Pet(s): Photos & Discussion

[Browncoat]

Unfortunately, the finches who get infected with Mycoplasma rarely recover.  Generally, they will become blind and either die of starvation or predation.

I kind of like summer at the feeders -- everyone is bringing around their "kids" to show them what the feeders are.  I have tons of juvenile cardinals, catbirds, wrens, chickadees, titmice, and blue jays.  The jays are my favorite youngsters.  It's hilarious watching them taste everything (including the bolts holding my patio furniture together!) to see if it's food.  It seems like they do that more than the other birds.

[ABay]

I feel awful about taking down the feeders, especially since I won't get to clean them today as planned. Most of the sites I looked at recommended keeping them down for a few days at least, anyway. Most of the youngsters seem to have grown by now and there is a lot of other food about, and I know a lot of people just stop feeding them in the summer, but...still feel guilty.

[bilgistic]

Today is Little Mama's (aka Lexi's) fourth birthday! Happy birthday to this beautiful, aloof old soul, and gentle but fierce mother. She takes great care of Little Girl and me.

[Mindthinkr]

2 minutes ago, bilgistic said:

Today is Little Mama's (aka Lexi's) fourth birthday! Happy birthday to this beautiful, aloof old soul, and gentle but fierce mother. She takes great care of Little Girl and me.

She is beautiful and looks just like my Girl Cat. 

Happy Birthday Lexi. Virtual petting and purrs from the Mindthinkr kitties. 

[Browncoat]

1 hour ago, ABay said:

I feel awful about taking down the feeders, especially since I won't get to clean them today as planned. Most of the sites I looked at recommended keeping them down for a few days at least, anyway. Most of the youngsters seem to have grown by now and there is a lot of other food about, and I know a lot of people just stop feeding them in the summer, but...still feel guilty.

I know what you mean!  I have three tube feeders and two platforms, and they are emptied every day.  I was gone for two whole days for the holiday, and worried about my birds the whole time!  There are mulberries, blackberries, poke berries, grass seeds, dandelion seeds, and so much other food that I *know* the birds won't starve, but I still feed bad that they don't have the sunflower seeds I put out for them.  When I was away for two weeks last December, I had someone come fill my feeders every couple of days.

As for the Mycoplasma, there is one school of thought that it is endemic in the population of house finches (goldfinches, purple finches and other birds don't seem to be as bothered by it), and it cycles.  Meaning for a couple of years you'll have tons of sick birds, then almost none for a few years, then another outbreak, etc., etc.  In other words, taking feeders down may or may not help.  Cleaning them probably will help a bit, though. 

[Mindthinkr]

Big Boy and I just got our Harry Bosch tee shirt yesterday. I let him have first wear because they are collecting pictures of people who got them and I’m not putting my face out there. Might scare the other people and pets! It was sold as a fundraising effort to help the homeless children in LA and they were sold out within days. 

For those who don’t watch Bosch it reads:

Everybody Counts or Nobody Counts 

Edited July 7, 2019 by Mindthinkr
Added what the tee says.

[AgentRXS]

5 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

Big Boy and I just got our Harry Bosch tee shirt yesterday. I let him have first wear because they are collecting pictures of people who got them and I’m not putting my face out there. Might scare the other people and pets! It was sold as a fundraising effort to help the homeless children in LA and they were sold out within days. 

For those who don’t watch Bosch it reads:

Everybody Counts or Nobody Counts 

I love him!

[JTMacc99]

18 hours ago, bilgistic said:

Today is Little Mama's (aka Lexi's) fourth birthday! Happy birthday to this beautiful, aloof old soul, and gentle but fierce mother. She takes great care of Little Girl and me.

She is a beautiful cat.

[bosawks]

Cannonball!!!!!

[isalicat]

All you awesome dog owners are bringing joy and light to the world! Thanks for the pictures!

So in the meantime, my Louis, an orange tabby of about 12 - 13 years old, of unknown history to us before about 1-1/2 years ago, and otherwise of sound mind and body, has developed matted fur on his back from about half way down his back to just above the tail. I have carefully checked for fleas etc. and dosed him with good anti-flea stuff (though he is showing no signs of fleas at all and I would know - he sleeps with me and they find me extremely munchie.)

