Meowy Catkin
Meow!
Gall bladder?
Calling all cat people! Top tips?
- Thread starter shadeofshyness
- Start date
ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
Ah, that would be bitter, wouldn't it? Good thought.
Spottyappy
Well-Known Member
Was always told it was the gizzard that is unpalatable.
One of mine did a great act of bringing home a rabbit while we were outside having a BBQ. Proceeded to munch it vigorously in front of us, then spat the gizzard out just as my late mil arrived. Right at her feet!
duckling
Well-Known Member
Good choice in getting 2 together! My 2 are brothers, got them as kittens, and they're best pals.
Mine definitely can't be fed ad lib, they're greedy and pile on the pounds, so I weigh out their recommended food allowance and they get that (mix of dry and wet, James Wellbeloved).
We use a microchip cat flap, works brilliantly, and I shut them in at night.
I have a cat sitter - she comes in twice a day when I'm away and is a star, I can text her at really late notice if I find I'm stuck with work and she'll always be there! I pay £7 a visit. She'll do food, water, litter tray and shut or open cat flap depending on the time of day. She's also cleaned up a few presents!
That said, I do use a Cattery when I'm away for longer stints, like over a week. I looked round a few and picked one with large modern pens that allow the cats a run round the corridor, one pen at a time, to stretch their legs and have a play. My boys always come back looking happy and healthy.
Clodagh
Well-Known Member
I think it is only birds that have gizzards, so mice probably gall bladder.
Destario
Well-Known Member
Microchip catflap are a must.
Good quality food. Look at ingredients and % breakdown. I use a mix of dry iams and wet forthglade.
Cat bed wise, some use them some don't. Handy one I have is a collapsible igloo, so it can be igloo or normal bed. One cat loved the igloo set up, one loved the normal bed set up.
Cats are wonderful. A neighbour feeds ours when away. But they have free access to house and outdoors so it's just feeding them.
Good quality food. Look at ingredients and % breakdown. I use a mix of dry iams and wet forthglade.
Cat bed wise, some use them some don't. Handy one I have is a collapsible igloo, so it can be igloo or normal bed. One cat loved the igloo set up, one loved the normal bed set up.
Cats are wonderful. A neighbour feeds ours when away. But they have free access to house and outdoors so it's just feeding them.
ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
I've been researching! The commonest view is that is the caecum, the first part of the intestine, that's full of bugs to break down the fibre.
Whatever, I find them everywhere in various states of mummification. The drier, the better, for me!
Clodagh
Well-Known Member
You need a labrador. Ours eat the bits of rabbits even the fox leaves.
Umbongo
Well-Known Member
Definitely look into the microchip cat flaps.
If you are having a litter tray inside then have 1 each.
Most cats love cardboard boxes....I don't bother with actual cat beds anymore.
Get a scratching post.
This is a great website:
https://icatcare.org/advice
My cat is basically a small dog, follows me everywhere. Wouldn't be without him!
If you are having a litter tray inside then have 1 each.
Most cats love cardboard boxes....I don't bother with actual cat beds anymore.
Get a scratching post.
This is a great website:
https://icatcare.org/advice
My cat is basically a small dog, follows me everywhere. Wouldn't be without him!
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HashRouge
Well-Known Member
I love cats!
We have a microchip cat flap too - before that we used to get the neighbour's cats in all the time, which our little female hated. Our female is a dreadful hunter, never catches anything, but our male cat is pretty good. Fortunately he is slowing down a bit now as he's getting on a bit. There were a few years where we got used to finding dead and/ or live animals in the house fairly frequently. There have been some memorable animal rescues carried out in our house before now! I've encountered a young rabbit hiding in the shoe rack, a starling sitting on the kitchen work surface looking very pissed off, and an absolutely beautiful harvest mouse taking refuge behind the fire guard. We also had a vole of some kind living in our kitchen for some time because the cat brought it in, let go and then we couldn't find it. No idea what happened to it in the end!
As other people have said, don't bother with cat beds. They like cardboard boxes, preferably lined with newspaper, but will happily sleep almost anywhere. We tend to give them those fruit and veg boxes you get from greengrocers. They are a great size and a bit more robust than a shoe box! If you have cushions on your kitchen/ dining room chairs, get used to vacuuming them before you have visitors as they make great cat beds!
