Pet of the Month: Jack (and his many lives)

Jack, always ready to charm you (Photo by E. Feldman)

By Eliahu Feldman *

I have a cat. He is a very special cat (of course, all our cats are special, aren't they?)
He used to be a street cat when very very tiny, until children brought him to us, with a broken paw.
As cat lovers we treated him, and he was operated on. And he recovered.

Wow!, what a joy to have a tiny little cat at home! He was fun, lively and very lovable. He also became very loving. He used to wait for me at the door of my office, and when he heard that a patient of mine slammed the out door, and I came in home, he would be seated, and would raise his paws in order that I catch him in my lap. It was fun and happy.

He was very demanding and full of wishes. We thought of sending him back to the street. Sometimes he would sit by the door of our room, crying and asking to come and sleep with us. We allowed frequently. Once, he meowed and meowed in front of our son's room, but was not allowed in. Next morning, we searched for him, no sign. We live in a flat on the 6th floor. After many searches up and down we found him downstairs, hurt.

We felt very guilty, took him to the vet, and he remained with us, for good. Now he has only seven lives. He already lost two of his lives. We decided to name him Jack. This is his name, because he reminded us of Jack Bauer (24 hours) who so many times was dying, but survived. He is a very sensitive human (sorry) cat-being, and he is sometimes very moody.

We all love him, and he is still funny, and loves to disguise as one of my violins. Sometimes he comes to my office and sits in the patient's armchair. He seems then to be willing to have some psychotherapy. Sometimes he comes to my office and lies down on my couch. Is he wishing to be psychoanalyzed? But sometimes, nevertheless, he comes to my office and sits in MY chair. Is he wishing to become a psychiatrist, or psychotherapist or psychoanalyst?

Waiting for the next patient on the chaise long...

Jack slowly became part of the family, and nowadays he has a “girl-friend”, Mimi, who is a lovable kitten that provokes tons of jealousy in him. But they get along quite well. He sometimes attacks her, sometimes she hits him back. It's OK. Now the hard part: Though lovable, and loved, Jack has some “little things” that annoy us. Jack is very greedy, is always asking for food (hummm, Tuna? Little cans with delicious cat food?). We very often (too often) give him some (lots?) of these superb dishes. But Jack vomits a lot! No hairball food or paste helped him.

Handsome and handful (Photo AMugg)

Take him to the vet? Mission Impossible!! He becomes a savage tiger. Jack is as lovable as he can be ferocious. As I am a psychiatrist, I wonder if Jack hasn't got some (too much?) paranoid features. Black and white, super-loving or super threatened. As he is on the fat side, we have to diet him. But it's hard, almost impossible. We are two weak parents. We pet him a lot. Maybe too much. But who can resist a beautiful, special, lovable, tender and loving cat. We are doomed to be attached to him forever...








* Our guest blogger is a psychoanalyst and psychiatrist. Before Jack and Mimi he raised two labrador girls together with his 3 sons.

Fish Gazing

No, it's not Nemo!!! Clownfish at Monterey Aquarium (Photos by Anna Mugg)

By now I am pretty sure that there's a pet out there for any kind of human personality. And humans suitable to take care of any kind of domestic animals. That made me remember about two friends from the past: an introspective, who would spend hours taking care of his fish and was very proud of it; and the extrovert, whose fish were the coolest piece of design in his home.

Fish were on the news this week. George, the goldfish, survived a delicate surgery in Australia. I vaguely remembered little goldfish being sold at the farmers' market in my hometown, and how sad I was to see that some wouldn't survive their first day in a flower bowl. Fish can be very nice pets, as George's owner said. Clownfish (just like Nemo) also were in the news. They might be able swim about 250 miles,  proving that Pixar's blockbuster has some truth in it!

WikiHow has an interesting article for beginners that elevate fish to a very special kind of place. It even teaches that they can be trained to interact with you and be really cool friends. In that case I would say that they are wonderful listeners! So, how do you choose a fish? Should it be marine or fresh water? Well, I would opt for the second, as you might be wondering if you would have Nemo in your aquarium (and all those crazy fish) or even feel really bad about contributing to the depletion of tropical fish and coral reefs. Having just read this article here from Scientific American, I would just keep visiting marine aquariums like Monterey.

If you decide to dive in the vast universe of possibilities of how an aquarium should be maintained and all the diversity of fish you can have, please visit The Fish Channel, as it has a vast collection of information that might help beginners and long term aquarium lovers. Or, to go even fancier, watch what the guys from Tanked (Animal Planet) have to share. 

But the most important factor which would make people inclined to keep an amazing aquarium is for the healing and calming purposes. One study from Purdue University points out that aquariums help on the quality of life of Alzheimer's patients, calming them and inspiring them to eat better. And lots of doctor's offices and hospital are including fish tanks in their waiting room, supporting the theory that they have calming effects on patients and are the perfect addition to any waiting room to reduce anxiety.

