Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat General => General Cat Chat => Topic started by: stevo on December 30, 2012, 22:40:48 PM
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Hey
I split with a girl I was seeing about seven months ago and she had six cats, she bought three of them as kittens while I was seeing her and I spent 10 months watching them grow up. To cut a very long story short I'm missing these kittens like, well, you can possibly imagine. A 37 year old bloke getting tears in his eyes thinking about some Bloomin cats... Was never a cat lover until this brief period of my life - I'm appalled at myself at how attached I got to them kittens. Now my sisters bought her kids a kitten for Christmas and he's just gorgeous. I'm weighing up getting myself one, maybe two. Been thinking about it for the last year or so - here's the deal.
I don't know if its the right thing to do
I live alone, leave for work about 7:30 am and get home around 6:30 - 7pm Monday and Wednesday, Tuesdays and Thursdays I've got things on and get home around 10:30pm. Friday I get home around around 5pm and then I'm around all weekend.
Hence why I'm considering getting two cats so they will have some company when I'm not there. Even so, I am out most of the day. One would be easier, but I wouldn't want it to be unhappy. Mind you watching them kittens playing together was just comical - two wouldn't be the end of the world.
I wouldn't want these cats going outside either as the estate where I live is just crawling in cats and I can hear them fighting most mornings. Next door has had one cat poisoned and two just disappear in the last 3 years, I dont think the poisoning was intentional but the cat died never the less :(
Even so, I'm not sure if I'm happy keeping them inside all the time.
Which leads me on to my next problem, I live in a 2 bed semi, its not massive. About average size I recon, not sure if it would be big enough. Also I don't have a porch area, the front door opens straight into the house, I wouldn't want my kittens/cats bolting out the front door and doing a runner - are they prone to doing this? hard question I know as everyone's different.
Also I am struggling to have them looked after if I go on holiday etc, which to be honest is pretty rare. My mum and dad have said point blank they would not look after them while I was away and my sis lives too far away, could ask the neighbours but I'm not sure I feel comfortable leaving my house keys with them - no reason for this though to be honest. mmmmm, would probably be ok - I've no problems paying to have them housed somewhere either - as long as its a decent place.
One main concern - I don't want my house trashing, i.e. furniture scratching to bits. If I get some decent scratching posts will they leave my settee alone ? The one I have at the moment is wrecked already so I am planning on buying a new one next year at some point.
So what do you think, should I pull the trigger? I've got some serious overtime money coming to me as I've worked over christmas so I could afford to spend a few quid getting a couple of pedigree ones. That being said, I may go the rescue center route though. Ideally I would want one / two litter mate girls. I want girls as I couldn't look at myself in the mirror knowing I'd had the boys knackers cut off - sorry, I dont care what anyone says.
Do I do this?
I don't want to make a mistake here as its quite a commitment.
Thanks :)
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Hi Stevo and :welcome: :welcome: to Purrs, sorry to hear you have a huge cat shaped hole in your life... I hope we can help. :hug:
As you may have gathered from wandering around here, Purrs is predominantly a cat rescue site, so of course all the advice you'll get here will be focused upon the welfare of any animal you may decide to adopt as your own, and will ensure that if you ultimately decide to take a cat or cats on at this stage of your life that they will give you what you need for the rest of their lives and never end up back in rescue.
You have obviously given this such a huge amount of thought, and it's to be applauded that you've taken so much time to digest and analyse the potential problems your cats may encounter in fitting in with your lifestyle, and you also seem to realise that there are simply no guarantees with animals: kittens or untested adults may wreak havoc in your home (one of the many risks associated with buying animals from pre-loved sites or the notorious "Bumtree" as we like to call it), your furniture could be trashed, your carpets and wallpaper ruined, but in my experience these things tend only to happen when a pet is mismatched with it's owner's lifestyle.
As you've lived with kittens before you will know how much energy and attention they require from their slaves, and if they are to become successful house cats they will need more stimulation in their early years than you may be able to offer with your job taking you away for half of their tiny lives, so maybe an older cat or pair of young adults would suit you better?
This is where your friendly neighbourhood Cat Rescue should come to the rescue (no pun intended).
These cats will have been properly raised by their natural mothers and further assessed by the Rescue and so will have cat manners - i.e. will know that it really hurts to bite, that there is a pecking order, that human hands and feet are generally not toys etc... Most importantly, you know what you're getting before you take it/them home and have a built in support network if things don't go immediately to plan.
The Rescue will assess you, your home, your lifestyle and responsibilities (and yes, to a certain extent your financial position as they need to be sure you can afford general upkeep as well as any unexpected vet bills and/or insurance for the animal). They will also assess your home for dangers and will advise whether you should consider keeping the cat/s indoors permanently (if you live by a busy road for example) or if you have a garden and willing to have a cat flap installed and therefore could accommodate a more independent animal. The "Homecheck" assessment is not a judgement of your character, please understand this, and it's important to know that different Rescues have their own policies, some more strict (and frankly occasionally bizarre) than others. So just because one organisation (I'm thinking the larger National organisation here, naming no names...) turns you down does not mean the right cat isn't out there somewhere for you, and an independent rescue would probably be more relaxed about any such "policy" that may not fit your profile, OK?
On the question of neutering (I think you referred to it as having their knackers cut off) all cats should be neutered, and this is not an "option" with rescue cats, but is essential. It will be a prerequisite that if you take un-neutered kittens from a Rescue that you promise to have the neutered when they are old enough (usually around 5-6 months) and supply proof that you have done so.
The crisis in the UK with overpopulation of stray cats is purely the neglect by careless owners and unscrupulous breeders who have allowed cats to breed (and this includes boy cats, Stevo) until the situation has got out of control.
Seriously, if all the Tom (male) cats were neutered it would immediately stop ALL the problems you currently see on your Estate - the fighting stops, they don't wander looking for new mates or territory so they don't spread disease or continue to fertilise local stray females. So now you can see what I'm talking about?
You'll also quickly discover that "Pedigree" cats may not always deliver best value for you, don't be fooled by the ads on Bumtree and think an untested £450 "pedigree" kitten will behave any better than a fully vaccinated, neutered, microchipped Rescue cat available for a modest donation.
Different breeds have different traits, so for example if you like your cats to be talkative and boisterous, you can't go wrong with a Bengal, although many Bengals like to be lone cats later in life so may fall out with their siblings once fully grown. Persians maybe too placid for you and need more grooming that you can devote to their wellbeing, Siamese may prefer the lofty heights of your curtain pole to your lap. Etc etc...
Conversely you might also choose a cat because of it's breed traits only to find him to be an oddball and completely off-character. Again, your Rescue can help to choose a specific cat to suit you rather than generalising what breed may or may not suit, and highlights the risk you face as a new owner of what can go wrong if you choose unwisely.
So, I know this hasn't answered all of your questions, but as you're obviously a deep thinker, I'd like to point out some of the cats currently lookin for homes here in our Purrs Registered Rescues, to give you a flavour of what may bring you your ideal pairing...
I'm starting with this pair of girls who were born in rescue and so have always been indoor cats, one of whom has very slight special needs...
http://www.pawsinncatrescue.co.uk/index.php?route=shelter/cat&path=46&cat_id=343
Or how about a pair of gorgeous ginger ninjas... actually just have a ride through this thread and read up what these cats have to offer...
http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php/topic,41837.0.html
you may be miles away from this specific Rescue, but you may get some ideas as to what sort of cat would suit you, how much time and effort you can spare them and if an older, more mature and settled animal would suit you better than a pair of rambunctious young cats.
This is our sister site, CatChat, and this is where you'll identify your local cat rescue, just click on the map in your region and wait a second or two, and a list will appear.
Bear in mind all our rescues are full to bursting so not every cat available will be posted on the websites, but you'll be able to identify your local shelters and their contact details from here
http://www.catchat.org/adoption/index.html
Good luck with your search, do keep up this thread and let us know how you get on and what you decide. Feel free to bring back any and all questions you have, you'll get as many opinions as answers on here because there are often many solutions, and the vast wealth of experience, I've found since joining Purrs, is unbelievably helpful. :hug:
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:welcome: to Purrs and yes those adorable furry kids get right under the skin and you will be a slave forever
Your house sounds fine for 2 little furbabies and I would go the rescue route they have assessed and looked after the cats and kittens and know the personalities well
I have house cats about 20 of them due to health issues and bits missing - legs and the majority are ferals that would be dead by now, they are kept busy with an array of toys and the laser pens and other laser toys we have that can run for up to 4 hours at a time and aren't to bad on batteries
I have indoor/outdoor kids and outdoor only at their choice and also have 3 Adult Border Collies Sky, Sunny and Mistral and worked full time and mine were on their own from 7am to 6pm 5 days a week when I was working full time and none have suffered
I would use a cattery if you have worries about leaving keys it means that the cats annual boosters need to be kept up to date so they can go to the cattery
I have a wonderful pet sitter for the majority of the cats but my 2 Hyper thyroids, my oldie diabetic and my fighter and the 3 dogs all go to the same kennels are well looked after so I can go and visit my husband in Baku where he now lives
These 2 are gorgeous and Kellyjoy is a member on here and is approachable so take a wee peek
http://www.animallifelineuk.org/forum/showthread.php?33375-Zebedee-and-Yogi-two-kittens-in-need-of-loving-home-together-Oxfordshire
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Welcome to Purrs, Stevo. :welcome:
Fully understand where you're coming from. Oddly enough, a few of us on here never started out life as "cat lovers" but having been targeted by the little blighters became unwitting converts. ;) :hug: :hug:
Once you've lived with cats, living without cats is so much less rewarding, as you've discovered.
There are already some very sage words from Sheila, and advice from Liz about how various options can work for you, and I think if you explain your position to a good rescue they'll do their utmost to match you to a good fit. You sound like you've really thought this through well, and you've anticipated potential problems as well as all the great bits.
We've been fortunate enough in the past to have my Mother who used to pet sit for us stupendously well. When Mum died, we tried a kennel for our dog and cattery for the cat, and whilst the cat we had at the time was perfectly happy in his cattery on his hols, our dog fretted herself silly, so we opted for the pet sitter route, like Liz. There are some very good ones out there, and not all of them are as expensive as you might suppose, in the absence of a willing buddy or family member.
Frankly, I find most of our holidays these days are spent thinking about our cat or texting our pet sitter on the pretext of telling her what a wonderful time we're having whilst giving ourselves away by asking so many questions about Ross that she knows exactly what I'm up to. She's an absolute gem though, so she understands us perfectly, and laughs with us about it :evillaugh:
With regard to scratching the furniture, you can (in spite of popular belief) gently discourage cats from destructive behaviour, largely with replacement behaviour - ie offering them scratching posts and showing them how to use them, then if you see them sratching inappropriately saying "No" and removing their paws from the offending item. Admittedly this is easier with younger cats than older cats, but still achievable. I don't know if we've been "lucky" or just "organised" that none of the cats we've had have ever used our furniture to scratch (although one used to climb the woodchip wallpaper with varying degrees of success!)
We used to have one cat who, as a kitten liked to swing from our net curtains, and often bringing them down so we'd arrived home to find a drunken window dressing to greet us, but it didn't persist beyond the stage of early kittenhood.
You can also check out the brilliant information on www.wayofcats.com and look up Jackson Galaxy (Cat Daddy) for information on how to preserve your sanity and the bond between you and your cat/s if you encounter a behavioural problem. There is usually a way to overcome those kinds of difficulties with patience and love and respect, and you sound like a man who is, at the very least, willing to try.
I think I can safely say we all hope you will very soon have a couple of cats to share your life with on a permanent basis, and we'll look forward to hearing all about them.
Take on board what Sheila's already said about differing rescues having different criteria (some of which are indeed a little off-putting!) and dont be discouraged if some of them you speak to are less than encouraging. There will be cats out there just desperate for the sort of home you can give them, and if you can't find any initially, the Purrs members will move heven and earth to help you in your search. :hug: :hug:
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:welcome:
I think Sheila, Liz and Sue have answered most of your questions. I have 2 housecats in a one bed flat so I think your house sounds plenty big enough. Do you have a garden you could think about cat proofing?
As far as rescue v pedigree goes I'd go to a rescue centre unless you really want a particular breed. I'd also go for older kittens/young cats which should help cut out some of the destructive kitten behaviour and allow you a better assessment of their temperaments and their suitability to be indoor cats.
Female cats need neutering too ;) I assume you're ok about that?!
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Thanks for the responses
At the moment my house is in need of decorating, my settee in the front room is my grandma & grandads old one and probably around 20 years old. I recently got rid of my tropical marine aquarium and that has already basically ruined my carpet. Because the fish tank was a 120 gallon open top the moisture that it gave off has done the wallpaper no favors either.
As it stands I dont mind things getting scratched up abit. I can hold off on the redecorating and new suite until things have settled down. Cat flap - not a problem, may even be an excuse to get a new backdoor while I'm at it! (my mum would be soooo pleased) although I'm still not overly sure I would want him / her / them wandering the estate. That being said, Taz next door (to the left) has been doing it for the last 12 years or so and he's ok, just the other side hasn't had much luck, mind you she has two other youngish girl cats that are doing fine (one of them is a right little sweetie, the other won't go anywhere near me).
The other reason I don't really want them outside is the catching of birds etc, I found Pebbles nextdoor one morning with a starling in her mouth, the poor bird was squalking and screaming, basically not having the best morning of its life. I wrestled the bird off her and put it in a box with some toilet roll bedding and went to work, the poor thing was litterally scared stiff. Worried about the bird I ended up taking half a days holiday to go home and check on it, fully expecting it to be dead to be honest, I was suprised to see it sat up and awake in the box. After ringing round I ended up having to do a 40 mile round trip to a bird hospital (vets said they would just kill it!!). Half a days holiday, 40 mile in petrol and £20 donation to the bird hospital - this I don't need every other day. Though since she put a bell on Pebbles collar she hasn't managed to catch any more.
I see what your saying about going for an older cat / young adult over a kitten with me not being there alot. While kittens would be lovely, it would also be nice to help out a poor soul thats not had much luck in life.
Female cats need neutering too ;) I assume you're ok about that?!
Yep, just the lads I got a problem with, not with why it needs doing, just a man thing I think.
Think I might have a look round for a local rescue centre at the weekend and go and have a chat with them for some more information etc - this isn't something I want to "rush" into. I'm not overly fussed about a particular breed, just want something to sit with and stroke while I'm watching tele and terrorise with one of them mouse on a stick things. I'm not overly keen on long haired cats though or them bald ones. I do like the look of them silver and black ones, but at the end of the day its personality over looks.
I'll keep you's updated!
ps. I've attached a pic of those I'm missing :'(
Spice (in my lap), Cinnamon (on my belly) - my babies, me and Cinny got on like a house on fire. If you look closely you can just see Maj in the background. She was a bit of a slow burner but she came round in the end.
Hmmm, the preview does not seem to want to show the picture... If you can't see it when its posted you may just have to use your imagination, that or I'll try to sort it out :P
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:welcome:
All I would add to the wise words below is that I had a house cat for 18 years and it certainly did her no harm at all. She went out for a wander as soon as we had a garden but was never that interested particularly when it was cold or wet. I've always worked long hours but she always had plenty to play with and keep her amused.
We got Luna and Cleo from a rescue and whilst we originally wanted kittens, our girls were six months old when they landed on us and would certainly recommend a couple of older kittens. As they've shown no real interest in going out, I'm keeping them in for the time being.
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This all sound great, Stevo.
No, photos don't appear on preview here, and on occasion if the pic is too big in Mbs, the machine will reject your entire post and DELETE the whole thing beyond retrieval :doh: I tend to copy the whole thing before posting as I, like you, tend towards lengthy posts :-[ which makes it infuriating :pull hair:
What a shame you couldn't keep one of the sisters, they are gorgeous. :(
Did you find some local Rescues locally from the CatChat page? We have Purrs people all over the UK and some in Europe and the USA too, so wherever you are we may have someone who can provide some local knowledge if required.
Great to have you on board, you sound like ideal (cat) Slave material ;) and I like the sound of your Mum too :evillaugh:
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LoL, working in IT and being a member on various forums for various different things over the years I am well versed in loosing forum posts. I pre type them all in notepad now - unless I know the forum wont delete them :)
Oh I forgot to add, the Starling pulled through! Unbeliveable to be honest as I thought it was a gonner for sure.
Yeah, I found some local rescue centers on the tinternet, there are not as many as I was expecting (lol, I'm not sure how many I was expecting... they are not Tesco's). I'll have a look over to one at the weekend, maybe the weekend after. See where I stand. I live in Rossendale, so theres some in Bolton, Bury & Accrington. I'm sure I'll find what I'm looking for.
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After ringing round I ended up having to do a 40 mile round trip to a bird hospital (vets said they would just kill it!!). Half a days holiday, 40 mile in petrol and £20 donation to the bird hospital
You're a saint!
I have two indoor cats - they potter around the garden when we're at home but they never go any further. They love being outside watching everything and chasing butterflies but they're happy being indoors when it's dark or the weatheri is bad. If you are going to keep your cats indoors, I recommend getting cats which are already used to this rather than trying to make an outdoor cat an indoor one.
I can also recommend getting older cats - they need a lot less attention than kittens (especially if there's two of them) and they have wonderful characters. Kittens are fun but me and my partner work full time so we thought we couldn't really give them all the attention they would need, hence we got our girls who were ten years old - and believe me, can still play like kittens!
Welcome to Purrs, I look forward to hearing what you decide to do. Happy New Year!
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I'll have a look over to one at the weekend, maybe the weekend after. See where I stand. I live in Rossendale, so theres some in Bolton, Bury & Accrington. I'm sure I'll find what I'm looking for.
This may prove to be very interesting, do stay tuned, folks. Stevo, you are in "cat rescue central" where you are ;D
Did you like anything at Paws Inn, perchance???? :sneaky:
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:welcome:
Just to add a couple of things, don't be put off if some rescues won't rehome as indoor only cats. Also don't assume that cats from the same litter will always get along together. Would you be adverse to taking on an already neutered male? as two males or a male and female can often get along better. Afraid I don't get the 'man' thing regarding neutering male cats, all I need to know is they are not contributing to the growing numbers of unwanted cats and they are happier and healthier without their 'nads - remember it's theirs, not yours that are going and in no way does it reflect on the masculinity of their owner :naughty:
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Yeah, I found some local rescue centers on the tinternet, there are not as many as I was expecting (lol, I'm not sure how many I was expecting... they are not Tesco's). I'll have a look over to one at the weekend, maybe the weekend after. See where I stand. I live in Rossendale, so theres some in Bolton, Bury & Accrington. I'm sure I'll find what I'm looking for.
Bleakholt may be nearest for you. If you can travel a little further to Blackburn/Darwen there is also Moggies Cat Rescue (in Darwen, no website) and Blackburn Cat rescue (not to be confused with Cat protection). Both are home run rescues and like most are usually full of cats needing homes.
My boy Robbie is from Moggies.
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Did you like anything at Paws Inn, perchance???? :sneaky:
Yeah, I did have a look but like I said, its personality over looks. Need to meet the kitties in person, you can't tell much from a pic.
Yep, I know Bleakholt. Drive past it all the time :) that will be my first port of call. Blackburn/Darwin is no problem, have car, will travel. Could even perch one on the back of my motorbike, cats do like sports bikes don't they? (joke) :naughty:
If I get chance I'll have a drive over to one on Saturday and meet some of the potentials.
I got no problem getting an already neutered male, just the doing it myself (not a rusty knife job, you know what I mean). I couldn't look the poor butter in the face again.
I'm not sure if I've been put off male cats as me and my mate used to let Taz from next door in on a Friday night while we were having a few beers. He was always ok for about an hour then he would start getting abit aggressive and we would have to evict him - he is 20 year old though. The ex girlfriends male cat was a bit handy with his claws too (only if you accidently touched his belly though) but for the most part he was a total softy.
The girls though, they were awesome!
I'll keep you posted :)
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Stevo, you've got some other blokes on Purrs too (honest, they just haven't spotted you yet) and bikers both male and female, so we do get it, honest :rofl:
Be sure to call ahead if you want to go visiting, Saturday tends to be mucking out day for some rescues so they may not open for viewings until the afternoon.
I'd also strongly suggest getting a homecheck done before you fall in love with any particular cat - nothing more heartbreaking :'( if you get where I'm going here.... and as you're willing to wait for the best possible candidate, there's a lot to be said for knowing where you stand and what the different rescues will and won't accept. :shify:
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You're spot on Stevo when you say looks are one thing but personality and character quite another. :)
I've had both male and female cats, and to be honest, both can be aloof, and both can be real cuddlebums - just depends on their nature, and how you interact with them.
There are two curled up on our sofa right now - one is ours, a 12lb gentle giant of just turned 10 months old who loves a cuddle, and a flighty, skinny little 8 month old who isn't ours, and doesnt like being held, picked up or cuddled, but who loves spending time with us nontheless.
Making enquiries of your local rescues, and going along to have a look and see what their set up is, is a great place to begin your search. :)
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Welcome to the world of impending cat slavery, stevo....
As an aside, did you know that neutering a male cat actually protects them from potentially life threatening illnesses? See, it's not just about whipping off their chestnuts. ;) (Trust me, I've had many a discussion with blokes about this. OH used to cringe at the topic, but when you see how many cats are needing homes you kind of come round.....and the poor lad is bombarded with cats needing homes information. ;) )
Looking forward to meeting your new family on here when you've felt a connection. :)
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Not off to a good start, tried calling three different places numerous times this afternoon and no one would answer the phone :-[
Hope its not a sign....
Going to have a drive up to Bleakholt tomorrow lunch, can have a mooch round if nothing else.
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No - it's not a sign Stevo. :hug: Most of the rescues are uber busy at this time of year and it will take them time to get back to you - days, sometimes. If you're able to go to a rescue and look you may have better luck, although some are "appointment only."
Dont give up - tis just the first step. :hug:
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It's not a sign. Don't worry. They just aren't always staffed 24/7 or my local ones aren't anyway.
