Pet(s): Photos & Discussion

[Bastet]

My parents are gone this week, so I'm taking care of the boys (since I work remotely, I basically spend 24 hours at my house, then 24 hours at theirs).  Chester cuddles, plays, and talks with me like normal when they're gone, but he doesn't eat as well when it's just me because the anxiety over my mom (to whom he is incredibly bonded) being gone for more than a couple of days triggers his IBD.  They never leave for more than two weeks because of it, and this is just one week.  It's not a big problem, but I do everything I can (short of force feeding, which under the circumstances would be more stress on him than is called for) to get him to eat at least 80% of his usual calories, since the disease at this stage makes keeping weight on him a major struggle under the best of circumstances.

Once a couple of days had passed and he went into his altered appetite routine, he seemed to perk back up over chicken-based food (regular [raw] food and treats) rather than his usual rabbit, so I went out this morning and picked up more of the raw chicken formula and various chicken and chicken&something freeze-dried treats to tempt him.  I came back to find that of the food smorgasbord I'd left him, he'd completely ignored the chicken and eaten all the rabbit!

All I can do is laugh.  He'll probably devour the chicken when my parents are home (they return Sunday), and Bandit will happily eat it, so no harm, but I am so very tired from running around between my house, theirs, and the house of my friend whose cats I was also taking care of this week (thankfully, she's on a plane home as we speak) that before I started laughing I stood in the kitchen staring at those bowls and muttering, "Really?"

[Bastet]

Cats, especially, can be quite routine-oriented and not like having it messed with.  At least all the cats I take care of (my parents' two, a friend's four, and another friend's one) know me very well (they see me a lot when their people are home), so they have that comfort and security.  My friend with the four cats will not move closer to her job because it would be too far for me to go to take care of the cats when she's gone, and she doesn't want them to have "just" a pet-sitter, rather than Auntie Bastet.  That's dedication, because commuting in Los Angeles sucks.

Edited November 10, 2019 by Bastet

[Mindthinkr]

I just got my kitties back today after leaving them with my daughter’s family for a couple of weeks. How well I relate to all I have read above about how they react to changes in their routine and people. 

  When I first got them into my car I didn’t hear a peep. First car ride without incessant whining and protests. It took them and hour or so of roaming around to make sure that their home is the same except with some interesting new smells. Then they began to relax. First treat was a slice of bacon. Then I went to my bed and got in. Am watching Netflix with both of them sleeping with me. They wake up every now and then just to make sure this isn’t a dream. Big Boy was good. He just looks a little worse for wear because he didn’t get groomed. Little Girl was her usual nightmare self. She bit my daughter [Who wouldn’t have reported it (or pretended that one of her cats did it) knowing the consequences, but gratefully she had no infection.] 

Yum. Bacon. 

For @JTMacc99

@bosawks Loved Alli’s costume. 

[Bastet]

Aw, glad everyone is back home, @Mindthinkr.  That's what I do after I return from a trip -- crawl in bed, turn the television on, and let Riley snuggle away to make up for lost time.

Oh, and Chester?  Happily chowing down on all that chicken I bought now that my mom is home.  Goober.  It's going to be a nightmare at Thanksgiving when it's friends taking care of them instead of me - we've apologized to everyone in advance.  The friends will get lots of snuggles (and conversation; Chester and Bandit are both Chatty Cathys - and Bandit has no inside voice), but they'll be tearing their hair out trying to get him to eat and cleaning up after him.  They both have cats, too, so at least they're used to it.

[Moose135]

I've never been one to put stickers and such on my vehicles, but I put this on the Durango this week:

[ABay]

My new neighbors have a sweet little dog who has the most adorable sweater--he looks like a little lamb with it on. The best part is the hood--it has little lamb ears. I'll try to get a picture.

Advice requested: How often should I clean the bird feeders? Four of them get a lot of traffic and I'm concerned about the finches catching something. On the other hand, they are a serious pain to wash because I don't really want to wash then in my tub but it's the only spot big enough, and doesn't require me to cart bucket after bucket of hot water outside.

[Browncoat]

12 minutes ago, ABay said:

My new neighbors have a sweet little dog who has the most adorable sweater--he looks like a little lamb with it on. The best part is the hood--it has little lamb ears. I'll try to get a picture.

