It's been 6 weeks since our baby arrived and we passed around the White Owl cigars. I was anxious about how the cats would respond to a new member of the family, especially a member that makes loud noises, takes our attention, and does not feed them!
So far they've adjusted rather well. They definitely have gotten the short end of the stick as far as attention goes, and that makes me sad. I am trying to be better about that, but it's difficult when I have a baby on my lap and all the cats want to do is crawl into my lap as well.
Ebony has become extremely needy and desperately wants on our laps and to be petted all the time. She had her moments before, but now it's all the time. She'll even do it to visitors, which is very unusual for her!
They don't seem to understand that they can't step on the baby, which actually makes me laugh. I try very hard to be conscious of when I am pushing them away (I don't want to push them away every single time the baby is around, or they will associate being "rejected" with the baby). However, I have to gently remove them when they want to sit on the baby. :-)
The other day, the baby and I were on my bed taking an afternoon nap. It was getting close to 5pm, which is the cats' dinner time. Lewis decided to wake me up in his usual fashion of cuddling up with me. However, in his rolling around he rolled on top of the baby, waking her up and making her cry. I thought that was a little funny. Generally, though, the cats avoid the baby and don't try to get in the crib with her or sleep next to her, so I don't worry about them smothering her.
We'll see how they react when the baby is crawling around and going after kitty tails. :-)
Monday, October 5, 2009
Unchain your dog
When I was at the vet the other day, I saw a sign saying that as of last month, chaining/tethering your dog is now prohibited in Fulton County. I haven't thought through the issue of chaining in detail, but my initial thought is yes! I'm glad. It makes me sad to see dogs chained up, especially when the chain is so short.
It really bothers me that the dog next door is chained. The county we live in has had a ban on tethering dogs since 2005. All morning, that husky has been howling and pulling at his chain. It makes me sad because it's been raining and he has no way to get out of the rain.
Seeing that it's illegal, I'm not sure if I should report it. I am torn between wanting to be a good neighbor, and wanting to see an animal treated right. I'm also slightly concerned about raising a family and having cats with two potentially dangerous animals next door. (Though, you could argue, that they are enclosed within two fences and chained, so the dogs are unlikely to get out.)
I was reading through the site UnchainYourDog.org all about why tethering dogs is bad for them. It makes me sad that this is an issue. It makes me sad to look at the dog next door and see him chained up. (The way our houses are positioned, the backside of my house looks into the neighbor's backyard, so I have a clear view of the dogs. Hence, why I see it so often and why it continues to bother me.)
I know that one option would be to go and talk to the neighbors and perhaps try to explain to them that tethering is illegal. However, I am not sure I could muster up that much courage. And I'm not sure I want my first interaction with them to be about something negative. They might blow me off as a salesperson trying to sell life insurance rates. Sigh.
It really bothers me that the dog next door is chained. The county we live in has had a ban on tethering dogs since 2005. All morning, that husky has been howling and pulling at his chain. It makes me sad because it's been raining and he has no way to get out of the rain.
Seeing that it's illegal, I'm not sure if I should report it. I am torn between wanting to be a good neighbor, and wanting to see an animal treated right. I'm also slightly concerned about raising a family and having cats with two potentially dangerous animals next door. (Though, you could argue, that they are enclosed within two fences and chained, so the dogs are unlikely to get out.)
I was reading through the site UnchainYourDog.org all about why tethering dogs is bad for them. It makes me sad that this is an issue. It makes me sad to look at the dog next door and see him chained up. (The way our houses are positioned, the backside of my house looks into the neighbor's backyard, so I have a clear view of the dogs. Hence, why I see it so often and why it continues to bother me.)
I know that one option would be to go and talk to the neighbors and perhaps try to explain to them that tethering is illegal. However, I am not sure I could muster up that much courage. And I'm not sure I want my first interaction with them to be about something negative. They might blow me off as a salesperson trying to sell life insurance rates. Sigh.
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