Chickens: Pets with Benefits

Blackjack and Goldie, in their early days, having some treats (Photo by Darienne)

Dogs can make your life healthier as you walk them at least twice a day. Cats bring you comfort with their purring and relaxed mood. But nothing surpasses chickens' gifts:  They give you eggs! And if you're lucky, they make you laugh a lot with their quirkiness. Guaranteed. For some children, they are the perfect pets, especially for those who are willing to have a special friend who is definitely not the average pet.

Blackberry 

My friend Darienne, mom of 2 boys, raises four chickens and is happy about their choice:  "The kids love them. They enjoy watching them and letting them out in the yard to play. We can't have a cat, due to allergies, and a dog was more responsibility than we could manage at the time. Chickens seemed like a reasonable alternative (more so than the requested pygmy goat!)."

I was very curious to understand how they interact with the cute birds. Would they respond to names? "My older son says they know their names, but I am not convinced. They come running when we open the door by their run because they are hoping for treats. My younger son trained the chickens for his science fair project: Over a week or two he conditioned them to go running to the door when they heard the song Everything is Awesome. It was very entertaining", she remembers. 

Shadow and Blackjack sharing love

I witnessed some hilarious moments with the chickens, while one of them ran from the coop to the bathroom, which has a door to the backyard looking for more breadcrumbs. Feeding  is actually the best way of interacting with them: 'Our hens will put up with almost anything if it gets them some worms or beet greens. Some are more willing to be held than others.", she tells.  So there's the answer of how to make a chicken as friendly as any other pet: "They are motivated by food: They will happily come to you and be held if there's food involved. My son brought our most mild-mannered one to school to share with his classmates. She was terrific and managed being a pet and passed around by 30-plus fourth and fifth graders with style", says Darienne. 

But like every other pet, chickens also need responsible ownership. Darienne adds that if your are considering to have chickens as pets, some reading is recommended. Darienne and children lost two hens in the process of raising them, and it was not easy: "Chickens aren't great at communicating when they are feeling poorly, and even when it's clear something is wrong, treating them can be difficult. There aren't a lot of chicken vets out there. If you get into chicken-keeping and fall in love with your birds, brace yourself for heartbreak", she observes, remembering about Blackberry (on the middle photo who died all of a sudden).

One more little and important note:  the feathered friends also won't be able to give "benefits" for their whole life. They are mostly laying eggs for 2 or 3 years and some people try to re-home them when they retire from egg production. And then they will know if they were really considered real family pets!

For more valuable info about chicken as pets, visit the following sites:

My pet chicken - Delivers very good advice of how to make chicken pets and treating them well.

Backyard Chickens - They have lots of tips and even a gallery of cool hens!

My Life as a Cat

A few years ago, I caught myself calling my two cats as I call my children. I was slightly embarrassed. All of a sudden I began asking myself: If I am able to like these furry and adorable animals the way I love my children, what am I? A cat-mom, I suppose.
And please forget that real-life feline moms may leave their kittens when they are just 12 weeks old. I couldn't do that with my babies - human or kitten babies, I mean.

There are a few advantages of being a cat. They don't have to dress up nor dress down. They can sleep as much as they want, and, ultimately, they don't need a daily shower.  If they are lucky and cute they may be able to find a good home where they are to be treated so well and will never ever have to hunt for food. Moreover, they don't need words. Their ears, eyes and tail can tell it all.

Juju, my only "daughter", 10 years of companionship

It would be great to have a day or two being a real cat. I was taking a nap with my white Turkish Angora close to my feet and  black Egyptian goddess over my right arm. I was blissful. I felt as if I had furry ears and a big tail. But then I woke up and kind of became human again.

Then, I remembered my mom - who had raised four children and 7 cats telling me that I had to make sure my two cats are aware that I am not a cat. That cats which live with us should understand that I can't be "kneaded" in the middle of the night or understand why they purr while clawing my scalp. Then there's another point of view well described in this article by Gwen Dewar, PhD, considering differences in between the two parenting styles.

And I recalled a polemic piece by writer Susan Maushart, saying that pet moms are not moms.  And other articles disagreeing with that. They might have their point I believe. But maybe... the concept of pet-parenthood should be just addressed as a way of taking care of your pet with the same responsibility as you would raise a child. Having or not a child, I mean.

I grew up in the beginning of the 70s believing that talking to dogs was something that just old senile ladies would do, and people who would address their pets as their mom or dad were just plain cuckoo. Then I adopted my two cats - and later I had my own children. And I kept calling all of them my babies.

Dada. my 13-something Turkish Angora. Always on my side.

Pet parenting is, as defined by a Smithsonian magazine article, actually a brand new concept that tries to define a label for this kind of relationship. The comfortable zone of having pets is that they will not talk back to you. They will bark or maybe hiss. Nut eventually will agree that you know best how to raise them, feed them, and ultimately love them. Being a mom of a 7 and 9-year-old (human) boys I am not sure this is so easy for humans.

Modern Psychology had found its ways o explain why we feel more humanely when we have a helping hand of animals. They know that the bond in between pets and their humans make both healthier and happier. I am happy about this, and  I feel good about my role as a cat mom. And then I embrace my cats and all concepts that connect us to wild nature one way or the other.  And it doesn't matter how we call it: pet parenthood, ownership or friendship.