Cat Lovers Thread

[Gracie]

The only disembowled thing I find in the yard is birds and a field rat now and then. Pretties is like that gal in Game Of Thrones..the one that beat the hell out of Jaime Lannister.
She sticks close to home. No more wandering for her. She is 10 years old now. Almost 11. Once I brought her here and set her down in the house....she was off, patrolling. Been that way since. I am lucky.

 

[Kooshdakhaa]

If I had a lot of cats, I would do what you did, Koosh. But..I am not really a cat person. They find ME. And it is always one. Just one.

Hehe. Believe it or not, I'm not really a cat person, either! I used to be until we got our dobermans. That was it! Now I'm a dog person. But nobody else was helping these stray cats so I had to do something. I can't stand to see animals suffer. You're lucky only one finds you at a time!

Actually, I haven't seen a stray cat around here in a couple of years. I see cat footprints all over in the snow, but those may just be from someone's cat that is allowed to roam free. All the stray cats live in my house now!

And not one of them sprays in the house! They all use the catboxes. I am soooo lucky!

Last couple of tomcats I took in I told my husband I think I may run out of luck. What would I do if they spray in the house. He said, just put them back out. At least they would have had a chance. So I brought them in and they didn't spray. I think I'm done with it, though. No more cats. Only dogs from now on. (famous last words)

 

[jon_berzerk]

So they don't get out and get smacked by a car or eaten by a dog.

cats are much wiser then dogs

i would be careful stringing things up on a fence

i would be afraid of one getting hung on that stuff

we cant get baby to even think of going outside

and as for Gary he goes for walks with us

or he stays inside

Well, I believe that cats should be able to walk outside on Mother Earth. Prowl in the tall grass and sneak around in the bushes. And chase bugs and sunbathe outdoors in the summer. But I also believe they should be safe. So I gave my cats the best of both worlds...they get to go outside and prowl around like cats are meant to...but they're safe.

Lets see, with seven cats and I've had the containment system 10 years...but didn't always have seven cats so let's just average it out to 4 cats times 10 years. That's 40 cat years and no cats have gotten hung up on "that stuff."

Especially since several of my cats were strays on the streets...they're used to being able to go outdoors. I couldn't imagine rescuing them and then keeping them prisoner indoors. Wouldn't be much of a rescue.

It took a lot of research and a lot of effort, but it works and it's worth it. I feel like I'm giving my cats the best possible life I can. In the summer, when I'm home, I just leave the sliding door to the back yard open all the time and the dogs and cats go in and out as they please. It's glorious!

for a cat that has been used to roaming the streets as a stray a small back yard

sounds more like a prison yard

dont get me wrong i am not knocking on ya

but cats always remain semi wild and can get along just fine outdoors

if that is their thing

i would be more afraid of a hawk swooping down on them

and making a quick snack of them

read what happened to fat cat eddie


Fat cat Eddie gets snatched up by hawk, but dropped in neighbor's garden due to weight - NY Daily News

 

[jon_berzerk]

not only hawks but owls also

snack on cats

i have seen half eaten cats stashed in the upper tree limbs while sitting in tree stands

 

[Kooshdakhaa]

It gets 10 below where I am jon. They may "survive" out there, but they don't get along just fine.

When I brought Thomas in, I slept with him in a spare room the first night. The relief he was feeling was palpable. He purred loudly. And kneaded on me. He had a nasty bite wound on him. He was not fine. And I've seen them dead alongside the road after getting hit by cars out there.

Here was Thomas the first night I brought him in. See how weary he looks. That's what he was, too, absolutely worn out from life on the streets.

Oh, and by the way...my yard isn't exactly small. I know what you mean, though, small compared to having no boundaries.



And here was the wound on his neck. He had to take antibiotics for that.

 

[jon_berzerk]

It gets 10 below where I am jon. They may "survive" out there, but they don't get along just fine.

When I brought Thomas in, I slept with him in a spare room the first night. The relief he was feeling was palpable. He purred loudly. And kneaded on me. He had a nasty bite wound on him. He was not fine. And I've seen them dead alongside the road after getting hit by cars out there.

Here was Thomas the first night I brought him in. See how weary he looks. That's what he was, too, absolutely worn out from life on the streets.

Oh, and by the way...my yard isn't exactly small. I know what you mean, though, small compared to having no boundaries.



And here was the wound on his neck. He had to take antibiotics for that.

like i said i am not knocking on you

i think you doing a very nice thing for the kitties

was the injury to the neck self inflicted

or from a collar that he got hung up in

 

[theDoctorisIn]

The big guy is trying to beg bites of pork chop off my plate as we speak.

