The Chillout Zone (Off-Topic Thread)

boomerang

Well it's finally happening... Adopting this little lady next week! No more desperate hankering for a hamster!

I have to child proof 'the pet press'. Oscar the cat has figured out how to open it. He opens it just enough to slink quietly in and the door closes behind him. Inside he's managed to open the container of nuts and he's a dab hand (or paw) at tearing open treat packets.

mymo

Oliver opens cupboards too, Tiffi opens peddle bin for him to steal (she can't reach) and no shopping bag can be left down.
We know he's mostly recovered from his surgery as the thieving has started again.

SillyMangoX

Moose has taken a real shine to sleeping with his head hanging off of something. It's not too bad when he's asleep on my lap and I can support him, but I get woken up by several "thumps" every night when he's inevitably fallen off the bed. Again. For the 50th time :pac:
Well I didn't name him Moose the Goose for nothing I suppose

mymo

Thunder storms on and off all day here and all the animals are snoring quietly, lazy day for me too.
Although Toby knocked a bottle of wine off the kitchen table at 1am along with a few other things that were offending him, I had to mop up white wine and glass. I think it was him that knocked a can of red paint onto the floor on Wednesday while I was in work too, daughter was fuming as she had to do clean up. He's a very bad cat when he doesn't get his way.

tk123

Oh dear god I hope we don't get any thunder here! :eek:

Just a few showers so far

Bells21

We had some thunder and lightning in Wexford earlier, thankfully it was far enough away in the distance that my fella didn't take notice.

mymo

I'm not far from you, it's been going on and off all day here. Luckily none of my lot are bothered by it, even Oliver who wouldn't walk across a room if I move a chair or runs when I turn on the oven.

aonb

Question for cat experts on here.
Ive been feeding a young feral cat for the past several weeks. How something so thin could still be alive is just unbelievable.

Im feeding it 2-3 times/day or when it comes looking. Its starting to gain a bit of condition - I think - still incredibly lanky/scrawny. The plan has been to catch it and bring to vet for health check and neutering. Apart from being so thin, it looks quite healthy/well.

We're at the stage now where I can sit beside it while it eats. If I try to touch it, it runs out of reach, but comes back to eat. Question is, is it possible to tame a feral, incredibly incredibly nervous feral cat? Is it better to grab it and stuff it in a box to get to the vet, thereby forever loosing its trust maybe? I really dont want this poor cat to get pregnant if its a female. Is it better to just keep plugging away in the hopes that I will manage to 'tame' it and get it to the vet calmly - or calmer - and hope if its female it doesnt get pregnant in the meantime?

Advise please

Zapperzy

I would just borrow a trap, it's safer for your hands. And while she may eventually become tame enough for nervous petting, even a lot of pet cats turn into demons when it comes to putting them into a box. Well done for caring for a feral btw :-)

pawrick

Definitely get a trap as it's important to get the cat neutered/spayed before you have to deal with kittens and it will improve the overall health of the cat if it isn't trying to support kittens or wandering looking for a partner as much. The cat may be a little skittish after release but food should win it back.

The older the cat the more difficult it will be to tame but many feral cats are really only what could be described as semi feral and can be tamed to one person at least with time, patience and trust. We currently have one proper feral cat we look after. We used a cat trap in my garden to catch her and released her back after being spayed, unfortunitely she was way too feral to rehome. She will approach my gf now for food and will follow her at a distance, she has also progressed to allowing us to pet her while she is eating so the trapping hasn't had a long term negative impact.

PoppedPopcorn

boomerang wrote: »

Well it's finally happening... Adopting this little lady next week! No more desperate hankering for a hamster!

Too cute ! I thought once I got one that that would be enough. But I just ended up getting more ^_^

Bells21

I was dropping some old leads, bowls, harnesses etc into the local animal rescue shop earlier in my local town. On the way into the shop some woman started shouting that she'd take the bag she wanted the stuff that I should give it to her sure it was only going in there anyway. I had them in a big black bag so there's no way she could've known what was in it. She was still shouting at me as I was in the door of the shop!!!

tk123

probably wanted to sell them lol!! I always drop stuff in to maxi zoo or the vets when they have a collection box. I have to do a clear out when Lucy is distracted AND hide the bag or she'll pull everything out lol!

Bells21

tk123 wrote:

probably wanted to sell them lol!! I always drop stuff in to maxi zoo or the vets when they have a collection box. I have to do a clear out when Lucy is distracted AND hide the bag or she'll pull everything out lol!

Most definitely was looking to see what she could make out of it I would imagine! The lady in the shop was thrilled as she said the rescue was in need of basic items at the minute and someone else had just dropped off a load of food so it was like Christmas. I mentioned to her about what had happened outside and her response was priceless..... probably something along the lines of what I should've said to the woman lol!

boomerang

Had to stay up super-late to snap this pic of Percy hamster. She's more of a night owl than I ever was!