Go have a good look, the staff will tell you how they home as they are all slightly different and prepare for your life to change :Crazy:
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Most of the rescue websites request you e-mail them before turning up, so you know there will be someone there to show you around when you go.
Don't be put off by this, Stevo, it's just pressure on resources that demands a more structured approach.
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Hi Steve (from one of the other 3 blokes on here)
Our two furballs are house kittens in a two bed maisonette and they're fine! We have a balcony that I've cat proofed (big net) so they get a bit of outdoor space when the weather permits but otherwise they're happy to lounge inside.
With our lifestyle, having two to keep ach other company made the most sense and I'm sure it's helped keep them sane whilst we are at work. The first week we got them we stayed home to help the aclimatise (play with them because they were adorable).
I don't know where you live but there are good services in London that will cat-sit for you. They come to your house, feed, water and change their litter trays and collect your post, turn on/off lights, etc. They even send texts and picture messages! I know it can be a little strange giving a stranger a set of keys but they're a tried and tested firm and often CRB checked.
Our boys are loving and playful (not at all nasty) and the castration wasn't really an issue (they went to the vet in the morning, came home in the evening and acted like nothing had happened) but see who you fall for and go from there.
Good luck with whatever you choose!
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Thanks for the words of encouragement :)
London's a bit of a distance away, I'm nearer Manchester, even that's 20 miles away.
I've had a bit of a think the last few days and I'm leaning more towards two kitties with one of them electronic cat flap jobbies - got a feeling that I'm definitely going to be needing a new door at some point for this.
Carried 4.5 days holiday over from work last year so they will need to be taken before the end of March, be ideal to befriend some new kitties :Luv2:
Like I said I'll have a look up to Bleakholt tomorrow. I'll let you know how I get on!!
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Hope you emjoy your run out "for a look" today.
:naughty:
Can't help smiling - am also thinking of one of those electronic cat flap thingies (and a new door) but dont think it's absolutely necessary have to have a new door to get one fitted (in our case it;s just my OH has vapours at the thought of any DIY even though I was rightly proud of his initial efforts which meant we could fit a Staywell flap. ;))
It's only because of a Big Burglar Cat that we want to change it, as come spring we'll be giving me laddo the key to the door full time.
Great idea about saving your hols to give you some time to settle your new kitties in when they come. And the bonus is, you'll have a realy fun filled few days. :wow:
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Oooh yes, it's been ages since I went rescue surfing :wow: :shy:
Good hunting Stevo - remember, you're only looking for TWO :shify: :sneaky:
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Well, I went to the rescue, to "have a look". Kept getting drawn back to this little black and white cat, we had a stroke and a quick play with a bit of a twig she was trying to get through the bars :Luv:
Turns out she's a 2 year old stray called Chuckles, apparently she's "a playful little thing".
Got the home visit tomorrow morning.... :Crazy:
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looks like you've been 'found' by your next cat :evillaugh:
Chuckles is a lovely name
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:welcome: :welcome: To Purrs .... it sounds like you've been found by your first furbabe ;)
Fingers crossed the home check goes well and Chuckles will be moving in soon :hug:
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:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
I knew it! Didn't need me crystal ball after all!
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Awww Chuckles, a proper Northern name. ;) Good luck with the homecheck, I do hope she's the one for you ;D
Did you ask their advice about catflaps etc for her? As Sue said earlier, I wouldn't worry too much about the state of your door as hacking a hole in it to make way for a flap is best done first time around on a "disposable" door, so unless you're really good at DIY it's less painful to get it wrong on a door you don't much care for.
Have you spotted the Purrs Shop yet? Click on the ad in the top right corner and have a wander through. If you get your order in tonight your cat toys/beds might arrive before she does :sneaky:
God, now I'm broody, too. :shify:
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heh heh heh - so pleased. fingers crossed for the home visit
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Didn't really get chance to ask them about anything, I got the impression they were really busy :( which to be fair, I think they were.
Kind of just got left too it - go have a look round the pens and let us know if you like the look of any.
Hope this home check goes well tomorrow :scared:
I'm going to hold off on buying anything until I know she is definitely in the bag.
As for the door, I think I'll just buy a new backdoor as the one that's currently there is terrible, it needed replacing 8 years ago when I moved in. I'll get my dad to fit the flap, he's great at diy ;D
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You won't need the flap for a few weeks, as you'll want her to get the hang of her lovely new home first before she's allowed to explore further afield. Time enough to do your research on flap types.
Your Dad sounds great too, like your Mum. Are they up for a bit of babysitting when you go on holiday? :sneaky:
So, do you think you'll stick with just the one, then? (No pressure :evillaugh: )
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Stevo, use some time tonight to make a list of the things you`d like to ask or know about and then you can grill them at the home check. They will no doubt be pleased you have questions to ask
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Are they up for a bit of babysitting when you go on holiday?
Not a chance, they're not very keen on cats ... The neighbors on the other hand :sneaky:
Will I get another?... dunno. When I was looking round the rescue and I saw Chuckles and there was a poster on the cage door of a cat that looked like her so I just assumed it was, I wasn't 100% as the white colouring looked a little different, well as different as it can on a 90%+ black cat. I just thought it was an old pic as it was a bit weathered. The poster said it was a 6 year old cat that didn't get on well with other cats and would be better suited to be housed alone. A bit older than I wanted but we seemed to hit it off so I went for it. Was only when the member of staff came that I found out differently. I never even thought about getting another at that point.
Think I'll see how I get on with this one for a bit first. Get a bit of experience under the belt.
Not got this one yet !! ;D
I've plenty of questions to ask, the home check will be grilled, make no mistake ! - hope you lot are up for a grilling over the coming months too :naughty:
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Oooh yes please (rubs hand vigorously) we like a good grilling :shify: :rofl:
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Chuckles I love that name ;D
This is very exciting ;D
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:evillaugh: Oh yes indeed - and we'll be demanding piccies and updates and progress reports on a daily basis :naughty:
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As for the door, I think I'll just buy a new backdoor as the one that's currently there is terrible, it needed replacing 8 years ago when I moved in. I'll get my dad to fit the flap, he's great at diy ;D
Depending on where you're getting the door from, you might find that they will fit the flap for you, twice before now I've provided a flap and the door people have fitted it while they assemble the door...nice smooth finish and the liability is on their heads to do it properly ;)
Good luck with the homecheck tomorrow :wow:
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Fingers crossed for today, Stevo. :crossed:
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Good luck for the home visit. I'm sure it will be absolutely fine.
I'm sure the lovely people on here involved in rescue can advise much better than I can but it is totally normal to be a bit worried you and your house won't be up to scratch. I did and I'd had a cat for 18 years previously.
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Good luck hope the home check goes well xx
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Good luck with the homecheck and as someone who does checks for cats and dogs can I say be yourself and don't panic, my home is not the most fur free but its clean and tidy and folks can tell from the first conversation and it sounds like you and Chuckles will be a match made in heaven ;D
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The home check has just left....... GAME ON!!! :wow:
Hardly slept last night, been awake since 3am, don't know if it was the worry about the home check or the excitement of getting a kitty.
Going to try to blag a few days off work at the back end of next week to get all my stuff sorted.
Right, time for a shower, a pot noodle and a snooze. In that order ;)
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Great news.
I know one of my local rescues let you "reserve" a cat for up to seven days....so if Chuckles is the puss cat for you it might be worth giving them a call.
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So glad you passed and hopefully you and Chuckles can start the road to slavedom soon ;D
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I'm a late arrival to this thread but loving it... Been chucking away!
Glad the home check went well and enjoy your pot noodle :-)
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I'm a late arrival to this thread but loving it... Been chucking away!
Glad the home check went well and enjoy your pot noodle :-)
Me too! A Slave is Born methinks :evillaugh:
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Great news, Stevo :wow: Bet you can't wait. It's so exciting! Chuckles has a devoted new slave in the making. Not long now...... :)
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Congratulations Stevo :gold stars:
Now you can get busy with your plans. ;D So exciting. :wow:
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Ok, were all set !!
Got a week booked off work starting Wednesday, going buying all the stuff I'll be needing and picking Chuckles up lunch time Thursday.
Exciting stuff :D
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Wahayyy here we go ;D
Oh no, is Next Thursday THIS Thursday coming or a week on Thursday, I never quite know... :-: Need to suppress my bubbling excitment if it's Thursday week. :shy:
The rescue will tell you what cat litter she's used to so you can provide a little continuity for her in her first days, and likewise what food she's been used to eating. :)
You may want to experiment with different foods when she's settled, but remember a sudden change of diet is likely to cause upset tums which you can do without while she's adjusting to her new life. :sick:
Before you leave the rescue on Thursday there's a few things you may forget in all the excitement: :oops:
Ask for her vaccination records, microchip details (and which type of chip she has), when she was last flea and worm treated (you'll also need to know what she weighs for flea and worming dosages), the date she was spayed and whether she has shown any signs of being adaptable to another cat coming in to your lives at a later stage. You will also want to know what age/birthdate has been attributed to her, if any, this may or may not appear on her chip record.
If the microchip comes with 4 weeks free health insurance, as many do, make sure you get the paperwork for this.
If she has a favourite toy or blanket they have used for her bedding, ask if you can bring this home with her (it would be a nice touch to take a replacement old towel/blanket/cat toy for the rescue if you can lay your hands on any) as it will provide her with a reassuring spot to relax in her own scent while she gets used to your place and all the new smells you will unwittingly provide. :cheese:
If she's a bit shy and decides to hide under the bed (likely) it's best to leave her alone for a good while, she'll get curious to see where you are if you don't spend hours upside down trying to see if she's alright.
Put her food and water close, but somewhere she has to come out for it, and leave her litter tray within sight of (but not next to) the food, again forcing her to explore a little further. If you do go out, she'll come out to explore while you're away, so leave the TV or radio on low so she can hear voices and this will help her to settle.
The more you talk to her and use her name, the quicker she'll grow to recognise you as a friend and this will help train her later when you want her to come when called.
And finally (yes I'll shut up soon, promise) this is my not-so-secret weapon in gaining the trust and love of almost every cat I've adopted. :sneaky: I use kissy noises when I dish out the chikkun, so they associate my kissy noises with the good stuff and come a runnin' when they hear me. You may wish to choose a different noise if you like this idea, you being a bloke an that... :-[ This comes in particularly useful if she does manage to escape in her first couple of weeks, as she'll recognise the noise as being a friendly one and she should make her whereabouts known if she's hiding outside.
I'm so happy for you Stevo. :chicken:
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And once she's settled, we want to see photos!
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:wow: :wow: :wow: ;D That's brilliant news Stevo!
Sheila - methinks it is this Thursday..... :evillaugh:
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Thats fantastic news
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Are you gonna leave her name as Chuckles ;D
I think its a fantstic name ;D
Well excited here ;D
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Great news - roll on Thursday!
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:wow: Yep, it is indeed this Thursday coming !! :wow:
Are you gonna leave her name as Chuckles ;D
Was discussing this today with the lads at work. I think I'll be keeping the name. Can't think of anything better and not sure if its unlucky to rename a cat, you know, like a boat ?! Besides, Chuckles is a top name 8)
Hmmmm, the kissing noises... I already do them to next doors cats as I walk past them on the path to my house, you know, real manly like. Can't see doing it in the privacy of my own home being too much of a problem ;D Although, I recon I'll be at the chicken treats more than the cat ! ......wonder if she'll like Spicy Mexican flavour? :shify:
Thanks everyone for the great advice you've been giving me. Over the years I've been a member of many different forums for many different reasons and you get a feel for what they are going to be like after the first couple of posts. I got a real good vibe here instantly, I knew it was going to be a nice place - ta!!! :Luv:
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Woo hoo excellent news. So pleased that Chuckles (I bet this gets shortened to Chuck in no time ;)) has found her forever home with you.
I won't overload you with lots of information straight away ... but I would suggest you have a browse through the topics on this board: http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php/board,43.0.html as there are loads of really useful tips here.
Obviously if you have ANY questions however silly you think it might be, we will gladly answer. As you've already discovered this is a really friendly forum and we are all here to help.
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Hold on a second......
And once she's settled, we want to see photos!
I don't want to wait until Chuckles is settled for pictures :) There's nothing we like more than new (and old) cat pictures.
Glad everything has gone well - bet you can't wait until Thursday :)
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Fab news :yayyy: :yayyy: :yayyy: :yayyy: :yayyy:
Thank goodness it's this Thursday - the anticipation would have killed us all if it had been next Thursday!
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Only two more sleeps, Stevo.
This is better than Christmas! :wow:
Wot you got on your shopping list? Whatever it is, I bet you end up getting "extras" :evillaugh:
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This is better than Christmas! :wow:
Lol, all I got for Christmas this year was a Lindt chocolate teddy! My mum said she'd get me something but I told her not to bother.
Anyway, the shopping list.
Litter tray, probably one of them with the lid (maybe two)
Bed
Couple of scratching posts
Toys
More toys
Funky collar
Might even get one of them big tree things too, just cos they look cool!
Food
Litter
Treats... may even some for the kitty.
Getting excited now!
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Don't get too many toys until you know what she likes - or even if she likes toys. One of my cats hardly ever plays and seems scared of toys, and the other only plays with two or three (out of the dozen or so she has!).
Do get Chuckles a cardboard box though - no matter how many toys you get a cat, they will always love a cardboard box! I currently have two on the floor of my (tiny) living room, and my girls spend most evenings jumping in and out of them.
(And if you turn it upside down and cut a cat sized hole in one side, it will give her somewhere to hide if she's feeling a bit insecure in the first few days or weeks.)
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Your getting very organised! Ace!
I agree on the cardboard box idea - I have a couple and they love sleeping on them and playing in them. I bought a fancy purpose built one... My two don't go near it! Typical
Just get the basics until you get to know what she likes - a scratching post and a couple of toy mice or feather on a rope.
As for a cat bed - is that not what your bed is for lol!
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I agree - cardboard boxes are a great idea although the first time I put one on the floor, Luna mistook it for a litter tray. We've currently got a Christmas cracker on the go with treats in it and a couple of boxes flatted out which they use to skid around the floor on.
I wouldn't bother with a bed - if you have a soft towel or a throw that will do the job just as well and they do tend to go through spells sleeping in different places.
A scratch post with different levels and maybe a den or a sleeping platform might be worth a look. We got a good one on Zooplus.
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Was supposed to grab some boxes from the warehouse before I left work tonight, but ended up working late to get stuff finished before I finished for the week and totally forgot.
Going to have a nice lazy day shopping tomorrow I think, get all the bits and bobs I'll be needing.
I emailed the rescue center this morning and asked about the food and litter Chuckles has been using. The food is fine, but they said its wood litter? where can I get this? please tell me they sell it in Asda?
Also the home check lady said to keep her down stairs to start with (Chuckles, not the home check lady :rofl: sorry), the problem with that is I will have to keep her confined to the kitchen when I'm not in - I don't really like the thought of that as there is no heating in the kitchen and as soon as the kids see her through the back door they will be banging etc... I know what they are like. Or I could keep her in the upstairs spare room, use the kitchen as a kind of porch for a few weeks and come and go through the back door, this will give her pretty much the run of the house. I'm just a bit stuck as the front door opens directly into the house.
Personally I'm leaning towards the second option but I'm pretty much clueless with pets unless its fish or snakes. What you think?
As for a cat bed - is that not what your bed is for lol!
Is that an option? Not sure if I want cat hair all over my bed, suppose its a bit late to be worrying about that :)
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Personally I would see how she is when you get her home. Robbie wouldn't move from his box when we got him as a kitten. The other kitten we got a few days later wouldn't be confined to one room - she wanted to explore and wouldn't tolerate being kept anywhere. When Sky came to us she was given the run of the house as well as she wanted to explore - initially stayed in one room for a few hours but then wanted to see all of her new territory. It really depends on her nature - if she's nervy or cautious then keeping her confined to a specific area makes more sense as she will gain confidence quickly. I would be more tempted to keep her where it would be quieter, and if that is in the spare room I would keep her there - as long as you spend plenty of time in there with her but also give her places to hide.
Wood litter, I presume, is the pellets that disintegrate when wet. If Asda don't stock it Pets at Home will (http://www.petsathome.com/shop/antimicrobial-non-clumping-wood-pellet-cat-litter-18ltr-by-pets-at-home-15279).
Finally I have a cover put on top of my duvet so the cats don't cover my bed in too much fur :)
I'm getting excited for you
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Cat hair? Simple. Just brush her once a week in moulting season, most of it will come out on the brush/comb. A spare blanket is useful for chucking over your bedspread, you can shake this out every now and again to keep the hairs off your bed, but you'll always get some ;D (Everything tastes better with cat hair anyway) ;D
Upstairs sounds safer for her whilst you're out. :shify: Homecheck possibly suggested the kitchen in case she pees on the floor in her confusion.
Use the kitchen as an airlock, she may freak when you come and go, and run out between your legs, best if she's shut in another room until she's used to how you sound when letting yourself in and out. ;)
Wood pellet cat litter is available pretty much everywhere, including Asda http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/#/Shopping/FindProducts.aspx?Query=wood%20pellet
Enjoy your lazy day tomorrow, let's hope it's the last lonely day you'll ever have. :Luv2:
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I think ASDA sell Smart Cat litter and if so this is the best wood pellet litter.
I agree to keep her upstairs and take loads of notice how she acts, she maybe so confident she is happy to explore.
Go Chuckles ;D ;D
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One more sleep Stevo - just one more sleep! :wow:
Lots of good advice here about where to keep her until shes accustomed etcetera, but I think realistically until you get her home and see how she is, then its best to keep an open mind on whetehr or not to confine her. Cats are so different in their personalities. As long as your plan includes your ability to enter and leave the house by minimising the risk of her escape, then I believe that's the one to adopt as a broad brush approach.
As for cats sleeping on beds - well, that's what beds are for :wow: and I bet she'd let you sleep in hers (if you wanted to :-:)
You may find she's a snuggler. Paddy (bless his paws) was never a cuddly cat, but when it got cold in the winte, he would come up and lie on the bed in between me and OH, or when he was a lot older and felt the cold more, he would sleep near my chest with my arm round him. All other times it was "don't touch me!"
Mac was a big snuggler - he used to like to lie on my head with his paws tangled in my hair so's I couldn't sneak off without him knowing. :evillaugh: As he got a bit big for that he switched his favoured position to chest snuggling too.
Ross is an enormous snuggler (well, he's a big cat!) but whilst as a kitten he would sleep on my head too, he graduated to coming up for a snoozling session (he lies against my side and sucks on my earlobe to send himself off to sleep) :evillaugh: Then when he's on the verge of dozing off, he jumps down, and sleeps in the armchair we have in the bedroom. OH puts his dressing gown on it, and he lies on that. He comes up for another snoozling session about 4 a.m. prior to him going out for a wander (I'm a light sleeper.... :rofl: just as well!)
It's so hard to keep a cat off the bed unless you shut the door. Have you ever seen Simon's cat?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0ffwDYo00Q
Anyway, you just need to let Chuckles guide you on this one. You're about to become her devoted slave, after all. :evillaugh: :hug: :hug: Just one more sleep! :wow:
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How exciting.
When we first got Poppy and Charlie, we were going to keep them in the open plan kitchen living area. Poppy has other ideas about that, bit of an explorer.
We have hooded litter trays, 2 of them we have had 3 and half years, we got them from Pets at Home, but they have changed what they do now, and the other one is from Argos, this one is nice and big, but the front step bit is a bit low, and if you have a litter flicker its goes out of the front. Our little Harry(RIP) used to chucked it out, but the others are ok with it.
We made a little den for Wordy when we got him, a dining chair with a bed under it, covered with a big fleecy through, it gave him somewhere to hide, now they all use it because its snuggly.
Poppy and Wordy are both escapologists, so when we come in the front door we just hold our bag/briefcase down by the gap until we are in.
I was completely clueless about cats, I had never had one, then we got 2 together, best decision I have ever made in My life.
Good luck, happy shopping, how about a photo of your purchases, lol, wide angled lense!!!
Nicky
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I sleep with about 16 most nights in my Super Kingsize bed as my OH lives in Azerbaijan due to his work and in thw winter its fab in the summer not so fab :rofl:
I have a few more cats than most all rescues or the ones not for the feint hearted they can be seen under any heading with the Clan cats they of course have their own pets our wonderful Border Collies Sky, Sunny and Mistral who are cat obsessed, give them a field of sheep they run the other way give them a room of cats and its head rubs and walk under the dogs
She will tell you what she wants and where she wants it and keeping her to one room when you are out makes it safer for you both and the spare room can be her safe place
When we have visitors our ferals can be found on our bed, behind the bed and on top of the wardrobe - my ferals aren't good with visitors but love the cat sitter
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Shopping done :wow:
Was relatively painless, just did Pets at Home, Asda & Tesco's. Think I got everything I need, for the time being. The scratching post looks mega, its huge! I wasn't going to bother getting a bed after what people have said but I ended up getting the one you can see in the pic, was half price and is just sooooo comfy - I couldn't help myself (might even use it myself for a pillow :naughty:).
Think I'm going to pick up anther litter tray at the weekend so I have one in the kitchen as well. The toys were left over from the Christmas stock and come in at a whopping £1.75 :Crazy:
The carriers just some basic 20 quid thing but should get the job done.
Bagged a couple of 40w screw fitting heat lamps for Sally (my snake) while I was there, they don't sell them at my usual reptile shop, the bayonet fitting ones seem to be popping every 4 weeks at the moment >:( someone said that the screw fittings seem to last longer... we will see. Plus they were 3 quid cheaper that what I usually buy. Tried to find her a treat too but couldn't see anything.
All in all I burnt through about £135 which isn't too bad ;D and after keeping a 120 gallon tropical marine fish tank for 6 years - it's a drop in the ocean, not even 2 months electricty :shocked:
I had to comment to the girl in the Pet at Home store about the state of their fish section, it was absolutely stunning. All the tanks were spot less, not a single dead or dying fish in sight and no sign of white spot. I was :censored: amazed to be frank. I usually hate places like that keeping fish (or any animal really) as they always look very tired, sickly and never get looked after - I would never usually buy a fish for a tank of mine from a place like this, but here I was pleasantly surprised. Fair play to em.
