Our beautiful Cuja Lula Belle has gone...

Our dear old kitty, Cuja Lula Belle, past away just before noon yesterday. We had decided the night before that the first thing we would do the next morning would be to take her to the vet for her very last ride. Painfully, the thought of her leaving us had become more real with each passing day. She had been with us for only 14 years ... just 14... but the horrible agonizing pain she had been enduring, had already gone on too long, it was enough and we knew it was time to let her go.
All morning our daughter, Minka, and me did what we could to make her comfortable. Our little Doxie/Jack Russell dog, Rutgar, was never far from Cuja's side or mine. Cuja would crawl away to be alone and Rutgar was the only way we could find her.
Unfortunately, our vet no longer works on Saturdays and he can be difficult to reach in an emergency outside of office hours. While we were deciding what to do next, I went to check on her and let her know that we were close-by. I knew the moment I bent down, and looked into her eyes gleaming sightlessly out from under the guest room bed, she was gone.
I ran to get Minka and we pulled her out from that private, sheltered place she expired in. She had well and truly died and was crossing the Rainbow Bridge at that moment as we stroked her soft fur made moist by our tears.
She died at home, and that was a blessing.

I know all our dear fur family members are special and Cuja Lula Belle was no exception. Our son, Inyo, rescued her when he found a woman standing in the middle of the bridge that crosses the river near our home. In her hand she held a burlap gunnysack in which she had placed several heavy stones and a writhing and complaining kitten. She was about to toss it over the bridge railing when Inyo managed to grab it from her. He opened the bag and discovered the little orange kitten and the woman turned and left without a word.

He brought the kitten home and because the little tyke seemed like such a tough little fellow, he named him Cujo. Six months later Cujo had a litter of kittens and immediately her name was changed to Cuja and later Lula Belle was added. As soon as homes were found for her gorgeous babies, off she went to the vet for spaying.

Hers was a happy life. Time spent on the farm and surrounding forest, life in a small village and finally here in a beautiful home overlooking two lakes.

Her body lay in a rose embroidered shroud with flowers and tiny crystals laid upon her. One by one, the two dogs and remaining two kitties took turns sitting by her side. Modesto sat for several hours and Rutgar led visitors into where she lay and pointed to her with his nose. We buried her this morning with her crystal bowl and a few of her favorite toys, close to her old friends, Jack the dog and Vladimir, our daughter’s cat that left us earlier this year.

Modesto and Basshat will now be filling her position at Plume n’ Tails as Product Quality Control Managers. She is greatly missed by everyone here by those with fur and those without.

Good-bye Cuja Lula Belle

Pet Passports

Summer is over and as winter rears it’s stormy head above the horizon and for those of us soon to be snowbound, thoughts of traveling to warmer climbs fills our dreams. There are a number of places to visit on the world-wide-web that will give pet owners excellent information for taking their pets along, comfortably and safely but what about traveling abroad with your dog or cat?

A newly married friend just moved to Egypt from Canada to be with her husband. She decided that she and her daughter could not go without taking their two cats. She purchased two carry-on soft carriers, halters and leashes for the kitties for their thirty-hour trip. An eight-hour stop over in Amsterdam allowed her to take them from their carriers for a bit of exercise, water and a small amount of food. Fortunately, a few months before making the trip, she researched what documents would be required for the emigrating cats. Passports. Yes, pets require passports too, consisting at the very least of vaccination and health documents from a veterinarian.

Here is an excellent website for finding the information you need if you are taking your pet with you on a trip to distant destinations both foreign and domestic. http://www.pettravel.com/passportnew.cfm
A good rule to remember is, if you require a passport to travel and you’re taking your fur-kid along… he or she will need a passport too and the criteria will be different depending upon where you’re going.

Our family will be traveling to Hawaii next November. Chances are that we will leave our little Mr. Rutgar with friends here at home as we are not planning to be away for more than a couple of weeks.

