Show off your pet(s)!

[Oubliette_Red]

On 12/9/2020 at 4:11 PM, CrudeVileTerror said:

I wonder if one of those expensive running water feeders might pacify her urges?   I know many cat don't like to drink still water.

Most of them run under $30, can hold over 2L of water and come with filters.

 

The thing about cats is that they are predisposed to be leery of standing water, one of the reasons many like to play with water running out of faucets. Our cat started drinking much more water when we got him a fountain.

 

Edited March 25, 2021 by Oubliette_Red

[Doc_Scorpion]

8 hours ago, Frostbiter said:

She's been trying to trip me for days now but she's just not as good at it as my last cat Ike. Ike got me one day stepping out of the shower. It was 20 minutes before I could pull myself up off the floor. Now I make sure the door is securely closed to the bathroom. Ah, cats.

See?  This is why when my wife wanted pets we compromised on guinea pigs.  For her, they have personality and are big enough to cuddle...  For me, they stay in their cage and (as I say) will never chew on or poop in my shoes.

[Doctor Spitvalve]

Big doog time? It's big doog time. Here's a story in four photos. A tale of aspiration, assertation, desperation, and depression.

 

He's a lot gentler than he looks here, but not a whole lot smarter.

[Spider]

[CrudeVileTerror]

Pretty kitty, @Spider.

 

 

 

My sister got me custom socks which have the face of Moe ( https://forums.homecomingservers.com/topic/14080-show-off-your-pets/page/2/?tab=comments#comment-229208 ) on them as a gift last Friday.  Gave my spouse some socks with a picture of her departed dog as well.

I'm not sure I'll be able to wear them, though.  Feels kind of wrong walking all over the face of a cherished late pet . . . but the gift was quite thoughtful regardless.

[The_Warpact]

This is Piper, you can read about her here.

 

 

[wjrasmussen]

On 8/20/2020 at 4:51 AM, FoulVileTerror said:

Smudge, my parents' current kitty:

 

Don't let the exterior floofiness fool you.  This cat is a stone cold killer.  Took out an entire bunny burrow . . . twice!

twice, so this is a farmer cat.

[TemporalVileTerror]

More of a city slicker.  Likes to spend time outside hunting for sport, but boy-howdy does he expect his factory-prepared meals on time and presented in the nice crystal bowls.

[Techwright]

On 12/12/2020 at 5:15 AM, TheOtherTed said:

Attempted murder is just a cat's way of showing she cares.

Just ask Nick Fury.

[Oubliette_Red]

On 1/12/2020 at 12:23 PM, Oubliette_Red said:

 

Not spoiled at all.

 

 

Sadly, this past week we had to send off Rockafeller of to be with our mom and dad. He was having mounting medical issues and while he was still very loving and playful he continued to suffer more increasing pain and back issues. So he's not suffering anymore and can once again cuddle with our mom.

Something out of the ordinary occurred a few days later though. While sitting in the livingroom, out of the corner of my eye I caught the rocker on the front porch moving. We had storms rolling in but base on the trees in the yard the wind wasn't plowing much and I hadn't seen my sister go out there. So I got up and looked through the storm door to find one of the local strays laying in the chair.

 

 

We've seen him around before and he looks like Rocky but about 4-5 lbs heavier.

 

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

Since @GraspingVileTerror asked via DM from another thread... behold my recently acquired large furry idiot daughter (black) and son (tabby).

 

Image from iOS.MOV

Edited September 28, 2021 by ThaOGDreamWeaver

[GraspingVileTerror]

Many thanks, @ThaOGDreamWeaver!

While they may be (slightly) chonkers, they are clearly beautiful chonkers.

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

Thanks. Still trying to work out how much to feed them - most feeding guides only go up to 4kg or so, and these guys are nearly 6kg. Whether they're supposed to be that big is another matter...

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

Question for cat owners.

 

Sparks (the large, lovable tabby moron) has moved in successfully and is purring and dribbling all over us, though doesn't come as close as we're used to. Certainly not within arm range.

 

Molly is a lot more nervous. Trying to fit her collar today, she meowed piteously - even though it was set very loose and carefully - and bolted when I took it off to adjust it, before starting coughing as if she'd had a massive hairball. Nothing came of it, but I'm wondering if cats can have panic attacks like humans?

 

Also, both cringe away if you try to pat them directly or from above - you have to get down and approach sideways. I'm worried as to what that might mean, but beyond overfeeding them (they're both already chonky/"oh lawd" size - nearly 6kg each) or bribing them with drugs (silvervine infused scratch box going down very well...) what means of gaining trust are there?

[Luminara]

3 hours ago, ThaOGDreamWeaver said:

I'm wondering if cats can have panic attacks like humans?

 

Cats experience fear and respond to it accordingly (being small mammals, that typically means hiding until the perceived danger has passed), but they don't have panic attacks in the same way that we do.  Panic attacks result from over-thinking situations, responses, behaviors, et cetera.  Cats don't over-think anything (and yes, they do think, and learn, and are intelligent), they never would've evolved to become the top land predator if they had nervous disorders and experienced fits of paralysis or breathing issues every time they stopped to consider the possibilities in front of them.

 

What your cats are experiencing is perfectly normal transitional anxiety.  They're in a new home, with new people, and cats... well, they like things to stay the same, and things aren't the same right now.  They'll adapt.  You'll adapt, too, by learning to understand them when they're communicating with you (body language, eyes, ears, tails) and responding appropriately when you know what they want.

 

3 hours ago, ThaOGDreamWeaver said:

what means of gaining trust are there?