I have been brushing him every day with a rubber tooth brush followed by a wire tooth brush (done gently) and he is shedding lots of fur there and doesn't seem to be licking himself there at all (on the other hand he can't really reach there due to some sort of disability - the vet said he may have been kicked or hit by a car and had a hip heal badly but he is not in any pain).

Anyways - any ideas? I am very hesitant on a vet trip because he gets super stressed at being put in the carrier (I'm sure that is how his previous people got rid of him - he was dumped in a carrier in a field in a neighboring town.) But if this is mange or something of course I will want to have him treated - not seen anything like this in numerous cats that have graciously shared my life over several decades.

[cleo]

Is he eating and drinking, behaviour normal? Can you see if his skin looks okay? I have an older cat that goes ballistic and has to be sedated when I take him to the vet, so I totally get holding off.

If he seems ok otherwise I would wait and aee if it passes. But I dont know much about mange. I experienced fur like that only with an older cat that stopped grooming himself.

[theredhead77]

This isn't really about my pet but it's still topical. And it's a vent.

My apartment complex has some parking lot cats. At least one of them was abandoned when their hooman moved. An elderly neighbor has been feeding the cats for years and has befriended them to the point they come when called and she can pet them.

A week ago I noticed there are kittens. I thought this woman (L) had gotten the mama cat fixed, last year after several litters of kittens (some of which died). Nope. She likes the kittens! So my other neighbor (J) and I decided we're going to take things into our own hands and get the mama fixed, then get the tom fixed and try to get the kittens to get them adopted out (and fixed).

I found a place that does no-cost spay & neuter for outdoor cats, got a trap and a spay appointment to drop off last night. J and I asked L to set the food just inside the cage and then to coax the mama cat out into her eating area then give her a shove into the cage. Did she? NOPE! She sat in the feeding area trying to talk to the damn cat. Needless to say, we didn't trap the cat and missed our appointment. I'm fucking livid with L. She doesn't understand that we need an appointment to take the cat in, we can't just show up even though we explained it to her several times. She said she would call Banfield (which is backed up for weeks and $$$. And we don't trust her to actually get the cat fixed if they would even take her since she's partially feral).

One of the kittens fell down the storm drain on Tuesday night and it took all night but J managed to get it out. J took that kitten to the vet, got the FIV, heartworm, feline leukemia test done (clear) as well as the RCCP shot and the kitten is now in her apartment waiting for an appt to get fixed. We're trying to find it a home (I won't take it and she says she won't keep it so we may have to let it go).

So last night after L completely botched the capture (which we are pretty sure she did on purpose) she was texting us that the mama cat was hovering around the manhole where the kitten was calling for her and how sad it was. She wants us to let the kitten go. Nope.

I have a call into the place that does the fixing to get some more appointments but it takes 2-3 days to get a call back from the person who runs the cat program.

Does anyone here in the Atlanta area want a kitten?

[isalicat]

Cleo: Thanks for your response. He is eating, sleeping, purring, grooming everything he can reach - all completely normal. I think he just can't reach that part of his back anymore. The skin does not look at all irritated but the fur is really matted so I am just going to keep up with the daily gentle brushing. Should I also be trying to wash that area and if so with what? (Despite having many, many cats over my long life this is a first!).

Redhead: Bless you for your efforts and I so understand your frustration with "L". Some people are really loopy when it comes to feral cats and think that if you just provide food they will be fine out there - not! Wish I could take your kitten but I know my Louis would not approve and its a long trip from there to here....

[Bastet]

@isalicat, can you shave the mats and then, knowing he can't reach that area to groom, be diligent in brushing the new fur that comes in so he doesn't reach the matted stage again?  Or would the sound of clippers go over about as well as putting him in the carrier?

Oh, wait - he goes outside, right?  If so, sunny summer might not be a good time for him to have exposed skin.

[ABay]

@isalicat, my Grumpy Old Man cat had terrible matting during the last few years of his life because he couldn't groom his lower back and he was semi-feral so I couldn't brush him. At first, I could gently tug at one or two while he was eating, but over the last few years there were more and more mats and no way to keep up.

