Pet(s): Photos & Discussion

[ratgirlagogo]

On 12/12/2016 at 8:47 PM, Maharincess said:

His name is Pigasus but if I get him I'll probably change his name. 

First of all pigs are BITCHEN so I hope you do adopt him.  I'd love to have a pig.   And about his name - I don't know whether this will tip you for or against - but a (regular hog-type baby) pig named Pigasus was the Yippies' 1968 candidate for President of the US. 

http://www.porkopolis.org/2008/pigasus/

[isalicat]

So, I have been offered the pick of a sweet litter (5) of black and white kittens that will be ready to adopt at the beginning of January. Basically I was looking for a tom kitty to replace my beautiful boy who died (very sadly of cancer aged 20 after a long and happy life in both northern and central California). But now I realize that my husband is really not up for more than one cat at a time (which seems to rule out kittens - I think a little one would be too lonely) and I want to make sure it is a male who will go in and out of our built in cat door into a securely walled garden. So I think going to the local humane shelters seems like a better idea to rescue someone who needs a home (I see from 1 to 5 year old toms on our local humane society website).

Your opinions would be welcomed! I will wait until after all the holiday activity is over and the Christmas tree is gone so that the house is entirely calm.

[Bastet]

National numbers are not readily available because of the non-centralized way data is kept, but reliable estimates indicate a good several million cats nationwide are euthanized in U.S. shelters each year simply because there are that many more of them than there are homes for them (meaning, not including those euthanized for health or behavioral issues -- just those ready for a home, but unable to find one before space runs out). 

To adopt from a shelter is to save one of those lives, wwhereas to aquire from some random "backyard breeder" (whether they opted to bring forth one litter or one hundred) is to reward someone who is contributing to the problem. 

Beyond the ethical considerations, it often makes financial sense -- this is far from true everywhere, but in many jurisdictions a municipal shelter animal's adoption fee includes spay/neuter, initial shots, de-worming, etc. and at FAR cheaper prices than one would pay getting a "free" cat and paying for that basic care on one's own.

So, first and foremost, my condolences on the loss of your cat.  Twenty years is a nice lifespan, but it's never long enough.  I wish you a similarly long life with your next feline companion.

If you're going to opt for one, rather than two, an adult is indeed generally better than a kitten.  And adult cats in shelters have even shittier odds than their younger counterparts (remember those disturbing numbers are for ALL cats, including kittens -- and during "kitten season" entire litters are euthanized without ever reaching the adoption floor in some locations), so it's another point in favor of, under your circumstances, adopting an adult.

Best of luck to you - and your future male kitty!

[DeLurker]

@isalicat - sorry that your boy passed.

I adopted an adult cat (about 2 yrs plus)  in February from a rescue.  He is such a sweetie even though he wasn't likely to get adopted because 1) he has a Hitler mustache and 2) he wasn't very friendly because he was stressed by having to go to the adoption events.  The young woman who fostered him said he was so good at home, but just so derailed by the adoption events.

Kittens are cute and fun, but I don't feel like I have missed out at all on having one.  I don't know what he was like before, but he rides in a car great (without a carrier), he goes for trike rides in my basket (in carrier) and he loves to play.

Whatever you end up doing, let us know and post a picture once you get him.

[smeds]

On 12/15/2016 at 1:48 PM, DeLurker said:

Anyone have a recommendation for a brand of pet toothpaste?  I need to start with Kook, but the cat probably could use some dental hygiene too.  I suspect it will be much easier to do the dog than the cat.

@DELURKER - Where I work, we carry the Virbac C.E.T. toothpaste, but if you get any enzymatic toothpaste that should work.  Honestly, it is the mechanical action with a toothbrush or even just a piece of gauze wrapped around your finger by the gum line that helps to prevent plaque and tarter buildup. I find the toothpaste, provided it is a flavor they love, helps them tolerate the brushing.  My dog hates the mint flavor, but loves beef or chicken (yuck).  For toothbrushes, we usually recommend a child's soft bristle toothbrush rather than the ones they sell in the pet store.  The first place to concentrate is the surface of the tooth that faces the cheeks on the upper jaw - those are usually the worst because of secretions from their salivary glands.  If they aren t into brushing, you can also try this website - VOHC.org - and go to the accepted products section. It lists approved food and treats for better teeth health. Good luck!

