We tried Turbo on a leash when he was an adolescent kitten and he didn’t care for it much. He sniffed around the grass for a bit, tried to hide in a bush, and since then (about twelve years now) has shown no interest in going outside again. All three of our cats are strictly indoor cats, so we thought we’d given him a treat by going outside but he just didn’t care for it. We haven’t tried it with the other two, though we think Kricket lived outside before we adopted her from the Humane Society, since she tried to get out non-stop during the first month we had her.

As you can imagine, using a leash on a cat is quite a different experience than using one on a dog. With a cat you’re the one along for the ride (though I know that’s also the case with some dogs!), with lots of stops and starts or just general sitting around. When we had one on Turbo we just sat in the grass with him for a while, with no intention of taking a walk.

So have you tried a leash on your cat? How did it work out?

[image: flickr]

Post from: Blisstree

Feedback Friday: Do You Leash Your Cat?

It’s been a while since I’ve done a Feedback Friday, and one of my cats inspired this one: Turbo likes to plant himself right next to me at night, rarely moving or allowing me to either!

I’ve never minded cats on the bed with me, I grew up with them and always had them around and liked having their company at night too. Dogs, on the other hand, I don’t like having on the bed. The dogs we had while I was growing up lived outside (or in the garage during winter), and I knew what they liked to dig around and play in, so having them up on the bed seemed like a pretty gross situation!

Our dogs now live indoors (except when nature calls or they need some sun) and we’re able to better manage their cleanliness levels, but I’m still not comfortable with them having free run of the house while we sleep (and I’m sure the cats wouldn’t appreciate it either!). They’re crated at night and always have been so they don’t know any different, and after reading an article about it we’re sure it’s been the right decision for us!

So tell me, do your pets sleep with you at night?

[image: flickr]

Post from: Blisstree

Feedback Friday: Do Your Pets Sleep With You?

Does your dog have a favorite toy? Maybe one that’s had to be replaced on the sly several times?

Chip and Honey each have their own little doggy dolls that they like to cuddle with or go fetch, but they’ve never had much interest in regular dog toys. I’d like for them to want bones and rawhides or Kongs but they don’t (but at least they’re not chewing on anything else!).

Post from: Blisstree

Feedback Saturday: What’s Your Dog’s Favorite Toy?

We’re going camping next weekend and plan to take the dogs with us!

We went last summer as well and it was Chip and Honey’s first camping experience and they didn’t handle it well. We kept food and water available to them at all times but I don’t think either of them ate the whole weekend — it was rough!

We knew they were stressed after just a few hours but we weren’t sure how to calm them down and get them to eat. We gave them just as much attention as we usually do and brought their crates to sleep in, just like they’re used to. Nothing seemed to help.

This year we’re thinking of bringing a little bit of beef or chicken broth with us to maybe make their dry kibble seem a little more appetizing and jump start their appetites! We’re staying a day longer than last year as well and really don’t want them to go that long without eating since we know it can be really detrimental to such small dogs. Ideally we’d like them to get used to the experience because we’d like to head off to the mountains more often!

What would you do in this situation?

Post from: Blisstree

Feedback Friday: Calming an Upset Pet

We used to give the cats a treat of wet food every now and then but Turbo started throwing it up so we stopped. They don’t seem to miss it.

Oddly enough, the same happened with the dogs! It just didn’t sit well with Honey’s stomach either so all of our pets are on dry only. This was all long before the food recalls so it wasn’t something we gave much thought to.

What do you feed your pet, wet or dry food? Both?

[image: flickr]

Post from: Blisstree

Feedback Friday: Wet or Dry

Do you take your dog(s) to the dog park?

The only time Chip has been to a dog park was actually when we went to meet Honey for the first time when we were looking to adopt a second dog. We decided to meet at a neutral spot (instead of the front or back yard, which were Chip’s territory) to give each of them a chance to adjust and get used to each other. We haven’t taken them back since because as far as exercise goes we’ve got a big enough backyard and well, they’re pretty small dogs!

Socialization is another benefit of dog parks and while I know they’re split between areas for large dogs and small dogs, I don’t feel comfortable with other peoples’ dogs running free – chances are even in the small area Chip would be one of the smallest. He does well with friends’ dogs after a few minutes of warm-up, so socialization isn’t something we worry about anyway!

[image used with permission from theblackframe]

Post from: Blisstree

Feedback Friday: Do You Go To the Dog Park?

What do you do with your dog(s) when you leave the house (I don’t mean on vacation, but just for a few hours to errands or go out to dinner, etc.) or at night?

We crate Chip and Honey when we’re going to be gone longer than about an hour. When Chip was a puppy he had some potty issues if we were gone longer and we found that he was able to hold it when we put him in his little crate. Honey had potty issues when we adopted her (as an adult) but also refuses to mess up her crate. They’re the first thing we head for when we get home, though, so maybe they just know we won’t forget them!

We also crate them at night because neither of us wanted them sleeping with us and we don’t want them trotting around the house harassing the cats unsupervised. They both go in willingly after going outside one last time and then we just say “go to bed” and they dash into their little crates and curl up (that’s all I had to do to get Chip into his crate for the above picture, in the middle of the day!).

Post from: Blisstree

Feedback Friday: Do You Crate Your Dogs?