Pet(s): Photos & Discussion

[bosawks]

Somebody took today off...

[MargeGunderson]

I’m so jealous of Alli!

[Moose135]

Denali spent the day with me today.  Here, she's supervising me while I check out the new grill her mom got me for my birthday.  She absolutely loves to be outside!

[DeLurker]

I love how the longer hair on her front legs fans out. 

[MargeGunderson]

Both Kitties Gunderson in the same picture - air conditioning brought them together!

ETA: and now it’s over. The Younger bit The Elder on the leg and was promptly banished from the ottoman.

Edited July 3, 2018 by MargeGunderson

[bilgistic]

Kitties Gunderson! I love them!

[Sandman87]

All this talk of medicating cats reminds me of how lucky I was with the late Goofy and his insulin shots. All I had to do was feed him, and he'd ignore the needle completely while wolfing down his grub.

Catsby seems to have recovered from his encounter with the Horrible Devil Bee. He and Calypso insist on spending at least six hours per day outside now, despite the fact that it's been hotter than Satan's hair-dryer outside (today it was "only" 102 F.) They have plenty of shade on the deck, under the deck, and in/around the trees and bushes, and I've set them up with a water trough under a spigot that's been turned to a very slow drip. The two of them seem to know their names now, and they'll come running when I call them...usually. Catsby has adopted an old plastic patio chair as his personal deck chair, while Calypso prefers the shady spot under a nearby plastic table. Out in the yard, Catsby likes it under my car, while Calypso hangs out at the base of the oak tree nearest the house. Neither one of them seems inclined to go out past the fence line.

We've had some deer coming around recently. Last week I stepped out of the kitchen door and surprised a deer that was sniffing around the deck stairs. We stood there looking at each other for about half a minute, and then the deer bolted around the corner of the house. Must have startled Catsby, because he came running back around the corner at top speed and hid behind my legs. Two days later Catsby and the deer were hanging out together near the driveway gate, so I guess they're friends now.

Calypso climbed her first tree today. She must have finally pissed Catsby off, because I heard the sound of a cat-fight out on the deck, and when I went out there Catsby was chasing her around the deck, and then out and around the yard before she finally went twelve feet straight up one of the oaks. Then she sat there, wedged in the crotch of one of the branches, trying to figure out how to get back down:

Usually he's very patient and easygoing. Kinda makes me wonder what she did.

 

The cats with evil glowing eyes in the driveway. Taken with the camera's zoom:

 

Two cats on a bed:

 

Comfortable, but undignified:

 

On 6/21/2018 at 6:44 AM, DeLurker said:

Every time I go in the shower, my cat hangs out in the bathroom.  The minute I step out and am drying off*, he comes rushing towards me like he is going to rub up against my legs so I am always trying to rush and dry them first in an effort to avoid having it happen, thereby transferring a ton of cat fur to my legs.

Reminds me of the two cats I had down in the Bay Area. Ethel, a calico who had decided that I was one of her kittens, would sneak up on me when I got out of the shower and start licking my toes. Rather startling, having one's toes suddenly sandpapered. Meanwhile, Buck, a runty black male, would come charging into the bathroom as soon as I got out of the shower and jump up on the tub while the water was still draining. Unfortunately he had long fur on the bottom of his paws, and he'd slide right off the edge and into the water. He got a bath almost every day; the cleanest cat in town!

[bosawks]

Happy 4th from Alli and special guest star Rory!

[bilgistic]

Little Mama is not having any of these Fourth of July shenanigans.

She low-ran out of the bedroom right after I took this picture. Little Girl followed her a few seconds later.

[DeLurker]

Her fur is so shiny! I like shiny!

[AgentRXS]

I agree with Lil Mama! She's so adorable. Been a cat owner most of my life, but I never get over how cute they look when they sit with their paws curled into their chest! I just love when they sit like that.

[bilgistic]

My girls do have beautiful, shiny coats. They clean each other, which is about the cutest, sweetest thing I've ever seen. They are good girls, though I have video evidence of them fighting...

@AgentRXS, I've seen that position referred to as a "loaf", I guess because the cat's body looks like a loaf of bread.

Mama hid behind the couch but eventually came out while I sat on the floor with Little Girl. The fireworks went on for about 1.5 hours and LG was largely unfazed. LM is more skittish by nature. It was their first July 4th with me and they did pretty well. Fireworks are dumb.