Our male cat gets abscesses on his face fairly frequently. If you have a confrontational sort of cat it's something to look out for. They often look like ordinary cuts at first and scab over, but then burst spectacularly after a day or two. Apparently it's often caused by a claw getting stuck in the skin after a fight. They look absolutely gross while they're healing - I've got a picture of our cat looking like an extra in the Walking Dead as half his face is missing! But they heal up fine and you can't tell after.
We have a microchip cat flap too - before that we used to get the neighbour's cats in all the time, which our little female hated. Our female is a dreadful hunter, never catches anything, but our male cat is pretty good. Fortunately he is slowing down a bit now as he's getting on a bit. There were a few years where we got used to finding dead and/ or live animals in the house fairly frequently. There have been some memorable animal rescues carried out in our house before now! I've encountered a young rabbit hiding in the shoe rack, a starling sitting on the kitchen work surface looking very pissed off, and an absolutely beautiful harvest mouse taking refuge behind the fire guard. We also had a vole of some kind living in our kitchen for some time because the cat brought it in, let go and then we couldn't find it. No idea what happened to it in the end!
As other people have said, don't bother with cat beds. They like cardboard boxes, preferably lined with newspaper, but will happily sleep almost anywhere. We tend to give them those fruit and veg boxes you get from greengrocers. They are a great size and a bit more robust than a shoe box! If you have cushions on your kitchen/ dining room chairs, get used to vacuuming them before you have visitors as they make great cat beds!
Our male cat gets abscesses on his face fairly frequently. If you have a confrontational sort of cat it's something to look out for. They often look like ordinary cuts at first and scab over, but then burst spectacularly after a day or two. Apparently it's often caused by a claw getting stuck in the skin after a fight. They look absolutely gross while they're healing - I've got a picture of our cat looking like an extra in the Walking Dead as half his face is missing! But they heal up fine and you can't tell after.
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ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
I really didn't need that picture in my head thank you
Best description I ever read of a Labrador - 'a life support system for a stomach'.
shadeofshyness
Well-Known Member
Thank you so much, cat HHOers! I'm loving all this info. Less so the intestines part...
A pet sitter sounds like the way to go for when we're away. We go away about every 3 months, usually for 3-5 nights. We have a 2-week holiday once a year too which would obviously be more disruptive for the cats and more reliant on the sitter! Is it normally once or twice a day you'd need the sitter to come in? I know my mum feeds a neighbour's cat when they're away but it's only once a day.
We will definitely be getting a microchip cat flap. We have two back doors - one goes through into our utility room which isn't a proper room then the second goes into the garden... so might need to get two... is this a thing? Or can you put them in the wall? Also the doors are all glass, I'm guessing you can't just pop a hole in so we'll need the entire sheet replacing? Sorry for the daft questions.
Are there any brands of food you recommend? I'm guessing a lot of them are rubbish much like commercial dog foods?
@Umbongo - what a handsome kitty!
A pet sitter sounds like the way to go for when we're away. We go away about every 3 months, usually for 3-5 nights. We have a 2-week holiday once a year too which would obviously be more disruptive for the cats and more reliant on the sitter! Is it normally once or twice a day you'd need the sitter to come in? I know my mum feeds a neighbour's cat when they're away but it's only once a day.
We will definitely be getting a microchip cat flap. We have two back doors - one goes through into our utility room which isn't a proper room then the second goes into the garden... so might need to get two... is this a thing? Or can you put them in the wall? Also the doors are all glass, I'm guessing you can't just pop a hole in so we'll need the entire sheet replacing? Sorry for the daft questions.
Are there any brands of food you recommend? I'm guessing a lot of them are rubbish much like commercial dog foods?
@Umbongo - what a handsome kitty!
ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
You can put a cat flap in a single pane of glass (OH did, once) but not, I think, in double glazing.
We have one through a wall. The wall is so thick that we have a cat flap on each end of the tunnel!
We have one through a wall. The wall is so thick that we have a cat flap on each end of the tunnel!
SEL
Well-Known Member
My parents have one in a double glazed door - think it required specialist fitting.
