The Chillout Zone (Off-Topic Thread)

borderlinemeath

Pumpkinseeds wrote: »

The neighbourhood crows are creeping me out a bit today. I feed the birds every day, there's a large green area out the front of the house and we get a lot of different types of birds. Usually the crows will sweep down for the food first but today they're too busy shrieking at each other in the trees for some reason and ignoring the food. The noise is creepy, even our cats are on edge.:eek:

It was a full moon last night, I wonder is it affecting them?

Pretzill

Pumpkinseeds wrote: »

The neighbourhood crows are creeping me out a bit today. I feed the birds every day, there's a large green area out the front of the house and we get a lot of different types of birds. Usually the crows will sweep down for the food first but today they're too busy shrieking at each other in the trees for some reason and ignoring the food. The noise is creepy, even our cats are on edge.:eek:

There could be a threat to them somewhere, a couple of weeks ago I saw a few crows chase away a Sparrow Hawk in flight - mind you I've seen swallows doing the same.

Pumpkinseeds

Whatever it is bugging the crows Toby isn't taking any chances. I was trying to encourage him to play in the back yard with the Da Bird but he was having none of it. Instead he made it clear that he wanted me to stand in the yard so he could sit on the nice mat inside the kitchen door in a patch of warm sunlight and I could stand on the concrete in the wind swishing the Da Bird within swatting distance of him.:rolleyes: More fool me I let him win.:D

He is such a clumsy cat though, it's hillarious watching him tumble over himself or roll off things. I shouldn't laugh but it's so funny. I don't think anyone ever really played with him before he showed up here. He didn't seem to have much concept of play, but the first time I showed him the Da Bird he grabbed it, ran off across the green out the front of our house and growled at the other 3 if they went near him for it.

mymo

We got a stove in on Friday, since the weather was a bit crap and chilly, we lit it every evening. I came home from work and three of the cats are sitting looking at it, I think they want me to light it.

ShaShaBear

tk123 wrote: »

Yeah we're the same now - only have carpet on the stairs and landing which we got the same time as Lucy because we thought the stairs were too slippy for dogs and for carrying a pup up and down for toilet training! Bailey moved up to my room at night when we got the carpet The last room that had carpet is having a laminate flooring put down by my dad while the rest of us are on our hols. That one was pulled up a couple of weeks ago because it was infested with moth worms!!! >_< puke puke puke

After roughly ten minutes of attempting to Sonic his way around the floor, he's totally stopped running and will only walk. It's almost like he's got no other choice but to walk calmly. When we let him in a few minutes ago, he clattered across the kitchen lino and skidded to a slow walk as soon as he hit the laminate! :pac:

Seriously, I'm going to put the stuff everywhere, it's like having a normal dog and a clean floor at the same time!

Mech1

1st egg has arrived!!!

angeldaisy

I've no idea what's bothering Elly at the moment, but she's driving me nuts!

the last week or so, she has become really clingy, if I crate her at night, which we've done since we got her, she cries until I let her out. If I don't let her out, she howls in that ear splitting puppy voice until I give in before she wakes the whole house.
Of course because she won't stay in the crate, she has decided the best place to be is glued to my side in the bed!

She is following me absolutely everywhere - my head is wrecked from it!

I've had to come into college this morning just to get a break from her:D

reallyrose

I took Mr Fluffy McWhingy to the vet on Saturday, he was totally chilled out, wandered around the clinic like it was his own living room. Had a purr, had a meow, licked his arsé in front of everyone, not a bother.

The vet said he got a bite off a flea at some stage and had an allergic reaction, that's why he's been chewing the fur off himself.

Got an injection of steroids so hopefully he'll improve now.

Pumpkinseeds

Someone's cat snuck in to our kitchen in the early hours and I came rushing down at 2am to see what the commotion was all about. Felix, Poppy and Jazzy were all making that horrible owyowyowy noise they do before a fight. The intruder was gone but the sensor light in the garden was on and Jazzy went out sniffing everything. Since then Felix and Toby have been having a piddling contest in the kitchen and hall.:rolleyes:

Mech1

1st egg laid this morning!

Should be one laid every morning from now on for maybe 8 to 12 days.

Tune in at approx 5.00Am till maybe 6.30Am to see each laying Live. http://www.ustream.tv/channel/mech11

reallyrose

Very hard to get up this morning. Swanson was on major hug mode, kept trying to crawl in for pets.

