Pet(s): Photos & Discussion

[DeLurker]

She sounds a bit squirrelly and her tactic was less than graceful.  

[raven]

Quote

Alli would eat every last morsel of food in my house if I let her.

Yup, I had two Cairns, raised them both from puppies, the boy would eat what he wanted and leave, the girl would eat hers, his leftovers and anything else she could, so I had to stop self feeding.

@bilgistic, that person was definitely not hearing you and was assuming you would take her cat, esp if she sweetened the deal by offering to pay for expenses.  Your words were perfectly clear that Bilgisticat needs all of your attention, consistent routine, etc. 

With her previous dog issue, maybe she's the type of person who gives up their pet when things don't go as planned, even if she's financially able to care for it.  Poor kitty.

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, bilgistic said:

I LOVE cats. She knows this, hence her asking me. I would absolutely take this cat if I could, especially considering her...instability...? Was my first answer not enough?

There was nothing wrong with your first answer at all.  My guess is she didn't stop to think about what his care entails, and assumed you meant the expenses caused by Bilgisticat's medical issues prevented you from having a second cat, so her response was basically to ask if money was the only obstacle, so that if she financed his needs, you might be willing to give her cat a home.  What I don't have a guess for is why she went radio silent when you explained it isn't the expenses that keep you from getting him a feline friend, it's the fact his medical issues mean he needs a big share of your time and emotional energy, and for his routine not to be disrupted (since stress would just make his issues worse).  It's rude not to reply -- people aren't exactly going to be beating a path to her door to take her cat, so for you to be so generous as to say you would adopt the cat if your circumstances didn't prohibit it deserves a proper thank you.

[bilgistic]

9 minutes ago, Bastet said:

There was nothing wrong with your first answer at all.  My guess is she didn't stop to think about what his care entails, and assumed you meant the expenses caused by Bilgisticat's medical issues prevented you from having a second cat, so her response was basically to ask if money was the only obstacle, so that if she financed his needs, you might be willing to give her cat a home.  What I don't have a guess for is why she went radio silent when you explained it isn't the expenses that keep you from getting him a feline friend, it's the fact his medical issues mean he needs a big share of your time and emotional energy, and for his routine not to be disrupted (since stress would just make his issues worse).  It's rude not to reply -- people aren't exactly going to be beating a path to her door to take her cat, so for you to be so generous as to say you would adopt the cat if your circumstances didn't prohibit it deserves a proper thank you.

That's what got me. Granted, I naturally fill in a lot of blanks, but I was left feeling like the exchange went: "I just asked you to adopt my cat, but you won't because you selfishly have a chronically ill cat who takes too much of your time, money and energy. Now I'm mad and won't talk to you." She asked me to adopt her cat, but can't say, "Thanks for talking with me about it"?

I feel so bad for the cat.

[JTMacc99]

3 hours ago, DeLurker said:

Only my lab & lab mixes were convinced they were always hungry so free feeding would have resulted in some seriously overweight dogs, even with their energy/activity levels.

My lab would put could up his bowl and pour it into his mouth if he could. And I think it is contagious. Neo came to me a finicky eater. After a few months around Danny, and losing his meals when he walked away, he now eats it all right away and then looks around for more. 

[MrSmith]

Thanks to everyone who answered my question. I appreciate reading the other perspectives. Those were scenarios I hadn't considered and I do really appreciate all of you sharing them!

[riley702]

20 hours ago, bilgistic said:

@riley702, I'm going to need to see some photographic identification of those kitlings.

Allie:

Abbie:

Boomer:

And Paula found a foster in the next county over who will happily take all of them, and their sister Nina, too - when we catch her. She'll get them spayed/neutered at the appropriate age, through her county's Humane Society, and will be very picky about who gets them. She can't pick them up until Monday evening, so I'll get my kitten fix until then.

Edited June 5, 2017 by riley702
I can spell - really!

[bilgistic]

Oh my lord, those precious babies!!!!

[Jaded]

@riley702 those kittens are so cute. ?

