Posted April 3, 2017 Hmm, estate agents emailed to say there is going to be an electrical inspection on Wednesday. Now do we risk the electrician seeing our pigs and hope he/she doesn't tell the landlord, or do we ferry our pigs across to a friend's house the night before and try and cover up the piggy smell with pot pourri...? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted April 3, 2017 Hmm, estate agents emailed to say there is going to be an electrical inspection on Wednesday. Now do we risk the electrician seeing our pigs and hope he/she doesn't tell the landlord, or do we ferry our pigs across to a friend's house the night before and try and cover up the piggy smell with pot pourri...? Lie and say you're looking after them for a friend. Our new cat still is a bit shy. We've had him for about 6 weeks now and he's much braver and we've given him more freedom over the house, he still won't let us pet him. If we're on our way somewhere and we get within 2 feet of him he bolts. And he seems to purposely lie down in the way. Here is a picture taken within the last couple of days, and he's practically in the same position now. The moment I go to leave the room he'll run off. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted April 3, 2017 Hes comfortable in your home, just not with human contact...it seems I've been watching your progress on facebook, you are making huge strides with him, just keep being patient! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted April 3, 2017 Hes comfortable in your home, just not with human contact...it seems Unless food may be involved, he was close enough to put his paws on my leg to check out my Coco Pops :P But I is being patient. I'm teaching him not to hiss when we try to feed him - which is the only time he ever does that - by either stopping and looking up, turning my back on him or just going "Excuse me?" which gets a little meow which I am assuming is an apology. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted April 5, 2017 aww thats so sweet. Just don't shout at or physically "punish" cats, they don't respond to that at all. The only time i ever shout or make noise is to distract fighting, which you wont have. I love how you're talking to him and he's responding <3 Hes a great wee lad! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted April 7, 2017 My friend split up with her wife, the wife no longer wants the cats but my friend won't have a proper place to live for a few months. Which means that I now have two guests at my house: Ianto and Jojen. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted April 9, 2017 Aww they're lovely! Such kindness <3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted April 9, 2017 Finally took a risk and managed to pet the keetee. Had hit literally headbutting my hand to be stroked. Even heard a purr too. Murdoch will only allow it in certain circumstances though, it's weird. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted April 12, 2017 Finally took a risk and managed to pet the keetee. Had hit literally headbutting my hand to be stroked. Even heard a purr too. Murdoch will only allow it in certain circumstances though, it's weird. aww yay <3 I'm still reeling from the loss of my poor wee cat, went out and bought a new car to make me feel better.... lol i am just noticing that car is cat with an r. I'm not in a position to take another cat #3 right now as i have a holiday in the upcoming months (i like to have a few clear months to integrate cats) and i'm boarding mine during the holiday so i don't want to overload my friend with extra work. Spending time with the two I have just giving them loads of love :heart: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted April 12, 2017 One of our pigs somehow launched a poo about five feet across the living room and it hit me on the leg. I don't know how I feel about this. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted April 13, 2017 One of our pigs somehow launched a poo about five feet across the living room and it hit me on the leg. I don't know how I feel about this. Pretty sure you love it because you get to tell that anecdote. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 22, 2017 Murdoch seems to be getting overly attached to me. He follows me around everywhere and it's 50/50 whether he'll go outside in the garden or not without me going out first/as well. He only lets me pet him solo. If Kelly tries without me he runs away, only if I'm nearby does he trust her enough to allow strokesings. One thing which does baffle me is that in the majority of rooms, if he tracks me down he'll generally come for a small stroke then go lay down somewhere*... but when I'm in the "office" doing internet shizzle - or moreso painting he's walking around my legs meowing as if I hadn't touched/fed him in ages. I loves him but he needs a bit of independence, or at least allow the missus to get some solo kitty strokes. *he loves to sleep on paper. We got him a nice comfy cat bed. Wasn't a fan. Put some paper from some Amazon packaging and he loves it. