Your daily cat and kitten news

[Epona]

I am very paranoid about that with Lilith. I have to say that having her has made me much tidier, as I'll pick up any cruddy bits I see on the floor!

2 out of the 3 I've had have been complete menaces tbf - Radar liked to chew plastic and rubber, and Sonic had pica - he'd try to ingest a lot of things that he shouldn't, especially fabrics, fur, feathers, wool etc. - that's actually not uncommon in Siam/OSH/Burmese/Birman and other "oriental" type cats and is referred to as wool-sucking (which often leads to ingestion), it appears to have some genetic root but hasn't been fully pinned down yet (although studies have demonstrated that it isn't to do with weaning circumstances/age).

Jakey is also OSH but fortunately does not have this issue which makes things a lot easier in terms of things I can leave laying around without worrying that he's going to end up having it surgically removed from his innards.

 

[Saul Goodman]

2 out of the 3 I've had have been complete menaces tbf - Radar liked to chew plastic and rubber, and Sonic had pica - he'd try to ingest a lot of things that he shouldn't, especially fabrics, fur, feathers, wool etc. - that's actually not uncommon in Siam/OSH/Burmese/Birman and other "oriental" type cats and is referred to as wool-sucking (which often leads to ingestion), it appears to have some genetic root but hasn't been fully pinned down yet (although studies have demonstrated that it isn't to do with weaning circumstances or age).

Thor was a plastic muncher. You couldn't leave anything like plastic wrapping, bags etc lying around, or he'd have been munching on it within seconds, which was a nightmare when I was constantly buying things from China that always arrived in small plastic bags. It was like catnip to him.

 

[pogofish]

Don't think this cat grass is going to last long:

 

[Dystopiary]

Arnold likes to lick plastic, which I do discourage, and also those food waste/compost bags.

I've got a rug that's got a kind of rough texture that he goes a bit wild on, scrunching it up and getting a bit zoomy.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Generally, a healthy fox gives a housecat its space. More trouble than it's worth for them, I think. But starvation or disease can change the equation.

I guess it depends on the foxes / cats involved.

Larry the downing street cat has been caught on film chasing a fox away.

A while ago, mum-tat's semi derelict shed provided shelter to both a couple of neighour cats and a fox - they occupied opposite ends but otherwise seemed to tolerate each other. the cats are no longer around, and must be a few generations of fox family on by now...

 

[Rebecca Riot]

I would take any hair ties/string/ribbon/elastic type stuff away from her if she finds them to play with - I am certain you know this but they can be dangerous if swallowed, and once it's in the mouth the backwards barbs on a cat's tongue prevent them from spitting stuff like that back out!

She's obviously doing well, lovely glossy coat on her

One of my cats loves rubber bands which can be very dangerous and I'm always having to check that the postman hasn't left any on the driveway or she'll try to eat them if she finds one.

 

[Epona]

One of my cats loves rubber bands which can be very dangerous and I'm always having to check that the postman hasn't left any on the driveway or she'll try to eat them if she finds one.

I've actually complained to Royal Mail a few times about that - it's worth putting in complaints if you see their rubber bands all over - they're not supposed to drop them and you can make a complaint about the general practice of it without putting blame on any individual postal worker - it's very hazardous to pets and wildlife and bad for the environment.
After a few complaints a few years ago, I don't see them dropped around here any more.

 

[Rebecca Riot]

from cats of yore on blooski

(source of picture here)

Now the weather's getting colder I've started closing the interior doors of the house in the evening to keep the room warmer but my lot, being the good little Europeans that they are, demand freedom of movement at all times. No sooner have I settled down in the recliner chair than one of them will be hammering on the door with their paws wanting to be let in or out. I get up and let them through and shout to the others "does anyone else want to go in or out while I'm on my feet?" but there's no takers. Just as I get comfy again the next one decides they want to go in or out so I'm up and down all evening like a bloody jack-in-the-box.

I'm thinking of having cat flaps installed in all the doors!

 

[Epona]

I'm thinking of having cat flaps installed in all the doors!

I'm about 90% certain that they'd find some other reason for you to be up and down.
Oh my bowl is only 3/4 full.
Don't you know it's teatime in 3 hours, why are you sitting down, no sense of urgency about our impending starvation.
Distant sound of sickage happening in another room.
Disemboweled "gift" on the doormat.
Etc. Etc.

 

[Rebecca Riot]

I'm about 90% certain that they'd find some other reason for you to be up and down.
Oh my bowl is only 3/4 full.
Don't you know it's teatime in 3 hours, why are you sitting down, no sense of urgency about our impending starvation.
Distant sound of sickage happening in another room.
Disemboweled "gift" on the doormat.
Etc. Etc.

Talking about the sound of sickage, we use to have a dog who would rush and fetch a kitchen roll as soon as he heard a cat being sick without any prompting from us.

 

[Epona]

Talking about the sound of sickage, we use to have a dog who would rush and fetch a kitchen roll as soon as he heard a cat being sick without any prompting from us.