[JTMacc99]

I stealthily hung up some ornaments and changed the bedding in hamster and guinea pig cages today. Timed it all out to work with the kitten nap times. She did come over when the pigs were out, so I let her go explore the garage before she caught on to me. 

Should be interesting to see if the ornaments survive the night. 

[isalicat]

Thanks, everyone! Actually my incredible tom cat (as big as a bob cat, by the way) was not the oldest cat I've had - my calico girl made it to 23! The vets always tell me I'm doing something right :)

So the decision has definitely been made to get a tom from the humane shelter and I've been "shopping" since they have pics up and there are several beautiful cats that are between 1 and 5 years old looking for homes that would all suit us - so now we will see who decides we suit them! December 28th will be the day and I'm already really excited. I miss my tom (Mister Oh was his name) all the time....not sure how to live without a cat supervising me, frankly!

We have a cat door built into the house (I kid you not - we had a contractor come out and put in this very cool cat door that has a little tunnel with carpeting and a flap at either end with a little overhang above on the outside flap so my cat could stick his nose out and see if he wanted to go out without getting rained on). I plan to start with the new kitty inside all the time with a litter box and then get him used to going outside (we have a very secure high walled garden so no threat of coyotes or stray dogs) and eventually eliminate the litter box. So I will be hoping the humane shelter people know if the available toms ever had gone outside before as a previously indoor only cat might not be up for this arrangement. I will keep you posted!

[bosawks]

Happy Howlidays!!!!

 

[DeLurker]

14 hours ago, isalicat said:

So I will be hoping the humane shelter people know if the available toms ever had gone outside before as a previously indoor only cat might not be up for this arrangement.

"This arrangement" seems to only be missing a door man, so I am sure new cat will find it acceptable.

My cat was an indoor only cat (still is), but as soon as he saw the dog going out back and frolicking, he decided he wanted to go see what all the fuss was about.  Since I would only take him out on a leash & harness, he was not pleased.  And managed to scurry under a hole in the fence anyway requiring me to have my son hop the fence to get him back.  He's back to indoor only now.

But going out in a secure yard, chasing down sun spots and finding insects to track?  I think most cats will be in heaven.

@bosawks - such a cutie!  Thanks for making me smile!

Tree Update:  Got the tree yesterday - a bit later than intended so it took going to several lots to find an acceptable one.  The cat gave it a few sniffs and moved on, the dog nibbled a lower branch but moved on after a "bad dog".  No ornaments up yet - either the box was lost in the various storage areas I've got going or didn't make it over - so we may be getting new ones.  Found a box of lights though.

Edited December 19, 2016 by DeLurker

[bosawks]

Thanks @DeLurker, we affectionately refer to this picture as "Drunk Santa".........

[EyewatchTV211]

@Maharincess I don't know how easy they are to get in touch with, but maybe you could reach out to the couple who adopted Esther the Pig. http://www.estherthewonderpig.com/    It was another one of those situations where she was supposed to be a small big and ended up huge. They have learned a lot from having her and do wonderful things for animals.

[DeLurker]

My nephew and his 3 1/2 yo son are here for Christmas with us.  The cat is pretty much indifferent to the additional people in the house, but the Kook is very enthused about having someone smaller than him to guard.  Unfortunately, the kiddo is not overly fond of having a white shadow who tends to want to stay very close to him and inspect everything he picks up to see if what it is. 

Probably just the herding and guarding instinct kicking in? Since the dog is being very gentle with him and is not actually doing anything bad, plus the 3 1/2 yo is giving off mixed messages (Puppy go away! while simultaneously petting the dog) I'm just letting them be.

[Maharincess]

Kaylee would try to herd the grandkids when they would run. The first time she did it they freaked out and thought she was biting them.  Once I explained what she was doing and why, they thought it was the best thing ever.  They'd pretend to be sheep so she would herd them again. 

Damn I miss her. 

