quickly growing Raena. Mommys teeth have gotten worse and are really causin’ her a lot of pain. And her bad falls are gettin’ worse and more frequent. And mommy got a call from the DHS that said she might not qualify fur the program that allows her to hire someone to help ‘round the house and do the things we can’t, all because we haven’t been able to find somepawdy to work. Mommy says that was the purrverbial straw and lost it. Me knows you’re askin’ yourselves how we feel blest amidst all this, so let me tell ya’.

 Dezi lays in mommys lap for loving

As of late Furiday, we have new batteries in the wheelchair. Yep, the repairman came out to look things over. Mommy insisted he work in the house so she could verify that the batteries were new. That meant he wasn’t purrpared, cuz he only had used batteries in his van. So he had to drive back to the City to get new batteries and come back out. He also discovered that our charger isn’t workin’ purropurrly, so we need a new charger as well. He furgot the charger when he went to pick up the batteries, so they’re s’posed to drop ship one to mommy this week. He also told mommy that it’s ‘bout time fur a new chair. The one we have is 6 years old and showin’ some wear. But fur now, at least mommy’s not crawlin’ ‘round anymore and she can start trainin’ Raena to drive. Me’s gonna have to find some great look out spots so me can watch events unfolding from a safe distance. MOL 

Raena lays in mommys lap and bathes

Mommy was able to find a dentist that will look at her teeths fur free on Wednesday and give her an estimate of how much it would cost to get rid of her rotten teethes and get dentures. We won’t be able to afford to get the work done, but at least mommy will know the cost. She says sometimes the pain is easier to bear when you know you can’t afford to change it.

And then on Furiday, the DHS nurse is comin’ out to see ifin mommy can still qualify to get a helper. We purray the nurse says she does and that the Mew Year will bring us someone who wants to work so mommy can get that help. We so wish we could do everything mommy needs, but alas, we are only cats with no opposable thumbs. Raena might be able to reach the sink when she stands on her back paws, but she can’t wash the dishes or purrpare our meals. And unless and until we get one of those robot vacuums, there’s no way we can maneuver the carpet monster.

 Dezi vacuums

While none of us have any control over mommys’ falls, at least with the wheelchair workin’ again,  there’ll be less hours on her big ole clumsy feet. Ya’ know what else? Durin’ the stresses of last week, a lot of you reached out and let mommy and us know you cared ‘bout us and were sendin’ purrs and purrayers. We are so blest to have you all in our lives. And most purrtantly, we have each other to lean on and our belief in God to get us thru it all.

 Raena lays in mommys lap

Hopefully things are takin’ a turn fur the better. And we were happy that a lot of you are innerested in the purrgression of mommys’ Raenas’ new AeroGarden. Raena’s keepin’ a close eye on it. And when me says close…she finally managed to get one of the caps off and hide it from mommy. and then she actually pulled one of those pods out. We don’t know how long it was out of the water, or how well it will sprout without it’s cap, but mommy replaced it in it’s slot and we’ll see.

 AeroGarden pods close up

AeroGarden pods close up

Somepawdy mentioned that their kitty dug up the dirt so they couldn’t grow plants or a garden. So we thought we’d try to ‘splain the Aero Garden a bit better. There’s no dirt to dig. All the plants are grown in water, and there’s a cover across the top that keeps kitty out, as you can see by the above fotos. Unless you have a Raena that is. And then you have to really push those pods into place. Me should note that since replacin’ the pod Raena stole and pushin’ it into place better, she’s been unsuccessful at further attempts to dislodge it. And trust me, she’s tried. MOL  We were also asked what pods we were growing. Since we don’t yet have any lettuce seeds/pods, mommy planted the herbs that came with it: dill, parsley, mint, 2 different kinds of basil and cilantro. We’ll keep you updated as things happen. Mommy’s really excited to watch it all and can’t wait till she has salad greens to grow. So fank you again, she really luvs her Christmas purresent.

 Dezi pats Raena on the head

Fank you all fur bein’ our furiends. Our lives are so much better with all of you in it. We are all truly blest. ‘Member to take a minute today and every day to give thanks fur the blessings in your life. We have a busy week ahead with the doctor Monday, dentist Wednesday and the DHS nurse on Furiday, so we’ll be ‘round to visit when we can. We’re also joinin’ the Kitties Blue fur Sunday Selfies.

 

 

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

 

Luv and Hugs and Kitty Kisses

 

Deztinee and RaenaBelle