Advice requested: How often should I clean the bird feeders? Four of them get a lot of traffic and I'm concerned about the finches catching something. On the other hand, they are a serious pain to wash because I don't really want to wash then in my tub but it's the only spot big enough, and doesn't require me to cart bucket after bucket of hot water outside.

Cornell says every couple of weeks, other places say four or five times a year.  I rarely clean mine with soap and water, but I do empty them regularly and sort of wipe them out, getting out all the stuck seed and random bits.  Mine get a fair amount of traffic, depending on the time of year and whether or not the Cooper's hawk is hanging around.  I probably rely on the rain/snow/etc. too much, but the birds seem happy and healthy.

[Mindthinkr]

Speaking of birds. It’s been cold and rainy here. Two nights under freezing. I was debating bringing in the hummingbird feeders for the winter when all of a sudden one showed up. Ruby Throated female. Yesterday and today. My thought is to bring one in at night (so it never freezes) and leave the other out. If it freezes then I’ll replace it with the room temperature one until winter ends. I flummoxed by why it didn’t migrate. 

[Browncoat]

We often have a few hummingbird stragglers around here, too -- sometimes even at the Christmas Bird Count (that starts mid-December).  The folks who have them at their feeders will bring in the feeders at night, then put them back out at first light.  They say the birds will be waiting for them, and will come to the feeders immediately. 

[Mindthinkr]

1 hour ago, Browncoat said:

We often have a few hummingbird stragglers around here, too -- sometimes even at the Christmas Bird Count (that starts mid-December).  The folks who have them at their feeders will bring in the feeders at night, then put them back out at first light.  They say the birds will be waiting for them, and will come to the feeders immediately. 

That’s good to know that others experience this and that saving a non frozen feeder for mornings is the right thing to do. 

[ABay]

Thanks, @Browncoat. I've been washing them with bleach and hot water as recommended by a few sites online, but probably not often enough because it's a hassle. Wiping them down would be a hell of a lot easier. Do you use anything in particular?

[Browncoat]

47 minutes ago, ABay said:

Thanks, @Browncoat. I've been washing them with bleach and hot water as recommended by a few sites online, but probably not often enough because it's a hassle. Wiping them down would be a hell of a lot easier. Do you use anything in particular?

Just a damp cloth (like a Handi-Wipe or something I can wash if I want to, or discard if it gets worn out) around the seed ports.  The bottoms of mine come off, too, so I'll wipe around that as well.  I try to let it mostly dry before I add new seed, but since I don't get it terribly wet wiping it, it doesn't take long to dry.

[JTMacc99]

Goldfinches do migrate if I remember correctly. My winter guys are probably different than my summer ones. 
I haven’t been paying close attention to who is eating all of my black oil sunflower seeds. Looks like the usual mix here for the Hudson Valley. Now I’m going to take a closer look when the finches are here to see if it’s just house finches or both them and goldfinches. 

[Browncoat]

Look among your finches for purple finches, too.  I get those occasionally, mixed in with the many many house finches.  I don't have as many goldfinches as I used to, either.

I only see grosbeaks briefly during migration, but they live nearby in the higher elevations.

I only feed black oil sunflower seeds (year-round), and I have two suet feeders that I only use in the winter.

There was a bit on CBS Sunday morning today about David Sibley and birds.

[Mindthinkr]

59 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

There was a bit on CBS Sunday morning today about David Sibley and birds.

I caught that and enjoyed watching the segment. I’m going to get one of his bird books. Hmm...it might also make a good Christmas present for the granddaughter who’s in charge of their hummingbird feeders and chickens. 

I’d love to own one of his originals. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

I had to go to a client’s home they were renting to make sure the landlord came to unlock the doors for the people who who were scheduled to do a mold remediation on Friday (pro bono). Per the insurance policy I wasn’t  allowed on the property while they worked. So, while I was waiting, the most adorable kitty came up to me to keep me company! I don’t think she was a stray, because she was spayed. I had an enjoyable half hour playing with her and just wanted to scoop her up and take her home with me—But I couldn’t because-no pets where I live.😤😤

Isn’t she ADORABLE? (Yeah, that’s my leg! She was rubbing against it and curling herself under my arms—like a hug if you will🥰🥰🥰)

[Browncoat]

6 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

I’d love to own one of his originals. 