On Friday and some of Saturday BBC America was airing a marathon of the TV show Torchwood. The commercial below kept coming on and I thought it would get Captain's attention due to how many times a particular word was said but it never did. He wasn't in the room the first time it came on. I would watch him every time it came on after that and he was usually sleeping or was to interested in something else like laying on my laptop keyboard for warmth to also keep me from typing. After playing it on the computer just now it did get his attention since he's laying on me and it kinda woke him up too. Oops. I'd feel worse if he hadn't woken or tried to wake me up just to be fed in the past.
 

 

Edited June 6, 2017 by Jaded

[DeLurker]

Got treated to the Bark Alarm this morning.  Turns out there was a possum in the backyard which I did not know when I let him out.

[JTMacc99]

Danny brought one up on the porch for me one evening. He was very proud.  The possum was actually playing possum. So when I brought Danny into the house and turned off the porch light, a few minutes later it walked off.

That was fun.

[riley702]

The kittens have only been gone a day and I miss them. If I had unlimited money and space, I'd be a cat hoarder.

[walnutqueen]

1 hour ago, riley702 said:

The kittens have only been gone a day and I miss them. If I had unlimited money and space, I'd be a cat hoarder.

Me, too - but I wouldn't be limited to just cats - I'd rescue all kinds of critters!  It's the only reason I still buy lottery tickets on occasion, despite being one of the unluckiest players, ever (seriously, maybe once a year or so I MAY win a dollar).    :-)  

[ABay]

Today is one of those days when I think to myself "Why do I have cats? Why?"

Boy cat's rear left leg was clearly bothering him this morning and the problem didn't wear off by the time I went to work. It was much the same when I came home for lunch so I called the vet and made an appointment for tomorrow morning. Of course, the second I got off the phone, he walked across the kitchen and back *perfectly normally*.  We're going in anyway. Probably. 

Then girl cat has begun (twice that I've heard in a couple of weeks) making a little whiny noise sometimes when she uses the litter box. Nothing seems to be wrong. She makes random whiny noises all the time: when she changes position, when she's about to jump to the floor, when she wants to play, sometimes just for the hell of it. The litter box thing still freaks me out, though. Maybe she's emulating boy cat who likes to announce that he's about to use the litter box well in advance of entering the room. Cat's the town crier, I'm telling you.

Would anyone like two black cats? Boy is about 18 and girl will be 9 next month.

[walnutqueen]

39 minutes ago, ABay said:

Would anyone like two black cats? Boy is about 18 and girl will be 9 next month.

Sold.

:-D

[ABay]

You say that, but you haven't spent years being awakened by unearthly howling at 4 a.m. because it's breakfast time according to Eastern Cat Time.

*sigh* Boy cat is moving normally today. They're both due for check-ups and shots in mid-July so I think I'm going to cancel this morning's vet appointment (with much apologizing for wasting their time). With boy cat, it's always a matter of weighing the trauma of a vet visit and impossibility of follow-up home care v. the possibility of effective in-office treatment and preventing long term problems. 

[DeLurker]

Cats, at least inside cats, are very married to their schedules.  Your schedule has very little to do with theirs.

We only had one outdoor cat when I was a kid who was insistent on his morning routine.  If he was inside the house, he would run across my parents heads/faces if they were still asleep.  If he was outside, he would claw onto the window screen and yowl (no ac so windows opened unless it was winter).

[JTMacc99]

Taking a look in the dryer. There is no place she doesn't think she can just waltz into and claim as her own.

Edited June 8, 2017 by JTMacc99

[NutMeg]

1 hour ago, JTMacc99 said:

Taking a look in the dryer. There is no place she doesn't think she can just waltz into and claim as her own.

JTMACC99, your cat has a doppelgänger on the other side of the world. I swear I could've thought it was mine. One day, I'll finally download my phone pictures on my laptop and you'll see! 

[CoderLady]

I've read that black cats are difficult to photograph well but that is the perfect picture. She's gorgeous! 

[JTMacc99]

Thank you.

What I should take pictures of is the trail of broken valances she's left around the house. I have to set aside some time this weekend to get a bunch of industrial strength wall anchors and hang them all back up.

[bilgistic]

1 hour ago, JTMacc99 said:

Taking a look in the dryer. There is no place she doesn't think she can just waltz into and claim as her own.

HELLO, BEAUTIFUL!!!!

[NutMeg]

Funny thing, one day I wanted to check what one bread looked liked and I caught one picture that looked just like our cat. 