I was going to say shame you couldn't train him to go clean it up for you, but only briefly flitted through my brain as a potential response, because I know how a dog would tend to clean that up and it's not ideal tbh

 

[RubyToogood]

I would take any hair ties/string/ribbon/elastic type stuff away from her if she finds them to play with - I am certain you know this but they can be dangerous if swallowed, and once it's in the mouth the backwards barbs on a cat's tongue prevent them from spitting stuff like that back out!

She's obviously doing well, lovely glossy coat on her

Actually I didn't know that. I will tidy up. I'm not worried about the hair elastic itself as it's one of the thick kind.

 

[RubyToogood]

Re her coat, I still find this a source of fascination. She very much has a silvery beige undercoat and a darker brown top coat, so she can change colour a bit depending on how fluffed up she is according to mood/temperature.

It's hard to describe the colour. Coffee doesn't quite cover it. I think sepia is the correct term. She also has faint underlying tabby matkings. You can see this most clearly on the back of her head.

 

[seeformiles]

'World's oldest cat' dies in UK city at the ripe old age of 152

Rosie, a fluffy tortoise-shell, believed to be the oldest cat in the world, has died aged 33, or the equivalent of 152 human years, besides her heartbroken owner Lila Brissett from Norwich

www.mirror.co.uk

 

[Rebecca Riot]

Re her coat, I still find this a source of fascination. She very much has a silvery beige undercoat and a darker brown top coat, so she can change colour a bit depending on how fluffed up she is according to mood/temperature.

It's hard to describe the colour. Coffee doesn't quite cover it. I think sepia is the correct term. She also has faint underlying tabby matkings. You can see this most clearly on the back of her head.

View attachment 442892

She's such a beautiful cat.

I've heard you can do DNA testing on dogs to see what mixture of breeds they are so it probably works with cats as well. It would be interesting to see what her genetic make -up is.

 

[May Kasahara]

Working hard on a Monday

 

[LeytonCatLady]

 

[Puddy_Tat]

guardian of the laundry...

 

[RubyToogood]

She's such a beautiful cat.

I've heard you can do DNA testing on dogs to see what mixture of breeds they are so it probably works with cats as well. It would be interesting to see what her genetic make -up is.

You can* and I've thought about it, but it might blow my plausible deniability when filling in insurance applications. Moggies are a lot cheaper to insure.

I don't think it had really dawned on me before that pedigrees by definition involve inbreeding. The entire modern Burmese population is based on the breeding of a mother cat with her own son.

*cats are much genetically closer together than dogs though as they've been bred for a lot less long.

 

[May Kasahara]

Working hard on a Monday

View attachment 442936

Tbf to Donut, he has travelled the width of the bed during working hours AND changed position at least three times. That probably constitutes hard work in cat life.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

That probably constitutes hard work in cat life.

yes.

it's probably time for a little snack then a nap...

 

[Rebecca Riot]

You can* and I've thought about it, but it might blow my plausible deniability when filling in insurance applications. Moggies are a lot cheaper to insure.

I don't think it had really dawned on me before that pedigrees by definition involve inbreeding. The entire modern Burmese population is based on the breeding of a mother cat with her own son.

*cats are much genetically closer together than dogs though as they've been bred for a lot less long.

I read somewhere that the Sphinx breed evolved from a litter of Devon Rex kittens who were born without fur or whiskers because of a genetic fault so they must have mated brothers and sisters to eachother to perpetuate the breed.

 

[stavros]

There's a new tabby a few doors down the way, who's a work in progress. I can tell he/she sort of wants to come up to me, but doesn't quite trust me yet. Hopefully repetition will eventually pay dividends.

 

[RubyToogood]

There's a new tabby a few doors down the way, who's a work in progress. I can tell he/she sort of wants to come up to me, but doesn't quite trust me yet. Hopefully repetition will eventually pay dividends.

That or Dreamies. This is probably unethical with someone else's cat though.

 

[Lotte]

I'm trying to encourage my cat to scratch his mat thing but he hasn't taken the hint.

LeytonCatLady, is that lovely void of yours ex-feral? My brother's cat has her ear clipped as well and she's ex-feral. Tbh she still is a bit feral, she barely acknowledges his existence unlike her late brother/partner, who was a talkative fellow once he got over his shyness.

 

[Saul Goodman]

I'm trying to encourage my cat to scratch his mat thing but he hasn't taken the hint.

Make the mat out of something really expensive and irreplaceable. That usually works,

 

[Lotte]

Oh, he's already decided he loves scratching the shit out of my rug.

 

[Rebecca Riot]

Make the mat out of something really expensive and irreplaceable. That usually works,

My lot have got scratching posts all over the house but still find wooden door frames and the carpet on the bottom step of the stairs far more appealing.

 

[LeytonCatLady]

I'm trying to encourage my cat to scratch his mat thing but he hasn't taken the hint.

LeytonCatLady, is that lovely void of yours ex-feral? My brother's cat has her ear clipped as well and she's ex-feral. Tbh she still is a bit feral, she barely acknowledges his existence unlike her late brother/partner, who was a talkative fellow once he got over his shyness.

No, that's an injury from fighting, poor girl!

 

[Saul Goodman]

My lot have got scratching posts all over the house but still find wooden door frames and the carpet on the bottom step of the stairs far more appealing.

Spud is working his way up the stairs, step by step