Icon from a picrew by grgikau. Call me Tir or Julian. 37. He/They. Queer. Twitter: @tirlaeyn. ao3: tirlaeyn. 18+ Only. Star Trek. Sandman. IwtV. OMFD. Definitionless in this Strict Atmosphere.
SMALL TALK TIP FOR PEOPLE WHO HATE SMALL TALK: Ask people if they have any pets. This is light and impersonal enough to offend no one. People who have pets are usually pretty excited to talk about them and show off pictures, so there’s a good chance that you will be looking at kitties and doggos. People who don’t have pets will usually talk about the pets they wish they had, or have had in the past. People who neither have nor want pets are pretty rare.
It’s a neutral topic to talk about but be prepared for the weirdest shit. I once spent an hour listening to a financial manager who kept tropical velvet earthworms
Honestly at first I was thinking “pff this is gonna be some silly fun” and it is, but that’s not all. Trick training (even silly little party tricks) is relationship building central, and helps you figure out your timing, what treats your dog values, etc. Plus, sit/stay and target hand in particular are useful behaviours.
Basically, whenever someone tells me “oh I just teach my dog the basics, no silly tricks” I pity them and their dog.They are missing so much. It’s not about getting your dog to do “unnatural” tricks for your amusement. It’s about your pet enjoying interacting with you, and figuring out the game of how to get rewarded.
And it is like playing a game. Be it Mario Bros or Angry Birds or Call of Duty or Tomb Raider, a good game starts easy and raises the difficulty as you gain skill. It’s satisfying to figure it out. You wouldn’t enjoy a game that granted you a win no matter what you did! And I posit it’s not a humans-only thing. Play is universal. Animals enjoy figuringstuff out.
It’s sad to me that people moan about animals kept in zoos (who generally have keepers figuring out new enrichment for them constantly) but then they go straight home to their pets, who get all their food in the same bowl, in the same place, at the same time, for their entire lives.
So here’s to tricks, folks. Go train some “useless” tricks y’all. “Torture” your “poor” dog/cat/horse/bird/rat/etc with a game. If you adjust the criteria so that they can succeed, and keep the rate of reinforcement up, I promise you they will enjoy it.
Do you know how many dogs I’ve met that get scared or anxious around men because in their previous home men hit them? A lot, and they are very protective of the women who have adopted them now.
Men who are violent towards women are often violent towards animals as well. They think we’re all chattel. If a man wants you to choose between your dog or cat or him, dump the guy. Those animals will love you for the rest of your life, loyal and true.
Anonymous: Pokemon hunting is fun and all, but just a reminder that your dog may be at risk for heatstroke! Go out onto the blacktop and place the backside of your hand down on it. If you can't hold it for ten seconds, your pooch will have to stay behind for today's pokehunt. ~A very concerned valor member
Even if you don’t have a cat please reblog this for all your followers who may have their own precious little baby.
I HAD NO IDEA ABOUT TUNA OMFG
If I remember rightly it’s the trace elements of mercury in canned tuna that is toxic to them. Their kidneys can’t filter it out like human kidneys can.
ok im gonna break this down a bit because some of these are BLATANTLY untrue and it kills me every time i see this.
alcohol: not very good for humans, either, but alcohol effects pets the same way it effects humans: targeting the brain and the liver. the issue? it takes way less to kill your cat than it does a human. you weigh, on average, at least 100 pounds (or 10x) more than your cat does. 3 teaspoons of liquour could kill your cat. don’t do it. alcohol WILL poison your cat.
chocolate:
theobromine (and to a lesser degree, caffeine) is the issue with this one. humans? we can break this down in our bodies. cats, dogs, birds, ferrets? they can’t. it usually takes a pretty big amount of theobromine to cause a pet to actually die, though. it’s present in cocoa, so the higher % of cocoa in a chocolate, the less needs to be ingested to cause serious, life-threatening effects. baking chocolate has a high concentration of theobromine and 1 square can kill a cat or small dog. white chocolate is a low risk, on the other hand. chocolate CAN poison your cat, especially DARK and BAKING chocolate.
caffeine: same story as alcohol: not that great for humans either, causes similar effects as in humans… just quicker and with less caffeine ingested. elevated heartrate, seizures, etc. can be seen. dogs and cats are more sensitive to the effects than humans are. caffeine WILL poison your cat.
dairy: cats are lactose intolerant and so their bodies cannot properly break it down– much like how we can break down theobromine and cats/dogs can’t. however, it’s not going to poison your cat, just give them diarrhea and other gastrointestinal upset. dairy WILL NOT poison your cat, but will cause gastrointestinal upset and diarrhea, so it is strongly recommended to not give dairy products to your pets.
