Laura_E

I have two very nervous cats and it generally takes them a good few weeks to get used to a new dog coming into the house. For the first few days they hide upstairs and then start to venture down slowly, but they still tend to give the dogs a wide berth and climb up on the back of the sofa and then onto the tables when walking past them- basically anywhere that they have a vantage point! I think like you already said, it is important to keep the dog on the lead when doing introductions. If I am unsure about a dog, I tend to keep the lead on for a few days so that I can grab it if they do suddenly decide that chasing the cats would be quite fun! I also make sure that I do lots of petting of both the dog and the cats so that they can see that they are both important to me- if that makes any sense! Some times I also swap their bedding so that they can get used to each others scents. It is important that the cats have an area that they can go to that is exclusively for them, like a 'safe place' some where that the dog can't get to. I also make sure that I spend plenty of time giving the cats attention so that they don't feel pushed out in any way. But I think the most important thing is to just have lots of patience and let them find there own way in time. It doesn't hurt to give them a few extra treats too- bribery always helps!!!!

Hello, Haven't been very active on here for ages so just wanted to say hi and also (some what ashamedly) try and promote the No Voice No Choice dog show that I will be attending tomorrow for the Oldies Club. http://www.ddawatch.co.uk/About%20the%20event.html As well as running a stall I'm also judging a class (the Golden Oldie class) so I am super ecited about that. Unfortunately my friend who was meant to be helping me has just let me down (I should have known better than to rely on her) so if anyone is around and could spare a few minutes to help out, I would be eternally gratful- even if it's just to relieve me for a few miutes so that I can go to the loo!!!

Hello everyone It's been quite a while since I last came on here so just wanted to say hi and catch up on what has been going on. I have had a lot of changes with work and have been quite busy with that. I also started seeing somebody around christmas time and things are going well- he is absolutely lovely and gorgeous! He is also really great with the animals so I feel like I have won the lottery. I know it all sounds a bit sickening, but I am really happy at the moment. Oh, and he is a footballer by profession, so I guess that makes me the worlds most unlikely WAG!!! Dennis (the cat) is still with us and hasn't really shown any signs of being ill- apart from his ears looking a bit sore. The vet originally gave him between 2-6 months and he has been with us since September, so he is already exceeding expectations. He's a lovely cat and him and Bobby are getting on much better now- Molly is still a bit of a madam towards him though, but she is to everyone so we don't worry about it too much. Tess is still struggling with her leg despite being on the Metacam. We have an appointment at the vets tomorrow to discuss having it operated on and it is heartbreaking to see her hobbling around. Despite not being as mobile as usual, she is still a lovely happy dog- although she doesn't like having to share my attention!

My house mate said to me the other night, in his broad geordie accent "you look really nice when you get yourself done up for a night out, like a proper top bird" and then proceeded to say "but you look like s**t first thing in the morning"!!!!

Just seen this. How awful and what a nasty shock for you. Poor Rosie and poor you. Glad to hear that she is recovering at home now though.

Sorry for the late response, I haven't been online for a while. Dennis is doing ok, he isn't showing any signs of being unwell and is still enjoying doing all the things that any other cat would. He seems to be a very happy and content little boy, and as he has a fairly good quality of life at the moment, I have decided against putting him through the stress of an operation. If there wasn't such a high risk involved with the anesthetic due to his heart mummer, I would probably go ahead with it, but as things stand I feel like the risk is too great. We are just spoiling him rotten and making sure that he is happy and loved for whatever time he has left. Thankyou for thinking of him.

I can't find the thread regarding my little niece Sophie, but as some of you may remember, this time last year my sister received the news that her baby had a small chance of survival and was likely to have multiple health problems. In February she gave birth to Sophie and after eight long months in hospital, she was finally able to come home in time for christmas. She will always have to receive medication through a tube in her nose, but other than that, she is a normal, happy baby. She had a lovely christmas and was spoilt rotten. I'd really like to thank all of you that offered words of comfort and reassurance during the uncertain times. Your kind words were very much appreciated. I hope you all have a fantastic 2011!

Thank you all for your kind words. I took Tess to the vets this morning and the cheeky little minx walked in like there was nothing wrong with her, wagging her tail furiously! The vet took another look at her leg and said that there was quite a lot of swelling around her knees, but as she is putting weight on it, she doesn't think that surgery is necessary at this stage. She also checked her other legs, as she is a little wobbly, and said that she is probably suffering from a bit of arthritis. She suggested putting her on metacam for the next month and giving her plenty of rest. They took bloods to make sure that her kidneys were ok to be on long term metacam, and everything came back fine. So I will just have to monitor her for the time being and hope that things improve on their own, otherwise I will have to look into surgery- which I don't really want to put her through at her age. So I'm just keeping my fingers crossed. Thanks again for thinking of her.

