At the groomer's

When André's family came to visit recently from Europe, Hunter and I got quiet a bit of attention. Most of them had never seen us before and only heard some of the stories about us. So when Sue told some that I hadn't heard before I listened with interest.

According to Sue it started with Hunter developing some mats in his fur which couldn't be combed out. He doesn't like it at all if something pulls too hard on his fur. It could be because of the shape his coat was in when he was brought to the Human Society as a baby. The staff had to completely shave him when he first got there. Maybe they had tried to comb him to the point where he just couldn't take the pulling any longer. After that experience he doesn't like being shaved either.

Anyway, he had those mats and André and Sue figured it would be easiest to bring him to the groomer and let a professional do the job. When Hunter and Sue arrived, the groomer had just finished with a dog and put him back into a cage. A second dog (both of them larger than Hunter by the way) was waiting to be picked up, too. As soon as they smelled a cat in the room they both started to bark and stand up in the front of their respective cages. You should have seen the look on the groomer's face when only moments later both dogs retreated to the back and lay down quiet and intimidated after Hunter had given them a piece of his mind!

So the groomer gets ready to cut the fur mats out and Sue takes her jacket off to give her a hand. Let the fun begin: Hunter puts up a major fight and no matter how much Sue tries to hold him, the situation quickly turns into a wrestling match. After a lengthy struggle they're finally done and the groomer is very happy to see Hunter back in his carrier. She advises Sue that she will not take Hunter back should he need more trimming. Sue would have to bring him to the vet who could do the job after giving Hunter a tranquilizer.

Now as you can see in Hunter's pictures his fur is really long - up to 4 inches - and this causes the mats. It's just impossible to keep his coat clean without help. So one year after the trip to the groomer there is no avoiding it any longer: Hunter's coat needs some trimming and off he goes to the vet where they have a really tough time doing the job even after they had given him not one but two shots of tranquilizer! Next time, they say, they will have to put him under a full anesthesia to do the job again!

Hunter looked kind of cute though: completely shaved except for his head, paws and tail. And he has not to go back since André found a way to groom him at home. One day, a bit frustrated with the situation, André grabbed the comb and got to work rather roughly. And surprise: Hunter doesn't mind at all - he even likes it that way. Problem solved! Maybe he is just ticklish!

Funny story, eh? See you around
trapper

Sick to the stomach

Unfortunately I became sick a second time in my life. This time real bad. It had something to do with my bowels. I was sick to the stomach and had a bad (and stinky) diarrhea and had become badly dehydrated. It was so bad, that I didn't even eat or drink anything anymore.

Based on previous experience and knowing that the vet would want to take my temperature again (and you know how that goes) both André and Sue came along to give the vet a hand. Yes, you read that right: 3 against 1! We went through the usual procedure and the vet made his diagnoses and determined the necessary treatment which would include pills - again.

The vet gave me two shots and then trimmed some fur around my back end to clean up a mess from my diarrhea and prevent it from building up again. Then he injected 2 large syringes of liquid under my skin to rehydrate me (I got two more of those a few days later). After supplying André and Sue with the necessary medications and giving them some instruction on getting food into me, he sent us on our way.

For the next ten days Andre and Sue looked after me real good and gave me tender loving care and my medications every day. Only once did we have a slight problem with the medicaion. Other than that we all did really good. I told you once before I am a good patient - and Sue is not too bad a nurse. The one part I didn't like was when they tried to force-feed me with soft and rather liquid food out of a syringe. It's kind of like taking pills - same principle and method.

I got all well again and have never been sick since then. Let's hope it will keep being this way for the rest of my life.
hunter

How to give a cat a pill

Two weeks ago I told you about the time I was sick and admitted to the animal hospital. But then the next morning the vet sent me home because of the havoc I was raising in there. The vet gave Sue pills which she and André were supposed to give to me over the next 10 days. And that was when it got interesting. If there is one thing all cats agree on it is that they do not want to take pills. And so, over the years, we have developed instinctive defense mechanisms for this situation. That I am pretty big and strong and can get frighteningly wild if I dislike something probably made it even more of a wrestling match.

First day Sue tried to trick me into swallowing the pill by giving it to me with some food. But I'm not stupid and ate everything but the nasty little bit. So she tried again, now giving me some of my favourite treats and sneaking the pill in there. Forget it - same story, different way. As if I would fall for this old trick. Finally André tried and ended up holding me down and when I opened my mouth to protest, he shoved the pill into my throat.

