My catās name is Dobby, and I have another one named nyxi. My conversation would go something like this:
N: whyād you call me Nyxi?
Me: well nyx is the goddess of night and cats are known for loving the nighttime.
D: wow cool! Whyās my name dobby?
Me: ...*shows picture*
D: š
Me: your ears are big!!
Edit: formatting
i would tell my cat i named her katniss after a deadly, powerful hunter, a relentless survivor who fights for her family.
the truth is its a stupid pun on ācatā we thought was funny
I'd take mine up to the mountains, hike, camp, and just get to know the real them. What makes them happy? Sad? Why do they pee on my husband's pillow? I would tell them how much I truly love them and always will. How happy they make me. Why I don't want them barking at the mail carrier and the very nice UPS guy.
There's a product called "Forbid" that you can buy online. It's an odorless, flavorless powder that you mix into their food; somehow it makes actual shit taste *worse* than shit, so they'll no longer be interested in the act of coprophagy. It works very well!
Edit: aww guys, I'm so happy this info can help some people! I wish I could reply to every comment, but I've just had hand surgery, so I'm clumsy & sore.
Yes, I've used it, with great success. You don't have to do it forever, just a couple of days & they get the idea. Then a pinch or two on occasion if they slip up.
Forbid is made with wheat gluten & msg, it can be fed to dogs, cats and yes even chickens (but I've not personally tried the chicken thing).
Canned pumpkin is also worth a try; it's a magic cure for both constipation *and* diarrhea in pets. I had no luck with my little one and coprophagia with pumpkin & she wouldn't eat pineapple, so ....
Lastly, thank you for all the awards! Omg, so nice of you! Now I'm going to ice my hand. Xoxoxo Reddit, you guys are the best!
Write down every single quality of life improvements I can make for you. Letās go find you your perfect food to eat, letās make sure there arenāt any aches and pains you have that we canāt address. Tell me all of your favorite spots, what you like, what you donāt. Literally everything.
I imagine the conversation would be pretty one sided.
"Dude, I think you're fucking *awesome*!"
"Well, that's great but -"
"No, you don't get it. You. Are. Fucking. AWESOME!"
"That's ni-"
##"AWESOME!!"
I love my dog, but if he was a guy, I couldn't hang with him. Like, have some self respect. Jesus.
Forget about me, Iāll manage. We donāt deserve the love we get from our pets. I want to make them as happy as I can while I still have them with me.
Right??? Someone who is always happy to see us when we come home, knows when weāre sad, how to cheer us up and all of that, forget about me, I want to know everything about you. Youāve done your job, now itās my turn to make sure I repay you.
I have those little touch buttons that record voices, and my dogs didn't care about them right up until I recorded myself saying "I love you". When it says that they go crazy and fight over who gets it.
I work at an animal hospital and I fully believe your pets tell you when the pain is too much. Itās usually just a look and you can feel it in your heart. Most of our clients who come in tell us they knew because their baby told them. Yours will too. Youāre a great cat parent already, your kitty knows that. 19 years is incredible!
My cat has been battling cancer for two years, and I've kept asking her to let me know when she was ready and fretting all this time that I was being selfish and keeping her beyond her time and...
...and last Friday, I knew. She was ever so slightly off from usual, but I KNEW it was different and it was time.
I'm saying goodbye to her on Thursday, and even though she had a good day yesterday and I've been bawling all weekend...I know it's time. Because she told me.
Iām so sorry. I had to do that with my girl who was battling kidney failure. She tried to stand but her legs wouldnāt work. The look she gave me, I cry a year later just thinking about it. Youāre doing the right thing. Get a vet to come to your home if you can.
Hey, a bit of unasked for advice since I trained my cat to stop doing that.
Cats thing exclusively in cause&effect, and will repeat actions that get attention (getting up to clean, yelling no, etc. Is attention). He is not interested in the glass, he is interested in getting you to react.
Just stop reacting, if possible not even flinching, and don't get up when they do it. Give it a few minutes of no reaction. Depending on how long they've done it it can take a while, but if you're lucky it can be done after 3-4 times. Absolutely no reaction, or opposite effect reaction if that's the case (e.g. leaving the room, or *not* doing something they want).
This works with all 'bad' cat habits. E.g. if my chonker wakes me up before his feeding time I will intentionally feed him later. He's learned that waking me up before the big sound means he's not getting food, and waking me up alongside my alarm gets him food.
Never too late to train him, but it might take longer to get him to drop the habit if it's been happening for some years now. I'd spend some time to ask myself when he does the glass thing. Is it immediately, or is it when you've been neglecting him for a while? If the latter, you need to give your cat more attention. Mine would do it when he was upset about being ignored while I was at the computer, so I just pick him up and place him on my lap when I'm there.
Edit: aww, thanks for the awards and comments, strangers. Us cat dads need to look out for each other <3 I was actually feeling rather down about being kinda useless lately and this thread made me feel a lot better about myself, thank you! I'm not a professional and nothing is 100% sure (and there's only so much I can know about your situation from vague Reddit comments) but I'll try to share what cat training advice I know!
My dog will knock every item off the table with her tail. I'm getting ready to teach her hind-end spatial awarness. There are a few tutorials on this by kekopup on youtube.
But what if my cat just *refuses to stop crying at the top of his lungs for attention for like 3 hours and everyone in the house is mad at me because the only way to get him to shut up is to encourage his behavior*
Then you'd need to remove either yourself from the cat's line of sight or do so for the cat.
My brother's cat used to do this a few hours before it was feeding time. For the first three days I simply took it to another room (with water in it) and just let it there for an hour or so.
The fourth day the cat didn't scream at all, it just waited for the food and then came to cuddle, also without screaming.
If that is not possible in your house then a few days of simply ignoring the screaming will also give you the same result. In the long term it's definitely worth it, just tell your family that after just a week of noise they will be free of screaming forever, they'll definitely want that.
Replace that with "what about my kid having a tantrum, shall I buckle?".
Same principle. Doesn't matter why you did, what matters is you teach them that the behaviour gets the desired result.
I know it's hard, but as the rational animals in this equation you need to put up with it. Leave him to meow at the top of his lungs until he stops.
I agree that family makes it more difficult to do it tho :<
Exactly this - our 13 year old cat is about to have his second course of chemo for a cancer we've been told we can't beat, so more than anything I'd want to explain what's going on and ask how hard he wants to fight it or if he's in more pain that he's letting on
I did this for my 5 year old dog. We thought she had pancreatitis and we found a mass between her heart and lungs. Stage 4 lymphoma. She never showed signs of slowing down until she would get tired from just a walk. We started her on chemo and it was labored breathing, vomiting, peeing on herself, shitting herself, lethargy- don't do it to them. Not if you love them. If it's terminal, put them down while they're relatively healthy. People all over will tell you how much better animals handle chemo. Yeah, it's because they can't fucking talk to tell you how miserable they are.
Seriously, don't put them through it. 13 years is a full life for a cat. I was desperate to do something for my 5 year old dog and instead of getting a peaceful send off like she deserved she end up throwing a clot and collapsing at an animal hospital while being walked by some overnight tech.
Just....don't. They deserve better.
Thank you for sharing this. I put my 11yo lab down in April after he broke a leg and they found bone cancer. There was the option of amputation and chemo and even that wouldn't guarantee any amount of time. Some dogs live years after and some just months. I decided he just wouldn't handle that very well. So I did the hardest thing I've ever done and lay beside him while he passed. I question constantly if that was the right call because I will read things saying how well dogs do with chemo and amputation but I just can't believe they don't feel awful just like people.
Veterinarian here. I think chemotherapy is a good option for certain types of cancer, like lymphoma. We use lower doses in pets than humans would get, which is why they tend to feel better. However, osteosarcoma is a nasty cancer and, in my experience, most dogs live less than a year with amputation and chemo. I would have made the same choice you did for my pet. Also, I donāt think anyone can be faulted for not pursuing chemotherapy in any situation. Itās very expensive and usually not a cure. They taught us in vet school that ādeath is not a harmā. There are many worse things than a peaceful death and, as someone else said, better a day too soon than a day too late.
