Keeping off the Chill

Dog clothing seems to be quite the fashionable thing these days. I can understand how putting a sweater on a short haired breed or especially a nearly hairless Chinese Crested might have its point. After all, our domestic dogs are the result of breeding out many of the characteristics (including a tolerance of bitter cold, for some breeds) of their wild wolf ancestors.

Is there anything wrong with clothing your dog?

The only drawback I can find is the possibility that clothing might obscure a dog’s natural body language (raising the hackles, drooping the tail and so forth) from his or her “peers”. Presumably this could lead to some sort of altercation between a couple of canines.

Then there is the matter of tasteless outfits. As far as I’m concerned, this would include, as a subheading, outfits that match a dog’s human companion. But I’m not a big fan of matching much of anything. A friend of mine has adopted twin girls, and on their birthday I make it a point of NEVER giving them identical dresses.

Dogs are not children

This may seem obvious, but if life in Japan can be a forecast for the future, more and more people will be adopting dogs in lieu of having children. There seems to be a trend of carrying Yorkies in strollers, toting Chihuahuas in purses and even wrapping small dogs in baby slings to wear on your chest.

What about a dog’s dignity?

I don’t think that dogs have the same emotional response as people, but I believe there is truth to the idea that all domesticated animals (well, with the possible exception of the cat) like to contribute to the “pack” survival. You, of course, are part of his or her pack. So put some dog clothing on George the Doberman if you like, but be sure he wears a little backpack on that holds water for the two of you when you go on your next hike!

What does THAT mean?

I believe that a dog is happiest if he has appropriate work to do. Being cute” should not be a job description, especially for a dog. Even a little Chihuahua can find something to do to help his adopted family. Let him bring you your socks, even if it’s one at a time!

Puff the Magic Dragon

I have never had a bearded dragon as a pet, but my young niece once kept one in her bedroom. Her dad is a well-known author of children’s Science books (Laurence Pringle) and it may have been Larry who encouraged her to try a lizard for a pet.

Funny to me, because in the years since that time Becky has gravitated to fluffy cats or dogs. (Now she has a Pomeranian) Anyway, at some point she acknowledged that her interest in “Puff” (the magic dragon) had waned, and a new home was found for him.

Affectionate or just cold?

From what I’ve read and gathered through anecdotal information, a bearded dragon can be affectionate and intelligent as well as being an extremely handsome pet. It’s hard to say if the “affection” is born out of actual affinity, or from having a near-to-hand, ready- made heat source. (I suspect it’s a little of both) But of course, all animals have an instinctive drive towards survival, and having a nice warm mammal body around that actually encourages your nearness must be a real boon to a cold-blooded animal.

On the other hand, I’ve heard tell that bearded dragons actually can recognize their owners! I don’t have any idea if they will come when called.

Lizard Care

There seems to be a lot of knowledgeable information on the web about taking care of your beardie. Since  they are captive bread, you can usually find a baby (around 8 weeks old) to keep in a 20 gallon tank. Apparently you don’t want an enclosure much larger than that for a bearded dragon so small, because they might not be able to hunt down their food! (crickets, I would imagine)

Fascinating Reptiles!

I’d love to hear some first- hand bearded dragon stories from responsible pet owners. What is it like to own a reptile that can ride on your shoulder? Sounds like fun, but I’m sure there are a lot of responsibilities involved in taking care of such an exotic pet.

I did a little more searching for information on adoption of FIV cats. Of course, the Best Friends Sanctuary site had some of the most well-researched and entertaining anecdotal information on cats with this illness.

Here are a few more things I learned:

•    The disease can only be passed by a deep and penetrating bite
•    Some FIV cats can live to be a healthy twenty years old!
•    Some Veterinarians have recommended euthanasia for cats diagnosed with this disease (But I’m hoping most of them are more educated than that now. As I’ve said many times, veterinarians are some of the most caring human beings on the planet!)

