pets

Hello there! 

I decided to make this entry as part of blogmas 2022. The challenge is for day 8 and it consists of some gift ideas. There are many ways of making a person happy, but not many think of making animals happy. I wish this would change. 

Several entries ago, i wrote about adopting animals. Read one of them here and read the other one here.

Last year in the summer, my partner decided to take a walk in Carol Park. I wrote about it in this entry, if you're curious. So, we go in the park, on a certain side path. As we walk, we see a white and orange kitty. As we approach, we see the kitty has more brothers. They also had some food and water container that other people filled. We also ran to the store and bought some kitten food. which they ate. 

The white and orange kitty had a white/black brother, a 3 colored sister, an all-orange and stripy sister (we first thought it was a boy), and 3 all-black brothers. We first saw just 1 of the black cats. Then, we saw the 2nd one after some time. And yet, after some more weeks, a 3rd fully-black cat cam. We only realized this because all of them were present at the same time. 

In these 2 pictures, we can only see 3 of the cat brothers, eating well. They were hungry even though they had quite a bit of food. brought to them by other people. 

In some ways, they were lucky because several people were passing by daily to feed them and to give them water.

The first cat that got a family

The first cat that wanted and found a family is the one that appeared in front of us, the white and orange one. he's not seen in the pics above, but below. 

The image is blurry, sadly. I believe this is an iPhone 4 picture. He was maybe 2 or 3 months old at the time, and a bit on the skinny side. 

When we saw him that evening when he got home, he appeared not to feel very well. Clearly, thinking he was sick, we decided we take him home, regardless of the fact that we had no bag or cat carrier on us. 

It didn't matter, because he acted sick all the way to home. Once we 'quarantined' him, he sprang back to life. He was eating, and drinking, and i think he even used the litter box right away. 

We didn't think we can keep him, and personally, i didn't feel much attachment towards him. :( We knew someone who wanted a cat for some time, and we also wanted to rescue as many of his brothers as possible. So, Whuay went to another home where there were no other cats to compete for human attention. 

He did spend some time with us, getting used to life indoors which seemed to be all he ever wanted. I say this because once at home, he started exploring the "quarantine" room right awaya and wanting to make friends with our older cats, Whiskey and Mickey.

As far as we know, he's doing fine, he's loved, and this is what matters. I do miss him now that i looked at the pics i have of him. 

The 2nd cat getting a family

The second cat finding a family is the white and black one seen in the first image. This is because we still went every other day to give the kitties water and food. That summer was brutal, with very high temperatures. 

His current name is Churro, but when we first saw him, we called him Oreo because of his color combination. 

I have basically 2 memories of this kitty in the park, though we saw him more often than that. One time, when we went to feed them, he was up on the tree, trying to sharpen his claws. We knew he is a very playful fella right then and there. He was absolutely adorable.

The other memory i have of him from the park is from one evening when 2 young girls came to feed the kitties. However, this is not all they did: they also left with this kitty but said they'd bring him back. 

Why did they take him, you ask? it's because they wanted to play with him in a safer environment. They couldn't keep him though, as it was their parents who had the last word on the matter. 

We got quite mad with the girls because they gave Churro, at the time Oreo, fake hopes of a home. :( One of the next times we went to feed the kitties, only Churro/Oreo was there, all alone. He looked sad and lonely. We didn't think twice about it, we just grabbed him and went home with him, after leaving food for his brothers.

Look how handsome he is! Sadly, the red bow didn't last for long, but it sure fitted him. However, the surprized face expression persists, and he's just amazing! 

The 3rd cat coming home with us

The 3rd cat that came home with us is probably the black one in the first image. Why do i say probably? Because they were a total of 3 black cat brothers! proof below! The black cat we first saw got named Shadow, and then all the black kitties received the same name because we couldn't tell them apart. 

There are 2 things i need to mention:

• we didn't know there are 3 black cats from the start
• the 3rd cat didn't come home last year like his brothers, but this year

I forgot how many of the kitties we saw the very first time we went. I do remember that we were surprised to see a completely black cat among the others. Then, one evening, we saw a 2nd completely black cat. Again, we were surprised and felt as if someone played a trick on us. 

But, then! a 3RD FULLY BLACK kitty appeared from nowhere! They were there all 3 at once, as seen in the pic above, and all of them were boys. One of them was more scared of us than the others, and another one more friendly. 

Another memory i have regarding these black brothers is that one time, one evening, just 1 of them was there out of all the remaining brothers. Not only this but the one that came to eat was one of the friendlier black brothers. So, i managed to touch him and cuddle him. 