[DeLurker]

Luckily neither Kook nor Catty Face are the least bit disturbed by fireworks.  We did have an urgent round of maximum barking followed by a mad dash up the stairs (as soon as he was sure I was coming too).

The cause for the outbreak?  Strange voices in my daughter's room.  

My daughter was doing some kind of group video call with her friends so the phone was on speaker.

[Mindthinkr]

It was relatively quiet here. It’s so hot that even the squirrels are not eating as much. 

Speaking of: 

[riley702]

[AgentRXS]

Pennywise, one of the shelter's outdoor parking lot cats.

I just came back from a week and a half vacation and you can tell he definitely missed me. <3 <3 <3

[Sandman87]

"Which button do I push to order room service?"

 

"Don't bother me; I'm on the phone."

 

On 7/4/2018 at 6:26 PM, bilgistic said:

Little Mama is not having any of these Fourth of July shenanigans.

That's one disgusted looking cat.

 

8 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

It was relatively quiet here. It’s so hot that even the squirrels are not eating as much.

Can we trade squirrels? I had to take my car to the shop today because our squirrels ate some of the wires.

[bilgistic]

14 minutes ago, Sandman87 said:

That's one disgusted looking cat.

She has Resting Cat Face.

[theredhead77]

19 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

Pennywise, one of the shelter's outdoor parking lot cats.

I just came back from a week and a half vacation and you can tell he definitely missed me. <3 <3 <3

Awww. He looks like my* Boo!

By "my" I mean the cat that adopted my parents and I wanted to keep but my mom wouldn't let me take to my apartment after they brought him inside their house.

"But he has several couches and beds and perches and your father and are are home all day...."

[bilgistic]

Today is Little Mama's third birthday! This is how she's celebrating:

Yesterday afternoon, there was a huge thunderstorm that I got caught out in. When I got home, she was hiding behind the futon. I coaxed her out eventually and gave her lots of love. She's had a rough week with the fireworks on Wednesday and thunder yesterday. A long, quiet nap against my pasty white thigh is exactly what she needs.

[MargeGunderson]

Aw, napebrating is the best! Happy birthday, Little Mama!

I bought the Kitties Gunderson a Coolaroo bed for the hot weather. They both refuse to sit on it, of course. 

Exciting neighborhood pet news - my next door neighbors are getting a French bulldog puppy! She comes home at the end of the month. We have already offered to walk and dog sit, plus she’s welcome in our yard anytime. 

[bilgistic]

My girls lay in the bedroom window seat, which gets sun in the afternoon. I keep the blinds raised enough for them to have a view, but keep the blinds and curtains closed because the window is aluminum and conducts heat. My bedroom already doesn't get enough cool air. The girls will be hot to the touch but they apparently love it, the weirdos.

[theredhead77]

My living room has three huge windows, all in a row but the sun doesn't reach the cat tree I have on the end next to them. I  put the stools that go with my kitchen table under the window for the cats to lay on and it became the catcats favorite napping spot so I bought this for him and he loves it. I may get a second one for the guest room windows.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000795XJC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[bilgistic]

That's very similar to what I have in the bedroom window. My girls smoosh together to lay on it.

[bosawks]

Turn right, now!

[Moose135]

"Did you order the new package of cookies yet?"

[DeLurker]

On vacation for a week but miss my cat & dog so much it is ridiculous.  I clearly enjoy their company more than people company.

After inspecting every local boarding facility, including ones where they could share a room, my nephew's roomie is taking care of them.  

[bilgistic]

I'm like that when I (rarely) go anywhere. I've only been gone overnight at Thanksgiving and Christmas. I miss my girls so much when I'm gone. I have a petsitting service come to my place so the girls get to stay home. My sister has a cat, so I get some surrogate kitty love over Thanksgiving.

[bosawks]

I make my mom fly up to “babysit” Alli... 

[theredhead77]

Now that I'm away from my family and friends I hire a pet sitter to come to empty the litter box and provide cattention to my boys. 

Before I moved my mom and my friends would come in.

