Resourcefulness with Your Supplies

Over the past week, my fiancee and I attempted to take in a stray cat. We’ve talked about getting a cat for awhile, and our only qualms were wondering how the dog would handle a new animal in the house, especially a species he hasn’t been around much before.

While we gave it an honest shot with a lot of patience and correcting and watchfulness, we ended up realizing that the cat was too feral at times, which affected our own safety and comfort in our own home. Not only that, but the dog was entirely too obsessive over the cat, which affected his own daily schedule, from losing sleep to becoming disinterested in his food and treats. Though my fiancee was quite upset about it, she knew that it was better for all 4 of us to surrender the cat to an animal care facility in town.

I feel like we learned a lot about ourselves and our dog in the process of trying this out. More than anything, we’ve realized that we need to devote more time to our dog, whether that’s for his health or behavior or just happiness all around. I began to understand how much I appreciate his calmness in our home, so it made me want to work at being there for him more often, whether it’s taking him on runs with me, spending 15 minutes a day just talking to him down on his level, or just rewarding him with small treats more often when he displays good behavior.

We also realized how resourceful we could be in a pinch. There were a lot of supplies we didn’t grab for the cat when we first got her, such as a place to sleep or toys to play with. Luckily, we had a bunch of shipping supplies like cardboard boxes and labeling tape laying around, which served to solve these two problems (bedding and toys) extremely well.

For example, we made a small bed for the cat by using the cardboard box and putting a small blanket in it to line the bottom. She slept in this box every night we had her, which made us feel a lot better about her comfort in our home. In addition, we used the labeling tape to play with her at times since she would get a kick out of the tape being on her paws. Who would’ve ever guessed that mere shipping supplies could do so much in keeping a cat entertained and comfortable?