Coco and Chanel dilemma

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booktigger
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Re: Coco and Chanel dilemma

Post by booktigger »

Well, after another nightmare work with builders, the catio is finished, I've left the window open but they don't seem to have investigated. Chanel was that bothered early she hunkered down in the igloo bed and let me stroke her! Shame she doesn't seem to enjoy it. :cry: Will post pics from my phone later.
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Re: Coco and Chanel dilemma

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Yay, finally got the pic to resize without pixelating!! Sounded like Chanel attempted to go out this morning, but sounded like she missed again, which is odd as she is good at jumping. The difference between these and my neighbours is these seem quite content in their space, I think Chanel's curiosity will get to her though.
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Re: Coco and Chanel dilemma

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A masterly piece of work - they'll get used to it too. Never be out of it when they realise what fun it is to sit there and watch birds and the street. It's amazing what creatures of habit cats are - I never fully understood this until the time Mouse was allowed to come out of isolation after her radio-iodine treatment and despite the open door she never offered to come out of 'her' bedroom for days.

Coco and Chanel are very lucky :)
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Re: Coco and Chanel dilemma

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Yes, it is. Chanel tried and missed again tonight, really odd! If they enjoy it too much, I'll have to get the cat flap sorted. Hope they realise how lucky they are
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Re: Coco and Chanel dilemma

Post by Ruth B »

You don't think she is trying to jump at the benches and not the window opening, from the picture it looks like she would have to go higher to get to the opening, the glass might be confusing her spacial awareness.

It does look good, I'm sure they will love it once they work it out.
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Re: Coco and Chanel dilemma

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That makes a lot of sense
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Re: Coco and Chanel dilemma

Post by fjm »

That is an impressive construction! Perhaps putting a climbing post or ramp next to the window would help them explore? Your windows are so beautifully clean the glass may well be confusing them! (Not usually a problem in my house, where nearly every window has a row of Poppy nose prints across the bottom...)
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Re: Coco and Chanel dilemma

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Last night I tried to explain how to get out to Chanel, she initially tried to run when I approached the window (they were both in the bed), but when I started tapping the window, she was very interested! Coco was a lot less growly/hissy, maybe having two meals of calming biscuits is helping! She even nearly got very close to my feet to try and steal Chanel’s leftover tea. Had lots of interaction from Chanel too, which is good – I had a bit of cheese in there, she kind of took it from my hand, then she was fussing a bit after that, I tapped my leg and she put her paws on me thinking there was something good, so I got a couple of dreamies out and she tapped both of them off my leg. The window only looks clean because of the distance, there are lots of paw marks where Chanel has previously stretched, and she can reach nearly all the way!
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Re: Coco and Chanel dilemma

Post by MarySkater »

You can get creamy treats with the consistency of toothpaste - Sheba make one, which my cats like. I'd be tempted to lay a trail of that up the glass of the lower window, and on to the frame at the gap, to get them interested in it. At least you'd get part of your window washed! (Unless they decided that they didn't like it - we know how fussy cats can be.)
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Re: Coco and Chanel dilemma

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I did contemplate putting dreamies on the shelf this morning! They don't mind the creamy snacks
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Re: Coco and Chanel dilemma

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You wait. By this time next week, you'll be sick of trying to get them out of the place :lol:
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Re: Coco and Chanel dilemma

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Both have got on the window ledge, Chanel has been on the shelf but mustn't have got on the floor as there are still dreamies on it! This is what I walked into this morning, so glad I stood my ground and refused to let them be separated.
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Re: Coco and Chanel dilemma

Post by Ruth B »

Aww!

How could anyone think of separating them if they saw something like that.

A windowsill, a radiator and an outside enclosure all together, cat heaven.
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Re: Coco and Chanel dilemma

Post by booktigger »

Yeah, I suspect if I showed that to the manager she'd agree with me.
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Re: Coco and Chanel dilemma

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That's beautiful :D

Mother cats do love to keep at least one kitten; it's a very strong bond even through adulthood.
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Re: Coco and Chanel dilemma

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Lilith wrote:That's beautiful :D

Mother cats do love to keep at least one kitten; it's a very strong bond even through adulthood.
Not all the time unfortunately, I've had a lot who were happy to see the back of theirs! It helps they are both girls.
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Re: Coco and Chanel dilemma

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I've never known it, honestly. Oh, they've got to the stage where the large kitten fastens on for milk and a back foot goes up and shoves it off, but never any real animosity. And as for girls, I've generally known mothers to be prouder of their sons ... I remember one stretching her arms out and enclosing her boy, and rocking him from side to side, for sheer joy in him. And the time she was on the point of giving birth and she grabbed her adult son by the scruff and tried to drag him into the kittening box. She was having kittens, wasn't she? THIS was her kitten, this nice big one, not those scrawny little things she was about to produce. AND they'll let the 'big' kittens feed first if you don't watch out.

