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Trip to take the kitties to their new shelter went well yesterday - only one got carsick and vomited in her carrier and one other had a bout of nervous diarrhea, which forced me to make half the trip with windows down - up - down - up, because it was cold and I didn't want the cats to get cold. Got to the destination and traded the cats off to the person taking them the rest of the way to the shelter, got the 2 carriers cleaned up so the kitties wouldn't be uncomfortable for the rest of the trip and then enjoyed some time taking photos, etc. Got some pictures of the blue ice going on near the bridge and enjoyed a nice whitefish dinner (YUM) before heading back home. I was *tired* when I got home!
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Around here lots of people don't care for cats, because they only have barn cats to control rodents. Several people I know, including my husband, finally got an indoor cat (or 2) and fell in love with them! It's much easier to discover and appreciate cat personalities if you actually live with them; we have 6 indoors, and while that's really too many, we love them dearly and it goes both ways.
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Cats or rats....what a choice. Cat wins.
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Apparently,there is a mouse infestation at our local grocery store.A worker there found chewed through spice packets with rodent droppings around them.If Mother was still here,there's no way she'd have shopped there with ANY mice,anything.Maybe if they had a few cats,they'd get the mice.
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cwillie - hmm, trying to imagine which is worse. A cat lolling on the produce or a mouse gnawing at it and pooping on it? Or a rat! Eek!

I tend to think being a bodega cat is a natural extension of the cat's historical relationship with humans. We came to live together because they kept the rodents out of the granaries and such.

My cats are indoor cats, and the only thing they protect my food stores from are moths and spiders!
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I'm pretty sure I'd have a hard time shopping at a place that had cats lying on the produce, I'm not sure I'm too keen on them nesting among the chips and chocolate bars either. Hm, I guess this probably marks me as a non cat person but it's not true, I had lots of kitties in my youth. Of course they were all outdoor/barn cats. (I guess that means they were working cats lol)
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Bodega Cats of Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/bodegacatsofinstagram/?hl=en
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glad - I believe a working cat is there for the main purpose of controlling rodents and other pests, but is still people-friendly. Like a bodega cat/shop cat. A feral cat wouldn't be people-friendly and wouldn't do well in a shop.  (Apologies if your question was rhetorical!)

What surprised me most about NYC when I visited was how many shops had cats!  Even the hostel I stayed in had one. 
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It is odd how picky they are! One of the shelters here even adopts out working cats. What is the difference between a working and feral? Wonder if they are still as picky then. 😼
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FF, strange what you said about the rescue not letting you have one; a nice couple we know told us the same thing about the shelter here.... how odd! They tried for several cats that were advertised, only to be told various stories why they couldn't have them. Two weeks later they were still being advertised.... the couple finally went to the big city and got one from their shelter; at least someone got a home.... but, very odd.
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I *love* the idea of getting a dog from a rescue, but many of them have so many restrictions on the adopters. Completely fenced yard. No young children in the house that might inadvertently hurt the dog (causing dog to bite them and be put down). They need to see vet records for all animals you have owned in the last 5 years.
I get being thorough and their concern for the animals and all, but geeeeez.

And getting a dog from a rescue is more expensive than a shelter - and just like a pet from a shelter, there's no health guarantee. I paid $250 for my Corgi from a rescue - and lost her 18 months later to leukemia. I paid $65 for my dog from a shelter and had him for 12 years. Just no way to know.

I keep looking at dogs, but none are really speaking to me at this point, so while I'll probably still look at them, I don't know that I'll get one for a while. I'm going to start volunteering for the local animal shelter this weekend - taking a load of cats/kittens about 3 hours north to meet up with another volunteer, who will transport them the rest of the way to another shelter to help relieve the overflow as kitten season comes in. It only costs me gas money and I'll enjoy the ride. If I had a dog now, this would be difficult to do - he'd have to go with me or someone would have to come let him out and check on him. Now I can go and not be too worried about rushing back, because this is a rather long trip.
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I just got my little troublemakers back to their catroom for the night.Then,in a little while I'll go back and make sure they're ok and tuck 'em in.It's my favorite time of the day with them.I sing "Jesus Loves Me" and a song I made up a long time ago,I named ""Little Babies" and I go from one to another over and over,loving on them as they purr,closing their sweet little eyes.Then I shut the door and don't go back again until morning and I go get my big,old cat,"Odom" out of the bathroom and let him out for the night.Finally,it's his time out free and with me and his turn to cause some trouble.
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Now that's behaving badly alright Gershun,teasing your little cat like that....heh,heh,heh~
The cats Are so cute,your'e right.I just Love watching them.Theyr'e always so busy,thinking what trouble to get into next.
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That's funny FF. I truly feel like my cats just allow me to live here. They've finally settled in to the new place and now have that snotty, nose in the air thing that cats have where it's almost like they're saying, "okay, you can stay"

My one cat is having a feud with the Swifter broom I use for cleaning the floors. He kind of walks beside it and gives it side glances like he's going to attack it. I push it up lightly against him just to get a rise out of him. He's so cute.
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Oh that wonderful 12 year old cat I recently adopted wouldn't let me back into the house yesterday. I was out on the front porch changing light bulbs, and when I went to the door there she was at the glass screen door. She was standing up trying to push the handle on the screen door to open it up.

