[Blindtlk] Quick introduction and a question for pet owners

[Judy Jones]

Dogs are quite different from cats, but we used to give liquid medicine with 
a syringue, or bury a capsule in a bite of hotdog.

Judy


-----Original Message----- 
From: Lucy Sirianni via blindtlk
Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2014 4:14 PM
To: blindtlk at nfbnet.org
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Quick introduction and a question for pet owners

Thanks so much to everyone who responded to my initial email with
suggestions and support; I really appreciate all of your
perspectives! I just had another conversation with the manager,
and her latest question is how I would go about giving the cat
medicine if that need were to arise.  I said I was sure this
would not be an obstacle but wasn't sure what techniques might be
most effective.  Any suggestions from those of you who may have
experience with this?

I continue to be frustrated by the lack of trust in non-visual
techniques these people are displaying, but this last
conversation gave me some reason to believe that they may at
least be listening to what I have to say.

Thanks again, everyone!

Lucy
----- Original Message -----
From: Serena Nickell <scnickell1980 at gmail.com
To: Lucy Sirianni <lucysirianni at earthlink.net>,Blind Talk Mailing
List <blindtlk at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Wed, 11 Jun 2014 14:17:59 -0500
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Quick introduction and a question for pet
owners

I am the owner of two cats, one who thinks she's a little escape
artist at times.  She only tries to get out if the door is held
open too long and even then if the door gets shut she makes a lot
of noise in protest to come back in.  I used to have collars with
bells on them so I could tell them apart until my Nightlight got
caught in the blinds and almost hung herself.  I guess that's
rare but it freaked me out so I took both their collars off.  I
have hard wood floors so I'm able to hear most of what they're
doing.  My Tiggerous, the escape artist, is extremely vocal so as
long as I'm paying attention I can usually tell what they need.
Good luck with the shelter.  I hope this helps.
Serena


Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 11, 2014, at 11:07 AM, Lucy Sirianni via blindtlk
<blindtlk at nfbnet.org> wrote:

Hi all,

     I'm Lucy, a doctoral student and graduate student instructor
in the English department at the University of California,
Berkeley, and a new member of this list.  I wanted to reach out
to this group to ask for suggestions regarding a situation I'm
currently attempting to resolve.  Over the weekend, I contacted a
local animal shelter who had indicated a need for foster homes
for its animals, thinking this would be something I'd enjoy doing
and knowing I met all of the specified qualifications.  The staff
member I talked to initially expressed a lot of interest and
immediately matched me with a cat who seemed like a great fit
with me and who was going to be euthanized in a matter of days if
no one stepped forward to take her (unlikely, I was told, since
she's on the older side).  I was eager to meet this cat and
seriously consider taking her into my home, but when I happened
to mention to the staff member in charge that I am blind, she
became concerned and is now uncertain of my ability to care for
the cat.  Her main concern is that I may not be able to keep the
cat from leaving my house, despite the fact that I have explained
to her in detail the measures I would take to ensure the cat's
safety and assured her that I have countless blind friends who
routinely and successfully care for animals.  I've told her that
I would plan to have a bell on the cat's collar so I'd
consistently know where she was, as well as my name and contact
information so that she could be returned if she were ever to get
lost; I've also suggested that, before leaving my home, I simply
place the cat in a comfortable area from which she wouldn't have
access to the entrance to my apartment.  This is all in addition
to pointing out the rather obvious fact that vision can't in fact
keep a cat indoors and that sighted pet owners have to deal with
similar worries.  I would welcome hearing from blind cat owners
who may be able to suggest other techniques or allow me to
mention their situations in further conversations with the people
in charge at the shelter.  I'd hate to see this cat end up dying
because of ignorance surrounding blindness.

Thanks, everyone, and I very much look forward to being a part
of this group!

Lucy

_______________________________________________
blindtlk mailing list
blindtlk at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindtlk_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account
info for blindtlk:

http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindtlk_nfbnet.org/scnickell19
80%40gmail.com

_______________________________________________
blindtlk mailing list
blindtlk at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindtlk_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
blindtlk:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindtlk_nfbnet.org/jtj1%40cableone.net