[DeLurker]

Was at Petsmart yesterday to pick up cat food and a rep gave me a sample of a dehydrated dog food - Only Natural Pet is the brand and the product was the Wholesome Homemade Fish & Fowl recipe.

I mixed up some today and the cat was going nutty trying to figure out what the smell was.  I ended up giving him a small amount and mixing the rest in with the dog's food.  They both ate it - the cat even ate the obvious vegetables in it.

Has anyone had any experience with dehydrated food?  The package said it was grain free and the first 13 ingredients are all meat, fish or vegetables.

[riley702]

Interesting! I see they have cat food, too.

[JTMacc99]

A good and very funny friend of mine just posted this picture on Facebook with the comment: "The new testament makes no mention of a giant cat!"

[ABay]

It's in the Apocrypha. The Gospel of St. Garfield.

Edited December 23, 2016 by ABay

[JTMacc99]

Hee!

Little known fact: This is also how he got his name. Joseph looked back and exclaimed JESUS CHRIST!  The rest is history.

[Jaded]

This was my favorite cat related story of the week....

English Cat Kicks Baby Jesus Out of the Manger for Nap, World Goes Wild

[JTMacc99]

Cats have no shame

[DeLurker]

2 hours ago, JTMacc99 said:

Cats have no shame

The fatal flaw of the Cat Shaming calendar. 

[Sandman87]

12 hours ago, ABay said:

It's in the Apocrypha. The Gospel of St. Garfield.

One of the less well-known meowrtyrs.

[riley702]

Still laughing at that, Sandman!

[bosawks]

On Donner!  On Blitzen!  On Alli!

[harrie]

@bosawks,

Alli looks adorable - and very patient!

 

On 12/22/2016 at 3:56 PM, DeLurker said:

Was at Petsmart yesterday to pick up cat food and a rep gave me a sample of a dehydrated dog food - Only Natural Pet is the brand and the product was the Wholesome Homemade Fish & Fowl recipe.

I mixed up some today and the cat was going nutty trying to figure out what the smell was.  I ended up giving him a small amount and mixing the rest in with the dog's food.  They both ate it - the cat even ate the obvious vegetables in it.

Has anyone had any experience with dehydrated food?  The package said it was grain free and the first 13 ingredients are all meat, fish or vegetables.

@DeLurker, I don't have experience with Only Natural Pet, but it looks like the same type of food as Stella & Chewy, which we used as a topper for Clyde's food recently. He loved it, and it kept him eating his food (we were trying to keep weight on him).  One reason we picked it was that it has a high fat content, around 8-9% when hydrated.  Most canned cat foods run at about 3-5% fat (based on our informal survey of the cat food aisle), so if too much fat is a concern for your pet, it might be something to take into consideration.  I'm sorry, we didn't use it as a regular food, so I can't comment on the long-term experience.  

[Bastet]

5 hours ago, harrie said:

Most canned cat foods run at about 3-5% fat (based on our informal survey of the cat food aisle),

Be aware the numbers on the can are merely "Guaranteed Analysis" -- a maximum or minimum percentage the manufacturer guarantees it doesn't exceed or fall below.  To truly know how much fat (or protein, carbs, phosphorus, magnesium, whatever) a food contains, you need the "as fed" percentages from the manufacturer (sometimes it's available on the website, sometimes you have to contact the company).  Then, to accurately compare one food to another, you need to convert to dry matter analysis (get the as-fed moisture percentage and subtract that from 100 to get the percentage of the food that is dry matter; then divide the as-fed percentage of whatever element you're interested in by that dry matter percentage). 

As an example of why these numbers matter, let’s say a can of cat food has a moisture content of 80 percent, meaning it contains only 20 percent actual food (dry matter) and 80 percent water.  If 1.25 percent of that dry matter is, say, phosphorus, the addition of water means the food will be described by the manufacturer as only 0.25 percent phosphorus.  Thus, relying on the as-fed data would result in feeding a food far higher in phosphorus than desired if you were looking to feed a cat with chronic kidney disease (and relying on the guaranteed analysis wouldn't give you accurate numbers to begin with).  And comparing that data to another food’s would be meaningless if the second food had different moisture content.