Cats have a perfect sense for when being cute is most devastating.

Pumpkinseeds

I think I know who are feline nocturnal visitor was. The people across the street got 2 cats a while ago and I found Toby on top of their wall last night talking to/shouting at one of them.:rolleyes:

reallyrose

reallyrose wrote: »

Very hard to get up this morning. Swanson was on major hug mode, kept trying to crawl in for pets.

Cats have a perfect sense for when being cute is most devastating.

HE DID IT AGAIN THIS MORNING!

mymo

what's going on?
Anyone else's cats into a murderous rampage?

3 of ours have been grumbling and growling today, and I have disposed of a couple of mice, a rat, a bird and a rabbit, the second rabbit ruby ate.
Tobys arch nemisis (the pheasant that comes to the field outside sometimes) nearly met his maker too.
Jake slept though it all, he's never killed anything.

Kovu

Ours are always on a murderous rampage. I'm thinking of building a little altar under my bedroom window for all the random pieces of animal that end up there. There was a perfectly decapitated mouse there this morning, no other mark on him at all, just looked like his head happened to fall off.

This time of year I have to check their mouth when they come in the window at 3/4/5am as there could be added extras with them. But as I never turn a light on, the easiest way is to just clamp my hand over their mouth as they poke their head in. Poor cats are used to it at this stage but the first few time they were probably think 'wtf is hooman at now''

mymo

We get something most days, but that lot was all in one day!

I know what you mean about checking their mouths, Arrabella got her first mouse a while ago and tried to run up to my daughters room with it, daughter was in bed and has been presented with dead flies and spiders on her pillow before (screams over the spider were impressive).

I walked into the kitchen to find Toby sprawled out washing his paws with a dead rabbit beside him, and Arrabella brought me a mouse, although she swapped it for a piece of chicken.

Just seemed to be rather a lot yesterday, I spotted 2 more bodies under the garden chairs this morning, I must have missed them as they were in all night.

angeldaisy

I don't have cats but my two dogs have been on a hunting spree too. We have loads of shrews in the garden and surrounding fields. They go mental over them. Killed at least two that I know of this week :-(

Pumpkinseeds

I put a lovely red reflective collar on Toby late on Friday night, he came home this morning, Sunday, with no collar.:rolleyes: Either he lost it or the other people he visits took it off him. He's getting another reflective collar on today and if that one disappears the 3rd one he gets will have a note under it telling the people he visits that if it's them taking his collar off they'd better leave it on unless they want to pay for his food, vaccinations, pet insurance, flea/worm treatments and vet trips.

reallyrose

Swanson is a certified eejit and can't hunt but he did bring in a crisp packet and a sausage roll from outside over the weekend so maybe he has the bloodlust too.

angeldaisy

think Elly is turning into a bit of a magpie... so far in the past week I have found - on my bed - always MY bed - nail clippers, hair brush, comb, pens and this morning my glasses!

So far the only thing that has been chewed is the pens - thought she'd been injured one day, until I realised the red all over her paws was from the red biro she destroyed!

aonb

reallyrose wrote: »

Swanson is a certified eejit and can't hunt but he did bring in a crisp packet and a sausage roll from outside over the weekend so maybe he has the bloodlust too.

Dont complain!!! Better a crisp packet & sausage roll (did he not just gobble it up?!?!?) than a half dead or long dead rodent/rabbit/bird

reallyrose

aonb wrote: »

Dont complain!!! Better a crisp packet & sausage roll (did he not just gobble it up?!?!?) than a half dead or long dead rodent/rabbit/bird

I'm not complaining, I'm just a bit ... sort of ... bemused. He brought the sausage roll in so he show it to me and then chase it and then put it in his box.

He's brought in a lot of random things. Sticks, a piece of door insulation, a button, a pine cone. Mint wrappers. Once, he brought in a kitten and it lived with us for about 8 months.

If we could only train him to bring wallets home...

