The Forum Chit-Chat Thread

mymo

Graces7 wrote: »

Are your cats weather reactive? Mine are. At least the three new ones who were street cats before I took them in. They are refusing to come in/stay in when the weather is like this. There is abundant snug shelter in the old sheds but I would be happier if they were in.

I am abed with my 2 old ones... Tonto is crying outside as usual; given him so much food he will crash and sleep. One of the newbies came in crying, ate then cried to go out.

My lot go curl up inside to sleep, the dogs like wind and go stand at highest point of the garden to enjoy it, but then come in and sleep, rain is a no-no for all of them, they all go back to bed.

em_cat

mymo wrote: »

My lot go curl up inside to sleep, the dogs like wind and go stand at highest point of the garden to enjoy it, but then come in and sleep, rain is a no-no for all of them, they all go back to bed.

Neither of ours like the wind, they’ll poke their nose out then be, meh, I’ll just pin you down until your bursting. Our Yorkie x will sit by the hairdryer & cry until he’s blow dried if he gets wet.

mymo

em_cat wrote: »

Neither of ours like the wind, they’ll poke their nose out then be, meh, I’ll just pin you down until your bursting. Our Yorkie x will sit by the hairdryer & cry until he’s blow dried if he gets wet.

We had a cat that howled until you dried her with a towel😂

Graces7

My two old hands are asleep on the bed with me; no worries. Oliver is ditto in the kitchen but the 2 wee girls have vanished totally. They will be in the shed refusing to come out ( only half the roof in there) . I go out and call them frequently but it is getting too bad to do that now. Silly girls.

Graces7

Just " rescued" littlest cat from the shed. Clambered in and there she was, hiding in a cardboard box among the junk. Talked at me, then let me pick her up and bring her in, whereat she chatted for several minutes before she would even eat. Her fur feels so cold' safe on the bed with me now after seeking out again. No way little cat. It is going to get very bad out here.

Graces7

Finally I have all five indoor/outdoor cats inside! And no one is going out until the weather has eased .. NO ONE! I know they can cope but I can't...;

Graces7

Just been bullied and harried out of bed - by a hungry cat! Jacob.. roused me from a deep and much needed sleep by leaping on the bed, trampling me, leaping off again, scratching the floor and door, leaping on the bed....over and over until I caved in. I was so snug too.

We are stormlashed out here and they get ultra hungry but never seen this before... lol.. Oh of course; my shopping order was made up at the last minute because of changed ferry times, and they sent Whiskas in error rather than the usual Supervalu tinned food...always thought Whiskas was addictive!

All fed and settled so maybe now I can get some breakfast. lol

Later; it is stunningly cold out there; I offered Tonto in but he is too scared and I could not stand long at the door; Makes me so sad and helpless

Hibernating a while to try to get warm

Scarinae

Our cat likes to go outside in the snow, she enjoys chasing snowflakes and generally barrelling around the place (we're in Canada). We've had much heavier snow in the last week though, and she is absolutely bamboozled by it - it is too deep for her to comfortably walk across untouched snow so she hops between my footprints, which is absolutely adorable

Samsgirl

Talk to me about Dreamies. Our kitten - 9 months approx loves them. He knows the press they are kept in and will park himself there and meow till he gets some.
Are they bad for cats?
We are new to the feline world having previous had a dog for 12 years - pts 2 weeks ago.

Scarinae

Samsgirl wrote: »

Talk to me about Dreamies. Our kitten - 9 months approx loves them. He knows the press they are kept in and will park himself there and meow till he gets some.
Are they bad for cats?
We are new to the feline world having previous had a dog for 12 years - pts 2 weeks ago.

Our cat adores them too (they're called Temptations in Canada), she zooms into the kitchen anytime we rustle anything in a similar type of bag. She hardly ever sits on our laps but she will do if we have treats for her :pac:

It says on the packet that you can give a 10lb cat up to 15 treats a day but personally I think that's excessive. I think of them as being like junk food for cats, as in they're ok in moderation and not every day.

Mollyb60

One of our cats isn't interested in dreamies at all but the other is. She'd happily murder us for a bag of them. We give her maybe 4/5 a day but no more.

dashoonage

Anyone know if maxi zoo or pet mania have slow feeders bowls?

