The Chillout Zone (Off-Topic Thread)

baby and crumble

mymo wrote: »

One of my daughters rats (Luna)died last Sunday, quite suddenly, and it looks like another (Matilda) will be off to join her shortly.
They are such short lives.

So sorry to hear that.

anniehoo

:D:D

Well howayaaaaa....SUE!

Layinghen

How do you do Sue..........





You are still cute no matter what you are

tk123

Our new Hi-K9 bed arrived this morning! I think it's going to be huge though - I was hoping to put it in the sitting room and reclaim some space but not sure it'll fit now lol!

honerbright

Got Poppy a lovely new blanket in Eurogiant today. Says self heating on it, but I think there's just a reflective layer inside? Will be the perfect fit for her crate once I fold it in half. She destroyed the cushion she usually sleeps on by tearing the eyes off it :eek: Poppy hates eyes on things.

Mr Max is settling in nicely. I keep forgetting he's skittish and reach out to pet him which sends him running. But every night now he sneaks up beside me on the couch and curls up under my arm, all pressed up against my side for hug time.

Oscar (the elderly dog we took in recently) is gaining so much strength. His first walk he went on a few weeks ago he struggled making it to the bottom of our road (25 meters away) but now he goes around the entire block at a run (!!) only stopping at the bottom of our road and waddles up slowly from there.

SillyMangoX

Dude got hit by a car this evening. He has a tail pull injury and his lip has been ripped away from the gum, he can barely walk but when the vet examined him he would pull his legs back at being pinched so thank god he still has sensation. He's currently having xrays done so I'll be spending my night waiting by the phone. My poor bugger

Layinghen

Silly I am so sorry to hear that. Fingers and paws crossed here for Dude.

You must be very worried but remember to take care of yourself.

Zapperzy

SillyMangoX wrote: »

Dude got hit by a car this evening. He has a tail pull injury and his lip has been ripped away from the gum, he can barely walk but when the vet examined him he would pull his legs back at being pinched so thank god he still has sensation. He's currently having xrays done so I'll be spending my night waiting by the phone. My poor bugger

Fingers and toes crossed here for him

SillyMangoX

His xrays are done, his diaphragm and bladder muscles are intact, no break on the spine but he has broken his tail. The soft tissue around his spine is badly bruised which is why he can't walk and his lungs are bruised as well but the vet is very hopeful that it will heal without any long term problems. She can't say 100% that everything will be alright but it's looking hopeful. He'll be observed for 24 hours just to make sure he doesn't go down hill, and he is currently zonked out from the painkillers and sedation. So now I'm feeling a lot better about it all, I was sure that it was a spinal problem!

Layinghen

That is good news at least. The poor little thing. I am sure all his fans here are sending positive thoughts his way.

SillyMangoX

Layinghen wrote: »

That is good news at least. The poor little thing. I am sure all his fans here are sending positive thoughts his way.

I really appreciate it! First thing tomorrow I am getting the materials to build an outdoor enclosure. My cats will never be allowed outside unsupervised again!

honerbright

Oh my god, poor little Dude Fingers and toes all crossed that he has a speedy recovery and gets through the night without any problems!

angeldaisy

Poor dude, hope his recovery goes well. It breaks my heart when I hear of any animal being hurt.
All our doggy and human wishes are with you and dude.

Pumpkinseeds

Ahh no, I'm so sorry about poor Dude, fingers and toes crossed that he makes a speedy recovery.

Layinghen

SillyMangoX wrote: »

I really appreciate it! First thing tomorrow I am getting the materials to build an outdoor enclosure. My cats will never be allowed outside unsupervised again!

Don't beat yourself up over what happened. Unfortunately accidents occur and with the benefit of hindsight it is very easy to be so cross with yourself about it.

Start on your outdoor enclosure tomorrow so Dude and the other two cats can use it when he comes home.

mymo

Oh I am so glad he's ok sillymangox, poor Dude.
Give him a very gentle hug from us all. X

bluecherry74

Poor Dude. It's heartwrenching whenever someone's pet on here is hurt or sick. I feel like I know the little fella personally cos you've posted about him so much. I hope he's back on his feet soon.

sparkle_23

Just saw your post on Facebook. Poor Dude. An enclosure is a great idea and there's loads of cool ideas online. If I had my way Smudge & Sparkle would not be allowed out at all but unfortunately parents don't agree. Best wishes and love to Dude x x

tk123

Poor Dude

DBB

Jeez, relieved to hear that he's not too badly damaged SillyMango
I think many here feel like we know him, so make sure to tell him his fan club are all rooting for him

SillyMangoX

DBB wrote: »

Jeez, relieved to hear that he's not too badly damaged SillyMango
I think many here feel like we know him, so make sure to tell him his fan club are all rooting for him

I will do when he's home thanks for all the kind messages everyone

SillyMangoX

I can't see myself sleeping tonight, I'm so worried about my poor baby. I feel so awful, I would encourage everyone who has cats don't let them anywhere near the road, it's just not worth it. He was just in so much pain but at the same time it could have been so much worse. At least he is still alive, but the risk of it isn't worth it. Enclosures are looking cheap enough to build and they seem such a better alternative. I know he loves the outdoors but when he recovers from this he is only ever getting out on a lead.

boomerang

It's how a lot of cat owners come around to the idea of providing an indoor-only home, SMX. I hope he'll adjust to being indoors-only (with safe outdoor access). Most cats do. Of the five of us in our cat rescue group, three are cat owners and all three have indoor-only cats, with catios built to give them safe access to the outdoors. I guess we're prejudiced against giving cats the unlimited freedom of the great outdoors because we constantly see it going horribly wrong for the cat.

There are lots and lots of ideas and tips on catios/enclosures on the internet. I'll see if I can dig up a few links for you. You don't even have to build a structure - you can also enclose the garden walls with angled netting. It's not the prettiest but giving the cats full run of the garden is more satisfying and stimulating for them than just a catio, if you can manage.

Most of all I am glad he is okay and I hope he recovers quickly and smoothly, poor aul' Dude. xxx

boomerang

Here's a link to have a gander at, for inspiration and ideas.

http://www.catsofaustralia.com/cat-enclosures.htm

Main thing is, you're both gonna be okay and tomorrow will be a better day. xxx

SillyMangoX

Thanks very much boomerang that's brilliant. My garden doesn't have any solid walls (as in it's an acre size with low walls so impossible to fully secure) so I wouldn't be able to just put up the angled netting but I am going to get an enclosure built as soon as I can, I'll try to make it as big as possible because my guys are so used to unrestricted access and would hate to feel like I'm trapping them.

SingItOut

Sending you and dude a big hug! Hope he feels a little better in the morning x

sparkle_23

Still thinking of poor little Dude. Must have been so scary to see him like that. At least he's in the right place

tk123

Hope dude is feeling better today and on the mend.

SillyMangoX

Just got off the phone with the vets, he's still on strong painkillers and is comfortable, he's trying to walk around a little bit which is a great sign. If he's still going well he should be getting his lip stitched up later today. Unfortunately his tail hasn't regained any function so it may need to be amputated but we'll give it some time and see how it goes, there's no rush in deciding that but at least he made it through the night and is comfy. As the vet said, when it comes to cats and cars there is only ever one winner - Dude was one of the lucky ones!

Pumpkinseeds

I'm delighted that he's doing well. We adopted a cat about 15 years ago who was missing his tail, apparently a car had rolled over it. It never seemed to bother him or affect his balance. Poppy's tail is only about the length of my thumb and is funny to watch. She dashes about like a mad thing, so it doesn't bother her or affect her balance. Hopefully he'll be home soon being even more spoiled:)