Jig a Jog, Jig a Jog, Jig a Jog, Jee

We went to a Pet Expo yesterday. It was fun. Along with all the expected vendors and rescue groups, there was a mobile petting zoo and Pony rides.   Corwyn saw the ponies and dragged me over. Then he ran back to Nathan and grabbed him. He was all in for a ride, until it was his turn. So Corwyn rode the little rocking horses they had. But Nathan wanted on the pony. He loved it. He got a bit more sure each turn around the route and would have liked another ride (and would probably have asked for faster then).

Corwyn takes a bit more time to warm up to something so he may try it the next time around. (He freaked on merry go rounds the first 4 times but now likes them). It was the same way with the other animals. He loves to watch, and tries to come close but has a hard time touching.  With dogs of the small to medium variety, he's pretty good to pet a couple times, before backing away. Not a fan of big dogs. Nathan was right in there, hugging, offering treats etc. In that way, Nathan is like me and I think would bring home every animal he found. Corwyn would want to bring them home, but would ask someone else to do the touching.

Even reptiles. The Reptile Guy was there and for a donation you could take your picture with a reptile of your choice. Nathan picked a snake, but not the big python, he wanted the smaller red and black king snake. He didn't want it around his shoulders/neck so we started out with it around my neck (yes, I will do almost anything for my kids) and then progressed to holding the tail while I had the front half. Corwyn snuck in a couple of quick touches too. They are emailing the pictures so you'll have to wait for those. As we continued walking around, Nathan wanted to go back and have the snake around his neck - next time I guess.

Overall it was a good event. I feed raw food to my cat so not a lot of the samples would go to good use in my home. I passed those along to friends who feed dry. It was nice to see the kids with the different animals and their reactions. Nathan even got to pet a hedgehog (while Corwyn looked on).  A friend got us tickets so I wasn't out of pocket. I was a nice morning with the kids anyway and would consider it again next year when they are older (kids are free until they are 12).

A Different Kind of Cinderella Story

Meet our Cinderella - called Cinda.

I think pets are wonderful companions and also help kids learn routine and responsibility. Back here Max when we dog sat, I went  over why we couldn't consider a dog. And since we all liked cats, that was the direction we would go.

I knew about VOKRA and loved their philosophy so my first stop was their site. So many cats and kittens, too many, when will people learn to spay/neuter?

I knew we wouldn't get a young kitten. Kittens are great; kittens are fun; kittens are hyper! Plus, everyone wants kittens so they find homes faster than 'cats'. Plus, younger kittens should not be alone much and while the kids were home most of the day, they were not home enough of it. I also didn't want a senior cat, for a fairly selfish reason, I didn't want to explain death to the kids anytime soon (this was not knowing my dad would pass away suddenly).

In October, I filled out the application form and started the search while I waited. I poured through the pictures and write ups. No matter how 'cute' I didn't consider any cats that said "no kids" or even those with "no dogs" since one day, we may get a dog. I did look at the special needs animals and of the 4 at the time, 2 really 'spoke' to me.

I had some follow up questions via email and a couple of phone interviews with VOKRA before I was approved. I worked with Peggy and Valerie to narrow down the list of cats I would like to meet first. Top of the list was one of the 'special needs' cats Cinda along with two others. I made an appointment to meet Cinda.

And that was it. I loved her. To say she was shy was an understatement. I watched her in passing and held still when she ventured close enough, taking fly-by sniffs at me. But there was something in her eye, that caught me. And her foster mom told me how she took a while to get comfortable but would come for pets now. I was up to the challenge.

I finished the adoption process. The fees include Spay/Neuter any shots needed, tattoo and the first vet follow up visit. This is more than worth the cost. Then I was free to pick up our cat.

Cinda was understandably scared when she first came home. And from her foster mom, I honestly expected it to take months before she'd come around. Her second night, I was her best friend. Within a week, the second the kids went to bed, she was out, howling and pushing on me to pet her. This was followed by her coming out when the kids were sitting quietly (eating, TV, art, etc) but still scurrying away at any sudden movement. Then she started to come ask for pets with the boys at bedtime. Now she curls up on the bed when the boys first go to sleep and comes back and spends at least some time when I go to bed. She meets me at the door when I get home from work. And now she is very aggressive about being pet when she wants it. She is still shy and skittish and even if I make a sudden movement, she dashes away. 3 year olds make lots of sudden movements.

These pictures are from her second night at our place.

This video was a couple of weeks after she joined our family. If you can play this with volume on, I love her purr.