If I opened the door she would dash out and there is no way of catching her. She's an indoor cat. So there I stood waiting for her to get bored with what she was doing.

The door bell didn't phase this cat [she not even afraid of the vacuum, which is strange]. Finally sig other walked by the front door so I tapped on the door.
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Midget is getting over a stomach upset. I don’t know if she ate something or just some doggie virus. I am strict on her diet. After a couple days eating only chicken and rice, she is recovering.

It is sad when on my day off I sleep in and it’s only 6 am. Better than getting up at 4:30 am for work. Ha, I still would have liked to sleep til 8 am.

I tried a boxer rescue once, never heard back from them. I guess they didn’t like us. My dd went to see Bassett hound puppies. The owner/ breeder turned her down because she did show enough enthusiasm for the breed. Ha ha, what does that mean. She got a golden retriever instead.
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I can't remember if I had written about this or not. I tired to get an older cat from a rescue league but they kept making excuses, it was one thing after another. Had to fill out a very long application which asked a lot of personal information.

Then I was think maybe it way my age, being I am 71.... but hello, that is why I wanted a senior cat. Guess they figured I wasn't cat material.... [snort]... I was known among my friends as the cat whisper.

Then months later I check on that cat on the rescue website....yep, he was still there. Then red flag went up as I was thinking maybe the rescue was getting donations and the "foster parents" were actually owners. Wow, nice having the public pay for the care and feeding of one's personal pet.

I saw an article couple weeks ago about pet rescues, one gentleman was turned down for a dog. Here's the interest part, the group didn't recognize the name of this person, who the President of the ASPCA.

I had zero problems getting a wonderful 12 year old cat from the animal shelter, which is a no kill shelter in my county.
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I was on a chi rescue site for 2 years, just knew that I wanted to recue one when the time came to get another. None or them, or sometimes ALL of them appealed to me! Then one day DD called to say a coworker had a pup that he could not keep. We thought and thought about it, and said yes.. nope.. now he[s going to keep the pup. OK, but now everyone is on board with getting another dog.. so we decided to get a rescue from the last disaster, they were coming here in droves the previous disaster! Nope, only 60 came to MD this time, and we missed out. So OK,, we get the info on the breeder on the pup we were going to adopt.. and we adopted one! Simply fell in love at first sight! It happens when it happens.. and I am glad all 60 of those refugees got good homes too!
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Thanks, Send.
I had to go to a neighboring (larger) town today to get the tires on my van rotated, so I stopped at the county animal shelter and looked at the dogs and cats. I saw a couple that were cute and appealing, but nothing that really spoke to me or made me say "that's the one". I think I'll just hold off looking for now.
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So glad that you have your cat, Susan.
Whenever I got a dog at the shelters, it was always the very right choice for me, there was never any second choice, or I never wished I had got a different one that I had seen there. I looked once for 3 months until my friend said, "Why don't you pick one?"
I told her that I would just know when I had found it.
Just confirming that the right pet does "speak"to us.
Take your time while missing your buddy.
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I've been looking at dogs online at various shelters and rescues, and none of them really "speak" to me, so I know it's not time yet.
I miss my dog, but I'll be honest, I am kind of learning to enjoy the "new normal" of just me and the cat. It's quiet, I don't have to corral the dog to let someone in the door, and I don't miss the barking much. I do miss the dog, don't get me wrong - he was a major part of my life for 12 years, and my travel buddy and constant companion - but things are different now - and not really a "bad different" - just different, and I'm starting to get used to it. Having a dog does curtail your travels and activities somewhat, because you have to be home to let the dog out, or take the dog with you when traveling, which means finding a pet-friendly hotel and not always being able to do what you want on your trip because you have the dog with you.

