Cat Lovers Thread

[Mertex]

This is a "Cat Lovers" thread.....if you have a cat(s) and want to share about them, this would be a good place to do that.

 

[Amelia]

I hate cats.

 

[Amelia]

I like panthers.

 

[Mertex]

I have 6 cats.....Whoa, before you go calling me "Crazy Cat Lady" there's a story behind all of this.

We already had one cat...Cali, a Calico that is an indoor cat, and she thinks she's the Alpha cat.

We acquired Dolly after losing a beautiful male cat we brought back with us from Alabama.
The crate we were carrying him broke as we were getting him out of the car, an of course, scared and confused he hit the ground running. We live in the country and it was almost dark, so even though we searched and searched, we couldn't find him.

I was so sad that my hub finally said, let's go to the County shelter and see if someone turned him in...he wasn't there, but he wanted me to see the kittens thinking I would fall in love with one of them and I would recover from my sadness....I did, and that's how we got Dolly.

In August of last year we went to California and our son was in the middle of moving and begged us to take his cat "Snicklefritz" because he would be staying with friends and no cats were allowed. Softies that we are, we agreed.......now we have 3 indoor cats...not to mention Smoky and Tiger, the only two male cats we have that are outdoor cats.

Then, just about 2 months later, a dear aunt of mine had to go into a nursing home, and her kids didn't want to take her cat "Boots" to the shelter, and asked me if I would be willing to take her. Her daughter has a dog, doesn't like cats, and her son lives in a no-pet apt. So, I volunteered to take her. She's docile and very pretty....almost looks a bit like the one we lost (gray with white).

So there you have it, four indoor cats that amuse us all the time, and 2 outdoor cats, that keep snakes and mice away.....

Here's Cali as a kitten...

This is Dolly.....

this is Freakyfritz (what we call her)

I'll post pictures of the others up later......

 

[syrenn]

i have 10.....and foster kittens......


one is sleeping on one arm as i type this......

 

[Luddly Neddite]

I miss fostering. I fostered kittens for most of my adult life, hundreds and hundred of the little blighters. Loved them all then sent them on their way.

After losing several foster litters a few years ago, I decided to take a break and haven't been back to it. Then, moved cross country and have not gotten back to fostering. I am back to working with birds of prey - conditioning for release. Problem is, they look at kittens as noms.

Still - visiting LOL Cats just isn't enough.

 

[syrenn]

I miss fostering. I fostered kittens for most of my adult life, hundreds and hundred of the little blighters. Loved them all then sent them on their way.

After losing several foster litters a few years ago, I decided to take a break and haven't been back to it. Then, moved cross country and have not gotten back to fostering. I am back to working with birds of prey - conditioning for release. Problem is, they look at kittens as noms.

Still - visiting LOL Cats just isn't enough.

its an emotional toll when they die. (((hugs)))

 

[Luddly Neddite]

I miss fostering. I fostered kittens for most of my adult life, hundreds and hundred of the little blighters. Loved them all then sent them on their way.

After losing several foster litters a few years ago, I decided to take a break and haven't been back to it. Then, moved cross country and have not gotten back to fostering. I am back to working with birds of prey - conditioning for release. Problem is, they look at kittens as noms.

Still - visiting LOL Cats just isn't enough.

its an emotional toll when they die. (((hugs)))

I really did have a bad run for a while. Odd things that we were never able to identify. And, one litter would look great at night and, one after another, be dead in the morning. Got down to the last one, beautiful baby, all of sudden went bad. Drove 30 miles, one way on a Sunday, to the vet and after a long exam and a slew of tests, she discovered he had no rectum.

Another had patent ductus ... can't remember the term and don't feel like hunting ... but the vet said he could live several years but wouldn't get to be an old cat. I decided I'd keep him, took him home. Next morning, he had breakfast and was romping with his sibs and, mid-attack, literally dropped dead.

I had something like 20 kittens go like that and finally just had to quit for awhile. Then life got in the way.

Working with wild animals, a much larger percentage die. I've had to put down a lot of birds of prey.

 

[syrenn]

I miss fostering. I fostered kittens for most of my adult life, hundreds and hundred of the little blighters. Loved them all then sent them on their way.