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 27, 2017 Cat owners, some advice needed please! I think we are ready to get our own cat(s)! We always said we wanted two cats, but I am worried we might be getting a bit too much to handle... maybe? How does it work with litter trays, would we need more than one if we got two cats? Or might one be enough if it is cleaned daily? Because we are a bit limited for space; I already have to try and figure out where we can put 1 tray (no space in kitchen, so possibly would have to go in my office or the spare room). Any tips for the type of litter tray and filling to get? Also need to look at cat beds and a scratching post! And cat food and bowls and all the other stuff needed! And a vet! Oh god, all the responsibilities! D: 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 27, 2017 1 hour ago, Eenuh said: Cat owners, some advice needed please! I think we are ready to get our own cat(s)! We always said we wanted two cats, but I am worried we might be getting a bit too much to handle... maybe? How does it work with litter trays, would we need more than one if we got two cats? Or might one be enough if it is cleaned daily? Because we are a bit limited for space; I already have to try and figure out where we can put 1 tray (no space in kitchen, so possibly would have to go in my office or the spare room). Any tips for the type of litter tray and filling to get? Also need to look at cat beds and a scratching post! And cat food and bowls and all the other stuff needed! And a vet! Oh god, all the responsibilities! D: OK, let's just paws for thought for a second... Two cats can work quite well, if they are already familiar with each other - say if they both come from the same Cat's Home for instance - then that could work but if you get one and then try to introduce another, just be careful how you go about it. As for the angle of two cats being too much to handle, well... there is that, but as long as they get along and providing your house is reasonably "cat proof" - a term which is a bit of an oxymoron for any house which has a cat really as if there are places they can get into, then they will - then you'll probably be fine so long as you have the time to look after them, if there is at least one person at home for at least a good few hours in the day then that should be fine. Litter trays... get two, one for each cat if you can, we keep hours in the downstairs bathroom as it makes life easier, buy really solid litter tray liners as Cats will tend to shred them as they dig around a lot, as for Cat litter... Catsan I guess? Don't bother with a Cat bed unless you can get one cheap, chances are they will want to sleep on either the sofa or the bed or a cushion or... anything soft which is stationary for long enough. Cat food... if you're lucky they will settle on one brand of cat food, if you give them sachets for their main meals, cat biscuits in a seperate bowl plus a few treats every now and then, that'll probably work out but each cat is different. Scratching posts are useful, don't expect them to last very long though and even then they might go for carpet - if there is any - or the sofa if it has got "clawable" material. Vets... yeah... get the cats microchipped if they are likely to wander off I suppose, injections if they are likely to be off out mixing with other cats and you may want to get them speyed/neutered if you don't want kittens. A lot of responsibility, yes... but they are worth it, anyway I wish you both the best of luck and I hope some of this information helps. Also, don't forget... payment in the form of cat pictures, in this thread please... kthanksbai. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 27, 2017 Thanks for the tips @S.C.G! I've owned cats, but this was at my parents' house so not my full responsibility. Ideally if we get two cats, I'd look for them to be from the same litter or having been brought in from the same house or something. The Cats Protection website usually mentions when the cats are related to each other, which is useful. I think we'll have to see if we can fit 2 litter trays, as we have literally no space downstairs to put one (no downstairs toilet, no space in the kitchen or living room). They would have to go upstairs, but not sure how I feel about putting one in the (future) guest bedroom. At my parents we only had one litter box for 4 cats, but they went outside a lot (and sometimes accidents did happen inside the house, which I want to avoid). I think we would have to cat-proof our sofa somehow... we bought it new and it's a lovely fabric, which I'm sure any cat would love to put their claws into haha. No carpets anywhere though, I might have to get a small rug for the cats to lay on in front of the sofa or something. Though we had the neighbour's cat in earlier and he/she seemed fine just laying around on our laminate floor! I actually work from home so I would be home most of the time to look after the cats. We would just have to find a solution for when we go on holidays (don't have family or friends around here, hmm). 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 27, 2017 2 minutes ago, Eenuh said: Thanks for the tips @S.C.G! I've owned cats, but this was at my parents' house so not my full responsibility. Ideally if we get two cats, I'd look for them to be from the same litter or having been brought in from the same house or something. The Cats Protection website usually mentions when the cats are related to each other, which is useful. I think we'll have to see if we can fit 2 litter trays, as we have literally no space downstairs to put one (no downstairs toilet, no space in the kitchen or living room). They would have to go upstairs, but not sure how I feel about putting one in the (future) guest bedroom. At my parents we only had one litter box for 4 cats, but they went outside a lot (and sometimes accidents did happen inside the house, which I want to avoid). I think we would have to cat-proof our sofa somehow... we bought it new and it's a lovely fabric, which I'm sure any cat would love to put