The next day I was prepared for that trick and determined not to let it happen again. First of all I put up a little bit of a fight when André tried to hold me so he was forced to try to corner me somehow. Unfortunately I was not at my best and didn't see that one coming. It is relatively easy to back out of a hold but once your back is to the wall it becomes a bit more difficult. So he got me again.

Third day I tired to scare Sue off by growling and trying to bite her, which I really don't like to do to her, but she left me no choice. This was really making it difficult for her - but not impossible. I had to find a way of holding them off and quick. So on day four I combine my efforts to backing away and growling at the same time and biting as soon as they got their hands on me. They now had to join forces, one trying to hold me while the other was attempting to make me take the pill. I lost that wrestling match but not without putting up a fight for several minutes.

From that moment on the odds were stacked heavily against me since now they teamed up right from the get-go every morning. After trying different ways of holding me down they finally settled on this strategy: André would kneel over me so I could not back out with my back up against him and stuck between his legs. He would then hold my head with both hands in what looked as if he was strangling me. Then Sue moved in and tried to pry my jaws open and then shove the pill so far back into my mouth that I had no other way to get rid of it than to swallow. This was a mean maneuver and I finally had to admit defeat.

I had fought hard and as long as I could but in the end 2 humans against 1 cat turned out to be more than one cat - any cat - could possibly handle.

See you next week
hunter

Trapper's accident

Unlike Hunter I hate to drive in the car - especially when Sue drives. So any visit to the vet is bad even when it is just for a check-up and it turns out that I am healthy.

Once I am there this guy starts pocking me and listening to my heart and lungs and whatnot. Then he gives me my shots and I am all set for a couple more years. No big deal one would think. But who likes needles? I hate them and so I try to bolt for the door any chance I get. But the vet knows me well enough and keeps that door closed. Darn! So last time I was there I tried to jump up on the top shelf in the room to escape but Sue, knowing me even better than the vet, caught me just in time to prevent that. When we were done and Sue was paying the bill it was time for me to take revenge and jumped on the shelf near the secretary's desk. See Sue had not put me in a carrier but had put a harness and leash on me thinking that this way I would be more comfortable in the car. As I said: I jumped up and things went flying when Sue tried to get me down again.

Other then routine checkups I had to go see the vet only once: One day I tried to jump on something but slipped and fell. In the process I hit really hard and it hurt a lot. That afternoon when Sue tried to pick me up it hurt so bad, that I screamed. At first she thought this was protest because I didn't get my way but when she tried it again and I screamed again, she knew something was wrong. She let me be and kept an eye on me to see what was going to happen. I went for a snooze on André's bed but after laying there for a while even breathing hurt and I started to moan a bit with every breath. Enough is enough, Sue said to André, this is not good and I am taking him to the vet. She put me in the car and drove off. As you know I don't like driving in the car and the excitement and pain combined got me to hang my tongue out and pant like a dog. Sue was very concerned by know, thinking that I had punctured a lung or something and was going to die.

Turned out that I had broken the end of my sternum - that is the bone along the chest, between the ribs. The vet gave me a shot with antibiotics and painkiller that lasted for several days and I was released home with a very, very relieved Sue. He advised Sue that she and André were not allow to pick me up for 3 weeks to give the bone a chance to grow back together which it eventually did. Just not in the right position. Instead of going front to back it now goes off to the side. It doesn't hurt anymore but I have a lasting memory of that incident and sure hope it will never happen again.

I still don't like to go to the vet but I know he is only trying to help me when I need it and he, as everybody else there, is actually very nice. So: thanks a lot vets and staff of the Callander Animal Hospital for all you do for us. Not just from me but from Hunter, too.

This is about it with regards to me and my vet. Hunter on the other hand has some more stories he can tell you. So check in again next week.
trapper

Talking of health

We've mentioned health and the vet a few times in our past blogs. Nobody wants to go there but sometimes one has to do things, one doesn't like. Like getting your check-up. It used to be annually but now we only have to go every second year which is much better. It isn't all that bad for me, as long as they don't try to take my temperature or to cut some of my fur off which only happens when I am sick or hurt.

The vet is a nice enough guy. Everybody at the animal hospital is very nice and knowledgeable actually. It's all this being poked and then getting needles which is not much fun at all. There is also a different atmosphere in there - like I am not in control. So I am usually glad to get out of there and go home.

