Cat-alogue

[MAB]

I was in Greece earlier this month and had an unusual experience with a cat in the middle of a narrow road.  Cats usually run off when a car approaches but even a long blast on the horn wouldn't shift that one, something seemed to be making it reluctant to move.  I got out the car to shoo the cat out the way and discovered the thing it didn't want to leave: a dead snake.  I don't think the snake was road kill as it looked undamaged so either the cat had dragged it there or killed it itself,  I've certainly seen a cat kill and eat a large lizard so maybe they tackle snakes too.  Anyway, that cat had no fear of a snake at all.

[Anon2]

One of mine had the majority of her teeth removed a number of years ago due to poor dental health. She sucks up food even crunchies and always finishes before her mates who have to crunch, chew and swallow. She is the most prolific hunter but we always manage to extract her prey unharmed, albeit slightly soggy and release into long grass or hedge.

 

Always think it is sad when dragonflys get caught by the cats. They spend such a short part of their life cycle as dragonflys in all their glory but they make such a noise with wings it just attracts their attention.,

 

We used to have a cat that wasn't quite the full ticket who brought home very decayed corpses of birds and rodents, only passable if they were already mummified and no longer smelt. Her favourite hiding place was under our bed. We soon got rid of the cat flap. Her brother's favourite catch was camellia leaves. Not harmful to the local wildlife but not great for neighbourly relationships as he systematically stripped their bushes, hiding the leaves in shoes, under cushions. He reacted to it like it was catnip. Apart from the immediate elderly neighbour who he adopted whilst I was at work think the rest put out the flags when we left.

[taxi4ballet]

Just discovered this evening that my cat has a fondness for IKEA Swedish blue cheese. Weird.

[Balletfanp]

I haven't tried him with blue cheese yet, but one of my cats loves strong cheddar and will pester me for it.

[taxi4ballet]

I was sitting eating cheese and biscuits and a certain feline wouldn't leave me alone - I thought she'd sniff it and turn her nose up, but no, it disappeared fast and she came back for more!

 

Something similar happened a few years ago (and another cat). We had an Indian takeaway, and were pestered for an onion bhaji...

[Fiz]

Our cats like Indian food! One begs for onion bhagees and on one awful occasion, I left the remains of a takeaway in the kitchen under those metal net cloche covers you can buy. The takeaway was on the floor. I had to clear it all up and wash the floor. The net of the cloches was covered in dried hardened curry sauce. I had to scrub for absolutely ages to remove it all. My thoughts about greedy cats are not for this gentle society!

[taxi4ballet]

One of mine always liked to have a plate of Christmas dinner, stuffing, sprouts - the lot. You wouldn't have wanted to share a room with him for a few hours after all that lot (not without opening the window anyway) 

[porthesia]

Finally new nurse at the vets decided that Tia doesn't need to loose more weight. Discussion at last weigh in 4 weeks ago was to get her down to 3,7kg, but today's visit has got agreement that at 4.2kg her ribs can be felt, she's very active (nurse couldn't believe she was 12 brought out bag of food for 1-6 age cat).  We have to start mixing her special really expensive Metabolic diet food with some other diet food and seeing if her weight stays constant.  We can then reduce visits to the vet as Tia gets really stressed - looking hopeful

[alison]

One of our local cats - the really fearless one - surprised even me today.  The neighbours have got scaffolding up their chimney: it consists of nothing but vertical metal scaffolding poles and one steeply inclined one (plus the usual planks), but nothing I'd have expected a cat to be able to get its paws around.  There didn't appear to be anything else nearby he could have climbed on to help him/jump from, yet he was blithely sitting up this scaffolding way above fence level and first-floor level!  He did have some trouble getting back down again, but in the end took a running jump and long-jumped onto a neighbour's shed roof.  Thing is, that was way below where he had been sitting on the scaffolding, and I'm pretty certain he couldn't have reversed it and jumped upwards in order to get onto the scaffolding in the first place!