When we moved to the current house we got a microchip cat flap because I was worried about my little girl cat getting bullied. It turns out she is In Charge of the road and every other feline scarpers when she's around. She was a stray who turned up in my garden so she's tougher than she looks I think!
We've also had to get used to being brought mice to play with in this house. Never had it in the old house, but this one comes with a hedge and that appears to be good hunting territory. I got a text at work from the OH asking how to go about catching a live mouse that was under the sofa. I think the cat thought they'd had a great day playing together because every time he worked from home he got a present. We now have mouse traps (the ones that catch & don't kill - he's squeamish!).
When we moved to the current house we got a microchip cat flap because I was worried about my little girl cat getting bullied. It turns out she is In Charge of the road and every other feline scarpers when she's around. She was a stray who turned up in my garden so she's tougher than she looks I think!
We've also had to get used to being brought mice to play with in this house. Never had it in the old house, but this one comes with a hedge and that appears to be good hunting territory. I got a text at work from the OH asking how to go about catching a live mouse that was under the sofa. I think the cat thought they'd had a great day playing together because every time he worked from home he got a present. We now have mouse traps (the ones that catch & don't kill - he's squeamish!).
Ormsweird
Well-Known Member
We have a cat flap in our french doors and got a glazing firm in to come, take the door away, fit the flap and put it all back up again. Works very well! But yes, cat flaps can go up in most situations.
Food wise? My bunch of prima donnas turn their noses up at anything but Felix. No matter if it costs more, it must be felix! But we do at least convince them to Royal Canin for bikkits. Norwegian forest cat ones in our case, as that's what the boys are. Oldie has high protein, no carbs bikkits as she's had odd bouts of pancreatitis.
Ours like water fountains, so with four cats we maintain two of those. And three super large litter trays.
Food wise? My bunch of prima donnas turn their noses up at anything but Felix. No matter if it costs more, it must be felix! But we do at least convince them to Royal Canin for bikkits. Norwegian forest cat ones in our case, as that's what the boys are. Oldie has high protein, no carbs bikkits as she's had odd bouts of pancreatitis.
Ours like water fountains, so with four cats we maintain two of those. And three super large litter trays.
MotherOfChickens
MotherDucker
mine get felix/whiskas pouches plus a bit of the RAW minces the dogs have-plus the odd raw egg or pilchard or chickens foot. I've never had a cat turn their nose up at anything I've given them. No dry food although they sometimes get Dreamies as a treat/bribery! we have a bog standard cat flap-one in the utility room and one into the hay shed-we've no other cats near but I treat with Advantage monthly for fleas and worm every other month in the summer as they hunt so much. They have two boxes with fleece blankets in and a wide radiator bed each.
I have a house sitter as we have loads of other animals to look after as well. No litter trays unless we have a big storm come in the winter.
I have a house sitter as we have loads of other animals to look after as well. No litter trays unless we have a big storm come in the winter.
duckling
Well-Known Member
Our cat flap is in a double glazed french door - I bought the cat flap and called the glazing company who came out to measure the door and check what height to put the hole, then cut a new pane in their workshop and brought it round to fit. They helped me fit the cat flap in it too - depending on how far apart the 2 panes are, you might need a tunnel extender. Still got the intact pane in the garage in case we ever want to remove cat flap.
Food - I like James Wellbeloved, it's grain free and my 2 never smell unlike most cats I know who get fed cheaper stuff, definitely a price worth paying!
Food - I like James Wellbeloved, it's grain free and my 2 never smell unlike most cats I know who get fed cheaper stuff, definitely a price worth paying!
ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
Mine get Tesco own brand, and their cheapest kibble that they adore.
I haven't paid a vet bill for anything except neutering and PTS for ten years or more. I keep three cats and in twenty five years have had one uti in a young male, one weepy eye in a kitten that had flu before she came to me, and one toxoplasmosis, which is just a risk you can't avoid in farm cats that hunt. So I think they've been pretty healthy on a low cost diet. I feed ad lib and they regulate themselves.