This was her bio:
Lovely little Cinda has had a very difficult start to her young life. She is a young cat who was out on the street, pregnant and alone. She had a terrible delivery, out in the cold alone and as such lost her kittens and almost lost her own life. A caring passerby found Cinda and called animal rescue who came and got her, performed surgery and gave her antibitotics. She was to stay with VOKRA to recover but upon arrival we could see that she was still deathly ill. She was emaciated, she had a terrible infection, toxemia and other health issues. The VOKRA team sprung into action, taking her to an amazing vet at Alta Vista Animal Hospital. 8 weeks later and Cinda is a completely recovered kitty cat. She is still slender and I dont think she'll ever be a big cat due to the terrible issues she faced. Today, however, she is healthy, loving, quiet and affectionate. She absolutely loves to be stroked and will almost jump up into your hands to be cuddled. Cinda's future health should be easily managed with a really great diet and tender loving care. 

And this video was taken last week. She clearly adores her loves and cuddles. 

VOKRA feeds their cats Wellness Chicken canned food and ask that you not change their food for 4 weeks post adoption. No problem. But I knew I would want to transition her to raw. Some cats find this easy, some resist. Cinda was all for the raw food, and I didn't even have to transition, she gobbled it up - but only chicken. She has started to put on a bit of weight, I think she might weigh 5 lbs now. She runs if you have treats but other than freeze dried shrimp, I have yet to find a cat treat she enjoys. Oh, but yeah, she is a catnip addict.

If you read her bio about her rough start added to VOKRA's requirements, you'll know that she is spayed. So you'll probably be saying WTF when I say she still goes into heat. Her foster mom told me about it and said she looked it up. I did too. It means that there is in her, somewhere, a small bit of ovarian tissue. I talked with the vet about it and he said it may be very difficult to find and could require multiple surgeries. He said there is no medical reason why she needs it. We might have a reason. She went into heat the week I brought her home and has had one more since. I can live with the caterwauling. And sure her butt is in the air, but she's very affectionate during the time. However, it also seems like she has a hard time controlling her bladder. Cat pee is rank, very rank. When not in heat, she's peed on the sofa once and the floor quite a few times and the even the bed once. But that was months ago when I think she was also a little less stable emotionally.  So maybe, just maybe, she'll make it to the litter box more during her next heat. If it becomes a problem, then I'll be looking for a vet with experience with this specific condition. She is such an amazing cat that we'll find a way to make it work.

Her foster mom is amazing. Along with Cinda she had 3 kittens that I couldn't believe hadn't been snatched up. I found out that even tuxedo cats (black and white aka cow cats) are almost as hard to adopt out as black cats due to superstitions. Seriously people - it's a cat! When I look at the 22 kittens currently available - only 4 don't have black in them. Get over it people, they are cats, not spawn of Satan. (I am happy to see 'only' 22 kittens though, in the fall when I was looking there were pages and pages and pages). I know it was with mixed feelings that I adopted Cinda. It has to be hard, caring, but not caring too much.

Adopting a pet from a place that does fostering is great for so many reasons. The foster parent gets to see you interact with the pet and can add input to 'fit'. Plus you get to talk to the foster parent and get more info than can fit in a little bio.You get to meet the cat in a home setting where she feels more comfortable and safe than she would in a cage in a shelter.

Vokra is 100% volunteer run, not a single paid staff. They run on donations. And while not everyone can donate to every cause, there are others way you can help support them. Get the word out. And hey, do you shop? Ever? Buy food? Like Startbucks? Ever give giftcards as gifts? Then you can support Vorka with no cost to you (no tax receipt either, but hey, you can't have it all). Vokra is part of the Gift Card Fundraising Program. All you do, is buy your giftcards through them and they get to keep a portion of the face value of the card. Gift Card Program

While pets should be for life, sometimes shit happens and you may find yourself needing to find a new home for you pet(s). Check with friends and family first. If that doesn't work, for dogs with a known/noticeable dominate breed, go through a breed rescue. Consider a no-kill shelter next. For cats, try to find a local rescue group like Vokra where the animals are fostered and socialized and new homes scrutinized. Yes, places like Craigslist are possible, but prepare to be slammed by people who don't care that your spouse has cancer or your child has severe asthma and will die, dammit the pet comes first. And then you have to screen the people who want your pet, who is probably like a family member and don't get that this is a horribly hard thing for you to do.

And one last thing. If you get a dog or cat, please spay/neuter them. Even if you plan for your cat to be an indoor one, things happen (a cat in heat can be pretty determined as can be an unaltered male on the scent of  a female).  It is not cruel to your pet, it could even save her life.

How Much is the Doggy in the Window?

Arf Arf.

No, we did not get, nor are we getting a dog. But we did dog sit a couple of weekends ago and the kids loved (most of) it.

Max is a great dog belonging to my friend Monika over at www.aias.ca. He's a large Yorkie who is a great apartment dog and wonderful with kids. He is also very laid back. I picked him up Friday afternoon and he went home Monday evening. He didn't even blink about saying good-bye to his family and walking home with me. He's been to my place a few times to visit and led me almost to my door without any prompting. While there, he treated the place like home, showing none of the anxiety I would have expected. It did take him a bit to get used to the noise in the hallway. He lives in a much smaller building, with almost as many apartments spread out over 6 floors as we have just on my floor in my building. I think he kept hoping the sounds (particularly the kid and stroller sounds) meant his family was back.

