Wet Noses

Why do apartments always put in cream carpet? I have lived in MANY apartments over the years, and the ones with carpet were all cream or nude or egg shell or off white or ecru or some other shade that is terrible at hiding stains and dirt. Those of you without a pet might find this a little bothersome when, once in a blue moon, you spill red wine or drop a bowl of salsa. Now imagine waking up EVERY day and wondering what wonderfully regurgitated gift is on your carpet this time. That is what it is like living with a cat whose nickname is Pukester. She got this nickname many moons ago when she started puking after her meals. Now, these were not your typical hairball cough ups, which are disgusting in their own right. These were like looking at a slightly wet pile of the very expensive food you just scooped into her bowl. She, of course, was not bulimic (but don't think the thought hadn't crossed my mind). She was just eating too fast. Back then it was just the two of us, s...

We live in Atlanta, and if you have been paying attention to the news, you know we have no shortage of water lately. We were having a drought (for two or three years), but after rain on and off continually during the months of September, October and November, Noah himself might feel comfortable here. Given this plethora of water, I have had the opportunity to make a few observations about our fur-children’s like/dislike of the stuff. Everyone knows cats don’t like water. It is a fact that is so established it has become the fodder for email jokes, cartoon calendars and doggie dreams for decades. Despite this established fact, cats sometimes do things that increase the possibly if them getting wet. Our cat is no exception. She hates water. I am assuming this based on her reaction when accidentally splashed with a thimble’s worth of the fluid. Since I value my skin, I have never tested this theory. That said she places herself in positions likely to increase the chances of getting wet....

I know it has been a while since I posted to this little journal (work has been kind of crazy lately) and I know it is not a Monday or a Thursday. But I just couldn't help myself. Today is the day. Today is the anniversary of the day we brought the monster home. One year ago today ours lives dramatically changed... We got married in August of last year, five days before my birthday. So while we were on our honeymoon my new husband kept asking me what I wanted for my birthday. We had talked about a dog before and even tested drove a husky puppy a year earlier. But the timing was never quite right. So when I said "a dog" we both kind of smiled and though, if only. Then things changed in our lives. I got a new job working from home and our car died. While the new job may seem like an obvious opportunity for a dog (someone to be home with the puppy all day, someone to take her out every hour for potty training, someone to take her for walks and keep her exhausted so she d...

We live in an apartment. Always have. And for the cat, that has always been just fine. She is an indoor cat. She likes to lounge around and watch the world go by and doesn't really participate much. But she is also aware that everyone needs a little exercise and as she gets older she needs to use it or lose it. So in the evenings, after her late afternoon nap (which is preceded by her afternoon nap, her mid morning nap, her early morning nap and a good night's sleep) she likes to run laps. BD (Before Dog) these laps started on the far side of our bed, wrapped around the doorway, zagged out into the hall, through the living room and back into the bedroom. Some days, she would zig rather than zag and end up in the bathroom instead of the living room. But for the most part it was a pretty easy loop. She would do it a few times, lie down to catch her breath, then do another set or two. Obviously, she got her strict work out regiment from her father (my husband is a triathlete, ul...

Both of our animals are female. I have always been opposed to male pets (I had an unfortunate incident with a male dachshund where he lived up to the nickname "wiener dog") and have a strict rule that any mammal in the house whose sex I have control over will be a girl. I've heard all the reasons why male animals are better...they aren't as possessive, they are more affectionate, they are less stubborn and so on...but I can not be dissuaded. I want girls. As responsible pet owners, both of our girls are spayed. But they still seem to have a way with the boys. The cat isn't really a fan of other cats, and since she lives indoors, this isn't much of a problem. But we used to live on the first floor of a very large apartment complex and she liked to sit at the back door and just look out at the woods behind us. A large male cat, named Figaro, decided he had to have her. He would come to the back door, stand on his hind legs and cry for her. While this did c...

After having a cat for 12 years, the concept of "being the alpha dog" is not something that comes naturally to me. As anyone with a cat knows, there is no such thing as "dominating" a cat or making the cat be "submissive" to your wishes. The cat does what the cat wants when the cat wants to...no ifs ands or buts. So when I started reading about how to have a happy, balanced dog and learned that my husband and I needed to be the "alpha dogs," I started to question my assertion all these years that I am really a dog person who happens to have a cat. Being the alpha comes naturally to my husband. He isn't a dominant or aggressive man, he is just very calm and even keeled. I, on the other hand, am not. If a glass of water gets knocked over, I scream while he calmly reaches out to catch it before it hits the table. If the dog knocks her butt into one of our standing vases of bamboo, I scream while he rolls his eyes and saves the plant. If he t...

We have been allowing the dog, aka "the monster," to venture into the cat's, aka "her majesty's," territory with supervision. Again, my husband thinks this is the best way for them to become friends. Her majesty and I are not so sure, but...I live with the hope that some day all four of us can sit on the couch and watch a movie together. Call me a dreamer. Some days the interactions are less than terrible. Some days, I think her majesty would rather take a bath than see the monster. To the monster's credit, she is determined to make a friend and will not take "no" for an answer. She lies down on the ground, eye level with her supposed arch-enemy, about a foot or so away. Inevitably her majesty hisses and turns around. She seems to believe that if she can't see the monster, the monster can't see her (we've all been there, don't deny it). Of course the monster is not dissuaded by this tactic and just walks around to the other si...

Let me start by saying, no, I am not crazy. I really wanted a dog and didn't want to wait until my then-13-year-old cat went to the "final litter box in the sky." I had heard all the warnings about cats and dogs in the same house and I knew that my elderly, hyper-sensitive cat would not be too pleased with this development, but I am the human and I get to make the decisions. So a year ago I got a puppy. A Siberian Husky to be exact. This blog is dedicated to the adventures of life with the two of them. _________________________________________________________________________________ My husband believes that the cat is coddled and just needs to get over it. I, on the other hand, believe the cat might have a few good reasons to be afraid of this large, furry beast with enormous teeth and a tongue that drips rain drops of slobber down onto her toys. So we bought a doggie gate to create a "cat safe" zone. My husband affectionately refers to this gate as the Fur...