Reading about that breed, for a good summary https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombay_cat#Temperament, was strange reading: this cat who I thought unique was a good representative of a breed (the Bombay Cat) that had been purposefully created in 1965 (I'm pretty sure this cat of mine is a random product of nature that just happens to match this desired set of characteristics). What gave me pause, beside the general appearance, were these mentions: 1) short, sleek coat; 2) the weight that is much heavier than you would expect from the sleek appearance; and 3) the vocal quality of the breed - I swear we do have conversations sometimes, but anyway I'd never had a chattier cat.   

[DeLurker]

The picture of Luna made me think of an old Pink Panther cartoon

[bosawks]

Happy World Ocean Day!

Alli, for one, is quite the fan....

[DeLurker]

She should be in the Baywatch movie.

[bosawks]

Alli versus the Jersey Devil Horseshoe Crab!

Only the strong will survive.....

[harrie]

Miss Alli has too much fun!  Love the photos.

[DeLurker]

I'll be leaving in about a week to go see my parents.  I'll be driving so I can bring my dog and cat with me.  The Kook is just under 70 lbs and Sir Robin 9.5.

Can anyone give me recommendation for a site that gives reliable recommendations on pet-friendly hotels?  I don't mind paying a pet fee if it results in a clean and comfortable room because I'll be sleeping in the room too.  Some of the sites like Trivago has an option to filter by pet friendly, but some of the results it gave I know has a no pet policy.  Bring Fido seemed better, but there weren't a large number of reviews of the hotels.

So...if you can give me any recommendation on search engines or chains that you have confidence it, it would be most appreciated.

[AgentRXS]

http://hotelguides.com/pet-friendly-hotels.html

This one seems comprehensive. Admittedly, I don't usually travel much so I don't know how accurate the actual pet policy for each hotel  is. Hope it helps!

[ABay]

For fuck’s sake! The girl cat has diarrhea again! I’m certain it’s because I gave her some of the fancy treats I got to trick the boy cat into ingesting cosequin. Jesus fucking Christ.

Disgusting details under the spoiler tag

Spoiler

 

On the plus side, it’s not nearly as explosive and voluminous as last month. She’s not spending all of her time in the litter box room today. She climbed up on the cat tree this afternoon after spending all of yesterday and most of today on the floor, although now she’s back on the floor by the litter boxes. I haven’t seen any uncovered puddles of shit stew although there was a horrible stench earlier and a mess on her butt. Covering the puddles is a sign of improvement. She has drunk a little water today and I did the pinch test and she’s not dehydrated.

On the other hand, I’ve had to clean her off twice, as gently as I could, which means not being very effective. She was meowing from the litter box right before letting loose the smell from hell about 30 minutes ago.  She’s changed places several times since I got home so she’s clearly not comfortable. How the hell long is this going to last? The thought of having to go to the vet again…I just can’t. They’re both due for shots and such on 7/14. Can we just get through life without drama until then? I really can’t take much more.

 

 

Does this never end? If it’s not him and his arthritis, it’s her and her bowels, and I swear to god just want to give up.

It’s not them, really, or not just them, it’s all the never-ending political crap going on in my state that will impact my future in major and potentially dire ways, being called on over and over again to show up for rallies and write letters, all of which seems futile; knowing I’m going to be gone for 60 hours Fri-Sun while I drive to a family thing in Buffalo; I can’t find anyone to feed the cats for more than a day and now I don’t want to leave them alone anyway because of the latest diarrhea bout; that’s 6-8 hours of driving each way with a right leg that aches like hell after an hour of pressing down the gas pedal; we’re having fucking hot, humid weather that might end late tomorrow but will be back (I fucking hate summer); the a/c is deafening loud but I can’t live without it; worry about money; hoping the car will last another few months or at least not die on the NYS Thruway; and a shitload of other straws trying to break my back. FML.

[raven]

10 hours ago, DeLurker said:

Can anyone give me recommendation for a site that gives reliable recommendations on pet-friendly hotels? 

@DeLurker - I don't have a site (I usually random google the area) - but when I drove from AZ to MA I stayed in La Quintas - they are a pet friendly chain.

I also used this when checking a new place - http://bedbugregistry.com/.