When I am sick and have to go see my vet, that's when it gets hairy - really hairy! First time I was sick Sue took me there. I am not feeling well at all to start with and then the vet wants to take my temperature! I DON'T THINK SO! After he tried a couple of times to no avail while Sue tried to hold me down and I bit her, he put a muzzle on me and tried again. Muzzle or no muzzle I will not go along with this. So I bite Sue again - through that thing. Finally he managed to do it to me. In my defense I have to say I was weak and running a fewer. If it wasn't for that they would never have gotten away with it.

Once the vet was done with his examination, he gave me a shot and admitted me to stay in the hospital for a few days for observation and further treatment. Sue was standing there, blood running down her hand and dripping on the table from where I had bitten her and the vet actually looked a bit shocked at that. Wait, my friend, you haven't seen anything yet!

They put me in a cage and I didn't like it a bit. There were other animals too and this really stressed me out. So I started raising heck in there. So much so that the vet called André and Sue the next morning and asked them to come pick me up. He said that none of the patients (including me) could relax and get better because of the turmoil I created. Ok, I won and got to go home. Of course I was still sick and needed medication so André and Sue were supposed to give me a pill every day. That turned out to be a story in itself. I usually am a good patient, just ask Sue, but shoving those things down my throat became a challenge for them let me tell you that.

Anyway, I recovered after a week or so and was glad to put that experience behind me. Little did I know that there would be another one to follow. But before I tell you about that its Trapper's turn. He will tell you of his experiences next week.

See you around
hunter

Snipp snipp

Last week we told you what good care the Human Society people took of us and how André and Sue are continuing to look after us. If you remember we also mentioned that it is not easy to find loving homes for all of us when there are so many. But why are there so many dogs and cats in need of a good home? There are pet owners who don't see the value in neutering/spaying their cats and dogs and by not doing it they contribute to a population explosion.

Did you know that a single female cat which has not been spayed can over the span of 7 years produce more than 420,000 kittens! This is with kids, grand-kids, grand-grand-kids etc. - you get the picture.

Now, Trapper and I both would have made great dads. But despite that and the fact that we are proud males, we don't mind at all that we have been neutered - it is actually good for our health and so we strongly support this practice!

If you adopt one of our friends from the Human Society, in many cases they will actually help you with the cost by refunding a certain amount once the vet confirms that he/she has done the procedure on you new pal. Animals from the Human Society also come with a clean bill of health, their shots are up to date (as far as they can be with regards to age and how long they have been there/immunisation schedule etc.) and with a micro chip planted under their skin. What this is for? Well, should you ever get separated, any vet or Human Society and many shelters can scan for that chip and find out where you live. So you can easily and quickly be reunited. Isn't that great?

So go ahead and get yourself a new best friend from the Human Society but remember: when you have a pet you are responsible for its well being including its health. So do your cat or dog a favour and get them neutered/spayed. This will also help make your relationship smoother.

Until next week
hunter and trapper

Pets and their humans

As you know from our last post, animals can get along just fine among each other - at least in some cases. But they almost always get along with humans just so long as the humans treat them with respect, provide for the animal and give them a little love. A prime example of that is the Human Society.

As you know that's where both of us come from and we just have to give those guys our respect and love! It is amazing what they do with whatever means they have. They take in abandoned and even abused animals and nurture them back to health if they can. In some cases, when an animal is too hurt or sick or has reached the point where it can no longer trust humans because of bad experiences, that poor animal has to be put to sleep. This is very, very sad! You see, once you have a pet you are responsible for it and that means more than just giving it a name. It means to provide food, water, shelter, medical care, play time and love. Animals have feelings too and you should treat them with respect and love. If you do so, you will be rewarded with lots of fun and love in return. In our house it works this way.

In most cases the Human Society is able to bring an animal back to the point where it can be adopted out to a loving home - just like Hunter and I. As we already said: they do a fantastic job and try so hard to find a home for every single one of us. This is not easy as long as there are pet owners who don't see the value of neutering/spaying their cat or dog. But that is another story for another day.

Anyway, we want to thank the people at the Human Society from the bottom of our hearts for the love and great care they gave us and give to all the other animals they try to help. We hope that all our friends have already or soon will find loving homes.

So, if you consider getting yourself a cat or dog, go to the Human Society. You sure will find a new companion there and we are convinced that you will be rewarded greatly by your new friend if you provide a loving home and the basic necessities. But always remember: once you have a pet, you are responsible for it and its well being and adopting a four legged pal is a long term commitment.

Cheers and see you around.

hunter and trapper