Toward the end of his life, his lower back was one big mat and I asked the vet to groom him. On the one hand, I think the stress of going to the vet and getting shaved contributed to the timing of his death--he was a very sick old cat by then with various issues and I was surprised he made it as far into the year as he did. On the other hand, it was really uncomfortable, possibly even painful, when he moved. So...I don't know.

One of my previous cats also had chronic matting and got the lion cut every late summer/fall for many years without a problem. She was an exceedingly fluffy indoor/outdoor cat who really did not want me drying her off when she came in from the rain.

[MargeGunderson]

@isalicat, Burt’s Bees makes pet wipes for cats. I used them on the dearly departed Kitty Gunderson the Elder when she got very old and had arthritis in her back legs. She couldn’t clean very well back there, and she had very thick fur. Or, just a warm, damp washcloth worked too. Kitty really didn’t like being brushed, so I would wait until she was asleep and then just brush her a little bit each day. Lots of patience and cat treats were also required. 

[isalicat]

Thank you all so much! I will look for the Burt's Bees pet wipes (I love their lip gloss). Fortunately Louis does not mind being brushed (although he does vocally protest a little bit when I start in on his back) so I am planning to do that every day. I know someone with a clipper but I think the noise etc. would terrify him so I would do that only as a last resort (probably have the vet do it as a last resort given my reluctance to take him to the vet for a non-illness, as it were). It is interesting that my previous cat, the late lamented Mister Oh, was a very, very fluffy long haired gray and white guy and never developed mats, and this guy is a basically short haired orange and white tabby but has mats.

[cleo]

It sounds like you got a lot of good ideas. Tbere is no right solution, just whatever works best for you and the kitty. My old guy Spike didn't get mats but his fur would get very greasy. The vet told me to shampoo it with a cat shampoo. Spike was very gentle and would let me do it but honestly it was still greasy. I guess it just kept it from getting really bad.

Hopefully once you get the mats under control it will be easier for you to maintain going forward. It's always hard in the beginning 

[walnutqueen]

There are non-electric little "shavers"  that are basically a comb with an inserted razor edge.  Worked well when I had a long haired cat, many decades ago (wish I could find it for you, but it is Gone, Baby, Gone).

[Mindthinkr]

Big Boy is so fat (Yes, this seems to be a chronic problem for me as he eats less than his 10 lb sister and has had blood work and all is WNL) that he cannot groom his back and mats. Lucky for me a gentle combing will get rid of them. I wonder that you can use a spray like No More Tangles (for humans only I’m assuming...ask your vet) or some kind of conditioner that it vet approved. @isalicat I feel for you because I don’t know what you can do other than the gentle grooming that you are implementing. 

@theredhead77 I would be fuming about the feral cats and your “helpful” neighbor “L”. I hope that you can find a home for the one kitten that you rescued. She had some nerve asking you to let that kitten loose so her Mama wouldn’t cry for her. Does the mother cat have other kittens or is this lady just trying to get it loose so she can play with it and add it to her collection? 

Anyway, I came here to vent. The HS girl who usually feeds my kitties while I’m away (she is great and goes twice a day) has been admitted to the Hospital...ICU. I’m away on vacation, but the family is so nice that her Mom is doing the feedings so they are still being cared for. Think a good thought for her, will you please? I sent flowers and will go visit her as soon as I’m home. 

[theredhead77]

18 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

Does the mother cat have other kittens or is this lady just trying to get it loose so she can play with it and add it to her collection? 

The mama cat has 2 other kittens that are hiding in the wall of the utility shed they use as a shelter. We want to get them, too, to get fixed but the one we caught isn't big enough yet so we figure the other two aren't, either. 

L has been the primary caretaker of the kitties for the last 2 + years so we were trying to include her in this, thinking she would be able to help us. Today J and I decided we're going to have to cut her out of the process since she isn't willing to do what needs to be done to get the mama cat into the trap. Since we get another appointment until next week (if I ever hear back from the program again) we're taking the weekend off.

I got home early, pulled the trap, made the other buckets she has for them to sleep in inaccessible and placed a big plastic carrier with the door zip tied open in their little shed with a towel which hopefully the kitties will use, get their scent on and then we can use to bait the trap when we get another appointment. I set a text to leave everything alone and will check tomorrow to make sure she does.