SillyMangoX

Poor Moose got stung by a bee on his chin today He was out for his walk (he walks better on lead than a lot of dogs I know!) playing around in the grass as usual. Next thing he screams and starts tearing around the place. I pulled the stinger out and he doesn't seem swollen or anything, but he is definitely wanting extra cuddles tonight! Also booked him in for his snip next week, now that his little undescended problem has descended. I'm going to have to bring in the vets some cake or something to make up for all the noise I just know he is going to make! Anyone considering getting a Bengal, word of warning. THEY ARE LOUD! but so lovable it makes up for it

Cherry Blossom

My mum got a kitten a few weeks ago. I've discovered that logs in a net bag makes an excellent scratching post. Lay it flat for a horizontal one and stack two in a corner of the room for a tall one.

SillyMangoX

Someone forgot to tell Moose that cats are obligate carnivores. He's obsessed with vegetables. This is the last of a piece of lettuce he stole from me.

Cherry Blossom

I remember someone saying on here ages ago that their dog's mantra was "no take, only throw". I've just seen an ad on TV with a boxer saying the same thing. Wondering if they got it from here lol.

aonb

Ongoing family crisis here, so my little feral being trapped and vetted/neutered has to be on hold for a while longer unfortunately

I managed to get it some worming tablets this am. I'm feeding it 3 times/day but it's hardly putting on any condition. Gave it a worming tablet just now. I Asked the not very nice vet nurse if i should give it a second tablet sooner than recommended, but she wasnt helpful. So what do u cat experts think? It's Milbemax

Dandelion6

SillyMangoX wrote: »

Someone forgot to tell Moose that cats are obligate carnivores. He's obsessed with vegetables.

My cats will eat plants, cardboard boxes, paper ....

Queen-Mise

This is such a basic question... but still have to ask.

I'm getting a pup early next week. Neighbour's bitch got caught, and I said I'd take one of the pups.

Things have changed so much in puppy training... and as I read here so often a lot of the pack leader stuff is complete nonsense.

Can anyone suggest a few reputable sites and I can start reading and researching... and update my puppy training skills.

Queen-Mise

aonb wrote: »

Ongoing family crisis here, so my little feral being trapped and vetted/neutered has to be on hold for a while longer unfortunately

I managed to get it some worming tablets this am. I'm feeding it 3 times/day but it's hardly putting on any condition. Gave it a worming tablet just now. I Asked the not very nice vet nurse if i should give it a second tablet sooner than recommended, but she wasnt helpful. So what do u cat experts think? It's Milbemax

How old is the feral? Are you trying to train it back to being tame?

I managed to tame a 5/6 month feral kitten two years ago. It was hard work.

And I would give all meds as suggested. Give it a chance to work.

mymo

I have dosed feral twice with drontal before, three weeks between doses if I thought they were bad. It can take a couple of weeks before you see a difference weight wise if she's a heavy worm burden. But you should start to see condition improve after a few days, cleaner brighter eyes, more energy etc. Coat will take a while to improve but weight gain should start after a few days.

Bells21

I managed to create an instant skating rink in my kitchen earlier by dropping and smashing a bottle of yumega on the floor. Used flour first to soak it up and then scrubbed the floor but can still see a sheen in parts.😔

tk123

Bells21 wrote: »

I managed to create an instant skating rink in my kitchen earlier by dropping and smashing a bottle of yumega on the floor. Used flour first to soak it up and then scrubbed the floor but can still see a sheen in parts.��

NOOOO! That was my worry with Riaflex - I'd drop the lot sooner or later lol That and the mix of ingredients I wanted made me try YuMove again

Bells21

tk123 wrote:

NOOOO! That was my worry with Riaflex - I'd drop the lot sooner or later lol That and the mix of ingredients I wanted made me try YuMove again

It was a brand new bottle too....that's what I get for storing it up high, short people problems lol.
On a side note is it yumove that contains green lipped mussel?

tk123

lol short here too yeah it has green lipped muscle but I supplement with extra because I really wanted yumove advance and that's the main difference - I'd have to order the advance through a vet and pay for the privilege!

mymo

So I was away again for a few days, got home at 5am after driving since lunchtime yesterday, loud Germans on the boat talking in the one area everyone was trying to sleep. Got a couple of hours sleep at home, went into work, realized I have a cold, went home early collecting dogs on the way. I'm currently in bed with 3 out of 4 cats and two freshly washed dogs, dosed up with orange juice, multivitamin, cold meds and paracetamol. Animals keeping me warm, while I read a book. Heaven.