The Adventures of Cat Meets Dog!

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Just days into a two-week business trip, it was clear I had to replace my husband as Chief Mouser Officer for the household with a cat.  The night before leaving, I had the pleasure of seeing two mice run in my hallway within hours of each other...And we all know if you "see" two you likely have dozens.   To spare my husband the stress of seeing dead mice strapped to guillotine-like contraptions, I set some spin traps that capture the disgusting little critters in a concealed box.   And off I went to Chicago and NY.  Nightly I texted home for an update on Project Rodent Removal.  And this is how it went:

Jeanette:    Dear John,  Did you catch any mice tonight?

John:          Dear Jeanette, They left a note asking for Nutella.

It was this very moment that I decided with no turning back I was getting a cat even though I knew nothing about cats, didn't really want one, and could be allergic to one.  And that is exactly what I did.  

On October 30, I brought home a beautiful white cat from the Eagle Valley Humane Society that actually chose me and my daughters, like pets do.  She saw us at the shelter and knew we were for her.  All the other cats stayed snoozing or stealthing around, but she came to the people area, waited, meowed, and tried to climb the fence to get to us when we took too long to get to her. 

Artemis Taking Over the
Former Dog Bed
(Select beds now 50% off at
these PetSmart.com links.)

 So that was it.  We had our cat, and new Chief Mouser Officer for the McMurtry Household.  Her name?   Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt.  

The fun was just beginning as now, we had the daunting task of introducing Cat to Dogs!

Here are some tips provided by the Humane Society and a few others:

1.  Introduce the cat in a crate before giving them access to each other.  This way they can get used to the fact that other exists, stare, bark and hiss at each other with no real threat.  In time they will get used to each other and be calm.  Per the photo, this is AJ and Artemis have a staring contest.  AJ won as she stared for almost an hour before I made her leave.
Artemis slept through at least half of it. 

2.  Let the dog and cat take turns staying locked up in a room while the other roams freely and sniffs the other's scent throughout the house.  You can also wipe each pet down with a cloth and put the cloth in the opposing pet's bed so they get used to each other's scent as a friendly odor vs. an enemy warning.

3. Gradually introduce in open space at the time, with one pet being held on a leash or in your arms, and the other free, then vice versa.

If the above fails, hire a pet therapist!

Abrial is a sweet, calm, young cat.
Perfect for any family.

Please help other pets find forever homes!  Link to PetSmart.com from this site.  

All proceeds credited to this site will be donated to the Eagle Valley Humane Society!  



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Introducing Ruling Cats and Dogs - Lessons On World Peace from Raising Cats and Dogs

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Rescuing Cats and Dogs 

With all alive to Talk, Bark and Hiss About It

I hate mice.  And I thought I didn’t like cats either.  But after seeing two mice in my basement in one day, and dealing with droppings and such for years, I came to the conclusion that I hated mice more than I didn’t like cats, and thus this story begins.

My "Rescue" Pets 

When I got married, I was relieved to have someone else around to deal with rodents in the house.  The one catch was that I married a man who had a pet mouse as a child, still thinks they are cute, and holds tight to the notion that each mouse is somebody’s baby (forgetting that mice actually eat their young).   

So after going through several failed pest control attempts, and watching the mice multiply under my husband’s reign as Chief Mouser Officer, it was time to take drastic measures.  GET A CAT!

And that I did on October 30, the day after returning from two weeks of business travel during which my husband allowed the mice to eat free peanut butter on unset traps, and multiply daily.  When I texted about his mice trapping success, I got replies like "They left a note asking for Nutella."  So I took matters into my own hands and adopted a cat, aptly named "Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt," the day I returned home. So far its all good, and quite frankly, a story worth sharing. thus this blog.

This blog is about the heart-warming adventures and love gained from rescuing a cat from the Humane Society to join my family of dogs, resulting lessons we humans can take to heart, and to inspire others to adopt rescue pets, share our stories, and raise funds for pet adoption services.  Please follow this blog for:

• Parenting tips for blended families, rescue guidance, and other pet raising advice 
• Sharing stories and suggestions with others to enhance the journey for all involved
• Helping raise funds for animals waiting to rescue humans who will gain so much from them!  

Bee Bunny, a fun, spunky and affectionate
cat is looking for a home at EVHS.  Go meet her today!

If you are a pet owner and purchase supplies online, please link to Petsmart.com through this blog so I can donate proceeds to the Humane Society that needs help funding its no-kill shelters.  (Same prices, same loyalty points, and discounts as going to Petsmart.com directly) 

Enjoy my story on rescuing dogs and "the cat," life lessons learned, and the great insights provided me by my Facebook friends giving me advice on introducing three wonderful pets that really rescued me, PepperJack the Big Cheese; AJ, the High Maintenance Poodle; and Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt! 

And please, help me help pets looking for homes. When you click on the PetSmart links in this blog, and make a purchase, I will donate proceeds credited to this blog to the Eagle Valley Humane Society.  These animals need our help so they can stay in foster homes and shelters as long as it takes to find a loving human!  

Come back often for updates and tips! And please share this link with other animal lovers that might benefit from this information, and want to help with donations via linked PetSmart purchases. 

Oh, and by the way, I do love my cat!  If I wasn't sane (at least by my terms), I'd adopt all 20 at the shelter today!

Shine on!

Jeanette McMurtry

Human to Jack, a border collie/heeler, AJ, a poodle and Artemis, the cat