New Pets :-)

[Hurtyback]

I am sure that all of us will make sure no mints will go near the new kitten.  :-)

 >lol<

[Sunshine Meadows]

I am sure that all of us will make sure no mints will go near the new kitten.  :-)

 >biggergrin<

[Defying Gravity]

Sunshine, Luca didn't hide that much but he didn't really play and he was very wary. It was a whole year before I saw him asleep because he was always so alert.

[Yvette]

Zulu/ZuZu looks absolutely gorgeous.  I really hope she settles down soon and leads a very happy life with her loving owner.

[starsmurf]

Milo our ginger tom seems put out that there is another cat in the house and I cam going to have to take it slowly with introductions and do better with him than last time. I want him and Zuzu to be friendly rather than have a okay you live here too truce.

For that, I really do recommend the Vicky Halls book, as she writes a lot about how to introduce a new kitten.  It may take several weeks but it is the way that will lead to the best relationship.  You might never get more than a truce, although a female kitten is the least threatening to him and will have the greatest chances of them becoming friends.

I found the books fascinating for the insight they give into how cats think and behave.  The water dish thing explained why my previous cat used to only drink from my glass of water.  I actually had to give in and put out a glass for her too.  As I drink nothing but water, she got used to the idea that she could always get a drink from any glass. 

Then we went to stay with my parents for Christmas and New Year.  The first night I heard my mother shout my name followed by: "You haven't given Fudge any water!  She's so thirsty, she tried to drink some of my Diet Coke!" >lol<

[Sunshine Meadows]

DG,

Sunshine, Luca didn't hide that much but he didn't really play and he was very wary. It was a whole year before I saw him asleep because he was always so alert.

Poor Luca must have had a traumatic kittenhood before you got him, it is good you gave him a home.

Yvette,

:-) thank you.

Starsmurf,

I downloaded a sample of a couple of samples of Vicky Halls books using the Kindle app and will decide which to buy after I have had a look.

Zuzu's (aka Suzie) has become sufficiently house trained to be allowed to run about the upstairs today and she is currently bombing about. Mr Sunshine just went Aggggrrrh and I went to see what was up. Zuzu had just run up his chair and attached herself to waist.

We have been letting her out and playing with her on the landing so she has been getting to know Tigga who has been a bit bemused as to what the new creature in the house is but the introductions are going well. It helps that Zuzu is okay with being put back in the spare bedroom and settles into her fluffy bed. When we go in there and she has just woken up her head pops up out of the bed and she looks especially cute but no time for photos because she quickly moves.

Milo went off and was kind of missing for three days. It was lovely sunny weather and our next door neighbour did a lot of gardening then had a fire to burn the rubbish. There was a lot of smoke and Milo was out, I think he got scared and so could not make his way back onto the kitchen roof to the catflap. Also the neighbours at the bottom of the garden have got a new dog and there is also another dog further up the street. Maybe some of you have seen the movie Tomasina were the cat forgets who she is well I think Milo had something like that. He did come home in the middle of two consecutive nights and sleep on the bed, but in the evening when I called for him to come home he just looked at me from the other neighbour's wall or shed like ' Who are you?'

Anyway Yesterday morning Milo was on the kitchen roof and I coaxed him in the we decided to lock the cat flap for a few days. He is but looks worried and unsure. I heard somewhere that cats only really remember the last three days so I reckon in three days he will accept he lives here. He has seen Zuzu but just hissed a bit did not run away and she was suitably subordinate and back down from the idea of running towards her potential new toy.

The first night I heard my mother shout my name followed by: "You haven't given Fudge any water!  She's so thirsty, she tried to drink some of my Diet Coke!" >lol<

I was thinking of getting the cats a water fountain but I am not sure if its just me being anthropomorphic

[starsmurf]

Starsmurf,

I downloaded a sample of a couple of samples of Vicky Halls books using the Kindle app and will decide which to buy after I have had a look.

Zuzu's (aka Suzie) has become sufficiently house trained to be allowed to run about the upstairs today and she is currently bombing about. Mr Sunshine just went Aggggrrrh and I went to see what was up. Zuzu had just run up his chair and attached herself to waist.

>lol< When my cat had kittens, at feeding-time they would climb up my jeans, squeaking for their supper.  It's difficult to walk with seven kittens attached to your legs and those claws may be small but they are sharp

Milo went off and was kind of missing for three days. It was lovely sunny weather and our next door neighbour did a lot of gardening then had a fire to burn the rubbish. There was a lot of smoke and Milo was out, I think he got scared and so could not make his way back onto the kitchen roof to the catflap. Also the neighbours at the bottom of the garden have got a new dog and there is also another dog further up the street. Maybe some of you have seen the movie Tomasina were the cat forgets who she is well I think Milo had something like that. He did come home in the middle of two consecutive nights and sleep on the bed, but in the evening when I called for him to come home he just looked at me from the other neighbour's wall or shed like ' Who are you?'

Anyway Yesterday morning Milo was on the kitchen roof and I coaxed him in the we decided to lock the cat flap for a few days. He is but looks worried and unsure. I heard somewhere that cats only really remember the last three days so I reckon in three days he will accept he lives here. He has seen Zuzu but just hissed a bit did not run away and she was suitably subordinate and back down from the idea of running towards her potential new toy.

That must've been awful  :-(

All that - plus the new arrival - will have made him quite stressed.  Cats have very good memories and can remember much longer than three days.  Cats are reassured by routine, so try to keep things as normal as possible.  You have to find a balance between keeping him inside to prevent him going AWOL again and the stress that not going out will cause him.

