Gateworld Members' Pets

[Bee11]

Well I am don't have that great of a pet because I can't where I live..

No mess to clean up anyway!

[sg-1fanintn]

Owned only one cat in my 49 years that liked to walk on the harness. 99% hate it and refuse to walk when it's on. They just flop on their side and give you a look like "get a life" Only thing that might get him moving is a laser pointer, or a feather on the end of a stick and drag it in front of him.

I use a laser pointer with my cat. Great suggestion, trupi!!!

And my cousin uses it with her Jack Russell terriers. They like it so much that they now "demand" daily play sessions chasing that little red light across the floor.

Very cute, but OCD, dogs!

My nephew had a rat and it was very nice. One of the ladies here ate work had a hairless rat for her grandson. Her daughter made it a witch costume for Halloween and it loved wearing it.

I don't suppose you have a photo???? I'd really love to see that!!!

[Pocus]

I wish I did. That was in the days pre digital camera.

[trupi]

I'm going to scream!!!! I caught the mother cat and her kittens today, They can't keep the kittens because they have ring worm. So I have to treat them for the next 40 days before they will take them. They neutered and clipped the poor mothers ear, I feel so bad! How the heck am I going to handle them because they are feral and not very friendly?

[UhSir]

I think the "diet" is working!!! Okay, another thing the vet said was to cut back on his food, gradually. So we cut back a teeny bit and have had him on that for the past three weeks. I mean really teeny bit, he's only getting a teeny bit in the first place, but that's me thinking in human terms.

Anyway, tonight we had the the laser leveler out and suddenly Spot started chasing it. He's never done that. He's never cared about that!!! And yesterday I found him digging into his crunchy bag (it's a bag made of that plastic stuff that makes lots of noise when you crunch it) and he pulled out a fuzzy toy and start batting it around the house.


He's still not thrilled about the harness. I'll keep working with him until we figure out who's got the stronger will power. He is doing okay with going outside but he's not very thrilled about it even without the harness. But he is getting better with the neighbor cat. The other day Big Bit came over to visit and when I opened the door, Spot and he touched noses and they were very friendly (usually Spot hisses and growls), but Spot wouldn't go out so Big Bit started to come in but Spot put his paw on Big Bit's head to hold him back. ROFL!!

[Falcon Horus]

Feral cat advice - ... I have none, other than to try and win their trust.

Feeble advice, I know.

Spot -> he's probably aware of his weight-problem. Or he's decided he can't win from you and wants to give this new thing a try.

*****

Mambo (our oldest, who isn't all that fond of Kaylee, the youngest cat - or so I thought) brought Kaylee home last night. She was out really late and she almost had to stay outside for the remainder of the night. So I went up to bed, hoping that the silly cat would return home soon. And lo and behold half an hour later I heard crunching outside of my door, went to look and found Mambo having a late dinner. I was obviously disappointed not to see Kaylee there too, but she was - her head buried in the box that holds their food.

Kaylee also discovered that being a black cat isn't all that fun when the sun is shining. Poor thing doesn't know where to hide first.

[Solo]

I think the "diet" is working!!! Okay, another thing the vet said was to cut back on his food, gradually. So we cut back a teeny bit and have had him on that for the past three weeks. I mean really teeny bit, he's only getting a teeny bit in the first place, but that's me thinking in human terms.

Anyway, tonight we had the the laser leveler out and suddenly Spot started chasing it. He's never done that. He's never cared about that!!! And yesterday I found him digging into his crunchy bag (it's a bag made of that plastic stuff that makes lots of noise when you crunch it) and he pulled out a fuzzy toy and start batting it around the house.

That's really cool! The thing with cats is, usually they won't overeat. Most cats will leave food in their bowls if they're overfed rather than keep eating when they're full. Doubtless if he's lost a bit of weight, playing is a lot more fun because he's not having to drag so much heft around. Yay!! Now if only it were that easy for us humans

I'm going to scream!!!! I caught the mother cat and her kittens today, They can't keep the kittens because they have ring worm. So I have to treat them for the next 40 days before they will take them. They neutered and clipped the poor mothers ear, I feel so bad! How the heck am I going to handle them because they are feral and not very friendly?

