How to Run with Your Dog (Safely & Efficiently)

From time to time, we house-sit for a wonderful family in a beautiful house in North Boulder up on the Foothills. We always enjoy this, and not because of the perfect peacetime in the mornings or the chickens that give us 7 fresh eggs every morning. No we truly enjoy this because we also get to dog-sit their amazing amazing dog! She is such a sweet heart, an excellent listener, and a great cuddler (most importantly, obviously). This also means that I get a running buddy! I haven’t had a dog for a few years since my Sassy passed in college, so it’s nice to have a companion like Piper (the dog’s name). However, there are a few important pointers for running with a dog, for your safety and theirs!

My old dog and her boyfriend

1. Keep a short leash. This is especially so if you are running on sidewalks with cars near by. Say you aren’t properly paying attention and your puppy decides to wander too close to the street and the lead is too long to reel back right away. Also, when you’re moving at a faster pace, it’s better to have him or her right by your side in case of other people or dogs too. Safety first! And it’s important to be considerate of others who may not be so dog-friendly.

Dogs we used to walk in California

2. Let your dog stop once in a while. Yes you are on a run, even if you are a serious runner, but you are with your dog. First and foremost, they may have to go to the bathroom. Second of all, your dog may love running but they also love to smell and explore! If you feel your dog lagging, let up a little and let them smell the roses. If you’re doing hard training, then you shouldn’t be with your dog anyways! Let them enjoy it!

Chris & Piper

3. Go on nice terrain. I’m not saying don’t go trail running, totally go for that! But think twice about going somewhere with little rocks or sharp objects. Yes, you have awesome running shoes, but your dog doesn’t! They may have pads on their feet, but they’re soft and they can easily get cut. Go on terrain you can both enjoy: sidewalk, trails, grass, dirt!

4. Run without headphones. So I guess this is optional. You can run with headphones and run with your dog, but I feel it’s better to be present with your dog. That way you can listen to their breathing to see if they need a break, if they’re whining or growling, and also to pay better attention to their movements. When I run solo, I listen to an audiobook and it allows me to kind of get lost in it. However, if I’m lost in my book and not noticing that my dog is limping, that’s a recipe for trouble. This isn’t a necessary step, but I sure as heck suggest it!

Piper after a long run

5. Bring a bag! It kills me when I don’t see this. This should be standard for any walk or run no matter how short or where it is! Even if you’re hiking and they’re doing their business in “nature,” people still don’t want to step in it. Tuck a bag in your pocket if you’re wearing a jacket, or just tuck it into the top of your pants, or even in your sports bra if you’re a girl. Do the right thing and just bring it.

6. Provide water for a long run. Dogs use more energy than we do when they run because they are using four legs while we are using just two. I know you may not want to carry a water bottle, but you have a dog, and you have to think of the furry thing! Or, if you know there is a stream near where you’re running, stop long enough for your puppy to drink up. There are making these fold out water containers for hiking with dogs that are perfect for clipping on your belt or pants and then filling up with your water.

Chris with a dog we used to care for

7. Talk to your dog. Yes, your dog is with you already, but sometimes they like to hear from you. Remember to tell them “good girl” or “good boy” to show your appreciation with them keeping up with you. And if they’re slowing a little, say “come on” or “you can do it!” Remember to provide your support and encouragement all the way through.

And those are just a few tips from me to you about caring for you and your dog’s safety . As family gathers round in time for Thanksgiving, I’m betting there’s a furry creature or two that would love a nice run or walk. Dogs are a part of the family and we need to do everything we can to keep them safe and keep them cared for. Use these tips to keep you and your dog hungry and fit!

BONUS KITTY PIC

Sajah learned how to read!

Nov142013

The Misty Strongheart Scholarship Fund

Misty passed away nearly one year ago. She clearly means a lot to us as is demonstrated by the fact that I have her on my heart, always. We wanted to do something in her memory (aside from personal efforts) that would help others. After thinking about what made Misty unique, we came across the idea of doing a scholarship fund.

Old picture just after tattoo

Misty was a lonely girl. When we walked into the Humane Society’s kitten room, there were easily eight kittens under four months old. While Nymeria was running around on the floor with the group, Misty was sitting on a tunnel at the top of the room. She was a good eight feet off the ground… far, far away from everyone else.