None-the-less, I am looking at what the requirements are in the unlikely event we should decide to take him. The lengthy and somewhat complicated process would need to start four to six months in advance as blood work that looks for rabies and communicable diseases that develop over time is compulsory. Micro-chipping is also required. Thankfully, the very discouraging six- month quarantine is no longer mandatory. Instead, pets now have to enter Hawaii through Honolulu and are then transported to a designated veterinary hospital where they are checked over and released to their owners the same day as their arrival. There is an advance payment of $165 that must accompany your pets documents no less than 10 days before their arrival in Hawaii.

I would only consider the above if we were moving to Hawaii or planning to stay for more than a month. Traveling can be hard on some dogs and cats. I say some only because, Ms. Lilly Zha Zha, my daughter’s Pomeranian, has been flying to and from Hawaii since a tiny pup and she absolutely loves to travel. She is completely undaunted by what other dogs might easily experience as traumatic.

So, before you embark on long distance travel with your pets, consider what is best for them and if you feel it’s better they accompany you, then give yourself plenty of time to get those all important pet passports in hand and take the barking out of ‘embarkation.’

Taming the Wild… or Killing it

We have seven heavily laden apple trees and I’ve canned so many quarts of applesauce, if I never see another apple it will be too soon. Well, we’ve barely made a dent in the bumper crop on the two transparent apple trees and the other five trees are bending under the weight of the apples on their branches. I’m seeing apples in my dreams.
Everyday we pick up buckets of windfalls. “Where are the bears?” I asked my husband. We could always count on the bears to clean up the windfalls during the night. I know, we should be happy that we don’t have a ‘bear problem’ but in the 38 years we’ve lived around them, we’ve never ever had a serious incident and we’ve never had to shoot a bear.
True, our little Mr. Rutgar was foolish enough to chase a 450-pound black bear out of the orchard last year, but it’s really our fault for not having him under control and letting him bolt out the door unchecked. Lucky for him, he’s a small and fast moving target and I’m certain my screams scared the bear as much, if not more, than my little bouncing red dog.
Regardless, this year we have not had the bear activity that we have grown accustomed to, and frankly, we miss them.
When the cherries were in season, we saw signs of a cub in the neighborhood. In fact, we had left the driver’s side window open on the car and guess who clambered inside? Yes, baby bear. We were fortunate that it hadn’t done any real damage other than a bit of cherry juice smeared on the inside of the passenger door and window and a few well placed tooth marks on the upholstery.
Since then nothing… but gun shots in the night. We observed our neighbor burying something in the field below, but we were unable to see what he put in the ground.
The general opinion in the surrounding rural communities is that all bears are bad, extremely dangerous, and should be eliminated. Period! The push is on the cut down every fruit tree in the nearby village to rid the town of such tasty bear attractants.
When our daughter asked the local Bear Aware folks why we couldn’t take our fruit waste up into the forest or plant fruit trees far from human habitation, the answer was simple. “It’s not natural.” Yet, somehow, our ever-increasing expansion into their habitat is natural… and, I guess, so too are bullets. We just can’t seem to wrap our thinking around this logic.
Just what is natural during this time of climate change? This year we had a long, cold, wet spring and the result was practically no huckleberries or blueberries to sustain the bears. Summer was hot and brief and now an early Fall that is colder than usual. None of this bodes well for wildlife depending on what nature usually provides for them in the surrounding forest.
We can’t tame the wild and we wouldn’t want to… nor should we kill it. We can live with bears. All that is required is a little knowledge, a lot of respect, appreciation, understanding and compassion. Give them the space they need… and don’t begrudge them a few apples.

