Need advice on kitten purchase.

[Rosella moggy]

Thought you'd stolen our quilt for a minute  Ours always looks like that 

[Kay and Penny]

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

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

My Kocka was the one for muddy pawprints and had some bedding the colour just wouldnt come out 

Loss of your weight really good 

I have also lost a lot of weight but no scales lol

[stevo]

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.

[Dawn F]

you lost 30kg!!!!!!!! that is amazing

[sheilarose]

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! 

[Rosella moggy]

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 

[Tigerlily (Allison)]

Lovely to hear from you Stevo.  And thanks for the new pics of Chuckles. She looks absolutely fabulous  Can't believe you've had her a year already

Well done on your weight loss 

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

    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   

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  )  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.     Glad the paragliding was uneventful this time round.   

And yeah - loving the customised windowsill    What a lovely daddy you are.   

[Lyn (Slugsta)]

What a beautiful girl she is!  Congratulations on your own weightloss Stevo 

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

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 

I wouldnt cut down on biscuits as it doesnt sound like she is getting many.

Happy New Year 

[souffle]

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

[stevo]

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 

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 

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 

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 

Steve.

[KittyNic]

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! :-)

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

Was wondering the same myself.  Starved of Chuckles piccies as we've been....... 

[Tigerlily (Allison)]

Stevo, no updates for a while. Are you and Chuckles all ready for Christmas? 

[Lyn (Slugsta)]

I'm glad that the visit went well and that Chuckles is glad to be home 

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

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.....   

[Big Cat Lover]

Vet's aren't cheap, unfortunately  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.

[Tigerlily (Allison)]

Glad it all went well Stevo  apart from the price 

[jezebel]

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? 

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

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 

[stevo]

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     strange, she just wandered straight back in for the vet 

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    Teeth are in fantastic condition apparently 

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   

She seems perfectly healthy   

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

[Mymblesdaughter]

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. 

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

"Cat rich" - Ah yes.  A wonderful feeling.   

[sheilarose]

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. 

[Kay and Penny]

most of us are short of money on here Steve - for the same reason as you

we're all cat rich though 

[stevo]

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 

Bought her a £3 pack of ham from Asda this morning... no wonder I'm skint 

[sheilarose]

Thought you had a sure flap Stevo? Or am I thinking of someone else 

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

Well done on your fielding skills Stevo     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.   

[stevo]

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 

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

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.

[stevo]

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 

[sheilarose]

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. 

[sheilarose]

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. 

[onyx]

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.

[stevo]

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 

Better leave this as its Friday night, and I'm far too drunk already 

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

Voles generally fight and hole themselves up somewhere, or die of shock if they're injured anyway 

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." 

[sheilarose]

Stevo, back away from the Grey Goose bottle my friend.

Voles are natures larder, don't beat yourself up. 

If she brings another one in you may wish to consider a bell on her collar.   

[stevo]

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?