I'm babysitting a friend's dog (female dog), and she's hysteric. She keeps crying by the door, trying to run away.
What are the best ways to calm her down and make her feel more relaxed alone, away from her owner?
Thanks MeFi.
posted by lipsum
on May 20, 2013 -
13 answers
I'm flying with my mother's cat on Saturday, and would like some advice. I have never flown with a pet before.
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posted by marble
on Apr 24, 2013 -
21 answers
People with pet insurance on their cats. Have the benefits ever outweighed the costs? It seems very expensive to me. I've not had it before as it wasn't around when I got dear old Dot. Bearing in mind these are fit 3 yo cats with no pre-existing conditions who were well cared for in previous home and will be living indoors only. The only people who have had good use out of their pet insurance who I know are lady with cat who was in a road accident and had lots of ops and MRIs and lady with 2 rescue dogs who have had joint and allergy problems.
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posted by LyzzyBee
on Apr 20, 2013 -
12 answers
We have a cat and we'd like to add a beagle to the family but are wondering if the two would get along. I understand a beagle is a hunting dog and might see the cat as something to track and, well, hound. Any stories here?
posted by xmutex
on Apr 6, 2013 -
19 answers
We got a new cat a few months ago, and I've noticed that I've been itching all over more and more, and I seem to be developing a rash on my arm, and possibly even some eczema on my ear. I didn't actually make the connection to the cat until this week, but the itching, etc, has been bothering me for a month or so, and I never had any of these symptoms prior to the cat.
The thing is, I haven't had any kind of sneezing or sinus or runny nose problems at all, just the itching, and most descriptions of cat allergies describe mostly people having problems with sneezing and runny nose. Is it possible to just cause skin irritation in some people?
Would Claritin or Allegra help with it? What else can I try?
posted by anonymous
on Apr 2, 2013 -
10 answers
The lady friend and I live in Los Angeles and are going away for about a week. We are looking for someone, probably a law student, to come stay with our kittens and take care of them. How much should we offer to pay?
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posted by heisenberg
on Mar 31, 2013 -
15 answers
My dog has bone cancer, and spends most of his time gimping around on three legs due a gross tumor on one of his hind legs. He's already a pretty striking dog (obligatory photos
here and
here and
here), so people already often stop to talk to me about him and comment. Now, he has a very pronounced three-legged gate, and people comment on that too. I'm having a hard time dealing with explaining to people "he has cancer" multiple times a day, and watching their faces drop. Any suggestions as to how I can handle this better so I don't ruin my own and other people's day by making everyone think about awesome dogs dying?
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posted by Grandysaur
on Mar 28, 2013 -
19 answers
Do you have OLD cats? How often do you take them to the vet, and do you do the 6 month preventative testing-type visits that cat vets typically recommend? If so, how much do you pay for the visit and lab tests? Do I really need to do this?
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posted by peep
on Mar 5, 2013 -
21 answers
All of a sudden, he keeps looking up at the ceiling as if he sees/hears something. He just started doing this a couple weeks ago, and has done it several times an hour since. Can metafilter supply me with a more plausible answer than what googling has lead me to? So far my top leads are yahoo answers posts about ghosts, so I'm sure y'all can do better. Has he just lost his little cat mind?
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posted by mingo_clambake
on Mar 4, 2013 -
46 answers
The internet is full of lame gimmicks, wannabe dog whisperers, and advice on crating. Help me housebreak my poor, dumb, dog for real.
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posted by littlerobothead
on Mar 4, 2013 -
20 answers
If anyone recognises this story, please can you tell me the author? I think the story is about five years old. An ordinary man with low self-esteem is dumped by his beautiful intelligent accomplished girlfriend. She gives him a dog as a pity present, with a snide subtext that the dog is better than he is. Gradually through caring for the dog, a magnificent Alsation, and taking pride in it, the man recovers his self-esteem and becomes sought-after. It's a story that feels as if it has a lot of undercurrents and as if it's not as simple as it looks: in some way the dog stands in for the guy, or represents the guy or becomes a totem for him. Or something.
posted by glasseyes
on Mar 3, 2013 -
3 answers
Should we bring our cat to our new and currently empty apartment while we paint and assemble furniture, to let her get used to it - even though we are not actually moving for another week.
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posted by rawrberry
on Feb 15, 2013 -
17 answers
About three years ago, my wife was visiting her mother when they discovered a cute puppy running around on the property. The mother took the puppy home and there was great rejoicing. Flash forward one year.
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posted by anonymous
on Feb 7, 2013 -
45 answers
Our house still has its original roof from when it was built in the mid-1950s. It's finally getting replaced tomorrow -- after months of leaks in nearly every room -- but I'm worried about our two indoor cats dealing with it. I know the noise will terrify them and they will hide, but are there other things I should worry about?
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posted by perryfugue
on Jan 15, 2013 -
18 answers
I love my dog. Every once in a while, I feel utterly heartbroken that I will most likely outlive him. While it doesn't happen often and it's not overwhelming, and I realize that it is perfectly natural to be sad about something like that, can you give me advice about how to turn these thoughts into something positive?
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posted by halogen
on Jan 7, 2013 -
42 answers
What are some good dog boarding/kennel services in Seattle (or, even better, on the Eastside) that will know how handle my sweet but incredibly nervous and poorly socialized dog?