Pets and Wildlife

Those of us who live in less urban areas eventually become familiar with the wildlife that is common in the area in which we call home.
Living in the interior forest of British Columbia, we have a wide range of wildlife just outside our doors. Bears are most common this time of year. Over the past two summers, we’ve had a grizzly bear try to break into our porch, a 450-pound black bear eating our apples and a young sow with her first cub visit our premises.
Coyotes proliferate just about everywhere and are a constant concern for our pets as it is not uncommon for coyotes to dine on domestic cats and will sometimes pack up to take down large dogs if left unattended. Even city dwellers are now learning to be cautious as coyotes adapt easily to human habitation and have moved into urban areas, becoming a threat to domestic pets there.
Stealthy cougars have been seen prowling in our neighborhood from time to time and they see anything that moves as prey.
Even majestic eagles are a threat to cats and small dogs. Even if they can’t fly away with a pet, they can inflict irreparable damage with their talons.
Don’t get me wrong, we value the wildlife, that’s why we live here. We love to watch the bears amble through the orchard and listen to the coyotes serenade on wintry nights. We’ve been privileged to watch a handsome whitetail buck courting three lovely does in our front yard. Nothing is more thrilling to hear elk whistling on the mountainside behind our home or to catch sight of a bighorn sheep running through our neighbor’s yard.
We are fortunate that wildlife is abundant here but what does that mean to our domestic pets and their safety? We can all live together quite nicely if we observe a bit of caution.
I used to let our little dog burst joyfully out the backdoor for his morning constitutional… but no more. Before I could stop him, he ran right up to huge black bear that had been visiting our apple trees. He actually ran the bear off, or maybe I did with my screams. All it would have taken is one swat from that giant, well-clawed paw and our little dog would have been gone. Now, I make him and my daughter’s two dogs, sit and wait until I’ve checked the yard in all directions before they are let out and I watch the sky for eagles too.
A few nights ago, we had a visiting skunk. Unfortunately a friend who was visiting from Vancouver didn’t know the protocol for taking the dogs out and simply opened the door, resulting in an encounter between a skunk and my daughter’s big wolf cross dog. Needless-to-say, this is one little animal we don’t want to stumble upon too often. To read more about this unfortunate meeting, go to:
http://pets-people-and-possibilities.blogspot.com You will also find a recipe for de-skunking your pets there and it’s one you’ll want to keep handy if you have skunks in your area.
Regardless of where you live be it country or city, caution is always the best way to avoid unfortunate encounters with wildlife. And if you’re planning on a camping trip this summer with your family pet(s), keep them close and don’t let them run loose through the countryside… for their sake as well as those fur folks who live there year ‘round'. Stay safe… be happy

Crossing the Rainbow Bridge

Saddness has kept us from posting as we grieve the loss of Vladimir, my daughter's 13 year old kitty. He was mercifully put to sleep after a brief and sudden illness. Our veterinarian thinks he was most likely diabetic. Being naturally big, he always was a bit on the plump side. We will miss his clumping footfalls around the house. We could always tell he was coming from two rooms away sounding like he was wearing boots.
Vlad's diabetic condition has given us pause to think about the diets of our other kitties. Cuja Lula Belle is 16 years old has already had a major diet change to wet and raw food when we learned that she too has diabetis. She's much slimer now and although her health is still not perfect, she's not doing too badly for a girl her age. Modesto and Bashat are now being offered a diet similar to hers. (They're not crazy about it, so we have to make the change over slowly to give them time to adjust.)
We have an amazing house that once belonged to a semi-retired veterinarian. They loved all the animals that came into their care and many of their spirits still dwell here. Often, out of the corner of our eyes, we get a quick glance at a black and white Persian type kitty. Today, when I was cleaning upstairs, for just a moment, I saw Vlad sitting in his favorite place by the window and next to him was the black and white kitty. It's nice to know he's still with us.

Mr. Rutgar's Birthday party pictures at last.

