Chew on This

Greetings all! I hope everyone is doing well and taking care of yourselves and your neighbors. I hope your Easter celebrations brought you joy. It is hard being apart from our loved ones, but hopefully we will all be together again soon. Being healthy is the most important thing.

I don’t understand much about this pandemic and my mom and dad keep up to date with the latest news, but they don’t have the TV on all day. My mom is working from home, my dad is retired, and my human sister and brother are here. The house is full and I am really enjoying it; except for one thing. My human brother Liam brought his cat with him. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about that. Our other two cats have finally relaxed and they seem to be getting along. It took a few days, but the dust has settled. This new kitty apparently has never seen birds before and it is pretty funny to watch him at the window where the bird feeders are.

Our other cats are older and sleep a lot. This guy is young and into everything. I think he sleeps five minutes a day, and on a good day, six. Boo is really happy to have everyone home, as it means more food dropped on the floor. Liam loves to cook and tends to make a bit of a mess. We have been going for lots of walks. It has been interesting, with some nice sunny days and some rainy, cold ones. This latest snowstorm was really something. We lost power for a day and a half. Lots of people still don’t have power back. We sometimes see the CMP trucks while we are out walking. Those guys sure do work hard. Please be well, look out for your neighbors; let’s take care of each other. There are lots of good people out there!

Let’s move on to our first letter from a local reader. This is from Lumpy from Wells.

Dear Chunk,

I am writing with a bit of a dilemma. My human brother has moved back home, and while it is so awesome to see him, he brought home his grumpy old cat with him. This cat is out to get me. He swats at me when I walk by and hisses at me. I feel like a prisoner in my own home. We have our own kitty here and she and I get along great just like we have for a long time. Do you have any tips for me? I hope you and your family are well.

Thanks pal, love your column,

Lumpy

Dear Lumpy,

Oh wow, I understand! I am currently going through the same thing. My human brother Liam is staying with us during this COVID-19 pandemic. I think the first thing to do is understand that cats are territorial by nature and here he is, thrown into a situation that he has no control over. He is probably pretty scared and needs time to adjust. I say this because we went through the same thing with Liam’s kitty. It took a few days and I got my nose swiped at a bit, and the hissing and growling were a pain. I am used to our two cats who are older and sleep a lot, then along comes this whirlwind who is chasing things, knocking things off the counters, jumping at the window when he sees the birds. He is actually quite entertaining. Hold your ground my friend, this too shall pass. Don’t take it personally and try and remember what it was like when you and your kitty sibling first met. It will work out. You could offer to share some of your treats, but I don’t know if I would go that far. Hang in friend, you’ve got this!

Peace and love,

Chunk

Next is a letter from Mort, aka Mortimer Von Shminkle, the amazing wonder dog from Waterville.

Dear Chunk,

I am a bit of an older guy, been around the block a time or two, if you catch my drift. At this age, that is about all I am catching these days. My situation is a little embarrassing, but I understand that mine is not unusual. I have a big skin tag on my side. It started out small and has gotten to be about the size of a cotton ball. It doesn’t hurt at all, but it looks weird. My mom tied a piece of dental floss around it in hopes it would shrivel up and fall off; it was her grandmother’s tried-and-true method, she calls it. Well, it is still here and I heard my mom say I may have to go to the vet to have it removed, which sounds like something I very much do not want to do. Do you have any advice on this one?

Love your column, man.

Hugs,

Mort

Hello Mort!

Well, I am glad to hear from you, and I totally get what you are saying, because I also am a bit of an older guy and have a large skin tag! It is on my leg/elbow area. It also started out small and now it is the size of a golf ball. I was scheduled to have it removed last month, but with the COVID-19 virus, that is on hold. I can’t say I am disappointed. It is weird looking, but from what our most awesome vet, Dr. Trafton said, it’s pretty common. I think the toughest part of having it removed will be having to wear the good old “happy collar” (or the “cone of shame” as some others call it) afterwards. Don’t lick at it, that is a definite no-no; my mom freaks out when I do that. Yikes, I wonder what dogs did before all this vet business, or what coyotes in the wild do. Don’t worry, Mort! We will get through this together!

Please keep me posted on how you are doing my friend.

Peace and Love,

Chunk

Thank you, fur pals, for reading my advice column and for writing in with your questions. This week I would like to dedicate this column to a friend of my mom’s. King Louie, aka Louie from Wiscasset, passed away last month. My mom said he was a really sweet and very cool dog. She liked him a lot. His family is really, really sad. I am sending a whole bunch of really big hugs their way!

(Chunk is a therapy dog who lives with his mom and dad, Linda and Ed, another dog, and two cats in Bristol.)