While deciding which two kittens we wanted to bring home, it became clear that Misty was a feral cat that was born in the wild. She lived there for about three months before she was brought in and almost immediately adopted by us. She was in the Humane Society for not much longer than a week before we got her. Her beautiful eyes and coat lured me in and I could not help but want to help her feel loved.

Scared little girl hiding under our dishwasher

For about three months, Misty had a special place in our home and our hearts. I spent hours and hours every day trying to make her feel more loved and more a part of the family. No matter how many times she bit, hissed, scratched, and hid we tried harder and harder. Then one day we did not have to try anymore. I will forever regret that I could not save her or make sure that she passed away while feeling like our little girl, not a feral cat.

One year later, I realize that there are many people who come from hard times and tough places. They don’t have a support system from a young age and struggle to find aid. They cry out for help, never receive it, give up asking and eventually try to do everything by themselves. No one can. Everyone needs some help. It could be one person or one thing, but it is someone or something.

In honor of Misty, Hungry & Fit is starting The Misty Strongheart Scholarship Fund. It is not your typical scholarship for students that graduated high school and are trying to find funding for their college degree. Not everyone has the means to make it to and through high school. The world is large and educational systems differ but it is consistently becoming more possible to reach across continents and oceans.

Using the internet or more traditional means, Hungry & Fit is inviting individuals that need support to reach their goals to apply for The Misty Strongheart Scholarship Fund. Persons interested can provide videos, songs, essays and more to relay their desire. They can use the post, email, YouTube and other outlets to do so. As long as you meet the requirements involved, you can apply.

I would like to state that a new page will be appearing on the website shortly. It should take one to two weeks. The page will include the official requirements for application. It will include the application process and details including deadlines. Therefore, I apologize for the lack of details in this post.

Here is a basic outline of the requirements. You must be able to provide your story. What made it so difficult to follow your dreams? Was it someone in particular? Was it your culture’s norms? You must also be able to tell us how you will write the rest of your story. Do you need money for a flight to another country to start a new career? Do you need funding to attend a school for a degree or for a trade? How will you use your higher level of training or education to reach your goal? And how will you help others along the way and when you reach the end of your road?

We want to hear about dreams. We want to hear about struggles and how a little seed, coming from darkness, can find its way to the light and shine that light onto itself and others. We want you to succeed when you thought it would never be possible. We want to take someone’s hand, even though you never thought that someone would reach out for yours.

There will be means and measures to make sure the funding is used properly. We will see to that. Typical American scholarships are awarded in the Spring before students prepare to start college. Ours will be rewarded to the individual or individuals that we feel deserve it most at the end of the next year. The Winter holiday season holds a special place in my heart.

This is starting as a modest fund that will hopefully grow significantly one day. In the last week of December of 2014 Hungry & Fit will award at least a modest $500.00 USD to the recipient of The Misty Strongheart Scholarship Fund. (We will arrange currency exchanges for international recipients.)

We hope those individuals know that there are people who support them, love them and want them to know that there is always someone there for you… no matter how humble your beginnings are. We are excited to make this announcement and are looking forward to a year filled with amazing stories and applications. In Misty’s memory.

Nov062013

Welcome to the Family…. Dovah!

Ever since I was a little kid, I wanted a pet snake. There are few animals, if any, that I do not like. I’ve never had a fear of snakes and it’s hard for me to understand how other people do. If they are massive and/or venomous it’s easier to understand, but how can you say someone like Dovah is scary? After years of failing to convince my mother, who is petrified of snakes (not turned to stone), I finally convinced Alana.

After a hunt on Craigslist and some promises that people couldn’t keep (don’t expect anything from Craigslist), we ended up going to our local Petsmart. Petco had a baby ball python but it wasn’t quite as cute as the one at Petsmart. We bought a basic starter kit for desert reptiles, some extra caves and logs for climbing and basking, and some frozen baby mice. (Sorry everyone, I don’t enjoy feeding it but it has to be done.)

We asked if they knew what the snake’s age and gender was but they weren’t sure. They estimated him to be under a year old but since gender testing in snakes is so mean and inhumane, we decided it would be best just not to know and we took him to be a boy. Since we are going to be getting a female dog and we already have a balance of males and females in-house, we decided to keep that ratio.

