‘I think the begging has increased.’ Pets are helping us during the pandemic
Cal the French Bulldog likes having his humans home full-time and the extra walks that come with it.
He could do without the increased visits from delivery drivers.
Amazon. UPS. FedEx.
“He hates them all,” owner Alexa Nathan said from their DuPont home.
Cal is one of the many Pierce County pets providing comfort and shenanigans during the pandemic.
“He gets us up off the couch,” Nathan said. “He gets us outside more than we ever would if it was just the two of us.”
The 29-year-old was furloughed recently from her job as a daycare teacher, and her husband is able to work remotely.
“They do have to be in separate rooms, or Cal would constantly be dropping a ball at my husband’s feet, wanting him to play,” Nathan said.
Their new routine means Cal knows when his humans put their shoes on that it’s time for one of his twice daily hour-long walks or for a trip to the Starbucks drive-thru for a puppuccino.
The 16-month-old pup “runs frantically around the house like it’s the best day of his life,” Nathan said.
They plan to start leaving him at home on occasion when they run errands, though. If they don’t, they’re concerned Cal will have separation anxiety when they return to work and he no longer has them around 24/7.
“It’s really fun to take Cal and he loves being in the car, but for his benefit we probably need to start leaving him alone so he can get used to that again.”
For now, they’ve been using their extra time together to work on obedience training and some tricks.
Cal has learned how to high five and to sit at doors before his humans open them for him.
And he’s been enjoying some extra treats.
“I think the begging has increased,” Nathan said. “Those puppy dog eyes we can’t really say no to.”
They have been enforcing social distancing by avoiding the dog park in recent weeks, though.
“He knows where it is, and he tries to drag us down the street to get there,” she said. “He misses his dog friends.”
He’s been keeping in touch with his human buddies online.
“He has joined in on pretty much every single call,” Nathan said. “The family really wants to know how he is doing.”
They had a virtual Seder this year. Cal made an appearance for about half of it, she said.
Kona the cat
Kona the cat is also a big fan of video meetings.
He’s been very interested in owner Sandy Benson’s Zoom calls at their Tacoma home.
When the 65-year-old psychologist has video meetings with colleagues, the 10-year-old black-and-white domestic long hair jumps on her lap and watches everyone talking.
“He runs whenever I have people come over to my house and hides,” she said. “But he finds something fascinating about Zoom meetings. ... I’m not sure if it’s the voices or seeing people moving around on my Zoom screen, or having him watch me talk to people.”
Kona is serious about taking lunch breaks, though.
“He’s used to eating two meals a day, but now that I’m home and eating lunch, he thinks that he should eat lunch also,” Benson said. “He will stand by his food dish and meow until I feed him something.”
When they’re not on Zoom or having lunch together, they’ve been playing fetch and other games, she said.
“It’s nice to have a distraction and to think about somebody else or something else,” Benson said. “And Kona likes to play a lot. He likes to play chase, he likes to play hide and seek, so there’s always a distraction.”
Merlin Gray Paw
Merlin Gray Paw, another Tacoma cat, has been perhaps too much of a distraction lately.
Owner Elizabeth Simchen, 38, said the 7-year-old gray short hair kitty has been climbing on the computer while her five children have been trying to do distance learning.
Merlin also has been enjoying sitting in the windows, which are open more often now that his family is home during the day. That led to minor chaos last week.
“He decided to capture a bird and try to bring it in through the window,” she said.
Her 17-year-old daughter managed to toss him outside. Undeterred, Merlin returned with his catch. The teenager grabbed him again, and this time the bird flew off.
“I’m glad she got him outside before the bird was set loose in my house,” Simchen said.
They also have a 90-pound Border Collie mix named Trooper, and a 12-pound mix-breed rescue named Lucky.
The dogs seem to be getting into less trouble with the extra supervision.
“They’re probably behaving a little better, because they don’t have the option of getting into the trash and doing some of the other naughty things they might do,” Simchen said.
The pets always have been a source of comfort for the family and are especially so now.
“It breaks up the monotony sometimes of just being home,” she said. “And you know, especially my younger kids have a lot of concerns with the virus, so there’s nothing more stress-relieving, I think, than just petting a cat or hugging a dog.”
Tuxedo kitties
Jenn Haberman’s tuxedo kitties, Sophie and Wendy, have been helping with stress at their Tacoma home.
The 30-year-old said it’s been interesting to spend time watching them interact with her brother’s tabby, Crash.
Crash is bigger, but he’s not in charge.
“He’s a big chicken,” she said.
Wendy, in particular, has been constantly sitting in Haberman’s lap and sometimes hisses if she tries to move.
She’s been knitting and crocheting recently, and the cats don’t seem to appreciate when a project monopolizes her lap.
Sometimes, possibly as retribution, they get into her supplies.
“They’ll just be yarn madness everywhere,” Haberman said.
Occasionally they make a dash for the door when Haberman opens it, and she wonders if the cats are feeling a bit cooped up.
They’re not alone.
This story was originally published May 3, 2020 at 8:00 AM.