 

[Gracie]

Thomas looks just like Fatty!

He was 8 when I tamed him. He came to ME. But was skittish. Took 6 months to get him to let me pet him. I could feed him, but not touch him. Tattered ears, bulbous eye from fights with other critters, bad teeth. But he loved his long assed claws. he would pat my face every night once I had him trusting me. I had the one eye removed due to the cataracts and damage done to it, all his teeth were removed too. Hubby and I chewed his food for him (chicken), when he didn't want his canned soft foods. He lived to 23 and died of bone cancer. He, too, thought himself a dog and was charlies best friend. I think Fatty sent Pretties to us.

 

[Gracie]

I miss holding hands with him...and the face pats, with those dangerously long claws he took such pride in. He would clasp my thumb at night night time, his body on my pillow and my face buried in his soft tummy. Can't do that with Pretties. She hisses and bites and has no clue on how to sheath her claws.

 

[Kooshdakhaa]

jon_berserk, the vet said the injury on the cat's neck was most likely a bite from another cat. I thought a dog had bit him, but the vet said no, if a dog had bit him he'd probably be dead. He certainly didn't have a collar on when I got him. I don't put collars on any of my cats.

 

[Kooshdakhaa]

Thomas looks just like Fatty!

He was 8 when I tamed him. He came to ME. But was skittish. Took 6 months to get him to let me pet him. I could feed him, but not touch him. Tattered ears, bulbous eye from fights with other critters, bad teeth. But he loved his long assed claws. he would pat my face every night once I had him trusting me. I had the one eye removed due to the cataracts and damage done to it, all his teeth were removed too. Hubby and I chewed his food for him (chicken), when he didn't want his canned soft foods. He lived to 23 and died of bone cancer. He, too, thought himself a dog and was charlies best friend. I think Fatty sent Pretties to us.

Wow! Poor guy. Thank God you took him in, Gracie and gave him a good life in spite of his rough early years. Lived to 23!! Wow, that's awesome.

 

[jon_berzerk]

[MENTION=31092]Kooshdakhaa[/MENTION]

cats can be mean to each other

we dont like collars for the cats either

even the break away ones

 

[Mertex]

cats are much wiser then dogs

i would be careful stringing things up on a fence

i would be afraid of one getting hung on that stuff

we cant get baby to even think of going outside

and as for Gary he goes for walks with us

or he stays inside

Well, I believe that cats should be able to walk outside on Mother Earth. Prowl in the tall grass and sneak around in the bushes. And chase bugs and sunbathe outdoors in the summer. But I also believe they should be safe. So I gave my cats the best of both worlds...they get to go outside and prowl around like cats are meant to...but they're safe.

Lets see, with seven cats and I've had the containment system 10 years...but didn't always have seven cats so let's just average it out to 4 cats times 10 years. That's 40 cat years and no cats have gotten hung up on "that stuff."

Especially since several of my cats were strays on the streets...they're used to being able to go outdoors. I couldn't imagine rescuing them and then keeping them prisoner indoors. Wouldn't be much of a rescue.

It took a lot of research and a lot of effort, but it works and it's worth it. I feel like I'm giving my cats the best possible life I can. In the summer, when I'm home, I just leave the sliding door to the back yard open all the time and the dogs and cats go in and out as they please. It's glorious!

for a cat that has been used to roaming the streets as a stray a small back yard

sounds more like a prison yard

dont get me wrong i am not knocking on ya

but cats always remain semi wild and can get along just fine outdoors

if that is their thing

i would be more afraid of a hawk swooping down on them

and making a quick snack of them

read what happened to fat cat eddie


Fat cat Eddie gets snatched up by hawk, but dropped in neighbor's garden due to weight - NY Daily News

That was a neat little story, glad the lady was able to get Eddie back and glad that Eddie was too fat for that hawk to carry and dine on....

 

[Mertex]

It gets 10 below where I am jon. They may "survive" out there, but they don't get along just fine.

When I brought Thomas in, I slept with him in a spare room the first night. The relief he was feeling was palpable. He purred loudly. And kneaded on me. He had a nasty bite wound on him. He was not fine. And I've seen them dead alongside the road after getting hit by cars out there.

Here was Thomas the first night I brought him in. See how weary he looks. That's what he was, too, absolutely worn out from life on the streets.

Oh, and by the way...my yard isn't exactly small. I know what you mean, though, small compared to having no boundaries.



And here was the wound on his neck. He had to take antibiotics for that.

He's a beauty.....so lucky you came into his life and vice versa....

 

[protectionist]

Nice poem. I act as a caretaker for homeless cats in my apartment complex (along with a few other people who do that same). I started a cat rescue group, and now have 7 people in it. Each of us has an area that has its own group of homeless cats there. They are all at dumpsters, which the cats used to go to for food before we started feeding them every night.

