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Post by Kimby on Jun 6, 2018 14:01:47 GMT
Pearl, a year in, has become an irreplaceable part of our family. She is such a love. The timing of losing Mo & Mia last spring (at 17 1/2) couldn’t have been better. We think she’s about 9 years old, but we are her 3rd known family, and who knows what came before that?
Last week we had a terrible scare as we (Mr. Kimby) accidentally opened a glass patio door without realizing the screen was open too. An HOUR later he realized Pearl was gone. She is not an outdoor kitty and has never been out in our yard (full of coyotes, bears, mountain lions and hawks and owls, in addition to free-roaming dogs) so we were panic-stricken. Our search zone kept getting wider and wider with no sign of our beloved little girl. And then she just showed up walking across the deck, and came in when I opened the screen door. Whew! Since that day, however, she lies in wait by any door we might be about to open, and cries piteously to go out. We have created a monster!
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 6, 2018 15:16:57 GMT
I know nothing about cats, but is it possible to leash train her so she could at least be out some of the time in a protected way?
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Post by Kimby on Jun 6, 2018 16:41:54 GMT
We have a harness and leash for when we travel with her. She’s flown with us 5 times now, and you must remove the pet from their carrier to go through security - the cat goes through the metal-detector with you while the carrier gets x-rayed. We may experiment with taking her for walks in the yard.
Coincidentally, the day AFTER her disappearance, Mr. Kimby read an article about lost pets that said whereas dogs that get out will run away, traveling long distances, cats are generally found within 100 yards of home, often under a deck or hiding in shrubbery.
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Post by lugg on Oct 18, 2018 19:55:06 GMT
Hope Pearl is staying home Kimby. Lately I am seriously thinking about getting another cat - my last cat died a while back and I said at the time - no more, even though I have always had a cat throughout my life ... but I really miss having one at home.
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Post by lagatta on Oct 19, 2018 0:21:30 GMT
Livia never leaves her lane - she was born in a shed in the lane, along with her brother, and mama cat kept the little family together and warm. All three have been adopted. I am fortunate to be in a place - a traffic-calmed "green lane" with a walking-speed kph, but would never leave her out all night, nor does she show any inclination to remain out after sundown. Harder with Renzo, a male, and also a stray, though I had him neutered almost immediately. He lived to be 20.
I still remember a "/$%? neighbour who beat his young dog and kept him on a very short leash, even in cold rain. I wanted to kill the bastard. Renzo loved dogs - and other cats - and went to visit his poochy friend and try to play with him despite the punishing sort leash. The bastard was also always yelling at his wife or girlfriend and I strongly suspect he slapped her around too. I was about to call the authorities when that sad household suddenly moved...
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Post by Kimby on Oct 19, 2018 3:52:44 GMT
Hope Pearl is staying home Kimby. We have realized that, in a former life, Pearl must have been an outdoor kitty. She yearns to go out and tries to slip out through any door that’s opened. So, now when we are around and can keep an eye on her, we let her out several times during the day. Usually she sticks around pretty good, but she’s so hard to see in the tall grass and brush in our yard. We put jingle bells on her collar and that helps, but Mr. Kimby found a cat tracking device called TabCat. There’s a transmitter on her collar and a slim palm sized receiver that beeps and lights up when it’s pointed in her direction. The collar also beeps softly when we’re tracking her, so she knows we’re looking for her and usually is heading our way by the time we see her, We’ve both fallen for her rather badly, and would be devastated if anything happened to her, but hope we can strike the right balance between permissiveness and protectionism. Since she was around 8 years old when we got her, we know we won’t have her for 17 or 20 years like our previous cats, but hope we don’t lose her for a long time...
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Post by casimira on Oct 19, 2018 18:00:52 GMT
Yes, once cats have a taste for the outdoors they have it imprinted on their brains and I think it's healthy for them to be able to wander within the confines of their own little jungle.
Kudos to you for finding a way for Pearl to be able to do this. It will surely improve her quality of life and likely her longevity.
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Post by lugg on Oct 20, 2018 8:07:22 GMT
Sounds a good plan Kimby. I will tell my son about that. They have an young cat who for various reasons has had to be an indoor cat but they move son to a house with a garden and are worrying about what to do then.
