Pets
- Thread starter JHDK
- Start date
That's good, because I'm about to overtake him for the #2 position in reaction score.
Congrats on the new member of the Scotch family.
I would give this post the angry face but that's a reaction. So
instead.
I would give this post the angry face but that's a reaction. So
instead.
Our nickname for Talia is "our last puppy". I couldn't convince Mrs. Scotch that we're past the point in our lives where a puppy would be welcome, but now that we're dealing with one, she's coming around to my way of thinking. In any case, she's mostly good, as puppies go. Yesterday, she had her first walk on the beach.
IdRatherBeSkiing
Sherbert is NOT and NEVER WILL BE ice cream.
We have also decided that we will have no more pets. We at one point had 5 cats in the house. We had 2 dogs. Now we are 1 and 1. We will not replace (despite our love for schnauzers).
At most, we've had 3 dogs at one time, and 2 cats. The puppy should be with us for a long time. We also have 2 cats currently, and our other dog is 9.
IdRatherBeSkiing
Sherbert is NOT and NEVER WILL BE ice cream.
The 5 was for a very brief period. My son when he was in grade school would find these kittens (usually while walking home with a pretty girl although he claimed that had nothing to do with it). So he would bring them home. We had to give away one. and the remainder died over time.
IdRatherBeSkiing
Sherbert is NOT and NEVER WILL BE ice cream.
Athena is a fat cat.
I should have seen this coming. She lives her whole life in 1 room so while she still runs around and jumps on my bed and all, she doesn't have nearly as much space to run around as she did at Hendrik's place.
So I've put her on a diet. I used to fill the dish full every time it was empty. Now I'm starting her off at 1/2 cup of food per day. I just started this yesterday so I will have to tweak it over time. I think a half cup may be too much. It's almost 24 hours now and she still has food in her dish. That tells me that even when she had access to unlimited food she wouldn't eat 1/2 cup per day. I may cut it back to 1/3 cup, we'll see.
Then of course there are my Disney trips where I leave out at least a week's worth of food and water just in case. I guess that will now become a treat for her. It's good though, while she's alone for a few days she will at least have a bunch of food so hopefully that will offset the loneliness. Leaving her for more than 60 hours is always concerning to me. Now when I get back she's always fine but still I just feel bad doing it. While cats are quite independent, they are still social beasts.
I should have seen this coming. She lives her whole life in 1 room so while she still runs around and jumps on my bed and all, she doesn't have nearly as much space to run around as she did at Hendrik's place.
So I've put her on a diet. I used to fill the dish full every time it was empty. Now I'm starting her off at 1/2 cup of food per day. I just started this yesterday so I will have to tweak it over time. I think a half cup may be too much. It's almost 24 hours now and she still has food in her dish. That tells me that even when she had access to unlimited food she wouldn't eat 1/2 cup per day. I may cut it back to 1/3 cup, we'll see.
Then of course there are my Disney trips where I leave out at least a week's worth of food and water just in case. I guess that will now become a treat for her. It's good though, while she's alone for a few days she will at least have a bunch of food so hopefully that will offset the loneliness. Leaving her for more than 60 hours is always concerning to me. Now when I get back she's always fine but still I just feel bad doing it. While cats are quite independent, they are still social beasts.
IdRatherBeSkiing
Sherbert is NOT and NEVER WILL BE ice cream.
Get your cat a leash and take her on your walks with you.
Cats aren't hard to walk .... once you get the harness/collar and leash on them. That is the tricky part.
Cats aren't hard to walk .... once you get the harness/collar and leash on them. That is the tricky part.
I will not be one of those people.
Dogs take walks on a leash, not cats. I'll just keep her on the diet and be sure to spend more time playing with her every day.
You know that cat's don't need a reason to chew your face off when you sleep......But now you've given her one.
FIFY
There is this really good looking gray and black cat that roams my complex and I've been feeding it more or less every morning for months now. I'm pretty sure it's not a pet because it is incredibly skittish and will never let me close to it.
Today I fed it in the morning like usual and just now when I went to my car it was sleeping right by it. When I said hello it ran but then I came back with another meal for the little guy and he didn't run. That is the first time its let me get within 3 yards of it w/o running. So I'm thinking either it's sick or it's finally warming up to me. If I had more space I'd snatch it and have a second pet cat and Athena would just have to deal with it. Kinda like poor Tom did when I first brought Athena to my dad's place.
If it's sick I may get a trap and attempt to cage it and bring it to my vet for a checkup. That's a lot of work though so I'm not sure if I'll do it. I do my part by feeding the poor little thing.
Ha, I also feed four muscovy ducks every night on my walk but I think I've mentioned it before. Those things love me now and will take the bread from my hand. When I get close to them I say "hey guys" and they quickly waddle over to me, ready for their meal. It's super cute.
Both these pics are from today. The top one is the cat right by my car. The other is from this morning when I came home from my walk.
Today I fed it in the morning like usual and just now when I went to my car it was sleeping right by it. When I said hello it ran but then I came back with another meal for the little guy and he didn't run. That is the first time its let me get within 3 yards of it w/o running. So I'm thinking either it's sick or it's finally warming up to me. If I had more space I'd snatch it and have a second pet cat and Athena would just have to deal with it. Kinda like poor Tom did when I first brought Athena to my dad's place.
If it's sick I may get a trap and attempt to cage it and bring it to my vet for a checkup. That's a lot of work though so I'm not sure if I'll do it. I do my part by feeding the poor little thing.
Ha, I also feed four muscovy ducks every night on my walk but I think I've mentioned it before. Those things love me now and will take the bread from my hand. When I get close to them I say "hey guys" and they quickly waddle over to me, ready for their meal. It's super cute.
Both these pics are from today. The top one is the cat right by my car. The other is from this morning when I came home from my walk.
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IdRatherBeSkiing
Sherbert is NOT and NEVER WILL BE ice cream.
But it's so cute!
I can't have any more pets though. I already feel a bit bad that Athena lives her entire life in one room these days. But overall she has a good life. I constantly pay attention to her and she never has to worry about a meal or fleas or cars. Unlike my poor gray and black buddy.
IdRatherBeSkiing
Sherbert is NOT and NEVER WILL BE ice cream.
Ferel cats are not easy to domesticate. And they may actually hurt a domesticated cat who does not have the natural 'fight' ability active.
Yea, Athena is soft. She's never even had the chance to hunt and kill a mouse. The biggest thing she's ever hunted was one of those little geckos we have down here that sometime find their way into the house. The only times she's ever been outside has been in a carrier from the house to the car for vet trips or going from one house to another. She has a pretty cushy cat life.
Tom on the other hand was a real man cat. He got his chops on the mean streets of Huntingdon Valley, PA. That guy would take down anything, mice, birds, bunnies. But at the same time he was sweet as can be, that's why we took him in.
I'm not 100% sure the cat is feral though. It's doesn't act aggressive at all, just skittish. It probably is, but then again it may have been a pet at one point that was abandoned.
And once again I'm not taking this cat in. Even though I kinda want to, I don't have the room for it.
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