555 Kennel Cough (1/2)
Chapter 555: Kennel Cough
Translator: Nyoi-Bo StudioEditor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Shi Shi thought that since Zhang Zian had accepted Zhao Qi's cat, it would not be a problem for him to accept her dog. But when Zhang Zian turned her down, she asked in surprise, ”Why?”
”Because it is ill. Its illness must be cured first.” Zhang Zian answered very simply and firmly, ”My pet shop doesn't provide pet boarding services for sick pets. Even if you go to other stores, those pet shop owners won't accept it either.”
”It just caught a cold! A cold!” Shi Shi stressed, lifting the Labrador from the ground. ”You see, Xiao La is only coughing and sneezing a little. It's actually very healthy! And we have already fed the cold medicine to it. It will recover in two days.”
”Cold medicine? You mean the cold medicine for human beings?” Zhang Zian asked.
Shi Shi blinked and looked at Zhang Zian as if he had asked an unnecessary question. ”Of course, it was a very high-grade imported cold medicine that I would take when I caught a cold.”
”Dogs can't take cold medicine for human beings. Before any abnormal reaction occurs to your dog, I suggest you take it to the pet clinic for a checkup as soon as possible.” Zhang Zian said solemnly.
”What? Why?” asked Shi Shi.
”Because cold medicine for human beings may contain ingredients harmful to dogs.” Zhang Zian explained patiently, ”Of course, not all cold medicines contain such ingredients. To say the least, even if the ingredients of your medicine are harmless to your dog, do you know the dosage of the medicine it should take? The dosage for the pet is based on the pet's weight—how many micrograms or milligrams of the medicine it should take are based on per kilogram of its body weight. A pet should not simply take one or two pills at a time like a human does. Did you calculate the dosage when you gave the medicine to your dog?”
”Well...” Shi Shi stuttered, ”I was a liberal arts student...”
”It does not matter whether you were a student who majored in liberal arts or science!” Zhang Zian complained, pointing at the red sweater that the Labrador was wearing. ”What is the matter with this sweater?”
”I bought it for Xiao La! The weather is cold!” She replied with confidence.
”Did you put the sweater on it before or after it caught a cold?” Zhang Zian asked again.
Shi Shi placed her fingers onto her forehead and contemplated, ”Well...let me think...before it caught a cold?”
”Well, if I'm right, perhaps it caught a cold precisely because you put the sweater on it!” Zhang Zian said with certainty.
”Why? She asked with indignation. This was the third time she asked why. The weather worsened several days ago, I was afraid that it would catch a cold, so I bought the sweater for it!”
Zhang Zian explained, ”Because the medium-sized and large-sized dogs don't need to wear extra clothes, their hair and muscles can generate enough heat for them. We're not in the freezing Siberia. When you walked your dog outdoors, the thick sweater on it had prevented the heat generated during exercise from leaving its body. When you returned home, you undressed it and it lay its hot belly on the chilly floor. That may be the reason your dog caught a cold.”
Not convinced by Zhang Zian's explanation, Shi Shi said, ”But I see a lot of people put all sorts of beautiful clothes on their pets...Besides, the Dragon Li cat in your shop is wearing a Mandarin jacket and a bamboo hat!”
Her voice was a bit sharp. Hearing Shi Shi mention itself, Old Time Tea moved its ears and looked out the door.
Zhang Zian was speechless.
Regarding the situation of Old Time Tea, in fact, what Shi Shi said was right. When winter arrived, Zhang Zian often saw people put thick clothing, such as vests, sweaters, hats, scarves, and shoes on their pets. The pets were dressed as human beings, because their owners worried that they might catch a cold.
Zhao Qi said hesitantly, ”In fact, I also want to buy clothes for my Lan Lan...Is it wrong to let pets wear clothes?”
”It depends. Cats generally stay at home and they rarely go out, and very few cats will lie directly on the ground, so cats don't need to wear clothes. As for the Dragon Li in my shop, it wears clothes because it is at an advanced age.” To make his explanation more thorough, Zhang Zian added, ”Unless we are talking about the Sphinx cats, who basically have no hair and need to wear clothes in the winter.”
Zhang Zian saw a group of photos uploaded by Xu Junyu, the makeup artist of the Dog Warrior crew, in her WeChat Moments a few days ago. In those photos, Xu Junyu showed that she had made a piece of clothing for her Sphinx cat. Zhang Zian gave those photos a thumb-up. Because Sphinx cats indeed needed to wear clothes in winter, so did some bulldogs, but most young, strong cats did not need clothes in winter.
Cats were very sensitive animals that relied on their hair to perceive the air flow. Putting on clothes may cause sensory disorders with some cats, and they would act like they were drunk.
As for the Siberian Forest Cats, Norwegian Forest Cats, Ragdoll Cats, Persian Cats, and other long-haired cats, it was unnecessary to put clothes on them. Even if people were frozen to death, these cats would not die.
”Besides, most of the dressed-up dogs you see on the street are small-sized dogs like Teddy or Chihuahua, right?” Zhang Zian asked.