Me, too! 

[Bastet]

3 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

I don’t think she was a stray, because she was spayed.

How could you tell?  The only way I know that doesn't involve a vet is to shave the belly and look for a scar, or if she has a tipped or tattooed ear (which usually means she was spayed as part of a TNR program).  Much easier on a male!

I'm glad you had such excellent company while you waited.  I wish people would put ID tags on their pets, even if they're microchipped.  When I go for a walk, I sometimes see cats I assume are just chilling in their neighborhood, but without a tag I don't know for sure.  (Of course, they could be among the cats whose asshole owners moved and left them behind.)  All around, visible ID is helpful.  Some people who find a lost pet can't or don't know to take her/him to be scanned, so if there's a phone number right there on the pet, notification and reunion can happen much faster.

[Bastet]

23 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

That seems like a friendly cat.  I thought most Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programs tried to remove those cats that were friendly from colonies and find them loving homes?

I have heard of kittens being removed from those colonies and were found loving homes.

Oh, dear, I certainly wasn't suggesting this cat was part of a feral colony - clearly not! - or even that she'd originated in one and been removed young and socialized some time ago, having lived in a home since (her ear isn't tipped and I wouldn't know about a tattoo from the photo).   I was just wondering about the means of detecting a spay in this case because none of the typical means - which is all I was listing - are apparent from the story and picture and I'm curious.

[GHScorpiosRule]

19 hours ago, Bastet said:

How could you tell?  The only way I know that doesn't involve a vet is to shave the belly and look for a scar, or if she has a tipped or tattooed ear (which usually means she was spayed as part of a TNR program).  Much easier on a male!

Um...how to say this delicately? I didn't see any nipples where kittens would nurse, or any testicles, to indicate a male? And the only way I know to tell, was from my grandnephew, Ralphie, when he rolls over for a belly rub, I saw the scars? I guess I just assumed, as I've never had a pet before, but I have seen neutered/spayed/unneutered animals before.

And she didn't have a collar, so it is possible that some assholes decided they didn't want her anymore. But she didn't look malnourished. And she was happy to have someone to play with! I've always been allergic to kitties, but over the years,either the allergies disappeared, or Chemo killed them. If it's the latter, well, at least it had one advantage aside from killing the cancer.

[walnutqueen]

All cats have nipples - yes, even the males.  When I rescued my tiny Babalu kitten, he bonded with all my senior male cats, but especially loved my Beanie Baby, who would purr while Babalu sucked on his nipples and kneaded Bean's belly.  This delightful display would last until Babalu wearied of getting no milk, and obviously tried nipping.  Bean would give a startled yelp and jump up out of his blissful stupor, giving the stink-eye to the little bugger who'd killed his buzz.

[JTMacc99]

Norman and Neo deciding that sitting on ME was the best place to be last night. 

[walnutqueen]

2 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

You have multiple male cats in your home and they don't fight?  What is the secret?  I have two unrelated male cats the were raised together that I adopted as kittens.  As they have gotten older, the  smaller cat has become a real jerk.  Constantly going after the bigger male cat.  I have several "Comfort Zone Feliway Stress Reducing Pheromone " plugins, but the problem still persists.

I had 5 unrelated male cats (I'm down to my last indoor boy), who found me one by one, and I never had an issue introducing a new cat into the household, not even a sick & injured feral who was afraid to leave his "hospital room" for almost a year.  They all got along and slept with me on an over-sized recliner, and I never saw a hiss, growl or fight.

Guess I'm just lucky.  But then, my outdoor critters get along just fine, too.  My semi-feral backyard cats have no problem sharing their food with the raccoons, possums, occasional skunk, and even the darned starlings. 

I run a peaceful, if somewhat dilapidated, Eden here, dontcha know!  :~)

[JTMacc99]

And my boys waiting nicely for breakfast.

[Mindthinkr]

4 minutes ago, JTMacc99 said:

Norman and Neo deciding that sitting on ME was the best place to be last night. 

I hope they let you up to keep that fireplace burning. 

[Mindthinkr]

My favorite neighbor’s daughter adopted a horse for her daughter. This is what 7 months of care, food and love will do. She’s training him for showing. Wish I could post videos. She sent me one of her and her daughter arriving to the farm and here he comes racing across the pasture noisily approving their arrival. 

