HRT and animals

[tinkerbell]

hehehe one my gf's cat dont like me.  he comes near me, smells me & hisses.  my gf says the cat doesnt like men.  only girls.  dunno.  I never thought about it till the cat started hissin at me

She doesn't like you because you keep on calling her a "he".  Perhaps if you pet her, things could change  

tink

lmao   thought baby was a boy.  it aint?

Yes, Baby is a boy, but I thought Daisy was the one who hissed at you.  Daisy is a she, not a he, Mr. smarty pants!   

tink

[Pica Pica]

a cat called baby?

No wonder the gender of said cat was hard to ascertain. 

[tinkerbell]

a cat called baby?

No wonder the gender of said cat was hard to ascertain. 

Actually his name is Bebe which is the Spanish word for Baby

tink

[Pica Pica]

Do we give her that? (asks audience)

[Doc]

Eh, don't squat. This is a good way to get bitten in the face.

Whatever you say.  It always works for me.  Being shorter means being less intimidating.  But if animals sense fear or mistrust on you, and they can if it is there, then do not squat down.  And I agree about offering your hand to be sniffed.

Sure, it works. It's just not safe if the dog is hurt or so fearful its at the end of its rope, or is stuck with you in an enclosed space, or is genuinely aggressive. Many people are very very good with dogs and know exactly when this is safe and instinctively will not crouch when it's not, but somebody might do this with a fearful shy dog in, say, a small kennel-run, and get hurt.

[Christo]

hehehe one my gf's cat dont like me.  he comes near me, smells me & hisses.  my gf says the cat doesnt like men.  only girls.  dunno.  I never thought about it till the cat started hissin at me

She doesn't like you because you keep on calling her a "he".  Perhaps if you pet her, things could change  

tink

lmao   thought baby was a boy.  it aint?

Yes, Baby is a boy, but I thought Daisy was the one who hissed at you.  Daisy is a she, not a he, Mr. smarty pants!   

tink

oops busted! still dunno their names   you aint mad, right?

[trannyboy]

I know this is a late posting but I am a dog trainer and I want to say right up front. If a dog is afraid of you by all means make yourself smaller and less threatening but under no circumstance should you stare a dog in the face at there level unless you want a bite. Most dogs see direct eye contact as a threat and will respond in kind. Instead talk with the owner and ignore the dog until they approach you and seek attention, you can give attention at first by letting them smell your open hand approaching from below. Ignore any and all barking, growling and other poor behavior.

It terms of behavior, I transitioned around many dogs, horses and cats and their response has been interesting. I am less likely to be outright challenged and more likely to be approached with care. Cats mostly don't want anything to do with me anymore. Horses and dogs tend to be easier to handle and still love me. I dislike birds and they hate me so not much to report on that front. Dogs that are fearful are more likely to submit to me then argue now. I think it is a combination of smells, sounds, looks and behavior that is effected by hormones. I would also argue against it being solely smell because male dogs still behave differently with an altered and unaltered male and females dogs but in the grand scheme the changes are fairly minor and typical male versus female issues don't change much.

->-bleeped-<-boy

[cindybc]

Well amazingly I have never had any problems with animals, since all the way back when I was a kid. But I also will not take chances with an animal that is showing signs of hostility. Just back off and leave them some room. When I was a kid there was not much I was afraid and to just stand there with my hands turned out they usually only just walked around me and sniff, like I said before. If their tail begins to wag after the first pass, your OK in their books. As for birds, I have had some success in communicating with them and have them land on me. Especially the ravens, they in particular appear to be attracted to me. I am not a veterinarian or any other kind of animal handler, I am empathic and that is it, no more no less.

Cindy