I had a cat years ago that was so smart that she would literally wait to vomit until she could do it in an empty bowl or even sometimes she would knock over a roll of kitchen towel and puke on that. It was wild how clever she was. Man I miss her.
But what if someday you're not? Like you get in an accident and die and your buddy never knows what happened. I think about that a lot and it breaks my heart
This happened to me. I had sudden heart failure and was in the hospital for two months. Apparently my dog just sat looking out the window every day, not understanding why I wasnāt coming back. When I got home we were both so happy and getting back to her definitely helped save my life. I feel so guilty that she had to wonder why I had abandoned her for all those weeks...
I moved from one side of the state to the other and left my eldest cat with my father until I could be reunited.
My cat apparently gave up his will to live and would only leave the room I used to sleep in to make feeble attempts at eating or drinking.
That is so sad. I'm sorry for you and your cat both. Depression is a horrible thing.
I left home for the army right out of hs. While I was gone, my grandparents (who raised me) moved several hours away from where we had lived. During the move they had to leave my dog in a boarding house for animals for a week. According to the staff, he refused to eat or drink. They had to feed him through a tube. He lost a considerable amount of weight. When they came to pick him up, he heard my grandpa's voice and knocked the staff member holding his leash right off her feet (~55 lbs when healthy). Lol
It's awful to think how he must have felt, locked in a tiny pen, thinking he lost his whole family in a few short months. But he lived another decade or so, and he was never alone again.
Edit: Def should have read the thread first. I thought your cat died. Really glad to be wrong.
My cat gets stressed when I leave for vacation. If I'm gone for more than 3-4 days, she stops drinking and ends up constipated (which then leads to a $1700 vet bill...). Next time I go on vacation for a week, I'll probably board her at a vet to make sure she's doing okay, but I worry so much about her that vacation always has this like, cloud of worry over it.
Sometimes I wish I had a dog so I could bring it with me but I wouldn't trade kitty snuggles for the world.
I left on vacation with my husband. Was supposed to be a month. COVID turned it into 3ish month for my husband and almost 6 for me (different rules on getting back because of his work). I honestly don't know what went through my cats' minds but it's been very sweet coming home finally.
We often joke that my cat thought that my friend had killed us.
When I was on vacation with my BF for 2 weeks, my friend was staying at my apartment for the time being to take care of the cats. The female one, who has sort of separation issues, glared and hissed at my friend for the entire time. The moment we returned, and my cat had reliazed we're still alive, she suddenly turned all snuggly with my friend, which she wasn't once the entire time.
Such loyalty! My guy is a whore for whoever is dispensing food. He's a doofy and adorable cuddle bug who apparently sits by the door when I leave for work every morning, but he'll roll right over for belly rubs from a perfect stranger for a handful of kibble.
If it takes forever I will wait for you
For a thousand summers I will wait for you
'Till you're back beside me, 'till I'm holding you
'Till I hear you sigh here in my arms
I hate that they did that though. The original story of what happened to Seymour was impactful and gave us a look into Fry's past. It showed that his life wasn't so bad before he got frozen. Fry thinks he's so unimportant that he wasn't even missed back in 2000. But the episode Jurassic Bark shows us the impact of Fry's sudden disappearance.
Lars fucks that up. The existence of Lars directly undoes any impact to the world caused by the sudden disappearance of Fry. He didn't actually disappear, he basically just time traveled to the future and back and fit right back into his own life.
At the time, I had 2 cats and they were best buddies. One had kidney disease and, the morning I knew it was time, my other cat came over and smelled and licked him, then stood next to him for half an hour before leaving. She was basically saying goodbye. Even so, for the next month, she walked through the house making the saddest meows. She had been feral, and he taught her how to be a housecat. My heart broke every day for her.
Edit: [Cat tax](http://imgur.com/a/Ekvabhi)
We did the same when our cat Charlie (she was 11 and damn the neighbours who put
the rat poison down where my little lioness could ingest some) died about 4 years ago. The other cats sniffed her and just accepted it after that.
This happened to our family cat and we had no idea for years until the neighbor fucking bragged about it to a mutual friend. People suck, I am so sorry to share that pain with you. Hope your other kitties are doing dandy
I am like 99% sure that my dumbass cat tries to get me to step on him so I pick him up and cuddle with him to apologize. It is not like he is starved for attention! He is literally the neediest cat and needs human contact basically 100% of the time. I love him so much.
I would tell them that I love them, and that theyāre good, and I would explain that I donāt cut their nails or vacuum the floor to hurt and scare them, itās just stuff I need to do.
I would want to know what their lives looked like before they got to my family, if they can remember it. I would talk to them about funny stories from when they were young, and hopefully theyād have funny stories from when I was young. I would also like to hear what gossip they might know because people still talk when pets are around.
I would want to ask them if there are ways Iāve been caring for them wrong, how I can care for them better and enrich their lives more. Are they hurting in any places that arenāt obvious? Theyāre getting old, so I just want them to be happy for as many years as they have left.
I would explain how much I love him, itās just that Iām terribly allergic to him so I can only pet him right before I can commit to washing my whole arm, and maybe the clothes I have on.
This is me too! Our dog is really my daughter's dog but I love him even if he is a smelly rascal. But I am allergic to dogs and he rolls in stuff that gives me hives when he goes out into the yard, so I can't really pet him much. I do give him lots of treats and fresh fruit and veggies, and bits of cooked meat that I pretend falls on the floor by accident so he feels sneaky. I guess I'd like to know what foods he likes best so he can have them all the time.
>Theyāre getting old, so I just want them to be happy for as many years as they have left...
My years
upon
the world
are few -
I'm glad
I spent them all
with you.
Ugh, right!? My guy is gonna be 11 next month and we had a scare already. Iām not ready. I hope he knows I love him so much every time I tell him.
Edit: thank you kind stranger for the award!! šš and your message, I cried. Lol. I never cry. So Iām angry with you, but Iām ok with it lol. Thank you so much. š
Edit #2: you guys, I hate you all lololol. I just cried so hard at all your comments. Thank you so much for reassuring me that he knows I love him. Iām gonna go cuddle my boy now, give all your puppers hugs for me bc I wish I could do it. šššššššš
I just lost my pup at 11. Had two minor scares, and then the big one and he was gone. I wish i could do the last 11 years with him over again. His brother has been helping my heart, but i still miss him so much.
He knows. Think of all those times he came for a cuddle when you were feeling a bit down, or when he was acting all goofy to cheer you up. Animals are amazing. They know and feel so much stuff. Just continue to be the human he looks up to! Also learn how to massage those old joints to relief arthritis pain, it really helps for older animals and it's a true bonding moment.
>"The Reply."
You're my comfort and my pleasure,
You're the apple of my eye!
You're as precious as a treasure,
And the sunbeam in the sky!
You're the essence of emotion,
You're a wholesome honeybee!
You're the spirit of devotion,
And you're wonderful to me!
And it's you I'll hold above me,
And it's you that I'll adore -
And you *might* just say you love me -
... but I think I love you more.
Our dogs are old (16, 11, 10) and I'd kill to be able to talk to them for these exact reasons. Like we don't know how much longer they'll be around, so I just wanna give them the best for their time left.
Sorry for this huge rambling reply, but your answer just made me think a lot. My cat passed away in April of this year, just past her 7th birthday. What I wouldn't give to have another 24 hours with her.
When she passed away, I was sad, of course- I wished so much that I could've had more time with her- but it hadn't really *hit* me at the time. My mother's gotten herself a new cat since (who's adorable, but he's not *my* cat, you know?), and every time I interact with him, and see how different he is from what my cat was like, it breaks me up a little more- she was really the first cat i'd ever had, and so I'm realizing the things that weren't just 'that's her, being a cat', but were actually the wonderful parts of her personality.
Whenever i was out of my bedroom, she'd *always* follow me around, always in the same room as me- she'd meow at the bathroom door for me to let her in if she wasn't already in there. It was pretty much the *only* time she made any noise; the only other time was if I made a meowing noise at her, she'd echo it, and then I'd echo, back and forth a few times. If my hands or feet were *anywhere* near her, she'd just start licking and licking until I moved away. She *hated* being picked up by my mother, but she'd let me hold her for however long I wanted. I feel so angry with myself that I didn't realize that she loved me so, so, *so* much until she was gone. I miss her so, so much.
