When Ivy first met Totto, she described it as the “first blessing” in her life.
Her previous job as a preschool principal had been an incredibly stressful experience. When Totto came into her life and was subsequently brought into her care, her presence took Ivy away from her job. Taking care of Totto helped to alleviate the stress she felt during work. Playing with Totto also gave her the work-life balance she desperately needed.
Photo Credit: Instagram @totto_maltipoo
The joy she received from having Totto around her inspired her to start a pay-it-forward program, one that was intended to support any, if not all, paw-parents out there.
It first begins via Totto’s Instagram account. Through there, Ivy has been able to meet lots of Singaporean pet owners. Their joy and eagerness to talk about their furkids motivate Ivy to care for them too. In the event she notices something amiss e.g a furkid has fallen ill, she reaches out to them to render support, and perhaps offer a little gift as an encouragement.
She also offers support inspired by Totto’s quirks. For instance, she notes that Totto is a fussy eater. Hence, for pet owners whose furkids may equally be as fussy, she is also willing to share samples for products that are “Totto-approved”. “Most importantly,” she tells us, “I ensure [the furkids] are not allergic to the said product before I offer them to their owners!”
Photo Credit: Instagram @totto_maltipoo
Her contagious sense of generosity is not left unacknowledged by the larger Singaporean pet community. In the case of @cottonsim_themaltipoo, their paw-mum has kindly adopted Ivy’s ‘Pay-it-forward’ program as a means to show her gratitude and thanks to Ivy who had helped her through difficult times. Ivy had been by her side when Cotton suffered from a bowel obstruction. As such, the two have remained close friends and continue to spread love with the program.
Yet, Ivy’s spirit of giving doesn’t stop there.
She also helps to collect donations for various charities or non-profit organisations such as Mdm Wong’s dog shelter. Encouraged by her friend, @mocha.mamashop, Ivy produced over 50 D-I-Y bows and bandanas which were sold to the pet community. Her hard work earned over >$1k in donations and profit, all of which was given to Mdm Wong.
Photo Credit: Instagram @totto_maltipoo
She also helped to promote and generate awareness for Dada, a Singaporean special. Dada had been injured and disabled due to lack of proper treatment as a stray. His new paw-mum met Ivy through a giveaway application. From there, Ivy had been touched by Dada’s story and wanted more people to know about it. Leveraging the power of social media, Ivy boosted Dada’s plight on Totto’s Instagram, which resulted in a mass number of followers almost overnight. Though Dada has since passed, his paw-mum continues to share his story, creating art through commissions, and donating to dog shelters as a way of remembering him.
Photo Credit: Instagram @dada.the.brave . Image features Totto (top right), Dada (left) and their friend, Pony (center)
Despite the positive impacts she has done on the pet community, Ivy remains humble and down to earth. When questioned about the expenses incurred as a result of her munificence, she informs us, “It is nothing compared to what I reap in the process. I am so grateful to all these pet owners who have given me a chance to step into their lives. I am more than blessed to continue what I am doing”.
Perhaps, these pet owners are blessed too, to have met her.
Check out Ivy and Totto’s Instagram account. Her encounters with pet owners via her ‘Pay-it-forward’ program can be found in a highlight reel titled ‘My Vision’.
Let us know what you think about Ivy’s generosity. In the meantime, remember to cherish your blessings, and pay it forward.
This article is an expansion of Iris’ submission for Pawjourr’s #WhatsYourReality campaign. We recommend reading her original submission before proceeding with the article [link].
Pet ownership is a difficult journey, but its challenges can be exacerbated by family members who are not understanding of your pet’s needs.
For Iris, she experienced this first hand when she invited a new family member into her home, someone who took an immediate disinterest in her cat, Kitty.
We reached out to Iris to know more about her struggles in maintaining relationships with her family while continuing to pursue her responsibilities in pet ownership.
We hope that through her story, we will be able to raise awareness of the importance of acknowledging pets as family members and cultivate a greater understanding between pet and non-pet owners.
1. Tell us more about your relationship with Kitty, and why you chose to adopt her.
We found Kitty as a stray kitten living near a void deck in Woodlands. The mother cat could not be seen anywhere near the area, so I took her in and brought her to the vet because I felt it was dangerous for such a tiny kitten to be roaming around alone!
Initially, I was just fostering her – I kept her in an old cage that I had for my guinea pig since she was so small! Even smaller than a guinea pig!
She was estimated to be about 3-4 weeks old at the time. I was looking for an adopter, but after a month of fostering her, I could not bear to let her go and decided to keep her. I had to convince and show my dad that I could take good care of her. He eventually agreed. I think she secretly had grown on him too!
