[nagdu] Dogs Stealing Cat Food

Daryl Marie crazymusician at shaw.ca
Sun Jan 25 18:46:53 UTC 2015


Hey Chaim!

We have three cats and my guide, Jenny.  We solved the cat food problem by getting a small table that is tall enough that Jenny cannot get into the cat food; if she does get onto that level with her nose, the food is far back enough that she would literally have to jump up onto the table to get it, something she has not (and I assum now won't) do.

The thing about cats: If they are hungry, they will eat. So your cat resents getting up onto the table to eat? She is obviously not hungry.  Annie, our boss cat, has resented every other animal that we brought into the house... and her way of showing her disdain was to hide.  But she was definitely eating when we were not around... cats are prey-driven... the food is there? Kitty will find a way to get to it.  Now, if she knocks it onto the floor, that's a whole other can of worms.

As for the litter box, I don't really have suggestions.  We have a window screen blocking the stairs to the basement, so the cats have a pathway to go up and down the stairs (there's a small opening for them to get through) and jenny can't get down.  Other than either covering the litterbox or placing it high up enough so that doggie can't get to it but kitty can... the baby gate might be the best solution.

Good luck!

Daryl
----- Original Message -----
From: Chaim B. Segal via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
To: seeingeye-l at list.web.net
Sent: Sun, 25 Jan 2015 10:25:14 -0700 (MST)
Subject: [nagdu] Dogs Stealing Cat Food

Hi: 

Chaim Segal here. For those of you getting a cross post, go ahead and delete.

Throughout nearly the entire time I have been a guide dog user, I have been having a problem which I know is not unique. If this subject was ever discussed on Buddy-l, I forgot about solutions which were offered.

As it stands now, my wife and I have a pet cat, which we have had since she was a kitten. Since we were forced to move in with my mother, until a few months back we had an older cat which more-or-less adopted us. Sadly, the latter passed on due to old age and health problems
Anyway, as it stands now, since I was trained with my current guide Yahtzee, I have literally almost never been able to allow him to have the run of the house. Even if I can solve the problem with the cat food, I'm still unsure I can do it, because he gets into the most unexpected things. I'm a little worried about this, because I'm not sure it's so healthy for him (bonding-wise) to always be attached to me. There are times when I have to leave him on the bed chain, and I'm noticing that as of late, he may be beginning to have some separation anxiety. I must confess, our house is a little messier than it should be, due to some confusion involving my elderly mother who just moved into senior care a few days ago. More about that subject later on the Eye list for those who are following that thread. There is a chance that my wife and I will be able sffstay put where we are, but that's a subject for another message.

Anyway, I am finding that even with Yahtzee on leash, and to an extent, Keeper, pggthe retired guide), trying to find a place to keep our cat's food is a problem. Right now, we have the cat's bowl on the floor upstairs. I may have an old, rickety, unstable splintering typing table around, which I have considered putting the cat food on once I can get rid of some excess stuff we don't need around here. The problem is, it seems that our cat resents having to climb up anywhere to eat her own food. She loves to jump on the table and even sleep there some nights, so go figure. I have thought about investing in one of those cat condos they have at the pet store, and keeping the food in there. However, in seeing their shape, I'm unsure the cat can fit comfortably in there in order to eat.

I also am having a problem with the cat's litter as well. Both Yahtzee,  and to an extent Keeper, like to stick their heads in there when our attention is diverted, and I will let you all figure out the rest. I am considering moving the kitty litter to our second bathroom upstairs, but in order  for the cat to get in to it, that means leaving the bathroom boor open. So ,  if the dogs are loose, what are we accomplishing. Until recently, our cats had a covered litter box, which our cat was tolerant of. However, I noticed that Yahtzee still liked to push the cover off and put his devilish snout in there anyway. Someone once suggested putting a baby gate on the second bathroom of our previous place. I think we tried it, but I was unsure the correct way to put up the gate and it kept falling down. Also, would I have to worry about the cat getting lazy about using her litter if she has an extra step to using it?

So, knowing that some of you on here have cats and your guides living together, how have  you solved this issue?

Thanks!

Chaim   

Chaim B. Segal
Customer Service Representative
Sinclair Community College
E-mail: chaimsegal at sbcglobal.net

Every man, woman, every boy and girl,
Let your love light shine, make a better world.
[Daryl Hall & John Oates 

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