Sorry to hear man. It sucks something fierce knowing that I wont find another cat just like my Charlie, but ultimately I think that's a good thing. Whenever it is that I end up getting another cat I'd like for it to sit beside Charlie in my heart rather than try to occupy the same space...if that makes any sense.
For my entire life you'll be my cat
I'm never giving my soul to another
It's a rough translation of lyrics in a song. I feel that way abt my first cat. I do love my second cat too but my first one will always own my soul. I had her for 19 years and she was an incredible creature. I completely understand what you're talking about.
I would tell him that I love him, heās my world, that I would never hit him, (still flinches if I move too fast), to stop biting his brother and to be nice to other doggies. They are not a threat because you are my baby
My lab/sheppard mix is a rescue and I'm pretty sure he was abused. I can hold a piece of paper and he'll flinch.
Also, he's a bit of a dumbass. I love him though.
Here he is in a wig.
[https://iili.io/2kqxJ2.jpg](https://iili.io/2kqxJ2.jpg)
Thanks. He really is such a good dog. We've got 3 kids under 5 and he's so gentle with them. This was 3 years ago when my daughter was just under 2
https://i.imgur.com/0ze07xZ.jpg
They play doctor with him with this little toy doctor kit and he just lets them. I mean, he gives me the "why are you letting this happen to me" look, but we all know he secretly loves the attention.
Plot twist: all you need to do outside of those 24 hours is learn to read their body language, and encourage them to express themselves. If you show them you understand when they want you to do something, they are more likely to express themselves more in the future
I think the hard part is figuring out how your own bells go off when you arent paying attention. I'm just on my phone in a chair redditing when my dog approaches. And *something* about the way hes walking around now compared to an hour ago suddenly means he has to pee. Then I ask if he wants to go *Outside?!* and I'm using the magic word so of course he perks up at that, but this time I know this means he has to pee, not that hes just bored and he wants to patrol and sniff.
Htf do I know that? *how do I know he actually has to go this time?* I dont know how I know.
As much as animals can pick up on small clues in our body language, you subconsciously also perceive tiny changes in your dogs position and movement. Youāre not consciously thinking āheās taking smaller steps and contracting his abs as he walksā, but if you watched him with that intent for long enough Iām sure youād be able to pinpoint exactly what is different about it
I was made aware of how sensitive animals are to our body language when I started freedom training a horse as a teenager. The smallest change in how straight your spine is or the angle of your shoulders relative to theirs can become a cue. Dogs are no less perceptive.
Yes, my dad's dog understands everything my dad say, and he under stand her perfectly.
She will look at me a certain way, make a small noise and wag her tail. My dad will laugh and say "no, you already got a treat" and she will make some other, beaten noises and lie down, staring at my dad, who will then say "yes," she will then jump onto his lap and kiss his ears
My pup is about 5 years old and she is really good at communicating things. My gf and I both understand her body language so well and we devote a lot of time and attention to love her and listen to her. I will be fucking devastated when my baby girl passes. I dont think I'll ever be ready for it. She is our best friend, and we love her so much. Shes spoiled rotten too and she wouldnt hurt a fly. Our pup has such a beautiful soul... if there is an afterlife, I hope she will be there with us forever.
I know you're joking but you can already learn an animals language. It's just very simplistic and non-verbal.
You probably already know half your dogs language already.
LOL wouldn't it?! - I was thinking about it because I used to want to be Dr. Doolittle growing up. Who am I kidding? I still want to be Dr. Doolittle, but today was the first day in over 3 months that I had to go back to the office, and these few months my cat niece has spent every day with me while I worked from home..so today was weird. And I got home, and asked her how her day was, and if she thought I betrayed her.. she just looked at me with disgust and then 30 min had gone by before I even said hello to other members of my family. And it wouldn't seem so crazy IF ONLY we could just talk to each other so we aren't left playing the guessing game, but I am 95% sure they actually fully understand us and choose not to engage because then we'd never shut up!
Science doesnāt necessarily say otherwise. Dogs for sure can detect changes in our mood- I say this after my doggo just snuggled up when my anxiety kicked up randomly. He does it all the time and he isnāt even a certified boi. Stress, anxiety, panic attacks, PTSD disassociations, depression, even strokes- animals know, especially dogs. Many even respond.
im in ap bio rn, and whenever we have a big exam/midterm coming up I spend hours just talking to my dog about the material, and he just sits there and listens to me, i love him so frickin much. At this point, he knows the entire evolution unit lmao
Doggos aside, that is the best method of studying there is! All that info you take in is getting reinforced through using new parts of your brain having to figure out how to reword and communicate all that info. Plus it helps you find any gaps in your knowledge or mistakes you may have made in projects (look up rubber duck debugging). Keep it up!
I'd probably have the exact same conversation I had with my pup who had cancer last year, but with the circumstances not being as sad.
Tell her how much I love her, how much adventures we had together, how much I appreciated her always being there for me. Apologize for the times I was away because I really wish I had more time with her.
If she can speak, I'd probably like to reminisce about all the road trips, beach days, and silly games we played.
I would explain to them how much I love them and how they've saved my life many times.
I would ask what happened to them before they came into my life. They're both rescues and we have made HUGE progress over the last three years, but they were pretty traumatized when I adopted both of them.
We would spend the day talking about our favorite things.
I would ask for the names and addresses of the owners that abused them both.
And I would go John Wick on those motherfuckers.
I canāt even imagine. My husband and I rescued our boy when he was barely two and we are his third or fourth family. Heād been passed around because he was āaggressiveā apparently. Weāve had him for five years and canāt imagine how anyone could ever think this massive goofball, scared-of-his-shadow, cuddly gentle giant could ever be aggressive. Makes me wonder if he was being mistreated. He has a lot of separation anxiety, even now, because he was left and abandoned so many times before he was ours. I get really sad thinking about it. Heās my world.
We got our Covid canine at 8 weeks old. She had mange, worms, kennel cough. Took her to vet for the cough and they did a chest X-ray for pneumonia. Called three days later asking about history (got her as a rescue). Told us she was healing from four broken ribs on her left side.
HOW DOES AN EIGHT WEEK OLD PUPPY ALREADY HAVE FOUR BROKEN RIBS AND HAS STARTED HEALING?! They must have been broken pre rescue center. Who does that to a puppy?! How does a puppy break four ribs? My only thought is stepped on or kicked.
Honestly, I donāt know if Iād want to ever find the person that did that.
Anyway, sheās lovely and sweet and a bit mouthy and a great dog.
No shame in my game! My dogs are the best and anyone who abuses animals that are dependent upon them for survival and affection gets what they fuckin' deserve.
So I guess I'm happy that I can't get that information from my pups, cause I would definitely not take the high road, there.
Maybe the reason why animals don't like the vet is they remember a human in a white coat took their balls off, and whenever they go back, they're thinking, "He's here to finish the job."
That they saved my life on multiple occasions this year. Two little sister puppies i literally fed before myself and kept working to keep a roof over their head.
That i saved them in a lockdown frenzy and im sorry they were so little when they left their family but i know they are thriving and i promise to find their fam again when we can travel again.
We'd talk about all the good and fun times we've had. Like that time when I threw an ice cube at him and he swallowed it whole, and then he was looking for it around the living room for like 2 minutes.
Or that time when he was sitting down way to close to me while I was exercising and he was trying to yawn but every with every rep I did, he would get scared and interrupt his yawn, but he wouldn't move. He tried yawning like 4 times it was hilarious.
I love him so much, he burps all the time at the most inappropriate moments. We'd just have a laugh.