Determining the percentage of calories from protein, fat, and carbohydrates is yet another formula, one even more involved.  So there's a lot of fun with math in evaluating the food.  For cat food, this chart (from a veterinarian) is several years old, but contains a lot of information.

[riley702]

Thanks, Bastet!

[DeLurker]

@Bastet - thanks!

The Kook goes in to be neutered tomorrow. I've given him a bath & cleaned the bathroom post bath. Hopefully there will not be any complications & the recovery goes well. I scheduled it for after my house guests have gone.  

The Kook being puppy mountain for my great nephew's trains.

 

Edited December 26, 2016 by DeLurker
Photo Op

[JTMacc99]

Great picture!  

Luna the kitten is also getting fixed this week. I wonder if it will change her behavior any. 

[Maharincess]

@DeLurker, where did you adopt Kook from?  Around here no animal can be adopted unless it's been spayed/neutered.  When I adopted my Chihuahua 15 years ago we had to wait 2 extra days so she could be spayed. 

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, JTMacc99 said:

Luna the kitten is also getting fixed this week. I wonder if it will change her behavior any. 

It might slow her down for about five minutes when you first get her back home.  Twenty if she has a cone on her head.

[Maharincess]

Spaying has never changed any of my cats. I don't do boy cats so I only have vague memories of neutering.  As Bastet says, the only change is that she'll slow down...for about 5 minutes.  

When we had Trixie spayed, they said like they always do to try to keep her from jumping.  We took her out of the carrier after her surgery, she walked out and jumped up onto the high window sill.  

[harrie]

1 hour ago, Maharincess said:

@DeLurker, where did you adopt Kook from?  Around here no animal can be adopted unless it's been spayed/neutered.  When I adopted my Chihuahua 15 years ago we had to wait 2 extra days so she could be spayed. 

We adopted the Handsome boy intact, but had to promise to neuter him. I think we were offered a certificate for discounted spay/neuter at a certain place; but we adopted him from my home town, which is about 30-40 minutes from where we live now, so we passed and just had our vet do it. 

@DeLurker, since Kook is a boy, the procedure is a lot less invasive than spaying; so any complications may be less likely to occur.  Still, wishing him and you well tomorrow. I love your picture of puppy mountain - Kook looks so handsome and patient.

Edited December 27, 2016 by harrie

[JTMacc99]

Neutering Neo the 10 year old Italian greyhound made a huge difference. I was thinking that spaying the 6 month old kitten would be a lot different. 

[harrie]

13 minutes ago, JTMacc99 said:

Neutering Neo the 10 year old Italian greyhound made a huge difference. I was thinking that spaying the 6 month old kitten would be a lot different. 

A huge difference how, in his temperament? Activity level?   We neutered two cats, a boy and a girl, at six months or younger. It was not even a hiccup in their respective developments, and we didn't notice any significant short- or long-terms changes (the boy continued being sweet and affectionate, the girl continued being wicked).  

[Maharincess]

None of my animals ever acted different after being fixed either. My son's rabbit stopped humping stuff but other than that I saw no difference. 

[JTMacc99]

@harrie he was so much less dominant. So much better with the other dog. I can't believe his previous owners didn't do it. 

[Moose135]

9 hours ago, DeLurker said:

The Kook goes in to be neutered tomorrow.

He looks so peaceful and content in that picture.  Poor guy has no idea what's in store...

[DeLurker]

@Maharincess - I think the shelters have discretion to release an unneutered animal under certain circumstances.  Since he is a bigger breed, the lady I dealt with explained they delayed the surgery so he has all the hormones while he is in a rapid growth stage.  She felt confident I would have him done within the timeframe agreed upon so it was not done pre-release.

I could bring him back to them to get it done since it was technically part of the adoption fee, but I"d rather have it done local since it is a 2 hour ride each way for him.

[DeLurker]

On 12/26/2016 at 9:14 PM, JTMacc99 said:

Neutering Neo the 10 year old Italian greyhound made a huge difference. I was thinking that spaying the 6 month old kitten would be a lot different. 