Yikes, Trupi - first of all, though - ((((Trupi)))). Good on you for caring enough to help. If you have enough room, maybe make them a pen somewhere in your house, preferably somewhere quiet, where they have a little hidey hole so they can feel safe and secure, but hear your voices a lot and get used to you? We were really lucky when we were breeding Burmese because our house was an old Colonial so had huge verandahs, and Dad just used an old door on its side to block off one end. It meant that we had access to the kittens through the screen door onto the living room and their Mum could bounce out over the door on the other side whenever she needed a break. Because they were backing onto the living room, they could always hear lots of people but didn't have direct contact with us unless we went in there with them.

As for treating them, all I can suggest is trying to make it fun - associate it with giving them treats (if they're old enough) so it isn't too scary and they don't mind it. As someone else has said, though - if they're feral, it'll take a long time and might not happen at all. But if they're young enough then it'll be easier. The mum will be a different story, though, I bet Good luck, and seriously, you rock for making the effort

And as for laser pointers - LMAO! We bred Cavalier King Charles spaniels - anyone who owns 'em will know they're the SWEETEST dogs in the world, terribly earnest, but not particularly bright. Bess (my brother's dog) and Kade (mine) would chase the reflection of sunlight on a watchface up and down the hallway like mad things. We'd have them running back and forth across the verandahs all afternoon, because they loved it so much. The funniest thing though was when Mum would take up the hall runners to wash the floors, and there was just acres of perfect, blonde, polished wood... we'd shine lights up and down it, with the front and back doors open, and the dogs would go FLYING down the hallway and then realise, too late, that they couldn't stop on the polished wood. They'd go sailing over the verandah at the front or deck at the back and be halfway down the stairs before they could get the brakes on.

Yes, we were horrible children, no they would never get hurt doing it (the verandahs and stairs themselves weren't polished wood so they could get plenty of traction on them) and yes, it was hysterical. Mum would get upset for a minute or two about her floors but then she'd see one of them go sailing past, ears flying, and little legs whirling away as they tried to slow down, and wind up laughing as hard as us kids.

[Falcon Horus]

Not much fantasy needed to imagine that!

[Solo]

Just realised I haven't posted a Mac-update in a while..

I've had her for about a year, now, and she's a very different creature than the scared-witless psycho who would take my hand off soon as look at me if she felt in the least bit threatened.. I am absolutely covered in scars (a friend asked me at dinner a few months ago if I had eczema, and I was out with friends last weekend and one of them, a hand surgeon, told me he has had to amputate fingers because of cat bites after he saw my hands) but she's infinitely better, now. She's also learned (slowly) to differentiate between playing and genuine biting. She doesn't ALWAYS break the surface and go to the bone when she sinks her teeth in, now

She's doing pretty well on all her meds - I don't really need the pill pusher dispenser anymore as she is much better at not spitting out pills hidden in treats. Clearly she doesn't assume I'm trying to poison her anymore Our vet is lovely and because Mac gets so stressed at having to visit (last time was a breakthrough because she didn't need to be kept in and sedated in order for them to draw blood) she only asks to see her every six instead of three months (which I guess is in part because she knows I can always call Mum if there's a problem).

She is still seizing - they're longer and each time the side effects take a little longer to wear off - but it's part and parcel of the myriad problems she has and they're not debilitative - they only come every month or two, as far as I know. She leads a normal life in between episodes, despite the renal failure, hyperthyroid, liver damage, etc..

Now, she sleeps beside me each night instead of hiding out in the living room or under the sink. She still gets funny about being touched, especially if it isn't on her terms, but now insists on having her head rubbed and ears scratched properly for five or ten minutes every night before she'll sleep, and every once in a while she'll come and curl up against my arm. Those are nice moments, although it is sometimes kinda like realising you've trodden on a landmine and armed it, and now have to get away without winding up in pieces spread over a three mile radius..

Here she is, after her coat grew back, looking much shinier and... I was gonna say happier but she really doesn't look "Happy" so much as "disdainful"

She went almost three weeks without drawing blood (until a playful bite got a bit serious the other night) so we're making huge progress

[trupi]

Can't bring the little guys in because I have 13 cats of my own. If my cats get ringworm just send me a gun to do myself in

[Solo]

Thirteen?! Egads!! Where are the kittens now?

[trupi]

Just realised I haven't posted a Mac-update in a while..