The first night I heard my mother shout my name followed by: "You haven't given Fudge any water!  She's so thirsty, she tried to drink some of my Diet Coke!" >lol<

I was thinking of getting the cats a water fountain but I am not sure if its just me being anthropomorphic

Cats prefer to drink running water and can actually taste water(!) so they prefer it filtered, especially in harder water areas.  I have a great one (Cat Mate) with three different levels, with a "waterfall" between them.  Titan drinks from it a lot and clearly loves it.  I noticed a big difference in his fluid intake when it had to be turned off for a couple of days.  The vet has told me that increasing his water intake reduces his chances of getting urinary infections, crystals in his bladder and kidney problems.  The surgery has a larger version of the fountain for dogs to drink from and every dog that comes in has a drink!  I don't think getting your cats a fountain is being anthropomorphic, it's knowing your cats' needs and wants >biggrin<

[NeuralgicNeurotic]

Sunshine, I'm glad that Milo made it home safely >hugs<

I've long toyed with the idea of getting a fountain-style water dispenser for George, as he has a mixed wet/dry food diet, and I do have concerns about his fluid intake. The only thing that really puts me off is the filtration aspect. A mate of mine who works for NI Water told me many moons ago that the majority of domestic contamination cases they have to investigate arise due to poorly maintained water filters, and if it was up to her she'd have them banned. If I forgot to change a filter and George got sick as a result, I don't think I could ever forgive myself!

If you're worried about ZuZu not getting enough liquids, harvested rainwater is good to try, until she is old enough to head out to the nearest fresh puddle. Sometimes cats can be trained to drink from a running tap. George is a bit old for this to be effective, so I'm considering giving distilled water a go. The water in this area is very heavily chlorinated, and is certainly off-putting for cats. It's very noticeable that when the water in Gorge's dish is changed, he won't touch for at least 24 hours, when some of the chlorine has had a chance to evaporate.   

[starsmurf]

Hi NN,

You can run it without a filter if you wish to.  The filter is charcoal and a woven part to filter out all the hair!

I wouldn't worry about poisoning George, as I said, cats are able to taste water and would know if something was wrong with it.  Cats will not eat or drink something that smells or tastes bad.  They also have a much stronger stomach than we humans, so they don't get sick from things that would land you or me in hospital.  I mean, do you think you could eat a mouse or rat without getting food poisoning?  >biggrin<

[NeuralgicNeurotic]

I wouldn't worry about poisoning George, as I said, cats are able to taste water and would know if something was wrong with it.  Cats will not eat or drink something that smells or tastes bad.  They also have a much stronger stomach than we humans, so they don't get sick from things that would land you or me in hospital.  I mean, do you think you could eat a mouse or rat without getting food poisoning?  >biggrin<

Worry not Starsmurf, you're not telling me anything I don't already know. I just have a tendency to be a bit over-protective when it comes to cats. >lol<

I actually had a chat about water fountains, among other things, to the vet during the week, and he said that he recommends them for cats who have kidney or urinary tract problems. George has no such health issues at the moment, and I intend to see that it stays that way, so if distilled water doesn't do the trick, then a water fountain will be the next step. I checked out the Cat Mate model you referred to in an earlier post, and it does look like a decent piece of kit.

[starsmurf]

Try using the distilled water in a water fountain.  It triggers their natural desire to drink from running water.  I seriously couldn't believe the difference in how much Titan drank when the fountain had to be turned off for a couple of days, as the plug-point was broken.  I just left the water in the large resevoir at the bottom, so it wasn't simply not liking his new dish.  I was starting to think he was ill, until I managed to borrow an extension cable and plug the fountain back in.  He dashed towards it and drank for about three minutes solid!  He kept drinking on and off for the rest of the day and has become rather protective of it, I think he's scared I'll turn it off again.  >lol<

My vet explained that encouraging drinking can reduce the risk of kidney or bladder problems, so it's a good idea anyway.

[Sunshine Meadows]

Years ago we had a water fountain for the dogs but it was one of the early versions and quite noisy. I checked the Catmate Fountain's reviews on Amazon and decided to buy one. The price was much lower than the original fountain we had and I figured given we have three cats it was worth it. It took a while for Zuzu to figure out how to use it so she was using the other water we had out too, and Milo took a big drink out of it the other day when I was in the bathroom. We have now two of these type http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000VABSD2/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and one fountain http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pet-Mate-06039-Cat-Fountain/dp/B001NYGB8W/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1371463379&sr=1-1&keywords=catmate+fountain. All three are difficult to fill so when I can I get Mr Sunshine to be the water carrier.

I would say the fountain is worth getting but it will be important for me to remember to check the filter and replace or remove it as needs be.

I have been poorly for the last few days so not decided on which book to get yet  :-)

[Fiz]

8 months after losing Tizzie I am almost certainly going to get a new puppy. I went to meet her yesterday and she's ready to collect on June 30th which isn't far away time wise so I have a fair bit of preparation to do. 

I have been very low and I do worry about the levels of my fatigue and how I will manage her when I struggle with just me but on the other hand I live alone and feel so alone and lonely and am missing having the company of a dog immensely. There's a lot of work in the first 15 months of a dog's life but after that the pleasure far outweighs the work multifold and a puppy is so trainable compared to an older rescue dog that usually arrives with problems. 

I have deliberately chosen a smaller breed so that I can hold and cuddle her and be more tactile with her than my previous large dogs. I might even let her sleep on my bed, something that I have never done with a dog!

Part of me thinks I am nuts given my health but my emotional health is as important as my physical health.

[lankou]

[Fiz]

Rosena