Well, it’s about time. We finally found Mr. Rutgar’s party pictures. Although it was March and cold, the sun was shining so we decided to honor his birthday with a Bar-B-Q and it was awesome. Mr. Rugtar could hardly contain himself with the tantalizing smell of hamburgers grilling over the fire. He knew there was one just for him (and Ms. Lilly Zha Zha and dear old Kasper). The kitties, although invited preferred to wait until they were served their portions… raw, of course.
It’s really too bad everyone got so wound up when Mr. Rutty opened his presents. His new dragon, as mentioned before, was gone in minutes. He and Kasper love tug-o-war and there is no stopping them. Unfortunately, the excitement moved on to all the rest of Mr. Rutty’s toys in his basket. We were able to save his favorite, El-ee-phant (or Horton) and hide it until nap time when everyone’s exhilaration had worn off and tummies were full. Since then we have had to check out all the local thrift stores for replacement toys. We are always careful that the toys we find are not stuffed with Styrofoam beads and there are no buttons, eyes, or other things that can be pulled off and swallowed. Although we prefer to support our local charity thrift stores to recycle stuffed toys no longer suitable for children, I must admit, Mr. Rutty has a new squeaky toy that he loves and his cotton tug rope is just about worn out and he’ll soon need a new one.
Our crew wants to remind everyone that there are a lot of wonderful pets needing forever homes. A good place to start is your local animal shelter and if you’re interested in a specific breed, check out the purebred rescue organizations. And please, spay and neuter your pets. We would love to see everyone as happy as our guys.
For more information, check out our newest blogspot:
http://www.pets-people-and-possibilities.blogspot.com
See you soon. Now that spring is finally here, we’ll be having lots more adventures to tell you about. Soon the bears will be showing up and they’re no fun to play with!

Mr. Rutgar turns 3

Well, there will be more pictures to come from the party, especially Mr. Rutgar in his party hat. He really enjoyed his new stuffed blue and yellow glow in the dark dragon but unfortunately, he's already slain the dragon and it's been relegated to the trash bin. He and his canine friends, Ms. Zha Zha Lilly and Kasper had a great time, (mostly playing tug-a-war with the dragon toy) but the kitties, although invited, chose not to attend. Being kitties, it's no surprise that they have such disdain for parties, unless it's to celebrate their own birthdays and then it's 'cat-nip all around.
Mr. Rutgar tells me that anise, not star anise, is to dogs what cat-nip is to cats. So, for our next doggie birthday celebration, we will be sure to have a good supply of anise in, now that everyone is a grown up canine.
Our fur family would like everyone to check out the new offerings at: www.plumentails.com Ms. Cuja Lula Belle is really excited about the new MouieWowies and Rattatudes that will be appearing very soon. Have you ever seen a leopard mouse or rat? We'll we've got'em!
Stay tuned for more party pics, coming soon

Mr. Rutgar will soon be 3

Mr. Rutgar's Happy Birthday will be coming soon. We are planning a special Birthday Pawty on Feb. 24th. His doggy friends, Miss ZhaZha Lilly and Kasper will be here and of course, his best kitty friend, Cuja Lula Belle too. Then there's Vladimir, Modesto and Bashat but they're not promising to wear pawty hats. We'll be picking up special cup cakes and treats from Zeto's Dog Spa. Everyone is practicing dunking for biscuits and who can find the hidden cookie. Stay tuned and watch for pictures of the celebrations.
In the meantime, Mr. Rutgar and all his buddies want to wish you and all your fur families a very Happy Valentine's Day... and, he encourages you to go to PetCentric, you can access it through links on www.plumentails.com and send a talking pet Valentine and for every one you send, .50 cents will be donated to help homeless pets. Please share the love. What's even more fun, PetCentric will let you upload a favorite photo of your dog or kitty and they can carry the message this Valentine's Day.
So all the best everyone.
Paws up

Take a look at my friends Pet Portraits

Mom did this portrait in the classic icon style of the old Russian masters. This is of dear old Shale who is no longer with us. He had a great 23 years with us and wore his crown willingly and with distinction. He would not allow any other cat to wear it. Poor Cuja Lula Belle tried once and was 'royally' trounced.
Brandy is a friend who lives far away in San Jose, California. She is so lucky she doesn't have to live with snow. Apparently Brandy doesn't like wearing clothes, so she wouldn't be very happy here in the cold north.
Such a wanton girl this Cuja Lula Belle. At least Mom has done her portrait.
Mom paints and draws Ms. Zha Zha Lilly's friends and Mr. Rutgar's friends too. They are wishing Mom had more time to do their portraits and she is promising that they will be posing for her very soon. Look for us soon here and on www.plumentails.com