Oh and I grabbed a pack of chikkun from Tesco's too - whether it will still be there tomorrow is anyone's guess though :naughty:
The excitement is mounting now !!! ;D
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Wow - Stevo - haven't you done well ! :wow: Mind you, I don't think you'll be bale to get her to use the floor cleaning machine thingie - looks a bit of kit, that does :evillaugh:
CHuckkles is one very lucky cat, and I bet you had a ball choosing all of the bits and pieces. ;D the carrier looks great for the price - and nice that Chuckles will have a sort of second Christmas with you, with even a stocking to open.
Shrewd move that - not forgetting the chikkun - very wise. ;)
That was some fish tank. We had a small tank - not marine - and that was some work to keep going (until the summer of the Great Fish Tank Disaster when I arrived home to find the tank had collapsed. :doh: I did manage to save some of the beloved fish, but that was the end of our foray into aquatics )
Say "Hello" to Sally from us. ;D What sort of snake is she?
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Well done on only spending £135.lol
If Chuckles doesn't use the bed they come in handy of you are playing on the floor with the cats, somewhere to rest your weary head, I fell asleep with my head in a donut bed with Wordy tucked up against me, when we first brought him home.lol
So exciting, I'm working tomorrow so hope for some photos when I get in.
If you haven't already get her room set up for her, litter tray etc. So you can put her in there and let her settle.
Nicky
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Steve that scratching post is brilliant can I ask where you got it as our rather large one similar to that had been clawed to death
I am sure that you and Chuckles will have a blast tomorrow and she will have you wrapped round her paw in no time :rofl:
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Whoo hoo!!
I can't wait to see the pictures.
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:yesss: :pic: I feel so excited, and it's not even me getting a kitty. :wow:
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The scratching post was from Pets at Home, was £30. Its got a furry top and everything :wow:
My snake is a corn snake, had her about 10 years now. I'm going to have to buy a bit of a stand to put her tank on so kitty can't look directly in the tank. They are going to be sharing a room, to begin with. Sally rarely moves from under her bit of wood anyway, she's well hidden. Might even move her into my bedroom and put the tank on top of my drawers out of the way.
floor cleaning machine thingie
:-: I can only think you mean the bag behind and too the left, lol, that's my archery stuff, its the arrow tube sticking out the top :evillaugh: The thing behind is an old CD stand with a Stone Roses bucket hat perched on the top.
Gonna go sort the room out when the house has warmed up a bit, usually at work now and cant be bothered messing with the timer settings on the central heating - if I just turn it on I'll only forget to turn it off before I go to bed. Besides its nice and warm here on the settee under my blanket and the room won't take long to sort.
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Quote
floor cleaning machine thingie
I can only think you mean the bag behind and too the left, lol, that's my archery stuff, its the arrow tube sticking out the top The thing behind is an old CD stand with a Stone Roses bucket hat perched on the top.
Yes, that was it :evillaugh: ;D I did wonder - couldnt decide if it was rug doctor/Karcher cross or a blueprint R2D2 :shy:
I have an archery weekend to take sometime this summer - it was a present for me recent "significant" birthday :wow: Am looking forward to it, as it's something I've always wanted to try (no doubt I'll be pants at it, but should still be a good day out.)
Well, hello Sally the corn snake - hope you're ready for your new house companion. :) My sis used to have snakes - one was a corn snake and the other two were (I think) rat snakes.
Just one more sleep! :wow: Wonder what Chuckles is thinking of tonight.....? :)
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fabulous - we await the arrival of Princess Chuckles with baited breath
I would advise removing the flap from the litter tray though, as she may well not have encountered one like that before - you may have to take off the top too at first, to make sure she knows there is litter in there
it would help perhaps if the rescue would let you take away a bit of the litter from the tray she has been using there, to add to the new tray, so she recognises the smell
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Well, that's the spare room sorted out. Took a touch longer than anticipated, must of kicked up a bit of (lot of) dust - sneezing fit, now asthma's playing up, can hardly breath lol :doh:
It's all set now though :wow:
I picked up a collar today, well the sales assistant did her job and sold me one. I thought they were supposed to be elastic ? even though is says elastic on the cardboard bit - its not. It also has a "safety buckle" on it, it don't seem very safe to me. Recon you could hang me with it >:(
Oh, and how much litter you supposed to put in the litter tray? Lol, probably actually says on the bag how much to use - I'm a bloke, I don't read instructions. Was a 10 litre bag, recon I've poured about 7 - 8 litres into the litter tray, lol, its about 2 inch deep ... its dirt cheap anyway. Can always get some more.
The door on the litter tray folds back and opens the whole front up. Recon that will be enough or play safe and remove the lid ?
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I left the door off of our 2 trays, wasn't long before I put them on.
I never managed to keep collars on mine, they stay on for about 10 minutes!
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I've propped the door to our tray open on a door frame, my lot are new to covered trays so I'm playing it slow - they still prefer the uncovered trays though. :shify:
Two inches is generous, she'll be paddling around in it all night. If she's anything like my girls she'll enjoy digging down to Oz. ;D
Asthma? That Dyson Pet vacuum cleaner your Mum wants to buy you will come in handy. :sneaky:
:welcome: Sally Snake :Luv2:
I collar mine for a few weeks until they find their way around the neighbourhood, then remove the collars. There's a good reason to pop her name and your phone number on an engraved tag to fit to your snap collar (e-bay these: cheap and very reassuring).
The elastic ones aren't as safe as the snap ones, but some owners on here have found their snap collars to be faulty, so if yours doesn't release with a sharp pull, take it back and change it. :-:
This is thrilling, Stevo, I'm greener than a green thing on greenday. ;D
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Wow aren't you all organised! I've missed all the action today... I must remember to get on tomorrow day time and check for updates since its the big day! Lol!
Just to add in that if you are worried about cat hair on the bed.. I did pick up a habit from an ex boys - an old towel at the end of the bed. He used to put an old towel on his couch and bed and initially I thought he was a bit anal retentive about cat hair... However I ended up doing the same and it makes a significant difference to cat hair. More importantly you can just whip it off and cat hair gone! Surprisingly my two seem to have taken right to the towels too although I do sometimes get woken by a big main coon paw being thrust into my mouth when Rio decides my pillow is warmer!
Good luck tomorrow..., and stone roses style hat? Lol hope you don't wear the matching flares with it these days ;-)
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It's here! Thursday is here :cheer: :cheer: :cheer:
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Today's the day! Stevo and Chuckles are moving in together ;D ;D :narna dance: :yayyy: :cuddle:
Sounds like you have everything ready and more! ;D Cant wait to hear more when you've got her home and settled her in. :) :hug:
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Today's the day Stevo :wow: :wow: :wow: :wow:
Really looking forward to seeing piccies of Chuckles :) :) :)
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Ok, it's time to go get her.
I'm actually a bit nervous, worse than a first date this... :Crazy:
Back shortly :wow:
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Way to go Stevo - lotsa luck, keep calm, and enjoy! :wow: :hug:
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Good luck
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I'm guessing this is good news :shify: the fact he's too busy to post suggest he's either:
Upside down under the bed with her :evillaugh: ; or
Slaving it up with goodness knows how many months of neglect to cast aside :cat rub: :catlove2: :Luv: :Luv: :Luv:
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It's like being a kid and asking your Mum and Dad if Santy Paws has been yet :evillaugh: Am hoping you're right Sheila. :)
:waiting:
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I am sure Sheila is right ;D
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Ok, got to the rescue and something was wrong straight away, apparently she hadn't been vet checked but some one had "passed" her??? Some woman who was working there was far from impressed. Anyway I had to wait around for 20 mins or so while they sorted some paperwork out. I wasn't too bothered cos it was nice and warm in there :) Anyway they eventually carried Chuckles out and we popped her in the carrier and off we went :wow:
The poor little mite cried in the car all the way home. The spare room is a bit sparse to say the least so I put an old picture against the drier (think you can see it in one of the pics) for her to hide under if she needed too, I left the carrier out too.
I opened the carrier door and she walked straight out, come over to me and started rubbing up against me. With in 5 mins she was purring and even rolled over and let me scratch her belly :Luv:
I've been sat with her for the last hour while she was having a mooch round. Tried to give her a piece of chicken, she wouldn't take it from my hand but had no problems scoffing it out the bowl! :evillaugh:
Shes been checking out the snake tank, found the litter tray and I left her lounging around in her bed :wow:
Here's some pics I know you have been waiting for ! I'll try to get some better ones shortly
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Oh wow - just look at her!! :wow: :wow: Does she look relaxed or what?
Stevo, she's gorgeous. And she looks right at home already. Can't believe how chilled she seems. ;D
I bet you're chuffed to bits - and she obviously trusts you, as she was wrapping herself about your legs in no time :) You'd never have got a belly rub if she didn't feel comfortable with you.
Chuckles has well and truly landed on her feet. Am so pleased for you both. Glad the paperwork was sorted out eventually and didn't hold you up too much.
Keep us up to speed with progress.
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I got home in time :)
She's beautiful and doesn't look at all shy or nervous - can see she will make herself at home in no time and I bet won't waste any time in being confined to one room!
Congrats :)
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Chuckles is lovely and looks right at home already ;D
Is that tank warm purrchance :evillaugh:
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Well doesn't she look right at home! Looks like she has picked herself the right home.
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Stevo she's lovely, I'm not surprised you fell for her with her bobby socks and a French Polish on her front paws :briggin: and you've got her right where she wants you :briggin:
My favourite colour combination as well :Luv2: . She could be my Theo's twin sister. He's stunningly handsome too (if I do say so myself) :Luv2:
Belly rubs on a first date? :wow: My goodness this has got Love Story written all over it. :shy:
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She is adorable and looks so relaxed already - I bet she will be snuggled up on your bed with you tonight - LOL
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At the risk of sounding pervy, I can't wait to see some cuddling action. :wow: :evillaugh: But let me make it clear that it's not necessary for full body shots - legs and laps are the norm. :rofl: :rofl:
Ah yes Sheryl - on the bed. Hear that Stevo? On the bed. :) Hope you've got your cat throw ready to drape artfully over the duvet :Luv:
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She's gorgeous, I love black & whites - I had one for nearly 13 years. Like everyone says, she looks very relaxed already.
Do you know anything about her background?
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Just got my first lick !!!!!! :wow: :wow: :wow:
I think she likes the bed, was in it before, on her back with her head over the side resting on my leg. Obviously loving the attention ;D
Do you know anything about her background?
Only that she was a stray, the woman at the rescue said she was quite scared when she first came in. She looks ok now though! ;) And that people didn't seem to want cats that looked like her! >:(
Is that tank warm purrchance :evillaugh:
28C all year round. Wish the rest of the house was!!
All this excitement has worn me out, gonna have a snooze on the settee for half an hour :)
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I've had a better look at the photos. Can I have Luna back please? :rofl: :rofl: they look like mirror images.
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She looks very at home Stevo :) :)
What a pretty girl she is :Luv2:
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:1st place:
On Chuckle's arrival. She's gorgeous and has clearly adopted you rather than the other way round :Luv:
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She is gorgeous, and settling so well, and loving the one to one attention from you.
Black/black and white definately the best colour.
Have a good evening with her.
Just remember there is no such thing as too many photos. We won't get bored of them.
Nicky
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She's gorgeous :Luv: and clearly has made herself at home!
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She's gorgeous :Luv: :Luv: :Luv: and seems to have her paws well and truly under the table already :)
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This is the first thread I came to find when I logged on this evening, and I'm delighted that there are pics already :wow: Just like everyone else says, it's amazing how settled she looks already, maybe she was originally very loved before she was found straying. I don't think it'll be long before you wake up to find her sitting on your head :naughty:
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I don't think the move has bothered her at all. She seems really relaxed. Think I'll let her out of the spare room tomorrow for a proper look round ;D
I was well impressed earlier, her first proper feed, she got a massive chunk of cat food out of the dish and dropped it right on the carpet... then ate it from there, jelly everywhere! :shocked:
Yeah, I have a feeling she will be on the bed in no time :evillaugh:
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and here's all Chuckles' cyber aunties waiting on here to dish out loads of advice and it looks as if you and her aren't going to need any of it :sneakin:
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and here's all Chuckles' cyber aunties waiting on here to dish out loads of advice and it looks as if you and her aren't going to need any of it :sneakin:
Oh I think I will. I'll start now.
Is she supposed to be drooling like she is? when she shakes her head its flying everywhere! its not like thick dog drool, more like small water droplets. Its not like its pouring out or anything but I don't remember the ex's cats doing it...
I'm not overly worried or anything but is it normal ?
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Does the dribbling coincide with purring/being stroked/generally happy time? That's pretty normal with some cats. Almost as if they get so carried away with purring that they forget to swallow. Noni dribbled all over FIL at New Year :innocent:
Dribbling all the time on the other hand might point to possible dental problems.
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OMG she's gorgeous and has definitely settled in by the looks of things. :Luv2: :Luv2: :Luv2:
I'm so pleased you have found each other ... sounds like a match made in heaven.
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I am so pleased for you Stevo. The tale of you and Chuckles has been heartwarming and I really think you have found your heartcat in her x
She is absolutely gorgeous and I hope you have many, many years of shared life and love together x :Luv2:
Looking forward to more updates :)
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The dribbling, well its not really dribbling. More when she shakes her head. Anyway I'll keep an eye on it over the weekend, I don't think its anything to worry about. And it does seem to be when she's being stroked.
She was looking proper comfy on her bed before, hope she sleeps ok :)
I hope you have many, many years of shared life and love together x :Luv2:
Me too ;D
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I've got a dribbley cat - I've never been concerned. Whenever he shakes his head I get splattered as do the cushions, windows, tv and whatever else he is next to! I think it's just some cats thing lol!
That's brilliant chuckles has settled in so well... Just brilliant :-)
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Morning Stevo. How are you both today? How did your first night together go?
We used to have a little black and white cat who liked to suck your jumper, and you'd be left with a big soggy felted patch. :evillaugh:
If the dribbling is excessive then you could arrange a brief vet visit just to get her checked over (seeing as the rescue said she hadn't been vet checked) - it may put your mind at rest if the dribbling worries you. :hug:
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Morning Stevo and Chuckles ;D
So what time is playtime? 4am? 4.30? :evillaugh:
Good idea to register her at your vet and get her a quick MOT. He'll be able to put your mind at rest about her dribbling, and advise you on her general health. The cost for a consultation is minimal in comparison to any and all concerns you may have initially, and, well, you're off work anyway. :sneaky:
You get to practice putting Chuckles inna box too :naughty:
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Morning
First night went ok, got up to go to the toilet about 6am and as I walked across the landing I heard Chuckles jump off the windowsill in the spare room and she started meowing, I had to pop in and check on her :) After a quick stroke I went back to bed, half and hour later she let out this shreak, you know like they do. Thinking something might have happened I went to check, as I walked in she jumped off the window and came trotting over like nothing had happened. Looked like a ploy to get me out of bed :shify:
Anyway, seeing as I was up we went exploring the house. Shes going from room to room checking the place out. She stopped briefly before to have a lie down on the front room floor but has just taken off upstairs again. Best go and see what she's up to, brb :)
Think shes happier to be out the spare room.
Currently watching Storage Wars on the settee with me ;D
I'll phone a vets later, see if I can get her looked at on Monday. I doubt there's anything wrong though :)
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Shes lovely, hope you make each other very happy x
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:shify: A definite ploy to get your attention. Defo. :Luv: She sounds very cnfident with you, checking out her territory and snuggling up with her new Dad to watch TV. ;D
I always think of the first vet check as a great opportunity for other people to admire our babies and tell us how lucky we are for getting such a beautiful cat. :wow:
Or how - erm "distinctive" our cat is (thinking of a few other cats on here who were not at first blush "in the pink" but the poor little souls had been through the mill and spat out the other side, so not surprising)
Given that our most recent acquisitions were both kittens, I hadn't a clue how to check for hernias or other kitten problems, so the vet check was a great relief (plus, I'd suspected Ross had ear mites - he did - and we were able to get prompt treatment for him)
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All sounds good this morning. 2 of my 3 cats are dribblers, poppy more so. Yesterday i wad getting a proper soaking, purpurr dribbledribble. Lick flick etc....
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This is ace. Chuckles looks to be settling in very well. :)
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From the photos, she looks in really good nick! Glad everything's going well.
Hope you manage to get the central heating fixed before the cold snap arrives!
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Well. The litter tray is being used... My god, its going to take a while getting used to cleaning that :shocked: :sick: :shocked:
Hope you manage to get the central heating fixed before the cold snap arrives!
Lol, its not broke. Its just I have it set on a timer and I'm too bone idle to go turn it on if I'm in and its not time to come on. I just sit there in the cold until it turns itself on. Had a feeling it would be an early morning today though so I left it on all night last night :)
I must say, she is more settled here than I am. We've been snoozing on the settee together all morning. She's really making herself at home.
I'm feeling the urge to buy her a present :wow:
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So glad she is settling in well and seems to have you trained already - snoozing on the couch :rofl:
The Smell maybe the food she has been on am sure if you are weaning her off the junk food it will settle over time
She is a gorgeous tuxedo lady - we only have 2 of them at the Clan cats Miss Peanut missing half her tail after an incident in a snare and Miss Sparkle feral who was known as Spike for the first 6 months of her life as we never got that close till neutering day :shocked: :rofl:
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Oh Liz - from Spike to Miss Sparkle in 6 months :evillaugh:
Stevo, was going to say that about the litter tray too. :) But you'll get to the point where you don't think twice about cleaning the tray anyway - really, you will. ;)
We used to make a game of it with Ross when he was little, and we'd praise him for using it, and call him a clever little Mr Stinky. He wasn't very savvy about the tray - he knew what to do, but he would scrape away the litter, poop and then stand in it whilst he covered over nothing in particular. :rofl: Then as he got older, he would pat the poo into the littter. :-: :doh: But now, at the grand old age of 10 and a half months he knows exactly what to do, gets on with it and needs no assistance. But he does like to watch us clean the tray so he can make sure it's all been done nice and tidy like. :) Standards, you know?
Am so pleased you have a companion who likes her snoozes with her Dad on the settee. Exactly what you wanted. ;D I have to say, she's got a beautifully shiny coat in those photos. :Luv:
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Well. The litter tray is being used... My god, its going to take a while getting used to cleaning that
I totally understand!
Ours is in the bathroom, next to the toilet, it makes it a little easier when mucking out the solids! (Woodchip is biodegradable so can be flushed - although, obviously, not lots of it!)
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Ah brilliant she is settling in so well... That's great your both snoozing on couch only a day in :-)
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She's taking over the settee :innocent:
I've nowhere to put my feet now!!
How can anything sleep like that :Crazy:
Can anyone recommend a decent food to feed her? This whiskers stuff looks a bit... cheap.
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:hug: They do tend to take over settees, beds, chairs etc. They are trying to make themselves at home. Give her another seven years and she will be running the house totally :innocent: :shify:
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Its like she's known you all her life. She is very cute. I love her little white toes. :Luv2:
Does she have wet or dry food or a mix of both?
Mine have a variety of dry, Purina One, Science Plan, Wellbeloved.
Its only really Wordy that has wet, he likes Gourmet. Or anything meat or cheese related that we are having!!
I'm with you on the litter tray smells, the 1st tray I emptied I nearly threw up. I was physically reaching!! You get used to it.
Nicky
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now that's one chilled out cat! ;D
I would stick to whiskas for now if that's what she's used to but if you want to try something different zooplus sell loads of varieties (online retailer). Whiskas is fine and it's a complete food but it does contain cereal so if you do want to change you might want to try her with something that doesn't contain cereals/soy/vegetable deriviatives etc (ie something that's just meat and added vits/minerals). But I wouldn't rush into changing her food.
re the dribbling - is this when you are stroking her? Mosi dribbles when he's being stroked then he shakes his head and splatters it all over (usually all over the laptop as he likes to sit on my lap when I'm using it).
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:rofl: :rofl: Oh what a fab photo! :evillaugh:
Yep, gently does it with any change of diet, but some good suggestions there. Ross likes Hi-Life, Gourmet and Applaws. As an occasional treat, most cats like - chikkun ;) ham, and tuna but too much tuna isn't good for them. Paddy used to love little bits of raw steak cut up into dainty morsels :naughty:
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Just seen the photo. My female cat was always stretched out like that . She was given a cover on the end of the settee and she booked in all the time there. Was a favourite place. My seven year old male cat tends to prefer his giant tartan dog basket. :shify: :hug:
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Its a testament to how at home she feels with you that she trusts you enough to lie in what is, for a cat, a pose they adopt only when they're very relaxed and comfortable. :)
Showing their belly is an enormous sign of trust (although not often an invitation to rumple it vigorously or blow raspberries on it unless you have a very particular kind of cat, lightning reflexes and value your fingers/nose/eyes :evillaugh:) ;)
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The dribbling doesn't seem as bad today, not noticed it all afternoon. She's eating fine and seems happy enough. I'll see how she is over the weekend.
She's just on straight tins of Whiskers at the moment. Think I'll leave her on that for a few weeks while everything settles down.
She's getting the hang of taking the chicken from my hand, waved a small piece at her before and she just looked at me. I put it on the floor and she wolfed it up, the next piece I gave her she nearly took my hand off ;D
Likes chicken and likes lying around on the couch, yeah I think we'll get on fine :Luv2:
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Likes chicken and likes lying around on the couch, yeah I think we'll get on fine :Luv2:
Ha ha brilliant :-)
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The dribbling may just have been a nervous response, but I would recommend you take her to the vet soon so you are registered with them. A cheap grain free cat food you could try when she has settled more is the butcher choice cat food which is widely available although I think it still contains sugars. As with most cats she will probably switch and change what she will eat just to remind you who rules the roost, this usually happens when you have stocked up on their favourite :evillaugh:
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Great updates, Stevo. ;D
Just so pleased for both of you. My lot all eat James Wellbeloved dry food which is permanently on the buffet, and get whatever wet pouches are on offer, they really seem to like the variety.
Most on-line pet suppliers deliver - Pets at Home and Zooplus are my faves, they also sell "ordinary" cat food.
