Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with animals

Dog friendly DFW

flipmiester99 — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:56:08 -0800

PuppysocializationFilter: Im looking to socialize my 8 week old German shepherd by taking her to as many places as i can that allow dogs. I live in Sachse, Tx which is just outside of Dallas. Can you please tell me what stores/restaurants/etc...are dog friendly in the DFW/Sachse area?

What was this picture book involving animals in battle scenes?

EndsOfInvention — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 04:58:16 -0800

What was this children's book I had in the 1980s that contained large pictures of woodland animals engaged in battle scenes, using military equipment such as cannons that fired acorns? When I was a kid (in the 1980s, in the UK) I had a book, possible larger than A4/letter in size, that contained mainly double-page spread pictures of woodland animals (voles, otters, mice, etc) engaged in battle scenes. The used various technology made from natural materials, e.g. cannons that fired acorns, paratroopers that used sycamore seeds instead of parachutes. There were cut-away parts of the picture so that you could see inside structures, underground, etc. The battles were, I think, all part of one ongoing narrative.

At the bottom of each picture was a caption with a short description of the scene, and a numbered key that described various parts of the scene and the equipment in use.

There may have been text telling a story as well as the pictures, but I'm not sure. My main memories are of the pictures, the two I can remember the most clearly are:

- A battle taking place on/around a river. In the distance there's some kind of battleship approaching. In the foreground, paratroopers are jumping out of something (an airship? from the top of a tree?) and using sycamore seeds instead of parachutes. The picture extends to showing under the water.

- The view is down a grassy hill at night. There is a winding path down the hill, and in the distance you could see a line of lights, implying an army on the march.

The images were drawn in a fairly 'realistic' style, i.e. not cartoony or very anthropomorphized.

Buying a stuffed onager?

historybuff — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 15:56:34 -0800

Where can I buy a stuffed onager toy? I have a niece who is really into horses of various types. She is really taken with onagers--a kind of Asian wild horse (Equus hemionus) that's smaller than a regular horse (about the size of a donkey). I am trying to buy her a stuffed onager as a present. However, all my searches have led to 1) generic stuffed horses; or 2) toy onager catapults.

Anyone have a suggestion for a good place to purchase (online or brick and morter stories) unusual stuffed animals? I'd like to do something not-cliche. Thanks.

Incest taboos: do animals have them?

thisperon — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 02:07:47 -0800

How common is incest in the animal kingdom? Do lion cubs of the opposite sex mate with one another? Will a mother bird mate with her son? Do related domestic animals tend to mate with one another without any encouragement from humans?

Did you know there were giant beavers?

showbiz_liz — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:48:10 -0800

Good books about prehistoric life which are NOT about dinosaurs? When I was little I had a children's book about prehistoric mammals. I still remember it as one of the raddest things I have ever read, and I still bring up dire wolves and kitten-sized horses at every possible opportunity. Of course, I had a book about dinosaurs too- who didn't?- but they were so well-known to everyone that they didn't seem as cool to me.

I want a more grown-up book along similar lines. Doesn't have to be mammals or even animals, and it could be pre- or post-dinosaur. Could cover the whole span of time from the beginning of life to now, or it could be about some small period of prehistory which most people have never heard of. Just hit me with some prehistoric awesomeness.

What are the odds that elephants will become extinct in the next 30 years?

Joe Beese — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:59:08 -0800

What are the odds that elephants will become extinct in the next 30 years? That's my actuarial life expectancy, give or take. I wondered if it was likely that some day of my old age would know the profound embitterment of reading that the last cow had died in captivity, and that these would never walk the earth again.

Drive-by licking!

emilyd22222 — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 05:49:13 -0800

How can I get my dog to stop licking people? My dog (3 years old, English setter/English pointer mix, if it matters) is a frenzied, compulsive licker. She absolutely loves people, and expresses that love with a crazed tongue. She aims for the face, but will settle for any other part of the person, and even will continue licking if she only hits the air around them. She almost never licks me, even when she's really excited to see me, and will even turn her face away from me if I put my face right in front of hers- I'm assuming this is because I'm dominant over her. I've had some minor success with grabbing and holding her snout when she tries to lick other people, but so many people seem to love and encourage dogs jumping up on them and licking them (even when I tell them to please not do that and correct her in front of them) that her behavior is continuously reinforced. Any ideas?

Panthers vs. Sharks, Blue Jays vs. Cardinals, Bears vs. Lions...