I had an awful falling out with my dog this morning who i have no nicknamed "Dyson" after the hoover.

dashoonage

dashoonage wrote: »

Anyone know if maxi zoo or pet mania have slow feeders bowls?

I had an awful falling out with my dog this morning who i have no nicknamed "Dyson" after the hoover.

I got this online but have seen it in petmania (for more than twice what I paid mind you!)

Dogit Go-Slow Anti-Gulp Dog Bowl, Small, 300 ml, Blue https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0035H9JTI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_tvOrEbPQJDK8S

I got the medium or large size. Can't remember. Doesn't slow down the eating as much as those maze type ones but I find they frustrate my dog. With that blue one she can eat with some speed but never does the choking and spluttering she does with a regular bowl.

You can do other things to slow your dog down and entertain them while they eat. Feed them using a kong. Lay a towel out flat and sprinkle their nuts along it, then roll it up. They have to nudge it along to unravel it, eating the nuts as they go. Stuff like that. Think there's a FB page called canine enrichment that's been recommended here that probably has some homemade ideas too.

Hope you two have made up.

dashoonage

Thats for that! will check the suggestions out.

ah we made up....she just gave me an awful fright :P

dashoonage

Just to follow up got a dish in petmania this evening and success! dyson is no more....

she was very frustrated to begin with though :P

em_cat

Our 2 get kongs or west paw topples or a king wibble wobble to get their munchies from and it can be very funny.

Graces7

Mollyb60 wrote: »

One of our cats isn't interested in dreamies at all but the other is. She'd happily murder us for a bag of them. We give her maybe 4/5 a day but no more.

after the total feeding frenzy from my five when I opened a packet from the Secret Santa gift, I decided to set the rest aside for those thankfully rare occasions when you need to get a cat to go where a cat does not want to go Hey, might even help with Tonto!

mymo

Samsgirl wrote: »

Talk to me about Dreamies. Our kitten - 9 months approx loves them. He knows the press they are kept in and will park himself there and meow till he gets some.
Are they bad for cats?
We are new to the feline world having previous had a dog for 12 years - pts 2 weeks ago.

We nó longer allow dreamies in the house, we refer to them as kitty crack, Toby has a serious problem with them, it's been years and you still see him perk up at the russle of a wrapper at any sort.
He used to sit for them, and beg, but then he started to growl and knock things, the final straw was him attacking over a packet of skittles he thought were dreamies. Gave both myself and my daughter a few scratches that day.
Judge for yourself, see how your cat reacts, my other 2 weren't that bothered

mymo

Awful day here, so been washing and drying dogs, then cleaning the bathroom and everywhere they ran around. Nearly done now, trying to occupy Sybil too, she's still not allowed much exercise after her hernia op, only 3 more weeks or so. I think I'll go mad, she really needs to run.

em_cat

Same here, every single time I went to walk our 2 we got lashed by hail, teeny tiny balls of pain Poor mr c was blow dried about 5 times & Esmae is petrified of gale force winds. So I spent the majority of the day coming up with novel games for them. Esmae is a very busy little girl so it takes a lot of effort with her enrichment games.

Graces7

been out rescuing littlest cat.. Selkie the part Oriental hates gales and vanishes for over 24 hours. I worry as it was seriously dangerous weather out here. There is the old abandoned cottage at the back here so they have shelter but I am not happy when she stays out so long, So early today as the gale had eased, went out with the big torch, yep, in my nightie, calling her. On and on I called, and finally heard a faint cry. And coaxed her to where I could grab her. Out there in the wild wind .. She always lets me do that..Sees me as her safe place.. Just needs that reassurance before she will come home. .So she is safe. And stuffed with raw chicken breast. Last night I only had two of the five indoor/outdoor cats inside. Opening the door was a hazardous thing.

That's right, Selkie! Have a good wash! I can rest now.
Good timing as rain is sheeting down now..

aonb

Graces7 wrote: »

been out rescuing littlest cat.. Selkie the part Oriental hates gales and vanishes for over 24 hours. I worry as it was seriously dangerous weather out here. There is the old abandoned cottage at the back here so they have shelter but I am not happy when she stays out so long, So early today as the gale had eased, went out with the big torch, yep, in my nightie, calling her. On and on I called, and finally heard a faint cry. And coaxed her to where I could grab her. Out there in the wild wind .. She always lets me do that..Sees me as her safe place.. Just needs that reassurance before she will come home. .So she is safe. And stuffed with raw chicken breast. Last night I only had two of the five indoor/outdoor cats inside. Opening the door was a hazardous thing.

