Honestly, do I NEED to leave the light on in the kitchen at night for the

[radwriter0555]

DOGS????

IS this what my life has come down to? Making sure my dogs have adequate LIGHT to see their water bowl and empty food dish at night?

Okay, let's have it. What THINGS do you do for your precious critters that are beyond the bounds of pet adoration?

The door is open. Winky the bionic bitch (read maltese with a $4000 surgically enhanced leg due to an unfortunate incident) is just standing there, LOOKING at me. She wants me to get up and turn on the light for her.

Did I mention the food dish is empty because she's now FAT?

"I don't know why I try....." (Little Britain)

Oh, oh, OH and I LIFT her onto the couch, the chair, the bed, onto any piece of furniture her little heart desires... no jumping for the bionic bitch, right?

OY!

STORIES...PLEASE!!!!

[flvegan]

1. Many things:

I leave 2 radios on during the day for them;

I bought a mobile a/c unit for a back room that's not well insulated where some of them camp out;

I specifically bought my sportwagon for my Great Dane so he'd have space when we drove somewhere;

I've adopted them out (letting go of a rescue that you put back together and lived with for a year is TOUGH);

The house I'll buy will be specifically in consideration of their needs (bigger yard, etc);

Some of them, before they were mine, were being abused, beaten and starved. For them, I've trespassed, cut chains, jumped fences, broken locks, dismantled gates and left one section of chain link fence unrecognizable.

[radwriter0555]

3. okay, OVER-ACHIEVER. We was looking for silly. You are a HERO

however, CHEERS!

[flvegan]

14. C'mon...basing your automobile purchase almost

completely based on what the dog needs (balancing reliability, mpg, etc is terribly silly. And the a/c thing? Sounds like something Paris Hilton would do.

Thanks, though.

[LeftyMom]

35. Oh you martyr you

Ignore him everybody, he really does like his car. :eyes:

[flvegan]

41. Well, yeah, but it's because I lucked out.

For the same money, I could've bought another Mustang convertible. Sometimes you get what you want via what you need.

[Patiod]

16. We spend $$$ on a/c when we're not home, just for the cat

we live in a 2nd floor apartment that gets REALLY hot without a/c.

I do kick the heat way down in the winter when we leave - after all, she has a fur coat and lots of blankets to get under.

[LynneSin]

2. My cat Abbott owes me for one black silk shirt

I was trying to leave for work and I guess Abbott wasn't ready to vacate my lap. I now have a small tear in this very beautiful shirt because of Abbott's selfishness

[zanne]

4. Poor Abbott....

I feel bad about your shirt, but....poor Abbott! (Will you NOW give him the shirt to sleep on?)

[LynneSin]

7. I'm not giving my cat fricking silk to sleep on

He can have an old tee-shirt - that way I can wash it when it starts to smell!

[radwriter0555]

9. You can wash silk. It's one of the toughest fabrics ever created..

especially if you donate it kitties!

[politicat]

5. Ours have a warming lamp.

It is one of those old fluorescent Atlantic Bell phone lights that went above indoor pay phones back in the days when pay phones still existed. (It uses about 20 watts, so it's not hugely expensive.) One of our cats is about 6 pounds, and has no body fat, so she gets cold on 90 degree days. Her phone light is what keeps her from being crazy cat when she's cold.

Our neighbors take care of the night light - their oldest son works until 3 am and their daughter works 10 pm to 6 am (he's a bouncer at a club, she's a CNA at the hospital) so their porch lights are on overnight and it shines into the kitchen.

[skygazer]

6. Pretty much live and breathe

My SO and I are here on this earth to make Oops's life comfortable - at least, in Oops's opinion.

We let him in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out at least 4000 times a day.

Our kitchen table is not used for eating - it is a place for his collection of beds - his round soft bed that he likes when he feels snuggly, his cardboard box that a case of water came in for when he wants a cooler bed, and the large gift basket that caught his eye this past Christmas.

One of us will automatically leap to our feet when we hear him jump on the back of the toilet tank because that is our cue to run some fresh water in the sink for him to drink. He does NOT like water that has sat there for longer than 2 1/2 minutes.

Oh, and the handmade Navajo blanket that I picked up in Arizona several years ago is not mine - it is Oops's and has the picks, straggly bits and the cat hair all over it to prove it.

I have no choice, really - if I don't comply, he'll shoot me. :P

[radwriter0555]

10. CAT WITH A GUN!

duck!

[skygazer]

11. Yeah, and he knows how to use it

I'm held hostage in my own home! :cry:

[Kali]

17. Hey - you need to post that pic

here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x4640213

[skygazer]

20. Thanks, Kali!

Done! :hi:

[Texasgal]

8. My babies

sleep in my bed, under very nice expensive sheets... but it's not my bed... it's theirs!

They have the classical music station piped in doors and out for their listening pleasure while I am at work.

They both have an endless supply of chew toys and other things that are stored in a TOY BOX that they can open on their own.