I haven't paid a vet bill for anything except neutering and PTS for ten years or more. I keep three cats and in twenty five years have had one uti in a young male, one weepy eye in a kitten that had flu before she came to me, and one toxoplasmosis, which is just a risk you can't avoid in farm cats that hunt. So I think they've been pretty healthy on a low cost diet. I feed ad lib and they regulate themselves.
Crazy_cat_lady
Well-Known Member
You will soon learn that the cat is in charge of the house and you are it's slave there to tend it's every request!
Absolutely love cats and couldn't not have cats. Really not a dog person at all I find cats have so much more personality.
Ours have applawse wet food in the morning and evening it has a really good natural percentage. They also have ad lib renal food as the older girl has kidney disease but the vet has said it's also fine for the Ragdoll to eat as well he loves it which brings me on to my next point- one day a flavour of food will be absolutely the best thing ever. The next day he especially will dig at the floor next to it and refuse to eat it as it is clearly s*** that is there to poison him. Yet the next day it will be back to being wonderful. Yet when we had a hedgehog visit and gave it Felix he would scream for it as apparently cheap food is better than posh food.
The best cat toys are ones they find themselves. His favourite is a piece of plastic outer wire that he found when we had the old bath taken out. Older girl found one of my old playmobil horse buckets and would carry it around. Yet they won't even look at the expensive cat specific toys. Though the Ragdoll loves his tunnel and "wiffle" (a feathery thing on a stick)
You will quickly become accustomed to the sound of cat sick and it is usually also found when you come home on the bed or you will hear it at night and proceed to tread in it the next morning.
We just have the one "potty" but it's a big one. It is skipped out each time poop is seen in it. We have catsan litter which they love to kick all over the house but it definitely has less smell than other brands.
As people say you will never pee alone. Mine also likes to watch me in the bath.
They will finally sit on your lap right as tea is ready or you need a wee!
They like to wake you up at their time usually about 4am
It is very true what they say that cats come running for dreamies! Ours have a portion each night.
Depending on the cat furniture is a far better scratching post than a proper expensive cat scratcher especially if you are a Ragdoll despite knowing it's very naughty. Yet older girl won't touch the furniture and loves her post. My parents now have a designer bed crafted by loving Ragdoll feet!
Ours are allowed on the bed. You can forget cat beds!
One thing lillies are highly poisonous to cats even just the pollen oh never knew this despite his family having cats at ours we don't even have them in the house as both ours counter surf even though they know it's not allowed so far too much risk
Definitely need photos of them when you get them 😊
Absolutely love cats and couldn't not have cats. Really not a dog person at all I find cats have so much more personality.
Ours have applawse wet food in the morning and evening it has a really good natural percentage. They also have ad lib renal food as the older girl has kidney disease but the vet has said it's also fine for the Ragdoll to eat as well he loves it which brings me on to my next point- one day a flavour of food will be absolutely the best thing ever. The next day he especially will dig at the floor next to it and refuse to eat it as it is clearly s*** that is there to poison him. Yet the next day it will be back to being wonderful. Yet when we had a hedgehog visit and gave it Felix he would scream for it as apparently cheap food is better than posh food.
The best cat toys are ones they find themselves. His favourite is a piece of plastic outer wire that he found when we had the old bath taken out. Older girl found one of my old playmobil horse buckets and would carry it around. Yet they won't even look at the expensive cat specific toys. Though the Ragdoll loves his tunnel and "wiffle" (a feathery thing on a stick)
You will quickly become accustomed to the sound of cat sick and it is usually also found when you come home on the bed or you will hear it at night and proceed to tread in it the next morning.
We just have the one "potty" but it's a big one. It is skipped out each time poop is seen in it. We have catsan litter which they love to kick all over the house but it definitely has less smell than other brands.
As people say you will never pee alone. Mine also likes to watch me in the bath.
They will finally sit on your lap right as tea is ready or you need a wee!
They like to wake you up at their time usually about 4am
It is very true what they say that cats come running for dreamies! Ours have a portion each night.
Depending on the cat furniture is a far better scratching post than a proper expensive cat scratcher especially if you are a Ragdoll despite knowing it's very naughty. Yet older girl won't touch the furniture and loves her post. My parents now have a designer bed crafted by loving Ragdoll feet!
Ours are allowed on the bed. You can forget cat beds!