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Post by lugg on Oct 20, 2018 8:14:24 GMT
I am trying to stay positive but my gut is telling me that my beloved Dart ( my youngest horse) is not long for this world. He became ill when I was away in France . When I came home he had a heart scan which found mitral valve degeneration and quite sever heart failure. He seemed as fit as a fiddle this Summer and we have done so much together this year, fun rides a "hackathon" raising money for Brooke, been camping in Wales. I am devastated as he really is my horse of a lifetime and I've had him such a short time really. Anyway the scan has been sent off to a cardiologist so I await her view and the results of some other tests. He is only 16 its so unfair.
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Post by mickthecactus on Oct 20, 2018 9:35:23 GMT
So sorry to hear that lugg.
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Post by Kimby on Oct 20, 2018 12:58:43 GMT
Never having had a horse, I can only imagine the depth of attachment between horse and owner. I’m really sad for you. It isn’t fair. Even if 16 years sounds pretty long to a dog or cat owner.
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Post by kerouac2 on Oct 20, 2018 14:49:53 GMT
My sister-in-law (the horse lover) was devastated when one of their horses died. My brother has grown to love the horses (there were two of them) over the years, so it was a very unhappy time for him, too, even though it was always a chore to bring the bales of hay and stuff to their rental corral. I know they took very good care of the horses since there were major veterinary bills. One of the horses ate rocks, which was not a good thing. I didn't ask if they got another horse (I only hear from them about every six months, go figure), but even I worried about the idea of a lone horse being left in a field without a companion. Who knows what has happened.
But I do know that the main tragedy of the SIL was the death of her parrot Wendell, if only because of the longevity of parrots. She had Wendell for more than 35 years, so you can imagine the feeling of loss after all that time.
I really must ask about their animals the next time I am in contact. At last count, at least they had three cats to keep them busy. But only one of them was able to catch mice, being a bit wild. The other two cats were terrified of mice.
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Post by casimira on Oct 20, 2018 15:22:42 GMT
Lugg, I am hoping that you get some good news soon. Best wishes.
When I was a child I had a mare, Lucille. She lived to be quite old, into her 20's but, needless to say she slowed down considerably when she got to be about 20.
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Post by mickthecactus on Oct 20, 2018 18:09:53 GMT
One of the elderly ladies that I garden for has a tortoise at least 50 years old. Yesterday I had to crawl under a holly bush to rescue it as it had been digging itself a hole to hibernate. I must say it was hard to find as it was so well camouflaged against the soil. Its now in its hibernation box.
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Post by lugg on Oct 21, 2018 17:37:34 GMT
Thank you for your kind words all. I can quite imagine the bond that's comes with 35 years and 50 years. Thank goodness you found the tortoise Mick.
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Post by casimira on Oct 22, 2018 17:28:18 GMT
One of the elderly ladies that I garden for has a tortoise at least 50 years old. Yesterday I had to crawl under a holly bush to rescue it as it had been digging itself a hole to hibernate. I must say it was hard to find as it was so well camouflaged against the soil. Its now in its hibernation box. She chose the right man for the job. Being Mr. Cactus I guess she figured all those prickly leaves wouldn't phase you. Good job!
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 23, 2018 22:21:53 GMT
Oh, Lugg! I so hope your Dart can be helped and you get some more good years together.
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Post by Kimby on Nov 3, 2018 21:14:15 GMT
I am trying to stay positive but my gut is telling me that my beloved Dart (my youngest horse) is not long for this world.....the scan has been sent off to a cardiologist so I await her view and the results of some other tests. Have you had any news, lugg? It’s rough when your animals and people are failing at the same time. Thinking of you.
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Post by Kimby on Nov 3, 2018 21:22:47 GMT
Sounds a good plan Kimby. I will tell my son about that. They have an young cat who for various reasons has had to be an indoor cat but they move soon to a house with a garden and are worrying about what to do then. Lugg, here is a link to our cat-tracker: www.tabcat.com/It’s working really well. Pearl IS the most cooperative cat we’ve ever had, though. When she hears the soft beeps from her collar tag, she usually turns around and heads toward home. I imagine some cats would be more evasive.
