Should I Adopt Two Adult Cats at the Same Time?

By Langley Cornwell

My mother-in-law recently decided to add a heartbeat or two to her solitary life. We went to the animal shelter with her because she wanted our advice and moral support. I’m amazed that my husband and I didn’t come home with another four-legged family member, but that’s beside the point.

She set out to adopt an adult cat because she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to keep up with a kitten or adolescent cat’s high energy level. What’s more, we know that adult cats are harder to place and, as a rule, we try to help the animals like that.

When we entered the shelter, we told the staff what we were there for. They offered helpful advice on various adoptable cats that fit her criteria. After a brief conversation, we walked the aisles, surveying the available cats and watching my mother-in-law’s reactions. It was during this time that the shelter manager approached us and started in with her targeted and compassionate sales pitch. Mind you, this is the same shelter that has – thankfully - talked my husband and me into many pets that we didn’t intend to bring home. They’re good, very good!

We all know that adults and especially children gravitate towards the kittens and puppies in a shelter. Let’s face it, older animals just don’t radiate the same cuteness that the snuggly little kittens and puppies do, so adult animals often get ignored. Even so, there are real and measurable benefits to adding an adult pet (or two) to your family.

One of the top reasons that I personally would adopt two (or more) animals – not necessarily at the same time – is to save their lives and also to bring twice the amount of unconditional love into my life. But that’s just me, and you all know what an animal lover I am.

If you want to hear from a real expert, Christina Travalja, the North Shore Animal League’s cat behavior specialist, offers many reasons why adopting two adult cats at the same time is a good decision.

• Even though adult cats do not demand the same level of attention that kittens and adolescent cats require, they still flourish when they receive lots of stimulation and interaction. All animals are more likely to get destructive or into trouble when they’re bored. If you have two cats, they will appreciate the companionship of each other when you’re out of the house or just too tired or busy to interact.

• To further that point, cats are less likely to engage in disruptive behaviors like scratching, biting, chewing, etc. when they have another cat to socialize with. Two cats offer each other built-in socialization, exercise and playtime.

• Older cats have already developed their personalities, so the shelter staff will know if the specific cat you’ve taken a shine to prefers the company of other felines or not. Also, most adoption specialists are skilled at knowing which cats do best together. In fact, animal shelters often have pairs of adult cats who are already deeply bonded. Some are in shelters because their owner died or relocated to a place that didn’t allow animals. These pairs oftentimes grew up together and are already known to get along beautifully. Many of these bonded pairs would be devastated if they were separated.

• Veterinary studies reveal that when a cat shares his home with another cat, both cats are healthier. Just like people, animals with playmates do not get sick as often, and when they do get sick, they recover much quicker. Generally speaking, animals with companions live longer and happier lives.

What did my mother-in-law do? She chose a six-year-old brother and sister pair of long-haired precious mops. I’m happy to report that all three of them are much happier than they were before they united!

Top photo by chuckoutrearseats
Bottom photo by Lhoon

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Adventures in Aging: Living with a Senior Dog

"Bear"

By Suzanne Alicie

The past year has opened my eyes to the joys (?) of living with an aging/elderly dog. Bear is almost 11, and she is showing her age.

As a fairly large dog, she is experiencing some arthritis and hip dysplasia symptoms. We’ve had to get her a thick comfy therapeutic bed, which she loves. The hard part is convincing her that she is too old and stiff to still go under our bed. It’s always been her favorite place. When she gets under there, I find myself having to pick up the bed enough for her to stand up and limp out.

When her hip locks up on her, I sit in the floor and massage her leg while she whimpers. This is a very emotional thing for me, because I can’t stand when she cries. Fortunately this is not a daily thing, and if I can keep her from going under the bed or jumping around and acting like a much younger dog, then she doesn’t hurt too much. So far we’ve been pretty lucky that Bear hasn’t developed more health problems like the ones Ruthie Bently discussed in Common Health Issues for Older Dogs.

With her old age, Bear has begun to be quite moody. If you’ve read some of my other posts about Bear you know that she is not a very social dog. She loves her family and is tolerant of our guests, but lately she makes it clear that she doesn’t like people visiting. When someone comes to the door she has always barked until we let them in. Once she saw us let them in and she was able to sniff them she’d be quiet and go lay down somewhere. These days when anyone comes over she barks and barks. They go into another room and she quiets down until she hears one of them laugh or talk and she barks some more. It’s almost like she forgets someone is here until she hears their voice, then she has to warn them that it’s her house.