I believe that was the evening he followed us through the park, almost close to the entry point we use. He was also crying/meowing and looking sad. T_T We were certain he wanted to come home with us. We ... just ... thought we couldn't deal with so many cats. We felt really bad and sorry we didn't take him with us that day.

Almost a year passed by. During these months we continued to take food to the kitties. however, sometime in spring, they disappeared. The area where they were being fed was demolished further - it used to be a restaurant type of location that caught fire at some point. 

This led the kitties to scatter, we think, or perhaps someone took 2 of the remaining cats, leaving the 3 black brothers. Then, not even they came to being fed anymore. So, we stopped going seeing that there were no more cats to feed. 

But life is twisted and at the beginning of September '22 we went again just on a whim. And we found Shadow! He recognized us by our voices and came to eat and drink. The next day we went with the cat cage in tow, hoping to find and catch him. And we were lucky! he was very easy to "catch" and now he has a furreverr home and he adapted VERY well to his new environment. 

In the middle, is Scotch the dog that i haven't introduced yet. We currently have 4 cats, a dog, and a crow. Life is stressful with so many pets, but we are very happy to have rescued 3 kitties out of maybe a total of 7 brothers. 

©Charly Cross 2013 - present. All rights reserved.

Do you want to buy me a coffee? this is a 1-time donation, thank you very much!

You might already know I own 2 cats, but I will talk about the younger one for he likes me a little more than the older one. You want to know a secret? You can also make your cat like you more than the rest of the family [if you have a cat, that is].

DISCLAIMER: this method is not 100% foolproof, and is more successful on kittens. It is still worth giving a try - hopefully your cat is not a the spawn of the devil and can be [gently] handled. i credit expert cat owners with the discovery of the method.

I hope everyone planning on getting a new cat or kitten will find this short entry a bit useful. If you dislike cats, I hope you will change your mind about them a bit.

So this is Mikey, the younger cat - he turns 6 years old on July 4th. I cannot tell you how attached to me he is.

To put it into perspective, he knows when I arrive home, he doesn't let his older brother come to me, he makes sure to leave his scent on me whenever he can [even when I'm in the bathroom], and he cried a lot last year when I would be gone to my 9-5 jobs. That's not all, he also gained a lot of weight last weight: it seems he ate his feelings [and i feel bad for it].

One of the ways he showed his affection was by 'cleaning' me while i slept - my face, hands, arms, hair, whatever he could. His older brother never did it. He also loves sleeping next to or on top of me.

So, how come he prefers me?

You must know I got him when he was a kitten, and I basically stole him from his family and mother. I don't think he was fully weaned, but he was eating cat food.

When I got him, I had to act like cat-mom, and make him relieve himself. This is easily done by holding the cat over the litter and gently rub her behind with a damp towel - it should have the same texture as a cat's tongue. Your cat will believe it's her mother taking care of stuff, and in a way will think you're said mother - your scent is all around after all, and her mother's scent is not. It's almost natural that you'll be replacing her mom at this point.

There is one more important step you should not ignore, when going through this process: "burying the gifts" AKA the cat pee and poop. Gently grab one of the cat's front paws [or hands if you prefer] and move it from the front towards the back, while touching the sand [or litter bed. we use a special type of sand.. bentonite, clay? I'm not sure exactly what it is, but I recommend silica type because it disappears, so you throw away less stuff.] The movement should imitate the one the cat does when she covers her waste.

This paw movement should be done right after wiping her behind with the damp towel, even if she doesn't relieve herself. This is one of the best methods to teach a cat where 'the toilet' is, no matter the age. It is especially useful when changing houses and getting a new cat.

If for some reason you consider changing the type of litter, make sure to do it gradually, so that the cat will get used to the new type slowly - or better said so she won't realize. if you change it all of a sudden [because you couldn't find the one you usually get] try this method I described above.

Cats can be and are just as loving as dogs, perhaps even more so. This is why an older cat will take some time to get used to new humans, if re-homed. She might act distant with her first humans, but maybe she's generally more distant. Remember that not all cats are the same, just like not all dogs are the same.

I hope you found this article a little helpful.

© Charly Cross 2013- present. All rights reserved.

It is early May and you might find baby birds on the ground. Fallen from their nests. (I'm not sure when wild bird eggs hatch, so this article might come in handy. )

If you do, find such a baby bird, what do you do?