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Post by lugg on Nov 6, 2018 19:28:18 GMT
Thanks Kimby will pass on xx
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Post by Kimby on Nov 20, 2018 12:40:32 GMT
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Post by lagatta on Nov 20, 2018 15:43:41 GMT
Oh dear, that has me in tears, especially the 20-year-old Siamese - Renzo was half Siamese, and had the voice - many Siamese crosses are black as Renzo was. I couldn't imagine abandoning him. Actually he died in a sunny spot in my home office; I had already made the euthanasia appointment for the next morning.
In some senses the pet relationship does "infantilise" our furry friends - actually I'm only familiar with cats and dogs. No, of course Livia isn't my baby, or a baby at all; she is an adult of another mammalian species and I've met her actual mother, who was adopted by someone else. But although Livia does hunt, she isn't dependent on hunting and foraging to live; she is mostly dependent on me.
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Post by casimira on Nov 20, 2018 15:55:20 GMT
I think it depends on the animal. Some animals, cats in particular, prefer to go off on their own, a "death walk" of sorts. Gratefully, we were there for all our animals when they died. Some with a vet present, others who died peacefully and painlessly in a natural manner.
In each case we were prepared because their demise was very much in evidence. Some others would argue that as long as they were responsive than they should be allowed to live on. But, in the case of 2 of our dearly departed dogs it was evident that their quality of life was that diminished we had to make a decision albeit a very painful one as to whether or not they linger on so to speak.
I had a friend who kept her dog in diapers for a good 6 months or more because her dog was unable to stoop enough to defecate or urinate. When we had one dog put to sleep she came over to say goodbye earlier that day and she was very angry with us for making the decision we had. Our friendship pretty much ceased (on her part).
I think people, myself included to some degree, tend to over anthropomorphize when it comes to our furry friends.
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Post by kerouac2 on Nov 20, 2018 17:26:32 GMT
I think we all know that dogs and various other animals have very strong thoughts about their human caretakers, so the idea of wanting us there when they are about to die is completely logical. But it made me wonder how far their feelings go. For example, when they do something really stupid like getting stuck in a drainpipe or falling into a hole that they cannot get out of, do they have a flash of lucidity along the lines of "what I did was stupid and I am doomed" or do they think "my human is going to come and save me"?
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Post by Kimby on Nov 21, 2018 11:52:06 GMT
Casimira said: “Some animals, cats in particular, prefer to go off on their own, a "death walk" of sorts.”
Right. The independent little stoics!
But if you need to have the vet help a fur baby along, the vet’s office is a scary place on a pet’s best day. When they are feeling ill and vulnerable, the trauma level could be even higher.
Our Miss Pearl got high marks from our vet for her cooperativeness on her first exam...until she took her to the back room for a blood draw. She started shrieking loud enough for us to hear her in the exam room, and even BIT the vet! Once they covered her head, they were able to get the blood sample and return her to us.
I don’t know that she would have been any calmer if we were with her during the blood draw, but we have never seen her being anything but calm.
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Post by casimira on Nov 21, 2018 12:56:14 GMT
Oh, poor Pearl. I can only imagine how horrific it was for her and y'all. I hope the end result was positive.
The vet's office is a scary place for me on one of my best days.
My neighbor's cat Gracie Mae "left the house" the day before yesterday. She died peacefully at home after a 15 year good life. She had been a rescue cat. It was a sad day for my neighbor and for us too. He lost his wife in June after she chose to take her own life. I feel very badly for him. He has 3 other kittys to keep him company and our cat Pompeii makes frequent visits over there.
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Post by lagatta on Nov 21, 2018 17:55:21 GMT
Oh, that is a sad story.
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Post by lugg on Feb 23, 2019 19:41:08 GMT
Thank you for the thoughts about Dart, unfortunately the deterioration in his heart was rapid and he died in early December. I was devastated and will always miss him but now I am able to remember the good times with him.
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Post by Kimby on Feb 24, 2019 0:01:53 GMT
Sorry to hear this lugg, but glad you are recovering a bit. Losing a companion animal sure is a punch in the gut, and the heart.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Feb 24, 2019 9:55:44 GMT
Sorry for you loss lugg. Our pussycat Priya passed away a few years ago but I still sometimes think I see her out of the corner of my eye...walking across a sunbeam on the floor. I think that our cats and dogs leave a little bit of their essence behind to give us comfort.
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