After losing several foster litters a few years ago, I decided to take a break and haven't been back to it. Then, moved cross country and have not gotten back to fostering. I am back to working with birds of prey - conditioning for release. Problem is, they look at kittens as noms.

Still - visiting LOL Cats just isn't enough.

its an emotional toll when they die. (((hugs)))

I really did have a bad run for a while. Odd things that we were never able to identify. And, one litter would look great at night and, one after another, be dead in the morning. Got down to the last one, beautiful baby, all of sudden went bad. Drove 30 miles, one way on a Sunday, to the vet and after a long exam and a slew of tests, she discovered he had no rectum.

Another had patent ductus ... can't remember the term and don't feel like hunting ... but the vet said he could live several years but wouldn't get to be an old cat. I decided I'd keep him, took him home. Next morning, he had breakfast and was romping with his sibs and, mid-attack, literally dropped dead.

I had something like 20 kittens go like that and finally just had to quit for awhile. Then life got in the way.

Working with wild animals, a much larger percentage die. I've had to put down a lot of birds of prey.

yes, they crash.....and faster then a blink of an eye. We have protocol for crashing kittens.... and it is still very very hard to have them die

the pay off..... is all of the ones who live!!!!

ive never worked with birds of prey. Ive only ever had hawks on my arm. It is amazing to me how light they are for their size.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

its an emotional toll when they die. (((hugs)))

I really did have a bad run for a while. Odd things that we were never able to identify. And, one litter would look great at night and, one after another, be dead in the morning. Got down to the last one, beautiful baby, all of sudden went bad. Drove 30 miles, one way on a Sunday, to the vet and after a long exam and a slew of tests, she discovered he had no rectum.

Another had patent ductus ... can't remember the term and don't feel like hunting ... but the vet said he could live several years but wouldn't get to be an old cat. I decided I'd keep him, took him home. Next morning, he had breakfast and was romping with his sibs and, mid-attack, literally dropped dead.

I had something like 20 kittens go like that and finally just had to quit for awhile. Then life got in the way.

Working with wild animals, a much larger percentage die. I've had to put down a lot of birds of prey.

yes, they crash.....and faster then a blink of an eye. We have protocol for crashing kittens.... and it is still very very hard to have them die

the pay off..... is all of the ones who live!!!!

ive never worked with birds of prey. Ive only ever had hawks on my arm. It is amazing to me how light they are for their size.

I do education programs with a a great horned owl. HI raised him from a tiny nestling, found on the ground. I've also trained many other raptors to be education birds. And, I have the scars to show for it.

Birds have hollow bones and lots of feathers. People talk about how an owl got their cat but truth is, they'll never take prey as big as an adult cat because they can't lift off with it.

Some hawks will feed on the ground but they still would not take on something that big.

But, they will attack, tear up a cat and then take off - hit and run. Not often, but it does happen. OTOH, kittens and small dogs are open season.

If you enjoy working with animals, you might want to look into volunteering with a local rehabber. Find them on line, call your local humane society and/or animal control or your state's conservation/fish & game etc. Nothing better on the planet. Really.

 

[norwegen]

I miss my Bear and Portia. They're in their little cedar boxes on the shelf, and sometimes I think if I get other cats, it would be like replacing my two babies, and they're irreplaceable.

 

[PredFan]

I have always owned cats. First of all, I may very well owe a cat my life. When I was an infant in Texas, our cat killed a huge scorpion in my crib. I have owned cats ever since.

I have had so many. There have been a few that are worth mentioning.

Fuzzball: a kitten that I found abandoned in the snow. I named it Fuzzball because until it became an adult, it's hair stood straight on end. It was the most gorgeous chocolate brown I've ever seen.

Fred the Battle Cat: an ugly ass stray that had a neck and shoulders like a bull dog. He came to me all beat up one day. I fed him and he stuck around until he was healed the disappeared for a couple of days, coming back all beat up and bleeding again. This happened off and on for a couple of years then one day he never made it back to me.

Siggy: the cat I have now. He's a Russian Blue and he's the biggest damn cat I've ever seen. He looks like a small panther. He weighs 25 pounds and is not fat. This cat is also smart as a whip, can open latch handled doors, and thinks its a dog. You should see the fangs and claws on this cat. I have little doubt he could kill me if he wanted to, luckily for me he's a huge wuss.