Shit, they have it better than me! :hi:

[kedrys]

12. There is plenty of ambient light in the kitchen at night for the cats, but

...we do have a permanent night light on for them in the litter box room. Yes, the cats have their own room. Well, their litter boxes do. When you have 7 cats and 5 litter boxes, well, do the math. :D

[Dukkha]

13. I thought cats see in infrared vision

therefore a night light would be unnecessary. Dogs I don't know. Nothing on 4 legs can see color as far as I know

[DS1]

15. I haven't heard anything like that, but cats have a reflective back

to their eyes, which bounces any unabsorbed light back towards the front of the eye which is shiny like a mirror and bounces it back again to the receptors. So while they can't see in total dark, they can see very very well in almost pure dark.

[Patiod]

18. Cats still need a LITTLE bit of light

I remember reading about cats who wouldn't eat or use the litter box at night in their completely light-less basement. You at least need a night light.

Dog's night vision isn't as good as cats, but it's better than ours, I think.

[weeble_wobble]

19. My male kitty wakes me at 2AM every morning

to be fed his wet food.

And like a good servant, I get up and feed him...easier than having all 15lbs. of him jump on me on and off until dawn.

:eyes:

[zanne]

24. It's the "meeeeeoooooow" that always gets me.

I can't stand to listen to that plaintive meowing and I'll do anything within my power to stop it, even if it means feeding my cats for the tenth time that day, repositioning their cuddle beds so they can see out the windows, letting them outside, etc. etc. etc. I am their slave.

[weeble_wobble]

26. My boy doesn't meow

unless he is really upset...it's the jumping on the bed/me, the passive-agressive sitting so his enormously fluffy tail is hitting me in the face on the bed until i move to stop the impending starvation he is sure he is facing :)

but i know what you mean, that meow is a ticket to getting anything to stop it.

[lukasahero]

28. My little guy used to walk on me

If that didn't work, he started touching my face with his paws. ("You up? HEY MA! You up?")

If that didn't work, I'd get the head butt. Generally in the mouth area - the stopped breathing thing was sure to wake me... Gotta love 'em.

[Bridget Burke]

21. Why lift your doggie when you can buy a Pet Ramp?

Many models are available.

[lukasahero]

23. I have one. May I recommend...

the newer "wide" version? My old dog is a little unsteady on the original but I think the new wider version would be great.

(Yeah, he's spoiled...)

Oh, and they also have them for inside use for getting on couches and beds... :)

[zanne]

25. I actually made some steps for my old cat....

Sammy, my elderly companion, has a hard time jumping up on the bed he's not supposed to be on in the first place, so I made him some steps.

[lukasahero]

27. Steps for "the bed he's not supposed to be on" Hee.

Sorry but I thought that was awfully cute. The lengths that we go to. :)

[radwriter0555]

46. Luckily 'lil Winky weighs all of 6 pounds wet. LIfting isn't a problem,

but I had a dog a while back that I had a ramp for. She had a bad back... They're great for our fur pals!

[WeRQ4U]

22. My wife makes me leave the TV on for them when we're gone....

I think that's too stupid.

1) The content isn't good for them...too much violence.

2) I'm not there to make sure they don't sit too close.

3) How do I know they aren't watching some filthy MTV soft porn like "Next" or something?

[MissB]

29. I have a friend that has a couple of dogs

Her house doesn't really have a yard - there is a steep slope and all that.

On the one level part of the yard that is fenced, she has a smallish (3'x3') square of grass. That is where the dogs go to pee. She has the grass changed each week by the yard service people.

[tiddlywinks]

30. radwriter, can't you see that you're spoiling the

shit out of your animal companion?

It's okay. We spoil our loved ones, too. Human or not.

I'm going to post and run, (I have a class to go to). But right now, I'm sharing some Doritos with the Dooz. And I just gave her a hard boiled egg. I share lot's of human food with my girl. She's a beautiful, 11 or 12 year old golden retriever mix.

BF has a new kitty. New kitty eats stuff from the table, too. Soup, veggies, etc.
It's just we think some pet food can get atrociously boring. (and all the bad stories about pet food). Last weekend, after the meat had been picked off the bone, kitty and ding dang got lots of chicken scraps.

I like keeping my loved ones fed. :9

[pitohui]

31. isn't that quite harmful?

i know it upsets human and avian hormones quite a bit if they don't have so many hours of darkness, immune response and longevity can drop quite a bit from constant exposure to light at night

i think you should stop doing that, dogs can find food and water by smell and habit

admit i'm no dog expert but it sure ain't good for other lifeforms

[radwriter0555]

47. oh I don't leave it on! It's the fact that she expected me to get my lazy

butt up off the couch for her convenience.

After she LOOKED at me for 10 minutes, holding up said wounded paw in her very best *I'm A CRIPPLE!* scene, she went in and got her drink of water, and braved the horrors of a dark kitchen to quench her thirst.