Pumpkinseeds

I'm glad our 4 cats haven't killed much lately. Jazzy was a nightmare for it. There was one night last year when he brought in a live mouse in the early hours and while my husband was trying to catch and release it he'd another one brought in from somewhere as soon as the first one was put out the front door. Felix catches things the odd time but doesn't hurt them, he just gently holds them in his mouth and looks a bit bewildered as to what he should do with them.:D

Poppy couldn't give a monkeys about killing anything, but is a lunatic with toys. Toby has brought home a live mouse once, but I suspect he's a killing machine that doesn't bring stuff home. Jazzy came home with feathers all around his mouth last month, but if he kills a bird it's usually a starling and he always eats them. His feral origins I think.

aonb

reallyrose wrote: »

I'm not complaining, I'm just a bit ... sort of ... bemused. He brought the sausage roll in so he show it to me and then chase it and then put it in his box.

He's brought in a lot of random things. Sticks, a piece of door insulation, a button, a pine cone. Mint wrappers. Once, he brought in a kitten and it lived with us for about 8 months.

If we could only train him to bring wallets home...

Yes he sounds a bit daft and lovely! I have one that has zero "killer instinct" - he is a bit intellectually challenged :rolleyes: - but a gorgeous little fool. We've had dogs that would hunt for Ireland, and had the "red haze" decend when it comes to small furry defenseless animals, and its so much easier having a daft git

Pumpkinseeds

I just realised I forgot to buy cat food when we did the shopping on Friday Still waiting for the Zooplus delivery of Bozita that probably won't come until tomorrow and now I'm going to have to go to the town centre and get some pouches. Am dying with a head cold and raw throat and shattered from coughing all night. I just want to curl up in bed with some vaporub and a hot whisky with lemon and honey. God forbid they should have to slum it on dry food alone.:D

muddypaws

Have had a lovely weekend away on a canine related training course, where I met two fellow boardsies. Dinner last night was great fun, and nobody watching us would have believed we were all only drinking water!!!

I also fell in love with a toy poodle this weekend, I'm never been a small dog person, and, following a bad incident when I was a child, I have never liked poodles. This little fella has completely changed my mind, such an incredibly smart dog, and so cute.

mymo

I love the standard poodles, I had one living few doors away as a child and didn't know it was a poodle for a couple of years (I was about 9), no poodle haircut, just a tight trim.
She was such a sweet smart dog, and very funny, it actually made me seriously consider getting one, maybe one day.
I also had an incident with a toy one, and was never fond of them, but I've seen great agility and tricks done by them.

muddypaws

mymo wrote: »

I love the standard poodles, I had one living few doors away as a child and didn't know it was a poodle for a couple of years (I was about 9), no poodle haircut, just a tight trim.
She was such a sweet smart dog, and very funny, it actually made me seriously consider getting one, maybe one day.
I also had an incident with a toy one, and was never fond of them, but I've seen great agility and tricks done by them.

A friend of mine now has a standard, a piebald one, and she is a complete looper, such a funny dog.

I think the haircuts that they have to suffer probably put me off, I thought they were real high maintenance, fussy dogs, but they were originally hard working water dogs, so I should learn not to judge a book by its cover - or a dog by it's show cut

SillyMangoX

I always thought poodles were real high maintainance fussy dogs too, but having met a couple while on work experience I fell in love with their personalities! I don't think I would ever own one unless I take up grooming myself though

I was at a cat show last Sunday, i always come home wanting so many breeds! This time was worse because I was a steward and got to handle/ cuddle a lot of cats, breeds which I never would have gotten up close with before, and now I really really really want a Burmese!!! Fell in love with one kitten in particular, she was such a dote

Pumpkinseeds

I think my coughing is freaking Felix out. He's been coming to bed with me in the mornings and sticking to me like glue on the sofa. Which is very unusual for him, my husband is his favourite person. I'm gonna have to go back to my gp tomorrow, I'm worn out with it now. If I have cough very loudly Poppy runs out of the room.

Dord

Pumpkinseeds wrote: »

I think my coughing is freaking Felix out. He's been coming to bed with me in the mornings and sticking to me like glue on the sofa. Which is very unusual for him, my husband is his favourite person. I'm gonna have to go back to my gp tomorrow, I'm worn out with it now. If I have cough very loudly Poppy runs out of the room.

My kitten Cliff does that when either of us are sick. He's not too bothered by coughing but will bolt if you sneeze.