Litter? I have just swapped to using Chick Crumb from Pets At Home (PaH) which is biodegradable, flushable and 60% cheaper than the branded equivalent Worlds Best Cat Litter. Check it out ;) My girls love it.
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I can see that Chuckles has put you in your place and you have understood ..........nowhere to put your feet :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
I think all cat food looks cheap lol and smells terrible.
You will gain a supermarket shelf of now unliked food that she will probably go back to in a year :evillaugh:
Mine eat Pro-Plan salmon biscuits, they hate the chicken ones, its the one up from Purina One which they used to have. The wet food is Gourmet or Sheba and they wont eat anything else at present.
On my supermarket shelf I have Felix, Hi-Life, Tesco own brand chicken in jelly from Lupins bad tum days and Hill GI food from the same...........sigh, oh and some applaws tuna which isnt liked much.
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She's definitely made herself at home - certainly knows when she's onto a good thing :)
Is tonight the night she will make it onto your bed? :)
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:doh:
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:Luv: :Luv: :Luv:
She's fab! Can't believe she is so at home and it has been less than 48 hours!
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Aww bless her, she is adorable and I think its lovely that you have found each other - a perfect match :Luv2: :Luv2: :Luv2:
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got that hair remover yet? or do you plan to invest in black sheets? :evillaugh:
but really it's so unusual how quickly she's made herself at home - you are so lucky - and so of course is she
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She is wonderful and obviously has had a home before. She knows all the right things to do and she is going to be your
friend boss for life ;D ;D
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:hug: Cats soon start giving their new owners their orders. They like to keep folk busy while they relax.
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:doh:
Ah - the one I was waiting for...... :evillaugh: Priceless. :hug:
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So what time is playtime? 4am? 4.30? :evillaugh:
5.24am to be precise :tired: >:( :Luv: I can help but notice that one of the toys I got her is now in my bedroom, must have been what all that racket was a couple of hours ago :evillaugh:
obviously has had a home before
Yeah I think so too, the only thing that makes me think otherwise is she seems totally clueless about doors. The ex's kittens had them sussed out in no time, they would even push the front room door open if one of the other kittens were trapped in the kitchen to let them in, have a go at opening them themselves etc. Chuckles seems to have no idea about them, well that's the impression I get anyway.
Suppose I'd best get out of bed and see what she's up to :shify:
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She seems totally clueless about doors. The ex's kittens had them sussed out in no time, they would even push the front room door open if one of the other kittens were trapped in the kitchen to let them in, have a go at opening them themselves etc. Chuckles seems to have no idea about them, well that's the impression I get anyway.
That's what she wants you to think! Why should she waste energy and demean herself by opening a door when she has staff to do it. Both of mine have the "clueless" look at doors until there either no-one around to open them or no-one will get up then they can magically manage to get through them.
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[/quote]
That's what she wants you to think! Why should she waste energy and demean herself by opening a door when she has staff to do it. Both of mine have the "clueless" look at doors until there either no-one around to open them or no-one will get up then they can magically manage to get through them.
[/quote]
:rofl:
So true...so true...
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Yep she will know how the doors work.. She just doesn't want you to know that yet! :-)
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Chuckles went down a storm today when my sister and bro in law popped round to see her. My sis got belly rubs within two minutes of being in the house. She was a proper little attention seeker :sneaky:
I fell asleep on the settee earlier and woke up to find Chuckles sprawled out next to me, was dead sweet :Luv: She's snuggled up on the bed watching tele with me now - think she's enjoying Keith Lemon :)
Oh, and good call on whoever said to flush the litter - very good call.
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See how much richer your life's become in the space of two weeks ;D :hug: :hug: To say nothing of Chuckles' life, which is now richer by one sofa, 1 big bed, one cat bed and one devoted Dad. :Luv:
(Mind you - Keith Lemon. :-: Really?? :evillaugh:)
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Oh wow! :wow: :wow: Love the new pics, especially the one of her sprawled on the sofa :Luv: :Luv:
My Toby always dribbles when I make a fuss of him. And just for good measure he usually shakes his head so I get a good splattering of it :rofl: :rofl:
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What news on the Stevo and Chuckles thread? What have you both been up to, and how are you getting on? :)
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Tried to put an update post on yesterday but kept getting side tracked :innocent:
Chuckles has settled in fine :)
Woke up yesterday morning to find her curled up on my duvet, I popped to the toilet and went back to bed. Whilst trying to get back to sleep Chuckles get up and goes downstairs. About 5 minutes later I hears her meowing and yowling, outside my bedroom door - making a right racket, I thought something was wrong so I went to check. She's only dragged a duck on a string from the computer desk downstairs all the way upstairs and is sat there with it at her feet.
Same deal this morning but she tried to drag the toy into the room but the stick got stuck on a shoe that I'm using to keep a gap in the door.
You can see the toy in the pic I've just taken. We're just kicking back on the couch watching Jeremy Kyle - I think she's a fan :wow:
It's back to work tomorrow, hope she's going to be ok being left on her own all day :'(
Will she be ok in a cold house during the day? I can't keep the central heating on all day everyday, it will cost a fortune. I'm thinking it will be alright as the cats outside seem fine in the snow.
I wouldn't want the little mite to be cold.
Oh yeah, check out her funky new collar too ;D
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I use microwave heatpads in the oldies beds and leave the electric blankets on on our bed and in the cat room and they survive just fine, also good are the self heating beds as once theya re warm they retain the cats body heat - my ferals outside have them and the micro heatpads and we have temps down to minus 15
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Mine stay in the house on their own with no heating on - they have furry coats and curl up on a bed and sleep the day away. The only concession I would make if it was a really cold house would be a heat reflective bed (self heating). I personally won't leave an electric blanket on - too many fire horror stories for my liking.
She looks well settled. :)
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I put my heating on a timer on low on and off throughout the day....is that a possibility?
Chuckles looks like she's always lived with you. :)
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I have heating on 24/7 and doesnt use any more oil cos the house is very cold and the cost of switching on again and the total reheating of the house is just as much.
I dont like the idea of cats going from freezing cold to hot again and vice versa, mind you I am here all the time and hate the cold.
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aww she looks well comfy there -
Our cats stay in without any heating when we are out. They are fine with just the times we have it on and the house will stay warm enough anyway. They have nice fur coats!
Does she like your guitar playing?
I bet you will be a cat bore when you get back to work ;) Payback for all the folks who are kid bores eh!
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she is wearing fur, she will be fine!
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she is wearing fur, she will be fine!
You'd think so, but I think most of the fur is now on my bed :shify:
In fact she's putting more fur on it now, I spilt some lemonade over my computer keyboard earlier and it stopped working and is currently drying out on the radiator downstairs so me and Chuckles are relaxing on the bed using the laptop and watching some tele.
Does she like your guitar playing?
loves it!! .... :rofl: I'm not very good ;D
Hope she'll be ok tomorrow, don't like the thought of her being in all day on her own :'(
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You're bound to worry Stevo :hug: :hug:
As long as her things and your things are around her, she should be reasonably settled. As for being cold, she should be fine - she has her snuggley bed you bought her, and it's generally warmer in the house than outside, especially with all the snow around about.
I love the photo of her on your bed - with her little duck on a string. :wow: Even adult cats enjoy a good play, and that's clearly her favourite toy if she's brought it to you twice. :Luv:
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Have a nice few minutes playtime with her in the morning and she'll be fine to sleep all day. I'm so amused that she brings her toys to you for playtime already - such a show of affection and trust is truly rare in such a short time :wow:
Our heating is off through the day and night, only coming on for a couple of hours in the morning and evening, then the sitting room fire keeps us toasty in the evenings. All the cats just find their warmest spots and stay there and there's a scrum for the bed, I usually wake with at least 3 cats sprawled out on my side (strangely they don't bother OH at all :shify: ).
Pursley has a self heating mat she guards viciously so this might be worth thinking about. ;)
Be sure and give her plenty of TLC the moment you walk through the door so she knows she hasn't been abandoned (again :( ) This should become a regular thing so she gets the hang of you leaving in the morning and coming home with TLC in bundles each evening. She should settle easily once she's confident her new Dad is indeed coming home to her. :)
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don't like the thought of her being in all day on her own :'(
I bet she'll be asleep for most of the day :rofl: :rofl:
Personally I would put the stringy toys away in a drawer and only get them out when you're there, I always worry that they would somehow get themselves tangled up and choke with those sorts of toys unsupervised. Do let us know whether she comes rushing to greet you when you get home or whether you get one eye open and a look of "oh, it's you" :rofl:
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if you're worried about her being cold, you could fold your duvet in half so she can get inside - I daresay a bit more fur won't make much difference now, and might even add a tog or two
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She will be fine. They always find somewhere warm to get to.
Charlie has a piece of Vet bed in the drawer under the bed.
At the moment we have the heating so that it comes on if it reaches 14c. Toasty for when we get home as well.
Good luck.
Nicky
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Thinking about you today Stevo. :hug: I know it'll be hard to go back to work, leaving Chuckles on her own. I feel like that about Ross when we go on holiday, even though I know he's in excellent hands. I think it's a natural part of caring :hug: Sending a chin tickle for Chuckles, and hoping all goes smoothly for you both.
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she'll be fine and will probably sleep all day then be ready for some attention when you get home. I don't leave the heating on during the day either. It's on before I go to work then I leave a heat pad and a hot water bottle on the bed but I only really do that for Jaffa because he's an elderly cat and has quite thin fur. I wouldn't do it for Mosi because he has a fluffy fur coat to keep him warm.
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Nor us, and The Munchkin is fine. He spends most of the day on the bed or on his paddy bear throw.
I get home from work first and he's always in the same place- on the back of the sofa looking out of the front window where he can see me coming down the street. It's very sweet :Luv2:
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This suggestion is a bit late, cos you've already gone to work, but you could leave the radio on for her. Some cats like this.
You could also get her a treatball - a plastic ball you fill with treats, it has a little hole in it so the treats fall out when the ball is pushed around. I have one for Drum and it keeps her amused for ages (and amuses me again in the evening when I have to find out where she's left it!).
Ultimately, of course, you'll get a companion for her, won't you? ;)
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Cats do tend to have built in warmth with their coats. My Billy has several cosy places and he likes listening to radio 4 extra when I am out. :innocent: :shify:
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Ultimately, of course, you'll get a companion for her, won't you? ;)
I was going to suggest that to Stevo :shify: but I thought it might be best to give it a week or two :evillaugh:
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hi Stevo - how s it gone, first day back? Hope all is well and you both snuggled down together for the evening.
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Well, I'm home. Chuckles seems fine, she came over to say hello when I got in. Got a quick meow and lots of rubbing herself up against my legs. We have both had our tea and are now relaxing on the bed watching bear grylls. Dam computer keyboard downstairs is totally shot, dug a spare one out at work today but forgot to pick it up before I left, hence why we're upstairs on the laptop. Plus its warmer :)
I think I know where she's been hanging out today, there is a mass of cat hair on the bed where I sleep....... don't even get me started on the amount of hair on top of the duvet where she sleeps at night, hang on I'll try to get a pic :briggin:
Sorted. If you look closely she seems to have brung crumbs onto the bed too, it must be Chuckles as I never get crumbs in, on or around the bed.... :shify:
I mean, just look at the innocence in the face on the pic below :evillaugh:
Think I'm definitely going to go with the towel on the bed suggestion that someone made a while back. My beds more black than cream now!
You could also get her a treatball
Pfff, I've got her one, she won't touch it. The treats are a bit weak though...
Ultimately, of course, you'll get a companion for her, won't you? ;)
Maybe... maybe :) Give me a month or two to see how I get on with this one ;D
She's totally settling in now, she's strutting round like she owns the place... She was even giving my bagels I had for tea a shifty look, I recon left unattended they would have been... mauled :shify:
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Aww she is adorable - I can highly recommend the Amaze Brush for removing cat fur (got mine off Ebay) or a nice thick fleece blanket for her to lay on and the fur will stick to that and not the Duvet x
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I used to have nice white bedding. Then I got a boyfriend, cats and navy blue sheets. I have to lint roller my pillow every night. Charlie likes to sleep up against it.
Pleased she was ok today.
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I use fleece type blankets on our bed and I do have the odd 10 or more and manage with cream and white bedding and not to much cat haor on said bedding :shocked: :rofl:
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she seems totally clueless about doors.
I think the saying is "You don't have a dog and bark yourself" :rofl: She has only been with you a few days and already she has opening doors, moving up the sofa and sharing your bed! She knows exactly what she is doing. You have been well and truly adopted ;)
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she seems totally clueless about doors.
I think the saying is "You don't have a dog and bark yourself" :rofl: She has only been with you a few days and already she has opening doors, moving up the sofa and sharing your bed! She knows exactly what she is doing. You have been well and truly adopted ;)
Oh, when I got home tonight I was perched on the settee waiting for the computer downstairs to boot up so I could see if the keyboard had fixed itself and she only jumps up, climbs right over me and curls up on MY spot on the settee... MY spot!! Unbelievable, she's not even been here a week and she thinks she owns the place! 8)
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Steve if you think you have problems with hair this is a bunch of my ferals on our Super Kingsize bed :rofl:
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Holey Moley Liz !!! :shocked: :shocked: :shocked:
That ginger one in the middle looks a right character :wow:
:rofl:
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Chuckles has moved in totally and completely and just look at her expression ;D ;D
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:hug: Your new pet looks like its settling in for many years to come :shify:
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:evillaugh: Stevo, one thing you must understand about this cat adoption malarkey - you don't have a house any more. Tis not your house, your spot on the settee, your bed - they're hers. She just lets you use them when it suits. :Luv: I think you're adapting well to your new status. ;D
That definitely looked like a plotting for your bagels" face to me. ;) :evillaugh:
is good though in all seriousness that she wasn't phazed whilst you were out at work. Again, I think it shows the measure of trust and bonding you've built up in just the space of a week. :) It's like earning your cub badges all over again.... :evillaugh:
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Liz - your piccie looks like a "Where's Wally" pic. :evillaugh:
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The rather gorgeous ginger fella is Lynx he is handlable and drools all over you - he joins me before sleep time for his cuddles and then its like the changing of the guard as my indoor only lot go down stairs and my indoor/outdoor crew and the Boris join me in bed for the night - I have the bed on timeshare with the cats :rofl:
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So glad shes settled in well, our small cat manages to either take up the entire sofa or squeeze into a tiny spot so shes cumfy and your not and i dont like to desturb her by moving
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Liz - your piccie looks like a "Where's Wally" pic. :evillaugh:
or 'Spot the Odd One Out'
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this thread makes me so happy!! ;D
my three know my routine so well that if i come home before 5 they ignore me till five, and if i come home after 530 i have a very angry chloe in my window giving me death glares. ( I am allowed half an hour of leeway.....!) :rofl:
also, very strange, but most days i find a large indent in my bed.... as if someone was using the pillows? and sometimes there are two little indents at the foot of my bed too..... i cant imagine what is causing them...... :scared:
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Those cats all on the bed look really contended :innocent:
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Steve if you think you have problems with hair this is a bunch of my ferals on our Super Kingsize bed :rofl:
I have to say they dont look THAT feral to me liz :evillaugh:
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They are all great till the twice yearly vets visits then they revert :rofl: Well except that gorgeous grey boy Blue trapped him 5 years ago got all the usual stuff done and we have never been that close since - he does however like all the comforts the staff provide :rofl:
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After a while, Cats just accept comings and goings as normal in the house. Might just glance at you and lift an eye open to see if there is anything for them. I always give my cat a pet snack as a reward for being good :rofl: : :rofl: while I've been out for a few hours. He soon livens up when he hears the packet open :shify:
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what a lovely thread. Chuckles is beautiful and i think i am in love with you Stevo :rofl:
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what a lovely thread. Chuckles is beautiful and i think i am in love with you Stevo :rofl:
Bonkers! We're sharing him y'know (and there's a queue) :shy:
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what a lovely thread. Chuckles is beautiful and i think i am in love with you Stevo :rofl:
Bonkers! We're sharing him y'know (and there's a queue) :shy:
Poor bloke, we'll probably never see him again now! :evillaugh:
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:-[ whoops sorry stevo
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:rofl: I'm loving this thread. Stevo, as for the hairy bedding - a wet rubber glove (on your hand of course) gets the fur off quite well before you wash the cover, then tumble drying gets the rest off so Chuckles' bed is nice and hair free for her. My 'bedroom' cat Jess (she hates all other cats) tries to sleep actually on my head and sticks her claws in my lip if I wriggle too much.
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Hmmm, I've stopped getting emails when a new post is added to the thread. Not to worry :)
Well its been just over a week since the arrival of Chuckles, we seem to be getting on really well. We've had a nice lazy day, she's spent most of it sitting on the windowsill above the radiator keeping nice and warm looking out at the snow. We watched a program on (I think it was) Animal Planet this morning called "Too Cute" about three groups of kittens and it was - too cute... lol, made me feel like a real man!! ;D I think Chuckles enjoyed it, she sat right in front of the tele watching most of it :evillaugh:
We had a marathon session with the duck on a string earlier. Must have been playing with it for a good hour, she's asleep at my feet now on the bed :Luv:
I've gone with the towel on the bed, washed the bed sheets this morning and there was a disturbing amount of hair on the duvet cover :Crazy: Might got for a drive out tomorrow and get a brush, snow permitting.
Quote from: Bonkers Mad!!! on Yesterday at 08:33:09
what a lovely thread. Chuckles is beautiful and i think i am in love with you Stevo :rofl:
Bonkers! We're sharing him y'know (and there's a queue) :shy:
:shocked: :shocked: :shocked: :Luv2: :rofl: :hug: ;D
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Ah glad the towel on the bed has been adopted... Honestly it's been a life saver for me! I'm the opposite to you- white cat with dark bed sheets! Perhaps I need to consider getting white or cream bed sheets lol!
Anyway lovely you two had a lazy day.... Very rock n roll but nothing beats a lazy day with cats lol :-)
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So pleased this is working so well that you don't really mind too much about the hairy bedsheets :evillaugh:
Steve, I have the same problem with the auto email notifications, but if you go to the bit which contains the "reply" button you'll find a "notify" button which you can manually select. You'll need to do it for each thread you're following but it saves missing out :)
what the ladies mean, Stevo, is that you're the dream man - suitably besotted with your cat and cats generally, and more than willing to share that with us shamelessly (which in our eyes equates to manfully ;) )
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I know what the ladies meant :hug: However, I doubt very much you would have used the word "manfully" if you had seen me watching that Too Cute program on the tv yesterday :evillaugh: I was suitably appalled at myself - "Awwwwwwwwwwwwww :Luv2: :wow:
The bedsheets are fine, for the most part she's very well behaved. Not a single litter problem so far and she's not waking me up at the crack of dawn. In fact the only thing is she has been doing that bugs me is using my bottom step on the stairs as a scratching post, and even that is not the end of the world. We are combating this by clapping my hands like the home visit lady suggested.
Chuckles' name tags arrived yesterday too, going to try to get one fitted on the collar later. I get the feeling that this is going to be easier said than done.
Well, I suppose I'd better get up. Her ladyship wants feeding and them darks are not going to put themselves in the washer.
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the only thing is she has been doing that bugs me is using my bottom step on the stairs as a scratching post, and even that is not the end of the world. We are combating this by clapping my hands like the home visit lady suggested.
Mine do that too! I solved it by putting a scratching post next to the bottom step, and now they use that instead. You can also get flat scratching pads which you can attach to the stairs if a separate scratching post doesn't work :evillaugh:
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Well, I suppose I'd better get up. Her ladyship wants feeding and them darks are not going to put themselves in the washer.
That's it the woman on here are finally going to be tipped over the edge - not only a man that openly loves cats but who knows to seperate the washing!!!
Shut the fridge door..... How are you single!!! Lol 😉
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lol poor Stevo.
He isn't the only one. When I met my OH i didn't like cats, and he did. Now we are both mad about them and he also knows how to sort the washing. Not so good at taking it out of the machine, but can't have everything.
Its lovely how open you are about Chuckles. About you got her a pal, before she completely gets you wrapped around her paws.
Nicky
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double sided tape worked for my cats. after they shredded my leather furniture i put it on the sides of the new sofa. only took about a week for them to "get" it. could try that on your bottom stair
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You might want to consider trimming her claws .. this will reduce the scratching http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php/topic,33470.0.html
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You might want to consider trimming her claws
Don't think we're ready for that yet! Besides, the scratching isn't that bad :innocent:
who knows to seperate the washing!!!
I have too, no ones gonna do it for me. No matter how much I dislike doing it. Besides, the actual washing isn't that bad, its the ironing I don't like >:( And I have to wear pants & shirt for work.
The problem I have now is drying the said washing, Chuckles' litter tray is where I used too put the maiden and I don't want to put it back up in the spare room in case it freaks her out and she decides to avoid the tray. Kitchens too cold, right now everything's draped over the radiators and curtain poles.
Think I need a bigger house :evillaugh:
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Sasa has been here for over 7 years and she still scratches the carpet on the stairs!
She has tortitude and when I hear her I shout SASA and she looks at me in astonishment.........WOT me? and then carries on scratching.....sigh
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How are you and Chuckles getting along Stevo? Hope all is going brilliantly well and that she is allowing you some room on the settee :naughty:
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Hey - well its been four weeks to the day since Chuckles moved in :wow:
Yep, she's settled in fine. She's not really taking up space on the settee these days, she's a windowsill girl, got the radiator under it so its toasty warm. That and she gets to look out the window all day.
At the moment it's
"Cat vs Snake - the stare off!"
Sally (the snake) came out from under her piece of wood the day before yesterday and I suspect Chuckles clocked her for the first time. Shes now mesmerized with the snake tank. She disappeared a couple of hours ago, I found her sat in the spare room gazing at the
tank. I coaxed her back into my bedroom before, she sat on the bed for about 10 mins and she's skulked back off. I'll bet you a pound to a penny she's watching for Sally. You should have seen them last night, both just sat there for ages motionless just staring at each other. I don't think Chuckles is too impressed cos she seems quite jumpy when she's in the spare room now, lol, I'm sure she'll settle down ;D
Other than that everything's fine, she absolutely trashing my bedsheets, my own fault for winding her up with the duck on a string though. Somehow the toy has ended up in the drawer in my bedside table. She's pulled all the material on the duvet cover with her claws while chasing it about.