1. You could try to find its nest and put it back.
2. Take it home/ to the vet to see if it's OK - no broken wings or legs
3. Do nothing, let nature take its course. [do you have the heart for that? i don't]
4. Something else this author didn't think about. [care to share your thoughts?]

I only asked "what will you do" and not "what and why." I like to assume that most of us would try and find the bird's nest and try to put it back. We all know baby birds don't belong on the ground. Many would choose to do both option 1 and 2.  And there are quite a handful who would choose the last 2 options, for various reasons.

Saying that doing one or the other is wrong or good - this is actually something we can't be objective on. We were all raised differently and have different beliefs.

However, I will tell you what I did, and what my experience was. You can then decide if this was the right or the wrong thing to do.

About 3 years ago I found a baby grey crow on the ground, next to my building. It was a rainy spring, and the poor thing was soaked. His parents were still watching over him, but couldn't do anything about him - there were just too many humans around for them to risk getting down on the ground and feed him or protect him from the rain.

He couldn't protect himself from the cold pouring rain either because he was bald, only his tail and wings feathers were grown. He would have died if I didn't decide I would take him in, feed him, and warm him up.

I took him in and decided the first thing he needs is to get warm up. I grabbed a towel and proceeded to dry him off, except it didn't really work. The hairdryer did a better and faster job.

The bird was now dry and warmer. But weak. Because he didn't eat in several hours.

WARNING: Baby birds need to eat about once an hour or two. But you need to learn how to feed them because YOU are now the parent!

Learning how to feed a baby bird is rather easy, but if you worry easily, ask someone else to do it. You can find many instructions online, but I will try to explain in a future post how to feed baby crows!

Must tell you Romanian vets are not very experienced with birds, and I had 2 of them telling me he would die because they didn't know what to do to him. Guess what? he didn't die. I had to force some antibiotic on him the next day - he caught a cold from the rain. The worst part was that he could have died at my hands because I only had some strong antibiotic for humans [I used it for a UTI before... so go figure].

Of course I made sure to only give him a tiny bit, trying to figure out about how much based on his weight and to complicated measurements and math calculations on the pill. Fun times! I should be a chemist now, or a vet. The good news is that it worked and the next day he was walking all over the floor.

© Charly Cross 2013 - present. All rights reserved.

This is not a sad story, but rather one that might make your blood boil to the point where you want to smash something. But let's start with the beginning.

Back in November I was coming back from buying some groceries. As I was opening the door to the apartment building where I live, this little [mostly black] cat dashed right in with me. I have no idea where it came from, but it sure wasn't shy. This little fellow simply followed me home. So I took her in... Lucky that my two 7 and 6 year old male cats didn't try to kill her, but she wasn't happy with their presence either.

This black furry thing wasn't shy nor scared of being touched or even handled. I quickly discovered this was a female cat. "Sweet! I never had a female cat before" I thought to myself. Of course, I talked to my friend about it, and we decided to keep her for a while, until we find a more suitable furrever home. The little cat went in heat in about 2 - 3 weeks after finding her. Her screaming sounded as if someone was torturing her to death. I waited till it passed, and then got her spayed. Quietness returned.

There are more reasons I need a new home for Milky - this is what I named her. Ironic given her color, right? but it's mostly because she likes to nurse on tshirts and pants of a certain texture. She also LOVES milk, so now the name seems more fitting.. The most important reason is that we will be leaving the country this year [hopefully soon], and there is no way to accommodate 3 cat at the new place [with some relatives until we find a job, and a place of our own].

So we posted a few "up for adoption ads" for Milky.  A few nights ago I received this phone call from an older lady showing interest in Milky [the female cat]. We decided to meet the next day, with me bringing the cat to her place. Said and done.

I wrapped the cat in a blanket as there was no need for a cat carrier, and off we went to meet the lady. Luckily, she lived some 3 bus stops away, and this means easily reachable by foot as well. As soon as the lady saw the cat, she melted -"a good sign" I thought to myself.

She led us to her place - some 5 minutes by foot away from the bus stop, on a quiet street. When we entered, I was requested to take off my shoes. She had a good point for it: that place was SO clean and everything nicely arranged. [I will most likely address etiquette rules regarding wearing shoes indoors, in the next post. Let's just say it is not really polite to ask your quests to remove them.]

I told the lady everything she needed to know about the cat, I showed the cat where the litter was, and I was ready to leave. Right before leaving, the lady informed me it is customary to give a little something in exchange for the cat, so she had prepared some bananas and a box of chocolates.  I took that, my blanket, and I returned home.