I've had her for about a year, now, and she's a very different creature than the scared-witless psycho who would take my hand off soon as look at me if she felt in the least bit threatened.. I am absolutely covered in scars (a friend asked me at dinner a few months ago if I had eczema, and I was out with friends last weekend and one of them, a hand surgeon, told me he has had to amputate fingers because of cat bites after he saw my hands) but she's infinitely better, now. She's also learned (slowly) to differentiate between playing and genuine biting. She doesn't ALWAYS break the surface and go to the bone when she sinks her teeth in, now

She's doing pretty well on all her meds - I don't really need the pill pusher dispenser anymore as she is much better at not spitting out pills hidden in treats. Clearly she doesn't assume I'm trying to poison her anymore Our vet is lovely and because Mac gets so stressed at having to visit (last time was a breakthrough because she didn't need to be kept in and sedated in order for them to draw blood) she only asks to see her every six instead of three months (which I guess is in part because she knows I can always call Mum if there's a problem).

She is still seizing - they're longer and each time the side effects take a little longer to wear off - but it's part and parcel of the myriad problems she has and they're not debilitative - they only come every month or two, as far as I know. She leads a normal life in between episodes, despite the renal failure, hyperthyroid, liver damage, etc..

Now, she sleeps beside me each night instead of hiding out in the living room or under the sink. She still gets funny about being touched, especially if it isn't on her terms, but now insists on having her head rubbed and ears scratched properly for five or ten minutes every night before she'll sleep, and every once in a while she'll come and curl up against my arm. Those are nice moments, although it is sometimes kinda like realising you've trodden on a landmine and armed it, and now have to get away without winding up in pieces spread over a three mile radius..

Here she is, after her coat grew back, looking much shinier and... I was gonna say happier but she really doesn't look "Happy" so much as "disdainful"

rl]http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3563/3497251962_8bc89d9479_o.jpg[/url]

She went almost three weeks without drawing blood (until a playful bite got a bit serious the other night) so we're making huge progress

God Bless you! I love cats but not enough to get abused like you been abused. Someone upstairs directed your cat to the right person.

[sg-1fanintn]

I'm going to scream!!!! I caught the mother cat and her kittens today, They can't keep the kittens because they have ring worm. So I have to treat them for the next 40 days before they will take them. They neutered and clipped the poor mothers ear, I feel so bad! How the heck am I going to handle them because they are feral and not very friendly?

Yikes! Oh, Marian, you're really in a bad situation!

Is there any care group that captures feral cats--then works with them? Here there's a store called the Dog and Cat Store. The woman there actually has feral traps that she sets out in order to get the kitties somewhere safe. Then she tames them and fosters adoptions.

We were there yesterday getting cat food and she told us she has nine pregnant cats right now...so she's going to be looking for lots of good homes for lots of kittens soon. And she's very picky too. I know someone who adopted through her. I just buy cat food there.

Geez! I wish I could think of something else!

[trupi]

Is there any care group that captures feral cats--then works with them?

Yeh-stupid me! Reason why I have thirteen cats! The local shelter and vet are helping me out with the costs. I'm just lucky it only cost me 100 dollars to get the two cats sprayed and the medicine and the debugging the kittens. If I had to pay on my own it would have been hundreds The vet will take the kittens back when (maybe 20 days) their outside ringworm cleaned. They needed to stay on the medicine for 30 days. So in the mean time I'm dressed like a surgeon when treating the kittens, then all cloth I have to bleach and wash right away. Plus I'm standing out in the rain doing all this, trying to keep the little guys dry while giving them their medicine twice a day. (their cages are covered and dry). I'm missing three fries short of a happy meal

[Solo]

Yeh-stupid me! Reason why I have thirteen cats! The local shelter and vet are helping me out with the costs. I'm just lucky it only cost me 100 dollars to get the two cats sprayed and the medicine and the debugging the kittens. If I had to pay on my own it would have been hundreds The vet will take the kittens back when (maybe 20 days) their outside ringworm cleaned. They needed to stay on the medicine for 30 days. So in the mean time I'm dressed like a surgeon when treating the kittens, then all cloth I have to bleach and wash right away. Plus I'm standing out in the rain doing all this, trying to keep the little guys dry while giving them their medicine twice a day. (their cages are covered and dry). I'm missing three fries short of a happy meal

You. are. awesome. I wish I could green you again, but even if I could it seems so very insufficient as a mark of my respect for what you're doing! I'm really glad those kittens found you, anyway <3 (((((Trupi)))))