[tiftgirl]

29 minutes ago, walnutqueen said:

I run a peaceful, if somewhat dilapidated, Eden Heaven here, dontcha know!  :~)

Fixed that for you. 😺  And yes, I meant heaven not haven - though that is appropriate too but I'm sure the critters see it as more of the former than the latter.

14 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

My favorite neighbor’s daughter adopted a horse for her daughter. This is what 7 months of care, food and love will do. 

Good Lord, is that the same horse?  Your neighbor and her daughter worked wonders!  The first picture made me angry but the second one made my heart happy!

[theredhead77]

23 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

That seems like a friendly cat.  I thought most Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programs tried to remove those cats that were friendly from colonies and find them loving homes?

I have heard of kittens being removed from those colonies and were found loving homes.

They do not remove cats from colonies. Most TNR programs have the funds to trap, fix and release - they do not have the resources to find "friendly kitties" new homes. Feral cats can be friendly when outside but are not domesticated to live inside (where all kitties should live). 

Feral colonies have a delicate balance and removing any kitties can upset it.

Kittens are another story, and there is a very short window from being weaned to being too old to re-home where a feral kitten can be domesticated.

I have two unrelated male cats who are bonded. Growing up I've always had two unrelated male cats who get along, or get along enough. If your cats are fighting or one has recently become aggressive you need to look at their living situation and then their overall health (a trip to the vet). Is there enough space in the home for both to have their own space or are they forced to be together in a small area at all times? Are there places for them to escape and hide if needed? Are there multiple litter boxes and more than one food bowl?

1 hour ago, JTMacc99 said:

Norman and Neo deciding that sitting on ME was the best place to be last night. 

Obviously. Sitting on hooman is always the best place to be.

Edited November 18, 2019 by theredhead77
Punctuation

[GHScorpiosRule]

I took more than one picture!

[Browncoat]

1 hour ago, Mindthinkr said:

My favorite neighbor’s daughter adopted a horse for her daughter. This is what 7 months of care, food and love will do. She’s training him for showing. Wish I could post videos. She sent me one of her and her daughter arriving to the farm and here he comes racing across the pasture noisily approving their arrival. 

Wow!  Nice job -- that doesn't even look like the same horse. (I'm not doubting it is, just that the transformation is amazing!)

[Mindthinkr]

8 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

Wow!  Nice job -- that doesn't even look like the same horse. (I'm not doubting it is, just that the transformation is amazing!)

In his temperament as well as his looks. He is so grateful and happy now. That family just loves him to pieces. I can’t wait to go ride him. I love a happy adoption ending. 

[JTMacc99]

2 hours ago, theredhead77 said:

Obviously. Sitting on hooman is always the best place to be.

Heh. Definitely. Although Norman is up to almost 60 pounds right now. He takes up a lot of room on the lap.

[Mindthinkr]

1 minute ago, JTMacc99 said:

Heh. Definitely. Although Norman is up to almost 60 pounds right now. He takes up a lot of room on the lap.

You mean your lap, your legs, your feet lol. 

[ABay]

From chihuahua to Irish wolfhound, all dogs are lap dogs.

[theredhead77]

43 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

I shouldn't have used the word constantly, but they do probably get into at least one skirmish a day.  They sleep together without a problem.  That said, every so often a skirmish will breakout where I have to separate them, until the little one calms down and stops acting like a bully.  Both cats have plenty of room to live in.

I have never had a problem with the previous cats I had quite sometime ago living in the same residence.

Both cats visit the vet yearly.

Cats are going to have a skirmish. Let them work it out. Mine get into fights and play fights a few times a day (real fight is usually due to one wanting to play and the other not wanting to play). Then 2 hours later they are cuddled up together. It's how some cats cat. Don't worry about it.

[theredhead77]

On 11/18/2019 at 4:21 PM, JTMacc99 said:

Heh. Definitely. Although Norman is up to almost 60 pounds right now. He takes up a lot of room on the lap.

On 11/18/2019 at 4:23 PM, Mindthinkr said:

You mean your lap, your legs, your feet lol. 

