A success story regarding pets

[johniam]

We replaced our 2 pets 2-3 years ago, but not without some excitement.

In Oct. of 2008 our 7 year old cat was behaving weird. Before we could get him to the vet he ran away and never came back. The following month we got a cat off Craig's list. The new cat (Ginger), a female, was glad to eat the food we gave her, but she had antisocial tendencies. Not too violent, but I suspect she had been a stray for a time.

When we had her spayed in March of '09 we were told she was probably a year old then. She just wasn't very trusting. AND she could catch mice with amazing skill. The dog we had was a 12 year old male 80 pound lab/chow mix who moved slow. Ginger didn't have to be afraid of Bear (the old dog).

In July of '09 we had Bear put down. He wasn't happy, he had arthritis, and we thought it best to put him down. A month later we got another dog, also off Craig's list. This dog is the same age as the cat, a lab/corgi mix, and very hyper. The cat was now VERY concerned.

It got to the point that Ginger exiled herself from the main floor of our house. She'd be down the basement during the day and upstairs in one of the kids' rooms at night. This wasn't good, but here's where the success story comes in.

I took intro to psychology at the community college in 1983. For the most part, I have no use for psychology, but here they actually helped me. They showed us a film during the semester about a 4 year old boy who was playing with a white stuffed animal when a fire truck rode by the house and made an abrupt LOUD noise. The 4 year old was traumatized to the point that he would freak out whenever he saw a white stuffed animal; he associated the animal with the trauma.

They cured the boy progressively. First they gave him a piece of blue plush carpet. He'd play with that for a few days, then a yellow piece of carpet, then a white. Then a blue stuffed animal, then a yellow, and by the time they gave him a white stuffed animal again, he wasn't afraid anymore. I can't give you a case study name or anything like that, but the therapy worked.

Recalling this, I tried a kind of similar experiment with our 2 pets. The upstairs in our home is 2 bedrooms, a bathroom and the stairs. When all 4 doors to those things are closed, it creates a 4'x7' room with nothing to hide behind and nothing to jump on top of. So, with help from my daughter, I put the dog up there, then carried the cat up there, closed all the doors, and just set the cat down. The dog was on a short leash so if a fight had broken out, then we could have controlled it not to last more than a second or so.

But Ginger's hair stood up and she hissed at him and the dog just looked clueless and curious. They got as close as a foot away from each other.We let them "interact" for about a minute, then I scooped up the cat and got her out of there. I was prepared to do this once every day as long as it took. I did it the next day and after that Ginger started using the main floor of the house without being forced and they are comfortable to this day. Whew.

I've come up with ideas like that which did not work. This one did, yay.

Edited March 27, 2011 by johniam

[Twinky]

Standard sort of pet-introduction regime. Often, they have to be fed (caged) side by side, or disturb the space for both of them. Good that they're getting on. Bet the cat is the boss!

Now if only I could figure out how to make two spectacularly scared critters (cats) a bit more sociable...one of them is getting quite good now. Likes a cuddle. The other I picked up for the first and only time about a month ago...only had her three years. But at least she lets me touch her now.

You could park your success story on Cat Whispering.

[johniam]

Yes, the cat seems to have the upper hand. The dog gets jealous of the cat when I pick her up. I've caught each animal sniffing near the other's rear when the other was asleep. Amazing. We humans need background checks, blood tests, resumes, and the like all because we don't entirely trust each other. All animals need to do is sniff and they have all the info they need. Very efficient.

[johniam]

Yes, the cat seems to have the upper hand. The dog gets jealous of the cat when I pick her up. I've caught each animal sniffing near the other's rear when the other was asleep. Amazing. We humans need background checks, blood tests, resumes, and the like all because we don't entirely trust each other. All animals need to do is sniff and they have all the info they need. Very efficient.

[excathedra]

that's nice, glad it worked out

[Watered Garden]

We have a three year old cocker spaniel, Buckeye, that we've had since she was eight weeks ago. A little over a year ago, we got a 9 year old retired mama dog, no relation, but from the same breeder.

We introduced them in the front yard on leashes. Bucks was curious and very alert but not overtly hostile. Nellie slept in a crate for the first six months she was here. She got sick, got well, and got a whole lot more interested. Because she had spent less time being snuggled up with humans than Buckeye, she was not interested in getting up on the sofa or the bed for a little bit, until it got very cold in the house. Then, necessity required her to get under the snuggi with one of us.

Now, she still likes to have her quiet time - probably rambunctious little Buckeye reminds her of all those years with puppies. But she is an absolute sweetheart and has made herself part of the pack.

[johniam]

Hmm. Perhaps an old dog can teach itself new tricks.

[excathedra]

i'm very very very upset that we'll have to put buddy down soon

me boy is an only and he's like a sibling to him

any advice? i know death is a part of life but it really sucks

[Linda Z]

i'm very very very upset that we'll have to put buddy down soon

me boy is an only and he's like a sibling to him

any advice? i know death is a part of life but it really sucks

I wish I knew something I could say that would make it easier. All I know is that there comes a point when letting them go is the most loving thing to do for them. Hugs to you and your sweet boy.

[bowtwi]

i'm very very very upset that we'll have to put buddy down soon

me boy is an only and he's like a sibling to him

any advice? i know death is a part of life but it really sucks

It may sound cliche, but I do believe that getting another dog helps. It doesn't take the pain away, but it helps a little bit.

We lost 3 dogs within 2 years. We had no dog for a few months and it wasn't until I got another dog that my house felt

like a home to me. It took me several months to stop compaing this one to the others, but she definitely eases the

pain.

John - I'm glad to hear of your success story, very cool!

[johniam]

Excathedra: This can be a good lead in to teaching him about the reality of death. I can't think of anything in life that ages people as fast as the death of a loved one. My whole generation got exposed to death when Kennedy got killed. Perhaps your husband would be the one to have a talk with him about it.

[excathedra]

thanks for all your kind advice