Shepherd — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 08:44:10 -0800

Is it mainly North America that has a thing for animal-themed sports teams? I am not a "sports guy" by any stretch of the imagination, so even coming up with more than a dozen sports teams in North America is tough, to say nothing of things like cricket and rugby teams around the globe. I know that animal names don't make up the majority of pro team names on my continent, but there seem to be a lot of 'em, and I'm wondering if North America is alone in its focus on animal team names and mascots, or if this is a global phenomenon.

foxy?

tylerfulltilt — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 17:50:48 -0800

What animal has made a den in my barn? In the last couple of days some kind of animal has made a rather large tunnel from the outside of my barn into the interior of it. I went in today to get our mower and heard what sounded like little pups in this giant hole in our barn.

Pictures of the den here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/40246657@N05/

We're located in southern indiana. My wife seems to think it's a fox. For a week or so prior to this we've had a problem with animals getting into our garbage. I don't know if that's helpful or not.

What is this animal in my barn and should I be helping it?

Tips for a pets blog?

trillian — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 07:22:33 -0800

I want to start a local pets blog and want to do it well! (All I've done so far is buy a great domain name.) What would you like to see on a local blog about pets? Does your city have one that is a good example?

Traveling after farm animals

RajahKing — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 19:48:13 -0800

How do you answer questions about livestock proximity when coming back to the US? What happens when you answer yes to U.S. Customs and Border Protection Declaration Form questions 11 & 12, ie "Have you or any family members traveling with you been in close proximity of (such as touching or handling) livestock outside the United States?"

I ask this for a friend who will be returning shortly from a trip to
rural Ecuador, where s/he was in close proximity to livestock and
would appropriately answer yes. Has anyone had the experience of answering yes? What happens? Questioning, quaranteening, searching of bags, etc?

Has anyone ever had the experience of lying and answered no?

How would customs officials know to be suspicious of your time spent with livestock?

I fully understand the legal and ethical obligations my friend has
here, but if s/he takes the ethical lowground and says no, what
recourse does the government have?

What's up with our cat?

Anonymous — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 16:40:19 -0800

Cat gone crazy? If so, what to do? Anon because it's personal

Background: We have two cats, a male short hair named A, and a female long hair, called B. A is older. A&B have grown up together and have never been separated. We've had them for almost a year. We got them from a military guy who had to give them up due to shipping out. He was their only owner before us. They were skittish at first when we brought them home, often hiding and refusing contact. Over time they become affectionate, seeking us, sleeping in the same room, etc, etc. A, the male cat, has adopted our 18 year daughter. B, the female cat has adopted my wife. I drift between the two. Both cats were fixed long before we got them.

We are three humans, a married couple with an 18 year old daughter who's room is on the second story. A, the male cat, spends much of his time up there with her, though he'll come down to eat, go the bathroom and hang out with B, the female cat and us for a while before going back upstairs. B, the female cat, never goes upstairs. She stays downstairs, choosing to hang out in certain spots for a couple of weeks (our bedroom, a chair in the living room, the dining room table) before moving to a new spot.

About a week ago, our daughter left for the summer to visit other relatives. A, the male cat who had adopted her and spent most of his time upstairs, has come downstairs and though obviously sad, has stayed downstairs for the company. B, the female cat, has kept up her usual personality, hanging out with "her brother" and just generally being herself.

Until four days ago. When we came home, she was nowhere to be found, when usually she's somewhere visible and greets us when we get home, with either meows and/or following us around. She didn't seek us out all and never showed up anywhere. By the second day, after looking around I realized she was upstairs, hanging out in the bathroom. She NEVER goes upstairs, it's unheard of. Now she's refusing to come downstairs at all, seemingly even to eat or go to the bathroom. I left a small dish of food for her in the bathroom and she's barely touched it. She's alert and appears interested when I wave string in front of her (a favorite game). She's ok with being petted, but if you try to pick her up or some such, she'll move away. This morning she's started peeing on the bathroom floor, without a litter box. The upstairs does not have have AC, so it's stifling hot up there, especially for a long hair cat.

We had another female cat (different breed), who seemed to do something similar. That previous cat, C (also fixed), was content to stay indoors until at some point she eventually decided going outdoors was the thing to do and from then on she stayed outdoors. One day we found her dead by the side of the house, for no apparent reason. She was from the pound and had a common disease from cats get in the pound (which I can't recall at the moment), which we think killed her.

To sum things up:

1. Everything was fine up till four days ago.

2. Now normally affectionate and healthy eating cat is shunning contact and not eating much.

3. She is fixed.

4. She stays in the un-air conditioned upstairs, in a bathroom, drinking from the toilet, eating little and has taken to peeing in the bathroom where she's staying, though she isn't sitting in the urine and is in fact as far from it as possible.

Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions for what's going with this cat?

Yes, but if we were birds, would traffic STILL be backed up for miles?

zarq — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 13:30:54 -0800

Is there a scientific explanation for rubbernecking beyond "simple curiosity"? Are we predisposed as a species to run towards danger? I was re-reading David Brin's Uplift War, and a character mentions that this is one way in which primates are unusual compared to other animals. Is this is an accurate assessment? Do other animals do so? Have there been any sociobiological studies of various animal orders or species which support or refute the concept?

I would like to pet your cats

miskatonic — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 09:40:25 -0800

I'm interested in volunteering at a cat rescue organization in New York City. Any recommendations? It's not quite the right time for me to adopt a pair of cats, as I was hoping to do this summer, but I'm still looking to get some quality cat time in my life. Consequently, I'd like to volunteer at a rescue or animal shelter here in NYC.

I'm really only interested in interacting with cats and kittens, but I'm not afraid of or allergic to dogs and other animals so it doesn't necessarily have to be a cat-only organization.

I don't have a lot of time to commit - the ideal for me would be something like one weekend day a week (probably Sunday) or one evening a week after work. I am most looking forward to playing with and helping to socialize cats and kittens, but I understand that less fun things like feeding and litter changing will be needed as well and I don't object to that. I've had several cats in the past so I have experience in most aspects of kitty caretaking.

Can anyone recommend a shelter for me to check out?

How can I find my dead cat?

the_arbiter — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 08:27:18 -0800

How can I find my dead cat? My 15-year-old cat had been pretty sick for a month, on thyroid medicine and antibiotics for breathing problems, when she suddenly became really lethargic, barely eating and even sneezing blood once or twice. For fiscal (and other) reasons we'd decided not to seek tons of expensive treatment, though we planned on having her put to sleep before she was in lots of real pain. On the third day of not eating much, she went outside and never came back.

This was three or four days ago, and by now I'm certain that she went to lay down somewhere quiet to die. But where? Under the porch? Under a shrub? In a tree? In someone else's untended backyard? Far away? Will we not know until her body begins to (ew!) rot? We'd really like to find her sometime soon, so we can give her a semi-dignified burial.

Should we try to recruit a dog with a strong sense of smell to track her down? Are there telltale places to look, where cats tend to go to die? Any other thoughts or experiences to share on this matter? Thanks!

And yes, this is a very sad matter for my family, and we feel awful that we didn't look after her more closely at the end. Still, 15 years is a long life for a cat, and I think she had a pretty good one with us. And to the extent that I think I understand cats, she didn't seem to be in pain -- just very tired and resigned.

You cats get off my lawn!

Ziggy500 — Fri, 15 May 2009 03:40:12 -0800

How to stop all this crap appearing on my lawn? Hi, I hope the always helpful and ingenious hivemind could help me with this.

I am having problems with rubbish appearing on my lawn overnight.

There is a skip quite nearby, and it seems that cats or urban foxes get into it, and then come to party on the lawn outside my flat at night. In the morning I am left with plastic bags, food packaging, food and grosser stuff (e.g. used condoms) littered all over the grass. How can I stop this from happening?

I don't own the land, so can't put up a fence.

Bonus points for suggestions which don't involve spending money.

Thanks a lot, all.

This cat is destroying my apartment.

Valuev — Fri, 15 May 2009 00:43:02 -0800

I agreed to cat-sit. Now the cat is destroying my apartment, my sanity and my 401K (no wait, the stock market did that). Please help me. A friend of mine had to leave town Tuesday on short notice, due to the sudden death of her mother. Wanting to help, I offered to take care of her cat while she's away for the next couple of weeks.

The cat is about 10 months old, very cute and furry and a lovely creature... except for the fact that he's an absolute terror. I had no idea cats were capable of such evil. I dread getting out of bed every morning, because every morning has brought a new phase of disaster to my apartment. My wife and I only have experience with outdoor cats, so we haven't a clue why this cat is doing some of these things or how best to handle it.

To complicate matters, my judgmental mother-in-law is coming to stay with us for the weekend, as arranged several weeks ago (and I can't cancel; I already tried that.) I'm recently married, and had been hoping to demonstrate that I'm not quite the failure at domestic life as my wife's mother thinks I am, but that'll be hard to pull off with shredded curtains and kitty litter sticking to the dishes.