It sucks that these kitties are so dependent on her, if she moves (or something happens to her) they may not survive. Our best option is to get the kittens to the no-kill shelter before its too late, get the mama & tom fixed and hope for the best.

[Mindthinkr]

@theredhead77 I applaud all your efforts in trying to get the cats fixed and into either a new home or no kill shelter. You are a saint. 

Boo hiss on “L”. 

[theredhead77]

36 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

Boo hiss on “L”

I painted her in a bad light. She's an older, seemingly lonley, lady who means well 

[walnutqueen]

Socialize those kittens early and often!  If they are young enough, and even if they hiss and scratch at first, their only chance for adoption is if someone bites the bullet and semi-forces some loving on the wee little bairns.  I know this sounds harsh, but there is a "window" for this to happen, and you'd be doing those kittens a huuge favor by stealing them away for some cuddle & play time, any chance you get.

[theredhead77]

10 hours ago, walnutqueen said:

Socialize those kittens early and often!  If they are young enough, and even if they hiss and scratch at first, their only chance for adoption is if someone bites the bullet and semi-forces some loving on the wee little bairns.  I know this sounds harsh, but there is a "window" for this to happen, and you'd be doing those kittens a huuge favor by stealing them away for some cuddle & play time, any chance you get.

We are aware there is a window; unfortunately, these kittens will probably end up as parking lot cats too and if that is the situation it's best they are afraid of people. Our primary goal is to get the mama fixed, get the tom fixed and get the babies fixed when they are big enough. Neither J or I can take in more cats on a permanent basis and I can't foster due to the kitten-cats neurosis. It took a month for the kitten-cat to stop freaking out at the cat-cat when I brought him home.

I just heard back that we have a drop-off appt on Monday for whichever cat ends up in the carrier. Fingers crossed!

[Mindthinkr]

1 minute ago, theredhead77 said:

I just heard back that we have a drop-off appt on Monday for whichever cat ends up in the carrier. Fingers crossed!

🤞🏻🙏🏻 Best of luck to y’all. 

[Mindthinkr]

Well this most certainly isn’t a pet, but I was going to weed a bit and as I was walking down my porch stairs this came into view. Does anyone know what kind of snake it is? My guess is Copperhead. 

Spoiler

Edited July 13, 2019 by Mindthinkr
Put into a spoiler for people like Bilgistic who doesn’t like these kinds of photos.

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, Mindthinkr said:

I was going to weed a bit and as I was walking down my porch stairs this came into view.

There would already be a moving truck in the driveway and a For Sale sign in the front yard if I walked down my porch and that came into view!

[Mindthinkr]

1 minute ago, Bastet said:

There would already be a moving truck in the driveway and a For Sale sign in the front yard if I walked down my porch and that came into view!

Lucky for me it was the back yard stairs (4) and I have two other options of gaining entry into my house. 

I’ve  seen a black snake, twice as big, that hangs around, but have been told that he isn’t venomous and usually runs from people. He only attacks when provoked. 

No, Bastet, if you don’t like snakes this is not the place for you to live. 

[bilgistic]

Nooooo!!! That poor frog! Why did I click on the spoiler?!? I was warned!

Time to brick over the back entry, @Mindthinkr!

We occasionally had HUGE black snakes in our yard when I was growing up in the home my folks still live in. My mom always said, "It's just a harmless black snake." We also had garter snakes. I don't want ANY snakes, "harmless" or otherwise!

I keep thinking of things and editing... I have no problem with frogs and salamanders/lizards/newts and will even pick them up. Snakes, though--be gone, devil creatures!

Edited July 13, 2019 by bilgistic

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, Mindthinkr said:

No, Bastet, if you don’t like snakes this is not the place for you to live. 

I think you're in the South, which is not the place for me to live on multiple fronts, and, yes, walking out into my yard and finding a snake would be one of those deal-breakers.  I wouldn't harm a non-deadly snake, I don't think they're bad, I don't want them to go extinct, anything like that.  I just absolutely do not want to be around them.  I have a hard enough time not freaking my shit when I encounter one on a hiking trail (briefly, before it slithers away because it's not any happier to see me) - I am not having it in my own yard.  People further up towards the hills in my area will get the occasional snake, but I'm safe.

