The Chillout Zone (Off-Topic Thread)

Pumpkinseeds · 22-01-2015 1:03pm

I get really annoyed by people who let their dogs roam. There are 2 running around out the front of our house so I can't let Felix out into the front garden. The person who owns them was on Facebook a few weeks ago talking about what saints she and the boyfriend are and how they never let their dogs roam and how one of them is an 'escape artist'. They've a garden surrounded by a 7 foot wall, the dogs aren't escaping, they're being let out the front door, along with the 2 cats they have.:mad:

[Deleted User] · 23-01-2015 2:15am

My mother and her little puppy Reggie (Lab) have been going to "puppy kindergarden"! Reggie is top of the class! There are five other dogs there, my ma was so afraid Reggie would be the bold dog, but he's the first to catch on in every trick, and there is a labradoodle there who is apparently so naughty he has to be sent to "time out" in every class! I had to ask, what is time out? The dog is put outside the door, and the door is shut on his lead. Until they calm down and are allowed back in. Reggie's new best friend is an Alasation pup, a week older, but twice his size. Although it does sound like the puppies are getting trained, sounds more to me like my ma brings her puppy to meet other puppy owners and they all spend the hour laughing hysterically at the bold labradoodle.

No harm in that! I'm delighted she and puppy are socialising!

ETA: My father died last August leaving my mam rattling around a big house in the middle of nowhere with just her Springer Sonny, so she got this little puppy to help keep her busy. Her getting out and socialising is far more important to me than any well trained Lab!

tk123 · 23-01-2015 10:54am

We saw a fox this morning in the park!!! Might explain why Bailey's been acting a bit jumpy the last while AND why he was barking at the bushes behind one of the houses - I assumed it was a cat but it'd make sense that it was foxy loxy because they have chickens in the garden! Once we saw each other it ran off into the bushes and then Bailey was back to normal rolling around in the grass and playing with Lucy.

VonVix · 23-01-2015 11:54am

budgese wrote: »

My mother and her little puppy Reggie (Lab) have been going to "puppy kindergarden"! Reggie is top of the class! There are five other dogs there, my ma was so afraid Reggie would be the bold dog, but he's the first to catch on in every trick, and there is a labradoodle there who is apparently so naughty he has to be sent to "time out" in every class! I had to ask, what is time out? The dog is put outside the door, and the door is shut on his lead. Until they calm down and are allowed back in. Reggie's new best friend is an Alasation pup, a week older, but twice his size. Although it does sound like the puppies are getting trained, sounds more to me like my ma brings her puppy to meet other puppy owners and they all spend the hour laughing hysterically at the bold labradoodle.

No harm in that! I'm delighted she and puppy are socialising!

ETA: My father died last August leaving my mam rattling around a big house in the middle of nowhere with just her Springer Sonny, so she got this little puppy to help keep her busy. Her getting out and socialising is far more important to me than any well trained Lab!

Lab puppies tend to be fab in training, the problem is not enough people actually put the effort in like your mother is doing! Tell her to keep it up even once classes are over, labs are smart cookies, he'll come up with his own ways to entertain himself otherwise, and we all know what that means! I often think the dogs that are the most nuts as puppies tend to be the most intelligent, their brains just won't stop.

tk123 · 23-01-2015 12:07pm

VonVix wrote: »

Lab puppies tend to be fab in training, the problem is not enough people actually put the effort in like your mother is doing! Tell her to keep it up even once classes are over, labs are smart cookies, he'll come up with his own ways to entertain himself otherwise, and we all know what that means! I often think the dogs that are the most nuts as puppies tend to be the most intelligent, their brains just won't stop.

Yeah I'd agree - most people do the class and that's the end of it if they're bothered at all! I don't know anyone in the gang in our park who's done classes with their dog. I started puppy classes with Lucy at 9 weeks old - naturally she was the best in the class :pac: because I was ar$ed training her lol!!

SingItOut · 24-01-2015 9:57pm

Moone thought It would be a great idea to play with and roll in a dead rat today, just spent the last half hour scrubbing her in the shower, don't think she thought it was such a good idea then

the stink off her was desperate!

tk123 · 25-01-2015 12:08am

SingItOut wrote: »

Moone thought It would be a great idea to play with and roll in a dead rat today, just spent the last half hour scrubbing her in the shower, don't think she thought it was such a good idea then the stink off her was desperate!

