"Service" cats?

[cusyl]

My mother has sleep apnea. Using a cpap mask unfortunately would not work for her; it brings her bad memories from during WWII when they practised drills in her classroom where they had to crouch under their desks during air raid sirens and put on masks. She cannot stand anything over her face when she sleeps, and this became painfully apparent following her hip surgery in December after which DH and I spent the entire night trying to keep her oxygen mask on her face while she was thrashing around trying to remove it. You would be amazed the strength a 78-year-old frail widow has under the influence of anesthesia!

That must just be terrible for her. Please ask her to try the nose pillows, no mask on the face.

[kstmbjm]

It's natural to be curious, but I can not believe the gall of some of the people who have written in this thread. If you're curious about the issue of "cats as service animals" then use google.

 

It's so incredibly insensitive to discuss in an open forum whether or not someone should be allowed to bring their service animal onboard, whether or not the person "really needs" the animal, or to tell the original poster that her service animal is not needed in favor of a CPAP machine.

 

IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS! I'm sure the poster worked with her doctor to find the best option for her. To the nurse who posted that the services animal probably wasn't really needed (really??? how much information do you have on which to base that decision???) your compassion is just overwhelming.

[chees]

For cat lovers, this is the ultimate!

 

 

This type of behavior generally results in the cat jumping the other cat and someone getting hurt. NOT for cat lovers!

 

Tina

[chees]

Not to hijack this thread - it is a very interesting discussion on serivce animals - but...

I had never heard of this breed before this thread, so I Googled. I thought these were some of the prettiest cats I have ever seen. I made the mistake of showing pics to my DW, she loved them and wanted to know how far we had to go to get one. If I had only said something like "California" that would have been the end of it. But no, being the honest man I am, I said I had noticed an ad by a breeder in the local paper. In about 30 sec her cell phone was thrust into my hand and she was demanding I call. Needless to say - less than 24 hours after that call - we are now the proud owners of a marbled Bengal (it is hard to tell right now, but he should be a silver - the breeder originally registered him as a brown but said he is showing more silver now), just over 3 months old. He (now known as Gandalf) is a very lovable and snuggly kitten, who likes to play "attack the toes" at 1 AM. Our kids adore him.

Here is Gandalf on the breeder's web site:

http://www.sumatrabengals.com/page/page/5919158.htm

Thank you to the Bengal owners here who told all of us about this very interesting breed.

 

Congrats on Gandalf! Of course, we already have 7 indoor cats and 5 outdoor cats (all rescues) so my husband would kill me if I got another cat!

 

Oh - and two rescue doves AND a dog from German Shepherd Rescue.

 

Tina

[snowcat]

This is a fascinating thread! (I had to move the cat off my arm to type my response). I for one would love to be at a dining table with fellow passenger and his/her service cat...I had no idea that cats could be service animals! Have a great cruise!

[gooselace]

It's natural to be curious, but I can not believe the gall of some of the people who have written in this thread. If you're curious about the issue of "cats as service animals" then use google.

 

It's so incredibly insensitive to discuss in an open forum whether or not someone should be allowed to bring their service animal onboard, whether or not the person "really needs" the animal, or to tell the original poster that her service animal is not needed in favor of a CPAP machine.

 

IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS! I'm sure the poster worked with her doctor to find the best option for her. To the nurse who posted that the services animal probably wasn't really needed (really??? how much information do you have on which to base that decision???) your compassion is just overwhelming.

 

I understand the curiousity, but agree it's none of our business why the OP has a service cat. On one of my Westerdam cruises, we often saw a woman with a very small dog that she brought to the dining room in what looked like a doll carriage. She had a table near the door and parked the carriage, out of the way, but very near her. The carriage had a sign with the dog's name and picture and identifying it as a Service Dog. I know many people, myself included, must have wondered what kind of service such a small dog could provide, but I would never have asked.

 

Unknown to me, she had the connecting cabin next to ours and one morning when she heard us out on the veranda she called over hers to ask whether we had heard the dog barking in the night. We hadn't, but she went on to explain that the dog could tell when she was about the have an epileptic seizure, and would bark so she could take some form of meds or treatment that would avert the seizure.

 

This was in the Carribean, where some/most ports didn't allow service animals, and she was afraid to go without the dog, so she she stayed onboard. The condition must have been serious.

 

A blind friend has a Service Dog and because she was thinking of cruising with me sometime, I looked up HAL's requirements and provisions for service animals, such as special out of the way potty facilities. The dog is so well trained and so well behaved that sometimes I forget she is with us. In restaurants, at various social functions, and in my car she lies at the owner's feet and never makes a sound. At the pool, she sits by the side of the pool and is as watchful as the lifeguards. She has made a world of difference in this friend's ability to be active and independent.

[fcorey]

heathriel, I wish you the best of luck with your situation. There may be cases where someone abuses ADA and attempts to pass off the family pet as a service dog. My wife has someone that comes into her workplace with a dog which is very clearly not a trained service animal but they just ignore it. Its not worth possibility of violating ADA. However such cases are clearly the minority. My neighbor raises dogs for guiding eyes for the blind. They are amazing animals, we were at a festival over the weekend and at least 50 people approached him asking to pet the adorable lab puppy he is working with now and he patiently explains no they cannot, that he is working and training and that is why he is wearing his little vest. Bill is a very tall older gentleman and some may say he is intimidating in appearance, but to watch him explain about service animals to people, especially children, is amazing. At one point he had 5 kids sitting on the ground next to the dog asking all sorts of questions about guide dogs.

 

Most people are good about it. Some not so much... but thats their problem.

 

As for hypoallergenic , its really a matter of degrees. Personally I have had issues with all cats including bengals (my grandmother had one, and they are awesome pets so I can see how they would make a good service animal) , but I would never pitch a fit over someone having a service animal and would welcome them as tablemates.

 

If he's a service animal and you need him with you, bring him and have a wonderful time. I hope you can get the logistical issues worked out.