It's a camper. It's a second home. It's a....

[Gina D.]

pet hospital????

My poor little devil Kitty sustained a mystery puncture in his foot sometime this week. It got infected and abscessed and required emergency surgery this morning. Ouch to Kitty, ouch to Mommies wallet..

Anyway.. the little stinker has his right rear leg up to his in a cast. When he gets home from the vets, he is not allowed to go outside, jump, play or otherwise be.. a cat.

Hmnn.. this is a quandary.. I have 3 dogs and a doggie door. No way to keep the cat in, and I certainly don't want him clacking around in his plaster outside where he would be a target for any wildlife.

What do do?.. Walla! The cat has traveled with me in the Burro many times and he is quite comfy in there. SO... He will go live in it for a week or more, safe from playing puppies and stairs and dirt and other obstacles and physical barriers that might otherwise re injure him. There isn't much for him to maneuver around with his cast on and he will have plenty of space to wander as he feels up to it.

I feel bad that he will stay in there alone, but it sure is nice to have that option vs. expensive vet hospital isolation.

I may sleep in there with him for the first nite or two. Don't know. But it will be clean and quiet and safe. He will recover nicely in there.

[Doug Mager]

Gina, BITE the Bullet and spend the week or so 'cat sitting' in the Egg!

You deserve a week off from the regular household chores anyway!!

[james kent]

Hey Guys and Gals, Gina's gonna put the kitty in the "Litter Box"

[Nancy H128]

What a really super idea!!
Yes, I vote that you stay with kitty too.

[Gina D.]

I had planned to spend the nite in it this weekend. I need to acclimate the puppy to it. She will be doing her first trip in a couple of weeks.

It might be a good opportunity to desensitize her to the cat. Thus far, the cat is tolerant of the pup, but when the pup approaches too close, cat runs, pup chases. They have both slept side by side in my lap, but as soon as the cat moves quickly, the hunting dog ways come out.

Since the cat will be pretty much immobile, and quarters are close, it may help the pup get a snoutful of smell and tolerance.

Thus far, the cat has been too well behaved to pop the pup in the snout when he has had too much. This may be his chance to lay down the law.

I haven't decided if this is cruel or not.

[Pete Dumbleton]

They will work it out for themselves -- The cat has the advantage of age and experience.

[Robert Brummett]

Not cruel at all. Almost all the problems between and among domestic critters are caused by overzealous humankind trying to control everything. Unless they're critter-psychopaths they always work it out.

[Gina D.]

critter-psychopaths

I am afraid she qualifies.. it's a 16 week old BEAGLE.. schmack dab in the middle of the "puppy crazies"

[james kent]

[Gina D.]

"OOPSIE"

No, she is beyond that stage, the "I am so cute how could you EVER be mad at me" one.. she is in her Terrible twos. It's more like "Yeah, I did it.. watcha gonna do 'bout it?"

We'll see how well her housebreaking sticks once in the trailer with no doggie door.

UGH!!! Where is that darling little ball of fluff I brought home from the breeder.. I think I would rather have all the poop.

[Anne H]

I thought of you today Gina when I saw a guy on the street being dragged along by a very active and squirmy little beagle pup; occassionally she would pause in her hyper-active exploration of absolutely every little thing to point her little nose to the sky and BAY.

I closed my eyes and could imagine myself on a hunt in Virginia - - - and was very glad that I am owned by lazy, non-barking greyhounds.

She did break the richter scale of cuteness though.

Hope your kitty is recovering.

[Lizbeth]

Aww, poor Wilson, poor you!

Sounds good for an isolation unit. Good luck with the no doggy door thing!

[Gina D.]

so far, the pup has not shown any interest in barking. She does a short bay when she plays, but I think I may have heard a real bark twice in her lifetime. She was the only quiet one in the litter.. that earned her the most points. I am hoping it sticks, instead of her just not discovering she can yet. Not all Beagles are barkers, but when they are.. they are oh so bad and give the rep to the rest.

Anyway, the cat is happy and cozy in his second home. He climbed out of his carrier and immediately went to his usual seat in the rig, knew where his litter and water was and is purring happily every time I go in for a visit.

Maybe I will put a red cross on the back.

[Roy in TO]

Our Hound did not start barking at stuff until about her first birthday. Till then it was various whines and howls that we still don't quite understand. Ridgebacks are supposedly know for only letting out a single warning bark to get your attention, but Sara is now going beyond that. Time will tell.

[Linda R002]

When we went away on our cruise the question of what to do with our Dallas was there. We desided that our trailer was the most logical answer. The cat loves to travel with us in the trailer, it was easier to keep the trailer at 75 degrees than heat the whole house that warm (we have a hairless cat). We had the neighbor girl come over twice a day to pet the cat, clean the litter and check food and water. We felt it was better to give a 16 year old girl access to only our trailer and not the whole house as well. It worked out great and the cat was none the worse for wear when we got home. He is happily traveling again with us in the trailer.