"I think sometimes there is so much toxicity on social media that when a tweet is somewhat innocuous or just points out the pleasures or humor of day to to day life it can feel like a little relief in the onslaught of terrible news," Ada shared her thoughts with Bored Panda about why her tweet became so popular online.
"I think people just needed something small that day, something minor, a dog getting fresh water, being treated like the royalty she is."
Bored Panda was very interested to get to grips with how cats respond to what their owners do, so we also reached out to cat behavior specialist Ingrid, from Fundamentally Feline. We were curious about what we, as people, can do to show our feline companions that we love them and care about them. According to the specialist, what cats appreciate the most is choice.
"Cats prefer options rather than forced change. Whenever we do things like abruptly change brands of cat litter or change their diet it is always best to offer choices rather than forcing them into things," she explained to us that cats very much appreciate independence and freedom.
"Cats also prefer humans that allow the cats to dictate the interactions. They do not like to be smothered. Allow the cat to approach and ask for petting rather than forcing it on them," she said.
Meanwhile, we wanted to know to what extent cats can pick up on our tone of voice and body language.
Certified cat behavior consultant Ingrid told Bored Panda that, "absolutely," cats can sense our moods through how we speak. Which is great news for us!
"Animals are very perceptive, not to mention they can smell the chemical changes in our bodies when we are hormonal, sad, angry, sick, etc.," the founder of Fundamentally Feline told Bored Panda.
"Many cats learn that a loud raised voice means bad news and they run to hide. It is ideal to try to minimize such tones in the home as we can be doing a lot to stress out all of our pets even if the discussion is not directed towards them in any way, it can still affect them."
The author of the viral Twitter post, Ada, is the author of six books, and has recently become the 24th Poet Laureate of the United States of America. She is a celebrated poet and writer, as well as the host of the podcast, The Slowdown.
If you happen to be interested in poetry or feel like you’re open to reading something new, you should definitely take a peek at her work, dear Pandas. Her lines are powerful, fresh, and vivid—and they made us feel things we haven’t felt in years, if we’re honest. Some of us have even taken out our old quills and ink to try and pen a few short poems of our own.
We absolutely love petting pets, giving them snacks, and cuddling with them. We’d do it all day long if only we could and no doggo or catto on the streets would be safe from our affection. However, there are some considerations that we have to take into account.
For one, does the pet want us to talk to it in an overly cutesy voice while we hug it and don’t want to let go? And secondly, if the pet isn’t ours, we need to think about talking to them and getting their permission. Things get a tad complicated when it’s a stranger’s pet, not yours!
Vet Claire Roberts, from the PDSA, the UK’s leading vet charity, explained to Bored Panda how we should address the entire question of wanting to become friends with dogs we don’t know.
“Firstly, you should always ask the owner’s permission before approaching a dog and avoid the snacks—dogs really don’t need human food, despite what those eyes seem to tell us!" Claire told us.
"Next, look at the dog’s body language, if they have a high, wagging tail, floppy ears, and look relaxed then you can start to approach them. Try not to look straight into their eyes, as this can seem aggressive to a dog, and let them come to you for a sniff before touching them," the PDSA representative explained to Bored Panda.
"If they have a low or tucked under tail, their ears are pinned back or their posture is tense then it is likely they are feeling uncomfortable and should not be approached. It is best to avoid rubbing the tummy of a dog you don’t know, as sometimes dogs showing their belly can be a sign that they are feeling anxious.”
PDSA Vet Claire also shared some advice on how to socialize young dogs and get them used to other people.
"It is best to start gradually introducing your dog to strangers when they are a puppy. Between 4 and 12 weeks of age is the ‘socialization period’ where your puppy’s brain is learning lots of new things, including how to cope with unfamiliar people," the pet health and behavior expert noted.
"If your dog is frightened of strangers you can try and desensitize them, starting with introducing new people at a distance where your dog feels safe and associate this with something great, like a favorite treat. This can be a very gradual process, and it’s important to always allow your dog the choice to move away from a situation that makes them uncomfortable,” she told Bored Panda.
