Boomerang pets on the holidays
Ianswer the phone in the clinic in England. ‘‘I’m just ringing to see how my pigeon is?’’ ‘‘I’ll just go and check for you’’. ‘‘No need. I’m looking at her on the other side of the kitchen window.’’
Someone had left the pigeon in the outside dog run that had a gap at the top to the next kennel which had an open door. A bit embarrassing but luckily, there was a happy outcome.
Pigeons are not the only ones who can find their way home over long distances and after a long time away from home. Cats and dogs have an amazing ability to turn up at home again after going missing but sometimes they sadly get lost.
Tuppence is a likeable fluffy moggy whose owners have recently shifted about a kilometre away from their original home. And you guessed it, every second or third day Margaret gets a call to come and collect Tuppence from their original home. Tuppence evidently bowls on in through the cat flap and parks up on the new resident’s lounge suite awaiting the dinner bell.
There are a few suggestions for this problem of the ‘‘boomerang cat’’.
The best thing to do here is to try to break the cycle.
The new residents were asked not to feed Tuppence and call as soon as she appears
She was house-bound for three weeks and fed only at regular times
Her new home was treated with a pheromone spray daily to help her relax
She was also given a short course of anti-anxiety medication to assist in retraining her behaviour and be happy in her new home
But Tuppence is lucky. In the next few weeks we will have lots of calls from distraught owners who have lost their special cat or dog companion. The incidence definitely increases in holiday periods. There are a few reasons for that and we might be able to help you avoid some heartache with a few tips.
Most of us book the larger furry friend in to a dog boarding kennel while we are away for obvious reasons but we often think that the cats will be happier left at home and fed by a friend or neighbour every day. Admittedly, some are but they can also get very unsettled by your absence or their exclusion from inside the house for long periods and end up wandering for longer distances and eventually getting lost or getting picked up by a well-meaning person and claimed as a stray.
Some dogs will become extremely upset if you go away for long periods and if they go missing and are picked up then an ID tag or registration tag and microchip will be the only way to find their owner.
Remember to leave a reliable contact number with the boarding kennels or carer should they become sick.
If you are planing a summer holiday, then book the boarding kennel or cattery now – many are already full!
Here’s a different twist to missing pets. Rachel’s female cat went missing two years ago and one afternoon Rachel arrived home to find a black cat in her drive. She was so excited and called out to (you guessed it) ‘‘Puss’’ and not surprisingly Puss came running and purring. Rachel kept Puss inside for several weeks and fed her until one day she thought she had better get us to check Puss out. I didn’t know how to tell Rachel but I had to – ‘‘Puss’’ wasn’t Puss at all but someone else’s male black cat!
Anderson’s Veterinary Hospitals in Palmerston North, phone 357 9993 for Pitama Rd or 356 9993 for Hokowhitu, open till 7pm Monday to Friday and open Saturday and Sunday.