fat trimmings: fat trimmings are just fat. if you feed fat to your cats, they will become fat and/or it will increase the level of lipids in the blood, leading to diseases and complications like chronic pancreatitis, which can be fatal. fat trimmings WILL NOT poison your cat, but will lead to disease that can be fatal, so it is strongly recommended to not feed fat trimmings to any pets.
raw meat: cats can eat raw meat. cats are obligate carnivores. cats are designed to only eat meat, and raw meat is not of serious risk to them. disease carried in raw meat? not a problem when you are a cat who has evolved over millions of years to eat raw meat. i hate hearing “cats can’t eat raw meat!” from people with outdoor cats. you realise your cats are eating raw lizard and bird, right? raw meat has more nutrients than cooked meat (which we eat veggies & fruits to compensate for– cats can’t digest these) and, obviously, there are some diseases and bacteria that cats aren’t immune to but cats are less likely to eat rotten meat than dogs are, anyway. treat the meat like you treat human meat and it’s totally fine. cats are DESIGNED TO EAT AND DIGEST RAW MEAT! IT’S PERFECTLY FINE TO FEED YOUR CAT RAW MEAT, but make sure that the meat is in-date and properly stored/cared for. rotten or spoiled meat CAN lead to disease and poisoning, but the same goes for 90% of the animal population!
eggs: its ok to feed your cat eggs. im not even sure why this is a question. raw eggs rarely carry salmonella and even humans rarely contract salmonella from infected eggs. your average cat will never contract salmonella from raw eggs, only in an immuno-compromised cat would this ever be an issue. cats can safely eat raw and cooked eggs, as salmonella is pretty much only a concern in an immuno-compromised cat in the first place.
fish: see raw meat above. fish, however, is a bit of an exception because of higher levels of mercury & low levels of taurine and differing balances of phosphate and calcium mean that it’s not a sustainable diet for cats and could lead to mercury poisoning or bone disease if it is the only protein given. when given ~1 time a week and with varied proteins there is no issue. again, cats are DESIGNED TO EAT AND DIGEST FISH AND OTHER MEATS! however, previous warnings about storing fish correctly still applies, and proteins should be varied due to fish having different levels of phosphorous, calcium, and taurine and mercury content. a primary diet of fish CAN lead to bone disease or mercury poisoning in extreme cases.
grapes and raisins: admittedly, this one is a bit of a wild card. some pets eat raisins/grapes without an issue, but in others, these can cause renal failure and death rapidly. we still don’t know why. animals with prior kidney issues are more likely to be effected by grape/raisin toxicity, and cats are more likely to have kidney issues due to many cats not getting adequate moisture in their diet. grapes and raisins MAY lead to poisoning in some cats and dogs, especially those with pre-existing kidney conditions.
onions and garlic: yes! all members of the allium genus (shallots, scallions, leeks, etc. are included) contain thiosulphate which, when ingested by cats and dogs, can lead to a serious condition in the blood known as hemolytic anemia. basically: their red blood cells burst. this can be fatal and a small amount of onion/garlic/etc. is needed to cause clinically significant issues. onions, garlic, and other members of the allium genus CAN and WILL poison your pet in even small amounts.
tuna: see fish above. canned tuna tends to be soaked in oil which leads to the same issues as fat trimmings in increasing lipid count in the blood. sashimi quality tuna will also have higher concentration of mercury and shouldn’t be consumed more than occasionally in the cat’s diet. canned tuna in oil is often too fatty and leads to the same issues as eating fat trimmings, however, tuna steak/sashimi/etc. quality tuna is the same as other fish: occasional inclusion in the diet is fine!
xylitol: relatively small quantities of this (an artificial sweetener) will cause a sudden drop in blood sugar in dogs, which can lead to comas, seizures, or death. many times, if they are not rushed to the hospital immediately, they will die, and even then, they may suffer permanent liver damage. however… cats are not adversely affected, and typically aren’t attracted to foods w/xylitol in it in the first place. xylitol is NOT likely to poison your cat, but small amounts can KILL your dog, moreso than chocolate!
Guess what day is the busiest day of the year for animal shelters? July 5th.
Please keep your outdoor pets inside on the 4th of July.
Even if your back yard is secured, that doesn’t help with the stress and anxiety they’ll be going through and some pets escape despite from back yards despite your efforts. Your safest bet is to keep them inside. Spread the word on social media. You might keep a family from being separated. <3
Regardless of how you feel about other people’s pets, whether they’re rats or snakes or spiders or lizards or whatever else, don’t be a dick. Do not make jokes about killing them, do not comment on how disgusting they are and do not act like the animal is a contagious disease that you need to get away from. These are our beloved pets. You wouldn’t like it if someone treated your pets like that, so please don’t do it to ours just because they’re a little bit different.
Wait, people have to be reminded of this?!