2. What are the common misconceptions non-pet owners have about animals?
Non-pet owners that I have come across so far seem to think that pets/animals are just animals – and that they are of a “lower class” than humans. Another misconception is that animals are “dirty” and especially for cats – they are stereotyped as destroyers of furniture.
3. Why do you think it is important to treat your pets like family members?
Pets, just like any other human, have feelings!
Hence, they deserve equal care and love just like any human being. It is really important to make sure that pets are well-loved and well taken care of, as they will learn to reciprocate the love they feel. Plus, their love is unconditional.
Treating pets like our family members also has a positive effect on us humans, because they can help to reduce our stress and cheer us up when we’re down. After a long day at work, nothing that feels better than giving my cats a big hug. Plus point is definitely when they start purring on me 🙂
4. How can non-pet owners show respect and understanding towards pets, and pet owners in general?
Have sensitivity and if there is nothing good to say, just don’t say it.
If a non-pet owner is someone who feels strongly against animals, he/she can choose not to visit a pet owner’s house to minimise interaction with the animals – you can always meet outside (although not so much during P2HA!).
From my experience, I’ve actually been really lucky and managed to “convert” some of my friends who were scared of animals into being less scared of animals, just by simply letting them be around the cats. Being exposed to pets and animals in general in a safe environment helps non-pet owners understand that there really is much to love about pets!
5. I understand you moved shortly after submitting the story. How has Kitty adapted to the new home, and has there been improvements with regards to your relationship with the family member?
Kitty has adapted amazingly to the new home! We moved in just at the start of the first P2HA so that gave us a lot of time to be at home with Kitty and her siblings, Munchie & Floofy, monitoring them and making sure that they are comfortable and happy.
Kitty, being the oldest, took slightly longer than Munchie to adjust to the new environment, but she soon found and claimed her spots in the house and now she is very at ease in the new home.
Unfortunately, that family member has not come to visit us, partially due to the current regulations, and partially because we are unsure of how they would react to seeing Kitty again. Despite her, the rest of the family have also come to visit because they’ve missed the cats and it’s quite obvious that the cats miss them too!
Taking the cats out of the picture, our personal relationship with that particular family member has definitely improved since moving out. We are hoping that in time, the family member will grow to be more comfortable around the cats.
But for now, we’ll likely stick to meeting outside first!
Iris is not alone in facing such challenges. If you have faced a similar situation, let us know how you overcame it.
Do share with us your thoughts on the common misconceptions between pet and non-pet owners as well!
Thank you to Iris for sharing her story. Read her original submission to our #WhatsYourReality campaign here.
Have you ever thought about owning 10 cats, all of which are of different breeds, in the house?
Some common questions we always get include: Will they quarrel among themselves? How does it affect the house odour?
These are the most challenging part for pet owners who are new and inexperienced in handling house animals. Most cat owners in Singapore adopt 2 to 3 cats per house which are already considered difficult to manage. Many find it hard to juggle time for themselves as well as the cats.
The full Twinkle Babies family — as pictured on Instagram @loudtwinklebaby
For us, we never thought of owning such a big cat family. Rather, it all started when our very first cat encountered a terrible accident and died. For that, we could not forgive ourselves. At a first glance, owning a cat might appear all cute and cuddly. However, from our experience as the Twinkle Furmilies, we have grown to understand that there is more to it than just taking care of a cuddly little furry. The most challenging part as a cat owner is that we cannot control them like how we want to control a hooman. They are just unpredictable.
Sofe, Sofena and Sofea Lavender — as pictured on Instagram@loudtwinklebaby
Managing their Behaviours
As cat parents, we would likely understand the characteristics of our own cats in terms of their food, behaviour and affections towards others. They would fight and could possibly tear the house mercilessly down through their combined paw force. I can recall countless broken vases, destroyed sofas and incessant scratches on the wall which really tested our patience. We had to face that every single day and it eventually became a routine that we had to deal with.
Sofea Lavender plays with the dustbin — as pictured on Instagram @loudtwinklebaby
During the day, it is rare to see them active as they usually sleep in their comfortable areas and never wake up till the sunset. Once they do, they will start their ferocious engines and run around the house as though they are Olympic competitors. During the night, they will begin to hunt, and that is when you will see countless cockroaches and lizards who have lost their heads, tails and even half their bodies. Honestly, that is how we saved our money from buying insecticide spray. Due to the cats’ activity, our house has the best pest control service. Definitely an advantage to having cats in the house!