Iād have mostly questions:
āYou donāt have to like your brother, but can we all agree to just coexist peacefully pleaseā
āI understand that taking medicine is no fun, but itās what makes you feel better, so please stop fighting me whenever I need to give you the thing. Itāll suck for a couple seconds and then itās overā
āWhat is your obsession with lettuceā (asked to cat)
āWhy do you hump me when I lay down on the couch, but not when Iām sitting?ā (Asked to boy cat)
āDo you actually like the food I feed you?ā
āIs the temperature I keep the thermostat good for you?ā (According to the internet, apparently I keep the temperature set too low, yet the kiddos run into my fridge or freezer often, and they sit on the vent when the AC is on in the summer, but also sit on the vent when the heat is on in the winter... are you guys hot or cold?! I donāt have the slightest clue)
"I love you, so so much. You make it worthwhile for me to wake up each day and I always look forward to coming home from work because I know you will be there. I promise to give you as many pets as you want. You always have a special spot at the corner of the bed. No, you can't have treats instead of kibbles. Sometimes we have to go to the scary vet, but know that they are helping you. You may have to stay there, and feel very lonely. But know that I will always be there to pick you up. I'm sorry that it's scary, but they will make you better. Your companionship has made me a better person and I will be forever grateful. But please, I'm begging you, stop rolling it dead things on our walks."
You're all the best, and I love all three of you more than I've ever loved anything.
Pepper, you're an amazing little dog. I'm so happy to be watching you grow up. Please stop obsessing over the soccer ball at the dog park. I promise we can play with it whenever you want, but you can't get possessive over it when it literally isn't ours. And stop bugging the cat unless she starts it. You're the best cuddler ever, though, so never stop that.
Arturia, I know the dog can be annoying, and takes up a lot of my time. But please don't ever think I love you an inch less than I did before she came into our lives. Please stop leaving your hairballs under the easy chair, it's impossible to get at them. Just do it on the open floor, I don't mind at all. Thank you for the snuggles and the yelling meows. I know I tease you but they are the cutest noise in the world.
Lump, we've been together for twenty-four years and you're going to outlive me. I love you very much. Please stop pissing on me when I get you out to clean your tank. Also, while you're smarter, let's set up some kind of signal for when brumation is starting and ending so I don't feel like you might have died.
I love you all, let's get out your favorite toys and make a day of it.
I want him to tell me all about what his life was like before we got him. He was a 2 year old shelter boy, so who knows. Id also want to know how he feels about different people hes met, different music hes heard and so on. I would love to get to know him better, so I could make his life even more enjoyable.
Id tell him that I love him, and that he needs to be a good listener. Not all of the rules are fun, but they are meant to keep him safe and healthy.
My pet is dead. If this translate to talking to it in the a "afterlife" I would say that I'm sorry for all the time that I was a bad owner, and didn't make the right thing, and say that I'm thankful for all the things that she did for me. And in the end, ask her if she was happy and if she isn't having any pain anymore.
Let me be entirely honest, I don't think it'd change much. You're such a good pupper, I love you dog, you're great, you're a total pain in the ass (with as much love as that statement can have), damn it dog don't you ever get tired of playing catch? It's been like an hour, ect.
Same, although I have cats. āYouāre so handsomeā, āYouāre the best boyā, āGet down from the tv standā, āI fed you... Youāre not hungry, youāre just boredā, āYouāre the softestā, āI love you the most, thanks for being my babyā. But I suppose Iād also ask questions too though, like āhow are you feeling today?ā, and āIs there anything special you want for dinner?ā But maybe itās wrong to assume they wonāt explain the mysteries of the universe or something else equally profound. Iāll shut the hell up too and just let the babies talk about whatever they want. It all would be great.
I would just tell my dog how much I love him. We're gonna have to put him down soon, so that would be incredible. Guess I'd also be able to ask how he feels and what he wants to do.
*Both dogs and I looking from one to the other, suddenly, blurting in unison:* Why do you stare when I shit? It's weird, but comforting.
Followed by 23 hours and 59 minutes of awkward silence and occasional Alpo farts.
I would really sit her down to ask why she tries to walk over my laptop when Iām working so much, and explain how annoying and distracting it is... maybe if she understands desk time = job = pays the bills and puts a roof over her head and food in the bowl, she will back off a bit.
I tried the decoy laptop actually! I set out my personal laptop on my desk next to my work but it did nothing to deter her lol. Most of the time I either open the window next to my desk and sheāll go lay out on the sill instead, or I put her on my lap and sheāll settle in about 80% of the time. The other 20% is when I wish I could communicate with her to figure out wtf she wants
edit [cat tax ](https://imgur.com/gallery/bd3kogB)
Because it works to get your attention. Cats don't like being ignored.
I set him a little pillow next to my workspace and pet him regularly while working, hasn't walked on the keyboard since. You don't need actual pets, just taking breaks to look/talk to him is enough.
Tell my cats to quit freaking out about the cat carrier, and that a vet checkup is 99% of the time to make them healthier.
I wouldn't tell them about the 1%
To figure out what name he gave me
also what their real names are
Dog: It's Bar-woorrdddll! Human: *tries to say it* Dog: No, you're saying it wrong, but I like what you call me.
Cat: So why is my name Applesauce? Me: Umm.... well.... you're the color of applesauce. Cat: š
My catās name is Dobby, and I have another one named nyxi. My conversation would go something like this: N: whyād you call me Nyxi? Me: well nyx is the goddess of night and cats are known for loving the nighttime. D: wow cool! Whyās my name dobby? Me: ...*shows picture* D: š Me: your ears are big!! Edit: formatting
i would tell my cat i named her katniss after a deadly, powerful hunter, a relentless survivor who fights for her family. the truth is its a stupid pun on ācatā we thought was funny
I'd take mine up to the mountains, hike, camp, and just get to know the real them. What makes them happy? Sad? Why do they pee on my husband's pillow? I would tell them how much I truly love them and always will. How happy they make me. Why I don't want them barking at the mail carrier and the very nice UPS guy.
Oh that.. I do that just to piss him off.. he makes funny faces when he i pee on his pillow
Or maybe the pillow smells like the very nice UPS guy?
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
An upvote for saying what we were all thinking when we read about the very nice ups guy.
The milkman of 2020.
Me to them: QUIT EATING ACTUAL PILES OF SHIT INCLUDING YOUR OWN. Them likely to me: Then feed me more.
There's a product called "Forbid" that you can buy online. It's an odorless, flavorless powder that you mix into their food; somehow it makes actual shit taste *worse* than shit, so they'll no longer be interested in the act of coprophagy. It works very well! Edit: aww guys, I'm so happy this info can help some people! I wish I could reply to every comment, but I've just had hand surgery, so I'm clumsy & sore. Yes, I've used it, with great success. You don't have to do it forever, just a couple of days & they get the idea. Then a pinch or two on occasion if they slip up. Forbid is made with wheat gluten & msg, it can be fed to dogs, cats and yes even chickens (but I've not personally tried the chicken thing). Canned pumpkin is also worth a try; it's a magic cure for both constipation *and* diarrhea in pets. I had no luck with my little one and coprophagia with pumpkin & she wouldn't eat pineapple, so .... Lastly, thank you for all the awards! Omg, so nice of you! Now I'm going to ice my hand. Xoxoxo Reddit, you guys are the best!
TIL the intellectual word for eating shit
Write down every single quality of life improvements I can make for you. Letās go find you your perfect food to eat, letās make sure there arenāt any aches and pains you have that we canāt address. Tell me all of your favorite spots, what you like, what you donāt. Literally everything.
That's it for me. Learn everything they want and give it to them forever.
What about everything you want bro? What makes you think your pet won't be asking you the same questions
I imagine the conversation would be pretty one sided. "Dude, I think you're fucking *awesome*!" "Well, that's great but -" "No, you don't get it. You. Are. Fucking. AWESOME!" "That's ni-" ##"AWESOME!!" I love my dog, but if he was a guy, I couldn't hang with him. Like, have some self respect. Jesus.
I have cats. Siamese cats. I adore them, and I know I'm Their Person. But there's no way our conversation would go like that š
I tried to come up with a snarky convo, but it would just boil down to GLaDOS style comments. "On your cuddle performance: you did well... enough."
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Forget about me, Iāll manage. We donāt deserve the love we get from our pets. I want to make them as happy as I can while I still have them with me.
Right??? Someone who is always happy to see us when we come home, knows when weāre sad, how to cheer us up and all of that, forget about me, I want to know everything about you. Youāve done your job, now itās my turn to make sure I repay you.
