Dear Cathie, I’m not going to be much help I’m afraid. I know dogs, I don’t know much about cat nutrition. We do carry high quality cat foods for the convenience of our dog lovers. The cats who live in my house aren’t mine so I’m not the one who feeds them, they eat the foods from SitStay.com and they catch and eat mice, they’re doing great but they all still have their teeth. Here’s what I know about cat diets. Taurine is not a true amino acid but is essential in a cat’s diet. It’s found in many foods especially seafood and meat, and the less processed, the better. Processing of food kills Taurine and is why cat foods are supplemented with Taurine, you’ll see it on the ingredient list. Cats shouldn’t go over 24 hours without food. Truly that’s about all I know about it. We all get one life and we don’t have time to learn everything. That would be me, I don’t know everything.

Can anybody help Cathie with her sweet old cat? Sorry, I wish I knew more but it’s why I have a dog supply store.   – Darcy

So last night I’m all tucked in and Meela jumps up and curls up on top of my belly, you know how they are, she had to be between me and the book so I can’t see the pages. She breathes really loudly which is only annoying sometimes. I like this cat. I push her gently over so she is closer to my pillow and I put one arm up over her so she’ll stay there and I go back to my book. I pull my arm down to turn the page and Feona jumps up next to Meela where they proceed to have a slap fight, playful but still…I watch the slapping cats instead of reading.

DC can’t be left out of a slap fight and now she has jumped onto my belly, does a little slapping of her own and immediately goes into kneading my stomach. By this time, I am laughing out loud and they seem to think that my laughter means here kitty kitty, except for Feona who went off the far side of the bed and is now trying to get onto the bedside table next to me. Meela pushes closer to me and lodges herself in the curve of my neck, her nose against my ear, remember she breathes really loudly, and DC digs into my belly even harder with her nails. DC needs her nails trimmed so I put up with the kneading as long as I can, then move her with my elbow over next to Meela who has now relaxed and is going to sleep. Feona, who jumped off the bed after the slap fight has taken my book mark from the bedside table and is under the bed playing with it. Oh, good grief.

This morning I looked under the bed and the book mark wasn’t there. I gave up trying to find it after looking in all of their usual hiding places and in my closet.

When I sat down at my computer this morning here in my library, guess what was on my keyboard? The book mark. Laying stretched out across the D to the Enter key, like it was a present or something. Thanks, Kitties. I don’t know for sure who put it there, they all steal it from time to time and they are all accomplished thieves.

At least this time they didn’t pull my CD player off of the bedside table, take the CD out and use it as a skateboard for the next hour and a half while I was trying to go to sleep. – Darcy

The good news? The tulips are blooming. Gosh, they’re pretty!

Life is too short. Stop and smell the flowers. – Darcy

As you can see if you watch closely, neither the cat or the snake intended any harm to each other. It’s rare to find such great footage of animals being animals together. It’s a garter snake, they are not poison, they do not have fangs. If it had bitten her, it would have been a good hard pinch. Actually I was hoping that the snake would pinch her so she’d be afraid of snakes. It didn’t happen. We haven’t had a poisonous snake in our part of the country for a long time. Garter snakes, we have a lot of those guys. This particular snake is probably a female, she’s pretty big.

I’m sure this is not the first snake DC has ever played with, like I said, we have a ton of garter snakes around here. Oh yeah… if you’re afraid of snakes, you may want to pass up this movie.

I used to play with snakes when I was a kid. If I was a cat, I’d be DC, the country cat.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fb723-Ug1C4&w=560&h=340&rel=0]

The travel was long, the winter days were cold, and the roads were nasty most of the time to say the least. Dancer loved to travel with me and had been as good as she could be for days and days, in and out of motels, up and down mountains, rest stops here and there. My dog was petted and oohed and awwed over by everyone and she was great with everybody.

We’d been in a northern California town near Mt Shasta for several days watching over Dad and hoping that he was going to get better. Instead of getting a motel room, we parked outside the hospital and took turns sleeping in the van. Lots of blankets and a mattress on the floor made it better than winter camping.

One morning in the wee early hours before dawn, Dancer and I woke at the same time to the sound of what I thought at first was a light rain on the roof. Dance was in the sleeping bag with me, I was spooning with my arms around her for the most warmth and we were comfortable. The “rain” sounded as if it was coming in waves, starting at the hood to the back end of the van roof and then back again. Light sounds, soothing sounds. We lifted our heads together and listened. Our heads moved in sync as we listened to the sound of the “rain” moving from front to back and back to front again. Our eyes followed the sound like watching a quiet tennis match. Over and over. It was almost hypnotizing. The sun was coming up and dawn showed yellow and lovely.

When we realized what we’d been listening to, Dancer turned her head back to look at me. We were quiet for a moment, listening some more, and then I laughed out loud. She licked my face. It wasn’t rain at all. It was a cat. It’s footsteps soft and padding. The cat was starting at the hood, jumping up onto the top of the van, walking to the end of the van, turning around, walking to the windshield and sliding down the window to the hood again.