Cat hair everywhere, I'm having to wash my bed sheets every week..... every week !!! Its not right I tell you ;)
Eh up, shes just come wandering back in and jumped on the bed, she knows its time to go to sleep. It is half 12. Better go to sleep, up for work in six hours.
nighty night :wow:
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:rofl: :rofl: ;D ;D :)
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:evillaugh: :evillaugh: Ah. Um. Yes. Maybe we shoulda warned you about the duvet shredding. ;) I had to replace a duvet set recently and assessed it in terms of thread strength - my sis was laughing when I rejected the rather ephemeral set I'd been considering on the grounds of "what with the lads racing round on the bed and brawling this won't last 5 minutes"
I wonder what Chuckles is thinking, when she contemplates Sally? I wonder is it "WTF?!!" :-: or is is it more "I speak Parseltongue, do you?" :shify:
Really glad to hear she's now well and truly at home and grown into your life. :hug:
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Stevo, welcome to the world of being a cat owner :rofl: Long ago I gave up worrying about the pulled threads on my duvet cover, and for that matter the pulled threads in the stair carpet, which I swear Toby only does to get my attention because he knows it winds me up.
I sounds like Chuckles has settled in so well. :)
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Chuckles got an elbow in the back this morning, she decided that it was necessary to sleep on the right hand side of the bed on the 6 inch gap behind me, rather than on the rest of the king size double. Didn't know she was there until I turned over to hit the snooze on the alarm.
Had a proper look at the duvet cover... its ruined. Needed a new one anyway ;)
I got out the shower this morning, had a glance in the spare room - and the staring continues!
Who's going to win? cat or snake !!! :rofl:
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Stevo if you think you have problems with cat hair :rofl:
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love that pic!
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Me too Dawn :) :Luv:
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Thats some of my oindoor only mob at noight its like the changing of the guard as the indoor/outdoor mob sleep with me :shocked:
I use white and cream bedding and find the blanket keeps the majority of the cat hair at bay
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Liz, just noticed - we've got that self same blanket :evillaugh:
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Oh Stevo cant believe its a month!
Chuckles sounds one happy cat ;D ;D
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one of the advantages of encroaching old age is needing glasses - the advantage being that leaving them off makes things like cat hair, muddy pawprints and scattered litter vanish like magic :sneaky:
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Oh Stevo cant believe its a month!
I know!! Where on earth does the time go?
So glad she's settled in well, it sounds as if she is enjoying living in your household :Luv2:
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Oh Stevo cant believe its a month!
Chuckles sounds one happy cat ;D ;D
Exactly what I was thinking - only seems like 5 mins since we were all getting excited about her imminent arrival. It sounds as though she's settled right in.
shredded sheets? cat hair? all par for the course when you're a crazy cat lady/man ;) the cat hair helps to keep you warm in the winter.
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I was going to start a new thread for this but I think I'll keep this one going until, well the point of this post really.
Do I let her outside! Its been just over 6 weeks since she moved in. Lol, I'd say she's pretty settled. While I was getting her breakfast ready this morning she was at the window in the back door looking out. I wandered over to give her a stroke and I got this meow... I know she was saying she wanted to go out for a bit.
Now the home visit lady said to keep her in for at least 6 weeks, but the rescue said 2 months. I've not got round to getting the flap fitted yet either.
What do I do, let her out this morning for a bit or keep her in for a while longer. Personally I get the feeling she'd be ok, but seeing as I've only 6 real week of cat experience I think its probably best to ask some more experienced people.
Do I liberate Chuckles or keep her banged up for a few more week, or at least until I get the cat flap fitted ?
Aaarrrgghhh, advice please :Crazy:
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Always a tricky one this Steve. If it was me, I'd get a flap sorted first and wait for a nice day when you can spend time outside with her while she's exploring for the first few times. At least if you have a flap fitted and she does take off for a bit of unaccompanied adventuring there's a better chance of her accessing her home in safety. Sounds like she was asking you about the world outside - silly as it sounds, she's learnt to trust you, and wants to know what you think about "out there." If you do her the favour of showing her and being there with her, it reinforces the bond between you. :)
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I totally agree with Sue, Stevo. Get the catflap sorted so if she does hightail it when you let her out she has the ability to get back in without you leaving the door open all day. :shify:
You can prop the flap open using clothes pegs until she gets the hang of opening it for herself. I'd also strongly advise getting a micropchip catflap to deter visitors, food thieves and foxes following her in.
I'd also get her a harness for her first forays into the big wide world, take her for a walk to the end of the street and back, maybe around the block, but certainly until you can feel her pull back towards your house when she gets spooked. Once she's proved she knows her way home you'll be happier to let her out by herself.
Here's Theo learning the ropes at our place, he was quite happy to explore on the lead for a few days before setting out on his own.
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Does Chuckles have a collar, Stevo? If she does, I can heartily recommend a loc8tor pet
http://www.loc8tor.com/uk/pets/
Admittedly they don't have the greatest range, but it does give an awful lot of peace of mind that if they decide to wander, you can walk the neighbourhood with the hand held unit until you can home in on them. Mine don't wear them dangling like the cat in the photo on the website (they used to, but they used to keep catching it when they scratched and pulled the collar off). Mine both now have them with the waterproof collar attachment, it doesn't bother them at all, they haven't pulled them off and it reduces my anxiety a lot!
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I agree with Sheila about a microchip flap Stevo - we never had any unwelcome cat visitors while we had our dog but after she died we've been plagued. Have now got a microchip flap waiting to be fitted in a new door and would highly recommend.
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OK, fair enough on the cat flap. Yeah, I'll deffo get one of them chipped jobbies. As for that gps collar that looks awesome... (you recon the company that makes them has an SDK for them (software development kit) I'm a software developer by trade) could write my own cat tracking software !!
Now... to put it blunt, should I get another?!?!?..... We've totally got the room, and the finances for another lost soul.
Just dont want to bite off more than I can chew, but the last 6 weeks have been awesome.
Chuckles has really stolen my heart. LOL, shes looking at the tele at the mo, that Felix advert has just been on and her tail looks like Basil Brush!! Thought that meant they were scared!?!?
Its not stopped her stalking that screwed up bit of paper!! hehe
mmmmm, might go and have a drive up to Bleak Holt tomorrow for "a look" ....
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The age old question....... :evillaugh: I dont see why you cant integrate another cat into the household if you give some thought as to what character of cat would work well with Chuckles personality, now you've got to know her better.
I think the people where you got Chuckles from may be able to help you with this, as they should hopefully have some insight into Chuckles character, how she was when she was among the presence of other cats in the rescue, and help to guide your instincts in that direction. It's not foolproof, because cats are seldom at their best in a rescue situation, but it may give you useful pointers to bear in mind.
When we had Paddy, he was 4 when we introduced another cat, in the form of an 8 week old kitten from a litter my stepdaughter's cat had. Paddy was devastated. He began to stay out more and more and wouldnt come in unless he could avoid Flynn.
That was a huge shame, as Flynn adored Paddy and just wanted to hang round and spend time with him. Over time Paddy grew to tolerate Flynn, and they would share a bed together and were companionable enough, but when Flynn disappeared whilst we were devastated, Paddy was undoubtedly happier.
Paddy felt obliged to "compete" when Flynn appeared. Flynn was a great mouser. Paddy wasn't bad, but where Paddy would catch one, Flynn would catch two - not in a supreme display of "one upmanship" - far from it. It was one for each of them - it was just Flynn's way - he was a happy and loving cat and he wanted to share that love with his big brother. :wow: :Luv:
Paddy didn't see it like that. He saw it as "added pressure" - a slur on his abilities. He grew anxious and introverted. He looked (and I guess felt) hunted.
When Flynn was lost, Paddy reverted to his previous position of "relaxed cat" and so we never replaced Flynn. Paddy remained an only cat until he died because that was what worked best for him.
However, many people integrate other cats very successfully, and Ross (our gorgeous golden boy) has befriended our neighbours young cat (about a month and a half younger than Ross) who spends a large amount of his time dossing at our house, so I guess Ross is a more sociable cat, although I also think Dickie's character works with Ross's own, so they rub along well together. The again, Ross was used to a multi-cat and multi-dog household, so it probably seems a bit lonely to him to have only us humans for company. He would've loved our dog. :)
Personl experience suggests to me the various character traits are really important when trying to choose cats that have a greater likelihood of rubbing along well together, and it's a philosophy that I found endorsed in an American site called The Way of Cats. I particularly liked the following, which I think was really well observed:
http://www.wayofcats.com/blog/cat-types
Having said all of that, as Liz and Rosella, JS, Angie and many others here can testify, when a cat happens to turn up out of the blue, sent by the Great Celestial Cat Agency, in need, or sick or whatever, they've often been just as easily absorbed into an existing cat family without too much difficulty.
I'd see what happens when you "go for a look." ;) :)
One more thing I would say is that it might be worth while considering if you're going to get a flap put in and allow Chuckles access outside, getting another cat may be best done before you start letting Chuckles out, so they have time to get to know each other to minimise the risk of Chuckles staying out in a sulk. Also it could be tricky trying to allow one cat access and not the other (unless you get a microchip flap of course, as then you could have Chuckle's chip entered into the flap's memory, but not your second cat until you were ready for them both to go out together).
I suspect your surname now will be "Smitt." :evillaugh: :hug:
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I think careful introductins are the key having said that sometimes I have opened the catbox in the familyroom and let them get on with it fortunately having fostered for years the majority of the Clan are well used to newcommers in fact the you don't live here boys Paisley and paton have now moved in permamantly they haven't been home in 2 months - Paton is in the house at nighgt but Paisley stays in the utility room his choice.
We also have to say we have another waif and stray Miss Billie Jo who is aged 5 and black she came from a steading that had been sold as the new owners threatened to PTS she came here 4 days ago and is in the downstairs study with the door open she isn't feral at all a bit vocal but my youngsters carry on regardless and she is out in the open and met her Daddy by Skype yesterday ;D
I do however have a Feliway plugged in the downstairs study as I am off to Baku next week for a weeks holiday so not the best timing she is injected and speyed and just needs an ID Chip - fortunately another one hasn't phased the catsitter :rofl:
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I definately agree with Sue about not letting Chuckles out until you have the flap and if another kitty is coming, until after that.
Introductions need to be careful and thought out although some cats just seem to blend in almost at once, like Misa and Sasa. They met for the first time in the car in their respective carriers and have been friends right from the start.
However they didnt much like the birman brothers although Misa missed them loads when they left for Rainbow Bridge. Lupin is not their favourite cat cos he is too young and energetic and wants to pounce on Misa but Sasa has him well under control LOL
A cat close to Chuckles age is probably the best but again agree with Sue that hopefully the rescue will be able to help and maybe they would agree to taking the new cat back if it doesnt work out?
Loads of luck, very exciting ;D ;D
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speaking of personality assessments on cats, i think this looks quite nice :
http://www.aspca.org/adoption/meet-your-match/meet-the-feline-alities.aspx
apparently it has really reduced the amount of returned cats (and dogs).
i was also really lucky with mixing my two cats together. One very laid back resident cat, and one brand new one that came in an instantly owned the place.
Would chuckles be put off if you get a new cat already? maybe she had a friend at the shelter she got on with really well?
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I didn't manage to make it to the rescue today. I'm a bit concerned about getting another and them not getting on now. I used to keep fish and it was terrible when they were fighting, literally to the death. Chuckles looks really settled now and I don't want to spoil it for her... I was going to see how she got on with the neighborhood cats before getting another as there's load of them knocking about. That's not going to be a possibility if I have to keep her in while I get another.
I just don't know what to do. The rescue probably would take the new cat back if they don't get on, but I'd feel awful. I think its probably best like someone said to go and have a chat with them at the rescue and see what they think.
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I think you only kep Chuckles in if a new cat is very imminent as it will be easier for all but if its a while away then just get on with Chuckles ;D
I think a chat with the rescue is a good idea..................but becareful of coming out with a full pocket :shify:
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Stevo, I hope I haven't dissuaded you - that wasn't my intention. :hug:
Have a chat with the rescue people and see what they think. Nothing can be 100% guaranteed, but worth investigating. Another cat could be valuable company for both you and Chuckles. :hug:
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I wouldn't worry Sue, you haven't dissuaded me.
One thing that has put me off was lastnights - lets play with that screwed up paper bag in the bedroom at 1am! Crashing around in the dead of night. Had to take it off her at about 1:15am which didn't go down too well as she left the bedroom in disgust. She must have calmed down as she was on the bed this morning when I woke up :)
Friday night aswell, this was the first time she went for my food! I've seen her eyeing it up before but Friday night was the first time she's actually gone for it. I turned round just in time to see a paw reaching for my pizza! Can't blame the lass though, it was a Domino's Meltdown :naughty:
Still, might get another.... :evillaugh:
Right, best get on with my work!
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Chuckles is well and truely home :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
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Yes just imagine two working as a team. One could distract you while the other stole your food. I remember at my parent house when I was young the dog and cat had some sort of joint food stealing techniques. I think the cat was the brains though the dog just helped get rid of the evidence.
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She was obviously being polite initially, and waiting for you to offer her a slce. When that wasn't going to happen, she decided to reach out to you - literally - on the basis Gods help those who help themselves :evillaugh:
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Stevo, there's a lot to be learned from our Introduction page. Bringing in a new cat to established cat territory is almost never straightforward but if it's done carefully and methodically the results can be very successful.
Here's the page, in case you hadn't read enough of Purrs already :shy:
http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php/topic,4789.0.html
I think you should be thinking about getting another cat, but as a second pet for you not necessarily a companion for Chuckles. When you have that firmly in your mind you will be less disappointed when they simply "rub along" rather than curling up together in that oh-so-desirable fluffy ball.
And if the fluffy ball does happen, you'll be even more delighted. The red dot is a great leveller, by the way, but that's a long way off yet. Pleased Chuckles has made you so happy. ;D
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I have just read back through this whole thread as have missed it until now... It's lovely, and in a time of real sadness for us has reminded me of how wonderful it was giving our girls a loving home, which, lets face it, is the best thing you can do for them for as long as they grace our little world. I did two 4 hour round trips to collect our little deaf beauties.. :)
I am considering whether to introduce a new cat following the loss of our little Bass so will be interested to see what you decide, although our situation is of course different to yours... chuckles is a lucky little girl, she looks like my first cat Minnie the Moocher. ;)
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I agree it is a lovely thread, thankyou Steve for helping some of us to smile a little when we are feeling sad.
Chuckles is a lucky girl being chosen to grace your sofa, I wouldn't leave it too much longer before getting a playmate for her. ;)
Oh and we need more photos!!!!!
Nicky
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I've just had a look at some of the earlier posts on this thread, seem like ages ago now.
Glad its cheered you up a bit Bee :)
I rooted a couple of pics off my phone from last Saturday, the one where she is stood up we were playing some playstation. As you can see she's thrilled at the action :wow:
The other we were just relaxing, probably just before we (I) went to sleep.
The one where she's looking through the curtains was taken just now, she's watching me type this :wow:
Enjoy !!
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I bet it does seem like ages ago now - LBC (life before Chuckles) :)
I just love the photo of her peeping at you through the curtains. :evillaugh:
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She really is gorgeous Stevo :Luv2: :Luv2: I bet you can't imagine life without her now :) :)
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I've been following this thread from the start, and am so glad that you're happy with Chuckles, Stevo. She is adorable and I bet you're enjoying being her slave! :)
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So, Stevo. What's happening, Man? ;)
You and Chuckles got a new pal/cat flap/ door yet? :hi:
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Well Shelia, funny you should ask. Had my dad over lastnight to discuss the fitting of the cat flap. Just going to remove the bottom glass panel of the back door and stick a sheet of plywood in there. Isn't going to be too pretty but will get the job done. Won't look too bad once its been painted, the door look terrible as it is anyway :evillaugh:
Not really give getting another kitty much thought of late, not sure why. Think we're both happy the way things are. Still might get another in the future though ;)
She's really itching to go outside now, she started scratching at the backdoor lastnight. I bet the poor little mite is bored to tears being stuck inside all day. Its going to be at least the week after next before the flap is fitted. I'm tempted to just let her out the door for a bit this weekend if the weather is ok. Just so she can have a mooch about and meet the neighbours.
I have also come to the conclusion that my hoover is just not upto the job, its always been poor but I think I'm going to have to buy a new one. Can anyone recommend a decent one ? I'm not really clued up on hoovers. I did look at a Dyson Animal one but the cheapest I could find was nearly 300 quid (they did go upto 400 and odd!) - I don't mind paying but I'm sure theres got to be better for cheaper.
Yep were getting on famously, now you've said it - I'm thinking about getting another again now !!! :wow:
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hoovers always set of great debate but I swear by sebo, they are fab!
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:evillaugh:
Good to hear that the two of yuo are growing together like comfy old slippers. ;)
Miele, Sebo, Dyson and Orek are all good hoovers, but they without exception require the donation of an arm and a leg, and occasionally (in the case of Miele) a kidney.......
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Thanks for the update Stevo. :)
If you let Chuckles out this weekend I assume it will be under supervision?
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Miele, Sebo, Dyson and Orek are all good hoovers, but they without exception require the donation of an arm and a leg, and occasionally (in the case of Miele) a kidney.......
But as you have 2, it's sooooooo worth it :evillaugh:
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Miele, Sebo, Dyson and Orek are all good hoovers, but they without exception require the donation of an arm and a leg, and occasionally (in the case of Miele) a kidney.......
But as you have 2, it's sooooooo worth it :evillaugh:
:evillaugh: :evillaugh:
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Dyson ball and handheld one are good. I use the smaller one to clean Billys baskets . :hug:
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Well, seeing as it is going to be a couple of weeks until I can get the flap fitted, tomorrow morning it is - we're going outside! Weather forecast looks ok and I'll be able to let a bit of air through the house. She is absolutely itching to go outside now. I'll go and spend an hour with her in the back garden.... hope she doesn't run off :scared:
If I remember I'll try to do a bit of a video with my phone and stick it on youtube for you. You'll be able to see the disaster that is my back garden :wow:
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Stevo, sounds like the beginning of a whole new adventure. Are you ready for the constant mythering you're gonna get once she's tasted the cool sweet air?
One tip, though. For her first ever foray, make sure she's good and hungry when you open the door. She may run off if she gets spooked but a hungry tummy somehow seems to pull them back pdq. :sneaky:
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Yeah, next door said to make sure that I let her out before I feed her, be a nice early morning for me as she starts pestering me for food at 6:30am every day now.
I've also got the "secret weapon" that someone mentioned on this thread ages ago about the kissy noises & the chickun. lol, she knows what that means :briggin:
Shes quite partial to a bit of wafer thin ham too these days too, I'll make sure to pick some up from asda's on the way home :shify:
Hope its nice, warm and sunny tomorrow morning, I'll settle for 25 celcius :wow:
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First day of freedom is underway! I let her out at about 8:30am this morning, she had one false start where she went round the side of the house then ran straight back in the kitchen. I coaxed her outside again and off she went. She systematically worked her way round every neighbours garden, had a bit of a run in with one of Joy's cats - nothing serious, a bit of hissing etc came back then scampered to the end of the path and disappeared round the back of next door but ones.
Then was not seen for an hour :scared: me and next doors kid had a look for her but couldn't see her anywhere so I went inside to warm up. I nipped upstairs when I came back she was stood in the back garden, she came wandering into the kitchen for a quick stroke so I decided enough for today and shut the back door and went to get her food dish for her dinner. Come back in the kitchen and she's sat at the back door, I opened the door for her and she shot back outside - even with food dish in my hand!!
Forgot to do the video, tried to take a couple of snaps but she wouldn't stand still long enough! I took a couple of pics but they're rubbish.
Not sure about Chuckles but I'm getting hungry now! going to go see if I can find her so I can go the shop, I need a bacon butty.
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Excellent start, Stevo! Have you worked out what type of catflap you're going to get?
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Think I'm going to get one of them chip ones, Petporte I think. Seems to have mixed reviews though. Think I'm going do a bit more research before I order one. But that one that reads the chips currently at the top of the pile.
I've just let her out again, she seems to like it outside. I left her outside for about half an hour then went looking, she was mooching round the back I got her back in and shut the back door. Tried getting her out the kitchen but she made it abundantly clear she wanted to go back outside, so I've turfed her back out back. Think I'll leave her too it for a couple of hours, she seems to know what the crack is.
I can't believe she would rather be out, skulking around hedgerows and other peoples gardens than sitting in the front room watching me play Team Fortress on the computer all afternoon. Unbelievable.
oops, forgot to post this before.
Just been and got her from out back, she came straight back in. Think she was cold cos shes sitting on the windowsill over the radiator now snoozing.
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She knows the ropes alright ;D
Microchip flaps are excellent. Petporte needs an electricity supply closeby as they are mains powered. Needs a battery back up in case of powercuts.
Sureflap are only battery powered so no such issues. Four AA batteries lasts 3-4 months here but we have 7 cats in and out all day so yours would probably last a while longer than that, unless of course you start adding to your numbers. (Sureflap also supported our Purrs Auction last Christmas so I'm a wee bit biased :shy: )
My cats have 3 different brands of microchip fitted and none caused any registration problems. :)
More photos please? ;)
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Sounds like a successful sortie out of doors! She clearly knows where she lives and is happy to go off to explore and then come home.
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Sounds she was just waiting to go out ;D
I think she is a small cat but if she is likely to grow then you need to think carefully about the size of the flaps. The Pet porte one I think still has a sorta hood which hangs outside about 3-4 inches so is quite easky to knock against and break.