A couple of weeks ago whilst walking back from the park with Tess I noticed that she was limping quite badly. At the time I thought she had pulled a muscle or something in her bid to keep up with Roxy (our 12 month old foster dog). However, as the day went on she seemed to get progressively worse. So I rang the vet first thing Monday morning and took her in for an appointment and the conclusion was that she had injured her cruciate ligament. The vet gave us some painkillers and said to rest her leg and just go for a couple of 10 minute walks a day until there was an improvement. So for the past fortnight we have been doing this, but there has been no improvement, and over the last week she seems to have regressed. The other day we walked to the top of the road and it was clear that she couldn't go on much further, so I had to carry her back home. Then tonight when I got in from work, she got up to greet me and her legs splayed out beneath her and she couldn't get up. I rang the vets and we have an appointment first thing in the morning. But I am now really worried. She has managed to take a few steps tonight, but really struggles to get up. Plus, two separate people have told me that they had to have their dogs put-to-sleep after they injured their cruciate ligaments. The research that I have done leads me to believe that this is the worst case scenario, but Tess is an elderly dog so I don't know if this puts her at more risk. I really can't bear the thought of losing her. So if you could spare some good thoughts for my lovely little girl, I'd really appreciate it.

Just got back from the vets with Dennis and have been told that he has cancer. Because of his age, and the fact that he has a grade four heart mummer, the vet has told me to take some time to think about whether or not I want to put him through the stress of an operation. She said that even if they do operate, there is no guarantee that the cancer hasn't spread to other parts of his body. If I leave it she estimates that he may have a few months left, if I decide to go ahead with the operation there's a chance he could die from the anesthetic. I really don't know what to do. One things for sure, I am determined to make sure that he is spoiled rotten for whatever time he does have left.

I was obviously being sarcastic when I said that about the breeds. Although there definitely does seem to be a high number of Toy Poodle owners on the Yahoo Group- not that there is anything wrong with that, could just be purely coincidental. I have been trying to find the email that I received regarding the competition rules, but I must have deleted it. There isn't much information on the website regarding it either. But all the qualifying heats were run by championship clubs and they clearly state that all competing dogs have to be pedigree. I'm sure it is different if dogs are just going along to promote the charity, they just weren't eligible for this particular competition unless they were pedigree.

So far I haven't come across any other PAT dogs that are mutts. Not to say they don't exist (I sincerely hope that Tess isn't the only one flying the flag for mongrels!), but if the forum and Yahoo group is anything to go by, 90% of them are Toy Poodles and the other 10% seems to be made up with Spaniels and Leonbergers! All of the heats for the competition were being held by championship clubs- which clearly stipulated that dogs had to be pedigree. To be honest, I only made the initial enquiries in the first place because I thought that it would be something fun to go along to, I didn't realise it was a competitive show and quickly lost interest when I discovered that it was. I have no desire to run around the ring like a lunatic, whilst casting a critical eye on the competition. I'm a strong believer that dog shows should be fun, but having seen how some people treat them (like a life or death scenario) I'm quite happy to stick to companion shows (although you do still get some serious ones at those as well). Earlier this year I ran a stall for the Oldies Club at what I thought was a 'fun show'. However, as the dogs started to get wheeled in by the trolley load, I realised I'd made a huge mistake. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the only thing more inbred than those poor dogs, were the owners! I've never seen such a carry-on, and not a sense of humor amongst the lot of them. I'm not saying that all serious competitors are like that, but it was enough to put me off going to any other shows that might attract a similar crowd.

Pets As Therapy recently ran a 'PAT Dog of The Year' competition, which I thought I would enter Tess into just for fun. However, when I made further enquiries I was told that only KC registered dogs were eligible to enter. I thought this was an absolute disgrace, not to mention a complete slap in the face to all the people and non-pedigree dogs that give up their free time to represent the charity. When I relayed this to them I was told the reasoning behind it was due to the fact that the dogs would be going to Crufts, so they had to be of ' Crufts standard'.

Have just finished watching Damilola's Friends- a BBC documentary following four of Damilola Taylor's school friends ten years on from his murder. For obvious reasons, it was heart wrenchingly sad, but at the end of the programme they noted the successes that all four of the young people had achieved and then said that one of them had sadly passed away with heart failure just after the documentary was made. He was only 20 years old and it has really struck a cord with me. I haven't been able to stop crying yet!

Oh, and well done to Susie. What a beautiful girl she is- and what impressive trophies!!!