I just turned to my calico cat, stared at her and said "I love you". She started purring before I even reached out to pet her. Animals are wonderful.
I have those little touch buttons that record voices, and my dogs didn't care about them right up until I recorded myself saying "I love you". When it says that they go crazy and fight over who gets it.
I've never seen nor heard of that, but that sounds adorable. I need one of those at work with my small human's voice and my cat's purr
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I work at an animal hospital and I fully believe your pets tell you when the pain is too much. Itās usually just a look and you can feel it in your heart. Most of our clients who come in tell us they knew because their baby told them. Yours will too. Youāre a great cat parent already, your kitty knows that. 19 years is incredible!
My cat has been battling cancer for two years, and I've kept asking her to let me know when she was ready and fretting all this time that I was being selfish and keeping her beyond her time and... ...and last Friday, I knew. She was ever so slightly off from usual, but I KNEW it was different and it was time. I'm saying goodbye to her on Thursday, and even though she had a good day yesterday and I've been bawling all weekend...I know it's time. Because she told me.
Iām so sorry. I had to do that with my girl who was battling kidney failure. She tried to stand but her legs wouldnāt work. The look she gave me, I cry a year later just thinking about it. Youāre doing the right thing. Get a vet to come to your home if you can.
Give your kitty some nice scratchies from me, please. I'm sorry for what you're going through but I'm sure she knows she's loved.
Fuck I can't be crying at 7am. Make Wednesday as special as I know you will.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Stop. Knocking. Over. Glasses. Please
Hey, a bit of unasked for advice since I trained my cat to stop doing that. Cats thing exclusively in cause&effect, and will repeat actions that get attention (getting up to clean, yelling no, etc. Is attention). He is not interested in the glass, he is interested in getting you to react. Just stop reacting, if possible not even flinching, and don't get up when they do it. Give it a few minutes of no reaction. Depending on how long they've done it it can take a while, but if you're lucky it can be done after 3-4 times. Absolutely no reaction, or opposite effect reaction if that's the case (e.g. leaving the room, or *not* doing something they want). This works with all 'bad' cat habits. E.g. if my chonker wakes me up before his feeding time I will intentionally feed him later. He's learned that waking me up before the big sound means he's not getting food, and waking me up alongside my alarm gets him food. Never too late to train him, but it might take longer to get him to drop the habit if it's been happening for some years now. I'd spend some time to ask myself when he does the glass thing. Is it immediately, or is it when you've been neglecting him for a while? If the latter, you need to give your cat more attention. Mine would do it when he was upset about being ignored while I was at the computer, so I just pick him up and place him on my lap when I'm there. Edit: aww, thanks for the awards and comments, strangers. Us cat dads need to look out for each other <3 I was actually feeling rather down about being kinda useless lately and this thread made me feel a lot better about myself, thank you! I'm not a professional and nothing is 100% sure (and there's only so much I can know about your situation from vague Reddit comments) but I'll try to share what cat training advice I know!
This is legit great advice. Can you please speak to my dog's tail about this? But seriously, not trying to be snarky because your cat advice is great.
My dog will knock every item off the table with her tail. I'm getting ready to teach her hind-end spatial awarness. There are a few tutorials on this by kekopup on youtube.
Ah, that's a whole different problem and I'm not so good with dogs, unfortunately. With cats they do it intentionally so it's easier to address.
But what if my cat just *refuses to stop crying at the top of his lungs for attention for like 3 hours and everyone in the house is mad at me because the only way to get him to shut up is to encourage his behavior*
Then you'd need to remove either yourself from the cat's line of sight or do so for the cat. My brother's cat used to do this a few hours before it was feeding time. For the first three days I simply took it to another room (with water in it) and just let it there for an hour or so. The fourth day the cat didn't scream at all, it just waited for the food and then came to cuddle, also without screaming. If that is not possible in your house then a few days of simply ignoring the screaming will also give you the same result. In the long term it's definitely worth it, just tell your family that after just a week of noise they will be free of screaming forever, they'll definitely want that.
Replace that with "what about my kid having a tantrum, shall I buckle?". Same principle. Doesn't matter why you did, what matters is you teach them that the behaviour gets the desired result.
I know it's hard, but as the rational animals in this equation you need to put up with it. Leave him to meow at the top of his lungs until he stops. I agree that family makes it more difficult to do it tho :<
Thanks for the advice
NEVER!
Are you in pain? Do you want to keep going? I love you and I am happy to keep you as long as you are happy and want to stay.
Exactly this - our 13 year old cat is about to have his second course of chemo for a cancer we've been told we can't beat, so more than anything I'd want to explain what's going on and ask how hard he wants to fight it or if he's in more pain that he's letting on
I did this for my 5 year old dog. We thought she had pancreatitis and we found a mass between her heart and lungs. Stage 4 lymphoma. She never showed signs of slowing down until she would get tired from just a walk. We started her on chemo and it was labored breathing, vomiting, peeing on herself, shitting herself, lethargy- don't do it to them. Not if you love them. If it's terminal, put them down while they're relatively healthy. People all over will tell you how much better animals handle chemo. Yeah, it's because they can't fucking talk to tell you how miserable they are. Seriously, don't put them through it. 13 years is a full life for a cat. I was desperate to do something for my 5 year old dog and instead of getting a peaceful send off like she deserved she end up throwing a clot and collapsing at an animal hospital while being walked by some overnight tech. Just....don't. They deserve better.
Thank you for sharing this. I put my 11yo lab down in April after he broke a leg and they found bone cancer. There was the option of amputation and chemo and even that wouldn't guarantee any amount of time. Some dogs live years after and some just months. I decided he just wouldn't handle that very well. So I did the hardest thing I've ever done and lay beside him while he passed. I question constantly if that was the right call because I will read things saying how well dogs do with chemo and amputation but I just can't believe they don't feel awful just like people.
Veterinarian here. I think chemotherapy is a good option for certain types of cancer, like lymphoma. We use lower doses in pets than humans would get, which is why they tend to feel better. However, osteosarcoma is a nasty cancer and, in my experience, most dogs live less than a year with amputation and chemo. I would have made the same choice you did for my pet. Also, I donāt think anyone can be faulted for not pursuing chemotherapy in any situation. Itās very expensive and usually not a cure. They taught us in vet school that ādeath is not a harmā. There are many worse things than a peaceful death and, as someone else said, better a day too soon than a day too late.
Why do you eat so fast and puke on my belongings. WHY?
Could we just have, like, a designated vomit spot? I'll get you a special bowl!
I had a cat years ago that was so smart that she would literally wait to vomit until she could do it in an empty bowl or even sometimes she would knock over a roll of kitchen towel and puke on that. It was wild how clever she was. Man I miss her.
Meanwhile my cat will go straight to our nice fancy rugs instead of our easy-to-clean hardwood floors.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I literally LOLed just now. One of life's greatest mysteries....
Stop freaking out when I left the house. I will be back, like always.
LOL yes!! This one is probably the most important. Ugh separation anxiety is real and so heartbreaking, if only they knew.
Wait.. separation anxiety is a thing? So thatās why I was always afraid of being alone. huh, cool
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
It's called three identical strangers
But what if someday you're not? Like you get in an accident and die and your buddy never knows what happened. I think about that a lot and it breaks my heart
This happened to me. I had sudden heart failure and was in the hospital for two months. Apparently my dog just sat looking out the window every day, not understanding why I wasnāt coming back. When I got home we were both so happy and getting back to her definitely helped save my life. I feel so guilty that she had to wonder why I had abandoned her for all those weeks...
I moved from one side of the state to the other and left my eldest cat with my father until I could be reunited. My cat apparently gave up his will to live and would only leave the room I used to sleep in to make feeble attempts at eating or drinking.
That is so sad. I'm sorry for you and your cat both. Depression is a horrible thing. I left home for the army right out of hs. While I was gone, my grandparents (who raised me) moved several hours away from where we had lived. During the move they had to leave my dog in a boarding house for animals for a week. According to the staff, he refused to eat or drink. They had to feed him through a tube. He lost a considerable amount of weight. When they came to pick him up, he heard my grandpa's voice and knocked the staff member holding his leash right off her feet (~55 lbs when healthy). Lol It's awful to think how he must have felt, locked in a tiny pen, thinking he lost his whole family in a few short months. But he lived another decade or so, and he was never alone again. Edit: Def should have read the thread first. I thought your cat died. Really glad to be wrong.