Good luck!

[SVNBob]

14 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

I don't know how accurate the actual pet policy for each hotel  is.

As someone that works in the hotel industry, I recommend using that list as a rough guide, but checking with individual hotels before arriving.  Sometimes websites like this one are using old and/or inaccurate information, and it isn't fun for anyone on both sides of the front desk when a pet walks in to a non-pet-friendly location.

[DeLurker]

Thanks everyone!  The feedback has given me a better handle on how to handle this.  Much appreciated!

[DeLurker]

Hmmm....curious double post...

Edited June 13, 2017 by DeLurker

[DeLurker]

Someone in the last month (or so) was asking about a slow feeder for their cat.  They had looked at some dog ones but they all seemed way too large.

I saw one today at Petsmart by Outward Hound that came in 2 sizes.  The smaller one was maybe about the size of a coffee cup saucer - the fun feeder mini mat.

[theredhead77]

Many Hilton properties are Pet Friendly. 

Any advice to prevent excessive licking? The kitten-cat is licking himself raw in a few spots. I know he's allergic to fleas and I slacked off a bit too much but the Revolution kicked in and his hot spot was almost healed before he started licking it like crazy. 

[walnutqueen]

4 hours ago, theredhead77 said:

Many Hilton properties are Pet Friendly. 

Any advice to prevent excessive licking? The kitten-cat is licking himself raw in a few spots. I know he's allergic to fleas and I slacked off a bit too much but the Revolution kicked in and his hot spot was almost healed before he started licking it like crazy. 

My Beanie Baby used to lick all the fur off his tummy tum tum.  Part allergy, part OCD; intermittent and guaranteed to make me cray cray.  My vet & I finally found a series of allergy shots, mostly delivered by Moi -  specially formulated by a compounding pharmacist (yeah, that's a thing) to break the "cycle" and wean him down.  Changed his food eleventy billion times to no avail, too.

Good luck - you're going to need it.  Patience, too.  One thing at a time - the scientific method is slow, but it does work.

I'd try a single shot, administered by your vet, just to make it stop for now,  Sometimes, that's enough.

 

The only alternative is the collar of shame ...

Edited June 15, 2017 by walnutqueen

[Jaded]

I got a heating pad for my cat Captain which I have wrapped in a towel for him to lay on. I placed it on the side of my bed where I don't sleep against the wall. Had to do something to try and stop him from wanting to lay over the side of my laptop keyboard for warmth from the fan and etc. when I'm online in my room. He woke up right after I had taken a picture of him sleeping and immediately started giving me the side eye.
 

Edited June 15, 2017 by Jaded

[DeLurker]

@ABay - I hope things have settled down for your girlie and I hope everything works out for this weekend.  Sounds like you've got a lot on your mind right now plus a boatload of complications that need dealing with.  Good thoughts coming your way.

Yesterday afternoon I washed the Kook.  He needed it but I also did not want to be driving 1100 miles with a dirty dog - even slightly dirty.  The trick now is to keep him from giving himself a dust bath or otherwise frolicking in the dirt.  That means lots of walks, but no dog park time, and keeping him on the leash when he's in the backyard.  I'm glad I remembered to do it a few days ahead of time - after a bath, there's a couple of days of puffy fluff shedding.  It settles down after 2-3 days.

Sir Robin is a fine passenger for road trips.  He's MIA right now since I had the nerve to swipe some pet toothpaste on his teeth with a gauze.  The Kook has to put up with daily brushing and the cat is always super curious about what goes on.  Now he knows so I suspect he'll be less interested in the future.  I do have to trim his claws next time I see him though.  He's usually ok with that although there is some squirming to live with.

[ABay]

Thanks, @DeLurker. I did eventually back myself off the ledge. There are times when things become too overwhelming and I forget to breathe and forget to chant my mantra: in 50 years we'll all be dead and none of this will have mattered. Cuz I'm a ray of sunshine like that.

Girl cat seems to be on the mend (knock on wood) after a spectacular relapse Tuesday night. She really fought me on taking the pills but most of the medicine got in her eventually.

Being in the wide poutdoors with a dirty dog is bad enough, let alone an enclosed space. Although, really, is it as bad as wet dog?