[porthesia]

Visit to the vets last night £70.00!!!  This included antibiotic injection because we can't get cat to take tablets; a worming tablet ....  because we can't get cat to take tablets, 10ml of some pink liquid (HIb something or other) to bathe all the various bites and scabs and THE CONE OF SHAME!!

 

Afraid the Cone of Shame didn't last long.  She kept walking backwards not forwards and she came and SAT ON MY LAP which she never does and after half an hour I gave in and took it off.

 

Thank goodness I'm at work and don't have to put up with her as she will be so grumpy as she's not allowed out.  DD at home with her - she has my sympathies.

 

You would think at age 12/13 she would stop scrapping with obviously more adept-at-fighting cats.

[Fiz]

Oh Tia! Your poor mum!

[Lisa O`Brien]

Biscuit is off to the vets this morning to be spayed. Have been fasting her since 7pm last night. Surprisingly, she doesn't seem too hungry. Well, she isn't crying asking for food anyway. Pumpkin's coming along to the vets too as both of them are having another flea treatment. Then Sean will bring Pumpkin home and I will do a few things in town. The vet said Biscuit should be ready to collect around 4 PM.

[Lisa O`Brien]

Well typical. I was watching Biscuit and Pumpkin playing together on the stairs. Thought it was time I put them both in the carrier and phone a taxi. I turn around and Pumpkin is nowhere to be seen. Me and Sean search high and low, call out for her in every room. Nothing. We know she hadn't slipped out as the back door was still locked from last night. The taxi arrived so we had to take Biscuit on her own. Told the Receptionist to leave the flea treatment for today, as it is best to do them both at the same time. Me and Sean come home about an hour and a half later after buying bread etc.in town. Two minutes after getting in , and while I was letting Blackie in the back way to be fed, Pumpkin saunters into the kitchen , from where we don't know. She must have been upstairs somewhere, but we searched every nook and cranny earlier and could find no trace of her.

[taxi4ballet]

Hahaha!!! The old "I've spotted the cat basket so I'm going to run and hide somewhere they can't find me" trick eh?

[Pixiewoo]

Hahaha!!! The old "I've spotted the cat basket so I'm going to run and hide somewhere they can't find me" trick eh?

My cats ALWAYS come in at lunchtime .. we had vet appt but i didnt mention it nor get the box out. Lunch time comes, my boy cat wanders in..... i call female cat ... not a sign .... an hour later STILL no sign, i ended up taking just one cat for annual jabs! Female cat finally sauntered in about 10pm! (And wasn't let out the next day until she had visited the vet!) I swear she had read the calendar!

[aileen]

I dread the annual check-up for my cats. I can usually manage to lure them into the house at the right time but getting them into the pet carrier is often a nightmare. Last year I had deep scratches on my wrists from a reluctant cat who fought me tooth and nail when I tried to put him into the carrier. I just book two in (we have three cats) and take whoever I can catch on the day. I then take the third in on a later date because two's all I can cope with in one day. One receptionist at the vet told me that some clients just catch their cat one day and then ring up and try to squeeze in an appointment for their cat.

[taxi4ballet]

Aileen, stand the pet carrier up on end, and drop them in at high speed lower them in backwards

[Anon2]

I have a cat though that grows 12 extra legs when you try to get her in cat box at home! It is challenging and she messes the minute you drive off with her in car. Yes I've tried Feliway in box, car and generally around cat. At the vets she walks back into the carrier as though it is never a problem.

[taxi4ballet]

Perhaps that's because she'd rather be in the carrier than at the vet's?

[Balletfanp]

Aileen, stand the pet carrier up on end, and drop them in at high speed lower them in backwards

Hmm, yes, tried that. It had to be a scruff of the neck job in the end - claws everywhere!

[taxi4ballet]

Hmm, yes, tried that. It had to be a scruff of the neck job in the end - claws everywhere!

Yep, that's it - I was shown how to do it by a friend who runs a cattery. A pair of strong gauntlets that go up to your elbows are also sometimes required...