I’ll never forget the look on Dancer’s face just before I hugged her closer. She didn’t bark or move. She lifted an eyebrow and put her head back down beside mine. She gave the cat one ear which moved back and forth as the cat continued it’s game of walk and slide. As simple as that. The cat eventually jumped off and Dancer and I went back to sleep. Darcie

[Dancer is pictured on About Darcie. I miss her very, very much.]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfWtjKHMRN0&w=560&h=340&rel=0]

I’d put the biscuits in the oven and sat down with a cup of hot tea when DC jumped from the top of the stairs wall into my lap asking for her Sunday massage. She loves her massages. Princess Fiona is sleeping on my bed. Meela is in the window.

The dogs have all been outside and this morning they ate their breakfast before us. Now they are all laying around here, cozy and warm. The fire is crackling and the homemade biscuits are almost done. The house smells really good.

Toasty and warm. I love chilly fall mornings.

I thought I’d let you know… SitStay.com is having a great sale! Check it out at www.sitstay.com

Shop now for Christmas! You’ll have to find a place to hide things but it’s nice to get that shopping done early.

We only sell the good stuff so you know when you shop at SitStay.com, you’re supporting a Store who doesn’t sell shock collars and poor quality foods that make dogs sick and end their lives too early. It’s a good feeling in your heart to know that you’re saving other dogs from a bad fate when you support only the Stores who do it for the dogs, not for the money. That would be us. The stores who do carry all that junk do donate to rescue but they are a big part of why there is so much rescue. I’d rather not have to say I’m sorry by donating to the cause, I’d rather do the right thing in the first place and donate to help those already in rescue. I love SitStay and all it stands for.

Thought I’d let you know about the sale so you don’t miss out on the savings. Tell everyone you know, too, please!

Thanks,

Darcie

When was the last time somebody opened your front door and just walked boldly into your house and you didn’t ask them what they were doing? I know you didn’t say, “Oh sure, come on in, whoever you are and whatever your intentions are. Do to us whatever you want, use our stuff, take our children, rape our family, it’s okay, we’ve evolved past the instinct of desiring safety and survival.”

Of course you wouldn’t do that! And if that person rolled you on your back and held you down, you’d fight for all you were worth (read that ‘alpha roll’). It’s the same with dogs. We’re watchful until the danger is past. Who is this coming into this space and why are they here? Is it beneficial to us? Do they have something to offer? Or are they going to kill us or hurt us? There has to be an understanding, an introduction, an invitation when someone new comes around. Even in our public lives it’s that way.

Here’s another example. You’re in a movie theatre and here comes a couple with popcorn, candy, drinks, and a bunch of kids. “Oh, please don’t sit by me, please don’t sit by me, please don’t sit by me!” But if they sit by you, they are pleasant and they don’t make much noise, you forget that they are there as your mind accepts them and you get into the movie. See what I mean?

Or at the coffee machine or lunch table at work. New person walks up, polite greetings all around but you stop talking about personal stuff. At least until you decide that they are trustworthy to be in your space and you allow them to hear your words, accepting them into your life.

We teach our dogs that we will look out for them. We’ll tell them when all is safe and when it isn’t. “Thank you for barking to tell me someone is here but that’s Aunt Lily come to call. All is well.” Or “Bark louder, Boy, I don’t know who that is and I’m not answering the door. He’s gone now. Thanks, Buddy, you were great.” Or “Hey, looky, Darling. We have a new rescue dog. Let’s all go for a walk together headed in the same direction and you can invite her in when we get back in about an hour. You are such good hostess. She’ll be your new best friend.”

When everyone knows everyone, we accepted their existence, we have established a level of trust. There is no fighting or disagreement any higher than a normal, “Get out of my face” or “Please remove your hat, I can’t see the movie screen.”

Normal dogs don’t fight to kill or even to injure a person or another dog. “Fights” are generally all noise unless a person gets in the middle of it, the dogs misunderstand the person’s interference, and the fight goes to a higher level. Even then, it’s usually the person who gets hurt, not the dogs. If my dogs ever argue, I wait a second, take stock of what’s going on, then I act if I have to. Usually I don’t have to do a thing. It’s a simple, “get out of my face” or “I said, I don’t want to play right now.” Normal stuff. Some dogs have the patience of a saint and that’s great when you get that in your house. I personally don’t have the patience of a saint. I’m slow to anger but I can be riled with enough push and my dogs can be pushed to respond, too. It doesn’t mean we’re going to kill somebody to make our point.

Aggression is generally taught either by practice or by accident. Practice is dog fighting and by those really scared people who feel that a protection dog in their home would be a good idea, those dogs are trained to aggress. A protection dog is never a good idea, by the way, it can so easily go wrong.

By accident can be keeping a tight leash or holding your dog back physically from something that scared him or simply alerted him. Or rewarding with a treat or praise or your voice, “It’s okay, Baby”, sounding like you approve of growling, barking, and showing of teeth. If you don’t practice relaxation around your dogs and in your life, it’s sometimes hard to react properly when your dog alerts to what he thinks is dangerous or new. Reacting properly would be relax, watch quietly, drop the leash, or play with your dog, leave quietly, or run away playing. That’s not the end of the list but it’s a good start to work with.