We had to decide a name for our new buddy and our typical method is think of a character from something “nerdy” that fits well. For a snake, for us, that means anything related to snakes or dragons in mythology, video games, books, etc. I thought of some Japanese words and some Naruto characters, but our quest ended shortly when I suggested a unisex name that was a no-brainer.

Hi!

The Elder Scrolls video (first computer) game series moved into the mainstream this year when Skyrim was released. Most people just didn’t know about the series before this game and really no one knew about it before Morrowind was released for the PC and XBOX. However, Alana and I can both remember playing these games (Arena, Daggerfall, Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim) since we were little. There was also Battlespire, Redguard, and a bunch of mobile games as well, but these were not as good as the major releases. Let me save you from our love for the series for now (It has been a pyramid effect… with Morrowind at the top. They really screwed up with Skyrim, in my opinion… which includes over 800 hours on Morrowind and 400 on Skyrim… before January of 2012.) (Editor’s Note: also check out the soundtrack…Jeremy Soule is brilliant. I actually use his ambient music for my meditations!)

In the world of Tamriel exists the land of Skyrim, which was and is heavily populated by dragons. The native word for dragon in their tongue is dovah. What a perfect name for our little dragon. Dovah. It reminds us of a series that we have been attached to since 1994! A series that we have thousands of hours of gameplay and tens of thousands of more hours of thought. It’s a cute name but a powerful name. It was perfect. He just hasn’t learned it yet.

He likes to hug

So Dovah is a “male” ball python. He is about a year old and weighs a few pounds. Dovah is about two feet tall but you’ll always find him in his cave wrapped in a ball. He is a picky eater and usually misses the pray and ends up snipping at my thumb. We’ll work on developing his senses. Ball pythons can live for up to 30 years and can grow anywhere from 4-5 feet typically, depending on how much you feed them. We will keep him on the small side and far away from the cats. The cats would eat him now but he might have the upper hand in a few years.

I don’t want to say too much now because we don’t know very much about him and haven’t spent a ton of time together, but we will keep you updated! It might seem like a strange thought but becoming more familiar with nature and animals can help you understand new ways to use energy, and energy utilization is a great way to stay hungry and fit!

Cute lil guy

Oct012013

Our Weekend in Pictures

Sorry for the no-Monday post, but I was busy studying and Chris was busy scuba-diving. I thought I would share the weekend in pictures…enjoy!

Chris getting his scuba certification

Great start to a Saturday…

Visited tons of farms and went pumpkin picking

Little Salvation Army visit…

Obviously visited the Humane Society…

Chris almost took this guy home

Awwwwwwwww

Video games

Castle marathons

Going to the Flatirons Mall and enjoying some Sarku

Grocery shopping

Some home-cooked meals

Study snacks (totally stole this from Chocolate Covered Race Medals)

Not to mention WORKOUTS

Chris surprised me with a 3-course meal from one of our favorite restaurants, Dagabi Cucina

You might also like…

BONUS KITTY PIC

^.^

Aug262013

Best Veggie Burger in Town: Mustard’s Last Stand (Boulder, CO)

Mustard’s Last Stand ALSO has great meat burgers and hot dogs–they are from Chicago, after all. ESPECIALLY, the hot dogs. I, however, will be focusing on their vegetarian options as…that’s what I eat! However, from Chris’ input, he’s usually always satisfied with their burgers, full of flavor and gets him satisfied. Alright, let’s look at the place!

According to our friend, a Boulder-native basically, Mustard’s has been in this same spot since before he can remember. It’s pretty tiny inside, but you can eat outside too and enjoy the day. They even offer blankets you can use to go sit by the creek that’s extremely close by. We do that sometimes, or we’ll just go to town right in the shop. The servers can be brusque, but we don’t mind, as long as we get our food. It’s best to go to non-peak hours, unless you want to be crammed in that tiny place, but you gotta do what you gotta do. The wait time is medium to long, but for me, it’s worth it.

I’ll start off with the fries. The fries here are delicious. I don’t know what they do to ’em, but the seasoning and the way they cook them make them delectable. They have that perfect crispy exterior that makes you dig for more and more. Let’s move on to the burger. And remember…we’re talking veggie burger. More specifically…the tempeh burger.