A friend of mine had two nursing queens who got into a fight. When the dust had settled it was found that one of them had sneaked into her rival's nest and nicked the biggest kitten lol.

With my feral litters, Tess wasn't bothered about my rescuing the little ones because she had her older daughter Mouse; they were very like Coco and Chanel. I wished I could have kept one of Emily's five gingers, but my commonsense told me that she was worn out and the CP had three homes waiting for gingers anyway ... but she mourned them.

I've heard mother cats can be waspish though - they're all different of course :)
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Re: Coco and Chanel dilemma

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Unfortunately dealing with strays I've had some really bad mum's! One that would only feed her kitten if I was stroking her, don't know who was more relieved when he started eating solids! Sad thing is it was her third litter and the only kitten to survive. My last litter were really close, mum was still letting them suckle at 4 months, then the night they came back from neutering, she was so aggressive I thought we were going to have to separate them. On the other end, i had one that was so protective she would growl before she even saw me, i couldn't touch them till they were 3 weeks old. She wouldn't leave them to eat, she would accept handfeeding, but growled constantly while doing it! Mum and sons generally aren't a good combination, in the wild they would normally push them away when they mature.
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Re: Coco and Chanel dilemma

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Aww, that's awful when things go wrong :(

I once had a poor mother - she was a little moggie who (smack my own wrists!) I didn't get around to neutering (this was '82 but no excuse I know) and I had to follow her about with her two for her to take notice and feed them, but she was never hostile with them ... don't think she really grasped motherhood at all and to make matters worse the first one was breech, stuck, and the sac broken ... no air supply, no time to get to a vet, luckily I'd read my Brian Vesey Fitzgerald (remember him lol?) and did a home delivery ... :shock:

After that the girl was spayed, I kept the kittens too, also spayed, and the breechborn one lived to be 18, but talk about living and learning ...

One of my Siamese had to have a caesarean and was in shock for 24 hours - I took over with glucose feeds (and wiping backsides to stimulate them) and a friend was on standby with a foster, but then she roared back into action ... seeing those three sets of little paws massaging that poor stitched belly ... and Annie purring, replete with milk and motherhood ... ouch.

That poor girl of yours, I expect the spaying had completely disoriented her. That's interesting about sons - the big boy I mentioned before, I didn't get him neutered until he was nine months old as I thought I might sell him as a stud (famous last words! He was mine!) No spraying, no hanky-panky, he was a total wuss and mother's boy and she adored him ... don't think she ever let him grow up. (I know, I know, I was VERY lucky!) I have a photo of four adult Siamese on their heated pad - Jacinth (mother) Joey and his sister Majdhar - and adopted Annie squashed right at the bottom. Happy days.
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Re: Coco and Chanel dilemma

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Yes, you have been lucky. The last litter I felt so sorry for, I'd taken them the night before for neutering, as they were semi feral so it gave me longer to catch them, when they left, mum was still letting them suckle and washing them, so when they came back they immediately went to her and she was so aggressive I was really worried - for the past few years I've been neutering kittens at 9 weeks and mums have been fine, I've never seen such a severe reaction! They were stunned as mum barely raised a paw to them before.
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Re: Coco and Chanel dilemma

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Oops, sorry - I thought you meant the mother had been neutered, not the litter! :oops:

I expect they all came back smelling of the vet and ... these are not my kittens, growl! Like the oldfashioned shepherds' lore of, you don't give a bereaved ewe a foster-lamb without it wearing a 'jacket' made from her dead lamb's skin, to make the foster smell like her own.