She’s also become much more stubborn and demanding, as if she thinks that her age entitles her to whatever she wants. Rather than waiting for me to call her and have her sit and shake for a CANIDAE TidNips treat, she “yells” at me. She usually chooses while I’m in the middle of work to decide that I need to get up and give her a treat, and she won’t be quiet until I do. Needless to say, I feel as if I’m the one who is trained lately. I’m taking notes though, because when I get older I will need to remember these tricks to get my kids to wait on me hand and foot too!

Being finicky has never been an issue with Bear. She loves food and doesn’t care where or who it comes from, but she recently seems to have a serious problem with anyone but me feeding her. She was yelling at me a few weeks ago while I was watching television, and I knew it wasn’t a treat she wanted – her food bowl was empty. So I asked her Daddy to feed her. He went in and put the food in her bowl, petted her and came back to sit down. She didn’t eat; instead she ran to me and continued barking. I had to get up and go touch her food bowl before she would eat.

I thought parenting a child was difficult, but having an old dog is like having a toddler who is clingy, demanding, grouchy and in need of a nap. However, Bear is family so as she becomes a grouchy old lady we’ll just love her anyway. We know our time with her is limited, so we try to make sure every day is a good one for her and continue to fill her life with love and comfort no matter how moody and demanding she is. That’s all part of responsible pet ownership; dogs are a lifetime commitment, from the cuddly puppy to the destructive “toddler phase” to the joyous mature dog days and yes, even the old, aching and moody days of aging.

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How to Massage an Arthritic Dog

By Langley Cornwell

My friend Karen recently adopted a senior dog with general arthritis and hip dysplasia. Good for her, right? It started with a conversation we were having about the high number of senior dogs in shelters, and how sad it was for an older dog to live out his or her days behind bars. In our local shelter, senior dogs make up about 10% of the overall population at any given time. When trying to understand why, a shelter worker told us that oftentimes families surrender their senior dogs when they reach an age where they require extra care. What a shame.

Karen’s goal is to provide her new dog, Goldie Girl, with a safe and comfortable home during her twilight years. Their union is heartwarming; it’s amazing how quickly Goldie Girl and Karen have bonded. And the dog seems to have turned back the clock several years. She holds her head a bit higher and her limp is less pronounced. Karen attributes the quick bonding and Goldie Girl’s improved physical state to massage.

The article I wrote titled The Benefits of Massage Therapy for Pets helped convince Karen that her new dog would get a lot out of regular massages, but she didn’t want to cause Goldie Girl any additional pain. Having no experience with massage, Karen went looking for advice on how to massage an older, arthritic dog. She found what she was looking for on The Dog Channel, where there is a helpful tutorial on massaging a senior dog. Here are some simple pointers.

Why massage an arthritic dog?

Arthritis is a degenerative disease that causes pain and soreness in a dog’s joints, specifically the hips, lower spine and knees, and, less severely, to the elbows and shoulders. Massaging your senior dog’s aching muscles a few minutes every day will help slow down the degenerative process of arthritis. Furthermore, massage can help relieve some of your dog’s arthritis pain and reduce some of the muscle tension associated with the disease.

How do you do it?

Start by lightly petting your dog all over, then slowly concentrate your efforts on the area you are about to massage. Continue to lightly stroke the area with very little pressure – this is called effleurage – which helps to increase circulation in the area.

Next, begin lightly kneading the tight muscles. Then rub your hands against your dog’s skin to create light friction which will loosen the tight muscle fibers and encourage deeper circulation. Continue to alternate light kneading with light hand friction. About every 10 seconds, use light effleurage strokes to assist drainage. Avoid putting any direct pressure on the dog’s painful joints, but do work the area around the joints to stimulate circulation and drainage.  

During the massage, you may want to perform some gentle stretching exercises on your dog, to increase the elasticity of the tissue you are working on. When your massage and stretching session is over, softly stroke your dog’s entire body to help her relax. Then you may want to give your sweet dog a soft and tasty CANIDAE TidNips treat.

How long should the massage last?

The massage should last about 10 minutes for smaller breeds and between 15 - 20 minutes for larger breeds. Start with less time and increase the duration gradually, otherwise you risk overworking a specific part of the dog’s body and exacerbating the inflammatory process often present with an arthritic condition.

Does time of day matter?

If you can manage it, try to massage your dog twice a day: once in the early morning and then again in the evening. A massage first thing in the morning is useful because it helps reduce the soreness and stiffness resulting from the previous night’s inactivity. A second massage in the evening will relieve muscle aches brought about by the day's activities.

While massage isn’t a cure for arthritis, it will certainly help your older canine friend feel better. The added bonus is that the bonding experience will benefit both of you!

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