The Sure flap now comes in two sizes one to suit the slightly larger cat, Misa my 7.5 kg couldnt get through the original Sureflap even before getting that big :shify: :shify: ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,not sure he would get through the bigger one either :rofl: :rofl:
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Sounds like she's really enjoyed her first forays outside with you, and its great yesterday was such a nice day for it too. :) Lovely to know too that when shhe felt a little out of her depth she came straight back to you. She'll be sussing out her territory and working out her "bestest bits" :Luv:
Gotta say Sheila persuaded me to try the Sureflap, and I'm a complete convert now. We got two - the smaller one, which we donated to our Ross's best mate's family, and the larger one, which we've had installed into a new front door, and it's the bees knees. :wow:
We liked it because it didn't need to be plugged in anywhere, which would've been a problem for us, and it's much more aesthetically pleasing to look at both outside and in. That, and the fact Sureflap's customer service is by all accounts, unbeatably good.
Would also add that Big Burglar Cat who's been intimidating Ross and Dickie has also been having a pee-fest in a neighbour's house - she came over to look at our flap on Friday night, and as a result was so impressed she's ordered one as a replacement for her Staywell flap. :evillaugh:
Gill - I reckon Misa may just manage the bigger flap. ;)
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Yep, them Sureflaps look ok too. I'll have another proper look at them all later and make a purchase I think.
Got up this morning and let her out about 7:30, went out to check on her about 9:30 and it looked like she had teamed up with next doors new kitten "Sooty" - they were prowling about the back garden together.
So I went for a trip to the Spar to get some juice and me and next doors a Subway sandwich. When I got back she came trotting down the path and in through the front door. She nipped back outside briefly then came back inside and assumed the position on the windowsill. She's currently asleep in her bed :Luv:
I've taken a few snaps on my phone but I cant find anyway to get them off my phone and resize them by batch, fed up of having to re size them individually for the size limit on this site. So I'm having a go at writing my own. Coding on a Sunday, I really need to get out more.
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Well, mixed results with the mornings programming, got them re sizing but the quality isn't the best. Can copy and convert 1 pic every half a second or so now :wow: Exciting stuff :shify:
Here's the results.
The two inside pics are from when she came back in before to warm up, one where she's either standing guard or checking out the Pizza Perfect menu. The other is in my pear tree in the garden (does that sound posh? cos really, its not)
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the frequent popping in and out again is just what you want when introducing a cat to the big bad world
lovely photos, and such excellent colour co-ordination - which came first, the bed or Chuckles? ;)
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Lovely pics Stevo. Glad the first trips outside have gone well. :)
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fantastic pics, looks like she had a great day, Bella is happily popping in and out as and when, going to look into getting a microchip cat flap ourselves as cant use the magnetic bit or ours as worried she'd lose her collar and get stuck out.
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fantastic pics, looks like she had a great day, Bella is happily popping in and out as and when, going to look into getting a microchip cat flap ourselves as cant use the magnetic bit or ours as worried she'd lose her collar and get stuck out.
You'll also possibly find the magnet catflaps are a false economy. I was paying a small fortune for replacment collar magnets, totalled over £100 quid and still never seemd to have any spares. Then the neighbour's cat got his own magnet and we were back to square one. :-:
They used to come home with all nasty pieces of metallic junk stuck to them as well. :scared: :yuk:
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Love the pictures Stevo - especially the one where, as you say, she's checking out the pizza delivery menu :evillaugh: And doesn't she look quite the diva in her little bed? ;D
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Well, I eventually went for one of the SureFlaps on recommendation from this forum. Looks like an alright piece of kit :wow:
Been installed in the back door by my dad, we removed the bottom pane of glass and replaced with wood and installed the cat flap in that. All in all the "new" back door ended up costing me £8 so I'm happy with that and to be honest now the door actually looks ok-ish!
We got it all fitted and finished yesterday morning. Chuckles was a bit suspicious of the flap to begin with but with some encouragement she mooched over for a sniff. She looked a bit clueless about how the door operated so I held it open for her and she slipped out, stood around for a few seconds then tried to get back in. Poor little thing couldn't open the door, she almost had it once but went with the paw rather than the head and it locked again. I ended up holding the flap open so she could get back in.
After a quick mooch around the kitchen and door she negotiated the flap again and out she went, disappearing round the back of next doors shed. About and hour or so later I went to get a drink, I could hear Chuckles crying at the back door. Poor little thing was sitting there wanting to come in but obviously hadn't managed to figure out the flap :(
Took a good 10 minutes of kneeling behind the back door looking out of the flap window waving a piece of wafer thin cooked chicken about but she finally managed it! :briggin: Then spent the remainder of the day lounging around the front room with me :Luv2:
Got up this morning - well was forced to get up by someone standing on my pillow staring at me :shify: Had some breakfast and we tackled the flap again. She was just sitting at the back door meowing looking out the flap window. After a quick bit of tuition she exited the house and went exploring ;D
About 45mins after she left I was coming downstairs and heard a click, looked in the kitchen and she's managed to tackle the flap all by herself! We had a quick cuddle :Luv: and she's now snoozing in her bed on the chair :)
Good stuff :wow:
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well done Chuckles - sorry to read you didn't manage to fool your Dad into opening the door or flap for you, so you had no choice but to do it yourself - but full marks for a nice try :evillaugh:
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Glad she's sussed it, Stevo. :phew: Eight quid - wow, well done your Dad. ;)
That tunnel sometimes foxes paw pushers, so it's good she's got a brain in her head. :)
Unlike my Tufty who seems a little challenged in the brains department and still hasn't figured it out after two years (although he does have the added challenge of Sly waiting in ambush for him on the inside) :shify: .
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That was really quick for Chuckles to learn and hope she has really learnt and wasnt a one off accident, she certainly knows where she lives ;D ;D
I just love her name , makes me grin each time I read it ;D ;D
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Really pleased to read this Stevo - was just thinking about you both at the weekend, and wondering if you'd reached any decision about the flap. Two of our neighbours have just put theirs in over the weekend too.
It did take Ross a while to work out - and sometimes I still here a soft "click-clikc" as he pushes his nose in and paws it - it opens, but he doesn't twig and so sits there looking at it, and it locks again. But he manages well enough. And Dickie has no problem, but then no cat flap has ever proved a bar to him :evillaugh:
Very pleased too that your back door isn't too spoilt by the insertion of the flap. ;D
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Well done to Chuckles for mastering the catflap ;D ;D ;D
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Just read through the whole thread. Chuckles is lovely :Luv: So glad to hear that she figured out the catflap ok. Our cat Minx never quite figured it out... Or if he did he preferred to make a lot of noise and make us open it for him :evillaugh:
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Years ago I had a Tortie who never got the hang of pushing and always preferred to put her paw in and pull the flap towards her! :Crazy:
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I had to completely seal the flap off cos thats what Lupin did from the inside when it was on in only!
All that time down on my kneees cleaning the red and green bits so they moved :innocent:
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You'd have thought a cat flap was a simple, functional thing, wouldn't you? :evillaugh: To some cats of course they are. To others they're complex and baffling, or the object of great mistrust. Trust a cat to take a convenience and turn it inside out. :rofl:
The first cat we ever had would never use the flap unless we propped it open for her with a plank of wood. Her cries were pitiful if she somehow managed to knock over the plank of wood and couldn't get in...
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Stevo, just wondering how you and Chuckles are doing?
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Yeah, me and Chuckles are doing fine :wow:
The flap has been in for a week or so now and I've not seen her use it to go out yet! She can get back in fine but she likes to have the front door opened for her so she can stroll out. Whether she's been sneaking out during the day when I'm at work is anyones guess but she's always sat on the windowsill waiting for me to come home. We'll have to see where she is tonight cos she went out the front door this morning as I was leaving for work, last seen heading up next doors path. Its the first time I've left home and she's not been in the house :scared:
She's been going out at the weekend, I think Saturday she managed about 30 mins before coming back in and Sunday I let her out the front door and I think she just wandered round the side of the house and came back in the flap in the back door, must have been outside for 5 mins max. The remainder of the day was spent flitting between the bed on the chair and the windowsill.
Last night was a bit iffy though - I was going to sleep and I heard this hacking noise, turned the light on to find Chuckles had been sick all over my shirt/bedroom floor. :sick: Grim :sick: Not sure what was wrong with her as she was looking fine, we had just had a play with the duck on a string for a good half an hour or so and she was leaping around all over the shop. I did find a packet of cat cheese treats (they came in that stocking thing I bought when I was getting all the stuff for her from Pets At Home) she ate a few (5 ish) of them about an hour before. Not sure if they were the cause but I don't think I'll be giving her any more.
Picked us up some packets of Chicken & Ham to snack on, we're both partial to some wafter thin ham from the fridge 8)
Sunday and Monday morning! playing screwed up paper football, 4am Sunday morning - woken up to cat crashing round the bedroom chasing a screwed up paper bag, bless her though, she let me have a lie in until 5am on Monday, knowing I had to get up for work at 7. I've now hidden (or binned) all the paper balls.
She's a little cracker, I wish I had got one years ago :Luv:
Oh, while I remember - Do I need to do something like worm or flea treatment after I had her 3 months? I'll have to root out that paperwork that they gave me at the rescue, I'm sure there's something on there about it.
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Yes a good flea treatment like stronghold maybe, although frontline was good its not working in parts of the country anymore.................stay away from Bob Martin products. There are many differentb wormers but again go for one that your vet would use.
Chuckles sounds wonderful ;D
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:evillaugh: :evillaugh: I love Chuckles updates. I particularly like reading that we're not the only ones woken at 4 - 5 a.m. for play sessions :rofl:
Having said that, I think it's a much nicer way of waking up than by the alarm clock. :Luv:
You bet your boots if she can get in through the flap, she can out through it too :evillaugh: Some cats however prefer to go out of an open door as it gives them a much wider view of any potential doginess which may be directly outside the back door - like marauding unneutered toms who might want to muscle in on her territory, so it's not all a try-on. ;)
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Kocka used to sit at the flap inside and out going flap flap flap!
If that didnt work from outside she would get on the kitchen window sill and sharpen her claws down the window..........that makes one move cos its like chalk screaming on a blackboard!
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:doh: :doh: Gill !
Do you know Stevo how lovely it is to see you've typed she's a little cracker and you wish you'd had one years ago? It just shows how very closely you've bonded with Chuckles, and it's so nice to read. :Luv:
Gill's right too - steer well clear of Bob Martin products - they cause way too many reactions and deaths, and it's horrendous to read many of the experiences of people who've used these unwittingly. Not scare stories - documented accounts. Stick with something from your vet like Stronghold or Advantage.
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Vomit. :sick:
Get used to it Stevo (and it might help you remember to pick your clothes up off the floor). Especially in springtime cats moult, groom and swallow copious amounts of fur, which all churns up in their tummies and the next thing Bleaghhhh! This can go on for days/weeks until the furball comes up so it's important to a) be nice to her when she's puking and b) do not worry, just clean up and support her emotionally. Eventually the furball will come up, and be left in a puddle of sick looking like a partly digested grey mouse. :sick: :sick: :sick:
You can reduce the occurence of furballs by grooming her more often, and there are special prepared foods that help furballs pass through the gut, but once you understand this is the cat's natural way of ridding themselves of the inevitable, you can support/mop/cuddle/relax until the next one.
Just have a quick inspection of the puddle. Now she's going out regularly she may be eating grass which they do instinctively to stimulate the vomit response to instigate retching. Again, once it's out she'll stop vomiting and will be fine, honest. There may be grass in the puddle, if so, this is exactly what is happening and you can relax in the knowledge she has a furball and is dealing with it herself.
Then teach her where the kitchen towels are. :rofl:
I keep a kitchen roll in every room, sometimes you can get a couple of sheets underneath before they hurl. :shy:
If the vomiting continues for two weeks or more, or there is sign of blood or she appears to be losing weight/losing appetite etc, then do see your vet. But vomiting is the one thing most cats do that most owners fail to understand and so many avoidable vets visits ensue. Come back to us with graphic descriptions if it continues, we'll try to help. :hug:
Worm 6 months, Flea 6 weeks (in flea season). Easy. I like Effipro pipettes.
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As always, very sound advice from wor Sheila. :) Especially the support/mop and cuddle bit. :Luv:
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Great update Stevo ;D ;D It sounds like you and Chuckles were made for each other :)
BTW, my Toby will sit for ages by the back door waiting for me to open it even though he's perfectly capable of going through the catflap :evillaugh:
I tend to worm my two every 4 months and do their fleadrops every 4 weeks. I have to keep on top of it with the fleadrops because Molly has a flea allergy so one bite from those pesky things can set my girl into a frenzy of scratching and overgrooming.
I would check out prices online for worming and flea treatment. A lot cheaper than the vets.
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Allison's right. The clinical instruction if you use topical flea products containing fipronil (trade names Frontline, Effipro etc) is every four weeks.
I choose to extend this to 6 weeks as I find this to be adequate in our household, saves me money and some amount of pain with seven cats to dose :shify:
Sam will likewise yell at the front door for me to open it rather than use the flap in the back door. He's perfectly capable of using the flap, just prefers to have his slave do the dirty work for him when she's in, and he likes to use the front door instead of the tradesman's entrance. :shy:
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Your supposed to flea every 6 weeks !? :shocked: .... Right, we're currently about 6 weeks overdue then.
As for the worming treatment, I found the paperwork last night and it said that it needed repeating every 3 months and should have technically been done on the 12th of this month, I'm sure you get some leeway though. The make/brand was Milleebee or something, forgets now and the papers at home. Looks like I had better get on the ball. Do they sell the stuff I will be needing at Asda's or something? I could go to Pets at Home after work though.
Some cats however prefer to go out of an open door as it gives them a much wider view of any potential doginess which may be directly outside the back door - like marauding unneutered toms who might want to muscle in on her territory, so it's not all a try-on. ;)
Makes sense. The flap opens directly facing next doors garden and a dog lives there and the fence is broken, there is also a big marauding unneutered tom knocking about - we know he's unneutered as he knocked next doors Pebbles up last year. Sadly the kittens were born early and none survived :'(
About the vomit. Last night was vomit free and she's eating fine and generally causing havok around the house. If she is gonna keep throwing up everywhere she needs to learn to get it down the toilet!
and it might help you remember to pick your clothes up off the floor
Never!! :P
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You'll need to get on the net and shop around I'm afraid as you'll mainly find Bob Martins in the supermarkets - see comments below.
Medicanimal, Vet UK, Zooplus will all start to appear in your favourites list. Most will do an introductory offer a f will be cheaper than the vets.
Sounds like you've met your match :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
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It's not a precise science, Stevo. Don't fret. She's only been going out for a couple of weeks and the flea season hasn't really begun in earnest yet as it's still so cold. I must admit mine haven't all been flea treated this year, I tend to focus on the boys who go out to hunt. My oldies tend to stay indoors (where we have 12 month indoor spray control - Indorex, in case you want to get a can in?) that helps to keep them at bay. We haven't had a flea outbreak for some years now.
I get all my pet meds from Animed Direct these days as they do free delivery and it's always very quick (sometimes scarily quick, it's like they can read my mind!).
As Louise says it's a matter of shopping around for the chepaest prices on the reputable sites, and often VetUK do discounts (sign up for their e-mail alerts). Some sites do food and litter as well as meds, so work out which one will give you the best value on a bulk order.
I steer well clear of anything with "Dud" Martins on the box. Especially dangerous are the flea collars. Especially ineffective are the worm tablets and most of their flea treatments.
Pets at Home have the full range of good meds if there's on near you, and a vet you can speak to if you're unsure, but you'll get better prices on line. They also deliver but have a minimum £29 order value before free delivery kicks in.
For flea and worm treatments you need to know what she weighs, as this affects what doseage you buy, so if you can't remember, pop her down to your vet and ask for a free weight check, most will happily do this if you ask nicely. :wooooo:
The wormer you've been given paperwork for is likely to be Milbemax. This is a prescription only wormer and can be bought from your vet, and covers all types of intestinal parasites. My vet uses this one and recommends no more frequent than every 6 months (a pragmatic vet is worth his weight in gold, the manufacturer of course wants you to increase the frequency, but so long as she's not out eating wormy mice etc she should be perfectly fine with twice yearly worming). Or use one of the many non-prescription wormers such as Panacur available on-line.
Again, check the weight before you buy, don't want to be dosing her on Horse wormers now, and an easy mistake to make if you're ordering in a hurry. :shify:
I tend to take my cats for a yearly MOT at the vet. He doses one Milbemax each time, then I only need to worm them myself 6 months later either using a tablet bought from him or a combination of spot-on wormers and tablets from the on-line shops (dependent upon the personality of the cat! Some will not allow me to tablet them, others are more compliant, a matter of personal safety if you catch my drift?)
Poor Pebbles. Sad. Wrong. Enough said. :(
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As Shelia says don't worry to much about being late with the worming and flea treatment. I only treat mine for fleas over the summer and they are fine over the winter. Also I only worm mine once a year. As Chuckles hasn't been going out until recently it's unlikely she has worms. The vet told me it's cats who go out and catch lots of mice that tend to get worms. Also they get them from having fleas. None of my cats have ever had worms. I personally don't like over medicating my cats or myself.
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Stevo, like Sheila I also use Animed direct. I usually get a packet of four Advantage for fleas and Drontal for worming. Their prices are very good especially as they do free delivery.
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Mine have a health check and their once a year dose of stronghold goes on then, I buy online with a prescription from vets,,,,,,that has to be paid for too groannnnnnnnnn.
Their once a year worming also happens at the vets either millibax or a spot on for non-pilling cats which is 2 out of 3, think its droncil?
Lupin is a pyranah sp? so cant be pilled, Sasa is semi-feral and likewise and big innocent Misa allows the vet to pill him with big eyes and a totally surprised look lol.
If I see a flea on anyone then they get a stronhold at home but that is exeedingly rare.
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Lovely cats and also love that wall ;D
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We use a mixture of Millibex and Drontal here due to our mob ranging from 2.5kgs Miss Storm feral to 9kgs Master Star Norweigian Forest and all the weights in between
For flea treatment we use Program injections twice a year and have no flea outbreaks, the dogs are on Program tablets monthly to keep them all the same and the outside ferals get a spot on about every 6 months if they go in traps :shocked:
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Vomit. :sick:
Get used to it Stevo (and it might help you remember to pick your clothes up off the floor). Especially in springtime cats moult, groom and swallow copious amounts of fur, which all churns up in their tummies and the next thing Bleaghhhh! This can go on for days/weeks until the furball comes up so it's important to a) be nice to her when she's puking and b) do not worry, just clean up and support her emotionally. Eventually the furball will come up, and be left in a puddle of sick looking like a partly digested grey mouse. :sick: :sick: :sick:
You can reduce the occurence of furballs by grooming her more often, and there are special prepared foods that help furballs pass through the gut, but once you understand this is the cat's natural way of ridding themselves of the inevitable, you can support/mop/cuddle/relax until the next one.
Just have a quick inspection of the puddle. Now she's going out regularly she may be eating grass which they do instinctively to stimulate the vomit response to instigate retching. Again, once it's out she'll stop vomiting and will be fine, honest. There may be grass in the puddle, if so, this is exactly what is happening and you can relax in the knowledge she has a furball and is dealing with it herself.
Then teach her where the kitchen towels are. :rofl:
I keep a kitchen roll in every room, sometimes you can get a couple of sheets underneath before they hurl. :shy:
If the vomiting continues for two weeks or more, or there is sign of blood or she appears to be losing weight/losing appetite etc, then do see your vet. But vomiting is the one thing most cats do that most owners fail to understand and so many avoidable vets visits ensue. Come back to us with graphic descriptions if it continues, we'll try to help. :hug:
Worm 6 months, Flea 6 weeks (in flea season). Easy. I like Effipro pipettes.
:rofl: Love it! I would add that cats are not only great vomiters, but they have mastered the art of bringing up furballs about a foot from the bed during the night - perfectly positioned for the unwary human to step in when they sleepily drag themselves out of bed at the crack of dawn for feeding duties. Constant vigilence!
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:evillaugh: Love it!
Our Munchkin prefers to vomit from a place of advantage rather than whilst on the floor. Rather usefully, this often results in him crouching on the draining board and vomiting into the kitchen sink :sick: which makes clearing up easier than it would otherwise be.
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Well, operation worm & flea was put into action this morning. The beast was not impressed!
After a small amount of being messed around at Pets at Home, wasn't their fault really (the credit card readers had gone down and everyone was busy) but I ended up leaving with no medication or speaking to anyone about anything so I wasn't too impressed either, I did get a couple of heat lamps for the snake tank though.
Anyway on the way home I stopped off at Asda to pick up a prescription from the pharmacy, while queuing I noticed that they had some pet medication behind the counter. Turns out the pharmacists assistant had two cats herself so I had a quick chat with her instead. I ended up buying some Drontal & Ectoline (or something like that any road).
I'll be honest, I didn't even try to give Chuckles the worming tablet directly (that would have been a total none starter :Crazy:). I quickly weighed her by picking her up and guessing, not ideal but shouldn't be too far out. Crushed up just over half of one of the tablets and mixed it in with some duck and turkey food, it said 1 tablet for every 4kg's, meh, she's only small, I estimate around ~3kg. She's eaten half the food so far, I'm sure she'll finish it off over the next couple of hours.
Then the fleaing (you know, the easy part) :shocked: I got this white pippette thing, cut the top off (too close to the base I might add) and tried to apply it along her back. Well, she was having none of it. I first tried while she was eating... nope. Then tried picking her up... nope, then the chase began, you could practically hear the Benny Hill music playing! We went from room to room until she finally tried to hide behind the blinds in the front room on the windowsill. I had to kind of grab her, pull her through the blinds (them vertical blinds, not horizontal :evillaugh:), put her in her bed on the chair and sort of hold her down over the shoulders - by now I think she had figured she wasn't getting away so she didn't put up much of a fight and I finally managed to get the contents of the pipette as close to the skin on her back in a few places.
I don't think she was overly impressed by the whole experience - not too traumatised though :wow:
Chuckles has currently left the house in disgust (I did get a quick kiss though before she left :Luv2:). Its the first time I have seen her use the cat flap to go outside herself, she can get back in fine but usually prefers to exit via the front door... or is that just while I am usually at home to open it for her :shify:
You don't get any of this with the snake... oh :censored: just remembered I put a mouse in the microwave to defrost last night, its still there!!! brb.