One thing lillies are highly poisonous to cats even just the pollen oh never knew this despite his family having cats at ours we don't even have them in the house as both ours counter surf even though they know it's not allowed so far too much risk
Definitely need photos of them when you get them 😊
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HashRouge
Well-Known Member
Mine's allowed in the bed
I know people say cats aren't affectionate, but our male cat gives the best "cuddles" ever! He will put a paw on either side of your neck and snuggle his nose under your chin, and then purr and purr and purr. Love that cat!
Northern
Well-Known Member
I do a heap of house sitting and would LOVE this! Alas I am on the other side of the world...
Northern
Well-Known Member
Great decision getting cats! The only thing better than a cat, is more than one!
My two are now 13 years old, we got them as 8 week old kittens from the local shelter. Be aware that sometimes the two may not get along (as in my case), after about 3 years they had a "falling out" and now just tolerate each other. It doesn't cause a problem 99% of the time, they just avoid each other.
They really do rule the household. They like to sleep wherever the want to, whether under the bed, on the bed or on a freshly washed human blanket. Mine are fed ad lib dry food (I use the dental Royal Canin food, but it did take a good few years to find the right type for them), they are also fed fresh meat mince at night.
They are both outside cats and are usually too lazy for serious hunting, though we do get the odd mouse after a rainstorm. My female (who is the smarter one) figured out our cat flap pretty quickly (+ live mice ), but my male really doesn't like using it and will go to great lengths to avoid it. To be fair, it's a pretty heavy one and really hurts when they get their tail caught! For this reason I would be choosing the flap pretty carefully, making sure it won't do too much damage to them if they accidentally get caught.
I work at a cattery and in general the cats do very well in there. Even the shyest cats come around eventually! If you go down the cattery path, do go and view and visit potential catteries and ask questions such as how often they are cleaned/fed and what they are fed. Some catteries have a basic range of food only, so you may need to bring your own food for the duration of the stay. Most will also allow you to bring the cats own beds and bedding, this helps keep the calmer in a strange place. I house sit a lot, and if you can find someone you can trust and who is reliable, that would be preferable to the cattery.
Pictures!
Roccy
Kandis
My two are now 13 years old, we got them as 8 week old kittens from the local shelter. Be aware that sometimes the two may not get along (as in my case), after about 3 years they had a "falling out" and now just tolerate each other. It doesn't cause a problem 99% of the time, they just avoid each other.
They really do rule the household. They like to sleep wherever the want to, whether under the bed, on the bed or on a freshly washed human blanket. Mine are fed ad lib dry food (I use the dental Royal Canin food, but it did take a good few years to find the right type for them), they are also fed fresh meat mince at night.
They are both outside cats and are usually too lazy for serious hunting, though we do get the odd mouse after a rainstorm. My female (who is the smarter one) figured out our cat flap pretty quickly (+ live mice
), but my male really doesn't like using it and will go to great lengths to avoid it. To be fair, it's a pretty heavy one and really hurts when they get their tail caught! For this reason I would be choosing the flap pretty carefully, making sure it won't do too much damage to them if they accidentally get caught.I work at a cattery and in general the cats do very well in there. Even the shyest cats come around eventually! If you go down the cattery path, do go and view and visit potential catteries and ask questions such as how often they are cleaned/fed and what they are fed. Some catteries have a basic range of food only, so you may need to bring your own food for the duration of the stay. Most will also allow you to bring the cats own beds and bedding, this helps keep the calmer in a strange place. I house sit a lot, and if you can find someone you can trust and who is reliable, that would be preferable to the cattery.
Pictures!
Roccy
Kandis
ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
Roccy odd the spot of my Bobby, including the behaviour!
SEL
Well-Known Member
Mine is fluff with claws.
Tyssandi
Veteran
Me and OH are looking into adopting two cats from the Cats Protection or a local rescue as soon as building work on our new kitchen is complete
I'm picking the brains of all the cat owners I know in real life but thought I'd ask on here too. Neither of us have had cats before so want to do our research. Any tips on catflaps, food, getting them settled in, anything else we should know... much appreciated x
Make sure you have two litter trays one for each cat, make sure you know what your going to do when you go away as they will ask you.. Will you get someone in or will you board them, you will need to keep them in the house for tree weeks so make plans what to do with the litter waste.