Edited June 15, 2017 by ABay

[Bastet]

23 hours ago, theredhead77 said:

Any advice to prevent excessive licking?

It just depends on why the licking is happening.  If it's allergies, try to eliminate the allergen, if it's psychological, try to treat the anxiety, etc.  Fun times removing variables to diagnose the source.

There is the option of short course (or a shot, but oral meds you can stop immediately if need be) of prednisolone if it gets bad enough the kitty is in danger of/already breaking skin.  Long-term use of steroids can be problematic, obviously, but as a stop-gap it's often okay.

Or, as was noted, popping on ye olde cone of shame.

There is a "skin soother" formula of Spirit Essences, plus some targeted at some of the underlying causes.  A friend saw decent results with the skin soother (and the stress stopper/safe space formulas of Spirit Essences have helped a lot with Bandit's anxiety).  There are some natural, okay-if-they-ingest it topical applications that may soothe hot spots, but I have no experience with those and am blanking on what they are.  Always better in the long run to treat the underlying cause, though -- if you can pinpoint what it is.

Edited June 16, 2017 by Bastet

[Mindthinkr]

On 6/4/2017 at 0:04 AM, MrSmith said:

I have a serious question and I'm asking because I've never been in a position where I felt comfortable asking someone this question before now. That said, why did you choose not to free feed your cat when you first got it? It's not like animals decide to eat because they're sad or their friends won't play with them; they eat when they're hungry. We've always free fed our cats and our dogs (and I've been with my wife for 21 years, living together for 20) and we have never had a weight problem with any of our animals, even when they got old and could hardly move (her yellow lab/shepherd mix was 18 when she passed away). Even growing up, our dogs were all free fed.

I'm sorry that it's taken me so long to answer but I've been in the process of moving and it took a few weeks to get Internet service. When I got my two cats they were only 3 weeks old. The owner had gotten rid of their mother because she had gone after her aquarium lizard. She put the two helpless kittens in a bathroom with water, dry food and a litter box. I, by chance, called to see how they were faring. When I heard they were "stranded" I told her that I'd be right over to pick them up. They were malnourished and dehydrated. I began to bottle feed them kitten formula. At 7 weeks the vet told me I had to stop "nursing" them and get them onto regular food. It took encouraging words and sounds to get them to eat and thrive in the beginning. They have always had whatever they want. She has no weight issues but my baby boy (who'd think nothing of pushing her out of her Bowl so that he could scarf that too) just wants to please me and I think that he thinks that it's by eating. The move has been hard on them. She is about 10-12 lbs and he has lost weight due to all the changes. I took advantage of those changes to not feed him on demand anymore and I think he is starting to slowly lose weight. I've had many cats over the course of my lifetime and he's the first one who's ever had a weight issue. That's as best as I can rationalize it. 

So...at my new place I saw a deer when I went to my back porch to have morning tea. It layed there and I began to worry that something might be wrong with her. Turns out the doe is the neighborhood pet and her name is Rosie. 

 

She roams around but I don't know if they feed her or she just hangs out. she's not afraid of people tho and I'm wary that if she goes off she might be hunted as she doesn't run off from the sight of humans. Having a meet and greet on Sunday to meet all the new neighbors and I'll ask around then.  There's also a symphony of frogs at night and they are everywhere!! 

 

Edited June 16, 2017 by Mindthinkr
Darn autocorrect

[DeLurker]

When I lived in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains (So Cal), there were plenty of deer that wandered around the upper neighborhoods.  Most people did not intend to feed them but they did when they planted stuff.  I seem to remember them being partial to azaleas, geraniums, various lilies and some roses.

 

one of the funniest things I've seen was a slow speed chase where the local pd cruiser was herding some deer back to the upper neighborhood/foothills when a few had wandered down to deep into town.  Lights no siren.

[Bastet]

8 minutes ago, DeLurker said:

When I lived in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains (So Cal), there were plenty of deer that wandered around the upper neighborhoods.  Most people did not intend to feed them but they did when they planted stuff.  I seem to remember them being partial to azaleas, geraniums, various lilies and some roses.

Not to mention the havoc they wreak on dwarf fruit trees, which is when they're not quite so cute anymore.