The dogs took turns to run around with a rabbit skeleton today :eek: thankfully nobody ate or rolled in it lol!

SingItOut · 25-01-2015 1:34am

^^ yuk! I'm so used to seeing horrible stuff with having two murderous sadistic cats so there's not a lot that shocks me anymore ! Apart from when one of them brought home a hedgehog, that still amazes me:eek:

Pumpkinseeds · 25-01-2015 6:58pm

I'm absolutely shattered today. The next door nightmare had an all night party, it got even worse when the trance music started at 5am. I put ear plugs in but the pusses were freaking out because they could hear the voices through the walls and not see people(it confuses and upsets them), so I was getting jumped on and generally forced out of bed to keep them company. The lad is almost 30 years old, old enough to grow the feck out of house parties.:mad:

Pumpkinseeds · 25-01-2015 10:56pm

I was just reading an article about a bequest left to an animal charity in a ladies will. It seems there was a bit of doubt over which of 2 charities the lady intended the money for, so after deliberation by a panel who deal with such matters, ie Judges, it was decided that the money would be divided equally between both charities. Great, one would think. But no, one charity is suing the other because they think that they should get more, if not all of the money. So it's going to the High Court where no doubt a very large chunk of it will be spent on legal fees.:rolleyes::mad:

mymo · 25-01-2015 11:21pm

Went to see my uncle yesterday, the mother of the kittens I was trying to home (one tabby girl left) has been neutered but her behaviour is still a bit odd, he said yesterday that he thinks she's deaf!
Since she was a feral that turned up and he brought he and her kittens inside, she became very tame, but howls if she can't see him, or when kittens were younger if she couldn't see them. Shes also very clingy, but he's not sure what to do, he keeps her in as much as he can, and she's become very affectionate, but still seems a bit weak in the back end. The vet said when he neutered her she had a huge amount of scar tissue and had obviously had a massive infection at some stage, so between the weakness in the rear end and her apparent deafness he's a bit worried about her now.
He's keeping the grey and white boy kitten to keep her company, and has two cats of his own as well, so now he thinks hes becoming a male equivalent of a crazy cat lady.

I have 4 cats and two dogs, what does that make me?

Pumpkinseeds · 25-01-2015 11:42pm

mymo wrote: »

Went to see my uncle yesterday, the mother of the kittens I was trying to home (one tabby girl left) has been neutered but her behaviour is still a bit odd, he said yesterday that he thinks she's deaf!
Since she was a feral that turned up and he brought he and her kittens inside, she became very tame, but howls if she can't see him, or when kittens were younger if she couldn't see them. Shes also very clingy, but he's not sure what to do, he keeps her in as much as he can, and she's become very affectionate, but still seems a bit weak in the back end. The vet said when he neutered her she had a huge amount of scar tissue and had obviously had a massive infection at some stage, so between the weakness in the rear end and her apparent deafness he's a bit worried about her now.
He's keeping the grey and white boy kitten to keep her company, and has two cats of his own as well, so now he thinks hes becoming a male equivalent of a crazy cat lady.

I have 4 cats and two dogs, what does that make me?

It makes you Under the Paw. There's a support group here:

http://littlecatdiaries.blogspot.ie/

Pumpkinseeds · 26-01-2015 2:19pm

Someone in the neighbourhood has a new cat, it's got the oddest meow I've ever heard, a kind of meow/bark:D

tk123 · 26-01-2015 8:37pm

:pac: Overheard from the kitchen :
"Tell him to stop begging!... and you stop licking that oven - I saw you doing it!"