However, having cats at home also requires a lot of responsibility. We need to put aside a lot of things such as their expenses for needs such as food, hospital bills and as well catering to their environment. Among the Twinkle Babies, Mutiara (Persian) is the pickiest, prompting us to call her ‘The Selfish Queen”.
Mutiara — as pictured on Instagram @loudtwinklebaby
She is adorable yet requires a lot of high maintenance due to her behaviour (not her breed!). We spend about $40+ for her dry food alone. This is excluding expenses for her treats and wet food. Plus, Mutiara never shares. If she has to, she will not eat for several days after.
Elysya — as pictured on Instagram @loudtwinklebaby
Moreover, we also need to prepare medical bills for Elysya(DSH) the “Sensitive Skin Queen”. All of her shampoos are prescribed specially by the vet which can cost us upwards of $300+. This can include prescribed lotions, sensitive powders etc.
Facing Exhaustion
Photo Credit: Instagram @loudtwinklebaby
Raising 10 cats could be very exhausting.
Especially so if we happen to be rushing to finish work and the Twinkle Babies decided to be busy in their litter box one-by-one. It could take up to15-20 minutes before the last kitty finishes their business so we might find ourselves waiting in front of the litter box just to clean up their mess and clean them up.
“Cat Jealousy”
It may sound ridiculous but cats do have strong feelings especially if they are aware of a newcomer around them. Feelings of being ignored and insecurity can be shown. They might express this by biting, or sometimes even ignore you. Some might not even eat for several days. Our advice is to not worry! No matter how much they sulk amongst themselves, their only weakness is food especially treats.
Photo Credit: Instagram @loudtwinklebaby
Having said that– They might quarrel, growl at each other non-stop, but in nature, they actually have this soft instinct of loving each other. Some might think that animals have no sense especially in terms of looking out for one another and we totally disagree! Despite all the hard times endured when we are trying to get them to bond for the first time whenever one of them is in trouble, the others will automatically try to help and save them.
Photo Credit: Instagram @loudtwinklebaby
It truly touches our hearts to see that they care for each other no matter the breed differences. Despite the common belief that different breeds are not suitable to be together, we think it simply means that takes a lot of time and patience to bond them together.
In conclusion, we faced many hard times but never once did we think that they are a burden to us. For us, they are our family and even though it might take up a lot of our energy and finances, they are also the one who brightens up our day.
With working from home restrictions slowly easing, pets raised during the pandemic may grow to develop separation anxiety once their owner is out of their line of sight.
In order to help pawrents whose dogs may suffer from separation anxiety, Team #TWA has reached out to QiuLi, AKA @taroandtoastie, to learn more about what it entails.
Read on to learn about QiuLi’s experience with crate training, and how Taro’s separation anxiety has since improved.
Experience with Crate Training
Hello! Tell us more about your relationship with Taro.
Hello! Taro is my first dog and I’m mainly the one feeding, training and playing with him that’s why he is very attached to me.
Credits: QiuLi and Taro
Being a first-time dog owner, I didn’t know much about dog training. At 3 months old, Taro was a little terror. He showcased slight aggression when handling, a tendency for resource guarding and kept chewing on things he’s not allowed to.
It definitely wasn’t what I thought having a dog would be like. But since working with him on setting structure and boundaries, our relationship definitely grew stronger and he is able to understand what is most expected of him.
What is separation anxiety and how does it affect your daily life with Taro?
I think Separation Anxiety in dogs is characterised by their inability to cope when left alone.
They would get stressed and start to whine, bark, howl, pace around. They just can’t seem to lie down and settle. If left to roam freely, they might even display destructive behaviours or have indoor accidents despite being potty trained.
As I work from home most of the time, Taro had always been by my side and follows me wherever I go into the house. He is only able to nap during the day if I am nearby or within his line of sight. Thus it became quite stressful, especially on days that I am heading out because he would whine the moment I accessed my closet.
If he’s allowed to free roam, he will obsessively follow me everywhere and start pacing around because he’s either excited that we’re heading out or panicking that I’m leaving him at home. I used to arrange for someone at home to accompany him but he refused to engage with family members either. He would just wait for me to come back and that’s when I realized I needed to do something to boost his independence and to have a healthier state of mind.
Bring us through a day of training with Taro.
Taro was crate trained since the day we brought him home. He is able to sleep overnight and nap during the day in the crate in the day but once he is awake he whines and barks to be let out. Other than that, he spends most of his time free-roaming throughout the house.