The main thing you need to be aware of is not exposing an FIV kitty to a disease that their immune systems just wouldn’t be able to handle.

FIV and HIV

The more I think about it, the more this scenario reminds me of the early days of HIV and AIDS research, when humans with these conditions were isolated by friends and family. Gradually, over the years it became common knowledge that it wasn’t all that easy to pass the disease from one person to another. And people with this condition no longer have to live in fear of being separated from those they love.

Best Friends Sanctuary

Best Friends Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah has two rooms devoted exclusively to FIV cats. I assume they have separated them from the other cats because the prejudice about this condition does still persist. Besides, if you are taking in strays and unwanted felines, I imagine you have to be extra careful. What if one of the FIV positive tom cats happened to be  a bully?

There are plenty of heart-warming adoption stories you can read about on this site, and a lot of encouragement for people who may have  discovered that their beloved feline has this condition.

What happened to my brother Jeff’s FIV positive cat?

In my last post, I mentioned that my brother had an outdoor kitty with FIV. She lived in his back yard for many years, and received her share of outdoor pets and attention, especially in the summer when Jeff and his wife enjoyed back porch suppers. When the weather turned cold, Jeff designed a heated cat house for her! She lived for many years, and eventually perished from a stroke. So despite the fact that she was separated from the other cats, she had a good life.

Have you had your own experience with an FIV infected cat?

Several years ago my brother and his wife (cat lovers par excellence) began feeding a homeless kitty in their backyard. They took her to a vet for a checkup and discovered she had FIV, a virus that attacks the white blood cells supporting the immune system. It was because of her positive FIV result that they kept her outside, away from their two indoor cats. And that’s the way I figured things had to be, until I read an article in a recent copy of Best Friends magazine.

In this issue I learned:

•    FIV positive cats can lead healthy, active lives

•    FIV is hard to transmit since the virus can only live a few seconds in open air

•    A vaccinated cat will always test positive for FIV

Is it possible to house an FIV cat safely with uninfected cats?

Apparently it is! This really amazed me. But there are many instances of FIV positive kitties living with uninfected cats for years, with no resulting transmission of the virus. And this makes sense, since most transmissions are from mother to kitten, or through a serious bite.

What happens to infected cats in most shelters?

Well, unfortunately many of them are euthanized. But there is a shelter I read about called FIV Cat Sanctuary in Tennessee that houses FIV positive cats and kittens. The shelter is run by a woman named Jen Crews, who adopted an FIV positive cat in 1994, before she even knew what that meant! She mentioned in the Best Friends magazine article that she has had many long-lived cats that had FIV and never even had a sniffle.

Should you adopt an FIV positive cat?

After reading this article, I certainly would not hesitate. (That is, if I were not allergic to cats in general, a condition I hope is temporary.) But how about you? Would you take an FIV cat or kitten into your home, to live with your uninfected cats?

We recently took a trip to Denver, and had a rare free afternoon before the show began. We drove outside the big city for a few miles, up to a small mountain town. As we rounded a bend in the road, we were treated with the appearance of a large herd of elk casually grazing right by the road!

I love black cats; I’ve decided they bring me good luck. If one crosses my path, I look forward to a fantastic day.

Last night, at our friend Bob’s birthday party, Captain Rufus
the cat made an appearance with a large rodent dangling from his mouth. “Oh look,” his wife Nancy exclaimed, “Rufus has brought you a gift!” This is a family that loves their cats.

If only the ants would stay outside. Like this pair. I suppose I should be used to their yearly visit, usually in the middle of the rainy season, but it’s a bit upsetting every time.

It’s not too hard to imagine pythons slithering through the tropical Everglades in Florida, but they are certainly not meant to be there!

Just to keep the theme going, I thought I’d show you what my very own tuxedo cat necklace looks like! This could be a fun thing to wear if it matches your own little Felix.
I’ve always thought a black and white cat has an especially natty look—I feel the same way about penguins!