Speaking as a person TERRIFIED of spiders: if your pet, your special snookums that you take care of and feed and talk to in silly voices is a tarantula: that’s awesome! Yay you for having a pet you love! I’m not going to want to see photos, but I’m thrilled you have your special critter!
What people thank an animal should be kept in and what the animal actually should be kept in. (click the pictures)
For one about ferrets, rats, mice, hedgehogs, and chinchillas go here.
Not based on personal preference, but observable fact. An animal kept in an environment that is too small is unhappy and stressed. This can absolutely lead to a short miserable life.
I see a lot of people, virtually every day, who have these preconceived notions about what an animal can live in. A hamster lives in a hamster cage of course, because the happy little hamster on the box says so! This cage is for finches, they even keep them in it at the store! My friend had a rabbit and it lived in that cage so I’ll get that one. This sort of dangerous socially accepted neglect is not just limited to bettas and goldfish. Mammals and birds are subject to it as well.
What people don’t realize is that almost all commercial or common cages are completely unacceptable as homes for what they are marketed for. Those guinea pig/rabbit cages? Garbage. Those tiny finch cages? Torture. That cute technicolor hamster cage? A gimmick.
All animals need a certain amount of space for enrichment and general well being. That does not mean the cages someone is trying to sell you. It means the cages that are best.
And to all those people who are thinking “Well I had a hamster in a cage that size and it was fine.”
Stop.
You have only observed your animal. You have only observed the animal in a confined space and most likely showing signs of distress or behavioral problems. But you interpreted it as normal because that is all you know. You haven’t seen rabbits in appropriate sized cages. You haven’t seen parakeets in appropriate cages. You haven’t seen a hamster who is happy.
Signs and symptoms of cruelly confined hamsters. (The same applies to mice, gerbils, and rats):
Biting the cage bars
Obsessive digging
“Laziness” (lack of foraging/exploring)
Aggression
Pacing
Running in circles
Obesity
Signs and symptoms of cruelly confined rabbits:
Biting the cage bars
Running in circles
Bouncing off the cage walls
Aggression, irritability when being held
Cage aggression
Constantly banging toys/decor around
Obesity
“Laziness”
Signs and symptoms of cruelly confined guinea pigs
Biting the cage bars
Banging their water bottle on the side of the enclosure constantly
Aggression tword other guinea pigs or you
Obesity
“Laziness”
Signs and symptoms of cruelly confined parakeets
Feather plucking
Aggression to other parakeets
Pacing
Obesity
Repetitive behaviors (constant singing into a corner, going from the same perch to the same perch over and over again)
Fearfulness
Signs and symptoms of cruelly confined finches
Aggression to other finches
Flight tracing: Going from one perch to another in the exact same spot the exact same way over and over again
Obesity
Animals are more complex than people give them credit for. They to do all of the natural behaviors they’re built to do. Exploring, foraging, playing, hiding, interacting (or not interacting) with another animal, etc. All of this is taken from them in cages like the ones above.
People need to educate themselves about an animal before getting one. It’s a thought that’s been said a million times over and yet nobody actually does it. The reality is people who want a hamster/guinea pig/rabbit are not going to sit down and read ten articles and three books waiting 2 months while they set everything up unless they are alreadyenthusiasts who are willing to put that much into their pets. I can say from experience that over 80% of the people who buy pets buy them to make their kids happy with no regard to what the animal needs. What is most important to them is getting a present for their child regardless of anyconsequences that decision comes with.
So we have to try and get this information out there. We have to try and make THIS the general knowledge about these animals.
Resources and very good reads for anyone who has or wants any of the animals listed here. I’ll add more when I find them.
But what if people are short on money? Not everyone can afford big, custom made cages, what would those people do?
Not buy the animal! If they cannot afford an enclosure this size, either by making it themselves or buying on used, then they cannot afford to properly care for the animal and would be irresponsible to buy/adopt one anyway.
If they already have the animal, there are actually lots of places to buy enclosures cheap! Buying used or making your own are much cheaper than actually buying everything new. And honestly, those giant rabbit/guinea pig cages don’t cost very much at all. They’re made from chloroplast and modified mesh storage units. Very simple to assemble and maintain.
If you already have the animal and still can’t get it into a proper sized enclosure for whatever reason- then seriously consider rehoming it to someone who can. When we take animals into our homes we are their guardians, and we have to do what is best for them, even if that means acknowledging that you cannot properly care for them.
Weed can kill cats and dogs if ingested or inhaled and survival rate is very low. Don’t promote the trend of taking pictures of animals covered in weed. It’s a toxic substance and should never come in contact with your pets. Take this advice from a vet volunteer who saw a cat die violently from some kid wanting to get his cat high.
Specifically, it’s the THC in marijuana that affects animals. Don’t let your pets eat anything with THC in it!