I miss my buddy, but I think I'll wait for a while - maybe a year or so - and decide if I want another one. I'll know when (or if) it's time. I thought of something today: I've never *not* had a dog or a cat. Ever. My family has always had pets. My older sisters each had a dog when I was little, I had a cat. My dad got a dog when I was a teenager and after my cat passed away, Mom got a cat. When I moved out on my own, I had dogs, cats, chinchillas, ferrets, fish, birds, etc - not all at the same time, of course, but I'm an animal lover, so at any given point, I had animals of some sort. I guess maybe I'll take some time out from having anything more than just the cat for a while and see how I feel about it.
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After loosing Mother and then my 2 cats and little dog,I was never more lonely.Then Bootsie surprised my husband and I with her babies exactly a year ago today.
Suddenly,I had a purpose again and it helped me get moving better.I had a reason to get up,something to take care of.Something to Love that Loved me back.
They each have their own unique personalities...
"Toots" is tiny and sweet.Her "thing" is carrying around Mother's curler's,hiding them and retrieving them.
"Trouble" is obsessed with the dishwasher area in hopes of catching a mouse,he saw his Mother do last Oct.
And "Lovee" my favorite all black kitten,loves the upstairs sewing room and goes through Mother's old sewing scraps and shoulder pads and brings down one's she likes and hides them in her little houses.
Theyv'e brought me so much joy and I'll always believe that my Mother in Heaven had something to do with all this....
My 3 little kitten's have been a huge blessing for a whole year~
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The night I had put my beautiful white Angora cat to sleep, I heard her purring next to my arm in bed....
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I lost my lovely Begonia, a Maine coon mix, in October. In November, owing to a sudden medical crisis, I was unconscious or under sedation for several days. During that time, pneumatic compression sleeves were wrapped around my legs to keep my circulation up to speed. They were warm, soothing, and pumped in and out rhythmically --- like a cat breathing. During those days, to the extent that I was aware of things, I thought Begonia was comforting me --- that she had burrowed under the covers and curled up across my ankles. It was so sweet and peaceful even if it was a delusion.
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Glad I'm here. I had to stop for a moment. I forgot what thread I was on and when you said "she peed on your pajamas and then was next to you in bed having her nightly bath, licking herself" I realized we were on the animal thread. LOL. At first, I thought, well you can imagine what I thought. LOL. Note to self, read thread title first before posting.

Anyhow, Susan so sorry about your dog. Losing a pet is never easy. I had a dear, sweet cat who I was really close to and when she died it took me a long time to get over her. I didn't think I'd ever get another one but I can't not have pets. They make life worthwhile.
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Susan,
Your story has really touched my heart. Those are just the memories of our pets that we need. If ever I can get those last days of my dog's days out of my mind, I am sure all the memories of her will be good. So thank you for telling us about your pets.

Wetting the dog food! Amazing!
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Thanks for the condolences, everyone. Can't believe it's already been 2 weeks since he's been gone. Seems like forever some days and other days, seems like he's still here. I still get up every morning with my first thought being, "Need to let the dog out", because that was my routine for 12 years. If I drop something small on the floor while cooking, my first thought is to call him to come and get it, if it's something he can have.

He'll be buried in the yard as soon as it's possible (maybe this week with the warm-up and rain that's coming, we'll see if the ground thaws far enough down for a deep enough hole). The bags I bought to store his body until the thaw were purchased from a livestock supply company and are intended for calves or very young cattle that have died and need to be stored until they can be buried, and are biodegradable. I'll make a place for him between the two large trees in the yard, which is where he spent a lot of time outside. Once spring comes, I'll have a small patio put over his resting place and put my outdoor swing there.

As far as weight loss for dogs, I had a Corgi that was *very* overweight when I got her from a rescue. She should have been no more than 28 lbs and she was close to 40 lbs, which was dangerous for her back (they have long spines like a Dachsund). Her previous owners were elderly and fed her lots of treats, and couldn't walk her for exercise, so she gained weight. When they died, their daughter took the dog in but disliked her (I have no idea why - she was the sweetest dog...) so she ended up in a rescue. They put her on a diet of 1 part dry diet dog food, 1 part wet diet dog food and 1 part canned (low salt) green beans - that, coupled with lots of walks, got her back down to a good, healthy weight over the span of several months. Sadly, I only had her 18 months before we lost her to an aggressive, fast moving form of leukemia.
Funniest thing that dog ever did:  she was *really* picky about her food consistency, and if it wasn't "wet" enough, she would scoop water out of her water dish (right next to her food dish) with her nose and throw it over on the dry food!  
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Two of our older cats have become allergic to red #40 dye in the dry cat food, plus they probably could use something softer now. Am going to try canned mixed with the dumb dry brown stuff I leave with them when we go away for a day or two so they don't eat too much.
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One of the best things about winter is no flies! So, what the heck is this thing doing in here driving Ming absolutely nutty?!
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Ugh! Getting jammies on and bottoms felt wet. Thought she peed on them. Nope didn't smell like it. She is now laying next to me in bed taking her nightly bath. Boy I always wondered how in the world there was enough moisture to bathe by licking themselves. There is plenty of moisture. I can't believe it. Time for a towel on the bed beneath her.😽
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