Later in the evening, she called however I couldn't pick up the phone. I called her back the next morning... The lady informed me she wanted to return the cat! Yes, you read that right - to return the cat after she promised she would take good care of her and all! She complained that Milky cried, that she went on the opened window, and that the cat wanted to suck her pajamas at night. Apparently she couldn't sleep because of all these! Other than the clothes sucking, all the cats go on open windows and cry in a new house!

1. if you're going to adopt a cat, expect her to cry at least the first night if she's sociable, or to hide if she's less sociable. dogs and puppies also cry the first night or two.

2. your new cat or dog is an ALIVE CREATURE! it is definitely NOT a toy, piece of clothing or some other thing you can just return the next day because you changed your mind!

3. having a pet is NEARLY identical to having a human baby! it requires your attention and it needs you!

Do expect your new companion to give you some headaches, but seriously, children are no different.

© Charly Cross 2013 - present. All rights reserved.

Hello.

Romania is not the place where anyone can just become anything they want without proper training. Of course, if there's a will there will be a way. This article was ordered by a client a very long time ago, but for some reason, things took a weird turn and  the project didn't have a happy ending. Since the content is still original, I decided to post it here, for all of you who love animals. Sadly, this article refers to dogs only and those who want to become a cat behaviorist should take a different route. I may post a guide for that as well. Sometime in the future.

As a side note, this short guide might help people living in UK.

Have you often been told how good you are with animals? If the answer is ‘yes’, you may want to choose a different career path. There is always time for a change! If you have a special affinity for dogs, the best career you could choose is one as a dog behaviorist. The title seems complicated, but it’s actually quite simple.

WHAT THE JOB IS ABOUT

Not all dogs behave nicely and you have most likely encountered that dog that never stays put, never listens or even attacks, at times.

Your job will be to make sure these things never happen ever again, for a happy dog means a happy owner that will forever be grateful to you.

Prepare to get close and personal with both the dog and its owner over a certain period of time, in which you get the pet rid of its phobias, bad behavior, or any other issues the owner complains about.

NOT ALL DOGS ACT THE SAME

The breed of the dog and its own personality play an important part in your work, so do not treat every pet the same way! You need to learn about the different dog breeds’ behaviors but you need to observe the dog too, to see their personality.

Dogs are generally docile pets, they are a man’s best friend after all, but what about the times when the best friend misbehaves? The bad behavior shows in many ways and each will be treated accordingly. For example, one dog can be overly aggressive and chase people around, while another will be scared of something or refuse to go out.

What you need is to talk to the owner in a clear matter about the pet’s issues, figure out the causes and then follow up with a step by step program that will ensure this behavior changes. You will also be in charge of checking up on the pet regularly and see the progress with your own eyes - this is the most rewarding part of the job!

GET PROPER EDUCATION

Like with most jobs, you will need to get the proper training first. However there is more than one way to gain entry into this field of work.

 You must attend college, as the proper training is offered to those who graduated it. You need 2 A levels and you must have studied biology at the very least. CFBA and UCAS are just 2 places where you can get more info on available courses. You may also wish to get your hands on any DVD that shows how to do the job properly, and watch online videos. Then - practice, practice, practice and don’t forget to continue studying after you get in the business!

We suggest you also sign up for a class or seminar. If you’re serious about it, a degree in Animal Science will be helpful. Check the resources and seminaries in your areas and decide what’s the best option for you!

Training is crucial. Even though you might love being around pets, you aren’t born with the knowledge need to become a pet behaviorist.

Another way is to get a job in the field first. This could be anything - even working at a pet shop or veterinary office will do. The point is to get you used to the way animals act - the more, the better. You will quickly notice how different they are one from another.

WORKING HOURS AND EARNINGS

As a pet counselor, you will be making your own schedule and paying your own taxes. Like any other self-employment job, it has its advantages and disadvantages. You will not get paid weekly and you might struggle at first, but this is why this work is suitable for people who truly love animals.

The best paid dog counselors are people who make some cash on the side - of course, in the same field! This should not bring you down though. There are many successful counselors out there, but the wage you will get varies from $30,000 and up to about $75,000 a year. In UK, the charges can start at £85 and can go over £250, per consultation. Of course, if a case is more difficult, you can charge more, but you’ll need the proper credentials as well – see the previous section.

WHAT ARE YOU STILL WAITING FOR?

One of the best parts of the job is that your work will be anything but boring! Be prepared to train the pet as well when needed, watch it play, and interact with it as much as possible.