The tempeh burger

What is tempeh? It’s a soy product that comes from Indonesia and has plenty of protein for us vegetarians. You can read more about it here. Alright, back to the good stuff. This burger is definitely the best veggie burger I’ve ever had. The texture is right, the flavors are out of this world, and the condiments are perfect. They serve it with ketchup, mustard, pickle, onions, hot peppers, and sauerkraut. I think next time, I’m not gonna get the sauerkraut (I usually don’t, anyhow), because it overtook the flavor of the burger and the cheese. And the hot peppers could be a bit hotter. But those are my only complaints. The slab of cheese they throw on there is real and you can definitely tell. It’s a melt-in-your-mouth kind of experience, and one I always enjoy going back to.

Mmmmmm-mmmm!

Mustard’s Last Stand will always be a place I enjoy going to. It’s a local joint where both Chris and I can get equally satiated without feeling left out. He gets his meat, I get my tempeh, and we split the fries (but we always wish we had gotten two orders). Mustard’s has something for everyone and they never skimp on the flavor. The price is decent too. Hit this Chicago-joint up to stay hungry and fit!

You might also like…

BONUS KITTY PIC

I don’t know why Sajah is getting all the spotlight…maybe because the camera can actually pick him up

May012013

H&F Attend Puttin’ On the Leash 2013: Animals in Wonderland (HSBV)

This past Saturday night the Humane Society of Boulder Valley held its annual Puttin’ On the Leash event. The theme for the 21st year was Animals in Wonderland (influenced by the story Alice in Wonderland) and there were lots of fun costumes and decorations to play into that theme. As soon as I saw advertising on their web page and in their thrift store, I was immediately curious. I saw that it was a fundraiser and silent auction so I immediately bought us two tickets because I love auctions!

The table seating and premium seating were all sold out, so I bought general admission tickets at $60 a piece and it was quite a steal in the end. The event was catered by some great food providers and there was free liquor. It was also all you can eat and drink. So we ate a ton and drank a good amount. It was not extremely long but just the right length. We walked through the doors a bit before 6 p.m. and left around 10 p.m. For the first two hours we walked around eating and checking out all of the auctions… bidding on the ones that were interesting. We were probably some of the least wealthy individuals there so it was hard to compete with large older bankrolls but we did our best.

Adorable kittens to “awww” over

“Mad Tea”–the special bourbon/lemonade drink of the night

In the end, there wasn’t much that we really had to have with the exception of a series of paintings by Scott Kennedy about dogs (huskies/malamutes). I won one of the three and although it was my least favorite, it was Alana’s favorite, so I was happy. A lot of people immediately bought some items at a buy it now price which really ruined the spirit of the auction, in my opinion.

The one we won–up on our bedroom wall

We also won a private tour and lunch for eight people at the Celestial Seasonings factory, an Ubooly, two salon grade haircuts, and a Moosejaw clothing package. All in all it was an expensive night but the money went to a good cause… the source of three of our little precious babies (Sajah, Nymeria, and Misty). The HSBV hoped to raise 115k and it ended up raising 370k so we are thrilled for them.

The live auction was in another world because the starting bids ranged from $1,000 to $7,500. Even though we were only interested in a few prizes, we could not compete but it was fun to watch the auction. It was a tremendously fun time and part of one of the best Saturdays of my life. Not only do we plan on returning next year but I’m going to save up for the event and buy premium seating ahead of time. Check it out if you’re in the area or just visit the HSBV to see all their adorable rescue animals! Having a pet can really help you stay hungry and fit!

Live auction

A great part of our Saturday–finally a beautiful weekend!

BONUS KITTY PIC

Nymeria and Sajah

Apr082013

Abma’s Farm: Baked Goods Wonderland

This is one of the many posts you will be receiving about our trip to and from New Jersey–Chris’ home. Since it’s mid-morning, I decided to start with Abma’s Farm. A magical place filled with baked goods and hungry farm animals. It’s a farm, nursery, petting zoo, and marketplace all in one! It is always a necessary stop for us when we visit. And it was, too, when I would visit him from New York while I was still in college.