 

[AquaAthena]

I so <3 my girl. She talks to me all the time, in different sounding meows. I have read that cats have about 10 sounds to their meows, but I really do think my Laci, has many more... I love them all and know how to interpret them. It is a special type communication, love and companionship in a one-on-one relationship with an animal, though no more special than with multiples, for many people.

Did you know cats have ten bones in their tail? That would explain why they are so protective of them.

Laci:

 

[Zoom-boing]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vrmosi1-a5g]Cat Putting On A Hat! - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Mertex]

i have 10.....and foster kittens......


one is sleeping on one arm as i type this......

Do you still have those adorable furry dark gray ones, or are these new ones?

We need pictures.......

 

[Luddly Neddite]

I miss my Bear and Portia. They're in their little cedar boxes on the shelf, and sometimes I think if I get other cats, it would be like replacing my two babies, and they're irreplaceable.

Naw ... its not like that.

And, think of all the cats in shelters who need you.

Go to your shelter and find a cage that has sibs in it. Adopt them both because they need you as much as you need them.

 

[Bloodrock44]

Pat and Scamper. They were really best buddies. Pat was a stray and we took him in. Scamper treated him like a little brother. Scamper was huge!

 

[syrenn]

i have 10.....and foster kittens......


one is sleeping on one arm as i type this......

Do you still have those adorable furry dark gray ones, or are these new ones?

We need pictures.......

no, they went up for adoption and were snapped up!!! Kitten season is on the way....so sooooonnn.....

 

[Luddly Neddite]

Scorpions. We always had them in AZ. There are three kinds there, the smaller, the more venomous. One night, I went to refill the dry cat food dish and there, sprawled across the dry cat food was one huge dead giant desert hairy scorpion. I have a photo of him next to a rule: just under 6 inches.

The way I see it, one of the cats had come through the "cat widow" with the scorpion in his mouth and stopped to have a nosh. (I had a "cat run", an enclosed area they could access at will. I lived in rattlesnake/coyote country but they were safe and I didn't have to deal with a litter box.

A decision had to be made - scorpion or food. Scorpion - food.

The cat chose food and left the body there.

Another time, laying in bed late at night, reading and listening to foster kittens playing, scrabbling around on the floor. I leaned over and found one of these -

quite dead.

Yeesh. It's bite could have killed a kitten.

Note that these are not my photos.

I kept these bodies - and others - in my freezer for a long time and made them part of my school education program. I finally had to throw them out ...

 

[Mertex]

I have always owned cats. First of all, I may very well owe a cat my life. When I was an infant in Texas, our cat killed a huge scorpion in my crib. I have owned cats ever since.

I have had so many. There have been a few that are worth mentioning.

Fuzzball: a kitten that I found abandoned in the snow. I named it Fuzzball because until it became an adult, it's hair stood straight on end. It was the most gorgeous chocolate brown I've ever seen.

Fred the Battle Cat: an ugly ass stray that had a neck and shoulders like a bull dog. He came to me all beat up one day. I fed him and he stuck around until he was healed the disappeared for a couple of days, coming back all beat up and bleeding again. This happened off and on for a couple of years then one day he never made it back to me.

Siggy: the cat I have now. He's a Russian Blue and he's the biggest damn cat I've ever seen. He looks like a small panther. He weighs 25 pounds and is not fat. This cat is also smart as a whip, can open latch handled doors, and thinks its a dog. You should see the fangs and claws on this cat. I have little doubt he could kill me if he wanted to, luckily for me he's a huge wuss.

Siggy sounds like a beautiful cat....OMG - 25 lbs....we had a Main Coon for about 16 years, who weighed 22 lbs., and we loved him. He was very friendly, would come up to guests, smell their legs, then look up at them as if to say, "you can pet me" - all our friends loved him. He died Christmas of 2012. He was up in age and we knew that he was on his last days because he couldn't walk very good, his hair had lost its luster and he laid in the same place for hours. We went to Alabama for Christmas and I was afraid that he would die while we were gone, but when we came home, we found him in our bathroom....since he had trouble walking, my hub carried him back to the room where the litter box and food were....I saw him hobble over to the litter box. The next morning my hub found him dead in the litter box....he never made it out. It's like he waited for us to come home so he could die....we miss him.

Here's his picture...