General Chat

you should look at some cat videos on utube

OMG I am in love.

Oscar has arrived and he is completely adorable. May not be posting as much for the next few days!

Maria x

I have built my cats an outside pet loo!! It has been so successful I am building another! I have a garde that slopes at one side... and slopes into an area of woodland that has lots of ivy, blackberry etc... so my side of the fence I used some log roll thingies, staked them in, and then lined it with that weed suppressor, I then part filled with builders sand, and topped it up wth a couple of bags of catsan.... expensive outlay to start off with, but it is used, I poop scoop the doo doo, and then flush the rest with a hose.... so far, two months down the line, it is still sweet smelling and not pongy at all! And so far I haven't needed to top up the catsan once, so I am really pleased with it.

I am considering putting a little cover over the top... one of mine doesn't like to go when it is raining, I have to make her, lol!! She always had a small covered one, and used that fine. Spoiled rotten!

My cats use the barked area of the garden as a giant litter tray!!
This has a couple of 'plus' sides:
I know they don't use the neighbours garden
It doesn't stink the house out

BUT, I can no longer sit on the bench in the 'quiet corner' without first donning rubber gloves & wellies and lifting the bark that has been formed in to a mound!! I also have to buy bark every year to fill it up again!!!

Our cat has a litter tray which she can use if she doesn't want to go outside. We also have a litter tray for when she comes with us to our holiday home and she can't always come and go when she wishes there (no cat flap in a static caravan).

I fairly recently discovered the crystal cat litter. It's great stuff. Bit expensive compared to some other types but it really doesn't smell at all and lasts ages.

Sue

It is and it works,we,ve used it with all the cats we,ve had/taken in (16) and once used, never had any accidents with them.**M**.

Thanks Merlin, I have to say I was waiting for the punch line for a minute there, but yes I'll get hold of some. Never heard of it but it sounds like a really good idea.

Maria x

Hello Maria, It might be a good idea to see if you can get some "Sherleys Swiftie" Puppy and Kitten Trainer.you put a couple of spots in their litter tray and they will use it.if you can,t get it contact " CIBE-GEIGY Animal Health.Whittlesford,Cambridge.CB2 4QT.Tel.0223 833621.Its well worth getting,it works for Older Cats Too. **M**.

He'll be the beau of the ball, lol!!

Love

Daff xxxx

Why thankyou Daff I'm sure he'd love to join in with your pampered puss cats.

Let us know when and I'll have him all groomed and gorgeous with his best blue collar on!

Maria x

Maria, I think there might be a puss cat birthday party on General soon... maybe Oscar would like to join in?

Quite a few of us have young cats who are coming up to a year old... some were born *online* so to speak, including my Hermie!! All of that litter now live cosseted lives with GR members, and many of his half siblings too... yep, my Jethro, lol!!

Love

Daff xx

Thnks so much everyone for all your advice and anecdotes.

We are very very excited about our new boy. Been shopping this morning & got everything he needs for now (I hope!)

Once he's settled in and we've got to know each other I'll post an update for anyone who's interested.

Thanks again everyone, roll on 6:30 tonight, Oscar time :o)

Maria xxx

Hi Liz, his mother and the previous litter weren't deaf but his litter and a subsequent litter was.

Someone on the internet asked me to check his hearing when she heard we had a white kitten and sure enough he is deaf. It's hard to tell sometimes.

we have indoor cats which is a strange experience because we're used to outdoor cats. To be honest, it's far less stressful as you know were they are and that they are safe.

We do let them out into the back garden and they don't escape. (possibly due to their breed)

However, we have one cat who we have to supervise when he goes into the back garden in case he escapes (which he does occasionally).He is a different breed. (actually don't know if he is a breed as such) He's pure white and deaf so if we let him roam (which he'd love to do) he would be in danger of getting run over like his sister. (who we didn't own). I don't know if we are being cruel by having him as an indoor cat but we love him too much to risk his life on the roads. I don't think we are being cruel to the others as we do let them in the garden and they seem quite content.

Cats should be let out in my opinion to roam free and not be constricted to a house. That to me would be cruel.

I have just looked after 2 kittens and 1 grumpy old man (older cat - not OH) lol, last 2 weeks for neighbour The grumpy old man did not always like the kittens running around him and swiped them with his paw and hissed at them.