SillyMangoX · 26-01-2015 11:03pm

Dude had been losing wight/condition lately due to be a selectively fussy eater with a constant runny bum. ( I say selectively because he will eat ANYTHING except his ID food :P) I was getting a bit worried about him and was considering bringing him in for bloods to see was there something going on, but first I said I would try him with the tins of ID instead of the pouches. Already he is feeling less ribby/spiney, gotten a shine back on his coat and his tummy has completely stopped being runny!! He loves the tins of ID so much that he's stuffed and doesn't go scavenging for things that irritate his tummy, though we still have to keep the small brown bin in the washing machine when he's in the utility or else he will raid that

But I'm delighted he's getting back to his tubby little self again. Hopefully this good spell will last for a good while. He seems to go in cycles of being good/bad every few months. If only I could teach him not to fart in my face we'd be flying it :pac:

Zapperzy · 28-01-2015 1:07am

Pumpkinseeds wrote: »

Someone in the neighbourhood has a new cat, it's got the oddest meow I've ever heard, a kind of meow/bark:D

Sort of like this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aP3gzee1cps

Zapperzy · 28-01-2015 1:21am

Jesse is off her food the last few days. I'm in two minds whether to bring her to the vets or not. She's always eaten whatever's put in front of her but since sat/sun she's been very picky. She'l eat dry food, ate a mouthful of wet food today and picked a little bit at chicken. She threw up right in the middle of the mat in the bedroom at 4.30am last night, left a nice stain on it :rolleyes: She's still in grand form in every other aspect just the eating. I'm not sure if she's just suddenly become a dry food cat and is refusing all else until she's given dry food.

At what stage does dodgy food related issues become a vet issue?

tk123 · 28-01-2015 12:17pm

Zapperzy wrote: »

Jesse is off her food the last few days. I'm in two minds whether to bring her to the vets or not. She's always eaten whatever's put in front of her but since sat/sun she's been very picky. She'l eat dry food, ate a mouthful of wet food today and picked a little bit at chicken. She threw up right in the middle of the mat in the bedroom at 4.30am last night, left a nice stain on it :rolleyes: She's still in grand form in every other aspect just the eating. I'm not sure if she's just suddenly become a dry food cat and is refusing all else until she's given dry food. At what stage does dodgy food related issues become a vet issue?

I think once you've started to worry/question it it's time to go and get it checked out? With my two I always decide they get X amount of time and then I'll take them. Lucy has been picky/skipped meals a couple of time when she was a bit off colour but that wouldn't worry me too much because she's not food driven. Bailey on the other hand would rarely skip a meal so I'd be more worried about him if he got picky

Kovu · 28-01-2015 12:34pm

Zapperzy wrote: »

Jesse is off her food the last few days. I'm in two minds whether to bring her to the vets or not. She's always eaten whatever's put in front of her but since sat/sun she's been very picky. She'l eat dry food, ate a mouthful of wet food today and picked a little bit at chicken. She threw up right in the middle of the mat in the bedroom at 4.30am last night, left a nice stain on it :rolleyes: She's still in grand form in every other aspect just the eating. I'm not sure if she's just suddenly become a dry food cat and is refusing all else until she's given dry food. At what stage does dodgy food related issues become a vet issue?

How is she today?
If ours are like that I would allow them a day or two before I'd take their temperature and then decide. Kovu is a devil for going off his food for a couple of days, only sniffing it before walking away to the nuts and only taking a few bites. Usually coincides with a couple of vomits so I put it down to either hairballs or food he's caught himself.

Pumpkinseeds · 28-01-2015 1:48pm

Felix is going through a bed stealing phase. Last night and this morning i found him asleep in Jazzys bed, somewhere he has never shown any interest in and now he's asleep on Toby's spot on the sofa

Jazzy has been very gung ho for the past week and seems to have decided that he's not taking any more nonsense from Poppy, so he's chasing her up the stairs to make his point. At least Toby seems more settled, he's discovered the high backed swivel chair in our home office/laundry room and is often found there in the early hours sound asleep. I'm delighted that he's actually coming in the cat flap himself during the night.

Pumpkinseeds · 28-01-2015 1:51pm

Zapperzy wrote: »

Sort of like this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aP3gzee1cps

Close enough:D I saw her yesterday sitting on our wall. She's from a house with a couple of dogs and she's young so am guessing she picked up some doggy traits as a kitten. Lovely calico puss who runs along with her doggy siblings when they go for walks.

mymo · 28-01-2015 6:08pm

I was going to ask if you like near me, but then it would be two dogs and three cats on evening walks!
(I have to shut them all in before i go now)

I discovered something strange today, Oliver barks at certain animals on tv, loves meercats and watches them in silence, cats are ok, but most other animals he barks at.
We played cat and dog video's on the ipad and he only barked at the dog ones, and watched the cat ones intently. The above video confused him a bit to be honest, but I'm wondering if anyone else's dogs like watching cat videos?

