Interacting with Pets on Lock-down

I’ve returned to the United States in a dramatic fashion, catching one of the last flights out of Ecuador before the country shut down. South America closed its borders early, and up until I left, I still wasn’t seeing much of the impact from coronavirus.

Now that I’m in the United States, and in quarantine for two weeks, I’ve heard more about how severe things have been on the west coast. California is on lockdown. Washington is considering doing so. Things are much quieter in Portland, with businesses closed and people isolating. I’m aware there are a lot of consequences from this pandemic, and I hope people are doing what they can to take care of their mental health at this time.

For those of you who are stuck at home, your pet might be suspicious that you are around all the time now. Our cat, Sven, has been more ornery than usual for the past days, more reactive to negative stimuli. I’ve seen pictures as well of dogs following their owners confusedly around the house, and other pets who are so excited they have no concept of social distancing.

If you’re looking for some things to do with the additional free time, interacting with your pet can provide some great options.

For example, now may be the time for you to try training your pet to do that trick you’ve always wanted them to learn. You can train your cat to use the toilet – yes, apparently this can be done. You can teach your dog how to play dead, army crawl, fetch, or anything appropriate that your imagination can create.

If you’re looking for projects to fill your time, perhaps now is the time to experiment with doing things for your pets. For example, there is an entire book on things you can make with cat hair. What an affordable and sustainable thing to that might give you some laughable results. If you want to use your crafting skills in other ways, well, here is the opportunity to construct some styling fashion choices for your pet. I’ve seen pictures of snoods and sweaters on dogs and cats on Reddit, and, even if your pet doesn’t like wearing clothes, you might get a few funny photos out of the experience. Speaking of photos, you can also sit your pet down and force an awkward family photo shoot. It might be even better if the photos are terrible.

The DIY options don’t end there. You can experiment with making treats and meals, especially if you’ve been considering doing so for a while. You can perform a doggie IQ test to see how your dogs measure up. And Jenna Marbles has a whole lot of videos on various things she has done with her dogs, such as creating a dog wedding, Halloween costumes, and many more.

Even more, now is the chance to up your walking game, as the outdoors are still not off-limits. Most dogs will be happy to go for a walk, but even cats can receive benefits from doing so (and I’m in the process of writing a blog on how to give walking your cat a chance)!

There are many things you can do with your pet that will hopefully help reduce stress while we wait for coronavirus to run its course. In the meantime, I’d also like to thank the Healthy Pets Northwest employees who are working hard to keep the business running smoothly during all this uncertainty. I’d also like to thank the other employees who are on the front lines in the grocery stores, hospitals, and everywhere else.

How are you keeping your stress levels lower these days?