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• Cats

• Cat Funeral

• Stories

I didn’t think I’d ever hear from her again, but a few days later she called me up and said her cat had died. She said she would like me to do more than just help her close the casket: she wanted me to arrange a complete funeral for her cat. It would take place at her house, but she asked me to provide a hearse and a limousine. I also found a minister to say a few words at the graveside service.

I went over to the house the night before the funeral to deliver some prayer cards the family had ordered. The house was lit with candlelight, and in the center of about twenty glowing candlesticks lay the cat in his casket. It was the most interesting thing I have ever seen. I was impressed with how the cat had been placed in the casket, sort of lying on his side. He looked very peaceful. I wouldn’t have been sure how to put a cat in a casket if they had left it up to me.

The family had made all the arrangements with the cemetery themselves and told me that they had purposely let the cemetery officials believe that they were burying their own child instead of a cat. Although they asked me to keep their secret for them, I explained that I wasn’t going to lie.

Except for the fact that it was for a cat, the funeral was like hundreds that I had performed before. After I solemnly closed the small casket and placed it in the hearse, the somber procession drove to the cemetery, where the catholic priest gave a eulogy. There were only a handful of mourners. After everybody left, the gravedigger came over and asked me for a burial-transit permit. A burial-transit permit is the legal paperwork needed to bury a person, which obviously I didn’t have.

I said, “This is a cat.”

He seemed very surprised, but the cat got buried anyway.

To this day, whenever I meet a new minister, I ask him if he would ever do a funeral for a pet. I never know when I might be in that predicament again.

I’m also on the look-out for pet verses for the prayer cards, because there doesn’t seem to be a very good selection.

• Dogs

• Dog Health Issues

• Dog Training

• Life Companions

• Choosing A Dog

Spend as much time as possible with the youngster, of course allowing him to sleep undisturbed as much and as often 80S he will, for the sooner you gain an insight into his particular individuality the better. Watch the pup intelligently and you will see gradually developing traits and peculiarities-inquisitiveness, boldness or shrinking at sudden sounds and new sights, etc. - a knowledge of which will be of great value later on. Nor is this close association advised merely that the work of teaching may be made easier and more successful through an understanding of the pupil’s personality: it will also tend to stimulate and increase very materially the intelligence with which the dog is endowed by nature.

If the pup is inclined to be timid, take especial pains not to let him be frightened in any way whatever. A young puppy is extremely impressionable, and a severe fright will have a far more lasting effect on him than most people imagine. Do not, on the other hand, make a. mollycoddle of the youngster; simply accustom him by slow degrees, always showing him that he is under your protection, to those sights, sounds and experiences which he does not understand.

Probably, if yours is a normal, healthy pup of any of the more active breeds, he will, at the age of nine or ten weeks, show a propensity to worry, tear and chew curtains, shoestrings, and anything else soft and dangling that is within reach. This is but the awakening of that instinct which in a natural state makes a dog’s jaws and teeth his most valuable assets, so do not lose patience. On the principle that “out of sight is out of mind” remove either the temptation or the dog. If this does not suffice, and the habit grows worse, catch the pup in the act and, tapping him on the side of the jaw hard enough to make him look up in surprise, sharply order “Stop it!” A few repetitions of this will suffice to impress the youngster with the meaning of the words.

As the puppy grows older he will in -nine cases out of a hundred lose interest in the tearing game. U ntil then,” merely curb the desire instead of trying to beat it out of him; for it has its bright side inasmuch as it is an indication of the spirit which the adult dog will possess. It is an old saying among bird-dog men that the more a pup tries to tear tbings the more spirited, ambitious and valuable he will become when mature-a principle which bolds good with other breeds.

With the exception Qf the one order mentioned above, and another lesson to be mentioned presently, do not undertake any real and consistent discipline until your dog is at least four months old. The brain of a pup of but ten or twelve weeks is too undeveloped to comprehend the why and the wherefore of regular training, and it should not be taxed with remembering more than a very few things. But, even if the dog is not to be kept regularly in the house, it is quite essential that you take up at an early age the matter of house breaking.

• Pets

  • Dogs

Should You Choose a Cat or Dog?

For those who enjoy both canine and feline company, it can sometimes be difficult to choose the one you want. In order to assist you with making that decision, you want to take some things into consideration such as the amount of space you have, your free time, how often you are home, and the amount of play time you have to devote to a pet. Keep in mind that dogs take more of your time and need more human interaction, so if you work long hours, a dog may not be a good choice for you. In addition, you will need to walk your dog and take time to play with him.

If you have the time to devote to a dog, the amount of space you have in your home will determine whether you want a large or small dog. If you have an apartment, you definitely want to go with a smaller breed not only because most apartment buildings have weight restrictions but also because larger dogs need more room to romp and if they begin running in your apartment, they may disturb your neighbors below. A small dog is also easier to walk when you have limited space with more apartments designating a pet walk area today. Of course, if you have the time to devote to a larger dog, you can certainly do so, but you want to be careful of the breed since some larger dogs need more exercise than others and will not fare well in an apartment.

Cats on the other hand are very adaptable to any kind of living conditions. They do not need to be walked and do not require much attention. In fact, they are content to just lie around and sleep while you are gone, and though their emotional attachment is no less than that of a dog, they are content to be stroked rather than engaged in a game of fetch. Cats are better able to entertain themselves than are dogs, especially once they exit the kitten stage. The bad part about cats is they can be very vocal in their demands, and unlike dogs, telling a cat to stop meowing is not likely to work. Worse yet, they tend to be more likely to vocalize their demands in the middle of the night when everyone is sleeping!

Your choice of a dog or pet is not something you should decide without a great deal of thought. Of course, if you have a house, you may decide that you can handle both a dog and a cat, and in that case, you want to make sure you choose a puppy and kitten as they may not get along together otherwise. There are, of course, exceptions, but exercise caution in your selections. If you have children, choose the one that is going to make them happy as well. The main issue to consider is that more people are allergic to cats than dogs, so be certain no one in your household is allergic to either one before you make your selection.