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posted by iamfantastikate
on Dec 14, 2012 -
13 answers
My cat was hit by a car and had to have high risk emergency surgery. Once he has fully recovered, I am debating whether or not to let him roam outside again.
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posted by drunkonthemoon
on Nov 28, 2012 -
36 answers
Large, young, lovable cat won't leave us the hell alone when we're trying to sleep in the mornings. I feed him when I get up at 6am, so naturally he's bugging me by 5am, sometimes 4am. How do I get him to knock this off?
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posted by scaryblackdeath
on Nov 20, 2012 -
34 answers
We need an affordable and hypoallergenic Pill Pocket replacement for feeding pills to our dog.
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posted by griphus
on Nov 1, 2012 -
35 answers
Calling all amateur Jackson Galaxy-wannabes: why is my cat such a jerk toward guests, when he's a bundle of love the rest of the time?
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posted by apostrophe
on Oct 7, 2012 -
3 answers
CatFilter: I know this question has been done to death but... three cats, one apartment, two microconflicts. What is to be done?
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posted by Keter
on Oct 4, 2012 -
8 answers
I want to train my dog to stay, come, and heel (or, "come in closer, but you don't have to come right up to me"). How do I do this?
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posted by jsturgill
on Sep 24, 2012 -
12 answers
In any of the Alf media (the live action sitcom, the cartoon, or any supplementary materials), is it ever explained how cats have come to be on both Melmac and Earth?
Here, it says that it is unknown if Melmac cats and Earth cats are even the same species (presumably they coud be doing a kind of Allosaurus/T-Rex convergent-evolution thing), but perhaps someone out there with greater Alf knowledge can shed more light on this.
posted by Greg Nog
on Sep 21, 2012 -
7 answers
I'm a slob. I need a cleaning service. I'm totally willing to pay for a cleaning service. But I can't get over the idea that I'll have to clean before they come (which seems very contradictory and silly) and most importantly, I can't figure out how to trust random people alone on my house with my pets. How do other people do this?
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posted by cgg
on Sep 10, 2012 -
32 answers
I switched to a wheat-based litter and now it is tracking everywhere despite my best efforts. Any suggestions for combating this?
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posted by oflinkey
on Sep 3, 2012 -
8 answers
I have an older dog whose front tooth is loose enough that I can wiggle it with my fingers. I'm taking him into the vet tomorrow, but before I do, I'm wondering: is it possible for the vet to remove a dog's tooth without putting him under anesthesia?
posted by roger ackroyd
on Aug 30, 2012 -
14 answers
I have a beautiful, fun and energetic puppy. A Husky cross (we don't know what the other half is, but it must have been small). She loves to play games. Me and my partner alternate working from home during the day. What fun games can we play with her at home, indoors, that don't distract
too much from our work?
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posted by 0bvious
on Aug 29, 2012 -
13 answers
What is the best place to store my pets' flea medication. I had it in the fridge for the last few weeks. Is it ruined?
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posted by Scientist
on Aug 19, 2012 -
3 answers
I'm out of ideas - help me convince my cat that the litterbox is a good place to be. Long explanation with as many details as I can think of inside.
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posted by Urban Winter
on Aug 1, 2012 -
32 answers
Any recommendations for pet boarding in Birmingham, UK? (Bonus: good vets.)
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posted by Because
on Jul 27, 2012 -
3 answers
Can someone recommend a good boarding kennel in London? We will be leaving the country for about two weeks for a visit home, and need to find a place for the pets while we're away.
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posted by jonobarel
on Jul 24, 2012 -
2 answers
In the wake of a
recent hoarding incident in Pennsylvania a local shelter has a large number of chihuahuas who will soon be needing permanent homes. I have previous experience dogsitting a family member's chihuahua for long periods of time so I know how to take care of adults, but some puppies are also available for adoption and I think that might be a rewarding experience. Everyone in the household has experience with dogs, but we have not raised a puppy. I was wondering if you could link me to the best guides for what to expect and how to raise a puppy, and specifically for the unique challenges of a chihuahua puppy.
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posted by furiousxgeorge
on Jul 22, 2012 -
4 answers
NameMyDogForTheMillionthTimeFilter: On Saturday I'll be bringing
this guy home from the shelter. He's incredibly shy and distrusting of humans. What shall I call him?
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posted by Roman Graves
on Jul 16, 2012 -
81 answers
Please tell me everything I need to know about the logistics of finding an apartment and moving to Boston on a month's notice.
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posted by Kriesa
on Jul 11, 2012 -
15 answers
How do flea collars work? Are they helpful or harmful? Our cat never had fleas, but we put a flea collar on him preventively because he's an outside cat. Now it looks like he's scratching himself really often, which we have never seen him do before. Should we take the collar off?
How do flea collars work anyway?
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posted by ruelle
on Jul 10, 2012 -
15 answers
Bedbug treatment and cats - Should I board the cat after treatment of my apartment, and for how long?
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posted by anonymous
on Jul 10, 2012 -
1 answer
I'm beginning to think that owning pets isn't right for me. But I'm an animal lover, I grew up with pets and the thought of giving my own away breaks my heart. What should I do about this?
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posted by Pericardium
on Jul 6, 2012 -
27 answers
If I treat clothes with Permethrin, let them completely dry outside (for three days), will they then be safe for cats to be around?
posted by Marered
on Jul 2, 2012 -
3 answers