(My parents added a fence to keep deer from being able to get into their backyard because of that, but a) planted extra rosebushes in the front yard so they'd have more to graze on there and b) made one section of the fence a small gate, so that if drought conditions ever mean the deer need those trees more than they do, they can open it up to create a deer entry.)

My parents and I live about eight miles apart in the foothills of the same mountain range, but I'm a good bit further down, so I don't get deer in my neighborhood.  The coyotes occasionally venture down my way, but not the deer.  I wish it was the other way around.

[theredhead77]

Thanks for the tips! It seems to fade in and out. I'm keeping an eye on it and it seems to be healing so hopefully he's knocking it off.

One of the kitties dragged my PJ bottoms to the kitchen and put their toys on top of them. Way to make me feel like a jerk for going to work!

[Mindthinkr]

9 hours ago, DeLurker said:

When I lived in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains (So Cal), there were plenty of deer that wandered around the upper neighborhoods.  Most people did not intend to feed them but they did when they planted stuff.  I seem to remember them being partial to azaleas, geraniums, various lilies and some roses.

Oh no! I just planted geraniums. So far Rosie hasn't gotten them yet. The nursery told me that they don't like Hosta plants but she ate them the first day. She doesn't (thank goodness) seem to like herbs as I cook with fresh ones and have a porch full. My neighbor told me she  hasn't been eaten his so I've got my fingers crossed! 

So yes she is cute but has the propensity to be a nuisance. 

[JTMacc99]

Deer are jerks and will eat almost anything short of sage, lavender, mint, and spruce trees. They won't eat daffodils but will wipe out tulips. Hostas have some appeal to them as you discovered 

[MrSmith]

13 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

I'm sorry that it's taken me so long to answer but I've been in the process of moving and it took a few weeks to get Internet service. When I got my two cats they were only 3 weeks old. The owner had gotten rid of their mother because she had gone after her aquarium lizard. She put the two helpless kittens in a bathroom with water, dry food and a litter box. I, by chance, called to see how they were faring. When I heard they were "stranded" I told her that I'd be right over to pick them up. They were malnourished and dehydrated. I began to bottle feed them kitten formula. At 7 weeks the vet told me I had to stop "nursing" them and get them onto regular food. It took encouraging words and sounds to get them to eat and thrive in the beginning. They have always had whatever they want. She has no weight issues but my baby boy (who'd think nothing of pushing her out of her Bowl so that he could scarf that too) just wants to please me and I think that he thinks that it's by eating. The move has been hard on them. She is about 10-12 lbs and he has lost weight due to all the changes. I took advantage of those changes to not feed him on demand anymore and I think he is starting to slowly lose weight. I've had many cats over the course of my lifetime and he's the first one who's ever had a weight issue. That's as best as I can rationalize it. 

Thank you for sharing this. It makes sense and it's nice to have another perspective on the topic. Hopefully your cats will settle in and realize it's not as scary as they thought. Our cat started pulling her hair out the first time we had to move when she was about two. She has continued to do this ever since and nothing we do makes a difference.

I would like to take a moment to say how horrified and amazed I always am at how little thought people put into the needs of animals, especially baby animals. I'm glad you were able to save those cats from that person. People like that always make me wish we could force them to eat things that they cannot eat and see how they feel after a few days of that. For some reason, I would always select pea gravel and magnets as their diet. I can't imagine why....

[EighteenTwelve]

My cats are trying to give me heart failure.  On Friday night, the cat who wanted dinner after she swallowed a sewing needle didn't want her dinner.  (I discovered she had also yarfed up her breakfast.)  She was acting lethargic besides.  So I said OK, if you don't want breakfast on Saturday, we're going to the emergency vet.

On Saturday morning she woke me up half an hour early, demanding breakfast, and ate it.  On Saturday night I gave her dinner, which she was interested in, and went off to a concert.  When I got home, I discovered she had yarfed up her dinner.

On Sunday she ate breakfast three or four kibbles at a time over the course of the morning, and didn't want dinner at all. 

Yesterday she was completely back to normal.  But yesterday the other cat wouldn't eat her dinner, and this morning she wouldn't eat her breakfast.  Mercifully, I think I know why.  She had four bad teeth pulled two years ago, and I think she's working on another one.  But why did I want cats, again?