These doggies would like you to hold their beers
https://www.buzzfeed.com/pablovaldivia/big-lap-dogs?origin=web-hf

[Mindthinkr]

41 minutes ago, theredhead77 said:

These doggies would like you to hold their beers
https://www.buzzfeed.com/pablovaldivia/big-lap-dogs?origin=web-hf

That was so cute, funny and true. 

[cleo]

My cat Griffen is 13. Seemed to be having trouble jumping on my couch. Finally I put a kitchen chair there and he can jump on the chair to the couch. And then my lap lol. I'm not sure why he can do the chair but not the couch bc they're almost the same size. I think there ia something about the chair being firmer to land on than the couch that makes it easier.

ETA his sister is also 13 and not having any issues yet.

Edited November 24, 2019 by cleo

[bosawks]

Happy Thanksgiving!

[Mindthinkr]

@bosawks Believe it or not when I woke up this am I wondered if there was going to be an Alli sighting today. Thanks for not disappointing me.  

Happy Thanksgiving to All. 

[bosawks]

2 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

@bosawks Believe it or not when I woke up this am I wondered if there was going to be an Alli sighting today. Thanks for not disappointing me.  

Happy Thanksgiving to All. 

Thanks @Mindthinkr!

Haven’t been around a whole lot since I’ve been covering for my boss but Alli would never let me miss a holiday...

[Moose135]

A few Thanksgiving evening photos of Jake:

[shanndee]

The "wee" tripod beastie continues to confuse me to no end! She is quite active, but continues to gain weight. We have done our best to convert her from kibble to wet food, but she refused all good quality food. She liked Fancy Feast so we went with that and 1/4 cup of kibble to keep her happy. Now she is rejecting Fancy Feast and crying for more kibble.

Sigh. She is such a challenge. It is a good thing you are cute "little" girl! 😀

LoL. 

[Bastet]

A friend of mine is currently weaning her cat back off dry food (it had been just treat of maybe a dozen pieces before bed, but then a set of circumstances resulted in it constituting about half the cat's diet for many months, and kitty ballooned up), and having quite a battle of wills as a result.  So she feels your pain!

[ABay]

Girl Cat has decided this box fits her perfectly.

[shanndee]

2 hours ago, Bastet said:

A friend of mine is currently weaning her cat back off dry food (it had been just treat of maybe a dozen pieces before bed, but then a set of circumstances resulted in it constituting about half the cat's diet for many months, and kitty ballooned up), and having quite a battle of wills as a result.  So she feels your pain!

Nice to know I'm not alone! 😄  I have been doing my best to follow the guidelines listed in the cat info site that you shared here...but Chelsea has other ideas! 

[Bastet]

2 hours ago, shanndee said:

I have been doing my best to follow the guidelines listed in the cat info site that you shared here...but Chelsea has other ideas! 

They tend to do that, don't they?  The good news is, I've never heard of an owner who stuck to it who didn't eventually win the war (even though the cat won her/his share of battles along the way), so just keep at it.  It's too bad you can't explain the extra pressure on her joints because of the missing leg and how maintaining an appropriate weight will help with that.  Oh, who am I kidding - she'd probably still just look at you and say, "Fascinating.  Now, give me my dry food."

[shanndee]

37 minutes ago, Bastet said:

They tend to do that, don't they?  The good news is, I've never heard of an owner who stuck to it who didn't eventually win the war (even though the cat won her/his share of battles along the way), so just keep at it.  It's too bad you can't explain the extra pressure on her joints because of the missing leg and how maintaining an appropriate weight will help with that.  Oh, who am I kidding - she'd probably still just look at you and say, "Fascinating.  Now, give me my dry food."

Oh...you two have met? ;D

Yes, that is what she'd say. She'd also add, "Remember that time i was doing that *sit up* thing you make do...that time when the male human spoke to you and you didn't release my treat when I did the thing? That time I stood up and walked to you on TWO legs. Two, I tell you! I don't need this front leg AT ALL! ... Now give me the DRY FOOD!!"

Ahem. *sheepish smile* ... I'll show myself out now... 

[theredhead77]

22 hours ago, ABay said:

Girl Cat has decided this box fits her perfectly.

If I fitz I sitz.

[walnutqueen]

2 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

The Goldfinches finally showed up at the sock feeders.  Last Thursday there were two of them and the following day twenty or so joined the party of two.

Radar love ...