He turned 1 yesterday.

angeldaisy

Interesting afternoon yesterday! Elly had been escaping from our fenced in back garden and we couldn't work out exactly how or where. Yesterday I let her out for wees and literally turned my back for a second, only to then see her hurdle the fence where we have our gate cut into it:eek:

Managed to get her back in eventually - we have calves in the field behind us, so lots of lovely poo to eat!

Racked my brains to try and figure out how I could stop her doing this in the short term, till we made the fence higher. I watched her whilst we were out in the garden and all her interest was where the gate is. So I dragged over my sons goal posts and put it in from on the gate. So far no more escapes.

Thing is the fence is the same height all the way around - stoopid dog hasn't worked that out though .......YET!!!

angeldaisy

Dord wrote: »

My kitten Cliff does that when either of us are sick. He's not too bothered by coughing but will bolt if you sneeze.

He turned 1 yesterday.

Elly,my collie x, tries to attack your face if you sneeze - not sure what she thinks it is:D:D:eek:

gimmick

Just looking at Facebook. Cork <snip> taken in a new dog who was dumped out of a car yesterday. The reg number was seen of the car who did it. What sanctions can be taken against the scut who dumped the poor dog?

reallyrose

Swanson used to run away from his own sneezes. With ours, he just looks at us as if we've personally insulted him.

Pumpkinseeds

Toby came to bed with me last night and stayed til after 3am, a little while after that Felix came to join me. Felix has decided that widthways between the back of my knees is the best place to sleep on our kingsize bed. Is just as well I've not been able to sleep much. He and Toby are getting on so well now, I'm almost afraid to say that. Felix just seems to have gotten over whatever it was that he hates about him, for now anyway.

Pumpkinseeds

reallyrose wrote: »

Swanson used to run away from his own sneezes. With ours, he just looks at us as if we've personally insulted him.

Ours are the same with sneezing, they look as if you've insulted not just them, but every feline that ever was.:D

tk123

Pumpkinseeds wrote: »

Toby came to bed with me last night and stayed til after 3am, a little while after that Felix came to join me. Felix has decided that widthways between the back of my knees is the best place to sleep on our kingsize bed. Is just as well I've not been able to sleep much. He and Toby are getting on so well now, I'm almost afraid to say that. Felix just seems to have gotten over whatever it was that he hates about him, for now anyway.

Do you get warm from them? Lucy has me COOKED in the bed. I was in the canaries last week and slept great without her on top of me lol even though it was much warmer at night!! This morning when I went back into my room after I'd had a shower I couldn't get over how bloody cold it was - both windows are open but the heat in the bed is terrible. Between that and her snoring from having the inflatable collar on (to stop her rubbing a scratch over her eye) I had a terrible night's sleep!

Pumpkinseeds

tk123 wrote: »

Do you get warm from them? Lucy has me COOKED in the bed. I was in the canaries last week and slept great without her on top of me lol even though it was much warmer at night!! This morning when I went back into my room after I'd had a shower I couldn't get over how bloody cold it was - both windows are open but the heat in the bed is terrible. Between that and her snoring from having the inflatable collar on (to stop her rubbing a scratch over her eye) I had a terrible night's sleep!

I don't get too hot if Mr Pumpkinseeds isn't in the bed too.:D Our 4 each have a way of sprawling at the bottom of the bed, at a weird angle so that they have at least 70% of the bed while we're almost glued together at an even weirder angle. Toby is a master at it. You'd never think a cat could take up so much room. Mostly you wouldn't even know he's on the bed and he eventually toddles off on important cat business.

Poppy on the other hand has to climb all over me and settles on my side. Of course when I'm asleep I don't know she's there until I hear a disgruntled meow when I turn over and a thud as she jumps down onto the floor.

Zapperzy

I got a da bird type pole feather on zooplus, looks very similar to a real bird. Jesse went mad for it, when she finally caught it she took off flying round the kitchen ears back growling :-o she's never ever growled or been territorial with any type of food or toy but this thing set her wild :-o she hid underneath the telly til I opened the hall door to let her downstairs

tk123

I've had my suspicious but confirmed earlier that Lucy is definetly afriad of small kids!! Crossing the road around the corner a little boy asked to pet them and was very excited about it - she shyed away from him but was happy for the mum to pet her...then walking through the hospital grounds 3 more kids - 2 running over shouting 'big doggies!!' - she wouldn't go near them and froze on the path when they get close. The forth was a man walking by with a toddler who wasn't paying the dogs any attention but she froze again because they were coming towards us.
The breeder had kids and she was fine with them before. The only bad experience I can think of was when she was small and herself and Bailey were off lead and ran up hill in the park where they normally play on top - passing 3 kids who went absolutely crazy screaming and crying. I had to go up and lead the dogs back down because the kids were between them and me and they were afraid to go past them while they were in hysterics.