It was our…third food stop of the day, and I think we got there around noon or 1 o’ clock. This day (Friday) was a special treat because two of my friends from college either drove all the way from the city (Jordan) or took the train all the way up from South Jersey (Kathleen). Hadn’t seen them in six months or so, and it was amazing to see them again. Another friend, Hilary, was about to drive from Connecticut as she was planning, but then got very sick, so she’s visiting this summer here in Boulder instead! We also got to have Chris’ good friend, Po, around with us pretty much the whole day. Awesomeness. See pic below of Kathleen (left) and Jordan (right) and one of Hilary and I.

Kathleen and Jordan

Hilary and I

“Po” with a delicious donut

“Team Gluttony”

Anyways, onto the important stuff–the FOOD (just kidding, guys, love ya). This place has all sorts of delicious items like mozzarella cheese, pies, peppers, and so forth. But what you come to Abma’s for is the BAKED GOODS. And especially from the baked goods, is their cinnamon donuts. Literally right from the oven which is a building away (about 50 feet from the marketplace). You see them bring a big batch in and it’s hard not to gobble less than four down at once. It was Easter weekend, so it was packed–which means lots and lots of baked goods. Everything tastes very fresh and, baked goods-wise, everything is pretty well-priced. It’s hard to beat and it’s definitely hard NOT to pig out. Which we of course did.

So tasty

Then there’s the farm animals which are usually adorable and hungry. In the case of today, where there were 10x more people than usual, they weren’t so hungry–but they were still pretty cute. Abma’s has room for pigs, ponies, mules, goats, chicks, chickens, and more! It’s always fun to see them and give them treats.

To summarize, Abma’s has it all. It’s always a place we’re excited to go to and leave feeling happy and full. The animals are always cute and make funny noises, the baked goods are always fresh, and the marketplace is always full of anything needed to be eaten. If you haven’t already, check it out when you’re in North Jersey!

Cheers!

BONUS KITTY PIC

“Katt” — Get it?

Mar012013

Remembering Misty: Dealing with Death

So it’s been three months since Misty passed. We still miss her every day, as we saw her as our little baby. She had all of her perks and quirks which made her the unique kitty she was. I can at least feel okay knowing that she definitely felt loved by all the people around her. Non-animal lovers will think us silly in this kind of talk, so you can go ahead and skip this post. But we saw her as a big part of the family. Her passing, especially her being just a kitten, made the winter pretty difficult.

Misty snuggled up one day when she didn’t feel very well

I have experienced death before in my life, but it was either gradual, distant, or in a younger age where I didn’t comprehend it as fully or it didn’t hit me as much. This one definitely, definitely hit us. It was the most wrenching, stabbing grief we’ve felt in a long time. I have lost some very close to me. But this was sudden. That’s what made it so horrible, terrifying, and heartbreaking for us.

It was very staggering, hit us like a punch in the stomach. I didn’t understand how this could happen–she’s just a kitten, it isn’t fair. I was confused, it didn’t seem very real to me, as if I would wake up and our black and white kittens would be there, hogging food and cuddling. But I didn’t wake up, because it wasn’t a dream. It was reality, and it took a little bit for me to actually wrap my head around it. For the years I’ve lived so far, nothing really tragic has happened to me. Nothing that takes the breath and life out of you and just leaves you slumped with exhaustion and grief.

But after that day, I felt that. That deep pain and confusion after tragedy hits. We love animals so much, especially our own, and we take very good care of them. Which is why it was devastating to us that one of our little kittens died. And thus far, I hadn’t experienced such, and I am lucky for that. This hit both of us full force. Intermingled with grief was confusion: Why did this happen to us? How could have this happened? Is the universe against us? I don’t understand.

This made it harder to accept reality and eventually deal with her death. I just didn’t get it, I wasn’t able to digest it. But with insanely-supportive friends and family, I eventually got past the point of denial and was able to taste the truth. I wouldn’t have been able to get through it as I did without Chris. Reality slapped me in the face and told me, “No matter where you live, who you are, how you take care of your loved ones, how good of a person you are–very bad things can happen to you.”