their claws into haha. No carpets anywhere though, I might have to get a small rug for the cats to lay on in front of the sofa or something. Though we had the neighbour's cat in earlier and he/she seemed fine just laying around on our laminate floor! I actually work from home so I would be home most of the time to look after the cats. We would just have to find a solution for when we go on holidays (don't have family or friends around here, hmm). No worries, yes I guess it is a lot of responsibility owning your own cat, ours is a family cat so not my sole responsibility but I do tend to make sure she's fed quite often and watch out for her when I'm at home. Getting two from the same litter would definitely be a bonus, I'd have thought. Yeah, if you don't have much space for a litter tray, it can be tricky... we were just lucky to have the downstairs toilet really, not sure what to suggest but the guest bedroom might be your best bet, not ideal though I suppose but there's always some compromise to owning cats it seems. I would definitely make covering up the sofa a priority, especially if it's nice and new... a rug might work, our cat loves anything like that though she doesn't mind the laminate floor in the hallway/kitchen either... they're contrary creatures. Working from home is a great advantage when it comes to looking after cats, what's trickier is trying to get work done while the cats are trying to get your attention, though it might be alright. Pass on the holidays, as I'm not sure what you could do there... perhaps they could become your new travelling companions as well? You and Jim could take one each in your hand luggage, it'll be fine... probably. On a serious note though... if you do go on holiday, definitely double and triple check your suitcase before you leave if you have cats, because if they are full of soft clothes then well... you might find you're over your baggage allowance by a specific cat-size amount by the time you get to the airport. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 31, 2017 (edited) get two at the same time, 100%. It's a million times easier especially if you've not had before. And you really should have 2 unless theyre special needs cats that don't like other cats... because generally speaking cats like to socialise, and its a lot of work to get two cats to tolerate each other #beenthere Generally litter rule is number of cats + 1, and ensure theres one on every floor. Though I generally just have number of cats = number of litters and it works ok for me. If you had 2 kittens from a litter they may share but bear in mind (especially when they are fully grown) it will involve poop scooping more often... if they litter tray is full kitty WILL go on the floor. In terms of litter type, i recommend clumping, you save a shitload of money because the pee "clumps" and you just scoop it and poo out, and i only change it when its looking really manky... maybe once every few months or so i'll do a complete empty and refill. non clumping has to be emptied out every week completely as the pee doesnt clump so cant be lifted out. See what the sanctuary they come from is using and try to buy similar type (ie wood pellets clay etc) Give me a shout if you need any help with anything else - i've a lot of experience having had 4 FIVs and volunteering in a rescue I'm currently working with a cat with behaviour problems, a needy girl cat, and a semi feral, all of which have FIV and their own seperate health problems...... its fun..... but i wouldnt have it any other way tbh! Edited August 31, 2017 by Raining_again 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 31, 2017 Thanks for the advice @Raining_again! We went into Cats Protection on the bank holiday and spotted quite a few cats we liked... We spent ages looking around and then eventually we settled on a 1 year old black lady and her black and white male kitten (there were 3 more kittens in the litter but they were already taken). We've put a reservation down on them but now we have to wait for them to get neutered. Will contact them soon to see when we can hopefully pick them up! Been spending my time online looking at loads of cat stuff: litter trays, activity trees/scratching poles, food and drink bowls, toys, etc. Will have to start ordering things soon! The place suggested we stick with the food and litter filling they use for now, to help the cats get settled in. So I'll probably just buy what they sell and then see in the future if I can switch to something different. Looking forward to it! Still need to find out what names we're going to give them though! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 31, 2017 My name suggestions are Svetolina and Joe. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted September 2, 2017 oh my word you are taking mummy and baby thats just too awesome <3 I'm so happy for you guys <3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted September 2, 2017 17 minutes ago, Raining_again said: oh my word you are taking mummy and baby thats just too awesome <3 I'm so happy for you guys <3 I would've felt bad if we'd left one of them behind! We're visiting them again tomorrow. If all goes well, they'll be coming home with us next Sunday. :3 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted September 2, 2017 Sarah and John? Ripley and Newt (I know Newt is a girl, but works fine for a Male cat)? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted September 10, 2017 *patiently waits for @Eenuh to get her cats and post pictures* 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