[Anon2]

I have to resort to the scruff of neck and down into the carrier with the one who grows legs! It needs two of us as she fights so much carrier ends up moving around room. Gauntlets would be nice to save arms. My other two just walk into their carriers and I have to tuck their tails in - thankfully. But then one of them not keen to get back in at the vets, he needs to fully examine the consulting room.

[toursenlair]

the vet gave me a tip. take a pillowcase and use it to "bag" your cat while he is sitting on the sofa or somewhere. grasp the open end of the pillowcase so he can't get out. Put cat, in pillowcase, into carrier. Close carrier. He will worm his way out of the pillowcase pretty quickly. Works a treat with my Minkus.

[Anon2]

Sounds great but what about her need to poo the minute I get off drive? For some bizarre reason I'm no longer allowed to take her into empty room to clean everything up the nurse insists on doing it but acts like it is below her.

Hopefully I won't need to put her in carrier until immunisations due in December. Few months to build up to it.

[taxi4ballet]

Sounds great but what about her need to poo the minute I get off drive? 

We used to have one who would poo, wee, throw up, froth at the mouth, and be dripping with sweat - we had to take a spare carrier with us and line the car seat with plastic and towels (and drive all the way to the vets and back with the car windows open...) ugh!!!

 

When we got her home we would open the pet carrier in the garden, and not let her back in the house for several hours, by which time she had cleaned herself up

Edited September 13, 2016 by taxi4ballet

[Lisa O`Brien]

Have any of you bought your own Frontline flea treatments to use at home? Just wondering how effective they are. In know Frontline is what the vet uses . I thought it might be cheaper than a taxi to and from the vets each time. [Our taxi into Newry currently costs £6.00 there and the same back, but a taxi driver told Sean the other day the fares next month are going up to £9.00 one way].

Edited September 13, 2016 by Lisa O`Brien

[Jan McNulty]

I don't know how readily available Frontline is other than from a Vet.  That is where I have bought mine from.  Just a capsule to break open and apply the liquid to the back of the neck.

[Ellie]

Have any of you bought your own Frontline flea treatments to use at home? Just wondering how effective they are. In know Frontline is what the vet uses . I thought it might be cheaper than a taxi to and from the vets each time. [Our taxi into Newry currently costs £6.00 there and the same back, but a taxi driver told Sean the other day the fares next month are going up to £9.00 one way].

I don't live in the UK but when I had dogs I always used Frontline. (You can buy it from chemists, vets and some pet shops here). I've also used it on the stray cat who adopted us last February....She's about 2 years old we think. She developed an eye infection about 3 months ago and I had to do a 'grab the scruff of the neck job' to get her in the carrier and take her to the vet. It took some courage, but if you manage to grab them firmly they tend to keep very still, motionless even. Unfortunately I forgot the towel wrapping technique whilst later trying to administer the prescribed eye drops....She bit through my fingernail....It was extremely painful (I swore...lots)  turned black and I'm still waiting for it to fall off. :/ ..... Bless her, she was scared,   

[Anon2]

Taxi I go to the vets with a spare carrier, baby wipes, newspaper, hand sanitiser and car lined with black bags, towels too. Windows open. No one will ever come with me, funny that. So I have to relay the 3 cats plus spare carrier into the surgery.

 

I buy Frontline or Advantage online from Animed or Petmed. It is not a prescription only medication. Much cheaper than vets or chemist.

[Lisa O`Brien]

I noticed different sellers on Ebay are selling Frontline. Was just worried it might be a fake version of it or something. 6 ampules of it for £29.00 or thereabouts. It would cut out the taxi fare.

[Anon2]

I would only buy from a proper pet supplier online. Our vets suggests looking at Animed site to see if prescription food etc is cheaper than via surgery.

[Lisa O`Brien]

I would only buy from a proper pet supplier online. Our vets suggests looking at Animed site to see if prescription food etc is cheaper than via surgery.

Yes I think you're right Jane. Better to be safe than sorry.

[Fiz]

Our vet told my husband recently that only vets sell the full strength version of Frontline. It used to last for six weeks. Now it is only four and it is directly due to pet shops selling the weaker, cheaper version of it.