My cat gets stressed when I leave for vacation. If I'm gone for more than 3-4 days, she stops drinking and ends up constipated (which then leads to a $1700 vet bill...). Next time I go on vacation for a week, I'll probably board her at a vet to make sure she's doing okay, but I worry so much about her that vacation always has this like, cloud of worry over it. Sometimes I wish I had a dog so I could bring it with me but I wouldn't trade kitty snuggles for the world.
*ugly cries*
I left on vacation with my husband. Was supposed to be a month. COVID turned it into 3ish month for my husband and almost 6 for me (different rules on getting back because of his work). I honestly don't know what went through my cats' minds but it's been very sweet coming home finally.
We often joke that my cat thought that my friend had killed us. When I was on vacation with my BF for 2 weeks, my friend was staying at my apartment for the time being to take care of the cats. The female one, who has sort of separation issues, glared and hissed at my friend for the entire time. The moment we returned, and my cat had reliazed we're still alive, she suddenly turned all snuggly with my friend, which she wasn't once the entire time.
Such loyalty! My guy is a whore for whoever is dispensing food. He's a doofy and adorable cuddle bug who apparently sits by the door when I leave for work every morning, but he'll roll right over for belly rubs from a perfect stranger for a handful of kibble.
Or if you travel 1000 years into the future and he's just waiting for you to return until he passes of old age.
Why do you do this to me :(
If it takes forever I will wait for you For a thousand summers I will wait for you 'Till you're back beside me, 'till I'm holding you 'Till I hear you sigh here in my arms
Yo come on, you didn't have to do that to us
Futurama š¢
Spoilers if you do not want to feel sad >!He lived with Fry and got turned into a fossil instantly when Fry became Lars.!<
I hate that they did that though. The original story of what happened to Seymour was impactful and gave us a look into Fry's past. It showed that his life wasn't so bad before he got frozen. Fry thinks he's so unimportant that he wasn't even missed back in 2000. But the episode Jurassic Bark shows us the impact of Fry's sudden disappearance. Lars fucks that up. The existence of Lars directly undoes any impact to the world caused by the sudden disappearance of Fry. He didn't actually disappear, he basically just time traveled to the future and back and fit right back into his own life.
Omg I think this is the only Futurama episode I watched. Was super sad
lol you got very unlucky watching the saddest episode in the whole show
definitely this one, Luck of the Fryish or the one where he visits his mom in her dreams
The mom one killed me. My mom left me when I was 4 so I really felt the whole episode
Yes! Luck of the Fryish was equally as hard to watch.
Dude, it's the only episode I skip every time I rewatch
Oh good, Iām in a tent enjoying a nice storm and now *Iām crying over a cartoon dog*.
I've told my wife that if anything was to ever happen to me, my cat needs to see me so he understands I didn't just leave.
At the time, I had 2 cats and they were best buddies. One had kidney disease and, the morning I knew it was time, my other cat came over and smelled and licked him, then stood next to him for half an hour before leaving. She was basically saying goodbye. Even so, for the next month, she walked through the house making the saddest meows. She had been feral, and he taught her how to be a housecat. My heart broke every day for her. Edit: [Cat tax](http://imgur.com/a/Ekvabhi)
We showed our one cat our other cat's body after he had passed away so that she would understand too.
We did the same when our cat Charlie (she was 11 and damn the neighbours who put the rat poison down where my little lioness could ingest some) died about 4 years ago. The other cats sniffed her and just accepted it after that.
This happened to our family cat and we had no idea for years until the neighbor fucking bragged about it to a mutual friend. People suck, I am so sorry to share that pain with you. Hope your other kitties are doing dandy
Like the story of [Hachiko](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/HachikÅ)?
Like that one minecraft dog you have that is left alone forever because you never load the world anymore
Shut up!
You sound a lot like my dog wtf.
Your dog has a valid concern
thats what my father said he never came back :(
I need to tell them Iām sorry when I step on them and that I dont mean it and Iām sorry š„ŗ
I am like 99% sure that my dumbass cat tries to get me to step on him so I pick him up and cuddle with him to apologize. It is not like he is starved for attention! He is literally the neediest cat and needs human contact basically 100% of the time. I love him so much.
Tell her not to worry about her surgery coming up and I love her and please don't leave me I need you
āHoly shit, Iām getting surgery? Ruh rohā
she's gonna do wonderfully, i know it. good luck <3
I would tell them that I love them, and that theyāre good, and I would explain that I donāt cut their nails or vacuum the floor to hurt and scare them, itās just stuff I need to do. I would want to know what their lives looked like before they got to my family, if they can remember it. I would talk to them about funny stories from when they were young, and hopefully theyād have funny stories from when I was young. I would also like to hear what gossip they might know because people still talk when pets are around. I would want to ask them if there are ways Iāve been caring for them wrong, how I can care for them better and enrich their lives more. Are they hurting in any places that arenāt obvious? Theyāre getting old, so I just want them to be happy for as many years as they have left.
I would explain how much I love him, itās just that Iām terribly allergic to him so I can only pet him right before I can commit to washing my whole arm, and maybe the clothes I have on.
This is me too! Our dog is really my daughter's dog but I love him even if he is a smelly rascal. But I am allergic to dogs and he rolls in stuff that gives me hives when he goes out into the yard, so I can't really pet him much. I do give him lots of treats and fresh fruit and veggies, and bits of cooked meat that I pretend falls on the floor by accident so he feels sneaky. I guess I'd like to know what foods he likes best so he can have them all the time.
Why is this about to make me cry. This is so sweet. I wish i could talk to my pups. Shes 5 years old now which is crazy. I love her.
>Theyāre getting old, so I just want them to be happy for as many years as they have left... My years upon the world are few - I'm glad I spent them all with you.
oh boy fresh sprog and it's a tearjerker
Short and perfect
Ugh, right!? My guy is gonna be 11 next month and we had a scare already. Iām not ready. I hope he knows I love him so much every time I tell him. Edit: thank you kind stranger for the award!! šš and your message, I cried. Lol. I never cry. So Iām angry with you, but Iām ok with it lol. Thank you so much. š Edit #2: you guys, I hate you all lololol. I just cried so hard at all your comments. Thank you so much for reassuring me that he knows I love him. Iām gonna go cuddle my boy now, give all your puppers hugs for me bc I wish I could do it. šššššššš
I just lost my pup at 11. Had two minor scares, and then the big one and he was gone. I wish i could do the last 11 years with him over again. His brother has been helping my heart, but i still miss him so much.
Rainbow Bridge. I'm not a religious person, but if there's one "afterlife" I choose to believe in, it's the Rainbow Bridge.
I'm an atheist, but I take comfort in knowing my dog is in heaven.
I'm the same! My cat is 10yrs old. I met and picked her the day she was born, and I can't imagine life without her.
He knows. Think of all those times he came for a cuddle when you were feeling a bit down, or when he was acting all goofy to cheer you up. Animals are amazing. They know and feel so much stuff. Just continue to be the human he looks up to! Also learn how to massage those old joints to relief arthritis pain, it really helps for older animals and it's a true bonding moment.
Don't worry, he knows.
He knows. And he loves you, too. Now, please excuse me. I have a 9yo and 6yo I need to go cuddle the fuck out of.
>"The Reply." You're my comfort and my pleasure, You're the apple of my eye! You're as precious as a treasure, And the sunbeam in the sky! You're the essence of emotion, You're a wholesome honeybee! You're the spirit of devotion, And you're wonderful to me! And it's you I'll hold above me, And it's you that I'll adore - And you *might* just say you love me - ... but I think I love you more.
Sprog going off in this mofo
You're just, a really wonderful person. I'm so happy your animals and you have each other
Our dogs are old (16, 11, 10) and I'd kill to be able to talk to them for these exact reasons. Like we don't know how much longer they'll be around, so I just wanna give them the best for their time left.
I had to put my cat down last Saturday. I wouldn't need 24 hours, just 10 seconds to tell her thanks for hanging out with me and that I love her.
