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THE ULTIMATE CAT THREAD
- Thread starter ShredderMaximus
- Start date
D
My German roommate in post-grad got a hand-knitted, delivered by a singing telegram dude, c*** and b**** warmer from his girl friend at a Christmas House-Buster party we were hosting. Brought down the house.
Someone showed up on today's Zoom call with Mom & Dad...
Floof, Puff, Kiddo, and Sport Pepper.
Howdy Gang,
Just curious RE: my fellow cat owners/owned by catson here...how much freedom does your cat, or cats, have?
In my case, I do give my cat some outdoor time - on his leash and harness. If I am not actually out there with him, he is clipped on to something - usually the cedar hedge out front, or his run (a length of paracord running from carport fence to a tree) in the fenced backyard.
Sometimes I feel bad, as I think it's pretty natural for cats to want to roam and explore. But for the sake of birds and other critters, out of respect for neighbours, and mainly for my cat's own safety/my peace of mind, yeah, I can't see letting him ever be a free range cat.
If I owned a house/property, I'd actually build him a "compound" of sorts in the backyard a sizeable enclosure in which he could run and play a bit, maybe build some structures in there for him to climb on (and in), plant some shrubs in there, let the grass grow long, all to simulate, as much as possible, a "natural" environment for him. Alas, as a renter, it's not in the cards at the moment.
What sayeth you, TB?
When I was on a 210 acre farm, all but one cat was indoor/outdoor or strictly outdoor. The one not allowed out had no front claws so might not have been able to defend herself. Now I live in a city and every cat I've had here has been strictly indoor for several reasons, the biggest one being their safety and right up there is I am selfish and don't want them stolen and living with someone else. I assume if their living arrangements were horrid, they would be trying to sneak out when I open the door, but I've never had a cat that seemed interested in going outside. Watching the outside, sure, but not actually going out there.
Toe bean warmer, also known as rice cooker
So, pic related, it's our little guy, Teddy. He hates going places and meows non-stop at any signal that we're going to have to take him somewhere. Unfortunately for him, we're moving for a 14 hour drive to Kingston in a week and some change. My intent is to just rip the bandaid off and just go in one long drive. I, in a nutshell, am accustomed to long drives like that and would rather get it all done at once than have to deal with getting a hotel somewhere, letting him out and having to cage him up again for one long ride.
We've got some sedatives for him and we tried them once and they kinda worked, maybe, but not really. Any ideas for stuff that could make the move suck less for the little guy? Taking breaks? Letting him out of the cage inside the uhaul to let him eat and stuff during said breaks?
We've got some sedatives for him and we tried them once and they kinda worked, maybe, but not really. Any ideas for stuff that could make the move suck less for the little guy? Taking breaks? Letting him out of the cage inside the uhaul to let him eat and stuff during said breaks?
Attachments
Noise cancelling headphones
. Seriously, talk to him("it's alright, you're OK")as you go. Mine cries on the way to/from the vet-5 minute drive. Not fun on the 140 mile drive to bring her home from where I got her. Good luck.
From experience, don't be surprised if he doesn't eat, drink or use the litterbox even when offered on stop breaks. I stopped using cages to transport and started using soft sturdy carriers with a blanket tossed in. It knocked out complaints, motion sickness, and they traveled more comfortably because I think they just felt safer. When I would move them to cages for breaks, they didn't partake in anything and were miserable, so for any trip I just travel straight through until a hotel or the end of the road. They just burrow under the blanket or face away from the opening and snooze and they seem to bounce back from that method much faster and the travel seems easier on them that way.
Chuck Jones never intended for this memorable scene to make people cry, and was surprised to find that it did. Marc Anthony, the bulldog, adopts a cute kitten, Pussyfoot, and attempts to hide it from his owner, a housewife voiced by Bea Benaderet. He hides his feline friend in a kitchen flour bin, not realizing that his owner is about to bake a batch of cookies, unknowingly scooping the kitty up. Marc Anthony's attempts to rescue Pussyfoot fail, and he's devastated by the thought of him being baked into a kitty cookie. While WE, the audience, see Pussyfoot escape unharmed, Marc Anthony doesn't. The humor is supposed to come from the knowledge that the kitten is fine, but our sympathy is still with Marc Anthony, whose devastation still tugs at the heartstrings of anyone who has heartstrings. From "Feed the Kitty" (Chuck Jones, 1952).
This was my cat at 5:30 this morning. On my head.
RE: Traveling with your cat
You could try a calming collar. Sort of like a flea collar, but emits kitty pheromones, which can have a calming effect. You need to get one soon, because it needs time to start working. There's also a liquid supplement called Nutricalm, it has similar stuff in it. You put it in his food. You can use both at the same time. Finally, a harness and a leash will let you take him out of the car at rest stops. Good luck!
You could try a calming collar. Sort of like a flea collar, but emits kitty pheromones, which can have a calming effect. You need to get one soon, because it needs time to start working. There's also a liquid supplement called Nutricalm, it has similar stuff in it. You put it in his food. You can use both at the same time. Finally, a harness and a leash will let you take him out of the car at rest stops. Good luck!
Is there a difference between a cage and a carrier? The one we use is a plastic thing with a metal door on the front. You can clip the top off.
A carrier cage (like we use in shows) are fairly large. I know a lot of folks who believe more space is kinder to cats during travel, keeping food, water (one of those bottles with the rolly ball like guinea pigs use) and a litter box in the cage with them, but the plain fact is I figured out really fast a carrier only slightly bigger than the cat is actually ideal since they tend to vomit, not use the litter, food or water and don't have that snugged up comfortable and safe feeling with cages big enough to stand up and move around in. A soft but sturdy one seems to have been the perfect one for both of mine. Not sure if the soft carriers mutes sounds down more than plastic, but I suspect so, but I believe that's why motion sickness dropped to zero since I got them.
Carriers are sorta like duffel bags.
Ah, okay then, similar in concept but it's like a gig bag vs. a hardshell case.