Where will they sleep at night, what vets will you use, you will get 4 weeks insurance and after that it is up to you who you insure with if you go down that route.
leave them alone for the first week or so till they start venturing out round the house of their own accord. Make sure your fencing is high enough and secure enough if neighbours have dogs.
They will ask you alot of questions in the form you need to fill in and email back to the local branch. Fill that form in so the CP can asses the area and business of the roads etc.
ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
I've always had multiple cats, never had more than one large litter tray if the cat flap has to be closed for some reason or if the weather is exceptionally bad. I've never had a problem , but this may be because I muck it out every time I see that it has been used.
sandi_84
Well-Known Member
For my tuppence worth I read a lot about cats before getting my little girl and was fully prepared to leave her in her own room (with visits!) for a week or two until she had settled but as soon as we got her home she just wanted to be with us. So the rule book went out the window and she had the run of the house pretty much from day one. She was already litter trained mind you!
She's an odd little thing though, she likes a proper belly rub, foot massages and getting right in her ears for a rub - only by OH for this though my fingernails are too scratchy! She climbs me and perches on my shoulder whenever I am doing something interesting... like the dishes or trying to leave the house ha ha! She likes to climb anything be it the curtains, wall hangings or just the door frame which she can hang on to halfway up! She does this when I leave the house at the door to the hall too, it has a big glass window and she can do pull ups where the wood meets the glass and gives you the puss in boots style big sad eyes that you are leaving her She's due for being spayed soon so she'll be going into the big wide world soon!
She's an odd little thing though, she likes a proper belly rub, foot massages and getting right in her ears for a rub - only by OH for this though my fingernails are too scratchy! She climbs me and perches on my shoulder whenever I am doing something interesting... like the dishes or trying to leave the house ha ha! She likes to climb anything be it the curtains, wall hangings or just the door frame which she can hang on to halfway up! She does this when I leave the house at the door to the hall too, it has a big glass window and she can do pull ups where the wood meets the glass and gives you the puss in boots style big sad eyes that you are leaving her
She's due for being spayed soon so she'll be going into the big wide world soon!
Britestar
Well-Known Member
I have 7 :/
No cat flap - its far much more fun running to open the doors for them. in out, in out ad ifinitum!
The pretty much eat anything, including dog and horse food. I but the Asda own wet food, and Go cat in 10kg bags. They get munchies at breakfast, wet food at supper time and a few munchies at 11pm when I come in from horses.
They are banned from lounge and dining room during the day. They used to be banned from bedrooms too, but that's gone by the wayside.
One leaves home regularly and goes to a farm up the road. I don't know why, but after 3-4 days I go up and fetch her, she jumps in the car and then stays home for 3-4 day then goes off again. Its a routine now.
We get a variety of corpses and occasional live one I the house.
I love them to bits, even though they have trashed my furniture, carpet and wall paper.
No cat flap - its far much more fun running to open the doors for them. in out, in out ad ifinitum!
The pretty much eat anything, including dog and horse food. I but the Asda own wet food, and Go cat in 10kg bags. They get munchies at breakfast, wet food at supper time and a few munchies at 11pm when I come in from horses.
They are banned from lounge and dining room during the day. They used to be banned from bedrooms too, but that's gone by the wayside.
One leaves home regularly and goes to a farm up the road. I don't know why, but after 3-4 days I go up and fetch her, she jumps in the car and then stays home for 3-4 day then goes off again. Its a routine now.
We get a variety of corpses and occasional live one I the house.
I love them to bits, even though they have trashed my furniture, carpet and wall paper.
Tyssandi
Veteran
You must have got lucky then, sometimes even if you clean it out, the smell of one cat can and does put another off using it.
With cats Protection you have two have to trays one for each cat, as sometimes cats wont use a tray if other cats use it so pee elsewhere in the house. Jackson Galaxy proved this point many times in his programes and You Tube clips.
I do Home checks and this is one thing we insist on, Just like some cats only like one type of litter or type of litter tray. We found that in our household in the past So put two out and each cat uses their own
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ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
Lucky for thirty years with ten different cats in fifteen different combinations?