Amazingly, she survived.

[pitohui]

53. aha now i get it

animals, they are the travel agents for guilt trips

[AtomicKitten]

32. TV on when we're gone.

Not the Animal Channel because Animal Precinct will make them sad, so usually the cartoon channel.

[SOteric]

33. I lavish attention on my cat StirFry, but it's reciprocal.

Every morning when the alarm goes off, he comes over to my side of the bed and curls up on my arm for an early morning snuggle. He purrs and licks my face and I scratch his chin and rub his little ears. After about 10 minutes or so, we stretch and get out of bed.

While I'm cleaning up and getting dressed he sits, curled into a little loaf of cat, waiting for me at the door.

We walk out together and he gets a little nuzzle just before I get into the car.

Then he trots off into the grass and watches my car pull out.

When I come home he's waiting just inside the door, and immediately leads me to the bed for another quick snuggle. He's a great little communicator.

He comes to me when I call him.

I give him half of the bed. I heat it gently with a heating pad. I make him handmade fish stock to splash on his food. I play game after game of 'beloved orange fuzzy thing' with him. He stretches out on my lap at night and looks at me with love even when everyone else is annoyed with me. It's a fair trade.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

34. I don't leave lights on for the cats, because they're cats.

But I leave the radio on for them; I bought them an electrically-heated cat bed and a water fountain; I let them sleep wherever they want; and when I run out of cat food I feed them MY water-packed tuna. Generally, I do their bidding at all times.

[Rabrrrrrr]

36. i would never do that.

Screw 'em. Animals are by nature creatures who live by sun and moon.

If they can't handle the dark, then too bad for them. You should get them a therapist, like they have in nature.

[Lady President]

37. You sound perfectly reasonable to me

I also leave on an upstairs and downstairs light for my cat during the night.

I keep my ironing board up at all times because she loves to sit on it and look out the window. It really adds to the decor.

I've been know to leave a message for her on my answer machine.

[ScreamingMeemie]

38. Hey...join us. I leave the T.V. on for the Cat when we leave...the dog

is let in and out on a secondly basis...and has her paws wiped...gently... when she comes in. Merlin will stand by us and cry, and we will pick him up automatically without even thinking of it. It's his arthritis you know. We have a dog/cat bed in every room, just in case "somebody" gets tired and doesn't want to move very far to nap. That's what I can think of off the top of my head.

[Neshanic]

39. So many. If he's in the bed, I will not move him. Leave TV on TCM

all day when I am gone so he has good sound to have around. Actually thought what would be the best thing to have on for him. Pay one of the maintenance guys to walk him every lunch. He has a better health plan than me. He goes to Pets Mart and gets to pick out whatever he wants to destroy later.

The "Neuticals" thing.

When he was a puppy, about two years ago, I asked the vet if she could put Neuticals in, when she fixed him. I had seen a Bullmastiff at the dogpark who's sex was somewhat debatable at first glance. I told the vet this.

She looked at me like I was a Martian. "No, I do NOT do that, and when I do it, I make sure the area is tight, and you saw an obviously bad job". I told her bad job aside, I did not want my dog to look like a post-op transexual. She assured me he would not. Leaving I could hear them laughing in the back with the other Vets, about it. So I will utterly debase and emabarrass myself gladly for my dog.

I have a foldable canvass dog water dish in my pocket. He goes everywhere with me.

[yellowdogintexas]

40. house rule: the one with the cat on the lap doesn't have to get up

for fear of disturbing the cat.

the cats allow us to share their bed

they have their special lurking spots, and there are an infinite number of odd things lying about because they like to play with them.

[Redstone]

42. None from me. I'll talk to my pets, but damn if I'll baby them.

Mrs R sure tries to, but I usually win on this one.

They're animals. I've had some dogs were damn good companions, and I was right sad to see them go when they went, but never treated themlike babies or mistook them for humans...

Redstone

[momophile]

43. walk kitty to the basement to get fresh water out of the tap

in the bathroom. Did I mention that I have to pick her up and place her on the countertop? Is it worth it? Damn straight. Cute little kitty...

[GrumpyGreg]

44. I just lost my dog,the love of my life,and anything you do for a dog

makes perfect sense to me.

I wish I had one to leave the kitchen light on for.

[AtomicKitten]

45. I'm very sorry for your loss.

They are with us for such a short time.

I'm sending you an internet hug.

[GrumpyGreg]

50. Thanks for the hug. n/t

[auntAgonist]

48. how very sad :(

:hug: I hope your memories of your beloved pet afford you some comfort.


aA

[GrumpyGreg]

51. I have 14 years of wonderful memories---thanks! n/t

[jobycom]

49. I force fed my cat for two months three times a day with a syringe.

Cats do not like this.

[Ohio Joe]

52. I won't de-claw my cat

So I buy living room furniture with the idea in mind that she will us it to sharpen her claws and I do nothing to discourage her. Instead I just get another set of furniture every few years.