 

Time and patience.  Speak softly when they're near.  Give them pets and scritches when they ask, play with them when they're playing (or encourage them to play, with something crinkly, or a stick/fishing toy, or even something as mundane as making faint scratching noises with your fingernail), but don't go out of your way to force them to accept you.  The cat decides when it's time for interaction, but don't distance yourself from them (unless they're explicitly warning you not to touch them).  Very few human-cat relationships are "love at first sight" situations, most develop the same way human-human relationships do.  Learn to hear their voices (again, body language, eyes, ears, tails (vocalizations tend to be... punctuation, rather than primary communication)) and interact on their terms.

 

Either in this thread or in another, I talk about May, one of the two cats I have now, not wanting to be picked up or held when I first met her and brought her home.  At this point in our relationship, if I leave the cabin, she's standing on the love seat when I return.  If I don't pick her up, she launches herself into my arms.  That change came over the course of about eight months.  I didn't try to desensitize her to her aversion to being held, I didn't make a single attempt to coax her into my arms, she decided that she was ready.  I gave her affection, I played with her, and I gave her the time she needed to trust me.  That trust was worth the wait.

 

With time, patience and learning to understand what an animal is saying, you can develop a rapport with any animal, even wild ones.  Cats go out of their way to make it easy on us... apparently, we make great pets.

[TheOtherTed]

I'll share some tricks I've used to keep cats calm, though you're probably already doing them.

1. The Slow Blink.  If a cat stares at me, I'll close my eyes slowly, keep them closed for a second or two, then open them halfway.  If the cat is comfortable with me, they'll return the blink.  If not, I'll repeat, but keep my eyes shut longer, and if that doesn't work, I'll give them a third blink and turn my head away.  I'm not sure why cats respond well to this - maybe they take it as a sign that you mean no harm - but I've found it really helps with bonding.
2. Privacy.  With two or more cats especially, they will each need their own "home base" - a sheltered place they can go where they know they're safe.  This doesn't have to be anything fancy - an open box with a blanket in it, a shelf partially obscured by a piece of furniture, whatever.  Try a few things and see what your cats prefer - and then help them (gently) defend their territory if the other cat gets ideas.
3. Water, Water, Everywhere.  I set out a bowl of water in obvious sight in three or four places that I know the cats will frequent - living room, kitchen/dining area, one at each end of any corridors, etc.  This is not only good for their health, but it means they don't have to go too far from their home bases to grab a drink, so it helps to reinforce their sense of place.

And as Luminara said, let them tell you what they want, though it may be tricky early on to know what that is.  As an example, a friend of mine had 2 cats, and for a while he lived in a house with 4-6 other people and one dog.  I visited him once, and saw the older cat sitting in the corner of his bedroom with her eyes shut.  I gave her a scritch, and she responded normally - then bit the ball of my thumb and started gnawing away, like, full-on all-molar gnawing.  From her pressure and posture I could tell she wasn't trying to do damage. I figured she was stressed to all heck and needed some kind of relief, so I let her gnaw.  From that moment on we became best buds.

[Luminara]

1 hour ago, TheOtherTed said:

The Slow Blink.  If a cat stares at me, I'll close my eyes slowly, keep them closed for a second or two, then open them halfway.  If the cat is comfortable with me, they'll return the blink.  If not, I'll repeat, but keep my eyes shut longer, and if that doesn't work, I'll give them a third blink and turn my head away.  I'm not sure why cats respond well to this - maybe they take it as a sign that you mean no harm - but I've found it really helps with bonding.

 

Cats are obligate carnivores, the apex land predator (barring humans, of course).  Human beings are not only larger, but are easily identified as carnivorous predators by cats (the eyes give us away.  front-facing binocular vision).  So yes, blinking indicates to the cat that you're not going to hurt it.  It can see that you're not sizing it up for a potential conflict, or meal, because you're breaking eye contact.  The look away at the end is especially reassuring for the cat.  You speak cat well.  👍

[Neiska]

Here is my pet! Her name is Luna, and she is a Blue Eyed Lecustic Ball Python. Pure white snake with ice blue eyes. 

Edited November 25, 2021 by Neiska
Added pics

[Coyotedancer]

Either Mei is trying to mail herself off to the East coast for Christmas... Or she's cosplaying as an ACME brand Boxed Wildcat.

 

[JnEricsonx]

My good girl Bella (May 15 2009-October 31 2021).    Crazy thing how we got her was my first dog Liberty had died on my birthday, yay.  😞  But we saw a ad in the paper for Lab puppies, in LIBERTY, NY.  So we went and got this friendly dope.   

[The_Warpact]

My recent adventure involved going 2 states over to get Kaylee. It was the day of the tornadoes so it was a wild day. It was worth it though.

[JnEricsonx]

1 hour ago, The_Warpact said:

My recent adventure involved going 2 states over to get Kaylee. It was the day of the tornadoes so it was a wild day. It was worth it though.

Yeah....I'd say it was.   

[Osirisbain]

This is Odoroki (japanese word meaning surprise), I got him as a surprise in July 2020, was told he was a girl, about a month later we learned he was not 🙂

 

Sorry the pics are sideways

 

 

 

 

And this is him about 3 months ago :)...he is a weido

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

5 hours ago, The_Warpact said:

My recent adventure involved going 2 states over to get Kaylee. It was the day of the tornadoes so it was a wild day. It was worth it though.

 

Well, you're somebody's Big Damn Hero now.

[Luminara]

3 hours ago, Osirisbain said:

 

Those toes.

 

THOSE TOES.

 

*squeesplosion*