Background: My mom had asked me to take care of her animals before she passed away last autumn. She had two morbidly obese animals: Hilda, the obese Labrador …and an equally obese Siamese cat. My mother in law has now moved in with us as she continues to have strokes and cannot function fully on her own. She has a miniature pinscher that has moved in as well.
I have had “Spirit”, a sweet golden retriever for a while now, along with two stray cats. That’s way more than I ever wanted, but I now have 3 cats and three dogs in my house. It’s like a petting zoo…totally out of control.
Last night at 3 am, I needed to use the restroom. I get up and in my haze, I forgot that my 11 year old son now has his bed right next to ours since my mother-in-law has taken up residence in his room. I bark my shins on the box spring and belt out an audible grunt. I take two more steps and fall over Hilda’s fat lard rump, flat onto my face. This causes me to emit an even louder "OW!". This was a reactionary, but a big, mistake.
The miniature pinscher begins yipping in decibels akin to a 747 jet engine. This renders Spirit to get excited. She grabs her newest toy: a raccoon that makes this bizarre noise kind of like a bad electrical engine. She is elated that I am up, squeaking her toy, wagging her rump everywhere and giving me “chewies”. At precisely this moment, the three cats in my house…yes, all three…decide it is time to be fed. They all are yowling, racing between my feet and up and down the stairs while the miniature pinscher continues to go ballistic.
I mean…What the heck? Something’s gotta give. I just hope it ain’t my sanity.
I can picture the chaos with your discription. Pets, you gotta love "em, never a dull moment, even at night. We have 3 dogs and we have to shut our bedroom door at night or they all three think they have to sleep with us. (Hope the shins are ok)
Sounds like you have your hands full. It may be more wise to thin the load by finding good homes for some of the animals. Either that or keep them somewhere else at night so they don't get under foot. I do love animals, and I have been buried in cats before. (not mind but a friend...she had 9 cats at one time, a mother cat, her year old son she couldn't find a home for, plus a litter of 7 kittens waiting to be homed). I spent the night over on the couch, woke up feeling quite hot and stiffled..to see I had a 'fur coat' on...every cat was sleeping on me, I couldn't move as i din't want to toss a cat to the floor.
If you can't bare to part with any of your animals, which is perfectly understandable...I still miss pets I had to rehomed 10 or more years ago due to various reasons, mostly moving to a place that didn't allow pets. One thing you could try is kennel train the dogs. They do like having their own 'den'...even if you keep the doors open but if they grow to enjoy sleeping in the kennel, (aka carrying case doubling as a kennel) most dogs can be trained to stay in them throughout the night. It will help prevent tripping over them when you have to get up at night.
The two obese dogs.. diet and exercise to get them down to weight. May be an idea to feed the cats and the slimmer dogs in another room, so the fat dogs don't eat their food. No 'treats'. (I have heard and seen many dogs enjoy icecubes as a treat, especially when its hot. Great cheap and healthy treat for them ) Talk to your vet about a good healthy diet for these dogs. I am sure you want them healthy and with you with as little health issues as possible, as long as possible Inshalla.
Pets can be a great blessing and I love all living things...there's just too many of them right now.
The lab has made excellent progress in her weight loss program and has finally come to the realization that she cannot bark at me and get fed on her whim. In addition, her food (diet) is rationed meagerly. It was an emotional trial for her to transfer from living with Mom, who baby-talked her and poured bacon drippings over her dog food (gross...even for non-Muslims) to living under my regime. She was a spoiled brag...that's what happened when you take a hunting dog and try to turn it into a lap dog. I'll bet she's never retrieved a thing in her LIFE.
I've thought very hard about getting rid of Mom's pets, but I just cannot. Going back on death- bed promises cannot be spiritually healthy.
I can picture the chaos with your discription. Pets, you gotta love "em, never a dull moment, even at night. We have 3 dogs and we have to shut our bedroom door at night or they all three think they have to sleep with us. (Hope the shins are ok)
Dear sister,
Keeping dogs in your house is not allowed in Islaam.
Narrated Abu Talha:
The Prophet said, "Angels do not enter a house which has either a dog or a picture in it." [Sahih Bukhari, Book #54, Hadith #539]
“Indeed the patient will be given their reward without account.” :love: { Qur’aan, Chapter 39, Verse 10 }
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) Talk to your vet about a good healthy diet for these dogs. I am sure you want them healthy and with you with as little health issues as possible, as long as possible Inshalla.
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