Edited July 13, 2019 by Bastet

[theredhead77]

Thank you for the spoiler, @Mindthinkr ! I would have had to burn my computer if I saw the photo!

In other news, we have kittens! We set out the trap for either mom or the tom and my neighbor went to look and there were two kittens inside! They are now inside my neighbors bathroom with their sibling.

Hopefully we wake to mom or the tom in the trap tomorrow!

[Mindthinkr]

16 minutes ago, theredhead77 said:

Thank you for the spoiler, @Mindthinkr ! I would have had to burn my computer if I saw the photo!

In other news, we have kittens! We set out the trap for either mom or the tom and my neighbor went to look and there were two kittens inside! They are now inside my neighbors bathroom with their sibling.

Hopefully we wake to mom or the tom in the trap tomorrow!

That’s good news about the kittens and my fingers are still crossed for the parents. 

[Sandman87]

Update from the House of Gajillion Cats

The Twins have settled into their role as the new kittens on the block. Catsby has decided that he's an indulgent big brother, and occasionally inflicts a few seconds of grooming on them when they come near. Calypso still wants none of their nonsense.

The Friendly One has taken to running over and wrapping himself around my ankles after being out of sight of me for more than a few minutes. I've managed to avoid tripping over him or stepping on him so far.

Both little ones have been doing a thing where they leap at each other and collide in midair. Then they fall down and act like they meant to do that.

They both go in and out as they please whenever I open the door for any reason. Much of their time is spent outdoors lounging in the shady area near the water bowl. Here they almost look like adults:

The built-in pantry/appliance shelf (a do-it-yourself job by the previous owners) is the perfect place to grab some Zs after an exhausting day of lounging:

Dinner time with Catsby & kittens:

I'm going to confer with Mom in a couple of weeks on what to name the kittens. First she has to finish her current round of physical rehab for her bum knees. She hasn't even seen them yet (the kittens, I mean, not her knees.)

[theredhead77]

We have the mama kitty! I'll be dropping her off this afternoon.

The cat program says if we can't find a rescue for the kittens they should go back outside until they are big enough to get fixed so they remain feral.

I tried to tell J that but she is hellbent on domesticating and finding them homes. I agree that they shouldn't go back into the parking lot where they may get hit by a car or worse, but if she wants to keep them upstairs for much longer they won't be able to go back outside and that's on her. I told her I can't have any more animals in my apartment.

[Mindthinkr]

19 minutes ago, theredhead77 said:

We have the mama kitty! 

Hip Hip Hooray. 

[ratgirlagogo]

On 7/15/2019 at 10:09 AM, theredhead77 said:

The cat program says if we can't find a rescue for the kittens they should go back outside until they are big enough to get fixed so they remain feral.

Wait, why does the program want more feral cats?  Why can't they give them to fosters (not you if you can't do it) and then ultimately adopt them out?  Feral cats kill birds and useful bug-eating reptiles, etc. 

Edited July 17, 2019 by ratgirlagogo

[theredhead77]

38 minutes ago, ratgirlagogo said:

Wait, why does the program want more feral cats?  Why can't they give them to fosters (not you if you can't do it) and then ultimately adopt them out?  Feral cats kill birds and useful bug-eating reptiles, etc. 

The fosters and shelters are full of other kittens and cats who need homes. If the only option is to put them back outside it's best they go out super young so they can learn how to cat instead of being reliant on humans.

I can't take any of them. I relayed all this to my neighbor but she's one who always knows best so I said I'd help with the vet bills but the rest is on her since she's insisting on finding them homes (and acting shocked the shelters are full).

Don't get me wrong, I don't want them to go back outside, I want them to find homes. But I'm seriously over this cat drama at this point and tired of the valid advice from experts being ignored because she knows best.

[Yreeli]

I am new here. I am not a professional and haven't had a professional training. I've done pictures of my 2 dogs and when my husband showed my shots to his co-worker without telling her who was the photographer. First thing she thought that we've taken pictures at professional studio.

How do you go about finding clients to shoot their dogs/cats? My local vet (where I take my dogs to) already has huge portraits of dogs hanging in his reception area by some local photographer. 