The kittens were not allowed out only because they have not had their jabs yet but the old cat has a cat flap to come and go as he pleases. I often see him in my garden and cannot wait to see the other kitties when they are a bit older roaming our garden!

Unfortunately I have a cat allergy and can no longer have a cat of my own so I envy you your new kitty. As much as I loved looking after the neighbours cats - suffered for it culminating in an asthma attack!

Love and treasure it and it will love you back.

Tina x

That was an interesting link Rose but some of the hazards in the US don't exist over here in the UK.

We don't have rabies and a cat in the UK is unlikely to be faced with some dangers that a US cat might find. We have only one venomous snake and most domestic cats are very unlikely to come across an adder.

I think in towns the dangers for cats would be the obvious ones of traffic, some unpleasant people and perhaps dogs but many owners in the UK live in places where a cat can wander safely in a local area. I don't like to see cats strolling about in town and I wouldn't keep one if I didn't have a safe place.

I know there are other houses with cats around us and we do sometimes see other cats in our garden. We tend to shoo these away. Most of the time our own cat seems to hang around wherever we are. She catches the very occasional mouse or shrew but hardly ever any birds.

Have fun fellow cat lovers everywhere

Sue
x

I think so much depends on where you live.

We've lived in our present house for nearly 25 years and have had two cats. The first one was 9 when she was hit by a car. It is a very quiet village but unfortunately there was a small group of children playing on a street corner (not my kids) and our cat had wandered off to say hello to them. A car swerved to miss the children and hit our poor cat.
A dreadful accident and it might never have happened.

Our present cat is 11. She goes out but we try to keep her at the back of the house as much as possible. She does wander across the road sometimes but we get very little traffic.

She has a special cat flap with infra red gadget on her collar so only she can get in. She sleeps in a cosy bed with heat pad in the winter in a lobby.

Her favourite thing is to play in the garden with us and to be out there in the sunshine when we are there. She also enjoys going with us to our holiday home and sitting with us on our deck.

I think I would only ever consider an indoor cat if I lived in a flat or on a busy road. I can't imagine how tricky it would be to keep a cat indoors when we love to have doors and windows open. I also think they love being outside so much that it seems a shame to shut them in.

Yes they do hunt (some more than others) though as they get older most cats don't bother much if they are well fed and played with.

Our cat did go missing for 4 days some months ago and that was very upsetting but she wandered back in just after I had finished putting up posters everywhere. I think she must have been shut in someone's shed.

Only you can decide what is best for your cat and in your situation but I wonder whether a cat that has never been outside might be terrified if it accidentally got out and might easily be lost.

Cats are a bit of a law unto themselves. Our local paper this week has a story about a cat which went missing for 4 years being recognised by its former owners in the pub where it now lives. They've left it where it is but have unlimited visiting rights LOL

Sue

Hi Beth - no it won't stop them straying!!
The one we had that now lives on the allotments was spayed and microchipped, but no-one can catch her!! She was a very loving cat as well, but obviously prefers her new life!!! If she was caught, we couldn't keep her as she would just return to old haunts.

maggie

Most animal shelters in the US won't let you adopt a cat unless you swear to keep them indoors. Seems hard to imagine in the UK but I've seen so many threads on here from people who had their cats killed on the road.

Here are some great points:

http://www.mspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Indoor_Cats

Rose

Hi Maria

You've had lots of sound advice, but I'm going to add mine anyway. I've owned loads of cats, the most I've had at one time was 18, thankfully now only 5, but they're my babies and I love them. My advice is, if you keep him in get him a friend and as soon as possible, if you let him out don't bother. Cats that are kept in can become bored so a playmate would be good, if you let him out there's always plenty to explore, it's just a worry about all the dangers. btw it's an old wives tales that putting butter on cats paws will stop them from escaping, the reasoning is they will clean the butter off and not want to get out. Not true, if a cat usually goes out, it will still want to go out again after its moved.

I hope you come to a good decision, I'm sure you and Oscar will love each other to bits.

My opinion is that male cats are much more loving and devoted to their owners. I've got a severe case of jealousy at the moment because I just love a ginger mog! Give him a big (((((hug))))) from me.

Dee x