It's ok, panic over. The mouse was fine! Just put it in the snake tank but Sally babes is just looking at it. Might be a bit too early in the year for her to eat, she usually waits for the clocks to go forward before eating but I've not tried her with a mouse for a few weeks so we'll see how we get on :)
Chuckles is back inside now and normal service has resumed - on guard on the windowsill :Luv:
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OMG I read the bottom of that first and saw the bit about the mouse and thought you had found a mouse chuckles has brought in and quote 'the mouse was fine and you popped it in snakes tank' and I honestly thought you had a live mouse brought in by Chuckles and were feeding it to the snake!!! Phew.... So glad I was wrong!!
That serves me right for not reading from the top...
I've been lucky with flea treatment and they have always been good getting it on the back of their neck! Good luck trying... She is onto you lol
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Chuckles is a real cat :rofl: :rofl:
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:evillaugh: :evillaugh: Oh Stevo - what a perfect picture you paint!
I hope Chckles is now fully restored (dignity-wise) and has allowed more kisses just to seal the deal. Is she still using the door herself? ;D
Is Sally showing any sign of eating, now we're officially into April?
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Sally scoffed that mouse I put in, so It'll be a trip to Viper & Vine at some point this week for a bag of fresh mice (unless Chuckles start earning her keep and catches me some!)
Is she still using the door herself?
Indeed, I nipped out on Saturday to get some shopping. She left the house through the front door with me as I was leaving. When I got home I found her favorite toy (the duck on a string), which was on my bed on the path to the front door. She'd obviously nipped in and got it while I was out :shify:
And this morning I woke up to the sound of the cat flap going and then again about 15 mins later. Looks like she'd nipped out thinking that I was still asleep - if she know's I'm awake in the morning she'll keep pestering me until I get up and feed her.
Its safe to say that she has total hang of the cat flap now :wow:
.... and standing by the fridge looking all hungry and unloved :naughty:
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:evillaugh: :evillaugh: You've got is well and truly sussed. :)
Don't keep her waiting - get the packet open! ;)
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You just gave me a great idea! A cat flap for the fridge! now if i can just train them to use the automatic can opener, then the world would be a more purrsful place :)
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Hmph. Bin far too long since we had a Chuckles update if you ask me. ;) :)
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There's not really a lot to update about, everything's petty much the same as it has been. The cat flap is now in full use, although she does seem to like hanging round the front room with me at the weekend :Luv:
Not sure where shes gone now, I accidentally made the "kissy noises" which means treats (not sure who on here said to do that but it works like a charm), she got out of her bed and came over with the tail shaking in excitement so I had to go give her a piece of wafer thin ham. She's not come back in the front room yet, she's probably upstairs harassing that poor snake.
One thing I will say about having Chuckles about the house. I didn't realise just how much I was missing some company. I can't imagine her not being here now.
Bit of a rubbish update this, I'll try to get some pics :)
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Yes definately need some pics ;D ;D ;D
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:shy: Eerm kissy noises - that'd be me then :doh: Sometimes they work too well. ;)
Nobody does better alone, Stevo :(
Now you believe :innocent: Honorary "Mad Cat Person" beckons. Be afraid - be very afraid. :rofl: :evillaugh:
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Sheila's right. Sometimes we don't realise how lonely we are until we have someone to share things with.
And it's not a pants update - we thrive on the minutiae of daily life spent wth cats. :evillaugh:
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It was a lovely update Stevo :Luv: To hear that you can't imagine life without Chuckles now is just so heartwarming :)
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Hey everyone, it’s Chuckles update time!
It’s been just over five months since Chuckles moved in and I have to say, life is much better now! I only really wanted a cat to start with as I was missing my ex’s cats – and I thought they were cool. I didn’t get her because I was lonely in the house by myself, but as it turns out she’s providing company around the house which I didn’t realise I was missing.
She’s fast becoming my partner in crime (around the house anyway).
A few weeks ago I went out for a meal on the Saturday night and didn’t get home until 3am, upon returning home I was greeted as usual by Chuckles in the hallway, quick stroke, then I went to bed. The next day she made it very clear she was not impressed with me, probably as she had to spend the night in the house on her own (typical woman :P). All the next day she was giving me the cold shoulder, was about 7pm before I finally got a cuddle off her :Luv:
Last weekend I went up to the Lakes for a weekend away with my friends, this meant leaving Chuckles on her own for three nights! I instructed my mum on the feeding etc and left her to it.
We got back from the Lakes around lunch time on Monday, I had not heard anything from my mum so I assumed that everything was ok. Went in the house, dropped my bag and went hunting for my kitty. I eventually found her mooching round the back garden. I was expecting her to be far from impressed, in reality it would appear that she was REALLY pleased to see me. She came running into the house and came straight over for strokes and cuddles :Luv2: :Luv: :Luv2: For the next couple of days she was quite clingy, following me around the house (more than usual). She even curled up on the settee with me for a few hours (she stopped doing this about a week after I got her when she discovered the windowsill, and my fidgeting).
Here’s some pics, the one where she’s sitting on the bin I may have posted before (typing this in Word and can’t be bothered looking). A couple of us lounging around on the bed watching tele and the one where she is sat up on the bed, is giving me the “someone’s late getting out of bed and feeding me” look.
A bit thin on the ground with pictures – next time it’s nice I’ll try to get some better ones of her outside etc.
Hope your all well
Ste…
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great update, she is looking good!
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have you thought anymore about getting her a friend?????!!!!
:evillaugh: :briggin: :naughty:
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Oh my Chuckles misses you when you are not there and she is gorgeous :Luv2:
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She's a great character, Stevo. :Luv2: Not so sure she'd want to share her special human with another cat now :cat rub:
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She's so growing into your life seamlessly :Luv:
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I love these updates - especially with photos!
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I love these updates - especially with photos!
Me too. ;D ;D
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Thanks for the update Stevo. It's so lovely to hear how she has become so much a part of your life :) :)
Thanks for the pics too. She is looking great :Luv:
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Evening ladies!
Here's a few pics for you I took tonight when I got home from work.
Thought you might like them.
Hang on, there's more :wow:
brb
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Oh, and I found a load of baby spiders when I was taking the bin out, awesome stuff ;D
Hope your all well.
Ste...
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She's a real beauty!
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True love it would seem! :Luv: chuffed she is so happy with you :)
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Good to hear your update stevo - Chuckles is looking fab and enjoying her garden hunting playground it seems :)
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Great pics and Chuckles really enjoying her life with you ;D ;D
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She's being a proper panther in that long grass!
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Wow Stevo - what have you been feeding her? Her coat is absolutely gleaming with good health!! :wow: She really is "yours" and so totally at home with you .
Love the baby spidies by the way! ;D
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what have you been feeding her? Her coat is absolutely gleaming with good health!!
You know I was only stroking her a couple of night ago and I thought her coat looks absolutely fantastic. It's much better than when she moved in.
I feed her them little tin things, I think they are made by Purina that you can get in the supermarket. I didn't like the look of that Whiskers (sp?) she was eating from the rescue and I didn't like open partially eaten cans of cat food in my fridge either, no reason, just made my skin crawl. We tried Sheba for a month or so, but while she ate it I got the impression that she wasn't right keen. These little tin things though go down a treat, she loves them. Only problem now is I'm getting sick to death of buying them, every time I go in Asda its another 10 - 14 tins. Gonna have to look into getting it in bulk mail order I think :shify:
She gets two tins of that and some of that Iams biscuit stuff in a separate bowl to snack on throughout the day. I normally throw in a few Dreamies for her too in a morning, not every morning though.... yeah, most mornings.
Wafer thin ham, chicken for treats. She especially likes the roast chicken thighs from Tesco's, just tear her bits of chicken off and eat the rest myself :wow:
She won't eat fish she even turned her nose up at some Asdas extra special smoked salmon. Tin of pilchards, wouldn't go near them. Prawns, no chance.
Shes out in the back garden right now trying to catch herself something extra to munch on, she's lurking next to some bushes in wait. She's not brought anything home yet... but I feel its in the post.
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are you feeding the little tins of Gourmet? if so, check out Zooplus, where you can buy in bulk cheaper than the supermarkets, and they have more varieties too
I had 60 tins delivered today
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Try salmon without the smoked :evillaugh:
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To cut a long story short, I found out tonight at 6pm (first heard about it at 8am this morning) that I'm going paragliding in France for 10 days this Thursday. I'm going to have to leave Chuckles at a cattery! I've spoken to some bloke at the cattery and booked her in but I've not had chance to go and make sure the place is ok. To be fair, its only 5 mins down the road, the website looks good and the guy I spoke to seemed nice enough. You think she is going to be ok ? I've not left her for more than a couple of days before, the poor little mite isn't going to know whats going on... she's going to think I've abandoned her!! :scared:
She will be alright won't she ?
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What a great opportunity Stevo. ;D ;D
Sounds good 're the battery but to be honest I would make a point of going to see for yourself. Websites don't always show an entirely truthful picture. What arrangements do they have for illness - is there a vet on call? What arrangements are in place to help prevent cat escapes? Have they ever lost a cat in their care? If so, how did they deal with it? We know of some horrendous experiences on here of poor batteries, and would always suggest checking it out first-hand. Contact the Council and ask if there have been any complaints. Ask at your vet to see if they have any good or bad stories.
When you go away, you want to be able to relax knowing Chuckles is safe and well cared for. :hug:
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excellent advice from Sue, though I would go for a cattery rather than a battery myself :evillaugh:
and I'd pack up some of those Gourmet tins when you take her in, so she doesn't feel too deprived whilst she's on her hols
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Gah - that darned, darned predictive text on Kindles!! :evillaugh: :evillaugh:
I've had mixed results with "after the cattery" - one of our little female cats, a black and white lady not unlike your Chuckles, used to cut us dead for a good 24 hours after returning home, yet Paddy (who'd never been in a cattery in his life and ended up going in one when he was about 10) didnt turn a hair, and was his equable self on returning home. You will simply need to lavish the love, eat humble pie, grovel humiliatingly and walk over hot coals to get to her, but I daresay she'll forgive you..... ;) :evillaugh:
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Definitely check it out first. There are very good catteries and not so good ones. I don't want to worry you or put a damper on your trip (which sounds fab!) but good catteries tend to get booked up for peak times very early on (ie school holidays, christmas etc) so I would be a little wary of anywhere that has places available at this time of year at such short notice. Of course it may be wonderful and there may be a perfectly good reason for them having space, but if you check it out then you'll know for sure and will be able to relax more when you're away knowing that she's being well looked after.
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You could always get someone to come into your house and feed her. Do you have someone nearby? There are people that cat sit or visit just to feed. Although not much time to organise if you are going tomorrow or is it next thu?
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Your alternative is to get a cat sitter if you can get a reputable one who comes recommended.
Chuckles will then stay in her own home and you get the added bonus of someone keeping an eye on the place when you aren't around.
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Hope we haven't scared you off Stevo - it's not that we're trying to be negative, simply that we want everything to work well for you and Chuckles.
:hug: :hug:
we elected to trial a pet sitter after my Mum died - she was our pet sitter extraordinaire, and we grilled a fair few before we found a pair of ladies who we really took to and who our pets loved. I bless our luck in finding them because they're absolute treasures, and look after our pets the way we would, and the way my Mum always did - food, cuddles, playtime, etc.
Hope you get sorted.
Let us know how the paragliding goes......
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Times running short, I'm just going to have to hope for the best with this cattery. Not got time to find anywhere else now, let alone go and check it out. When I spoke to the guy at the cattery he did say they were pretty booked up, but could squeeze her in. I'm dropping her off early afternoon tomorrow.
There's not really anyone I can ask to look after her either, next door on one side had a new baby yesterday morning (Joshua 5lb and something oz, bit premature so I "think" he's still at the hospital).
I don't really want to ask my mam & dad as they have proabably got better things to be doing than trailing over to mine twice a day to feed a cat they neither know or like. My dad isn't a big cat fan... to say the least.
She's staying at Dam Top Cattery in Rawtenstall, had a quick look on the tinternet and couldn't find any bad reviews... couldn't find any good ones either though, but like I said, the guy I spoke to on the phone seemed nice enough and I got a decent vibe off him so hopefully everything will be ok.
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tbh bad news travels, I'm sure you'd have found something if it had a bad reputation, enjoy yours hols, she will probably hate you for a while when you get back!
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http://www.yell.com/s/catteries-rawtenstall.html
photo is very small but shows purpose built outdoor cat runs, and says cats must be vaccinated, so definitely not a cattery to be suspicious about
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Everything should go smoothly Stevo, and needs must etc. :hug: :hug: Anyway - you know what we're all like - Crazy! :innocent: :evillaugh:
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She's gone :scared:
Was the first time I've had to get her back in the carry box thing too, all in all it was a harrowing experience. She knew exactly what the box was for the moment she saw it, could see the expression on her face change and she tried to do a runner. She did NOT want to go in the box. The poor mite cried all the way there, thank god its only 2 mins down the road. Then I cried when I got home. Then I started balling again on Tesco's car park. Better get myself composed sharpish ...
She wasn't happy, you could tell by the look in her eyes - she thought she was being abandoned - I feel awful. You could tell she was scared :(
On the plus side, the cattery looked spot on. The people there were really friendly and the cells had heaters and things and a little bed. The guy showed me round and we had a bit of a chat. He's put my mind at ease about the accommodation anyway. It did look a pro setup. So I was happy about that, well, as happy as you can be.
Suppose I'd better get back to my packing.
I'll be ok in a few hours. I dread to think what I'd be like if I had kids, starting to feel a bit guilty on my mam & dad too about some of the stunts I've pulled over the years. My mum must have been worried sick.
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Aw Steve - I know - think we've all been there. :hug: :hug: she probably thinks that she's done something wrong and being cast out again, and after such a cushy gaffe at your place. But, the time will soon pass, and you're entitled to a holiday (although you may not think so by the time you get back :evillaugh:)
The place looks like it has a double mesh outside too, so not easy for a cat to escape. Glad you felt reassured. Chuckles will be fine, am sure, and when you get back you can make sure you make a real fuss of her.
Now go, and enjoy your hols. :hug: :hug:
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oh :( she will be fine but of course we all feel guilty!
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She'll be ok once she settles in but just be prepared for a bit of a strop when she comes home. It might well be worth looking into a cat sitter next time.
Enjoy paragliding
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she will no doubt be fine (may give you the cold shoulder when she gets home!) but you will worry and feel guilty every minute of the day. welcome to cat
ownership slavery.
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Sasa didnt let me stroke her again for 8 years!
However I suspect the cattery she is in is way better than the one I used and Misa and Sasa were both really upset.
I had to go to hospital in London and decided to stay a couple of days and I have never had a holiday proper since 1994 when Kocka moved herself in.
However I think Chuckles will just love you more when she comes home.........well in time :evillaugh: :evillaugh:
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Aww, Steve :hug: :hug:
As Sue said, we've all been there. I'm so lucky that for a very long time I've not had to go through that experience because my next door neighbour who is also a very good friend, looks after my two when I go away (and I look after her 3 when she goes away) and I have absolute confidence in her.
When I come home, Toby follows me around for about 3 days but Molly looks at me like I'm something the cat dragged in :evillaugh: :evillaugh:
I'm sure Chuckles will be expecting some serious sucking up from you when you get back from your hols ;)
Have a great time and try not to worry :hug: :hug:
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Well I'm home. The paragliding was a bit of a disaster, only got three flights in all holiday. On the second day my mate suffered a massive collapse (his paragliding canopy went badly wrong) and he came down in the top of a tree half way up a mountain on the side of a sheer cliff face... lucky to be alive although he only suffered a scratch on his leg! He had to be rescued by the helicopter, take off was closed for 2 hours. Then it just rained solid for 4 days. On Wednesday a Polish pilot was killed, we ended up talking to a Bulgarian pilot who watched him go down, was first on the scene and tried to resuscitate him - why either of them were flying in that weather is anyone's guess. That coupled with various other tree landing by at least two other people, by the end of the holiday I was sick of hearing that helicopter. They do a fantastic job though.
I was missing Chuckles so when the decision to come home early was made I didn't put up much of a fight :innocent:
Got home at 3am this morning and went down to the cattery first thing this morning to get her, when I turned up she was asleep in her bed. I shouted her and she woke up and looked at me, I don't think knew what was happening. I tried to get her back in her box but the guy at the cattery had to help me. Anyway I got her home and she is clearly glad to be back ;D
It looks like she was really well looked after at the cattery, the guy there described her as a "pleasant little cat".
She's had a sleep on the bed and a scout round out the front of the house. Doesn't appear to be "too" mad at me, in fact she's been giving me loads of cuddles :wow:
Glad to be home, glad to be back in my own cat hair riddled bed :naughty:
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Blimey Stevo, sounds like you all had lucky escapes. :shify: So pleased you're back. Do the cattery have emergency contacts with your family in case, gulp, you don't come back next time?? Or are unavoidably delayed? :scared:
As for Chuckles' expression when you went to collect her, she probably had just got the idea into her head that she was back in prison for ever and ever, and had given you up as a lost cause :( bless her simple heart.
If I were you I'd look into the prospect of professional cat sitters for next time, she's clearly happiest at home and I find the added security of having someone coming into the house twice daily to open and close curtains, pick up the mail and switch lights on/off an added comfort. Plus the catsitter has keys to your house which they keep until you get home safely, so the cat is safe and fed or at least accessible, until your return.
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Blimey stevo - that's a bit close to the wire sort of a holiday, isn't it? Glad you made it home safe and sound, and glad that Chuckles was so pleased to have you home.
I agree with Sheila - she'll probably have thought you'd left her and she was back out on the street as it were. Thankfully though, sound slike she was well looked after, and delighted to be home.
A similar thing happened with our last dog, Tess. We left her in a kennel for a week while we were away for the first time after my Mum died. When we got her home again however, her confidence was totally crushed. It took us months to get her back to the dog she'd been before. That was when we decided to go for a reliable pet sitter instead, and fell on our feet with Lynne and Sue, who are both amazing ladies, and really loved by our pets. It's a great idea if you can get someone you're happy with, but I have to say that I "interrogated" a number of potentials before we found someone we were 100% happy with. And if you dont find anyone in your area, then at least the cattery sounds like they took very good care of Chuckles for you.
Glad you're back home, and glad you didnt end up tree-bound (or worse!) :hug: :hug:
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Welcome back Steve, after your rather eventful holiday :shocked:
I'm sure Chuckles will soon settle back into her usual routine. :)
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glad you got back safe, sorry it wasn't quite the holiday you hoped for, she has probably forgiven you already!
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OMG Stevo - had you ever thought about crown green bowling or something equally more boring instead ??
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Wewlcome home Stevo, I'm glad that you are back in one piece!
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Been away from Purrs for a bit, but just read this whole thread and have the biggest, sloppiest grin on my face! :Luv: :Luv:
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Yeah, does make you grin, doesn't it? Stevo, how's Chuckles doing now that you've been home for a bit? And hoping you have no more plans to go off and do Derring-Do stuff again?
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Chuckles is fine. I get the impression that she wasn't too impressed about being sent to the cattery, when I dropped her off she looked really scared, was heart breaking :(
I won't be sending her anywhere from now on. A couple of the neighbours asked me why I didn't just ask them to feed her, I probably will next time.
I don't think the cattery fed her the food that I instructed them to feed her as she had a bit of an upset tummy a couple of days after I got her home, its all good now though.
Been away from Purrs for a bit, but just read this whole thread and have the biggest, sloppiest grin on my face! :Luv: :Luv:
Bit of a big read is this, its been going on for a while now this thread, feels like ages ago since I started it. Had some great advise and there are some really nice people here.
Love you ladies :wow:
Oh one thing while I am here, whats the deal with clipping the claws? There is no way shes going to let me cut them? is it required? They seem to cope ok in the wild and I keep checking them and the look fine but she is on the scratching post alot. Not sure what to do really, she doesnt like me messing with her paws. She's a proper set tho, can see them while were playing with the toys, could proper take your eye out !! She's not been wormed in 6 months either, wont eat the tablets. Recon I should just take her the vets and get him to do it ?
Her boosters are due next month too.
(edited to add the bit about the booster :) )
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I have to take one of mine to have his claws clipped every few months, as they have a tendency to curl right round, and have pierced a pad before now - besides which, the click clacking on the laminate flooring drives me nuts - it only costs £8 at the vets - I wouldn't bother though if there are no obvious problems
as for cutting them yourself, cats are, in my experience, OK with having their front claws clipped at home as long as you have a decent pair of clippers, but the back legs are a bigger problem, as they are more powerful - and you might be like me and so afraid of cutting off too much that it really isn't worth the struggle
you can get a spot on wormer from the vet, which you might find easier to apply than tablets - the prescription only wormers are generally more effective anyway than over the counter ones
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To be honest I don't think she'd appreciate another kitty around the house, she has plenty of friends! Next door on my left has two, next door on the right have one and next door to them have four !!
Then there's the marauding tom and that ginger one from round the back, its cat central round here. Two dogs too, ones a pain in the rear but the others a proper dog, big male black lab - quiet and dead friendly, good dog that one. The other just winds me up, barks all the time - well the barking has stopped since we had words... Love the family but can't stand the dog... My Chuckles isn't too keen either :briggin:
If I'm in a fit state tomorrow I might have a look out to find a vet and get her registered with them etc and get some of this spot on stuff. This is looking debatable at the moment as its only 18:15 and I'm already on my 3rd can. I only bought 6 though on the way home, then its the Grey Goose I've got in the freezer. Quality stuff but its Vimto as a mixer... knew I should have bought 12 cans :-[
Not to worry, I'll probably be asleep in an hour :Crazy:
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Worms: you can get spot-on treatments or mix it with the food powders from on-line suppliers. I tend to use a spot-on every six months then ask the vet for a multi-wormer with the boosters.
I use these http://www.animeddirect.co.uk/droncit-spot-on-cat-wormer-4-pack.html which only deal with tapeworm but that's what my lot tend to suffer from most.