Nathan was over the moon. He loves animals, any and all animals. He's like me that way. Corwyn likes them, but not with the same enthusiasm. Both boys love cats and small animals. But with dogs, Corwyn is more reserved. Not Nathan, from the moment Max arrived, he wanted him as a constant companion.

 There were some logistics to work out. I live in an apartment. Dogs need to be walked. Kids can not be left alone. Happily Max comes from apartment life which is similar to mine (although there are two adults in his place so one can stay with the child during dog walks). According to Monika, he only needed to go out twice a day. I took advantage of the weather and we went out more frequently. Initially, having him there really helped the boys get ready faster (Hurry, Max really needs to pee!). But as the weekend went on, this took a bit longer and longer, and although they never resisted, just dragged it out more each time.

Corwyn loved helping hold the leash to walk Max. Nathan did too, but wanted to hold it on his own. Unfortunately Max has little to no recall and even if he did, he's not my dog so I wouldn't want to test it. Nathan is easily distracted and would often let go of his hand hold. I was not letting him hold the leash on his own (except once we were inside on the way to the elevator). Nathan took an odd pleasure in taking the poop bag to the garbage. Both boys made the appropriate eewwwww sounds when he pooped.

Nathan wanted Max to sleep with him, but Max didn't want to sleep with Nathan because he is too active until he falls asleep. Max wanted to sleep with Corwyn because Corwyn just lies there, but Corwyn didn't want Max in his bed. In the end, Nathan would fall asleep on the floor next to me (I stay in the bedroom until they fall asleep) and Max would fall asleep in Nathan's bed. (after which I moved Nathan to his bed and Max came with me). It worked.

The harder part came with the before bed pee. While we took him out around 6 or 7 each night, it wouldn't be until 7 or 8 until I could get the boys up and dressed to take him out again. So before I went to sleep, I took him outside for the worlds fastest pee. The boys rarely wake during the evening (although by 3am both are usually in my bed) but I really didn't want them awake and looking for me (Nathan can unlock and open the door). This was a bit of a panic time for me, but we made it through the 3 nights.

Overall, the experience was great. It reaffirmed that we could not get a dog until the boys were old enough to be left alone for the late night walk, or I won the lottery and bought a house with a yard. One night last week, I was in the hallway, just outside my door (partly open) talking with a friend. Nathan woke up and I heard him. In less than 1 minutes he was very worked up because he could not find me (our place is small). One morning, at camp, Corwyn and I went to the bathroom while Nathan was still asleep. He woke up. As we were coming back to our room, I saw Nathan already outside, crying because he couldn't find us. No, I can't leave them, even for a short pee break with a dog.

I know so many people who think all kids should have a dog. While I love dogs, I don't necessarily agree. I think a dog needs to fit into the entire family and the family lifestyle needs to allow for it. As mentioned, I can't leave the kids alone to walk a dog and we don't have a yard to just let one out in, so no dog for now. For other families, they spend little to no time at home. Dogs need companionship. Some need TONS of exercise and that is another time commitment. Some are great at holding in pee, some cant go more than 5 or 6 hours. That said, some families and kids are great with dogs.

A dog is a commitment. I know people who suggest getting a dog to teach a child responsibility. Well, what happens when the child decides he/she doesn't want to walk or feed the dog? Dogs are not tools to be abandoned when the experiment fails. But unfortunately, the shelter is full of dogs like this. And what does that teach the child about having a pet? That they can dispose of them? Commitment. If you plan to get a dog then understand it is a family dog. Know in advance that you as the parent will likely do most of the work. Sure there are some exceptions, but don't plan for those. If you get a dog, make sure it's for the right reasons.

So no dog for us, as least not until they are much older. But I knew that once we were past the potty stage (potties take up space), we might consider a cat. We recently applied and were accepted to adopt a cat from the local orphan cat/kitten rescue. We now need to meet some of the foster cats and find the one that fits with our home. Yes, a cat is also a commitment, but unlike a dog, I wont have to leave the kids alone to take care of it's needs. Both boys like dogs but they LOVE cats. And I think a cat is more suited to Corwyn who doesn't like being jumped on or licked. The cat will be a family cat and of course right now, the responsibility will mostly be mine. But over time they can, if they want take over things like filling the water dish, cleaning the litter box (!!), brushing etc.

And for those who think we're "settling" by getting a cat instead of a dog, here's a shot of Nathan who jumped off his bike to go pet a random kitty we saw. He does this with any and every cat cat we see (luckily he's never tried to pet one of the skunks in our neighborhood). Corwyn has this same reaction to cats (although he will hide from big or hyper dogs). And me, I love cats.