I hate leaving them but they're in good hands

[EighteenTwelve]

I took the plunge and made a consultation appointment to get radioactive iodine treatment for Lily.  Neither of us is enjoying the battle of wills about pills, so this is the right thing to do for the long haul.  But I feel terrible because it's going to involve so many things she hates: getting in the carrier, going somewhere in something with an engine, leaving her in a strange place where they stick her with needles, etc.

[Bastet]

I had to do that for Baxter; his T4 level was fine on the methimazole for a couple of years with just the occasional adjustment (and he gobbled up his pill in a treat with no issue), but then he became incredibly difficult to regulate and was undergoing frequent blood draws because of the medication adjustments.  Scintigraphy showed two rather large tumors, so the disease definitely needed to be dispatched with permanently at that point rather than treated with medication.  But I felt bad about the logistics of the radioiodine procedure for all the same reasons.  You'll both get through it -- short-term bad for long-term good.

The clinic where Baxter's was done had a webcam in each little cube, so I could watch him whenever I wanted. 

The hard part was when he came home, and I was supposed to limit my exposure to him.  Screw that; it lasted maybe a day.

Good thoughts to you and Lily.

[bilgistic]

You know what would be great? If when my cat has a hanger-on situation, she would stand still and let me know vocally with a meow or howl--anything. Anything would be better than me noticing that both cats are looking curiously at something on the floor, and I think it's a bug, but when I go to inspect it, not only is there a turd on the carpet, I see a curated collection of poop schmears on the bathroom vinyl, the hallway carpet and the bathroom carpet, encompassing a six-foot round area.

[Bastet]

When Baxter had a turd stuck in his tailfeathers (or still half out the chute, as he had an occasional dry stool issue), he turned into a bucking bronco, and I'd have to chase along behind him attempting to retrieve it before he succeeded in flinging it off.

Switching cats, two nights ago Riley - a more inept bug hunter I have never had (which is fine; I completely respect the fact she makes friends with crickets and invites them to hang out next to her rather than capturing them, so I just call them all Jiminy and relocate them outside) - somehow discerned from the bedroom that a moth was in the living room and, by the nightlight in that room as sunlight dawned, captured it (fatally, alas).  (I was newly awake, as I frequently am in the middle of the night, and wondered why on earth she was getting up when she'd already completed her nightly "briefly leave Mommy's side to pee and kill off dinner" routine, and soon heard the pitter patter of paws running and jumping in the living room; investigating, I found the cause of her interest.)  She was so pleased with herself, she ran into the study to assert her authority by attacking a scratching post, so we played with the peacock feather for a while before I went back to bed; she joined me shortly and conked out, exhausted from her endeavors.

Edited July 13, 2018 by Bastet

[bilgistic]

I'm now picturing a floofy cat wearing a saddle while tearing off through the house.

[bosawks]

Night time nap on the beach.

It was a busy day....

[Mindthinkr]

Great photo of Alli running in the water. 

[DeLurker]

On 7/10/2018 at 10:04 AM, DeLurker said:

On vacation for a week but miss my cat & dog so much it is ridiculous.  I clearly enjoy their company more than people company.

After inspecting every local boarding facility, including ones where they could share a room, my nephew's roomie is taking care of them.  

Got home late last night and Catty Face and Kook were very happy to see us.  I know the nephew's roomie Ash gave them great care (she's a dog groomer and is really good with animals.  Between the two of them there is 5 cats and 3 dogs). 

I knew the pets contribute greatly to my overall sense of well being, but this past week has been a vivid reminder of how much that is!

On 7/10/2018 at 6:11 PM, bosawks said:

I make my mom fly up to “babysit” Alli... 

Mom was meeting us for the week, so her fluff-n-stuff was being missed too.  One of my nieces was cat-sitting for her.

[theredhead77]

How often do you all completely replace the litter box? I bought one less than a year ago that just stinks, no matter how long I soak it or air it out. I've dumped baking powder in it, bought Arm & Hammer litter box deodorizer, nothing works. It seems fine when there is litter in it but once I dump and clean it, YIKES! It's supposed to have that anti-microbe protection in it. 

[Mindthinkr]

36 minutes ago, theredhead77 said:

How often do you all completely replace the litter box? I bought one less than a year ago that just stinks, no matter how long I soak it or air it out. I've dumped baking powder in it, bought Arm & Hammer litter box deodorizer, nothing works. It seems fine when there is litter in it but once I dump and clean it, YIKES! It's supposed to have that anti-microbe protection in it. 