Will Luna need to wear a cone? I feel so bad that Kook does.  The cat missed him when he was gone yesterday, but is freaked out by the cone.

[JTMacc99]

1 hour ago, DeLurker said:

Will Luna need to wear a cone? I feel so bad that Kook does.  The cat missed him when he was gone yesterday, but is freaked out by the cone.

Dogs look so sad in the cone of shame. 

And no cone for Luna. She's just been sleeping it off.  Poor little girl. She joined us for dinner and has wandered back off for more alone time now. 

[bosawks]

Alli's cone picture made me realize that despite being a rescue and corresponding issues she is intrinsically a genial soul by nature.

[Babalu]

We adopted two kittens in Minnesota, several months apart - one from the Humane Society and one from a pet store adoption event (we think this one was a barn kitten who would have been killed but was saved and being fostered until she could find a permanent home). They were both too young to be neutered/spayed, but we had to sign forms that we'd have it done as soon as they were old enough. I can't remember if there would have been any repercussions if we hadn't done the procedures - I think it was on the honor system.

Our current cats were feral Hawai'ian kittens - again, too young to be neutered, but we got vet checks right away and then had them "fixed" as soon as they were ready. 

I think the only effect on any of them was they slept even more than usual for the first day or two because of the anesthetic.

[Jaded]

A guy who has a kitten cam online that I like to watch calls them cones of awesome. He came up with that since the animals usually end up in the cones due to events beyond their control.

[Maharincess]

10 minutes ago, bosawks said:

Alli's cone picture made me realize that despite being a rescue and corresponding issues she is intrinsically a genial soul by nature.

My Harley had a cyst removed from his side once and his cone was full of duct tape too!  He kept slamming it into the sliding glass door because he didn't realize how big it was.  This was the last time the Raiders were in the Superbowl so Harley's cone had "GO RAIDERS" written on it. 

[Babalu]

@bosawks - wrong gender, but Alli is so sweet and reminds me of #15:

https://www.buzzfeed.com/erinchack/the-50-funniest-tweets-about-dogs-in-2016?utm_term=.la4Q9rjoB#.cav3wrDpN

[bosawks]

20 minutes ago, Babalu said:

@bosawks - wrong gender, but Alli is so sweet and reminds me of #15:

https://www.buzzfeed.com/erinchack/the-50-funniest-tweets-about-dogs-in-2016?utm_term=.la4Q9rjoB#.cav3wrDpN

Ha, that totally is the face she gives me @Babalu!

[isalicat]

Just a bit of breaking news: We (the husband and I) just arrived home from the local animal shelter with Louis the tom cat, who is orange and white, short haired, medium sized, 8 years old and was found in a field with no ID several weeks ago. He is super sweet and as you might expect, currently underneath the futon bed in my office (where I am just hanging out with him and where his food and water and brand new litter pan is). I had not really appreciated how disorienting it must be for these newly adopted pets as I have always had cats find me (quite literally 37 years of wonderful cats, all of whom just showed up). Louis (who was named Marcus by the shelter) definitely made it clear he wanted to come home with us - came right forward to the front of the cage and purred and purred. We looked at 12 other cats but two of the other toms we were considering are FIV positive and we want a cat who can go outside in our yard. I'll post pics ASAP but right now think he should just have lots and lots of quiet. Do you all think its okay to leave the office door open so he can explore the rest of the house at night or would he feel more secure in a room with a closed door?

[Babalu]

I've read that when you bring a new cat or kitten home, it's best to restrict them to a smaller area at first so they're not overwhelmed and then gradually increase it. I've never done that, though. My cats have either wanted to explore right away or have imposed their own limitations by staying under the couch or bed until they're ready to come out. I think our timid boy would have been even more distressed if we'd shut him in a room because he would have felt trapped. So my vote is to keep the door ajar enough so he can explore (and even seek you out) if he wants. I could easily make the opposing argument, too, though Whatever happens, I think he'll be great, even if it takes a little time, since he's already shown his openness and affection to you.

[Jaded]

My current cat who was an adult when he was brought to my home by family from a shelter spent 15 minutes under the bed when he got here. He came out after that and hasn't gone back under the bed since, not even to retrieve toys.