Here are the two biggest problems we're having. I realize there are multiple questions here, but any advice is deeply appreciated.

*Kitty litter is everywhere but in the box.
Every time he uses the box, he flails around so violently that bits of litter fly clear across the room. We originally had the litter box in the kitchen, but quickly realized that wouldn't work when litter somehow ended up in our coffee machine. So we moved it into the bathroom, and woke up this morning to find kitty litter on every possible surface: the sink, crusted across the toilet seat, and in the bathtub. It was even in the walls. Is there some reason for this; and better yet, can we make it stop? Will different/better litter help? Should we put more or less litter in the box? Is it in the wrong place?

*He is an architect of destruction.
I don't think the cat will be allowed to watch The Wire on DVD with us anymore, because it clearly gave him the idea to stay up all night, smoke crack and ransack the apartment. He really must sleep all day when we're at work, because at night he is a whirling dervish of activity. He topples over the trash cans and strews the contents around the house, vandalizes the houseplants, and will knock everything possible off of shelves and countertops. I found teeth marks that weren't my own on my toothbrush. He also has figured out how to open drawers, and this morning I woke up to find him sitting inside my nightstand; naturally, all the contents of the drawer were on the floor. We've tried limiting him to only certain sections of the apartment by keeping the doors closed, but we have a small apartment, and boxing him up in small spaces just seems cruel (and seems to make him even more active). Should we keep him closed up in one room anyway, or do I need to start purchasing additional rental insurance?

How do you deal with a squirrely tenant?

dinger — Sat, 09 May 2009 06:39:05 -0800

How do I coax a squirrel out of my fireplace flue? I think he likes it in there. A sqirrel has fallen down the fireplace flue. I've taken off the glass cover of the fireplace, opened all the doors, and left him alone in the room for hours. In the past couple of instances, this has always resulted in the little guy becoming emboldened after about an hour, tentatively inching out of the flue and onto the top of the firebox, then making a sudden break out of the fireplace and straight out the nearby open door.

This guy is different. No matter how long we leave him alone, he just sits in there. Sometimes he makes a few dove-like squirrel sounds, and sometimes he shifts positions, but he ain't leavin'. He isn't hurt, as I can clearly see to confirm there's no blood or other sign of injury, and when we approach he can climb a few inches up the flue by grasping a seam, so I know he hasn't got a leg stuck.

Here's the geometry: it's a gas fireplace insert, with about a two inch space between the top of the firebox and the bottom of the flue. The flue opening is covered by a grate, upon which our little guest is sitting. The grate is a flexible, slotted metal affair, welded on at the back and attached at the front with two sheet metal screws. I've removed the screws, bent the grate down at the front, and wedged a piece of scrap lumber in there to hold it open. So, imagine a squirrel in an inverted, one-gallon paint can, with the lid hinged on one side and open about two inches on the other side. And he just sits on the open lid, refusing to come out.

I know the opening is big enough, because I can see his whole head. He's not full grown, perhaps a yearling gray sqirrel about eight inches long with an eight inch tail. I've placed some peanuts and dry dog food a few inches from the opening, but he doesn't seem hungry enough yet.

Have you ever dealt with this before? What are your ideas about coaxing, or forcing, him out? I should add that I'm unwilling to hurt or destroy the little guy until such time as it appears to be the only humane option to prevent a slow death from starvation and/or dehydration. It appears that could be days off.

Should I go to South Africa to take care of the baby baboons?

Maisie — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 16:48:27 -0800

I am thinking of volunteering at a baboon rescue in South Africa () and am wondering if anyone has any experience/wisdom/whatever to share. Do any MeFites have experience at this particular organization or any like it? If so, what was it like? Would you go back? Is there a better program? Was it a complete nightmare? What should a mildly-adventurous 39-year-old American woman expect? What sorts of things should I take with me?

Also, I've never been to South Africa (or anywhere else in Africa for that matter) and don't know much about it. The website doesn't really say much about the facilities other than noting that it's really humid in the summer and in general they relocate poisonous snakes (!) and ignore the spiders, rats and scorpions (!!!). If I go there, what's the best time of year (1) weatherwise, and (2) when snakes, spiders and scorpions are at a minimum? What other things should I be concerned about? What sort of vaccinations (or whatever) should I make sure I have (I know you're not my doctor)?

Mr. Maisie, my sister and my boss all responded to this notion with stunned silence and then the question about whether this was really such a great idea. Mr. Maisie, who has no interest in going, cautions that South Africa is riddled with crime, but then followed-up that he'd miss me. Is that really so (the crime part, I mean)? I'm worried about taking a leave of absence from my job (I'm a database administrator at a large outsourcing-happy company), but I'm generally well-regarded at work and I don't think I'd have many negative repercussions. But they do love their off shore IT people. Am I on glue and this is obviously the worst idea in the world?