Where else can I find new business?

My camera is https://cameravs.com/Nikon-Coolpix-B500
Thanks

Edited July 22, 2019 by Yreeli

[isalicat]

Yreeli: I would suggest Craig's List and if you have a local social network (in my area we have these localized neighborhood social websites) that would be a good start (you would post in the "offering services" category). I'm not on Facebook but I presume that would be another place to start in terms of reaching out to everyone you already know and asking them to pass on the info. You could also take out a small ad in your local newspaper....

Good luck!

[JTMacc99]

This guy turned 3 months yesterday and weighed in at 20 pounds at the vet this morning. 

[Browncoat]

His feet look tiny!  Is that just the camera angle?  Still adorable!

[JTMacc99]

15 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

His feet look tiny!  Is that just the camera angle?  Still adorable!

His feet rarely look out of proportion to the rest of his body. It's probably a little bit of the camera angle, and a little bit of he doesn't at the moment have crazy big feet.

[Mindthinkr]

These twin fauns seems to have adopted my back yard as their new safe spot. I haven’t seen their Mom or any other adult deer either. They are cute unless they are eating my flowers. 

[tiftgirl]

Hello

I posted last year and some of yall helped me through losing my 2 girls, one in June and the other 4 months to the day later in October.

Frankly, it broke me.  I couldn't come to this site even ignoring this thread, and well, a lot of other things too.  So, I just started reading back here about a week ago.

When my Grandmother passed back in 1999 my best friend said she was in heaven riding my poodle I had when I was a little girl around in the sidecar of her motorcycle (because she used to ride and race them).  With each of the cats I said the same (I lost one of the boys in 2011 and the other in 2017).  The day I picked up Shana's ashes it occurred to me for the first time that I'd like a painting of that.

It took awhile but I found an artist who wanted to take the commission and it came out even better than I dared to hope.  The Heaven Bound on the sidecar was her idea.

Anyway, I thought I'd share the results with you.

[MargeGunderson]

@tiftgirl, what a wonderful tribute to your beloved grandmother and pets! I love the image of them riding around together.

[walnutqueen]

@tiftgirl ... love!!!

So, last week I was reclining in a pile of misery, ice packs & hurt; "frozen" right shoulder (later diagnosed as a probable torn rotator cuff), nursing a broken left wrist, banged up left knee, bruised & bloody right shin; wondering how the fuckety fuck I'd survive the coming weeks/months and tend to all my critters.  My neighbor came a knocking, with a Tasmanian Devil in a cat cage.  He can't take his one-man cat with him to his new digs, and it's the Humane Society or me.  Certain euthanasia?  Nope, not on my watch.

Pretty Boy was put in quarantine to protect my Babalu, and I used my patient wiles to calm the hissing, spitting and growling monster - largely by talking softly while going about the business of feeding and caring for him as best as I could, without trying to touch him.  

Of course, he could not resist forever, and after several tense days, he became a total suckhole who craves my touch and attention.  Pretty sure he will integrate very nicely with my Babalu, as soon as I heal up enough to get him into a carrier and to my vet for a full check, vaccines, and the green light.

You never get the animal you want, when you want.  You get the animal you need, at the worst possible time, and then you realize it was perfect.

the gospel according to walnutqueen

[tiftgirl]

@walnutqueen good night!  I hope you are managing ok.....and getting yourself seen to.  Please, please take care of yourself.  If for no other reason than those beautiful boys need you recovering and not ignoring or making your injuries worse.  I wish we weren't on different sides of the country and I would be able to actually help you.

I am not surprised Pretty Boy is making progress with you giving him love and everything else he needs!  Hopefully he and Babalu will get on with each other just as well.  Your neighbor made a wise choice bringing him to you.

[emma675]

Holy crap, walnutqueen, what happened?! Have you gotten yourself checked out? 

[Mindthinkr]

The fawns still keep appearing. My neighbor said that he’s seen the doe early in the morning and thinks that she parks them at my house for safe keeping during the day. They have eaten all my flowers and are now eating weeds or the azaleas. Shh...don’t tell them that the tomatoes are ripe on my porch. 

Edited July 26, 2019 by Mindthinkr
Fawns not fauns. What was I thinking?