That's right, Selkie! Have a good wash! I can rest now.
Good timing as rain is sheeting down now..

Your posts are always so atmospheric - I can almost see your island and your cats

Taiga

Me too aonb, I love reading her posts.

All is well here with my two. She's been here just over two weeks now and they're still best buddies. She's as bad as him sometimes, she jumps of top of him when he's asleep to play and he sneaks up on her and grabs her tail. So far they haven't had a row.

They've been getting a little lamb chop in the afternoon as I noticed they were losing weight because (I assume) they're so active, though the past few days they seem to have settled more.

I adore them. We all do. Life is funny isn't it.:)

Graces7

For kindness, my thanks.

I am blessed to live here although there are moments! And blessed with my cats. Being together 24/7 makes for an interesting life..Waited so many years to get here. Only a lighthouse would be as good as here! Yes I did try to rent one way back...Ballycotton has goats and hens AND a cat!

My first task at whatever time I wake and need up, while the kettle is heating for coffee, is to cut up raw chicken, with all these eyes watching every move. Just chicken as I avoid red meat now. Then silence apart from the crunching of bones... then silence as they sleep, replete. THEN I can enjoy coffee..

Each so individual... quirky, loving. Burrowing under the bedclothes for mutual warmth.. Cats are amazing.

Taiga

Not animal related but I've always wanted to stay in a lighthouse. It would be my ideal holiday, whatever the weather. Imagine the peace!

Graces7

Taiga wrote: »

Not animal related but I've always wanted to stay in a lighthouse. It would be my ideal holiday, whatever the weather. Imagine the peace!

No peace when a storm is raging! I was glued to some of the youtubes and eg Fastnet in a storm,,, It is bad here in a gale but there! These nights I have to wear earplugs as soon as the cats are safe in.

If you mean peace from folk and traffic etc. I have that here in great measures. Usually when the weather allows and it is light very early I walk the silent empty lanes with whatever cats join me.. down to the shore we wander, and the cats play on the rocks, then home to the peace before anyone else is up of the few folk here. It is what I came here for. That solitude.

Most of the lighthouses are on sheer small rocks. The waves crash over the top and they shake in gales, and often the relief crews could not get in for weeks.... It was a world apart; sad that it has ended.

Hey there is one does B and B and another a hotel but not the same now.

Mayo where I am has many peaceful places along the coast. Mine is so quiet' now just the tide playing with rocks on the shore at the back. Dark as dark out.

Jacob cat, who is phobic about going out since Oliver arrived, cries at the door every day but refuses to go out... Drives me nuts. He just finally WENT OUT! He may be missing for many hours and come in scratched about the face but he is out...He has a piercing high pitched cry.

Taiga

I'm still sold on the idea Graces. Well not the shaking in gales bit!:D

What lucky cats you have with you minding them.

Graces7

Taiga wrote: »

I'm still sold on the idea Graces. Well not the shaking in gales bit!:D

What lucky cats you have with you minding them.

lol! This place shakes and trembles in gales... I know what you mean but I have been horrified by the sheer din of the gales out here. Maybe the lighthouse walls are thicker? This is a "demountable dwelling" ie aluminium module.

Ah no, I am utterly blessed by these the cats of my old age. Each their own "person" with their own quirks . Boycat is headed for 16 now and I am terrified of losing him. That is a lot of years. Love them dearly.

He is the one in the middle; I think it is Selkie on the left and the back end of Oliver on the right..

Graces7

It has been a long, loud night out here. At one stage I only had one cat inside with me. Now I need Jacob to come home. One by one hunger has brought them in. Raw chicken oyster thighs today. That deep silence and concentration when critters are feeding. YOU know!

Taiga

Beautiful pic of them Graces! Cats always look so serine. My two are on the sofa snuggled up now. Oh lads the hair from Izzy!:eek: I've never seen anything like it. It's everywhere. I've never hoovered so much and she's only tiny! He's such a hairy handsome and he barely sheds compared to her.