Claws: She probably won't need much attention while she's young and has access to the outdoors as the toe claws will abrade naturally. Those claws that don't abrade down would be bitten down and you may catch her biting her nails from tome to time? Only as domestic cats get older, less mobile and lose their gnawing teeth or do not have access to the outdoors, do their claws need human intervention by way of clipping.
Wild cats also have few problems because of this natural abrasion, but don't tend to live as long as domestic moggies so the old age issues don't occur.
Keep one eye on her dew (thumb) claws on her front feet, these are her spurs and CAN ingrow and become painful if she's not biting them down herself.
As she's an outdoor cat and if you do want to clip her claws, try to do a couple on each foot at a time. This allows her to maintain her escape grip and weaponry with the remaining claws.
Like a Grey Goose with lime and soda (stream) myself! Cheers, Stevo! :beer:
Loving your proper relationship with Chuckles, you have a real understanding of her which is very heartwarming. :) :) :)
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Those claws that don't abrade down would be bitten down and you may catch her biting her nails from tome to time?
I have :scared:
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That's good then, she knows how to keep her own nails in trim, stop worrying. ;)
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sweet !! I've tried to get her used to me touching her paws, its the only time she took a swipe at me... drew blood!!! was only a quick swat though, can't really blame the girl, might have had a rough couple of years before I got her :Luv:
She's a little cutie for 99.9% of the time :hug:
My little chickalin :wow:
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A quick pic of me and Chuckles snoozing on the Settee, I think this is the day after I got home from my hols. Looks happy to be home ;D
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Aw, she's just gorgeous! :Luv:
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She's a real cutie! I cut Beavis's claws ( and before you ask, no I don't have a Butthead) as he's an old boy and doesn't get out much to wear them down. The others are active enough outside so I dont need to bother with them :)
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She's a very laid back girl, side-swipe aside. :Luv: Like Kirst, I've only ever had to sort Paddy's claws, and that was after he got to 17, and they were just a bit too troublesome for him unclipped. I think Chuckles' should be fine without trimming.
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Just to add my two pennworth :) Chuckles is a beauty and obviously very content from pic :Luv2: :Luv2: :Luv2:
I wouldn't worry about trimming claws unless you notice a problem. All 7 of ours are indoor/outdoor too and we have no problems with claws growing too long. I have a yellow sticker inside Ruby's vaccination card to check her claws at booster time due to her extra toes though and her dew claws are on her back legs rather than front. Sounds weird but is actually very cute :)
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Well, it was bound to happen at some point. 10:45pm last night I'm laid in bed watching a rather stimulating documentary about extracting dinosaur DNA from fossils when Chuckles comes wandering into my bedroom, meows and drops a dead vole on my carpet - right next to the pile of clean washing !! She was not impressed when I threw the poor thing out of the window but it was dead as a door knocker.
Then, not content with just a dead animal attack - at the stroke of midnight she pukes all over my bedroom floor / landing.
Oh, I was absolutely buzzing cleaning that mess up :sick:
After 20 mins of running about with the washing up bowl, food bags, Mr Muscle and a green scrubber I finally managed to get the place cleaned up. I gets back in bed and Chuckles jumps up on the bed and sits down next to me waiting for cuddles !! Which she got obviously - my poor babe had just been sick !! :hug:
I hope she does not make a habit of bringing dead animals home though - can do without dealing with that kind of thing on a daily basis :wow:
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Was she actually sick Stevo, or was it a hairball? If it was 'proper' sick then it might have been the vole that upset her tum.
My Toby who is long-haired often brings up a hairball during the night. I keep antibacterial cleaning wipes in the bathroom and usually use those to clean up any mess, along with a disinfectant spray.
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Oh Stevo - my sympathies - the boys often bring mice and voles (and even a rabbit) home- we spent over half an hour one early dawn last week trying to coax a mouse out from underneath the TV unit so we could let it loose in the garden. :tired: :tired:
Am so glad you gave her cuddles though - after all, she was just making sure you didnt go without your own vole :Luv: cos she loves her Dad!
Carol's Biggles regularly brings home voles, and half voles, and they can make him puke a lot too. Must be a vole thing.
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Was she actually sick Stevo, or was it a hairball?
Oh it was proper puke, was everywhere :sick: It took more than a pack of disinfectant wipes to clean that lot up, had to pick most of it up by hand :sick: :sick: :sick:
The poor little babe, I do wish she would take it outside! at least she got off the bed to be sick !! :wow:
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Hmmmm, just been having a quick mooch round on the Purrs shop
Order in :wow:
Frenzy FireFly Refill - Fits Flying Frenzy & Da Bird Cat Toys
Feather Frenzy refill - Fits Flying Frenzy & Da Bird Cat Toys
Ribbon Frenzy refill - Fits Flying Frenzy & Da Bird Cat Toys
Flying Frenzy Interactive Cat Toy - 39 Inch Single One Part Rod
There's 18 quids worth of feather fueled fun right there! I can't wait for this lot to turn up, we were getting a bit bored of the current toys and our favorite toy at the moments handle has snapped twice so its dead short now and it does not whip around as well as it once did and all of the feathers have come out.
Hopefully this will be a suitable replacement :wow: :wow: :wow:
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Oh noes!!! Der short, snappy handle is not gud! :-: Oh no sirree - tension and excitement in the Chuckles household until replacements arrive (and boy - what a lot of replacements!! :wow: :wow:)
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chucking up on the bed is the worst, followed by chucking up right in the middle underneath the bed, where you can't reach without moving everything - just console yourself with the thought that at least you knew she had upchucked - stepping in a pile of vomit when you've just got up is not for the fainthearted
and surprised no one has asked why you had a pile of clean laundry on the floor, just waiting for the addition of a nice freshly-killed vole to top it off :evillaugh:
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Well clearly because no self respecting cat would want to put a nice fresh vole on a pile of dirty laundry, now would they? It was a gift for her Dad - you dont give your Dad a dirty vole. Tsk! :innocent: And look what she got as a result of giving him a clean vole! Now, she wouldnt have got that if it had, by dint of being dropped on a pile of dirty washing become a dirty vole.
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Chuckles is great and love the stories ;D ;D
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Oh, chuckles is going to luuurrrvve the frantic frenzies!! ;D
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Thought of you this morning Stevo, at 4.45 a.m., as I was trying to dissuade Ross and Dickie from torturing a vole who'd taken refuge under the small sofa. Luckily, once they lost interest and went back out, me and Daddy P were able to lift the sofa, and I managed to capture the terrified little fellow, who promptly bit me. He was safely released back into the garden, and I hope he had the sense to get himself holed up somewhere safe. :tired:
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I'm dreading a live animal being brought in. Last year (maybe the year before) when I took that bird to the bird hospital the woman said that cats have a bacteria on their claws that call for antibiotics. They were not asking for any money so I have no reason not to believe them.
I mean, what do you do with a mortally wounded vole at 12 bells at night ? Let it go knowing its going to die? Take a vole it to the vet?
The worrying thing is, I'd probably blaze a months wage to save a vole. Hate stuff dying needlessly, and money is only money. I'd deffo go into the hole trying to save it.
Do they do vole hospitals? or can you buy said antibiotics online ?
I'm assuming that whats good for birds is good for small mammals?
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Stevo, back away from the Grey Goose bottle my friend.
Voles are natures larder, don't beat yourself up. :hug:
If she brings another one in you may wish to consider a bell on her collar. :shify:
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Voles generally fight and hole themselves up somewhere, or die of shock if they're injured anyway :hug:
I love that you care so much about even the teeny creatures. We do too, but sometimes, you have to offer up a silent prayer to the Gods of Small Things and an apology for the injustices of life. :-[
As Death in Terry Pratchett's books says: "There is no justice - there's just us." :hug:
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I know what your saying, but its just when you see something that small and helpless having a really bad day its hard to turn a blind eye. I know its in the cats nature so cant blame her, but when there's even the smallest chance that the poor victim can be saved its impossible to just walk away.
Its hard to put a monetary value on a life.
If she brings another one in you may wish to consider a bell on her collar.
The bell would drive me bonkers, but maybe its the price I'll have to pay. I'll see how many she brings home before I go down that route. I don't like the idea of her wearing a collar either. I don't want to find her swinging in the back garden one night after work.
I would like to say that "you have no idea how attached I have got to this cat" - but I've no doubt you do ;)
Not bad considering 2 years ago I thought I hated them. I still miss the ex's cats, especially Cinnamon :(
Meh, I'm tempted to call round one afternoon but I really don't want tangling up in that mess again. Best just to stay away :scared:
Better leave this as its Friday night, and I'm far too drunk already :naughty:
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what about getting a breakaway collar? if pulled too hard or trapped on something they split easily?
i have some of these http://www.kittycollars.co.uk/ for my cats. you get used to the bell quite easily, and i always get spooked out when i take their collars off and i cant here them. creeps me out! much prefer to have a bit of notice when they want a midnight cuddle....
also, stories like the vole make me so glad mine dont go outside... though, i do have to dodge puke sometimes :( blergh.
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It was a horrible experience "helping" Beau's first Blue Tit to Rainbow Bridge, but he was wayyy past saving. :'(
Forgive my hard attitude, I have had to find a side of me that cares enough for a mortally wounded animal to be quick about it's end rather than prolong a painful, and pointless battle. It's the pay-off between saving the life of a cat at the expense of Nature's larder, and that's the only way I find I can sleep at night.
Another dead mouse (full size this time) was stinking up the front room, I finally found his corpse today under the sofa. He'd been brought in alive and probably lived a good few days (observing the mouse droppings around his death site) on top-of-the-range cat biscuits. :( I console myself with the thought he had a good stomach full before he bought it, bless.
Cheers, Stevo, am imbibing myself on a stiff Absolut. :beer:
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As Death in Terry Pratchett's books says: "There is no justice - there's just us."
Huge TP fan here, and this does cross my mind when I'm putting a poor wee soul out of its misery. :'(
It's never a light decision, and one I, like TP's Death character, take very personally indeed. But I would not release an animal I didn't believe would survive the night ( I did release a mouse my neighbour's cat had caught, he only had a minor leg injury and was so feisty, I popped him in my woodpile. I do hope it wasn't him I scooped out from under the couch today, but chances are.... :(
Put it this way, they don't do pensions for mice and voles, there's a reason for that. :(
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I had/have one of them breakaway collars, I didn't like the look of it. Took too much force to open it. I prefer not to bother, like someone else said on this thread months ago, keep the collar on while they get used to the place then ditch them (possibly not in them words)
The stroking is sooo much easier without the collar anyway :wow:
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Sheila - remember what death says when he's masquerading as Bill Door? "Who will care for the harvest, if not the reaper man" I loved that philosophy.
Stevo - of our two, one will happily wear a breakaway collar (but just as regularly loses them!) and one will not, so we don't force it on him. I would always test a breakaway collar before putting it on a cat - as you say, they aren't always the same.
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Well it started at 5:15am this morning when I was awoken by an ungodly scream from downstairs, no idea what had gone on but it was noisey... I'm assuming it was Chuckles.
5:25am cat flap goes.
5:35 cat flap goes again.
- cue load of noise coming from kitchen downstairs
5:45 Chuckles enters the bedroom and sits on bed next to me
6am Chuckles throws up grass & accompanying hair ball - luckly I caught it in a dirty shirt! getting to know the noises now!!! still soaked through into the carpet though.
6:15am Chuckles butter back off outside!!
7:15am back inside for breakkie
I dunno what had gone on this morning but she was really unsettled when she was eating her breakfast, he kept looking back at the cat flap in the back door. I'm wondering if she was sat too close to the flap and one of the neighborhood cats had got in. Whatever had gone on, she made a right old racket!!
Awe, she woke me up earlier this week by head butting my arm while I was in bed asleep, that 6am purring is unbeatable !!! - well, almost :innocent:
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Well done on your fielding skills Stevo :evillaugh: Sounds like she may have been seeing off a 'trooder for sure. Clever gir.
I know what you mean about that early morning purring. It's guaranteed to put a smile in my heart, no matter how sleepy I am. :Luv:
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Thought you had a sure flap Stevo? Or am I thinking of someone else :doh:
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I do have a sure flap, but she has a tendency to sit right up close looking out of the "window". She might have been close enough for it to be unlocked. I dunno what went on but there was a lot of screaming for a few seconds.
The flying frenzies turned up last night too, over a week for delivery. Turns out the postman had given the package to next doors and it had taken them 3 days to get round to giving it me >:( Chuckles seems a bit wary of it at first, the feather thing that came with it is miles too big too, luckily one of the spares is a lot smaller and softer and she had a great time this morning chasing it around the bed :wow:
Bought her a £3 pack of ham from Asda this morning... no wonder I'm skint :Luv2:
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most of us are short of money on here Steve - for the same reason as you
we're all cat rich though :Luv:
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Sound like she's got a stalker, Stevo. It's possible the flap isn't closing quite right behind her, check it's not sticking in the open position.
the feather thing that came with it is miles too big
scissors, brilliant for things wot is too big. :idea:
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"Cat rich" - Ah yes. A wonderful feeling. :Luv: :Luv:
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The large flying frenzie with the pheasant feathers is a bit too big. Xander is scared of it so I've had to hide it away. :scared:
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Evening ladies ;)
We had our first visit to the vets tonight, only for the boosters though. Chuckles was not impressed when I tried to get her in the box, wasn't expecting it to be easy but it only took a minute in the end, been dreading that moment for weeks :Crazy: strange, she just wandered straight back in for the vet :shify:
She cried all the time in the box, poor thing. Bet she thought I was deserting her again at the cattery. I still feel awful about that. Need to speak with next door to see if they'll look after her when I go Tenerife in December.
Anyway, back to the vets
Boosters done, wormed too - vet made that look real easy. Nails checked, and their fine ;D Teeth are in fantastic condition apparently 8)
She's a little bit over weight, but nothing to worry about. That will be all that Tesco's Finest Apple Smoked Wiltshire wafer thin ham :Luv:
She seems perfectly healthy :wow:
Stung for £55 - but was a good service, no waiting around when I arrived, pleasant staff etc...
We got home and I think she was glad to be back, as I started walking up to the front door the box started to shake about a bit more. Let her out in the kitchen and she was visibly excited. Had a quick cuddle with me then scoffed all her tea.
Now! she is sulking a bit. You can tell she's glad to be home, but she's sat at the back of the room in the corner. Well either she's sulking or the injection and pill are making her feel a bit iffy.
All in all, not as bad an experience as I was expecting. Price was a bit steep, would have preferred £20ish, I was only in there 5 mins!!
Hope your all well :)
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Sadly the price is steep but good to have a yearly health check and booster. If booster included leukemia the that will most make her a bit down for 24hrs.
I ahve 15 miles each way to drive and the choir in the car I hate.
Mine bounce as soon as I turn into my road and carrying a 7.5kg cat whoe is excited to be home is very hard.
Mine rush out the carrier and go toi check nothing has moved :innocent:
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strange, she just wandered straight back in for the vet
Yep, they always do that. I think it's cos they know they're going home.
She cried all the time in the box, poor thing.
That's normal too, don't take it personally. I have two cats so I get this in stereo every time I take them to the vet (and the cattery).
It's expensive but isn't it good to know she's fit and healthy? :)
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Glad it all went well Stevo :) apart from the price :doh:
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Vet's aren't cheap, unfortunately :owwww: It's worth it though, to make sure our furbabies are healthy. I live in Camden, so I take Lucky to the Beaumont Sainsbury's Animal Hospital, which is part of the Royal Vet College. It's (very) slightly cheaper than going to a private vet because you are seen first by a student and then by the proper vet.
I took Lucky to have her claws trimmed on Friday; normally she only does silent type meows, but the moment I put her in the cat carrier, she starts singing! She also loathes having her claws clipped! They charged me £14 to have the nail trim.
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Paddy used to sing and wee and poo on the journey either going or coming. Made me very glad it's only 5 minutes drive away..... :Luv:
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I'm glad that the visit went well and that Chuckles is glad to be home ;D
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Stevo, no updates for a while. Are you and Chuckles all ready for Christmas? :-:
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Was wondering the same myself. Starved of Chuckles piccies as we've been....... ;)
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I've found this thread yesterday for the first time and have been reading through the tales of Chuckles and how she came into your life. it's wonderful to read about the bond you have built with her and the stories of her life.
I definitely think it's time for another update and more photos! :-)
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Hi Ladies
Happy new year and all that, hope you had a good Xmas.
Well, it will be a year to the day on Friday since I brought Chuckles home. I must say, she's the best thing I have ever "acquired" - a lovely little creature :Luv2:
I went on holiday again in December (paragliding again, was a bit better than the France trip earlier in the year, I'll dig a pic out as I've not got many new ones of Chuckles). This time though, she stayed at home. Laura next door looked after her. I couldn't bring myself to put her in the cattery again. She looked pleased to see me when I got home, she even slept on the bed with me that night! normally she goes and sleeps in one of her beds as my fidgiting gets on her nerves ;D
One thing I have been meaning to speak with you girls about - Chuckles' diet.
At the moment she has a tin of Purina morning & evenings with biscuit topped with a few dreamies on buffet. I started to give her bits of wafter thin ham as a treat, which then moved onto "Tesco's finest apple wood smoked ham" being mixed into her evening meal. Currently we are on them medalions of dry cure ham from Asda. She loves it mixed in with either the Turkey flavor or the chicken in a white sauce. These are blatently her favorites. Is she ok eating this much ham? I noticed the other day that I haven't noticed any ham flavor cat foods, is there a reason for this and am I ok giving it her?
Also, in the mornings I give her one of the other flavors. Problem is, I don't think she's too keen on them. Occasionally she will eat it, usually just pick at it abit but more often than I would like it remains untouched. If I start running short of tins and give her one of her favorites in the morning, even without the ham she eats it all. I keep giving her the "other" flavors to try to balance out the diet abit, but she's not really eating it. Would I be better off just giving her her faves in the morning too? I dont want her getting bored as she won't eat any other brands now... even the more expensive, better looking ones.
With the vet saying she was a bit overweight (0.5kg I think she said) in November, I'm not sure she needs to be eating anymore than she is. I've managed to loose 30kg+ ~ish from around my waist last year (no easy task) so I don't want either me nor the cat putting weight back on - I am sick of the sight of diets right about now :evillaugh:
Here's a few recent-ish pics, check out the bits of towel that I installed on a few of the windowsills around the house. They seem very popular :briggin:
Steve.
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Lovely to hear your update and Chuckles is looking gorgeous as ever. It is nice that she enjoyed staying at home with a carer this time and settled well.
The problem with ham to my mind is that it is quite salty and quite fatty so she is likely getting rather a lot of salt in this which cats are not really accustomed to having in the diet. I'd not give it quite so much and save for special treats once a day maybe! As to eating the different flavours I wouldn't worry about that and would just buy the ones she prefers as better she eats it than leaves it. They all contain the same amount of nutrients in terms of protein and vitamins so it doesn't really matter.
Perhaps limit the buffet biscuits a bit more - ours never have them available except at mealtimes!
When the summer comes she will likely go out and excercise more and lose the extra easily enough.
The hangliding looks blissful :) It must be nice to see the world from on high!
Have a great new year and remember we need more updates ;)
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Chuckles is just great.
I weould feed her fav flavour all the time but cut down on the ham as agree with Soufle, also smoked hame is even saltier than normal.
Pleased you left her at home this time ;D
I wouldnt cut down on biscuits as it doesnt sound like she is getting many.
Happy New Year ;D
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What a beautiful girl she is! Congratulations on your own weightloss Stevo ;D
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:wow: :wow: Great to see piccies of Chuckles, and to see how well she's looking, if a tad plumpshuss, in a Marilyn Monroe kind of way :Luv2: :Luv2:
It'll be heard to wean her from her ham regulars, but I would try and keep it for a specific treat (know how easy it is to get sucked into stepping up from "offcuts" to "premium" ham/chicken/prawns :evillaugh: ;) ) Can also see why you want to reward her and lavish special things on her, because she really is just lovely :) It seems in some respects as though she's been with you forever, so hard to believe it's only a year, and yet what a year!
And well done you, on your weight loss - that shows incredible willpower and commitment. :hug: :hug: Glad the paragliding was uneventful this time round. :phew:
And yeah - loving the customised windowsill ;D ;D What a lovely daddy you are. :)
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Lovely to hear from you Stevo. :) And thanks for the new pics of Chuckles. She looks absolutely fabulous :Luv2: :Luv2: Can't believe you've had her a year already ;D
Well done on your weight loss :hug:
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Afraid I have to agree re the high salt/fat content in the ham not being a good thing .......... but who am I to comment bearing in mind the amount of bacon our Grouchie consumes of a weekend :-[ :-[ :-[
She is indeed a beautiful gal :Luv2:
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My vet warned me off feeding ham, again due to the high fat/salt/additives. He said cooked chicken was fine though ;)
She's a beauty for sure, Stevo. Well done on the weight loss, that's equivalent to a huge sack of spuds! ;D
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you lost 30kg!!!!!!!! that is amazing
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Turned my back for 2 mins last night and look what happened... How can she have that much mud on her feet? she must levitate through the house!
Gonna have to wash the bedding this weekend now...... >:(
you lost 30kg!!!!!!!! that is amazing
Na, its pretty easy to do once you get going - only took 234 days of ruthless low carb and swimming 5 days a week to get from 115kg down to under 83kg (I saw 81.6kg on the scales the other day! - but I was very dehydrated at the time and had eaten nothing all day)
It's the keeping it off that is the hard bit, there's a little bit gone back on over Xmas (was 84kg this morn) so I am back working on that now.
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My Kocka was the one for muddy pawprints and had some bedding the colour just wouldnt come out :evillaugh:
Loss of your weight really good ;D
I have also lost a lot of weight but no scales lol
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if you're into expensive tidbits, you could try Tesco finest sliced turkey breast - my Trigger won't eat chicken but he loves this stuff
Chuckles may be a rather voluptuous girl, but she looks very happy and healthy to me
as to the mud, cats have special mud and cat-litter secreting devices built into their paws, which are designed to release only when at least 10 feet inside the human's living space
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Thought you'd stolen our quilt for a minute :shify: Ours always looks like that :-[