When I started working on his Separation Anxiety, I moved his crate out into the living room so he could learn to sleep overnight alone. The first night, he barked and howled throughout and would not settle down to sleep. After a week or so, he could sleep overnight without any whining. We also stopped engaging with him at home, refrained from giving him too much affection (though I still do sneak in some affection time haha) or playing excessively with him.
Credits: QiuLi and Taro
Hence, whenever he’s at home, he’s either in the crate or hanging out on the cot. We stopped letting him free roam the house as well. I would bring him down for potty and walks twice a day and I use his meals to do training for some mental stimulation. When we go outside, I would use his toys to engage with him. This taught him to focus better despite having distractions.
On days when my family members are not at home, I will also take the opportunity to leave him alone in the crate while I sit outside the house and observe him through the camera. He usually naps for the first hour but once awake he begins to whine before going back to sleep. After 2-3 hours, I will go back in and he will begin to whine for my attention. Despite this, I will continue to ignore him for at least 1-2 hours depending on how fast he calms down. This helps to teach him that leaving and coming home is not a big deal.
How long has it been since you started crate training and have you noticed any improvements?
Credits: QiuLi and Taro
It has been about 3 months since we started this new routine and his Separation Anxiety has significantly reduced. He used to whine when he saw me gathering clothes, or when he hears me preparing my bag to head out. He even whines when I am just visiting the toilet. After training, I can head to the toilet without getting him anxious. Though he still does whine a little when he sees me preparing to head out, it is a lot lesser compared to last time and he stops when I step out of the house.
Advice for Beginners
Do take note that QiuLi is not a professional trainer. Hence, interested pawrents are advised to consult a professional if they encounter behavioural issues.
How can I introduce crate training to my dogs?
If you have a puppy, that would be the best and easiest time to crate train them. Older dogs that require crate training might need a longer time to adapt. You’d need a lot more patience to endure the transition period where they’ll be whinier.
The ultimate aim is to let them know that the crate is a safe haven that does not harm them. This would help them fully relax in the crate. I always use food and toys to help them associate the crate with positivity so that they would enter it of their own free will.
You can start by feeding meals outside, yet near to the crate. Afterwards, slowly progress to placing some food inside the crate so that they would willingly step inside it. For puppies that nap frequently, invite them to nap inside the crate for short periods of time throughout the day. If they’re awake and starts to bark, do not attend to them immediately and only let them out when they’ve quieted down.
It is also important to choose the correct crate size. Small crates might be uncomfortable for them. Big crates may result in potty accidents inside. The length of the crate should be just ample for them to walk one round and height should still provide some allowance while they’re standing.
When it comes to crating overnight, most puppies tend to whine in the middle of the night as it’s a new environment and they’re separated from their family. I took this chance to potty train Taro. When he begins to whine in the middle of the night, I wait for him to quieten down before bringing him out to his designated potty area. I then put him back to the crate straight after.
Credits: QiuLi and Taro
While doing this, you want to make sure there are no fun distractions as we do not want them to think that whining can get them out of the crate for some cuddle/baby (affections) instead.
Sometimes after he has gone to potty and he still continues to whine in the crate, I would bring him out to potty again so he knows that whining only provides potty visits. There are times we went to and fro from crate to potty at least 3 times (and all 3 times he did go) before he settled.
Another method that worked incredibly well for us (after you know he definitely cleared his bowels), was to sit in front of the crate door and leave the door open. The moment he attempts to step out, shut the door to prevent him from doing so. I would repeat this until he gives up trying to come out and would eventually settle. After around 1 week, Taro was able to sleep in the crate without waking up in the middle of the night.
What should pet owners take note of when pursuing Crate Training?
When it comes to any aspect of dog training, I think consistency is very important.
Do the same thing every day, set up a routine, and make it into a habit and they’ll adapt/learn quicker. I know some people cannot bear to ignore their whines when they’re crated and hence give up. Yet, I assure you crate training definitely has more pros than cons. We just need to persevere during the initial stage and be consistent and you’ll be able to reap the results after.
PROS
It provides your pet with a place to relax and sleep, hence reducing their sense of heightened alert whenever a passerby walks outside the house.
It keeps them out of trouble and from practising bad behaviours, your house and items do not get destroyed and there are no potty accidents.
Preventing separation anxiety as they learn to settle on their own. Remember to not only crate them when you are leaving the house as they might then associate the crate as being left alone. Crate them during the day for short periods of time even when you’re home so it becomes a normal routine.
A big thank you to @taroandtoastie for sharing her experience with crate training! For pet owners whose cats suffer from separation anxiety, we urge you to readSherlyn and Leo’s experiences.
If there are other styles of training that you think is important for pet owners to know, let us know in the comments below!