It was a lesson learned–a hard lesson learned. I’m sure everyone gets this lesson some point in their life and it was probably better to get it early on (although I would trade almost anything to get Misty back). Nobody is saved from tragedy. Nobody can go through life cleanly without anything bad happening. Bad things do happen. The universe isn’t against Chris and I. It taught us to be strong even when we felt that we couldn’t be. It taught us that life still will go on even when terrible things happen to you. It taught us that death is a part of life.

It was a horrific incident in our lives and she will always always be remembered with love and happiness. I remember the point where I could finally remember Misty without images of her death and remember her funny quirks like walking on two legs and her unique meow. Thank you to all who gave us support during this time and gave Misty love during her time.

My most favorite picture of them

Feb202013

Cats Really Do Have Nine Lives

It was a nightmare of a day. I’ll tell it to you from my (Alana’s) perspective. It’s Monday. I just finished with my last client and had a few hours to get some paperwork done at work. I come back from a great session and look at my phone. I find a string of horrific text messages. Most of them didn’t make sense due to the combination of rushing and the iPhone’s autocorrect. From “Nymeria is dead” to “at petsmart” to “they think there’s something wrong with her abdomen, going to another hospital.”

First moment back from the hospital

My hands start shaking, I’m not really sure what’s going on. But from the succession of texts, I know she’s alive. Go ahead and click the link on Nymeria’s name to learn a little more about her. At the humane society, she jumped on my lap at 2 months old and basically adopted me. She’s my baby. Back to the story. So I know she’s alive, but I have no clue what’s going on. My co-worker is very worried, she’s standing next to me (she was with me when I found out Misty died), making sure I’m okay. I don’t get service where I work (call-wise) so I use the work phone to call Chris but he doesn’t pick up.

Her sleepy on my tummy

I rush and collect myself, lucking out with no more clients in the day, grab my stuff and get out. I’m extremely worried, confused, and completely terrified. I can’t lose another kitten. I text him saying I’m coming home. He texts me back the address of the hospital that they’re at. At least she’s alive, I keep reminding myself. That’s all that matters right now. Once I get in a better service zone, I get two voicemails. Both from Chris. The first one, like the texts, was horrific. It was when he thought Nymeria was dead. I don’t think I’ll listen to that one again. The second one was him carrying her to the hospital on foot.

I finally get there and find him in a waiting room. We’re both very shaken and upset. He has pee all over his shirt and blood on his arm. I finally get the story of what happened. Nymeria ran into the bedroom to pee on the cat bed (naughty girl), so Chris grabbed her and put her in the litter box. He’s in rush because he’s behind schedule, and as he’s running (top speed for in the house) out of the bedroom, Nymeria is running her fastest into the bedroom. Bam. They collide. Her head and his foot. It would’ve knocked out a human.

Her arm was shaved for the IV

She slumped over and stopped breathing. He immediately started performing CPR. All the urine and feces came out of her and she began to get stiff. He called me, but I didn’t pick up since I was with a client. He then went back to it, chest compressions and mouth to mouth. After 10 minutes of resuscitation, she woke up and coughed up blood. She was alive. He saved her. Quickly, he put her in his shirt (I have the car at this point) and goes as quickly as he can to a pet hospital. The first one he finds does an X-ray and is worried about her abdomen and sends him to another hospital.

He gets to Alpenglow Emergency Center and they take her in. I’m with him by the time a doctor comes to talk to us. From the collision, Nymeria suffered head trauma (with swelling in the head) and pulmonary contusions (bruised lungs). Her pupils were different sizes and she was having trouble breathing, but she was doing okay. They had an estimate for costs and all they were going to do for her. It could be up to 48 hours of intensive care. I was still in shock of all this happening. But the doctor explained everything very well and the nurses made sure we were comfortable.

Nymeria would be put in a oxygenated little room (like a cage, but comfortable with bedding and warmth), given medicine to make the swelling go down and get her pupils back to normal size. She was also put on an IV to stay healthy and hydrated. We were there for two hours. We got to see her before she left. She was pretty out of it and tired, and couldn’t see us properly. The staff there was wonderful and let us know we could call whenever we wanted, no matter what time of day or night. I felt very thankful for that.

I called every few hours, and the updates kept getting better. She soon started eating “like a champ,” being rambunctious, and her pupils returned to normal size. The next day she was walking around without swaying or falling. They said that she would be ready to pick up at 4 that afternoon, because she was off oxygen and doing well.