Making sure first that there is no real danger, there are many options for you and your dog to avoid an altercation. Never drop a leash if you think your dog is going to bite or attack. The better plan? Hold the leash lightly in your hand and run with abandon (not like you are running to save your life) in a 90 degree angle from the “danger”, you are laughing loud and loving the fun. Really, practice that. You may need it some day when there really is danger. You want your dog to go with you now without argument. When you run at a 90 degree angle, you are not running away from the “Boogeyman”, you are running with abandon with your friend, playing and turning the mind away from perceived danger. The dog learns that something coming toward you might turn into a really cool game.

Another thing you can practice, just in case the danger is a loose aggressive dog who will take chase if you run, is to teach your dog to ignore other dogs. Clicker training will help you teach your dog to target on your hand. A still, quiet person and a relaxed dog are rarely the target of aggression. Dogs can’t chase something that isn’t moving. If you have cats in your house, you understand that. If the cat doesn’t run, she’s really not that much fun.

Know your life. Where do you go with your dog, what might happen there? Practice for it. Your goal is to stay calm and teach your dog to remain calm, no matter the odds. If you practice enough, you will be ready, any time, any where, no matter the danger or the perception of the danger.

Now just for fun, back to the chickens. Remember, you’re talking to a country girl, here. Chickens eat each other. They are cannibals. Dogs might ostracize an old or a sick dog from the center of the family but normal dogs don’t eat each other. Chickens are dinosaurs. I love chickens, they are fun to watch, and I love eggs. But chickens are sick little puppies when there are too many of them in one place or somebody is down or shows blood. They are merciless.

Meela

Kent went to Canada early this week and brought home two cats and a daughter. Yes, our daughter is back in Nebraska for a while and then on her way to Australia. She asked us if we would take in her kids, she couldn’t leave them behind, she can’t take them with her, and she knows we’ll love them as much as she does. Of course we said yes. The cats have come to live with us.

The airlines wouldn’t let her bring both cats, she could only travel with one. So Kent, dear Dad that he is, jumped on a plane and offered to carry the second cat back. They had an uneventful trip and the cats traveled well.

Princess Fiona

They came home to the Dome Home. Two cats, Princess Fiona and Meela, have come to live with DC, our country cat, and three dogs. Tilli, Oliver, and Frankie.

Meela is a calico and a lover of all people, this is her first experience with dogs and she’s not sure what to think about that yet. She’s a little fatty from eating a corn based cat food diet, we’ve started working on that already. Her new food is grain free, she should have her girlish figure back soon. She’s always been a house cat but shows signs of wanting to go outside. I guess we’ll see how that goes.

Fiona is a long haired, dark gray who isn’t sure if she loves to cuddle or not, she does make some great hissing sounds when the dogs come by. DC and Fiona have had a few half hearted slap fights way up high on the cat tree, no blood was let. Fiona is a princess so hasn’t let her food get to her too badly, she does have a few pounds to lose.

Oliver is afraid of Fiona, he keeps clear of her so far. He and Meela sit on the floor and stare at each other, nobody moves. Tilli stays out of the way. She’ll leave it to the rest of them to sort things out.

It’s been a parade of cats and dogs getting to know each other for the past three days. Cats hiding in out of the way places during the day, becoming explorers by night. Frankie isn’t sure if squirrels have invaded the house or if they are rabbits. She barks like she thinks we have intruders. We’re working on that and it’s going pretty good.

The guest room has two doorways so the relays can be run all the way around, out, and back into the room again. Alyssa was stretched out on her bed with Meela and a laptop when the two puppies came running through, Fiona heading that little chase. Fiona went up and over the bed, over the laptop, over Alyssa and Meela, and over the lamp. The puppies slid into and under the bed as they tried to put on the brakes. The dogs were called off and Fiona was found tucked away, hiding, safe and sound. We’re working on leaving the cats alone, we do not chase cats. The lamp survived.

Remember when we were concerned about Dancer and DC the new cat who strolled through and decided to live with us? That all worked out just fine. And so will this. It’s really kind of fun for me to have a new training problem to solve. It will be over much too soon and we’ll all be living quietly together again.

Alyssa leaves for Australia soon to go get her Master’s Degree. We are so proud of her. She’s leaving her cats with us, their Nana and Papa. These beautiful cats are everything to Alyssa, they’re just like her kids. They can’t travel with her so she’s making the best decision she can. They’ll stay with us. We’ll be taking pictures and posting here at The Dish so she can see them whenever she wants and you can follow the saga of the Dome Home, too.

And you know what this means now, don’t you? We have to add more cat stuff to SitStay.com! We knew it would happen some day and we were looking forward to it. We just didn’t think it would be this soon or because we took in two more cats. Now we have three cats. And an old dog. And two new puppies. And maybe another puppy coming. When will the madness end?!

I hope never. There are days all I do is smile. Or is that hysteria being held inside? LOL