Once the dog begins to trust you, the most difficult part is gone. You will have fun whilst working - this is the main reason most people decide to get a career in the field.

Read about my experience with Kali.

© Charly Cross 2013 - present. All rights reserved. 

Last year around this date I went to the store to buy some stuff. On my way there I saw with ugly puppy that seemed lost as I saw no brothers nor his mother around. It was cold, and he was hungry. Needless to say I felt so bad for the little thing and I wanted to do something for him. I went home with the shopping bag, but then I somehow went back and took him home with me.

While going home, he started kissing me, and I too a better look at him only to see he's not actually that ugly. Reaching home, the first thing I did was to check his gender, which to my surprise was 'female.' So I had a female puppy dog to care for. however my house was already populated by 2 demon cats, and only one of them saw a dog before. These 2 cats were not too happy to see the new comer.

I didn't plan on keeping her with me forever, and well, in the end this wasn't the case. It doesn't mean I didn't get attached to her, because I did. I named her Kali, after the Hindu Goddess. If you're curious, this Wiki page has more information about the Goddess.

The first things I did, was introducing Kali to some food and water, and boy was she both thirsty and hungry! Poor thing. Of course, the only food I had was some cat food, but for the time being it was more than enough and ok. The next day I would go to the pet store to buy some puppy food. The 2nd thing I did was to give her a bath because she wasn't the cleanest puppy ever.

I gave her a thick scarf I spend a whole year knitting, for myself. Yea, you read that right. However it wasn't something I could easily wear, so it seemed something that would keep Kali warm enough as her fur was so short.

Of course, when time was right, I went to the vet to give her the required shots. We couldn't go out anyways because she was too tiny and it was too cold and snowy outside. After some 4 months, I had her spayed. It seems that there is a new law that requires all pet owners to spay or neuter their dogs if they don't have a breeding license. Not knowing Kali's breed, or her parents, this was out of the question. Also I didn't want more puppies to deal with. People here want mostly pure breed dogs, and who can blame them?

Kali grew up a medium-sized dog that would eat literally anything you'd put on her plate, healthy, and very energetic. She didn't mind the leash nor the collar around her neck, not even the firs time I put them on her. How lucky is that?

To take this picture, I had to tie her leash to the heater, or she wouldn't stay still. She was that energetic and excited, haha. Based on the angle, her ears looked quite big compared to the rest of her. Everyone would comment on he ears.

Her favorite activity was going out on a walk. Because she was a very energetic dog, we had to take rather long walks, so she would get tired.

What she disliked the most was seeing people sitting around without doing anything. This included random workers we would see during our walks. They were wearing uniforms, and she seemed smart enough to realize they were supposed to work. Seeing them just sitting, even if they were eating, she would bark at them. I had to explain to her they needed to rest a bit so she wouldn't bark anymore. It almost always worked, and every time I thought of this behavior as funny.

Walking Kali everyday was a good thing for me. I managed to go out, breathe some "fresh" air.. Living downtown, on a high traffic street takes away from the freshness of the air, after all. It was still better than staying indoors. It also made me feel more cheerful and not awkward about being out. Despite her medium size, Kali was a strong dog, so I always had to have a good grip on her leash. This made my arms stronger, while tiring me some. I sure didn't need to stop by the gym thanks to her.

Kali did like to cause trouble. Or it was her need for attention. As a highly energetic dog, she need a lot of workout and attention. I'm not an active person, but I was more active while caring for this dog. After 8 months, I realized that our living conditions weren't what Kali really needed. At the time I also had a lot of work to do [for my job] and I slowly realized I don't have time to go out with her as much as I used to. As much as it hurt me, it was time Kali found a more suitable home.

One month later, we found a family [friends of friends of relatives] who owned a house with a yard, they had a teen daughter, and were more experienced in raising dogs. Going there for a visit seemed fortunate. They loved her and Kali seemed to go along well with everyone else. She never minded meeting new dogs or people, and the environment seemed 1000 times better than what I could offer her. I knew she was going to be fine, and I get news from time to time that she's happy. This is all I wish for her.

Would I do this all over again? Surely not. I sure miss Kali and I do want another dog. However now this is not possible. If I ever decide to get a new puppy, I would make sure to find one with an energy level that matches mine and hopefully, a small breed dog.

Have a nice new year, and don't fall for just any stray puppy or cat you see on the streets.

© Charly Cross 2013 - present. All rights reserved.