MeFites, let loose with your experiences, thoughts, ideas, concerns, whatever. Thanks in advance!

How do I balance my karma for testing on animals?

sickinthehead — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 09:23:58 -0800

How do I balance my karma for testing on animals? I am working on my PhD in a gene therapy lab. The work involves testing things that I make out on mice. The things I have to do to mice include various injections of stuff (I don't think this hurts them that badly), ear-tagging (haven't been able to bring myself to do this yet, but will have to soon - they squeak when you do this), and eventually sacrificing the mice and harvesting their organs (am putting this off for as long as humanly possible).

I am doing this work for a very good cause, and our lab is able to directly put working reagents into clinical trials for a variety of horrific diseases. So I feel justified that I'm not just using animals to understand physiological responses (which I don't have a moral problem with - it is how we learn) but for direct therapeutic benefit. However, I am still making completely innocent creatures suffer, using my own two hands.

I don't know how to reconcile this. I've always had somewhat buddhistic leanings in life, but I don't ascribe to any religion. I do think that we should do all we can to limit suffering. There are days where I am literally tormented by what I do, and days when I feel so numb to it. I want to reconcile for myself that I am not a bad person for doing what I do to mice.

Any suggestions? Leaving my line of work is not an option - I work in gene therapy because I believe it holds incredible promise for our species. I just hate that I have to use another species to prove that.

The Great (Nameless) Debate

aheckler — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:42:04 -0800

I am currently writing a paper on where to place humankind on the spectrum between God and animals. Is there a commonly-used name for this philosophical topic? Googling around has failed me. Assuming God exists, place him/her/it on one end of a spectrum (with perfect free will, any and all mental faculties, etc.) and animals on the other (no free will, no capabilities for logic, imagination, etc.). Humans are ostensibly somewhere in between.

Is there a name for this question/topic that is commonly used in the realm of philosophy? I'm looking to do some research into previous thinking on this subject.

Farm and dairy tours near NYC

HotPatatta — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 08:33:27 -0800

Where can I go to take a farm tour, pick fruit, or tour a dairy that is within a 2-hour drive of NYC? I want to escape from the city for a day and get a taste of country life. I'd like to visit a dairy and see how cheeses are made, how milk is processed, and maybe even milk a cow. A small farm that's not so mechanized and massive would be ideal. If that's not possible, I want to visit an orchard, berry field, or vegetable farm and pick something. If both of those scenarios aren't possible, is there an animal farm I can visit?

Am I safe to solo camp without a tent?

crazy finger — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 00:02:26 -0800

Solo tent-less camping - safety tips? I'll be doing field surveys in the southwest US: deserts, forests, mountains, usually near water sources. I intend to try going tent-less to save time, weight, etc... but since I'll be all alone and in the middle of nowhere, I'm a little concerned about the possibility of animals wandering into camp.

The reason this comes up, two stories:

1. A friend woke up with a rattlesnake in her bag once (tentless).

2. Another friend, camping in the same region, has often found Mountain Lion tracks near camp in the morning.

So that's all I've got. Two anecdotes that don't sound too frightening, but my bigger concern would be something along the lines of a Mountain Lion coming and snuffing me out in my sleep. Bears aren't a huge concern and I'm not really worried about them anyway, but I suppose if they were hungry and I was asleep... Thoughts?

1st person animal video games

parilous — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 14:38:47 -0800

My niece loves video games like Okami, Spyro, and Dog Island because they let you control an animal as the main character. Recommendations for more games like this? (Wii/PS2, please) She doesn't want just to interact WITH the animal (e.g., pet it, teach it tricks), nor does she want a game where she points at the screen and sends the animal moving around. She actually wants to MOVE the character using a joystick or the nunchuck controller on the Wii. she especially wants games where the main character flies.

In addition to the three mentioned above, she already has these relevant games:
* Jaws
* Bolt
* Godzilla Saves the Earth
* Madagascar 1, 2
* Happy Feet
* The Bee Movie game
* Sea Monsters
* Ratatouille
* Finding Nemo

Are there any others? Thanks!

please translate: bow wow. Meow. Buzz buzz.

grumblebee — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 07:02:45 -0800

Recommend non-fiction books about animals -- books that will blow my mind. I've read Animals in Translation and Animals Make Us Human.