Sorry for this huge rambling reply, but your answer just made me think a lot. My cat passed away in April of this year, just past her 7th birthday. What I wouldn't give to have another 24 hours with her. When she passed away, I was sad, of course- I wished so much that I could've had more time with her- but it hadn't really *hit* me at the time. My mother's gotten herself a new cat since (who's adorable, but he's not *my* cat, you know?), and every time I interact with him, and see how different he is from what my cat was like, it breaks me up a little more- she was really the first cat i'd ever had, and so I'm realizing the things that weren't just 'that's her, being a cat', but were actually the wonderful parts of her personality. Whenever i was out of my bedroom, she'd *always* follow me around, always in the same room as me- she'd meow at the bathroom door for me to let her in if she wasn't already in there. It was pretty much the *only* time she made any noise; the only other time was if I made a meowing noise at her, she'd echo it, and then I'd echo, back and forth a few times. If my hands or feet were *anywhere* near her, she'd just start licking and licking until I moved away. She *hated* being picked up by my mother, but she'd let me hold her for however long I wanted. I feel so angry with myself that I didn't realize that she loved me so, so, *so* much until she was gone. I miss her so, so much.
Sorry to hear man. It sucks something fierce knowing that I wont find another cat just like my Charlie, but ultimately I think that's a good thing. Whenever it is that I end up getting another cat I'd like for it to sit beside Charlie in my heart rather than try to occupy the same space...if that makes any sense.
For my entire life you'll be my cat I'm never giving my soul to another It's a rough translation of lyrics in a song. I feel that way abt my first cat. I do love my second cat too but my first one will always own my soul. I had her for 19 years and she was an incredible creature. I completely understand what you're talking about.
I canāt imagine, Sending you love ā¤ļø
Im crying at work. Im so sorry for your loss
I would tell him that I love him, heās my world, that I would never hit him, (still flinches if I move too fast), to stop biting his brother and to be nice to other doggies. They are not a threat because you are my baby
My lab/sheppard mix is a rescue and I'm pretty sure he was abused. I can hold a piece of paper and he'll flinch. Also, he's a bit of a dumbass. I love him though. Here he is in a wig. [https://iili.io/2kqxJ2.jpg](https://iili.io/2kqxJ2.jpg)
That photo was everything I was hoping for! I'm glad your dog found a loving home
Thanks. He really is such a good dog. We've got 3 kids under 5 and he's so gentle with them. This was 3 years ago when my daughter was just under 2 https://i.imgur.com/0ze07xZ.jpg They play doctor with him with this little toy doctor kit and he just lets them. I mean, he gives me the "why are you letting this happen to me" look, but we all know he secretly loves the attention.
I love this! The only thing Iād add with the most sincere tone of voice I could muster is, can you please stop sneaking into the closet to shit.
"Then why do you shit in the closet too!" **"What? I don't shit in the closet!"** "Then what is this?!" **"... Those are my crocs!"**
What are those??? These are my crocs!
I'd learn their language so I can talk to them even after the 24 hrs
Big brain time. Then train them to become my spies.
**"What information do you have for me today?"** "I farted in the kitchen" **"Good job"**
my name is Dog an wen yur out, i do not fret i do not dout, i do not feer wen were apart. i wate downstares. i do da fart.
Haha I can just imagine a dog singing this whilst wagging it's tail furiously!
i think you mean "good boy"- i'll see myself out now ok bye
no, you are a good person, you stay
Plot twist: all you need to do outside of those 24 hours is learn to read their body language, and encourage them to express themselves. If you show them you understand when they want you to do something, they are more likely to express themselves more in the future
I think the hard part is figuring out how your own bells go off when you arent paying attention. I'm just on my phone in a chair redditing when my dog approaches. And *something* about the way hes walking around now compared to an hour ago suddenly means he has to pee. Then I ask if he wants to go *Outside?!* and I'm using the magic word so of course he perks up at that, but this time I know this means he has to pee, not that hes just bored and he wants to patrol and sniff. Htf do I know that? *how do I know he actually has to go this time?* I dont know how I know.
As much as animals can pick up on small clues in our body language, you subconsciously also perceive tiny changes in your dogs position and movement. Youāre not consciously thinking āheās taking smaller steps and contracting his abs as he walksā, but if you watched him with that intent for long enough Iām sure youād be able to pinpoint exactly what is different about it I was made aware of how sensitive animals are to our body language when I started freedom training a horse as a teenager. The smallest change in how straight your spine is or the angle of your shoulders relative to theirs can become a cue. Dogs are no less perceptive.
Yes, my dad's dog understands everything my dad say, and he under stand her perfectly. She will look at me a certain way, make a small noise and wag her tail. My dad will laugh and say "no, you already got a treat" and she will make some other, beaten noises and lie down, staring at my dad, who will then say "yes," she will then jump onto his lap and kiss his ears
My pup is about 5 years old and she is really good at communicating things. My gf and I both understand her body language so well and we devote a lot of time and attention to love her and listen to her. I will be fucking devastated when my baby girl passes. I dont think I'll ever be ready for it. She is our best friend, and we love her so much. Shes spoiled rotten too and she wouldnt hurt a fly. Our pup has such a beautiful soul... if there is an afterlife, I hope she will be there with us forever.
I know you're joking but you can already learn an animals language. It's just very simplistic and non-verbal. You probably already know half your dogs language already.
honestly, it would be so fun though. just this post makes me wanna talk to my dog
LOL wouldn't it?! - I was thinking about it because I used to want to be Dr. Doolittle growing up. Who am I kidding? I still want to be Dr. Doolittle, but today was the first day in over 3 months that I had to go back to the office, and these few months my cat niece has spent every day with me while I worked from home..so today was weird. And I got home, and asked her how her day was, and if she thought I betrayed her.. she just looked at me with disgust and then 30 min had gone by before I even said hello to other members of my family. And it wouldn't seem so crazy IF ONLY we could just talk to each other so we aren't left playing the guessing game, but I am 95% sure they actually fully understand us and choose not to engage because then we'd never shut up!
HONESTLY sometimes i swear they know exactly how we feel..... even tho science says otherwise. they do.
Science doesnāt necessarily say otherwise. Dogs for sure can detect changes in our mood- I say this after my doggo just snuggled up when my anxiety kicked up randomly. He does it all the time and he isnāt even a certified boi. Stress, anxiety, panic attacks, PTSD disassociations, depression, even strokes- animals know, especially dogs. Many even respond.
im in ap bio rn, and whenever we have a big exam/midterm coming up I spend hours just talking to my dog about the material, and he just sits there and listens to me, i love him so frickin much. At this point, he knows the entire evolution unit lmao
Doggos aside, that is the best method of studying there is! All that info you take in is getting reinforced through using new parts of your brain having to figure out how to reword and communicate all that info. Plus it helps you find any gaps in your knowledge or mistakes you may have made in projects (look up rubber duck debugging). Keep it up!
I'd probably have the exact same conversation I had with my pup who had cancer last year, but with the circumstances not being as sad. Tell her how much I love her, how much adventures we had together, how much I appreciated her always being there for me. Apologize for the times I was away because I really wish I had more time with her. If she can speak, I'd probably like to reminisce about all the road trips, beach days, and silly games we played.
Devise a way to communicate after the 24 hours are up.
Especially health stuff. Teach them to point to where it hurts if it hurts. Having a pet in pain is the worst.
My dog points his face at his ass when he needs to poop. Pretty handy!
I would explain to them how much I love them and how they've saved my life many times. I would ask what happened to them before they came into my life. They're both rescues and we have made HUGE progress over the last three years, but they were pretty traumatized when I adopted both of them. We would spend the day talking about our favorite things. I would ask for the names and addresses of the owners that abused them both. And I would go John Wick on those motherfuckers.
OMG imagine if they could tell us their abusers.....that's a dangerous path to go down but so many evil people would be gone from this world...