Whenever you think it stinks and can no longer keep it clean. Also when the cats scratch into the plastic so urine can leech into it. 

[DeLurker]

I was texting with Ash who took care of the Kook and Catty Face while I was gone.  She said that Kook is the best behaved dog she's ever dealt with and she's a dog groomer!  He's a good boy but mostly that is on him.  He's smart, but not super obedient - he'll do things because he wants to, not because you want him to.  He's very calm and very affectionate, without being all in your face about it.

[bilgistic]

On 7/15/2018 at 5:22 PM, Mindthinkr said:

Whenever you think it stinks and can no longer keep it clean. Also when the cats scratch into the plastic so urine can leech into it. 

I guess I'm gross because I never wash a cat litter box. When I'm scooping or changing out the litter entirely, the cats suddenly act like they haven't peed in days and are circling me and doing the pee-pee dance, so I'm on a deadline to get the job done. I usually throw out the whole box(es--there ate two) after about six months or so and start anew.

My late cats used to do this and my girls now do this, so I don't think I'm imagining it: one box has only pee and the other has pee and poop. The pee-only box never has poop in it. Do other multiple-cat households engage in this behavior?

[Mindthinkr]

@bilgistic I might be the bad owner. I have 2 cats and only one box. I scoop it every day as my cats only poop once in the am and usually only pee twice per day. They are more regular than me (sorry if TMI)! 

Sometimes the scooping litter just doesn’t want to come out in small areas. When that happens I empty it completely and take it outside for a hose down. Then it’s a Lysol wash (wearing gloves), rinse thoroughly and sun dry. It’s because they are so regular that they don’t even bat an eyelash that it disappears for half an hour.  

[theredhead77]

Unless I am going out of town I only have one box. I scoop it in the morning and when I get home from work. I completely change the litter once a week and make an effort to let it soak in Lysol too but sometimes I'm super lazy and just replace the litter. I use Arm & Hammer Clump and Seal (with the red on the box). 100% dust free, minimal tracking (no tracking until it gets close to change time) and a scent that doesn't bother me.

I almost picked up the litter box on Amazon lightening deal yesterday but I already spent $200 on other random crap.

[bilgistic]

Look at these girls. They were beside me on the futon, and I can barely handle the cuteness. I'm not sure how Little Girl can breathe in that headlock, but she sure looks content. Peep her little spot of white belly floof.

[Mindthinkr]

@bilgistic Absolutely beautiful. My little girl has that same white “floof”. Their coats are so shiny. You are lucky to have them and they are lucky to have you. Mine are my best friends. 

[AgentRXS]

I'm also a 2 cat, 1 box person. My girls don't go that often so I can get by with scooping once a day. I do a full clean once a week. I just wish I could get Diamond to stop trying to to dig a hole to China. Even with a hooded cover, she's managed to dump a good portion of fresh litter outside the box daily.

[Bastet]

I gave Riley a flea treatment tonight, because Chester - one of my parents' cats - has fleas (because his immune system is compromised right now, but that's a whole other story and we're only about 2/3 through the diagnostic stage, so I'm holding off on it - he's doing okay, and we'll figure it out).  Since I go to my parents' house every week or two (more now that Chester is sick), I wanted to dose Riley in case I bring some critters home with me. 

Well.  I'm fairly sure I could have strangled her with less objection.  There was the usual "OMG, you are getting ready to do something to me!" struggling, but then she initially calmed down when nothing worse happened to her than some liquid on her shoulder blades.  However, once it became clear there were more than a couple of drops involved, she went into full Sassy from Homeward Bound (The Incredible Journey) mode, hollering about "My fur!  My fur!"  And then tried to open my femoral artery using one of her back claws. 

But I persevered, she survived this horrible trauma, and we played with her catnip sock to recover.  I wouldn't trade her for the world, but I miss being spoiled by Maddie and Baxter allowing me to do just about anything to them without fuss.

Edited July 19, 2018 by Bastet

[DeLurker]

@bmasters9 - how are the kittens doing?

[bmasters9]

7 hours ago, DeLurker said:

@bmasters9 - how are the kittens doing?

Long story short: growing, eating, playful.