tk123 · 28-01-2015 6:23pm

All I can think of when I see the pic for that barking cat vid is the one where the cat says go away and tries to jump out the window lol!!!:p:pac:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxiz--MY8o4

Zapperzy · 28-01-2015 6:44pm

tk123 wrote: »

I think once you've started to worry/question it it's time to go and get it checked out? With my two I always decide they get X amount of time and then I'll take them. Lucy has been picky/skipped meals a couple of time when she was a bit off colour but that wouldn't worry me too much because she's not food driven. Bailey on the other hand would rarely skip a meal so I'd be more worried about him if he got picky

Ya I'd be thinking along the same lines it's because she's usually such a food cat that has me puzzled/worried. If she's still the same tomorrow morning she's going.

Kovu wrote: »

How is she today?
If ours are like that I would allow them a day or two before I'd take their temperature and then decide. Kovu is a devil for going off his food for a couple of days, only sniffing it before walking away to the nuts and only taking a few bites. Usually coincides with a couple of vomits so I put it down to either hairballs or food he's caught himself.

I gave her a handful of dry food last night and some dried chicken treats, she ate the dry food and left the chicken. Same again this morning she ate some dry food. This evening I gave her a bit of her usual smilla wet food and she sniffed and walked away, opened a tin of animonda carny, which she hasn't had in a while, and she got quite excited and looked like she was wolfing it into her for ages until she walked away, and I realised she was only picking at it and had scattered it all over the floor. :rolleyes:

She's not dehydrated and she's still got bags of energy. My thermometer is at home typically. Vet visit tomorrow if she's still the same to be on the safe side I guess. Why does every animal I own eventually become a fussy eater, I thought I was doing well with jesse eating whatever was put in front of her, it was inevitable I suppose :rolleyes:

tk123 · 28-01-2015 9:19pm

Some excitement for the dogs this evening lol trying out the new bed!

I had to bin Bailey's fabric crate due to our ongoing war with moths :mad: Anyways I decided to upgrade his bed to a hi-k9 while we were at it since we have one downstairs that they both love... but I also wanted him to have the security of a crate/den when he needs it which he loves too.

Some wood, velcro and a €14 kids bed tent from Ikea did the job!

Pumpkinseeds · 29-01-2015 7:21am

Got up to find Toby with a bald patch on his head and caked in mud. He's been fighting with some cat, at least it wasn't with Felix. Really wish he'd grow out of it.

mymo · 29-01-2015 9:23am

Our Toby is a bit of a fighter too, he patrols our end of the lane, no cats ever come down here, and there are a lot of cats at the top of the lane (Managed feral Colony).

I lock them all in at night, but he still comes in with a scratch or two from time to time, we've had him six years next month and the vet thought he was about 5 or 6 at the time. Hes had a broken leg, couple of abscesses, and appears to be getting a bit stiff at times, but that's not stopping him!

(he was a pet and neutered at six months, so not like he spent years as a feral before we adopted him)

Pumpkinseeds · 29-01-2015 9:41am

Our Toby often ends up at the vet as a result of abcesses from fighting. His fur is thick so usually he has to be shaved, which freaks him out and sometimes means he has to be anaesthetised first. I can't see anything sinister looking so hopefully he won't need a vet trip. He's a bit edgy now so I'll have to let him settle and try and get some of the mud off him with some wet wipes later. Is the heavy clay mud. Felix was the very same until he was almost 4 and then he stopped fighting with neighbour cats, hoping Toby will do the same since he's about 3 and a half.

tk123 · 29-01-2015 6:16pm

Oh I hope we get a nice blanket of snow for the morning or a settle for it at the weekend. Dying to play with Lucy in it - she's never seen snow before!

Pumpkinseeds · 29-01-2015 7:45pm

Poppy and Toby have been getting very close. She's started jumping up on the sofa next to him, not cuddling in, just sitting close to him. The other day I'm almost sure he gave her a wash. She looked shocked.:D They get on really well together, then again Toby is the only one of the 4 of them that isn't neurotic and skittish.:)

The Chillout Zone (Off-Topic Thread)

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