Mind you I once did foster a kitten, another moggie litter in the 70s (again sorry) and some local kids brought me a little thing, about 10 days old, no getting the truth out of them and it was needy, put it in with my own illegitimates of similar age, and its alien scent wasn't commented on, again lucky.
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Re: Coco and Chanel dilemma

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Had a great night with the girls, one of the neighbours on the next street has a half Siamese – you wouldn’t know to look at her, as she’s a dark tortie, but you can tell as soon as she opens her mouth!! She must have been shut out yesterday, she was howling, so Chanel actually went on the floor in the catio for the first time, Coco did her usual sit on the window ledge! Unfortunately she sat at the spot where Chanel would have come in, so she started wandering to find another way in, and even ended up on the window (which my neighbours cats do regularly). At one point she even went on the top shelf and had a nosey. Then someone was moving in on that street, I thought she’d fly in with the noise, but was happy to sit there, then she went like a yo-yo, couldn’t keep her in!! Decided at 7.30 to shut it, had to get the dreamies out to get her back in!! This morning I was up early, went in there at 6.20 and she asked to go out, so I opened the window, she was straight out! Popped back in before I left at 7.30 and Coco was on the shelf, first time I’ve seen her sat in it. I didn’t expect her to bother at all, much less so quickly. Can’t say she looked very relaxed about it though, but that may have been seeing me! I just hope that it doesn’t make her want more. I often walk in to a thud, so I assume Chanel thinks seeing me means she needs to come in, or that there is going to be food involved! Typically after buying hundreds of Aldi pouches, Coco has decided all she wants to eat is normal felix, Chanel is preferring dry food, although will eat a bit of pate.
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Re: Coco and Chanel dilemma

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Sounds like they are enjoying it.

As far as the cat food goes it sounds perfectly normal, pet cat wolfs down the first pouch or two that you bought to try them on something different and then when you buy the multipack box, go off it entirely.

For a slightly different reason i have over two and a half boxes of Gourmet Pate in the cupboard, Stroppy preferred it to anything else, my three will eat it under protest on occasion. I had thought they had taken a bit of a liking to it while Stroppy was here and they were getting it each night, I am now thinking that Stroppy was going into the kitchen during the night and eating any they didn't want and clearing the bowls for them. If they keep leaving it for me to throw away I'll give in and give the two full boxes to the local charity next time I'm over there.
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Re: Coco and Chanel dilemma

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Too much - had a nightmare with them last night, I had a committee meeting and Chanel was in the catio when I left, so I left it open and didn’t get back till after 9, it took until 9.50 to get them to come in, Coco was on the top shelf when I got in, so I went and got changed, went back in and she was on the bottom shelf, then went on the floor and just didn’t want to come in, Chanel happily came in when I got the Dreamies out, but I think it took 20 mins for Coco to come in. Then Chanel tried 3 times to get back out!!

My neighbour asked if I was going to donate the food to charity Ruth, but I decided that they would probably come back round to it at some point! Had a nightmare with them last night, I had a committee meeting and Chanel was in the catio when I left, so I left it open and didn’t get back till after 9, it took until 9.50 to get them to come in, Coco was on the top shelf when I got in, so I went and got changed, went back in and she was on the bottom shelf, then went on the floor and just didn’t want to come in, Chanel happily came in when I got the Dreamies out, but I think it took 20 mins for Coco to come in. Then Chanel tried 3 times to get back out!!
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Re: Coco and Chanel dilemma

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Hi Desley ... so they’re pushing the boundaries a tad. They must be feeling comfortable. Such lucky girls with the catio. Vivian
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Re: Coco and Chanel dilemma

Post by Kay »

It would be so much worse though, surely, if they wouldn't use the Catio at all
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Re: Coco and Chanel dilemma

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Yes, it would Kay. I hope so Viv! This must be one of my favourite pics of Coco
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Re: Coco and Chanel dilemma

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Oh she’s so much like my mum’s Burman Tim Tam who came to live with mum from my sister as she was being bullied by a Manx, Molly. Mum called one day saying “Kit Kat was settling.” “Mum it’s Tim Tam.” “Oh I knew she as named after some kind of chocolate!” :lol: Timmy passed not quite a yr after my mum while living with my sister. Think went coz of a broken heart. She & mum had a close bond. Fusses to them both ... if u can :o Vivian
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Re: Coco and Chanel dilemma

Post by Lilith »

Aww she's a pretty girl, great to see her close up. Yes, Birman or British or Ragdoll ancestry by the look of her, that little round face, plumper now than when she first came to you, and she must carry longhair genes to have produced Chanel ... isn't it tantalising that we'll never know her story?

As always, virtual fusses to C&C, and Lucy too :)
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Re: Coco and Chanel dilemma

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Yes, I think possibly Birman, definitely not ragdoll as we were told when asked for help. I wonder what the other kittens were like, I know there were at least two.
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