Some of the cats are fully feral. Others are castaways that people callously put out and abandoned. The castaways are friendly and let you pet them, and sometimes follow you home, after being fed. I'd like to take some of them in, but I only have a small apartment, and I already have 2 inside cats.

We have also brought some cats (10) to the Humane Society, and had them fixed. Now we have 10 cats running around with the tipped ear of fixed cats.

What I've been doing lately is creating shelter boxes for the cats to give then a place to cuddle up in, and get out of the cold. They're just cardboard boxes with a small, square entry hole in one side, and a soft cloth on the bottom. To look at them you might think they wouldn't be so warm. They are though. The cat's warm body heat warms them up. Same as the little pup tents I slept in, when I was in the Army.
I'm in Tampa, Florida, so only rarely does the temperature sink down to the 30s (VERY rarely to the 20s), but the cats use the boxes when the temperature goes to the 40s. Rain is a problem, but we have a relatively dry winter here, so I only occasionally go out and cover the boxes in plastic bags, before the rain,as I did tonight.
In colder climates up north, cats really NEED these cold shelter boxes, and I would encourage people to make them and set them outside where cats hang around. Instead of using cardboard, I'd recommend using a PLASTIC storage tub, turned upside down, with the top clicked on, but on the bottom, making it the floor of the box. The cut a square hole on one side, towards the now top, and put something soft inside for the cats to sit on (towels, old sweater, pet bed, etc). These are superior to the cardboard, because they are water repellent, and don't get soaked. I have one made like this here, and plan to replace the cardboard ones with plastic tubs.

PS - when feeding the cats, put the food (dry) on plastic plates or bowls to keeps the ants off them. Also, put out water with the dry food. Cats don't have water faucets.

All of this is some work, but it's also fun and rewarding. I like to walk a few steps away from the feeding spot, then stop, turn around and look at 6 or 7 cats feeding their little faces.

That is some good work that you do. The advice you have given is great for people that live in areas where feral or abandoned cats my hang out. We don't have any stray cats in our area....once in a while you see a cat walking down the street or out in back in the wooded area, but they belong to someone and are just out for a stroll. We put our outdoor cats up for the night because we have raccoons, armadillos, opossums, skunks, and even foxes, out here. Some neighbors claim they've even spotted a bob cat........

So, thank you from all the cats......

You're welcome. I just wish I could persuade more people to join in. Until then, I just do what I can, with the little bit that I've got to work with.

 

[protectionist]

If I had a lot of cats, I would do what you did, Koosh. But..I am not really a cat person. They find ME. And it is always one. Just one.

Hehe. Believe it or not, I'm not really a cat person, either! I used to be until we got our dobermans. That was it! Now I'm a dog person. But nobody else was helping these stray cats so I had to do something. I can't stand to see animals suffer. You're lucky only one finds you at a time!

Actually, I haven't seen a stray cat around here in a couple of years. I see cat footprints all over in the snow, but those may just be from someone's cat that is allowed to roam free. All the stray cats live in my house now!

And not one of them sprays in the house! They all use the catboxes. I am soooo lucky!

Last couple of tomcats I took in I told my husband I think I may run out of luck. What would I do if they spray in the house. He said, just put them back out. At least they would have had a chance. So I brought them in and they didn't spray. I think I'm done with it, though. No more cats. Only dogs from now on. (famous last words)

Male cats are supposed to stop spraying when they are neutered. Also, their strong urine goes away after that.

 

[protectionist]

I miss holding hands with him...and the face pats, with those dangerously long claws he took such pride in. He would clasp my thumb at night night time, his body on my pillow and my face buried in his soft tummy. Can't do that with Pretties. She hisses and bites and has no clue on how to sheath her claws.

Cats are individuals. No doubt about that.

 

[Mr. H.]

This was my Office Kitty. Mentioned her in another thread. After 8 years I finally found her a home LOL. (she was a stray)

 

[Alan Stallion]

I'm down to one cat right now (I've had as many as four cats at any one time)

Here's a picture of her from 1998 when she was about a month old, hiding under the bed (a habit she got from her mom). She was born in my bedroom on Labor Day of '98...

Here she is as grown up with her mom in 2000...

 

[protectionist]

I'm down to one cat right now (I've had as many as four cats at any one time)

Here's a picture of her from 1998 when she was about a month old, hiding under the bed (a habit she got from her mom). She was born in my bedroom on Labor Day of '98...

Here she is as grown up with her mom in 2000...

HA HA HA! Cats are cute. From the way they look, and the way they act.