I got there at four to pick my girl up and talked with a nurse who had kept good care of her. She said she was probably tired because she didn’t get that much rest because all the staff in the hospital, fell in love with her because they never get babies and, well, Nymeria has that effect. She was well taken care of with lots of TLC. The whole thing actually cost less than their initial low-ball estimate. And I was sent home with lots of information and the assurance that I should call if I have any questions. The staff there really made me feel that they cared and they were there for me and Nymeria.

Nymeria was pretty exhausted that night, I stayed home with her and just held her while she slept peacefully like she did when she was a baby baby. She’s still a little slow reaction-wise, weak, and quiet, but she’s doing alright. She still gets excited about food and today she even jumped up to lay on the window sill. She will probably be out of it for a few days and probably has a massive head ache. I just feel so enormously lucky to have her here. She is 8 months old now.

Found them today (the second day Nymeria has been out) when I got home

True to her name, Nymeria is a fighter. And I hope she will continue to be with us for many years to come. Never take anything for granted and feel grateful for what you have, every moment you have it. We are so so happy to have her with us. It has also made me think about stepping into the animal health career. They are amazing people.

New Rule in the House: No Running

Jan272013

You Can Train Your Cats Too

I have always been a dog person. Not to say that I was a cat hater, but if given the choice of feline or canine, I would always go with the dogs. I am an animal lover, thus I do enjoy cats as well, but they never seemed as approachable or personable as dogs did. I’m still a huge dog person, but now I’m a cat person too (somehow that makes me sigh). Since I’ve gotten our kittens, I’ve learned to love them. Instantly. And now I see that they aren’t so different from dogs after all. Especially Nymeria.

Sleepy Nymeria

If you’ve read about her, you’ll know that she acts like a dog, rough housing, and cuddling, and afraid of nothing. Sajah, our newer kitten, behaves like a dog when it comes to food…and he’s become quite the cuddler as well. I’m drawing the connection between these two species for a reason. Dogs are trained right from when they are of puppy age (if possible) to sit, lie down, come, and so forth. Rarely will you find people training their cats this way. Sure, they might urge them towards a litter box when they’re young (although they are born with the tendency to go to the bathroom in a confined place), but when do you ever hear of someone training their cats as you would dogs?

Rarely. And I ask, why? Why should dogs be trained to do certain tasks or tricks but not felines? It doesn’t make sense to me. It just seems to be a cultural thing to just train dogs and not cats. With Nymeria, we’ve been training her to do pull-ups on her cat tree since she was young. Even though she’s smaller than Sajah (and was smaller than Misty too), she can use her upper body wiry strength to get out of a bind. That was just a little thing.

Up until the kittens, I’ve only known how to raise a dog. So I am raising the kittens like puppies. I’ve begun a training regimen with both of them, and I try to keep to it every day. And guess what–they’ve learned commands incredibly fast. At the same speed or quicker than dogs that I’ve trained. So there’s to people who think that cats aren’t made for training.

How do you train them? Some might ask. All I do is cut treats into small pieces (we use “Greenies” for good kitty dental health) and have them follow different commands. It can be tough and hectic training them both at the same time, but if one starts interfering just plop them somewhere else. Say the commands and show them what to do until they understand.

Random window pic

Both Sajah and Nymeria know “come” although they don’t always choose to follow that one without treats. Nymeria is an expert at “sit.” She does it on command without treats now and understands the word. How did I get her to understand? I would say, “Nymeria, sit” and then position her body in a seated position. Eventually, she connected it and put it together.

Nymeria, sit!

Sajah, on the other hand, is an expert at “up.” He knows even by the hand gesture of patting the couch that he will jump up right beside me. He picked that one up quickly and does it frequently whenever I ask. Of course, he’s hoping for treats, but it’s great that he will do it without them.

Sajah en route to command “up!”

It takes time and patience, as all thing such as these require, but I think it’s worth it. Some may call it odd or strange, but I believe it’s due to culture that people don’t train their cats. It’s simply not the thing to do. So break the pattern, get with your kittens, and give them a few minutes of training every day so they can become intelligent, task-managing fiends!

Cheers!