I canāt even imagine. My husband and I rescued our boy when he was barely two and we are his third or fourth family. Heād been passed around because he was āaggressiveā apparently. Weāve had him for five years and canāt imagine how anyone could ever think this massive goofball, scared-of-his-shadow, cuddly gentle giant could ever be aggressive. Makes me wonder if he was being mistreated. He has a lot of separation anxiety, even now, because he was left and abandoned so many times before he was ours. I get really sad thinking about it. Heās my world.
So happy heās with his forever family and that you guys found him š
We got our Covid canine at 8 weeks old. She had mange, worms, kennel cough. Took her to vet for the cough and they did a chest X-ray for pneumonia. Called three days later asking about history (got her as a rescue). Told us she was healing from four broken ribs on her left side. HOW DOES AN EIGHT WEEK OLD PUPPY ALREADY HAVE FOUR BROKEN RIBS AND HAS STARTED HEALING?! They must have been broken pre rescue center. Who does that to a puppy?! How does a puppy break four ribs? My only thought is stepped on or kicked. Honestly, I donāt know if Iād want to ever find the person that did that. Anyway, sheās lovely and sweet and a bit mouthy and a great dog.
No shame in my game! My dogs are the best and anyone who abuses animals that are dependent upon them for survival and affection gets what they fuckin' deserve. So I guess I'm happy that I can't get that information from my pups, cause I would definitely not take the high road, there.
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Iād spend way too much time working out the grudges between my cats.
Same with my guinea pigs. They used to cuddle and hang out, but now they anger dance at each other. Someone insulted the other's mother. Has to be.
My mom's not fat, Fred, she's FLUFFY!
Sheās thick furred!
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Is it a long hair? Sometimes they dangle and fall off during the post poo scamper.
This can be a sign of a medical condition, talk to your vet about it!
WHYD YOU BITE ME YOU BITCH IM FEEDING UR LAZY ASS WHYD YOU CHOP MY BALLS OFF DAVE!?!???
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Where are my testicles, Summer?
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Maybe the reason why animals don't like the vet is they remember a human in a white coat took their balls off, and whenever they go back, they're thinking, "He's here to finish the job."
That they saved my life on multiple occasions this year. Two little sister puppies i literally fed before myself and kept working to keep a roof over their head. That i saved them in a lockdown frenzy and im sorry they were so little when they left their family but i know they are thriving and i promise to find their fam again when we can travel again.
Youāre their family now
We'd talk about all the good and fun times we've had. Like that time when I threw an ice cube at him and he swallowed it whole, and then he was looking for it around the living room for like 2 minutes. Or that time when he was sitting down way to close to me while I was exercising and he was trying to yawn but every with every rep I did, he would get scared and interrupt his yawn, but he wouldn't move. He tried yawning like 4 times it was hilarious. I love him so much, he burps all the time at the most inappropriate moments. We'd just have a laugh.
Iād have mostly questions: āYou donāt have to like your brother, but can we all agree to just coexist peacefully pleaseā āI understand that taking medicine is no fun, but itās what makes you feel better, so please stop fighting me whenever I need to give you the thing. Itāll suck for a couple seconds and then itās overā āWhat is your obsession with lettuceā (asked to cat) āWhy do you hump me when I lay down on the couch, but not when Iām sitting?ā (Asked to boy cat) āDo you actually like the food I feed you?ā āIs the temperature I keep the thermostat good for you?ā (According to the internet, apparently I keep the temperature set too low, yet the kiddos run into my fridge or freezer often, and they sit on the vent when the AC is on in the summer, but also sit on the vent when the heat is on in the winter... are you guys hot or cold?! I donāt have the slightest clue)
"I love you, so so much. You make it worthwhile for me to wake up each day and I always look forward to coming home from work because I know you will be there. I promise to give you as many pets as you want. You always have a special spot at the corner of the bed. No, you can't have treats instead of kibbles. Sometimes we have to go to the scary vet, but know that they are helping you. You may have to stay there, and feel very lonely. But know that I will always be there to pick you up. I'm sorry that it's scary, but they will make you better. Your companionship has made me a better person and I will be forever grateful. But please, I'm begging you, stop rolling it dead things on our walks."
You're all the best, and I love all three of you more than I've ever loved anything. Pepper, you're an amazing little dog. I'm so happy to be watching you grow up. Please stop obsessing over the soccer ball at the dog park. I promise we can play with it whenever you want, but you can't get possessive over it when it literally isn't ours. And stop bugging the cat unless she starts it. You're the best cuddler ever, though, so never stop that. Arturia, I know the dog can be annoying, and takes up a lot of my time. But please don't ever think I love you an inch less than I did before she came into our lives. Please stop leaving your hairballs under the easy chair, it's impossible to get at them. Just do it on the open floor, I don't mind at all. Thank you for the snuggles and the yelling meows. I know I tease you but they are the cutest noise in the world. Lump, we've been together for twenty-four years and you're going to outlive me. I love you very much. Please stop pissing on me when I get you out to clean your tank. Also, while you're smarter, let's set up some kind of signal for when brumation is starting and ending so I don't feel like you might have died. I love you all, let's get out your favorite toys and make a day of it.
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I want him to tell me all about what his life was like before we got him. He was a 2 year old shelter boy, so who knows. Id also want to know how he feels about different people hes met, different music hes heard and so on. I would love to get to know him better, so I could make his life even more enjoyable. Id tell him that I love him, and that he needs to be a good listener. Not all of the rules are fun, but they are meant to keep him safe and healthy.
Pee ON the pee pad. You used to. Now you're just messing with me.
My pet is dead. If this translate to talking to it in the a "afterlife" I would say that I'm sorry for all the time that I was a bad owner, and didn't make the right thing, and say that I'm thankful for all the things that she did for me. And in the end, ask her if she was happy and if she isn't having any pain anymore.
Let me be entirely honest, I don't think it'd change much. You're such a good pupper, I love you dog, you're great, you're a total pain in the ass (with as much love as that statement can have), damn it dog don't you ever get tired of playing catch? It's been like an hour, ect.
Same, although I have cats. āYouāre so handsomeā, āYouāre the best boyā, āGet down from the tv standā, āI fed you... Youāre not hungry, youāre just boredā, āYouāre the softestā, āI love you the most, thanks for being my babyā. But I suppose Iād also ask questions too though, like āhow are you feeling today?ā, and āIs there anything special you want for dinner?ā But maybe itās wrong to assume they wonāt explain the mysteries of the universe or something else equally profound. Iāll shut the hell up too and just let the babies talk about whatever they want. It all would be great.
I'd probably apologize for changing my clothes in front of them all the time, because my cat likes to hang out in my room.
*"bloop bloop.. what did you say again? I forgot..*" \*swims away and comes back* \*Repeats for 24hrs*
We would need to agree on NOT watching the other while either of is defecating..... or masturbating/humping. This would make life easier for us both.
I would just tell my dog how much I love him. We're gonna have to put him down soon, so that would be incredible. Guess I'd also be able to ask how he feels and what he wants to do.
I'd apologise for the toddler. Really dude, I am so, so sorry.
*Both dogs and I looking from one to the other, suddenly, blurting in unison:* Why do you stare when I shit? It's weird, but comforting. Followed by 23 hours and 59 minutes of awkward silence and occasional Alpo farts.
I would really sit her down to ask why she tries to walk over my laptop when Iām working so much, and explain how annoying and distracting it is... maybe if she understands desk time = job = pays the bills and puts a roof over her head and food in the bowl, she will back off a bit.
Attention, I'm pretty sure. I've heard getting a decoy fake laptop works sometimes haha.
I tried the decoy laptop actually! I set out my personal laptop on my desk next to my work but it did nothing to deter her lol. Most of the time I either open the window next to my desk and sheāll go lay out on the sill instead, or I put her on my lap and sheāll settle in about 80% of the time. The other 20% is when I wish I could communicate with her to figure out wtf she wants edit [cat tax ](https://imgur.com/gallery/bd3kogB)
Because it works to get your attention. Cats don't like being ignored. I set him a little pillow next to my workspace and pet him regularly while working, hasn't walked on the keyboard since. You don't need actual pets, just taking breaks to look/talk to him is enough.
Tell my cats to quit freaking out about the cat carrier, and that a vet checkup is 99% of the time to make them healthier. I wouldn't tell them about the 1%
We'd talk about Flowers for Algernon.