[NAGDU] Feeding guide dogs and pet cats

[Charlene Ota]

Hi, Miranda,  I also have a cat and a guide dog and I've just had to find a
place to keep the cat food that's high enough to keep the dog out of it
because cat's graze throughout the day. The cat never bothers the dog when
he's eating so I don't feed him in a secluded place, just in the kitchen.
The litter box can be a challenge since sometimes those crazy dogs think
that is a treat (smile!) but there are covered ones that can detur the dog.
When we built our house we had a lower cupboard in the cabinet in the
laundry room set up for the litter box so there's a place for the cat to go
inside the cupboard. It's really cool!

Charlene

-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Miranda via NAGDU
Sent: Wednesday, June 21, 2017 4:47 AM
To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
Cc: Miranda <knownoflove at gmail.com>
Subject: [NAGDU] Feeding guide dogs and pet cats

Hi everyone,
So, we have a pet cat. This is a family pet, and not specific to any member
of the household. Currently, his food goes under our microwave stand in the
kitchen, and his feedings are not scheduled. Although, we have successfully
scheduled his feedings in the past. Upon getting a dog guide, we are
thinking of having the dog and the cat share a larger water bowl in the
kitchen, and feeding the dog in a separate room in our apartment with the
door closed, to ensure the cat doesn't intrude. Unfortunately, we are only
in a one bedroom apartment, so our bedroom will probably be the only
enclosed area where we can feed the dog.
The only thing I am stumped on at the moment is timing, as we certainly
don't want the dog to need to wait in another room while the cat takes his
sweet old time finishing his food. I may be overthinking this, but do any of
you have experience with feeding a guide dog and family pet, especially a
cat? We don't really want to gate off the kitchen, as we are already going
to need to gate off the hallway leading to the bathroom and bedroom, so as
to deter the dog from The litter box.
Beyond feeding itself, we obviously know to store the food in an airtight
container, and to ensure that the animals don't eat one another's food, etc.
I  had dogs and cats while growing up, but our dogs typically ate outside or
in the laundry room. The cats were usually my pets, so I fed them in my
bedroom.
Any insight or experience you can share regarding guide dogs and pet cats
would be very much appreciated. I don't imagine there will be too much
animosity between the dog and cat, as our cat is familiar with living with
other animals. He lived with a dog prior to coming to live with us seven
years ago, and he lived with a cat in our home for four years.
Thanks as always for your time and assistance, and have a wonderful week!

Best wishes, Miranda
 

Sent from my iPhone
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