VonVix

I don't blame her. Small kids are terrifying.

tk123

VonVix wrote: »

I don't blame her. Small kids are terrifying.

I know but kids seem to love them!!...probably because they're the perfect height for hugs! I think we'll have to start sitting near the playground at a distance and take it from there? Her first walk ever was as far as the playground to sit on a bench and get her used to it - she was delighted to see all the kids and get cuddles. Bailey was very good though - wagged his tail and licked their hands

VonVix

tk123 wrote: »

I know but kids seem to love them!!...probably because they're the perfect height for hugs! I think we'll have to start sitting near the playground at a distance and take it from there? Her first walk ever was as far as the playground to sit on a bench and get her used to it - she was delighted to see all the kids and get cuddles. Bailey was very good though - wagged his tail and licked their hands

They're noisy and fast! Maybe start acting like a kid yourself, or find a 'trusted' kid you know and see on a fairly regular basis like a niece or nephew. :P

My dogs don't like little boys, they are too full on for them. They much better with little girls though they can have their scary moments too.

Pumpkinseeds

Zapperzy wrote: »

I got a da bird type pole feather on zooplus, looks very similar to a real bird. Jesse went mad for it, when she finally caught it she took off flying round the kitchen ears back growling :-o she's never ever growled or been territorial with any type of food or toy but this thing set her wild :-o she hid underneath the telly til I opened the hall door to let her downstairs

Toby was the very same with it the first time I took it out. He ran off onto the green area in front of the house with it and growled when the others tried to play. We get ages out of them as some of of 4 prefer to swat at it in the air and some prefer chasing it on the ground.

Pumpkinseeds

I couldn't figure out why Jazzy has been chasing and slapping Poppy for the past few days. He's really been harassing her. Then yesterday I found her asleep in his basket, she was there again last night and I had to scoot her out his basket again this morning. The little madam is trying to steal it on him. She has her own basket, which was his but became hers when she had that room as a safe room when we brought her home. I can't blame him really, I'd throttle anyone trying to steal my bed.:D

mymo

I'm trying to figure out a way to finish painting my livingroom.
I feed the cats on the windowsill as the dogs were stealing their food, and I have no doors on my livingroom, the stairs are open (in the livingroom), and paint needs at least 24hrs to dry properly, so what do I do with 4 cats?
I can't shut them all in together somewhere as they would kill each other, I won't shut them outside and the house is a funny layout so can't let them in and out, I can't shut each in a separate room, it's like one of those puzzles.

Pumpkinseeds

mymo wrote: »

I'm trying to figure out a way to finish painting my livingroom.
I feed the cats on the windowsill as the dogs were stealing their food, and I have no doors on my livingroom, the stairs are open (in the livingroom), and paint needs at least 24hrs to dry properly, so what do I do with 4 cats?
I can't shut them all in together somewhere as they would kill each other, I won't shut them outside and the house is a funny layout so can't let them in and out, I can't shut each in a separate room, it's like one of those puzzles.

We still have a set of white paw prints outside on the living room window ledge from when Jazzy walked in the gloss from the bannisters then walked it everywhere he went.

mymo

We put in French doors couple of years back, one 3inch wide bit of cement across the doorway have two lots of dog paw prints and a few cat ones too!

Pumpkinseeds

Toby came home without his collar AGAIN today. That's the 2nd in 7 days. Thankfully the 2 others I ordered arrived yesterday. I suspect he might have lost it in a brawl with a new cat last night. Mr Pumpkinseeds fed him at 4.30 and he went off again and when I came down at 8.30 the collar was gone, apparently he still had it at 4.30. He crosses a very busy road and it's vital that he has a reflective collar. We've been using the Red Dingo ones, which aren't cheap with the Sterling to Euro exchange rate. At this rate I'm probably gonna have to start taking a torch around the neighbourhood in the early hours looking for the lost collars.:D